Just as Lewis and Clark once set out to map the West, MSU
Transcription
Just as Lewis and Clark once set out to map the West, MSU
Michigan State University • Spring 2006 • Vol. 23, No. 3 Cover: Art rendering of the new Stadium Tower addition and The Spartan ceramic statue, which now resides in the lobby. Rendering courtesy of HNTB Architecture. MSU PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN A NEW SURVEY OF THE COSMOS Just as Lewis and Clark once set out to map the West, MSU scientists are engaged in a massive effort to digitize and spectroscopically analyze over half of the entire Northern Sky. 16 SPARTAN INVENTORS – PART TWO Some MSU faculty are inventors and entrepreneurs, or “inventrepreneurs,” and their work can dramatically impact Michigan’s economic future. 22 Letters to the Editor Editor, MSU Alumni Magazine 242 Spartan Way East Lansing, MI 48824-2005 Include name, address, phone, email and MSU degree/year (if applicable). Letters may be edited. Via Fax: (517) 432-7769 Via email: [email protected] BLACK SOCIAL BANDITS AND SOCIAL CHANGE The concept of the black social bandit, epitomized by O.J. Simpson, and now reintroduced to us by the controversy surrounding Barry Bonds, provides a critical yardstick which can be used to measure America’s racial divide. 30 DEPARTMENTS President’s Perspective 2 In-Basket 3 Around Circle Drive 4 Spartan Profiles 12 Sports 34 Alma Matters 38 State’s Stars 46 Obituaries 48 Lasting Impressions 52 Click Right Through for MSU www.msualum.com Page 1 PRESIDENT’SPERSPECTIVE A MSU Alumni Magazine Robert Bao Editor Dave Giordan Design Geneva Tupper Advertising Manager Tim Potter Photography MSU Alumni Association Keith A. Williams Executive Director Andy Henderson Systems Manager Nancy Brent Associate Director Kristin Mackley Office Assistant III Dominic Schimizzi Business Manager Karen Moser Office Assistant II David Brown Assistant Director Chris Pfeffer Information Technology Joni Burns Administrative Assistant I Beverly Carnahan Executive Staff Assistant Louise Cooley Assistant Director Regina Cross Marketing and Sales Coordinator Cheryl Denison Marketing and Sales Coordinator Brenda Haynes Office Assistant III Tammy Pike Secretary II L. Patrick Scheetz Assistant Director Sandy Soifer Assistant Director Barbara Susa-Fineis Event Coordinator Jackie Sweet Membership Coordinator Linda Trimble Secretary II Bev VandenBerg Assistant Director Advertising Manager, Geneva Tupper (517) 432-1951 • [email protected] handful of themes have come together for Michigan State in recent months, ideas integral to the ongoing initiative that will translate the best of our land-grant heritage into a “world grant” future: economic development in Michigan; the challenge of increasing global competition; and exciting potential of the bioeconomy. Many of today’s challenges do not recognize national borders, and often result from global tensions and pressures, beyond the control of any single institution or even nation to address alone. By forming partnerships that reach across cultures and international boundaries Michigan State has been able to focus on a wide range of issues that affect all of us, regardless of race, nationality or background. We’re in the knowledge business, so we learn from our global partners and they learn from us. And by working together, we accomplish more. One of the issues that’s having a profound impact—both in Michigan and around the world— is energy. Anyone who’s paid a heating bill or filled up a gas tank in recent months can attest to that. And beyond the cost of fuels, the soaring price of oil—and our country imports some twothirds of our current needs—affects our entire economy, driving up the costs of a wide range of materials, chemicals, products, processes, and packaging. You may have noted that a few weeks ago, after a 30 year effort, the government of Brazil announced its energy independence. Between fossil fuel sources they can extract domestically and biofuel sources that they can grow, Brazil no longer must rely on imports to meet its energy needs. Our vision of a bioeconomy depends upon linking the powerful research capability of MSU with Michigan’s extensive manufacturing capacity and our potent agricultural sector. This innovative idea goes beyond biofuels, to bio-based chemicals and composite materials that can take the place of oil-based products. You can read more about our ongoing biotech and biomass work in this issue, as well as at www.msu.edu/bioeconomy. The potential for economic development is obvious. We’re building on Michigan’s existing strengths, so we make the most of resources already in place, at a time when our economy is in transition and the state is really looking to its research universities—and in particular, to its land grant university—to lead the way. That’s what we’ve always done at Michigan State. We make a difference by moving cutting edge knowledge out of our classrooms and laboratories, then putting it to work in real and practical ways. And as a globally engaged research university, we bring the best of the world to Michigan, and share the best of Michigan with the world. Sincerely, Lou Anna K. Simon, Ph.D. President, Michigan State University COPYRIGHT 2006 MSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MSU Alumni Association 242 Spartan Way East Lansing, MI 48824-2005 (517) 355-8314 www.msualum.com MSU is an affirmative-action, equal opportunity institution. Page 2 Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine INBASKET MSU INVENTORS Fascinating cover story in the Winter 2006 issue. I had no idea so many of my fellow Spartans hold patents and have invented some of the everyday items that make my life easier. From fiberoptics and potato chip enhancements to inventions I can’t even comprehend, such as “super strong” materials and underwater research equipment, Spartans are making the world a better place! It’s great to know that although I haven’t personally invented anything, as an MSU alum I am part of the legacy. Lauren (Campbell) Coon, ’01 Indianapolis, IN ☛ Lauren is vice president of the MSU Alumni Association’s Central Indiana regional club. See page 42. –Editor. ID THEFT I commend you for publishing the story on Identity Theft (Winter 2006). It’s one of the fastest growing crimes and the U.S. Secret Service enforces the federal statutes. You have provided an excellent educational and information service to your readers. H. Stuart Knight, ’48 Falls Church, VA ☛ We’re delighted to hear from Stu Knight, director of the U.S. Secret Service from 1974-81. –Editor. Excellent story on identity theft by Dr. Judith Collins (Winter 2006). As someone whose business helps consumers and businesses protect themselves against ID theft, I agree that consumers and employers will end up getting stuck with more of the bill, what with new federal laws and FTC regulations favoring the credit card companies. Click Right Through for MSU 1917 year book proves that the date used is incorrect. John S. Frizzo, ’67, MBA ’68 Elkhart, IN Your readers might be interested in learning that other types of identity theft also loom. They include the theft of your social security number, medical ID theft, and character ID theft. These are potentially more disruptive and could land you in jail from a routine traffic stop. Walter Sorg, ’70 Williamston, MI Your story on identity theft was timely and informative. All fellow alumni should take heed to follow the advice of Judith Collins, and perhaps even buy ID theft protection. According to the 2004 FBI National Crime Survey, we are 26 times more likely to be a victim of ID theft than of a violent crime and 25 times more likely to be a victim of ID theft than have our car stolen. Chuck McCallum, ’63 Benton Harbor FORWARD TO THE PAST? Enjoyed the story about Francis Irving Lankey (p. 5, Winter 2006). I’m confused, however, by your statement that Lankey would never know his song would become the MSU Fight Song. The 1917 Wolverine contains these same lyrics on page 157 and they are titled “Fight Song”! They’ve announced 1919 as the date of our fight song at several football games, but I believe the www.msualum.com ☛ As we noted, Lankey and lyricist Arthur Sayles came up with the song in early 1915. However, notes archivist Fred Honhart, the song was not copyrighted until 1919. Lankey died in May 1919, before the song was officially adopted as MSU’s Fight Song by MAC’s military band later that fall. –Editor. HORN-RIMMED Among the photos on page 32, who is the man with the hornrimmed glasses (to the left of Teddy Roosevelt)? My mother Ruth, (former MSU historian) Madison Kuhn’s widow, wasn’t able to identify him either. Thanks for your wonderful emphasis on MSU history in the magazine! Rosemary Kuhn Plapp, ’62 Iowa City, IA ☛ That’s Edgar L. Harden, MSU’s 15th president, who was prominently mentioned by Gwen Norrell in the article. –Editor. CREATE A BAND SCHOLARSHIP As a member of the marching and concert bands from 19561960, I greatly appreciated your recent articles, which brought back fantastic memories. I was fortunate enough to earn a band scholarship, which I maintained for four years with the required GPA and band attendance. Without the scholarship, my only option would have been to attend a local college, and work and live at home. Many fellow bandsmen were in the same position. I’m saddened that the band scholarship program has been greatly reduced and is no longer available to non-music majors. Let me suggest the creation of an MSU Band Scholarship Fund, funded by band alumni. Now is the time for band alumni to give back and make four years at MSU a reality for others like us. Paul Hollinger, ’60 Baltimore, MD PAC MAN Re Keith Williams’ column on the Green and White PAC (p. 8, Spring 2005). You might be interested to learn that it is not just an alumni effort, but also an MSU faculty effort (visit www. greenandwhitepac.com). The Green and White PAC seeks support for state policy makers who advance MSU’s fiscal position in the state budget. The PAC makes contributions and endorses state candidates who meet this standard regardless of party affiliation. This PAC was established because of the steep and disproportionate decline of state appropriations for public universities in Michigan. Some 88 percent of our students come from Michigan. With term limits it may be difficult for new legislators to have sufficient knowledge about MSU and this PAC is designed to educate and inform our state legislators. Norman Abeles Faculty member Page 3 AROUND CIRCLE DRIVE University Relations/Kurt Stepnitz President Lou Anna K. Simon and Madam Xu Ling, director general of China’s National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, shake hands after signing a 10-year agreement to form the MSU Confucius Institute. Looking on are (l to r) Provost Kim Wilcox, College of Education Dean Carole Ames and Yong Zhao, who will direct the institute. NEW INSTITUTE OFFERS CHINESE MSU, in partnership with China’s National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, has joined the global network of Confucius Institutes and will provide online Chinese language courses for K-12 and adult learners. “MSU is honored by the trust placed in us to be among a small number of partners with the Chinese government on extending the teaching and learning of Chinese language around the world,” says President Lou Anna K. Simon. “We look forward to long-term collaboration that goes beyond language, to embrace a level of engagement and understanding that will benefit our respective institutions, as well as our nations and the world, for years to come.” MSU will develop the curriculum with the China Central Page 4 Radio and Television University in Beijing, which serves 2 million online learners. Online classes for nationwide high school students will be available this fall. “This institute will dramatically expand the capacity of schools in Michigan and nationwide to provide training in Chinese language and culture,” says University Distinguished Professor of education Yong Zhao, who will head the institute. MSU RISES IN RANKINGS The MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) and MSU College of Human Medicine (CHM) both moved up on the list of top medical schools for primary care training, according to the 2007 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools from U.S. News & World Report. COM moved from 9th to 4th nationally, while CHM jumped from 30th to 14th. MSU’s Eli Broad College of Business leaped nine places into the Top 25, landing at 23rd. The college’s supply chain management/logistics program ranked 2nd nationally behind M.I.T. MSU’s College of Education ranked 14th overall for the second year in a row. The college’s primary and secondary education graduate programs ranked first for the 12th consecutive year. Five other programs were in the Top Ten. MSU’s nuclear physics program ranked second nationally, while the doctoral program in physics ranked 29th. The complete rankings and additional information can be found at www.usnews.com. Meanwhile, MSU’s The School of Hospitality Business faculty was ranked tops in the country by the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research (August 2005). WIRED GRANT OF $15 MILLION MSU will play a key role in a new initiative to help Michigan workers transition from the automotive industry to a new biobased, post-petroleum economy. MSU will help implement a $15 million grant by the U.S. Dept. of Labor to the MidMichigan Innovation Alliance. The Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant is one of 13 such grants nationally. “The bio-economy will offer new employment opportunities to workers in production, materials transport, environmental protection and public safety,” says MSU President Simon. “MSU wants to deploy the expertise of its research faculty—and the engaged outreach of MSU Extension—to help all of Michigan lead in bio-based fuels, chemicals and materials. The WIRED grant provides an important opportunity for worker development in support of that aim.” Simon announced that former Lansing mayor David Hollister, CEO of the Primas Civitas Foundation, will coordinate the Alliance. While MSU promotes the emerging bio-economy, other partners—including Kettering University, Lansing Community College and Mott Community College—will address other employment opportunities in sectors ranging from fuel cells to advanced manufacturing. MSU WINS SIMON AWARD For its efforts in international education, MSU has won the Simon Award for Campus Internationalization, named after the late U.S. Senator Paul Simon, an advocate of international education. The award is administered by NAFSA (Association of International Educators). Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine “We’re honored by this award, which recognizes MSU’s long history of international engagement and leadership, and comes as we begin to address new challenges associated with global competitiveness in our increasingly interconnected world,” says President Lou Anna K. Simon. “Continuing to expand our international reach is essential, as we apply MSU’s landgrant tradition and values to being not only the leading landgrant university, but the model for ‘world-grant’ by 2012.” CHM PLAN GOES FORWARD In April, the MSU Board of Trustees voted to authorize MSU to implement the expansion of the College of Human Medicine to Grand Rapids. “This is a historic day at MSU,” says David Porteous, board chairperson. “It’s the continuation of a great idea and a great plan.” A tradition begun to honor MSU’s Sesquicentennial, Fred Honhart, director of MSU Archives & Historical Collections, will continue to highlight key moments and people in MSU history. MSU currently has 3,293 students from 127 countries, an impressive measure of international diversity. This is no fad, since international students began coming to MSU in the early 1870s. The first to Click Right Through for MSU The next steps include entering into agreements with collaborating organizations, seeking accreditation, recruiting faculty and medical students, and choosing and developing a site for the school. Grand Rapids’ Spectrum Health announced April 18 that the two institutions have reached an agreement, with an estimated $55 million investment in building support and some $30 million over the next decade to enhance research. “This is a model others can turn to as medical education faces the challenges of the future,” notes President Lou Anna K. Simon. Besides Spectrum Health and MSU, other key partners in the project include St. Mary’s hospital, the Van Andel Institute, Grand Valley State University and community physician groups. NEW ACQUISITION—MSU’s Kresge Art Museum recently acquired a enroll was Thomas T. Etches from Chatham, Ontario, Canada, who was in the Preparatory Class of 1867. Subsequently students from Japan, Denmark, England, Australia and Canada came in the 1870s and 1880s. The first foreign student to graduate was Charles Christian Georgeson of Rudkjobing, Denmark, in 1878. After graduation, Georgeson became an assistant editor of The Rural New Yorker and later a professor in Texas, Japan and Kansas. In 1898 he moved to Sitka, AK, where he served at the Territorial Experiment Station until his retirement in the 1920s. Twenty-five students from Japan—by far the largest number from a foreign country—attended MSU in the 19th Century. This was part of Japan’s program to end its isolation after 1868 by sending its best students to study around the world and return home with modern ideas and practices. Of the 25 students who came to MSU, six graduated with bachelor’s degrees and of those three received masters’ degrees. After returning to Japan, they served as professors of agriculture, president of Shoichi Yebina, Class of 1895, became President of Aomori Ken Agricultural School, Sambougi, Ken Aomori, Japan www.msualum.com new oil painting by Johannes Glauber (Dutch, 1646-1726) called Polidoro (1680s). Measuring 24-1/4 x 30-1/4 inches, the canvas shows a classical Italianate landscape featuring Diana at rest with her Nymphs after returning from a hunt. Susan Bandes, director of Kresge Art Museum, said that the MSU purchase was funded by the Nellie M. Loomis Endowment. an agricultural college, professor of engineering and banker and member of the Privy Council. Attending a foreign college was not without its challenges. Besides having to learn a new language, one had to endure slow communications to home, and a different diet and culture. Despite all of these challenges the foreign students flourished at MSU. But in April 1888, three Japanese students were harassed by 8-10 students and their property destroyed. The faculty subsequently suspended four American students for a year and the three Japanese students chose to return home. The early involvement of MSU with foreign students is just one aspect of the Land-Grant mission and philosophy, in this case being extended to students from other countries around the world. MSU Archives & Historical Collections Page 5 Marsha MacDowell/MSU Museum Kelly Church (Grand Traverse Bay Band of Chippewa) and Cherish Parrish (Gun Lake Band of Pottawatomi), at the MSU Museum’s 2005 Great Lakes Folk Festival. Raspberry basket (bottom) Sarah Turkey, Ottawa Curtis, Michigan 1991 Black ash and sweetgrass Basket Karen Reed Squally Washington 2000 Cedar bark MSU MUSEUM AT SMITHSONIAN The MSU Museum is helping Pearl Yee Wong/ to develop a centerpiece program MSU Museum for the 2006 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, from June 30 to July 11, that is expected to draw more than 1 million visitors to the “nation’s front lawn” at the National Mall in Washington, DC. Working with Native basket organizations and scholars and with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, MSU is developing the “Carriers of Culture: Contemporary Native Basket Traditions” project. Three years in the making, the project examines the creative vitality and diversity of Native basket traditions significant in the artistic expressive heritage of the United States and Canada— within distinct tribal groups and First Nations. “Contemporary Native baskets are powerful physical forms of expressive culture,” explains C. Kurt Dewhurst, MSU Museum director and co-curator of the exhibit. Next, a 3,500 square-foot exhibit, scheduled to open in 2007 at the MSU Museum. From there, “Carriers of Culture” will travel to major exhibition venues in the U.S. and overseas. The MSU Museum became Michigan’s first Smithsonian Institution affiliate in 2001, formalizing a long-standing partnership in research, field work, exhibition development and educational programs. “Carriers of Culture” has received national, competitive funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Institute for Museum and Library Services and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. ☛Read more about the MSU Museum and Native American collections at www.museum.msu.edu Page 6 STATIONS OF THE YEAR MSU’s WKAR-TV has been honored as Michigan Public Television Station of the Year by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. MSU’s WDBM—or Impact 89FM—has been named the college radio station of the year. In addition, WKAR also received seven awards for locallyproduced productions, plus a radio award for Best Mini-Documentary/Series. At WDBM, staffers took first place in four categories—daily newscast, play- by-play sportscast, public service announcement, and promotional announcement. WKAR-TV celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2004 (see cover story, Winter 2004). WDBM was the first college radio station, out of some 13,000 in the nation, to begin broadcasting the new HD digital signal last fall. CHILDREN’S CHOIR WINS GRAMMIES The MSU Children’s Choir has won two Grammy Awards—one for Best Classical Album, and one for Best Choral Performance— for a compilation CD titled “Songs of Innocence and of Experience,” by Pulitzer-Prize winning composer William Bolcom. The song cycle was performed in April 2004 in Ann Arbor. The award was shared by the 40 young singers—from fourth through tenth grades—their director Mary Alice Stollak, composer Bolcom, performance conductor Leonard Slatkin, music director of the National Symphony Orchestra, and other conductors from the University of Michigan. “I am so proud that our children were asked to be part of a work of this magnitude,” says Stollak, the choir’s founding director. ☛Those interested in buying the CD can visit the CD Store at www.msuchildrenschoir.org. Mary Alice Stollaks conducts the MSU Children’s Choir during a rehearsal at the Music Building. Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine University Relations/ G.L. Kohuth (L to r) Debate team director Mike Eber, winners Ryan Burke and Casey Harrigan, and head coach Will Repko pose with their most recent national championship trophy. DEBATERS ARE NATIONAL CHAMPS The MSU Debate Team won the 2006 National Debate Tournament championship in late March at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. It was MSU’s second national championship in three years. Entering the 32-team tournament as the No. 3 seed, MSU beat California State University, Fullerton; University of California, Berkeley; Wayne State University; and Wake Forest. “It still hasn’t sunk in,” says Casey Harrigan, who formed a duo with fellow senior Ryan Burke. “The whole team was very emotional when we found out we won. It was really just a culmination of four years of tough research and hard work.” “The debate topic (how to build relations with China) was very broad and allowed for us to come at it with many different angles,” says Mike Eber, director of the MSU Debate Team. Members of the team engaged in research for Burke and Harrigan, spending hours at the team’s office in Linton Hall. “It would be pretty common to walk into the office well into the evening and see six to seven people really working hard and putting in the time,” says debate coach Will Repko. “ We definitely earned it.” NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR MSU’S MRI MSU has acquired magnetic resonance imaging technology that not only allows for greatly improved brain imaging, but also captures quality images even if the patient’s head cannot remain still during the procedure. This motion-insensitive MRI is especially valuable, says Mark DeLano, director of MRI in MSU’s Radiology Center, for children who require sedation and patients who suffer from involuntary movements. “Approximately one in six pediClick Right Through for MSU atric patients does not adequately respond to sedation, and one in 14 doesn’t respond at all,” says DeLano, an associate professor of radiology. “This is making a huge difference.” MSU’s radiology center boasts the only 3-Tesla scanners in midMichigan, and the addition of motion-insensitive techniques makes it “state of the art.” MSU KUDOS Every semester, MSU faculty, staff and students garner kudos too numerous to list exhaustively here. Some recent examples: www.msualum.com Thomas Glasmacher, professor of physics and astronomy and associate director of MSU’s National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, is co-recipient of the 2006 Sackler Prize in the Physical Sciences. Glasmacher and colleague Michael Thoennessen, professor of physics and associate director for nuclear science at the NSCL, have been named fellows of the American Physical Society. Kay Holekamp, professor of zoology, and Jianguo “Jack” Liu, Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability in the Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife and director of MSU’s Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, have won 2006 Guggenheim Fellowships. Richard Lenski, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of microbial ecology, has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. He is the eighth MSU faculty member to join the group. Jacob Phelps, a junior from White Lake, was named a 2006 Truman Scholar; Timothy Howes, a senior from Brighton, has been awarded a 2006 Churchill Scholarship; and three students won Goldwater Scholarships—Stuart R. Kaltz, a junior from Lapeer, Katherine J. Leitch, a sophomore from Rockford, and Anjali Rohatgi, a junior from Novi. Geneva Smitherman, University Distinguished Professor of English and director of MSU’s African American Language and Literacy Program, has been awarded the James R. Squire Award from the National Council of Teachers of English. David Tomarek, professor of theoretical condensed matter, has been named a recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Distinguished Senior Scientist Research Award for his work in computational nanotechnology. NEW HIRES ON CAMPUS Mark Burnham, director of federal relations for research and assistant director of the University of Michigan Washington office, has been named associate vice president for governmental affairs at MSU. He succeeds Howard Gobstein, who has moved on to the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. Richard T. Cole, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of the Detroit Medical Center, has been named chairperson of MSU’s Dept. of Advertising, Public Relations and Retailing. He replaces Bonnie Reece, who has retired. Seth Martin, development director of the Michigan Nature Association, has been named Major Gifts Officer for Broadcasting Services/WKAR, a new position. PUBLIC ART ON CAMPUS— Apr. 25: (L to r) Susan J. Bandes, director of MSU’s Kresge Art Museum, physiology chairperson William S. Spielman, microbiology and molecular genetics chairperson Walter J. Esselman, Kresge curator April Kingsley, Jeffrey R. Kacos, director of campus planning & administration and chair of MSU’s Public Art on Campus Committee, and artist Caspar Henselmann, BP ’87, pose by his abstract sculpture on the southwest corner of the Biomedical and Physical Sciences building at Farm Lane and Wilson Road. The sculpture’s installation is part of the Public Art on Campus initiative. Page 7 A NEW HOME FOR ALUMNI By Keith A. Williams, Executive Director In late April we completed our move from the MSU Union to One Spartan Way, a move that has been anticipated for years and one that will mean, ultimately, better service to our alumni and to Michigan State University. As you can see from the photos and renderings, our new home at 242 Spartan Way dominates the scene and its vicinity. The structure boasts eight towering floors, with the original Spartan ceramic statue standing ready to welcome you in the building’s first floor atrium. For all of this I extend a very special thank you to Vice President Fred Poston for his decision to have the alumni Rendering courtesy of HNTB Architecture Page 8 association housed in the structure, and to the numerous folks in our physical plant and the architectural consultants who all played significant roles in the planning and construction of this impressive facility. Our new quarters are attractive, efficiently designed, and well appointed. That we have as our neighbors University Development, Career Services and Placement, the Ralph Young Fund, and Varsity “S” Alumni will only foster even closer working relationships with these other units of Team MSU. I am proud to say that the facility will also allow ease of access to the services we provide to our alumni. For starters, we have a brand new Internet-based telephone system that can do more things more efficiently than our previous system. If you call us during a busy time, for example, instead of receiving a busy signal, you’re far more likely to be attended by a real person. We can receive four calls at once, with each being answered by a person. The system can handle virtually an unlimited number of simultaneous calls. We also have better phone conferencing technology, so that we will have more flexibility in setting up meetings with alumni groups and alumni leaders. Those of you who visit us will find ample parking space just south of the Stadium, a dramatic improvement over the conditions around the MSU Union in the heart of downtown East Lansing. Our new headquarters also boasts a merchandise store and will soon boast a reading room, where you can peruse old yearbooks or magazines and retrieve memories from your college days. And should you have an appointment with our career professional, for example, you will find a dedicated space to conduct your meeting. I can tell you our staff are very appreciative of the new quarters. They are excited about the move, and are performing their tasks with renewed enthusiasm. Our graphic designer, for example, now has the advantage of being able to perform his work under natural lighting. One Stadium Way is an imposing structure. The second and third floors are dedicated to university office space. The Alumni Association is located on the second floor. Above us, on the fourth floor, is the LaSalle Club, where many functions take place. During home football games, this area is for the use of those with club seats. At other times, the space will be available for small to large events. On the top two floors are the football suites and the press box. Not all our units have moved into the new quarters. Our Alumni Lifelong Education unit, which organizes Evening College and such programs as Odyssey to Oxford, will continue to reside at Kellogg Center. And the Student Alumni Foundation—which runs campus tours, Parents Weekend, the Sparty mascot program, and spirit groups like the Izzone and the Corner Blitz, will remain on the third floor of the MSU Union. When I arrived as executive director in 1995, one of my dreams was to have a Michigan State University Alumni Center, where we consolidate all alumni relations activities, as they are in our sister institutions in the Big Ten. I am pleased to say that our new home approximates that dream in ways that make me proud to be a Spartan. I look forward to welcoming you to your place at Michigan State University. Go Green. Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine The MSU Alumni Association would like to welcome our newest Life Members. We thank you and commend you for your willingness to share our commitment to this university through membership in the MSU Alumni Association. David Balaj Shelby Township, MI LaVerne Brown Sarasota, FL Amy Davidson Midland, MI Faye and Steven Faraci Royal Oak, MI Sandra and Richard Barrett Bingham Farms, MI Scott and Jaime Buell Charlotte, NC Susan and Edward Davis Oscoda, MI Charles Figg Fresno, CA Robert Aldrich Ridgefield, CT Krista Bashford Evergreen, CO Clifford Allen, Jr. Shawano, WI Bruce Beal Castro Valley, CA Burt and Marlene Altman East Lansing, MI Thomas and Grace Benner Chesterfield, MO Patrick and Lynda Andersen Haslett, MI David and Mary Kay Berles East Grand Rapids, MI William and Maria Bartrem Germantown, MD Bruce Burns Dearborn, MI John and Barbara Case Bloomington, IL Kathy Chapman Howell, MI Randall and Nancy DeArment Stanwood, MI Brendan Dennis Bloomfield Hills, MI Timothy Chaprnka Wyoming, MI Lisa DeStefano and Keith Owen Lansing, MI Joan and Robert Chura Shelby Twp, MI Daun Dickie Gainesville, FL David and Lynn Clark Jackson, MI Beverly Dinsmore Milford, MI James and Ruth Ann Dittmer Ludington, MI Scott Dow Jonesville, MI Linda Arens East Lansing, MI Joseph Bertelsen Attleboro, MA Donald and Suzanne Cleveland Rochester, MI Carol Arens Warren, MI Robert and Mary Clark Bessette Grand Ledge, MI Donald and Linda Clingersmith Holt, MI John and Kristine Brahmer Vernon Hills, IL Jeffrey Cole Portage, MI John and Kay Dukesherer Delray Beach, FL Earl and Cheri Cornprobst Temperance, MI James and MaryAnn Ehinger East Lansing, MI Steven Cuccaro Gambrills, MD Arthur Ellsworth Phoenix, AZ Tanya Armitage Dardenne Prairie, MO Steven and Jane Auvil Macungie, PA Travis Averill Concord, NH Eugene Backer Burnsville, MN Click Right Through for MSU Donald and Diane Bristow Oro Valley, AZ Adam Brakoniecki and Abbey Steinhauser Saddle Brook, NJ www.msualum.com Andrew Franklin Freeland, MI David and Kathleen Friedrichs Ann Arbor, MI Brian and Carol Ann Geissler Birmingham, MI Lea Gonzales-Bier St. Clair, MI Martha Griffin Lapeer, MI Thomas and Beverly Hain Hudsonville, MI Heather Halbeisen and Brian Stevens Lansing, MI Susan Harvey Okemos, MI John Hazekamp Prior Lake, MN Michael Healy Canton, MI Kelly Heos East Lansing, MI Page 9 Richard and Roberta Higginbotham Walled Lake, MI John Hill Laurel, MD Bradley and Mindy Leigh Hittle Decatur, IN Samuel and Paula Hudnutt Onondaga, MI Karla and Michael Hudson East Lansing, MI John and Monica Inhulsen East Grand Rapids, MI Jeanne Johns Haslett, MI Karen Keener San Antonio, TX Dean and Nancy Kelley Kalamazoo, MI Daniel Kemp Stokesdale, NC Janice and Benjamin Kinsey DeWitt, MI David Kliza Brownstown, MI Dorothy Laskey Rose Manistee, MI Rodney Lewis Houghton Lake, MI Gloria and George Olman Sterling Heights, MI Andrew and Lauren Scally White Lake, MI Hugh and Mary Parker Owosso, MI Valinta and John Schnable Oxford, MI Douglas and Darci Luyk Byron Center, MI Meredith Lyon Pence Bayside, WI Karen Lytle-Schommer Harborcreek, PA Bob Pettapiece Detroit, MI Michael and Jamie Matheson Novi, MI John Piedmonte Monroe, MI H. Jeanne and Francis McKowen Williamston, MI Terry McLeod Lennon, MI Alexandra and Chad Meade Park Ridge, IL Mario Mendizabal PANAMA Bruce Miller Bloomfield Hills, MI John and Elinore Mulder Northville, MI Michele Nemedi Kalamazoo, MI David and Kay Pierce East Lansing, MI Thomas and M. Montgomery Plough Worcester, MA Christopher and Tamiko Porter College Station, TX Robert and Leanna Rice Lowell, MI Suzanne Riley Manistee, MI Kelly Ritter Grand Haven, MI James and Lee Anne Roman Okemos, MI Christopher Nichols Farmington Hills, MI William Ruskin Commerce Township, MI Gary Niethammer Freeland, MI Karen and Fathi Saad DeWitt, MI Elizabeth Krainz Royal Oak, MI Thomas and Marcia Nobel Grand Rapids, MI Norman Saari East Lansing, MI John and Diana LaParl Portage, MI Deborah Obrecht Romeo, MI David Kolkman Palmetto, FL David Kozik Clawson, MI Barry Sailor El Paso, TX Albert and Willa Thiess Bluffton, SC Jonathan and Molly Thomas Beverly Hills, MI Paul and Linda Tobin Arlington, VA Marsha Schwarz Fenton, MI John and Karen Seguin Waukesha, WI Douglas and Cindy Shankwiler Alpharetta, GA Roger and Jean Shull Leander, TX Tom and Mary Jo Tuori Ada, MI Judson and Judith VanderWal Grand Rapids, MI Gayle Vaughn-Wiles Blue Springs, MO Christian Verardi White Lake, MI Edmund Sims Buffalo Grove, IL Corey Wagner Ocoee, FL Garrick Skutt Lexington, KY Traci Wightman Mason, MI Duane Smith East Lansing, MI Dana and Roger Smith Plymouth, MI James and Laurie Stamas Scottsdale, AZ Holly Wills Novi, MI Brian and Nicole Wilson Ypsilanti, MI James Woodruff Richland, MI Donald Stanbury Grand Blanc, MI Gordon Wright Charlotte, MI Patrick and Maria Sutka Wyandotte, MI Michael and Brenda Zemmin Bloomfield Hills, MI Patricia and Michael Tate Milford, MI Mary and Roger Zimmerman Cleveland Heights, OH Kerry Taylor Grand Rapids, MI H. David Zucca Ann Arbor, MI Cody Teller Romeo, MI Richard Santos St. Louis, MO Page 10 Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS Available October 2006! The second of three volumes in the most comprehensive examination of Michigan State University’s history ever undertaken! Michigan State College John Hannah and the Creation of a World University, 1926-1969 by David A. Thomas This book covers John Hannah’s rise from a student to president of Michigan State College, the college in the war years, its emergence into one of the country’s largest academic institutions, its expansion into an international force in education, the triumphs of its national championship football teams under Biggie Munn and Duffy Daugherty, and the “trials and tribulations” of the civil rights and anti-Vietnam-war demonstrations of the 1960s. $39.95 Also Available! Michigan Agricultural College Global Focus The Evolution of a Land-Grant Philosophy, 1855-1925 by Keith R. Widder Images of a Land-Grant Tradition by Jay A. Rodman, editor With more than 500 pages, this first volume recounts the early history of Michigan Agricultural College and explores and discusses M.A.C.’s early development, its status as a land-grant institution, student life, athletics, and its impact on the state of Michigan and the world. $39.95 Coming Soon! Michigan State University Meeting the Challenge of a Modern World MSU Global Focus is an international photography competition created in 1999 by MSU’s Office of International Studies and Programs. Global Focus: Images of a Land-Grant Tradition is a blend of images and words, of artistic expression and historical documentation, of past and present, and of perspectives of many people. Illustrated with over 60 winning photographs plus an additional 100 project and archival photographs. $39.95 To order contact: Michigan State University Press, 517-355-9543, ext. 101; or order online at: www.msupress.msu.edu Click Right Through for MSU www.msualum.com Page 11 SPARTAN PROFILES MARIANNE FEY: BEYOND PRECISION Buick remains a prestige brand in automobiles, endorsed by perhaps the greatest superstar in sports, Tiger Woods. Last fall, the job of managing that brand has gone to an advertising executive with 24 years of experience who was recently named among Automotive News’ “100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry.” Marianne Fey, MBA ’99, executive vice president and group managing director Page 12 of Birmingham-based McCannErickson, now heads all Buick accounts. Under her direction, the advertising agency launched a new campaign with the slogan “Beyond Precision,” meant to capture the attention to detail that Buick engineers have put into the new flagship line of sedans called Lucerne. “The campaign has been received very well,” says Fey. “Sales have met or exceeded all our expectations. But this is a spectacular car that has received hundreds of rave reviews from the critics and is loved by dealers. Positioned properly, built the right way, people will come. We’re very excited.” Originally from St. Clair Shores, Marianne was president of the Detroit branch of The Competitive Edge, a full service $60 million advertising firm that was sold to McCann Erickson. She has won a host of honors and awards. She lauds MSU’s executive management MBA program in Troy. “It was a great experience,” she says. “But it was really tough. I now have a young daughter at home. I’m not sure I could have ever finished it had I had her then.” She says she encountered a lot of good professors, in particular Mike Moch, “who was incredible, passionate, all about the real world.” Marianne believes that Tiger Woods is the perfect spokesperson for Buick. “He personifies our brand,” she notes. “His golf game, like our cars, is beyond precision.” Lucerne replaces LeSabre and Park Avenue Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine DON MANGES: EUROPEAN RETIREMENT More and more Americans seem to be finding new wrinkles in retirement. A perfect example is Don Manges, ’51, who retired in 2001 after working four decades in advertising. Rather than downsize and eventually move to a retirement center, he and his wife Dana decided on a more adventurous alternative. The Manges sold their house in suburban Pittsburgh and embarked on a two-year European visit, living in London, Paris, Rome, and Vienna. “We wanted to create an adventure, not just settle into ordinary patterns of retirement,” says Manges, who has since co-written a book called Leaving Home At 72 (available at amazon.com). “We wanted the experience of living in Europe, not seeing things through the lens of a hotel concierge or tour guide, but through real neighborhoods.” With a monthly budget of $5,000, they had no trouble finding affordable rental apartments. “We met people everywhere who became our friends,” says Don, who still emails them regularly. The Manges were motivated by their love of travel. “I had lived in Paris and Rome before,” recalls Click Right Through for MSU Don. “I also volunteered in Turkey, Lithuania and Armenia.” But they had to plan their foray carefully, because of health issues. They also bought cell phones for each city, so they could talk to their grandchildren back home. But the upside is that they were able to really enjoy Europe and accumulate a lifetime’s worth of experiences, all retold in their book. “We got to live in neighborhoods with nods from grocers in the markets, have dinner parties for friends we met, go to still-smoky jazz clubs, take trains and rent cars on side trips, and struggle with language,” says Don. His best experience was revisiting the Pantheon in Rome, 50 years after he last saw it as a soldier when stationed in Italy. “I was able to relive some of the experiences I had 50 years ago,” he says. “Of course, from a slightly different perspective.” with a store on Grand River just west of People’s Church. Beaner’s will soon boast 15 stores in the Lansing area and some 67 stores in nine states, from Alabama to Wisconsin, generating $22 million in annual sales. “Our five-year goal is 282 units, which would put us in play to be among the top five in the country,” says Bob Fish, ’88, co-founder of Beaner’s along with wife Mary Roszel, ’88. “We use the Northern European platform, which means we don’t overdo the roasting. We want to bring out the full coffee flavor and not have it taste like charcoal briquette.” The formula seems to work, considering the 50 percent systemwide revenue growth Beaner’s enjoyed in 2005 alone. “There’s a lifestyle shift,” says Bob, about the popularity of coffee stores. “We provide a sense of community. Once upon a time you would lean over your fence to talk to your neighbor. Now you run into your neighbor at the coffee store. We provide a safe, social environment to meet people, compared to, say, a bar. And we’re not as expensive as a restaurant.” Bob was born in Germany and grew up in Europe. He entered MSU in 1981 and worked his way through school. “I’m a slow learner,” he jokes, chuckling. “But when I graduated I had zero debt.” A hospitality business major, he met his wife when he was working at a Flap Jack Shack and hired her to fulfill her required work experience. The MSU experience was helpful, he says, citing John Tarras and Bonnie Knutson as two “awesome” mentors. Mary, a native of Ann Arbor, handles Beaner’s system development area, working with franchisees. She also lauds her MSU education, citing Chef Nelson and Ron Cichy as two special mentors. “MSU emphasized training, and that is so important,” she notes. “We have emphasized this aspect and it definitely helps us serve our customers better.” Bob and Mary sip their favorite coffee at a new Beaner’s on the corner of Lake Lansing and Abbott Roads, East Lansing. Don and Dana Manges visited Italy’s Amalfi coast during their creative retirement European foray. BOB FISH & MARY ROSZEL: BEANERS SPROUTING Michigan’s fastest growing franchise coffee operation, Beaner’s Gourmet Coffee of East Lansing, first opened in 1995 www.msualum.com Page 13 Tim Potter realized how central science and technology—and espionage— were to socialist ideology. “I was hooked,” she says. “I devoured every single book on the topic.” Kristie says the East Germans were really good at the recruitment and handling of spies, using mainly ideology to recruit spies. U.S. intelligence tends to rely on money for recruitment and technology for information gathering. She believes we could use more of human intelligence—James Bond without the gadgets. “That,” she notes, “will be the subject of my next book.” Professor Macrakis shows off one of her collection of Minox cameras, the miniature devices favored by real Cold War spies. KRISTIE MACRAKIS: SPY TECHNOLOGY Students at MSU’s Lyman Briggs School of Science have an interesting option. “The Technology of Bond, James Bond,” as the seminar is titled, fills up every semester. It has intrigued local media. The Chronicle of Higher Education and the History Channel have done stories on the course’s creator, Kristie Macrakis, associate professor of the history of science and author of the upcoming Inside the Stasi’s Covert World of Technology. Will students learn about exploding pens or Aston Martins with ejector seats? “Real espionage is not anything like the Bond movies,” says Macrakis. “The Ian Fleming novels are more realistic, but the movies are fanciful. I mean, Q always Page 14 equips Bond with gadgets that turn out to be exactly what he needs to get out of trouble.” In real life, says Kristie, spies use more mundane things, like the Minox camera, often dubbed “the workhorse of the Cold War.” A native of Boston, Kristie got interested in espionage while a graduate student at Harvard, where her dissertation research on science in Nazi Germany took her to East and West Berlin. “You can’t live in Berlin and not meet spies,” she says, noting that among others she met AdolfHenning Frucht, a famous spy who worked for the CIA and was caught by the Stasi, East Germany’s secret police, and imprisoned 10 years. “He was a real character,” she recalls. In 1990, when she returned to Berlin after the wall fell, she SUSAN FOX: OLYMPIC TORCHBEARER One popular tradition of the Olympic games is the torch relay. For 64 days before this year’s Winter Games in Torino, Italy, the Olympic torch traveled more than 6,800 miles, through 300 towns, passing through the hands of 10,001 torchbearers before it lit the flame. The relay included the only American who was selected on the European MacDonald’s 23-member team—Susan (Sherry) Fox, ’81, a resident of La Grange, IL, and director of global marketing for MacDonald’s. Actually it was Coca Cola, an Olympic corporate sponsor and close associate of MacDonald’s, that tabbed Fox to run a 400-meter leg near Pisa. “It was a very nice honor,” Fox says. “It was such an exciting opportunity, we decided to take the entire family.” The Fox clan included husband Ken, son Sullivan, 13, and daughter Delaney, 8. Despite a peripatetic upbringing, Susan attended high school in Ada, Michigan, and transferred to MSU from Penn State when she felt homesick. “MSU was a turning point for me,” she recalls. “Like high school, I was hugely involved. I was chairman of the MSU Funding Board, president of AXO, ran the Greek Games, worked at the Red Cedar Yearbook and the State News. I wasn’t a prima donna. I worked my way through school, including three years as a waitress at the Village Market Restaurant.” Susan says her favorite professor was the late Mary Gardner of journalism. “She inspired me to think of a career and truly think beyond campus activities,” says Susan. “She saw me as a preppy with potential and made me work for each A. I could not make it on charm and persuasion. She made me stretch, and that was a turning point”. Susan Fox’s family tried to keep up with her when she carried the Olympic torch near Pisa, Italy. ROGER GROVES: INSIDE THE RED ZONE Four years ago, when MSU fired head football coach Bobby Williams—then one of only four African American Division I college football coaches in America—some wondered whether race played a factor. The question seemed Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine Michael Jennings unwarranted, given MSU’s history of national leadership in advancing blacks, especially in athletics. Nonetheless, Roger M. Groves, ’74, a law professor at Lewis & Clark University, set out to fully explore the question. The result is Innocence In The Red Zone (available at Amazon. com). Groves, who served as William’s settlement lawyer, lauds MSU for opening doors to African Americans, but believes the firing stemmed not simply from Williams being black but from a mix of circumstances. “In general, it seems harder for decision-makers to have faith in African Americans in thinking positions because of the latent presumption and stigma of lesser intelligence,” he says. “After two years, Bobby had a better record than either of the two past coaches. Part of it too is the lack of positive experience with black coaches in the past. And then you have the cultural disconnect. You don’t have to live in an igloo to understand Eskimos, but it would help. Without the faith, a bump in the road is confirmation of future Click Right Through for MSU failure instead of only a blip on the screen of a successful career.” A native of Lansing, Roger came to MSU to study music, but realized he had broader talents. So he obtained a J.D. from Wayne State, served as a tax tribunal judge and later practiced tax, corporate and sports law as an equity partner with private firms in Lansing, Bloomfield Hills and Washington DC. His clients have included celebrities like Aretha Franklin and Jerome Bettis. An accomplished pianist, he authored a book on playing by ear and performed at Magic Johnson’s wedding in Lansing. “Some factors are based not on race but lack of football acumen,” says Roger. “They unwittingly did not set him up to succeed by requiring, for example, that he retain Nick Saban’s staff. They ignored the many positive things he accomplished.” How can we get more African American coaches in college football? “First you have to have the institutional will to make hiring decisions on proper criteria, not the good ole boy system,” says Roger. www.msualum.com “Then you have to allow African Americans to enter the sea from which you select head coaches— the coordinator positions. To say we can’t find any is like saying we can’t find more lobsters in Lake Michigan.” TYLER JOHN DAMON II: SKI PATROL Normally one thinks of skiers as perfectly healthy people, but in recent years the slopes have seen an increasing number of physically disabled skiers. They might use mono-skies, or biskies. A key enabling role has been played by Tyler Damon II, ’82, who in 2003 was named National Outstanding Instructor by the National Ski Patrol—an outstanding honor, considering the NSP has some 28,000 members across 500 or so ski resorts. Damon says that what set him apart has been his effort to bring awareness of how to work with disabled skiers. “I teach others first aid, chair evacuation and tobogganing techniques,” says Tyler, who is a member of Michigan Adaptive Sports, a group that works with people with various disabilities, including spinal cord injuries and cerebral palsy. “I teach them how to render first aid and how to communicate with disabled skiers, and how to understand their equipment use.” Tyler is currently the Chief Innovation Officer of GM R-Works in Detroit, an agency that does sponsorships, promotions and event marketing for General Motors. A native of Lake Orion, Tyler comes from a fourgeneration family of advertising people. “It was logical for me to go to MSU,” he says, citing professors Bruce Vandenberg, Irv Bettinghaus and Gordon Miracle as “very influential.” While at MSU, he worked as a ski instructor for the Lansing Ski Club teaching blind skiers from the Michigan School for the Blind. His current efforts on behalf of disabled skiers is partly motivated by his youngest of three children, 12-year-old Andrew, who suffers from the Dejerine-Sottas Syndrome, a degeneration of the nervous system. Andrew is deaf and blind and needs a wheelchair. “I come from a family of skiers so it’s important for him to learn to ski,” says Tyler, who communicates with Andrew via felt sign language. “He’s a great kid. He does a lot of things.” Page 15 " # $ % & ' MSU PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN A NEW SURVEY OF T " Page 16 # $ % & Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine ' ' ( ) * + , THE COSMOS ' Just as Lewis and Clark once set out to map the West, MSU scientists are engaged in a massive effort to digitize and spectroscopically analyze over half of the entire Northern Sky. By Timothy C. Beers For much of the past two centuries, our knowledge of the nature of the night sky was limited to either hand drawings made by an astronomer looking through the eyepiece of a telescope, or images that could be recorded on photographic plates at the focal planes of their telescopes. Times have changed. Over the past 5 years, a consortium of more than 300 scientists and engineers at institutions around the world have implemented modern digital approaches to obtain imaging for large swaths of the night sky over well-calibrated ranges of wavelengths. This survey, known as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), has used a dedicated 2.5-m telescope at Apache Point Observatory near Sunspot, NM to measure precise brightness and positions for hundreds of millions of galaxies, stars, and quasars located in the Northern sky. Because the data are in digital form, they can be quickly analyzed to harvest the wealth of information they contain. Members of the SDSS consortium – and hundreds of other scientists working in collaboration – are using these data to address fascinating and fundamental questions about the Universe. Yet, this is only the beginning of the new era of survey astronomy. And MSU is now a partner in this continuing adventure of exploration. The Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics (JINA), an NSF Physics Frontier Center involving Michigan State University, The University of Notre Dame, and The University of Chicago, have joined forces with over 25 international participants in a newly funded extension of the SDSS, known as SDSS-II. SDSS-II will complete observations of a huge contiguous region of the Northern skies and will study the structure and origins of the Milky Way Galaxy and the nature of the mysterious “dark energy” ( Click Right Through for MSU ) www.msualum.com * that may be responsible for the recently detected acceleration in the expansion of the Universe. SDSS-II began observations in July, 2005. Because of the efficiency with which data can be gathered using this approach, SDSS-II will finish in only 3 years, by July 2008. The data will initially be studied exclusively by members of the SDSS-II consortium, and then will be released to the public for further investigations. SDSS-II has three components. The first, called LEGACY, will complete the SDSS survey of the extragalactic Universe, obtaining images and distances for nearly a million galaxies and quasars over a continuous swath of sky in the Northern Hemisphere, comprising some 8500 square degrees. + , Page 17 One of the big mysteries in science— the origin of the heavy elements from iron to uranium—could soon be solved. The new funding also inaugurates the second part of SDSS-II, the Sloan Extension for Galactic Color image constructed by Eric Pellegrini, MSU Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE), which will map formed, and, by example, how the structure and stellar makeup other large spiral galaxies like of the Milky Way Galaxy, and the Milky Way were formed. gather fundamental data on SEGUE will obtain imaging how the Milky Way formed and for another 3500 square degrees, evolved. The SEGUE project or about 20 percent, of the will allow astronomers, for the Northern sky in the five SDSS first time, to obtain a “big picfilters, covering lower Galactic ture” of the structure of our own latitudes than the original SDSS, Milky Way. The mapping of so that detailed studies of the the Milky Way is more than an disk population of the Milky exercise in cartography. Ages, Way can be carried out. In the chemical compositions, and past decade, astronomers have the space distribution of stars found convincing evidence that provide major clues to undermany large galaxies, including standing how our own Galaxy ours, have continued to be “built Page 18 The SOAR telescope in Chile is opening up new opportunities for scientific research. The inset picture shows NGC 3603, the largest star-forming region in the Milky Way galaxy. It represents MSU’s first real science data taken with the SOAR telescope, combining red light emitted by hydrogen gas, green light from oxygen that is mixed in with the hydrogen, and blue light emitted by stars. up” over the history of the Universe by the incorporation of the shredded remains of smaller galaxies that have been torn apart by gravitational interactions with their “parent” galaxy. The measurements made by SEGUE will be able to quantify the numbers of such interactions that have occurred in the past, as well as place strong constraints on the fraction of stars in the Milky Way that have been “donated” by other galaxies. Of greatest significance to JINA scientists, SEGUE will obtain mediumresolution spectroscopy of 250,000 individual stars that have been selected to sample all of the stellar populations of the Galaxy. Spectroscopy is a technique employed by astronomers to spread the light coming from a star into its constituent wavelengths, from which very detailed knowledge of its elemental makeup can be obtained. In the future, additional spectroscopy observations of SEGUE stars will be made with the SOAR 4.1m telescope on Cerro Pachon, Chile, in which MSU is a partner. JINA scientists are particularly interested in the chemical compositions of the most metal-deficient (and by inference, oldest) stars that will be found by SEGUE. Identifying the oldest stars will help us understand how the elements of the periodic table were formed long ago inside of stars, and distributed throughout the early Universe by their explosions. The huge number of stellar spectra that will be gathered by SEGUE will enable the detection of some 20,000 stars with abundances of heavy metals less than 1 percent than found in our Sun, more than a factor of 10 larger than the samples known today. It is expected that studies of these stars will reveal direct evidence of the nature of the very first generations of stars that formed in the early Universe. The astrophysical origin of the elements is one of the primary research interests of many scientists at MSU, in particular nuclear physicists working at MSU’s National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL). “The metal-poor stars found by SEGUE will provide the elemental abundance data which, with the help of astrophysical models, can be compared to the nuclear data obtained in experiments at radioactive beam accelerators such as the NSCL, and in the future, the Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA),” says NSCL scientist Hendrik Schatz. “Because these metal-poor stars formed so early in the history of the Universe, they provide us with a unique glimpse of how individual supernova explosions began to enrich the newborn Galaxy with light and heavy elements.”With the astronomical observations from SEGUE and the experimental nuclear data from the NSCL and RIA there is now a real chance to finally solve one of the big mysteries in science—the origin of the heavy elements from iron to uranium—within the coming decades.” Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine This picture shows a globular cluster made up of about 100,000 stars that orbit about their common center of mass. It is one of about 120 such clusters that are some of the very oldest objects in our galaxy, dating back some 13 billion years. The final piece of SDSS-II includes an intensive study of supernovae, sweeping the sky to find these remnants of gigantic explosions from dying stars. Astronomers can precisely measure the distances of distant supernovae, using them to map the rate of expansion of the universe, as well as to learn about the nature of the explosion phenomenon itself, which bears directly on the formation of the elements. JINA provides financial support for MSU Post-doctoral fellow Sivarani Thirupathi, as well as for MSU graduate student Young Sun Lee, who are working with myself to construct and refine the SDSS-II spectroscopic pipeline, which will be used to automatically assign estimates of atmospheric parameters (temperatures, surface gravities, and metallicities) for the SEGUE stars with available spectroscopy. Already, four MSU graduate students are planning to work with data from SDSS-II in their PhD thesis work. Additional undergraduate students are participating in SDSS-II related research projects. At MSU's NSCL, JINA Postdoctoral fellows Jorge Pereira, Click Right Through for MSU Daniel Galaviz, and Milan Matos, as well as JINA graduate students Alfredo Estrade, Paul Hosmer and Fernando Montes, together with MSU professors Hendrik Schatz and Paul Mantica, JINA visitors, and other collaborators from the NSCL, the University of Mainz in Germany, the University of Maryland, and the University of Notre Dame have begun to carry out first experiments with the unstable nuclei that participate in the nuclear processes in supernovae. In order to understand the supernova explosion mechanism itself, JINA/NSCL groups led by MSU professors Remco Zegers and Sam Austin investigate experimentally the nuclear processes that lead to and trigger supernovae. SEGUE and JINA will be instrumental in bringing together the various observational, experimental, and theoretical results to address the open question of the origin of the elements. Funding for SDSS-II has been provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Participating Institutions, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Japanese Monbukagakusho, and the Max Planck Society. The SDSS is managed by the Astrophysical Research Consortium for the Participating Institutions. The institutions that enabled SDSS-I and SDSS-II are: the American Museum of Natural History, the University of Basel, Cambridge University, Case Western Reserve University, the University of Chicago, Fermilab, The Institute for Advanced Study, the Japan Participation Group, the Johns Hopkins University, the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, the Korean Scientist Group, Los Alamos National www.msualum.com Laboratory, the Ohio State University, the Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy, the Max-PlanckInstitute for Astrophysics, New Mexico State University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Portsmouth, Astrophysical Institute Potsdam, Princeton University, the United States Naval Observatory and the University of Washington. The next few years promise to be quite exciting times for MSU astronomers and physicists alike. Timothy Beers is Professor of Astronomy in MSU’s Dept. of Physics and Astronomy. He was recently awarded the University Distinguished Faculty Award, as well as the College of Natural Science Distinguished Faculty Award. In 2003 he was named “Michigan Scientist of the Year” by the Impressions 5 Museum in Lansing. Beers earned B.S. degrees from Purdue University (Physics and Metallurgical Engineering, ’79) and two graduate degrees in astronomy from Harvard University (M.A. ’80, and Ph.D. ’83). After a three-year postdoctoral research fellowship at the California Institute of Technology, Beers joined MSU’s faculty in 1986. When not teaching students and travelling to conduct observations with telescopes in Arizona, Hawaii, Australia and Chile, Beers enjoys playing his guitar and talking with groups. Using the SOAR TELESCOPE From the MSU Campus By Jack Baldwin Located at a superb astronomical site high in the Andes Mountains of South America, the brand new SOAR Telescope produces some of the sharpest images ever taken from the Earth’s surface. MSU has a 1/6 share of this 4m diameter “Window on the Universe.” After a nine-year gestation period, SOAR is now coming to life scientifically, and MSU astronomers are right there on the scene—at least, we are electronically on the scene. Actually, for our share of its usage we control the telescope from a new Remote Observing Room open to public view from the atrium of the Biomedical Physical Sciences Building on the MSU campus. Page 19 MSU researchers are already performing experiments designed to understand the mysterious supernova explosion mechanism. MSU researchers have taken full advantage of SOAR from the control room on campus, and are already beginning to unravel some of the mysteries of ancient galaxies and things like Dark Matter. 30 Doradus (inset) is a region where stars are forming from a huge interstellar gas cloud. The white clumping of stars at the center is a new cluster of stars, whose light is now illuminating the surrounding gas cloud. The ambitious goal of MSU’s Center for the Study of Cosmic Evolution is to use SOAR as an observational astronomy laboratory to study how our universe came to have its present physical structure of stars and galaxies, and how its chemical makeup came to include the heavy chemical elements that we humans are made of. Here is a sampling of what we are up to: The Chemical Evolution of our Galaxy. University Distinguished Professor Tim Beers, in collaboration with research associate Sivarani Thirupathi and graduate students Brian Marsteller and Young Sun Lee, is using SOAR to study the way in which all of the elements except hydrogen and helium were formed through nuclear reactions in generation after generation of stars. The Beers team is among the world leaders in the study of the very earliest stages of this process here within the Milky Way. And they were first off the mark in MSU’s remote use of SOAR, taking infrared spectra of the oldest known stars in our Galaxy. Their results show how the abundances of different carbon isotopes can be measured in these stars, which tells us important details about the exact nature of that very early stellar generation. Variable Stars in the Milky Way’s Satellite Galaxies. The Magellanic Clouds are smaller satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. Like our own Milky Way, they contain old star clusters harboring pulsating giant stars. These star clusters and their pulsating stars help tell us whether the Magellanic Clouds formed at the same time and in the same way as the old halo of our own Galaxy. Series of observations with SOAR reveal the presence of pulsating stars and let us characterize their properties. MSU astronomer Horace Smith and graduate student Nathan DeLee have launched a long-term campaign, using SOAR’s optical imager, to study these ancient stellar systems. Giant Star-Forming Regions in the Southern Sky. The Magellanic Clouds can only be seen from southern-hemisphere sites such as SOAR’s location, and the central regions of our own Milky Way Galaxy are also much better studied from the South. I and graduate student Eric Pellegrini have started a program with SOAR to study Page 20 in detail some of the most important star-forming regions in our own corner of the universe, in order to obtain better insight into what similar systems would look like at very great distances. The light from those much more distant star-forming regions has taken most of the age of the universe to reach us and, if we can learn to decipher its message, carries the record of the earliest steps in 13 billion years of repeated cycling of interstellar gas through stars. Calibrating these distant systems through careful study of nearby examples is the key to understanding them. Dark Matter in Distant Galaxy Clusters. Giant galaxy clusters contain thousands of massive galaxies, but most of their mass is actually in the form of a mysterious substance called Dark Matter. MSU astronomy professor Megan Donahue leads a team that is using SOAR to carefully weigh this Dark Matter, using an effect called gravitational lensing. About 85 percent of all matter in the universe is in the form of Dark Matter, but we don’t know what it is, so anything we can find out about it is very important in the big scheme of things. Black Holes at the Edge of the Universe. Professors Megan Donahue and Mark Voit are also using SOAR to study the way in which gas falls onto central galaxies from the outer parts of giant galaxy clusters. They are finding evidence that gas accretion onto massive black holes at the centers of these galaxies ionizes and heats the infalling gas, with strong effects on the overall evolution of the galaxy cluster. Jack Baldwin is MSU associate chair for astronomy in the Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, and co-director of MSU’s Center for the Study of Cosmic Evolution. He received his Ph.D. in astrophysics from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1974. He has been at MSU for six years. A Note About the SOAR Images: © Copyright SOAR Corporation, Inc., all rights reserved. The Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope is a joint project of Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas Cientifi cas e Tecnologicas CNPq-Brazil, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Michigan State University, and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine Click Right Through for MSU www.msualum.com Page 21 A G A L L E R Y O F MSU PA RT I N V E N T O R S Some MSU faculty are inventors and entrepreneurs, or “inventrepreneurs,” and their work can dramatically impact Michigan’s economic future. By John Draper To date, the Lansing area’s most famous inventor is Ransom Eli Olds, who came up with the curved dash Oldsmobile in 1901, the first mass produced car in America. He preceded Henry Ford in this feat by 12 years and was America’s leading auto manufacturer from 1901 to 1904. That, though, as they say, is old news. A new crop of inventors are stirring things up in the Lansing area, faculty at Michigan State University who are taking their inventions and commercializing them—and in the process they are creating a “new economy” for Michigan. The players in the Industrial Revolution were wealthy factory owners looming over armies of blue-collar workers. However, in this “new economy,” the players are more likely to wear white collars and to be located in laboratories and/ or in front of high-speed computers. Since 2002, at least 27 start-up companies have been birthed by MSU’s inventive professors and researchers. These faculty members are more than inventors. They’re inventrepreneurs, to coin a title. “When the university transfers technology out into the world it helps everyone,” says Lori Hudson, director of intellectual property for MSU. “It brings royalty revenue into the university and, more importantly, it gives the people of the state of Michigan technologies that can transform the economy of the state.” Hudson’s office assists the faculty members in building the businesses based on their inventions. “Some of our faculty have business experience, others don’t,” Hudson explains. “We can’t in a hands-on way influence the private business Page 22 aspirations of our faculty. But we can provide a range of help to the faculty inventor, from creating a business plan to finding office space to helping write grants.” One major thrust of MSU scientists is in biotechnology, which some hope can provide new jobs in the future and mitigate the increasing job shrinkage in the waning automobile industry. The premise is that oil, which will run out one day, can gradually be replaced by a whole range of agricultural products, which derive from renewable resources. The whole field is cutting-edge and currently MSU has some 400 researchers involved within this general bio-mass area. The promise is huge. Indeed, there are some state officials who dream that biotechnology could do for Michigan what the microchip did for Silicon Valley. The combined efforts of MSU faculty inventors and Hudson’s office are in line with MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon’s desire to see MSU become “a land-grant university for the 21st century.” “Both Governor Granholm and President Bush have tied economic progress to an increasing need to be globally competitive, an idea that’s long been a part of MSU and our land-grant values,” she has said. “As we’ve said before, being the land-grant university for the 21st century and translating that into ‘world-grant’ is really about thinking globally and acting locally, working on behalf of peoples and societies around the world, while rebounding the benefits of that work to the people of Michigan.” What follows are profiles of three of our faculty inventrepreneurs who are helping transform Michigan’s economy: Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine Hollingsworth (right) and Frost are two typical MSU inventrepreneurs. John Frost Distinguished Professor of chemistry, MSU President, Drath Industries These have been busy days for professor Frost. His company, Drath Industries, just finished its first round of funding. In the second round of funding, Drath, now a Delaware-based corporation, is seeking $5 million to $6 million. After that, $20 million. “Within Drath Industries, there are about three platforms for $100 million businesses we could spin out,” Frost says. Meanwhile, Drath, which was built using Frost’s full portfolio of patents, recently delivered its first product to a customer, in this case, the U.S. Navy. It was an “energetic plasticyser,” a chemical that will be mixed with another chemical to make a gel used for single-stage rocket fuel. Lastly, Frost recently opened Drath’s first physical location, near the MSU campus. (It had been a virtual company up to that point.) Despite all these milestones, Frost is not inclined to spin-docClick Right Through for MSU tor an overly rosy outcome for Drath. As a scientist, he’s all about facts, not flights of fancy. “You have to go into these matters very realistically,” Frost says. “Ninety percent of all startups fail.” The common thread in all of Drath’s products is that they’re derived from genetically modifying microbes. “We change the software of the microbe so that its operating system causes it to create new molecules,” he explains. “What the microbes make is a function of how we manipulate the microbe’s DNA.” All of Drath’s products are created from Michigan’s renewable feedstock—which gives Drath a competitive advantage as the world wakes up to its dwindling supply of fossil fuels, Frost notes. “Over 98 percent of all chemicals currently manufactured in the U.S. are made from natural gas or petroleum,” he says. “If we were planning on living off petroleum long term, we’re screwed. I have no confidence that existing US companies will be able to make the transition needed to a non-petroleum- www.msualum.com Just as dinosaurs were replaced by creepy little mammals, petroleumbased companies will be replaced by companies based on renewable resources. based economy. It’s just like when R.E. Olds started mass producing automobiles. The carriage makers were displaced. They weren’t changed into something else. They became extinct. GM should have known in the 80s that it was going to have to change its act. Now it’s 2006, and they’re talking bankruptcy. Dow is another GM. They are huge companies, and huge companies don’t reinvent themselves. It’s economic Darwinism. The dinosaurs were replaced by the creepy little mammals that ran underfoot. The petroleum-based companies will be replaced by companies based on renewable resources. My goal is to make Drath one of those companies.” Rawle Hollingsworth Professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, MSU President, AFID Therapeutics Typically, Rawle Hollingsworth is up at 6 a.m. every morning, after but three hours of sleep, roused by several cups of coffee and classical music cranked up loud. (He’s not much of a breakfast person. Now and then, he’ll scarf down a peanut butter sandwich as he’s driving to his lab on the MSU campus. But for the most part, he’s caffeine-fueled.) He’s at the campus by 7:45. He teaches two classes, Chemistry 251 and biochemical microbiology 804, and what with class prep, teaching, working with students, and various departmental meetings, he doesn’t get to his second job, president of AFID Therapeutics, until early afternoon. After that, he’s in his campus office and then his home office, hammering away until about 3 a.m. Three hours later he’s up again and the cycle repeats itself. “I guess I’m so driven because I’m outward focused,” says Hollingsworth. “I really do believe that as things change, the role of the university in America is going to evolve. The state and federal government will expect more from the university in taking the lead to make sure our country is economically competitive. That will demand more from professors. I’m just ahead of the curve.” To Hollingsworth, helping the Michigan economy means finding ways to turn Michigan’s agricultural products into new life-enhancing/saving drugs. To that end, he’s formed two companies that have been spun off from MSU. His first, Synthon Chiragencis, was acquired by outside investors in 2002. He used his profits from that sale Page 23 Kris Berglund poses with his enriched nutraceutical shiitake mushroom compound, one of many new bio-based products made possible partly by MSU research. Government will expect more from the university in making our country economically competitive. That will demand more from professors. I’m just ahead of the curve. to fund his next venture, AFID Therapeutics. “Where do I get all my energy?” he asks. “I don’t know. From the time I started in chemistry, I’ve had so much to do and so little time. I haven’t been driven by the fear of failure. I’m prompted by the promise of success. I know I have a job to do and I shall do it. It’s that simple.” Hollingsworth founded AFID Therapeutics in 2003, the latest embodiment of his dream to build an “engine” for creating new drugs from plant biomass, which holds 90 percent of the fixed carbon on the planet. “My mission is to advance the use of agricultural products beyond just food applications. There’s only so much fossil fuel. We’re going to run out. One day, we’ll have big biomass refineries in Michigan just like we have oil refineries in Louisiana and Texas now. The states who are big players in agricultural products will become the major players in materials, chemicals and fuels.” Hollingsworth started inventing with chemicals as a child growing up in Barbados. After he had taken apart just about every appliance in the house in his unending quest to learn how things worked, his doting father decided to channel his curiosity into a Page 24 more practical vein and bought him a series of chemistry sets. “I was always heating things such as wood chips to watch the different materials distill off them,” Hollingsworth recalls. Although Hollingsworth has developed two companies based on his inventions, he hasn’t let the business of growing a business become his main focus. He’s driven by the science. “If you’re an inventor trying to build a company based on one of your inventions, you can get caught up in the race to raise money,” he says. “When you get some funding, you can be tempted to think, ‘Okay now how can I turn this into more money?’ That’s not what drives me. I focus on delivering on the plan we’ve presented to our investors. I would never say, ‘Well, I didn’t actually do what I said I’d do but, tell you what, give me three times as much money and another year and I’ll do much better next time.” Kris Berglund Distinguished Professor of chemical engineering and materials science, MSU Chief Science Officer, Diversified Natural Products, Inc. Before he was old enough to go to school, Kris Berglund would watch his siblings leave the family farm for mysterious parts unknown each morning. To him, the farm was his day-today world, every day. The farm and nothing else. He couldn’t see over the tops of the corn stalks, so everything he knew was what he could see from his preschooler’s vantage point—usually at his father’s hip as he dogged his dad around the farm. When you’re out in the middle of a very rural area and the nearest town (of 300 people) is 25 miles away, you tend to get creative when it comes to keeping the farm running. His father would use anything he could find lying about—bailing wire and brica-brac—to repair/modernize his various pieces of machinery, always with young Kris at his elbow, watching and learning. “I guess that’s where my curious nature comes from,” Berglund says. “On a farm, you just figure ways out of making do with what you have handy. You invent.” Fittingly, Berglund today finds himself atop of a modest empire of sorts pieced together by happenstance and opportunism. His company, Diversified Natural Products, was built by combining three separate companies over a period of years – the common theme being that all three businesses were about creating “green” products from renewable resources. “The story of DNP, sometimes I make it sound like it was all planned, but maybe it wasn’t,” Berglund says. The story goes like this. About 15 years ago, Berglund invented a sodium-free salt substitute. (Currently, it’s sold by the name Also Salt, but it’s in the process of being re-branded.) Berglund purchased a building on Chandler Road in East Lansing and began running Also Salt out of it. (The salt substitute is made from lysine, which is made from fermenting corn starch.) Then another company, Applied Carbochemicals, came to Berglund. The company had invented a way to make a petroleum substitute by producing succinic acid from fermented natural sugars found in corn, wheat, sugar beets and other crops. Berglund worked with them and in the process invented a series of patented products for them. Then an old friend of Berglund’s, Gary Mills (now COO of DNP), came to Berglund with the idea to produce gourmet mushrooms. Berglund brought Mills and his compatriots into his already-crammed building on Chandler Road. Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine Three years later, Berglund and Mills decided to combine the three companies into DNP, all based now in Scottville. From here, things have continued to grow. For example, DNP has developed SES-150, an enriched shiitake mushroom nutraceutical compound designed to enhance the immune system. “We are a bio-based technology company,” Berglund notes. “We are in the business of developing green products for manufacturers and for everyday living. These are derived from renewable resources. For our customers, we develop effective, useful products that are environmentally neutral. For our shareholders, we create share value by developing bio-based technologies that are economically viable.” Asked what makes his brain so inventive, Berglund says with with a laugh, “I don’t really know. I think it may actually be somewhat of a character flaw in that I have a short attention span. If I was a child, they would probably give me Ritalin. I want to immediately get to the crux of what can be done to solve a particular problem. That impatience leads to invention.” *John Draper is a freelance writer based in Seattle. Click Right Through for MSU MORE SPARTAN INVENTORS After reading A Gallery of MSU Inventors—Part One (Winter 2006), many readers sent us names of other Spartans who are inventors. Here is a sample of more MSU inventors: ☛ Jeff Harper, ’90, M.S. ’92, of Troy, MI, owns two U.S. patents. He and co-inventor Brian Zustovich invented software algorithms for equipment automation. ☛ Phil Jackson, ’73, of Cape Coral, FL, invented the Low Profile Modular Revenue Meter (US Patent # 5,933,004), which records the amount of electric power used and transmits the reading via special radio technology to the electric company. It is used in both commercial and residential applications. ☛ Jon Kabara, retired MSU faculty member in osteopathic medicine now living in Galena, IL, was the first researcher to discover the lipid in mother’s milk, which has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. ☛ Ed LaBudde, ’68, a retired engineer now living in Libby, MT, holds some 40 patents, many of which reached the marketplace—including a dispensing valve capable of nano-liter droplets, a very accurate distance measurer using tonal frequencies, a device that uses ultrasonic waves to measure mass air flow, and a time-delay cluster bomb that uses magnetic induction to set off the delayed explosives. ☛ Chuck Single, ’49, a World War II veteran now living in Ann Arbor, has several patents in the physics and electrical fields, including one that increased the frequency of analog computers by a factor of 100; he also invented the so-called “Geezer Squeezer,” a clip-like device that controls incontinence in men and allows blood flow so it can be worn for 16 hours at a time. ☛ Gary Starkweather, ’60, who spent some four decades in imaging, color and hardcopy devices, holds more than 35 patents and has won numerous awards. During his 24 years with Xerox, he invented the laser printer and in 1977 won the Xerox President’s Achievement Award. After Xerox, he worked with Apple Computers, Lucasfilm, Pixar, and Microsoft. www.msualum.com Page 25 SPARTAN PATHWAYS 2006 TR AVEL PROGR AMS MSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION All dates and prices are subject to change. Reservations are on a firstcome, first-serve basis. Since the MSUAA partners with other universities, many tours fill quickly. It is essential that you make your reservation early to reserve space on the tour. Kenya Migration August 10-20, 2006 International Expeditions From: $3,748, plus air Islands of Antiquity June 2-17, 2006 Alumni Holidays International From: $4,895, plus air This journey begins when you board the luxurious ship, the Minerva II in Catania, Sicily. Sail to the exotic crossroads of Palermo, perched on the beautiful trod by Trojans, Moors and Normans. Other ports of call include Cagliari, Sardinia; Mahon, Menorca, Spain; Ajaccio, Corsica, the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte and beautiful Rome, beloved for its famous architectural feats such as the Forum, Colosseum, Vatican, Etruscan tombs, and Trevi Fountain. Poland – Krakow Alumni Campus Abroad Program June 14-22, 2006 Alumni Holidays International From: $1,945, plus air Embark on a fascinating journey steeped in history, art and intrigue. Explore Krakow, a UNESCO Page 26 World Heritage Site designated for its well-preserved architecture. Wander the charming Market Square, admire the 13th-century Gothic Basilica and peruse the 16th-century Renaissance Cloth Hall, the world’s oldest “shopping mall.” Travel by train to Warsaw and visit the Chopin Memorial and Madame Curie’s house. Your journey continues to picturesque Zakopane at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. For the finale, choose between a Schindler’s List Tour in Auschwitz or an excursion to beautiful Ojcow National Park. Cruising the Baltic Sea & the Norwegian Fjords July 6 - 18, 2006 Gohagan & Co. From: $5,495, plus air Experience the fantastic beauty of Norway’s fjords and the rich history and culture of the Baltic States on this very special tour. Embark on the deluxe M.S. Le Diamant in St. Petersberg and cruise Norway’s gorgeous fjords seeing charming villages and the scenic mountains of Flam. Explore the recently reborn nations of the Baltic and experience rich traditions through a series of excursions, including a special early opening visit to the world-renowned Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. A 2-night optional post-tour in Bergen, Norway is available. Family Adventure in Costa Rica July 7-16, 2006 Alumni Holidays International From: $2,495, plus air (children’s prices also available) Pack your bags and prepare for an exotic escape designed to please the entire family. Fly to San Jose and enjoy an exciting mix of amusements including: Poas Volcano National Park; the waterfalls, hummingbird and butterfly gardens of La Paz; Guapiles Town via Braulio Carrillo National Park; a boat ride to Caño Blanco; and tour of Tortuguero Town. Spark your family’s interest with an up-close view of Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna, a Peñas Blancas River Safari Float, and time in Tabacon Hot Springs, Herradura Beach. As an added bonus, your kids will have the opportunity to experience customized, thought-provoking activities. From the snowy peak of Mt. Kenya to the ancient and captivating traditions of the Maasai Tribe, this trip to one of Africa’s most beautiful nations is not one to be missed. The colorful and exotic wildlife unique to Africa can be enjoyed during the informative safari session, directed by expert naturalist safari guides. The most awe-striking spectacle of this adventure is the “Great Migration”, during which one might be lucky enough to see thousands of wildebeests charging across a plain, lions stalking a meal through the tall grass or perhaps a cheetah gaining upon a gazelle at 70 miles per hour. Danube and Habsburg Empire August 20-30, 2006 Gohagan & Co. From: $3,395, plus air Offered for the second season in a row, this luxury travel program is sure to delight any traveler. From the spires of Prague and the castles of Krakow to the palaces and cathedrals of Vienna, this tour explores the legendary landmarks of the Habsburg Empire and Central Europe. While visiting the magnificent cities of Prague, Vienna and Budapest, as well as the Wachau Valley, enjoy accommodations at Europe’s finest hotels and aboard the deluxe M.S Amadeus Princess. In Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine Abroad program in medieval Sintra, Portugal. Stroll along its medieval main streets admiring palatial dwellings and the National Royal Palace. Experience the charm of Cascais, the capital of Lisbon with its lovely mosaic pavements and colorful fishing boats. Journey to the 18th-century Palace-Convent of Mafra, the resort town of Colares and Evora and explore Fátima and the 12thcentury Monastery of Santa Maria d’Alcobaça. addition, travel between Krakow and Budapest will be made aboard the elegant Majestic Imperator, a faithfully restored reproduction of Emperor Franz Joseph II’s personal railroad car. Throughout the program, expert guides will lead the excursions and tours of central Europe’s most famous palaces, cathedrals and museums. Sold Out Odyssey to Oxford August 26-September 9, 2006 Alumni Lifelong Education From: $3,395, plus air Located in the heart of England, Oxford’s historic setting will charm you during your two weeks of lifelong learning. This outstanding personal enrichment opportunity takes you on a rare adventure to Oxford—“city of dreaming spires” and to the University of Oxford, famous as a great center of learning since the 12th century. Once England’s capital, Oxford is located in the heart of England, 50 miles northwest of London. Explore topics such as British archaeology, art, history, theatre, or literature with Oxford tutors. Field trips include theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, visits to historic sites, and excursions to various towns and the countryside. Call 517-355-4562 for a brochure. Ireland: Ennis & Kilkenny Alumni Campus Abroad Program August 28-September 8, 2006 Alumni Holidays International From: $2,545, plus air On this two-citied Ireland exploration, begin in Ennis and travel to the Ancient Burren and the windswept Cliffs of Moher. Appreciate the country’s epic literary heritage at Click Right Through for MSU Coole Park with its beech tree bearing W.B. Yeats’ initials and the 16th century tower, Thoor Ballylee. Visit historic seaside Galway, admire the rugged natural beauty of Connemara and cruise to the Aran Island of Inishmore. Tour the highlights of Kilkenny; including Kilkenny Castle, Bród Tullaroan, Wexford’s Irish National Heritage Park and the Waterford Crystal Visitor Center. Cruise the Majestic Passage on the Mosel, Rhine and Neckar Rivers Alumni Campus Abroad Program September 4-12, 2006 Alumni Holidays International From: $2,195, plus air Experience the legendary waterways of the Mosel, Rhine and Neckar rivers on this 9-day tour aboard the deluxe MS Switzerland. Embark in medieval Cochem, Germany and sail past charming villages filled with half-timbered houses on cobblestoned streets. Marvel at the display of historic treasures in Mainz’s Gutenberg Museum and voyage through the scenic splendor of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit Martin Luther’s spired city of Worms and set out to explore romantic Heidelberg and the spa town of Bad Wimpfen before concluding in baroque Ludwigsburg. Portugal-Sintra Alumni Campus Abroad Program September 19-27, 2006 Alumni Holidays International From: $2,145, plus air Tap into the passion of Portugal on this 9-day all-inclusive Campus www.msualum.com Galapagos October 7-16, 2006 International Expeditions From: $4,437, plus air The Galapagos Islands are, quite literally, like nowhere else in the world. While staying on the fabulous 32-guest yacht the Evolution, visit eight separate islands in the chain, enjoying the company of some of the strangest and most interesting creatures in the world. Though one might have trouble distinguishing if they were more thrilled looking for giant tortoises in the wild, spending an afternoon with great bellowing sea lions, or climbing Bartolome Island’s volcanic cone, all experiences on this itinerary will doubtlessly remain as grand memories for a lifetime. A visit to the world-renowned Charles Darwin Research Station is included in the tour. Greco-Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman architecture of Rhodes and the ancient Monastery of St. John on the island of Patmos. Conclude with a tour of the world-renowned ruins at Ephesus, and a visit to the legendary city of Troy. Throughout the cruise, expert guides will lead the excursions and special onboard lectures will enhance your understanding and enjoyment of the region. Also available enjoy an optional two-night pre-cruise program in Athens and/ or an optional 2-night extension in Istanbul. Italy ~ Sorrento and Orvieto Alumni Campus Abroad Program October 16-27, 2006 Alumni Holidays International From: $2,745, plus air Discover two of Italy’s most remarkable regions with a combined exploration of coastal Campania and ancient Umbria. Begin with five nights in the cliff-top town of Sorrento and also marvel at the sun-drenched Amalfi Coast. Walk the excavated streets and 5th-century Roman ruins of Pompeii and cruise to the beautiful Isle of Capri. Transfer to Orvieto for five more nights and en route, see the WWII history of hilltop Montecassino. Journey to medieval Perugia and the walled city of Assisi, home to the exquisite St. Francis Basilica. Plus, visit Island Life in Sold Out Ancient Greece October 13 - 21, 2006 Gohagan & Co. From: $3,020, plus air Discover the cradle of the great civilizations of the Classical World on a unique 8-day cruise across the Aegean Sea aboard the MS Le Diamant. Beginning in Athens, sail to the historic island of Delos and the resort island of Mykonos, known for its picturesque seaside villages and windmills. Explore the towns perched on the stunning volcanic cliffs of Santorini, the fantastic Page 27 AFFORDABLE QUALITY TOURS Sponsored by Spartan Pathways and Go Next Spartan Pathways is pleased to announce a new partnership with Go Next (formerly Global Holidays). Go Next keeps priceconscious travelers in mind by designing quality, air-inclusive trips at an affordable price that appeal to all age groups. Travelthe splendor of Tuscany’s Florence, the Cradle of the Renaissance and delight in a culinary demonstration at Orvieto’s Food Market. In the Wake of Lewis & Clark October 28-November 3, 2006 Lindblad Expeditions Sold Out From: $2,240, plus air The fourth season for this popular historical trek follows through the footsteps of the Lewis and Clark journey to the Westward Ocean. Watch the American climate change before your eyes as you journey down the Columbia through forests, breathtaking mountains and semiarid desert steppes. Experience the expedition at Fort Clatsop and see awe striking Hell’s Canyon as you sail aboard the Sea Lion, a 70passenger vessel where a historical expert will accompany passengers as they explore the famous landscape. Note: Passengers must arrange airline reservations with their local travel agent. Amazon Voyage November 10-19, 2006 International Expeditions From: $2,998, plus air This 10-Day Amazon Voyage provides a chance for you to gaze at the best of the Amazon while staying on one of three state of the art riverboat yachts. Opportunities will be available for you to see primates including red howler and squirrel monkeys, sloths and a large variety of birds in the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve, the world’s largest wetland reserve. After Page 28 the sojourn with the giant blue morpho butterflies in the Amazon ends, you may chose to extend your stay and explore the remains of the Incan Empire on an optional post-tour to Machu Picchu. ers have the opportunity to tour on their own, or select from a wide choice of well-planned and informative optional excursions. Treasures of Italy September 8-16, 2006 From: $1,849, including air MSUAA Travel Programs 242 Spartan Way East Lansing, MI 48824-2005 (517) 355-8314 (888) 697-2863 (517) 355-5265 - fax Email- [email protected] Web- www.msualum.com The enchanting landscapes of Tuscany combine breathtakingly with some of Italy’s greatest cities. From the charming spa towns of Chianciano, situated in the colorful Tuscan hills and Fiuggi, just 40 miles from Rome, discover some of Italy’s historic treasures. Visit Florence, birthplace of the Renaissance and Rome, a living museum that includes the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Vatican City. Savor the atmosphere of rural Italy as you explore the quaint hillside towns of Assisi and San Gimignano, or explore the ancient ruins of Pompeii. The French Riviera and Provence September 23-October 1, 2006 From: $1,899, including air New Dates Known for its wonderful climate and dazzling colors, the South of France has been captivating visitors for centuries. The exciting French Riviera is a perfect mixture of glittering cosmopolitan resorts and ancient old quarters. From the French Riviera explore glamorous Monte Carlo, Cannes and St-Tropez. Visit Provence and the delightful towns that have inspired some of the great impressionist painters like Aix-enProvence, Avignon and Arles. This is just a glimpse of what makes the south of France so special. Beijing November 2-9, 2006 From: $1,649, including air Beijing is the pulsing heart of today’s China and its capital for over seven centuries. Take a stroll around the impressive Tiananmen Square, explore the imposing Forbidden City and be spellbound by the magnificent Great Wall. Visit the giant pandas at Beijing Zoo and admire the ancient Temple of Heaven. Travel to Xi’an to tour the archaeological site of the tomb of First Emperor Qin, which so far has yielded over 7,000 terracotta soldiers and horses. Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine M S U A L U M N I A S S O C I A T I O N 2006 SPARTAN FOOTBALL AWAY-GAME TAILGATES Travel with us as the Spartans take on an exciting 2006 Michigan State University football away-game season. Come cheer for Coach John L. Smith and the MSU Spartans at our pre-game parties. Just look for the Green & White and come on in! Join the MSU cheerleaders, Sparty, and lots of other fans. Win prizes, talk football, eat great food, and cheer the Spartans on to victory! ALL SPARTAN FANS ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US FOR THESE AWAY-GAME TAILGATES! University of Pittsburgh Saturday, September 16 University of Michigan Saturday, October 7 Northwestern University Saturday, October 21 Indiana University Saturday, October 28 Penn State University Saturday, November 18 No pre-registration is required. Members of the MSU Alumni Association may purchase a lunch for $15.00. Just show your membership card at the door. Non-member cost is $18.00, children 12 and under cost is $5.00. Cash bars will be available where permitted by local law. Please note: food and beverages are limited; first come, first served. Spartan merchandise will be available at all tailgates! Spartan football away-game tailgates begin three hours prior to kick-off and continue for two hours. Check local listings for scheduled game times. For more information on tailgates, please call the MSU Alumni Association at (517) 355-8314 or visit our website at www.msualum.com For game tickets, call the MSU Athletic Ticket Office at (800) GO STATE, or 517/355-1610. For official MSU Alumni Association Tours to: Bowl Games NCAA Regionals Final Four Call the MSU Alumni Association at (877) MSU-TRIP Click Right Through for MSU www.msualum.com Page 29 Black Social Ba ndits a nd Soci a l Ch a nge By William L. L Van Deburg, Deburg M.A. M A ’71 ’71, Ph Ph.D. D ’73 The concept of the black social bandit, epitomized by O.J. Simpson, and now reintroduced to us by the controversy surrounding Barry Bonds, provides a critical yardstick which can be used to measure America’s racial divide. In the wake of the 1967 Detroit and Newark riots, president Lyndon Johnson’s National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders warned that racial polarization threatened to split the country into “two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal.” Every citizen, it was said, needed to adopt “new attitudes, new understanding, and, above all, new will” if existing divisions were to be erased. Unfortunately, the commissioners’ hope that beliefs about race would be radically altered remains illusory. A racial and socioeconomic divide continues to scar the new millennial landscape. An approximation of the chasm’s breadth and depth is provided in the U.S. Labor Department’s monthly unemployment tally. It can be seen in comparative epidemiological, infant mortality, and life expectancy data; in studies of vernacular English usage, home-computer ownership, and prime-time television viewing habits. And, then, there is the ongoing debate over whether former football great O.J. Simpson should have been acquitted of murdering his wife, Nicole, and her friend Ronald Goldman. Surveys conducted before, during, and after the 1995 trial were consistent in showing that some 70 percent of African-American respondents considered Simpson innocent. A comparable percentage of whites felt he was guilty as charged. Taken together, these data sets support the belief that many black and white Americans continue to perceive reality in vastly different ways; to champion what seem to be diametrically opposed solutions to common problems; to misunderstand one another on a regular basis. Ultimately, who or what is to blame? Close observers of American popular culture understand that divergent group histories and experiences have been shaped by skin color symbolism. From earliest times, blackness has been the European-Americans’ favorite signifier for sin and has served as a negative reference point for acceptable ethical behavior. Transferred to the North American colonies via both religious tradition and theatrical convention, this Old World habit-of-mind has caused dark-skinned people to be overrepresented in the nation’s pantheon of evil-doers irrespective of their individual character. Over the centuries, it has fueled panics over the presPage 30 Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine From earliest times, blackness has been the EuropeanAmericans’ favorite signifier for sin and has served as a negative reference point for acceptable ethical behavior. Click Right Through for MSU www.msualum.com Page 31 ence of dissembling slaves, helped shape restrictive legal codes, and encouraged many a lynching bee. The syllogistic notion that since villainy is closely related to blackness then those who are black by heredity are in some way villainous is both illogical and, seemingly, inescapable. Although seldom clearly articulated, such majoritarian beliefs inform and provide a subtext for the working out of all contemporary racial relationships. These negative characterizations have generated a series of African-American counterproposals which view blackness in a different light. Frequently, white people’s black villains are perceived within the subculture as social bandits and lauded for the manner in which they “stand up” for the race against external foes. Like modern-day Robin Hoods, they act bad for a good reason—to improve the lives of the oppressed. By way of contrast, base behaviors and criminal acts committed by whites are seen as evidence of greed, treachery, and the ignoble desire to dominate others. Thus, one group’s heroes often become the other’s villains. Highly representational, both fictive and flesh-and-blood characters are endowed with all manner of exaggerated traits. As a result, policy-makers seeking to bridge the U.S. racial divide must do more than level the playing field by improving inner-city schools, housing, and job opportunities. As if this wasn’t sufficiently challenging, they must grapple with folk beliefs and fears, stereotypes and self-defense mechanisms. To a degree greater than many have realized, the villainization of blacks and the valorization of black social bandits are to blame for our collective inability to alter the status quo in racial relationships. Black social bandits, real and imagined, are key to understanding the racial perception gap. Page 32 So, what are the black bandits really like? When contextualized within the folk heroic tradition, such individuals may be considered the proper villain’s first cousins. But, they also display attributes such as strength, courage, and loyalty that normally are associated with fully accredited heroes. Typically, they are tough, self-reliant risk-takers who are grounded in communal mores. Bandits help law-abiding folk cope with institutional restrictions through vicarious wish-fulfill- emblematic qualities in the service of group uplift, the bandits provide a useful counterpoint to skewed, imposed, or outmoded conceptualizations of morality. But black social bandits have been known to overplay their hand and overstay their welcome. When rage is no longer tempered with reason or antisocial behavior is misdirected, the consequences can be tragic. Vengeance against white oppressors may be joined with indiscriminate cruelty toward fellow blacks. As concern Because four-fifths of violent crimes were perpetuated by individuals of the same race as the victim, such behavior could no longer be justified as a revolutionary strike against white power. ment. Some nurture insurgent political impulses by their proactive responses to injustice. Others make a terrible fuss when confronted with presumptuous white people—inspiring efforts to beat the odds simply by rejecting pity and demanding to be treated with respect. Collectively, they confute assumptions of white supremacy and encourage hope that one day the prototypical societal underdog will become top dog. Determined to disturb the status quo, the boldest are considered outlaws by ruling elites. But, to a constituency long consigned to the lower depths of the social order, these troublesome scofflaws seem an army of liberation. All but their most glaring flaws may be conveniently forgotten. Perceived as selfless agents of change, their cruelty is legitimized as vengeance. Whenever they place their positive for the collective welfare is displaced by self-aggrandizement, force and fatalism become the bandit’s defining characteristics. Their characteristic hypermasculinity rages out of control, souring gender relationships and endangering the weakest members of the minority community. In worst-case scenarios, bandit misbehavior inspires fear, not admiration, among former admirers. Answerable to no one, they become a terror to all. Now a decided threat to group solidarity, they are blamed for luring impressionable youth into self-destructive behaviors. Labeled race traitors by African-American critics, they test the limits of racial brotherhood by becoming racial embarrassments. As one can see, black social bandits are difficult to pigeonhole and not easily fathomed. Their group portrait likely would be rendered in shades of gray. Over time, numerous black bandits have conspired to confuse the unwary and to disturb the social order. If overwhelmingly drawn from the ranks of alpha males, they manifest a variety of physical types and dispositions. Before the Civil War, the exploits of slave rebels such as Joseph Cinque, Madison Washington, and Nat Turner were memorialized by African-American writers—and just as vigorously condemned by defenders of the South’s “peculiar institution.” In the postbellum West, black cowboy-outlaw Crawford Goldsby, aka Cherokee Bill, assisted Jesse James and Billy the Kid in blurring the boundary separating hero from villain. As metropolitan areas expanded in the twentieth century, Dolemite, Shine, and other urban counterparts of traditional animal tricksters changed the joke and slipped the yoke of subservience with both guile and style. During the Black Power years of the late 1960s and early 1970s, roughhewn social bandits in low-budget blaxploitation films like Black Caesar, Super Fly, and The Mack walked tall, settling scores. Sly as a foxes, slick as ice, and prone to launching liberationist initiatives, each of these bandit cadres possessed the ability to turn heads. Typically feared or shunned by whites, they maintained a varied and complex relationship with the residents of black communities. Those who resisted the temptation to victimize fellow African-Americans could expect to be lauded for their contributions to psychological resistance and group ego enhancement. But, bandits who consistently exchanged evil for good regardless of race risked alienating local support groups. At best, these ruthless predators could serve as negative reference points for Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine lessons in principled behavior. To their harshest black critics, they seemed a lot like white people. Throughout history, African-Americans have identified white-on-black crime as the most pressing problem facing the race. In the black worldview, the racially oppressed are seen as more sinned against than sinning. The nation’s inglorious record of enslaving, segregating, and dehumanizing people of color provides ample support for these beliefs. Nevertheless, in recent years, the growth of black-on-black crime has complicated matters. Widely disseminated studies have documented the crisis. By the early 1990s, blacks made up 12 to 13 percent of the U.S. population but accounted for about one-half of all arrests for crimes carrying the threat of bodily injury. Data on victimization compiled by the Census Bureau showed that in cases where the assailant’s race was known, African-Americans were reported to have committed 65 percent of all robberies, a third of all rapes, and 54 percent of all criminal deaths. Because four-fifths of violent crimes were perpetuated by individuals known to be of the same racial group as the victim, there was little hope of justifying such behavior as a revolutionary strike against white power. If, as was the case at middecade, African-American males were being killed at a rate double that of U.S. servicemen during World War II and a black teenager was nine times more likely to become a murder victim than a white peer, exaggerated claims of principled social banditry were certain to ring hollow. In his 1998 work, Two Cities, AfricanAmerican novelist John Wideman encapsulated the danger posed by these underclass outlaws. Simply but vividly put: “They got guns and like to use them and don’t give a f--- who they hurt.” Click Right Through for MSU Black-on-black crime may be this generation’s litmus test for social banditry. Masquerading as counter-cultural rebels, underclass perpetrators often receive points for style and are viewed as authentic social bandits by the romantic and the unmolested. But, the scope and seriousness of the inner city’s problems require that this pop culture gloss be removed. If social change is to occur—if urban ganglands are to be transformed into fully habitable, racially diverse com- likely will realize that being black is not the same as being bad; that black villainy is not required for the flowering of white virtue. In like manner, black interrogators grown accustomed to celebrating the social bandits’ many symbolic victories will need to avoid stretching the bounds of credulity by offering implausible excuses for aberrant acts. They will need to avoid what has been termed “reflexive absolution”—the practice of exempting the guilty from thoroughgoing Black villainy is not required for the flowering of white virtue. munities—black social bandits must be interrogated. Hopefully, through a joint African-/European-American initiative, proactive bandits can be separated from garden variety criminals in the public mind. Non-blacks seeking to participate in this fact-finding effort would do well to leave their egos at home, to listen carefully to the conversations of others, and to think before speaking. Those previously unaware that white skin-color privilege confers unearned advantage and authority—including the power to define normality and deviancy—are advised to rethink outmoded assumptions about color-coded hierarchies. Whenever possible, they also should scrutinize massmediated images that simultaneously celebrate and condemn young African-American males as inherently violent and sexually aggressive. By doing so, many www.msualum.com censure in the name of brotherhood. Once this hurdle has been surmounted, most likely will recognize that it is possible to distance oneself from unproductive values and lifestyles without abandoning racial kinsmen intellectually or spiritually. Without question, accurate reporting, clear thinking, and the willingness to ask hard questions will be needed if we hope to solve problems complicated both by real-world bandits and by mythic beliefs about race that continue to circulate within middle America. If any of us are to move beyond this point in our nation’s troubled racial history, we also will need what the Kerner Commission rightly conceptualized as an unprecedented level of commitment to change. As true today as in the late 1960s, both “new attitudes and “new will” will be required by all. Only a joint initiative has a chance of succeeding where less well-coordinated efforts have failed. If all parties make an honest effort, this attempt to clarify the role and status of black social bandits has the potential to unify ancient rivals in the common cause of societal reformation. William L. Van Deburg, M.A. ’71, Ph.D. ’73, is the EvjueBascom Professor in the Dept. of Afro-American Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison. At MSU he trained with civil war historian Frederick D. Williams and popular culture scholar Russel B. Nye. Since joining UW, he has worked to develop the field of Black Popular Culture Studies within the academy. He has published five books, a volume of edited documents, two dozen article-length pieces, and more than 30 reviews and entries in reference volumes. This utilization of pulp fiction, black cast film, and popular music as historical sources in their own right has helped to legitimize the scholarly use of non-traditional materials. His books on plantation slavery, on black nationalism, and on the Black Power movement are widely cited and have been anthologized both in this country and abroad. Hoodlums, a pop culture-oriented study of African-American villains and social bandits in U.S. history and contemporary society was published in 2004 by the University of Chicago Press. African-American Nationalism, an edited collection of classic essays and classroom resource materials, was released as part of the Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience, a 30-volume electronic database distributed by ProQuest of Ann Arbor. Page 33 SPORTS MSU Sports Information Rick Comley (left) and the 2005-06 MSU ice hockey team pose with the Mason Cup, emblematic of the CCHA tournament championship, at Joe Louis Arena. Freshman goalie Jeff Lerg’s emergence in 2006 helped MSU win the CCHA tournament championship and earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAAs. THE ICE MAN COMLEYETH Can Rick Comley coach? You better believe it, as the ice hockey program enjoys its surge into national prominence. An old sports cliché holds that it’s tough to replace a legendary coach. Rick Comley, MSU’s fourth-year hockey coach, found out first hand after he replaced Ron Mason, the winningest coach in college hockey. Page 34 But it now seems clear that he has well negotiated the transition, and that the MSU program is now Comley’s program. And, the program seems to be in good shape. Things did not look so rosy early on. After three seasons without any titles, MSU got off to a slow start this season. With many key players sidelined early in the season with injuries and various illnesses, MSU at one stretch went winless in eight games. But as players got healthy and returned to the line up, the team began to gel under Comley’s system. MSU put together six wins in a row in January and went undefeated in the whole month of February. The Spartans lost only three times in its last 21 games and were propelled by the strong finish to a No. 1 seeding in the NCAA tournament. Enroute the Spartans won a CCHA Tournament Championship, their first since 2001. Ironically, the championship is now called the Mason Cup after Ron Mason, whom Comley replaced. And for those keeping track, MSU went undefeated against archrival Michigan. MSU’s 2-0-2 record against the Wolverines included a 4-1 pounding in the CCHA semifinals at Joe Louis Arena. It’s hard to find anyone who now doubts Comley’s ability to rebuild MSU into the national power it was under predecessor Mason. “I can look anyone in the eye right now and say this is a pretty darn good product,” Comley told the Lansing State Journal. “Next year’s team will have the ability to compete nationally and, if everything goes well, play in the Frozen Four. This is where we want the program to be.” Helping fuel the team’s success was the leadership provided by seniors like ironman Corey Potter, defenseman Jared Nightingale and forward David Booth, the phenomenal play of underclassmen stalwarts like junior MVP Drew Miller and sophomores Chris Mueller, Jim McKenzie and Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine Bryan Lerg, the incredible contributions by freshman phenoms like Tim Crowder, Tim Kennedy and Justin Abdelkader, and the emergence of freshman goalie Jeff Lerg, who impressed fans with his ability to make key save after key save. Barring some possible early departures to the NHL, the team should have enough firepower next year to be a preseason Top 10 pick. “I think we’re going to have real balance,” Comley notes. “We have good seniors, juniors and sophomores and we’re going to have good freshmen. We have some unproven players on defense, but I think that will Brown Davis Izzo HOOPS TEAMS LOOK TO FUTURE By Robert Bao Tom Izzo looks to bring toughness to the program, which boasts two stellar recruiting classes the next two years. Coach P loses two prolific scorers but will welcome back plenty of talent along with a phenom who can dunk. After his team’s first-round NCAA loss to George Mason, a mid-major that shocked everyone by making the Final Four, Click Right Through for MSU Tom Izzo vowed to return to the root principles of his program—toughness, rebounding and hustle. “I have never been more disappointed in a loss with the second, maybe, being that loss to Wisconsin that cost us a Big Ten title,” sums up Izzo. “But I’ve never been more excited about the future.” Indeed, MSU’s superstar coach can look forward to two stellar recruiting classes coming in the next two years. Arriving next year will be Tom Herzog, yet an- www.msualum.com take care of itself. I like our style of play. “I really like this team. I love their personality, how they compete, and how they took control and created their own identity. I think that next year’s team will be very similar.” On offense, MSU returns Miller along with such players as Lerg, Mueller and McKenzie. MSU needs to find some defenders to play alongside Ethan Graham and Tyler Howells. Candidates include incoming freshmen Michael Ratchuk and Ryan Turek. Sums up Comley, “Now we have to drive ourselves even harder because we know we’re good enough to be there.” other Flintstone, seven-foot tall to boot, and two players who led their teams to the state titles in Ohio and Minnesota—Raymar Morgan and Isaiah Dahlman. And in 2007 he has the verbal commitments of three perimeter players who could comprise the most talented trio ever to arrive in one class at MSU. The 2005-2006 season was a good one, though not by recent MSU standards. Under Izzo the program has reached a level where anything but a national championship feels like a letdown. “A good job isn’t good enough here,” explains a rueful Izzo. “A good job is 18 or 19 wins. Twenty-two wins is a very good job. But we are looking for championships and Final Fours. That didn’t change and that won’t change until the day I get thrown out of here. Good is not good enough.” This year’s Spartans were ranked high in the pre-season—as high as No. 1 by one publication, in the top five by several others. Even with three potential future NBA players on the roster—MVPs Paul Davis, Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown—the team clicked only from time to time. It did not win a championship or advance past the first NCAA round of competition, losing to unheralded George Mason 75-65. The underdog Patriots were without their starting point guard and, with no starter taller than 6foot-7, still outrebounded MSU 40-24. “I have to figure out why a team would perform so poorly in areas that are so important to the program,” says Izzo, whose teams tended to lead the Big Ten in rebounding margin. On the other hand, MSU did win 22 games, including wins against Boston College and Wichita State, both Elite Eight teams. MSU beat every ranked team in the Big Ten, including champions Ohio State in Columbus. MSU won its ACC Challenge game against Georgia Tech, and beat powerhouse Arizona in the Maui Classic. Its game against Gonzaga turned into a triple overtime classic, with Ager going mano a mano against POY-candidate Adam Morrison. MSU boasted three potential future NBA players. They averaged more than 17 points each—the only such scoring trio in the nation. But the Spartans did not excel enough in many of the toughness areas, and as a result did not win as much as expected. Although the season ended early for the women’s basketball team, with an 86-61 loss to Duke in the NCAA tournament, coach Joanne McCallie Page 35 For the record, Shimek wound up with 1,780 career points, Bowen with 1,739—both averaging 13+ points per game as four year starters. Shimek won a number of Big Ten Player of the Week awards, while Bowen became MSU’s all-time leader in treys and three-point shooting percentage, records she then iced by winning the ESPN three-point contest in Indianapolis. They led MSU to a Big Ten championship, a Big Ten tournament championship, four straight NCAA appearances, one Final Four and two straight Sweet Sixteens. Both will have a chance at the next level, says McCallie. Without her “Dynamic Duo,” McCallie looks forward to next season, when leadership will be provided by a senior class of Myisha Bannister, Rene Haynes, Victoria LucasPerry and Katrina Grantham. Haynes and Lucas-Perry boast experience and athleticism, while Aisha Jefferson looks like a star in the making. Plus, immediate help could come from two incoming freshmen—center Allyssa DeHaan of Grandville and guard Amanda Piechowski of Shelby Township. McCallie says that DeHaan, a towering 6-8 player who can, among many things, dunk the ball, “has unlimited potential.” Spartan players continued to be great role models in the community. And, perhaps as a result, attendance continued to grow—averaging more than 6,700 a game at Breslin Center. “Wow!” she exults. “The numbers were terrific. We want to continue to build on that.” Those numbers probably helped MSU become a regional first- and second-game host for next year’s NCAA tournament. “Nobody knows about this,” says McCallie. “But this reflects what was done for this program by Shimek and Bowen, by Kristin Haynie, and by Syreeta Bromfield and Julie Pagel.” MAGIC’S PROMOTES “GREEN”— Feb. 8: NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson joined forces with Kermit the Frog to promote an E85 Ethanol Ford Escape hybrid Ford Lincoln during media preview day for the 2006 Chicago Auto Show. Ford estimates that if only five percent of the U.S. vehicle fleet were to run on ethanol, America could save 140 million barrels of oil a year. Johnson, who has had a marketing relationship with Lincoln since 1974, also helped promote the new 2007 Lincoln Navigator. WHICH COACH DO BIG TEN PLAYERS RESPECT?—In its March 6 issue, Sports Illustrated reported the results of a poll it conducted among players from each team in a conference. To no one’s surprise, when asked which team had the most respect for its coach, Big Ten players chose Michigan State. “They have a bond with Izzo,” noted one anonymous player. “He’s not only a coach but also a father figure to those guys.” When asked to name the opposing coach one would most like to play for, most Big Ten players chose Shimek Bowen McCallie can bask in a few achievements this season—in both wins and attendance—and look forward to next season. This season marked the end of an era for seniors Liz Shimek and Lindsay Bowen, two small-town Michigan athletes who earned All-America kudos and became the most prolific scorers in MSU history. “You don’t replace a Shimek or a Bowen,” says McCallie of the duo whose 96 career wins top the record books. “But the team will evolve and make up for that production. The returning group can be much better, much more productive. And we’re already using that Duke experience to motivate us to get better.” Indeed, the senior duo led MSU to its second most wins ever, with a 34-10 record. The most wins took place last year, when the team went 33-4 and coach Joanne P. McCallie was named AP’s National Coach of the Year. MSU returned to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Of its 8 NCAA appearances, four were under coach McCallie. Once again, MSU played a tough schedule and managed to beat some national powers, such as Rutgers (73-71 in East Lansing) and Oklahoma. FOR THE RECORD REUTERS/John Gress Page 36 Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine Tom Izzo. “I see him at camps a lot,” said one source. “He’ll talk to you about life and basketball.” NEW COACH—Blaine Bennett, Purdue’s quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator, has been named MSU wide receivers coach and assistant head coach. Bennett, an 18-year coaching veteran, replaces Jim McElwain, who resigned March 2 to become quarterbacks coach for the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. Bennett had previously coached under John L. Smith as wide receivers coach at Idaho in 1991. In addition, linebackers coach Mike Cox has assumed the additional duties of recruiting coordinator. “Blaine brings a wealth of knowledge to the staff because he has both playing and coaching experience in the spread offense,” says Smith. “He has a lot of ideas, and I expect him to play a vital role in game planning.” GYMNASTS TAKE SECOND— With MSU hosting the gymnastics Big Ten Championships at Jenison Field House, the Spartan gymnasts finished second with a team score of 194.975—the first podium visit for MSU since 1997. Minnesota won the title with 195.150. Head coach Kathie Klages was honored as co-head coaches of the year, along with Penn State’s Steve Shephard. “It is quite an honor, but I feel that it should be well shared between myself, my assistant coaches, Sam Buchalter and Katie Teft, and my entire team,” says Klages. MSU junior Chayla Hill finished as co-champion on the vault in a five-way tie for first with a 9.800. “We just tried to focus on ourselves and what we knew Class Add a little our team was capable of,” says Klages, who is looking forward to competing next year with a full slate of scholarship athletes. HALL OF FAMERS—Former MSU basketball great Greg Kelser, ’81, and football great Everett “Sonny” Grandelius, ’50, are inductees of the 2006 class of the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. Kelser, who helped lead MSU to the 1979 NCAA basketball championship, along with teammate Earvin “Magic” Johnson, is currently a television broadcaster and color commentator for Fox Sports Net. Last year he won the NCAA’s prestigious Silver Anniversary award. Grandelius was a star running back for MSU and won the MVP of the Hula Bowl. In 1950 he led MSU to a 14-7 win over Michigan, beginning a streak where MSU won 10 of the next 13 games against the Wolverines. He was drafted by the New York Giants, and later was head coach of Colorado University. MCCALLIE NAMED TO U.S. POST—MSU women’s basketball head coach Joanne P. McCallie has been selected to lead USA Basketball’s 2006 FIBA Americas under-20 championship women’s team. The selection was made by the USA Basketball Women’s Collegiate Committee. “This is such a tremendous honor to represent myself, my family, MSU and most importantly, my country,” says McCallie, who just completed her sixth season at MSU. “It’s exciting and will add another dimension to my professional career, and it’s a great growth opportunity. I’m very honored that USA Basketball chose me to represent the Red, White and Blue during international competition. to your life! Alumni Lifelong Education EVENING COLLEGE Announces the 2006 personal enrichment noncredit programs for ALL adults, including alumni, faculty, staff, students and community members. To receive a brochure call: (517) 355-4562 email: [email protected] check online: www.msualum.com or visit 57 Kellogg Center on Campus. Alumni Lifelong Education Evening College A division of the Michigan State University Alumni Association Click Right Through for MSU www.msualum.com Page 37 ALMA MATTERS Photo courtesy of Gary Fraas two dozen Spartans who joined nearly 50 Big Ten alumni at Dilworth Neighborhood Grille in Charlotte, NC, for a Big Ten Christmas Party. Mar. 4: More than two dozen area Spartans attended the annual euchre tournament hosted by Dave and Barb VanHellemont. REGIONAL CLUBS ATLANTA—Jan. 29: More than 60 area Spartans attended the “Kirk Gibson Event” at Mazzy’s Sports Bar & Grille in Atlanta to kick-off the fundraising efforts for the MSU baseball program and its new facilities plan. Special guests included former baseball star Kirk Gibson, MSU baseball coach David Grewe and Ralph Young Fund director Chuck Sleeper. Catalyst for the event was Jim Stros, former MSU pitcher. MSUAA assistant director Dave Brown presented a citation to president Curt Hoopingarner, who retires from IBM after nearly 38 years. Following the event, Phil Hickey Jr., CEO of RARE Hospitality International, Inc., hosted prospective donors for dinner at his Capital Grille in Buckhead. ☛ For more information, visit www.metroatlanta.org. CENTRAL FLORIDA—Mar. 4: About 60 area Spartans attended a tailgate dinner following the MSU softball team’s doubleheader against Boston University and Temple in Plant City, FL. Food was brought in from Smokey Bones. Coach Jackie Joseph (right) posed with the team at the event. Page 38 CENTRAL OHIO—Feb. 9: Some 18 area Spartans attended the MSU-Ohio State hockey game at Schottenstein Arena, Columbus, OH. The Spartans won 4-3 in what turned out to be a critical road win. Feb. 18: About 19 area Spartans attended a TV party with local University of Michigan alumni at Fitzgerald’s in Columbus, OH. CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT, NC— Dec. 10: (L to r) Jeff Fuller, Dan Carr, Peggy Mulrenin and Steve Basisnski were among more than Photo courtesy of Cherie Sw art hout Barb VanHellemont COASTAL GEORGIA—Nov. 19: About a dozen area Spartans watched the Penn State game at Pogy’s in Richmond Hill. Funds were raised via a 50/50 drawing. Jan. 15: More than a dozen area alumni gathered at B&D Burgers, Savannah, to watch the MSU-Ohio State basketball game. DAYTON, OH—Feb. 19: Club president Keith and Beth Hicks and the club’s officers and board members gathered to watch the University of Dayton women’s basketball game against Temple, and then gathered for dinner at Dominic’s Italian Restaurant on Main St. GREATER NEW YORK—Feb. 18: MSU quarterback Drew Stanton dropped in at Blondies Sports Bar on West 79th Street, Manhattan, to see the Spartans beat the Wolverines 90-71 in men’s hoops. Blondies is the club’s usual gathering place and features an outsized Spartan helmet-shaped placard signed by Steve Smith. Photos courtesy of Greg Hauser DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TX— Jan. 28: Some 100 area Spartans attended the annual Red Wings outing in Dallas at the American Airlines Center. The annual event was organized by Beth Bergman. KENTUCKIANA—Nov. 19: Some 40 area Spartans enjoyed “A Day At the Races” Fall Meet at Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY. In the photo, president Glenn Prezocki presented a silver tray to Carolyn Barela, owner of Darien’s Approval, which won the race sponsored by the club. MACOMB COUNTY—Apr. 6: The club awarded four $1,000 scholarships to high school graduates entering MSU this Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine Photo courtesy of Gary Mescher coming fall semester: Jeffrey T. Burlingame of Romeo, Kaitlin Long of Lutheran North, Sara Palazzolo of Chippewa Valley and Gina Riebel of Armada. George Stepanovic, chairman of the Scholarship Committee, said they were selected from 26 “exceptionally well-qualified” applicants. MIDLANDS—Feb. 18: About 20 area Spartans gathered to watch MSU play the UNO Mavericks in hockey at Indigo Joe’s in Omaha, NE. MID-MICHIGAN—Feb. 9: President Micki Pasteur presented checks for $2,000 each to winners of the Undergraduate Teaching Award at the Annual Award Convocation at Wharton Center. Winners were William A. McWhirter, College of Communication Arts & Sciences, and Melissa J. Baumann, College of Engineering. Special guests included President Lou Anna K. Simon and Provost Kim A. Wilcox. PHILADEPHIA, PA—Mar. 28: More than 60 area Spartans, about one-third new grads within the last 10 years—some as seen in photo—attended a club event at Dave & Busters on the Pier, overlooking the blue Bridge. Also attending were six newly admitted MSU students. Special guest was former MSU athletic director Clarence Underwood, seen in the middle of the photo with the club’s board of directors. SEATTLE, WA—Dec. 10: Some 14 area Spartans attended the Annual Holiday Party in Redmond to watch MSU play Wichita State in men’s basketball. About $70 was raised in scholarship funds. Mar. 4: Some 30 area Spartans attended the Sonics vs. Detroit Pistons basketball game. TAMPA, FL—Dec. 10: Some 200 area Spartans attended a pep rally prior to the MSU women’s basketball team win 81-66 against the University of South Florida in Tampa. Coach Joanne P. McCallie gave a pep talk to the group. Dave Brown Click Right Through for MSU WEST MICHIGAN—Feb. 7: Lody (lfet) and John Zwarensteyn were honored as “MSU Business Persons of the Year” at the 11th Annual “MSU Means Business” reception at Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids. More than 200 area Spartans attended the event honoring the two brothers who have been long time leaders in the MSU community as well as the West Michigan business and civic community. John is currently a board member of the College of Communication Arts CONSTITUENT ASSOCIATIONS COMMUNICATION ARTS & SCIENCES—Jan. 27: Gary Mescher (right), new president of the CAS Alumni Board, poses with a few fellow board members who attended the January board meeting at the college. Outgoing Merri Jo Bales, who served as board president the past three years, receives a plaque from dean Charles Salmon. www.msualum.com & Sciences and president/CEO of Gemini Publications in Grand Rapids. Lody was a former chairperson of the MSUAA’s national alumni board and is president of Alliance for Health in Grand Rapids. WESTERN NEW YORK—Dec. 13: Twenty women Spartans enjoyed a holiday dinner and gift exchange at the home of Julie Furminger in Kenmore, NY. This has been a tradition for some two decades. NURSING—Feb. 11: Lisa Boyd, ’85, of Livonia, and her family, were among the more than 135 Mid-Michigan Spartans who attended the College of Nursing’s reception and also the women’s basketball game against Page 39 Photo courtesy of Sung Soo Chung Photo courtesy of Pam Schoen game brunch at Kellogg Center on Saturday. For information, contact (517) 353-0755. OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE—May 31: Walter F. Patenge medals of public service will be bestowed to Joseph Balog, D.O. (posthumously); Paul LaCasse, D.O.; Dennis Paradis, MPH; and congressman Joe Schwarz, M.D. INTERNATIONAL CLUBS Photo by Chris Wheeler NURSING—Feb. 11: Lisa Boyd, ’85, of Livonia, and her family, were among the more than 135 Mid-Michigan Spartans who attended the College of Nursing’s reception and also the women’s basketball game against Wisconsin on Feb. 12. It was one of the largest turnouts for nursing alumni. Special guest speaker was Shelley Applebaum, MSU associate athletic director. OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE— Feb. 25: More than 400 guests attended a gala event at the RitzCarlton, Dearborn, raising more than $125,000 for the Michigan Osteopathic College Foundation endowment at MSU. Mar. 4-11: More than 80 alumni and family members participated in the Pat Grauer Page 40 college’s continuing education event, “Seminar In The Sun,” in Bayahibe, Dominican Republic. Eight alumni made presentations on various aspects of “Healthy Lifestyle and Preventive Care: Future Directions.” UPCOMING EVENTS HUMAN MEDICINE—Sep. 2223: The Annual Reunion will take place on the weekend of the Notre Dame game. Reunions will be held for the classes of 1971, 1976, 1986, 1991, 1996 and 2001. Events include the Andrew D. Hunt Lectureship at Wharton Center and a wine and cheese reception at Kellogg Center on Friday, and a pre- THAILAND—Apr. 1: MSU Trustee Melanie Foster (middle) hosted a dinner at the Bangkok Resort & Spa Hotel for leaders of the MSU Alumni Club of Thailand during her visit to Bangkok. Guests also included Chris Wheeler, MSU professor of teacher education, former club president Wallop and Sophan Manatanya; club president Preang Kitraporn; club vice president Veerachai and Poonsri Chasndraniphapong; club executive secretary Penpitr Prakongchit; and Trustee Foster’s family and guests. SOUTH KOREA—Feb. 13: (L to r) Dr. Jae Seok Shim, Chair Person, Taenam Petroleum Co.; Dr. Young Woo Nam, Chair Person, Kukje Pharmacy Co.; Dr. Kuk Bum Shin, former president, Daejeon University; Dr. Chul Young Kim, president of MSU Alumni Association in Korea (MAAK), president of Hanho Air; Dr. Keun Mo Chung, president, Myungji University; Amb. Nae-Hyong Yoo, president, Delta Air Agencies, Ltd.; and Michael F. Miller, director, Visiting International Professional Program at MSU, gathered during the Annual Meeting of MAAK at Tower Hotel, Seoul. Some 200 area Spartans attended the event. Photo Courtesy of Anan Chaikittisilpa THAILAND—Jan. 17: (L to r) Anan Chaikittisilpa, former club president, Vallop Manatunya, the outgoing president, MSU Provost Kim Wilcox, and Preang Kitratkorn, the new club president, gathered for a dinner in the Raj Restaurant in Bangkok. Others in the MSU delegation included John Hudzik, VP, Global Engagement & Strategic Projects; Lonnie King, Dean, Vet Med; Jeff Riedinger, Acting Dean, International Studies & Programs (ISP); Chris Wheeler, professor of education; and Kim Gladstone, ISP director of development & external relations. Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine Photo courtesy of Dan & Brenda Berry U.S. Army who recently served 16 months in Afghanistan. Jenn is an air force officer at Hickam AFB who recently did a tour in Qatar and will soon be sent to Japan. A graduate of Bloomsburg University, PA, Jenn has converted to the Spartan cause. Last fall, Bryn and Jenn went to East Lansing to cheer for the Spartans against Hawaii in football. MPLP FUNDRAISER—Mar. 2: (L to r) Douglas B. Roberts, director of MSU’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, poses at the Michigan Political Leadership Program’s annual fundraiser in Livonia with former national party leaders Ed Gillespie (G.O.P.) and Terry McAuliffe (Democrat), along with MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon. On March 3, a second fundraiser took place in Grand Rapids in concert with the MSUAA’s West Michigan alumni club. Roger Boettcher HAWAIIAN WEDDING—Bryn Dettmer, ’98, and bride Jenn, pose by their Spartan Stadium wedding cake when they married on Valentine’s Day Click Right Through for MSU in Oahu. A former member of MSU’s men’s crew team, and the son of MSU alumni Mike and Teckla, both class of 1968, Bryn is a captain in the www.msualum.com Page 41 WELCH FUNDS STUDY ABROAD SCHOLARSHIP To viewers of MSU’s WKARTV, Carol Welch, ’64, is perhaps a familiar face. She did, after all, enjoy a long career at the television station as its volunteer coordinator and is recognizable after having worked many years as an on-air fundraiser and auctioneer. And while Welch relishes the many opportunities her long MSU career gave her, she believes that perhaps there is such a thing as too much familiarity, specifically as it relates to one’s surroundings. Her steadfast belief in the benefits of international travel and the personal growth students experience when they venture out of their comfort zones prompted her to create the Carol Welch Study Abroad Endowment. “Travel abroad is an important part of what our students need in order to know where we fit in the world and how MSU can remain a first-class university,” Welch says. “This scholarship was established in order to offer Page 42 the opportunity to travel abroad to students who might not otherwise have the chance to do so. I believe that a young person who is about to begin his or her professional life after graduation is best prepared to do so if there is a global experience upon which to build.” While Welch’s interest in supporting study abroad for students began when she followed in the footsteps of one of her daughters. “My daughter went on a study abroad trip to London, and after she had been there for about ten days, I decided that she was having much too much fun,” Welch explains. “So, I flew there to be with her and stayed in the student dormitory for about Carol Welch, during one of her many trips abroad, was escorted by a student on a tour of the Baan Kon Sung School near the Sukhothai Province in Thailand. a week. It was a tremendous experience. International travel is a life changing experience. It brings into focus that we are not the only people on the Earth, and the world is getting smaller and smaller. We need to learn that the world doesn’t revolve around us.” International Studies and Programs will select scholarship recipients. While preference may be given to students from Michigan or Brooklyn, NY–Welch’s home town–the endowed scholarship is intended to benefit all colleges and units with study abroad programs. The fact that the fund is endowed means that the principal will continue to grow while only a portion of the interest earned will be expended, enabling the scholarship to help more and more students as time goes on. Welch, who is now retired from her volunteer coordinator position at WKAR-TV, continues to work for the station as an associate producer for the popular QuizBusters and QB Jr. shows and volunteers as an auctioneer on the Lightning Board. Thanks to her generosity, more MSU students will now have the chance to expand their horizons through international travel. NCAA BRACKETVILLE—This year Coca Cola sponsored a human bracket for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, hung off a building in downtown Indianapolis. They selected superfans to represent each college in the tournament. Lauren Coon, ’01, vice president of the MSU Alumni Association’s Central Indiana regional club, was named MSU’s representative in the human bracket display in Indianapolis. “I was honored and thrilled to represent the magnificent MSU basketball program as I have fond memories of attending games as a student season ticket holder during the Flintstones era,” says Lauren. “I’m a born-and-raised Flintstone, myself, and since graduation I still try to attend at least one game each season with my dad. I’m always honored to represent Michigan State.” Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine Samaritan Scholars Endowment Fund Show your support for annual scholarships that benefit MSU students with disabilities Jim and Judy DeLapa, MSU alumni from Grand Rapids, Michigan, recently established an endowment to provide scholarships for MSU students with disabilities. The Samaritan Scholars Endowment Fund greatly enhances the ability of MSU’s Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities to continue its work to help students with disabilities reach their vast potential. rovide t than to p n e m st e v h better in ersons wit found no ities for p n u “We have rt o p p al.” ips and o ir potenti scholarsh undation imize the x a m aritan Fo to s m a ie S it e il b th a f is o d pa Jim DeLa Judy and “The Samaritan Scholarship is an investment in human achievement. I am pleased to have this support as I work toward success despite a visual impairment. Thanks for investing in me!” Aaron Scheidies of Farmington Hills, a Samaritan Scholarship recipient seen here using a closed-circuit television to help him read his textbooks. Aaron is one of more than 900 students who benefit from the efforts of the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities each year. Please consider joining Jim and Judy DeLapa in funding the Samaritan Scholars program. Your contribution will go a long way in supporting Aaron’s and other students’ success. Maximizing Ability & Opportunity Click Right Through for MSU www.msualum.com You can make a gift online at www.givingto.msu.edu by clicking the “give now” tab on the LEFT of the screen. It’s fast and secure! OR, for more information, CONTACT Michael hudson, director Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities 120 Bessey Hall Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824 (517) 353-9642 Page 43 Editor’s Column CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SPARTAN SOUL By Robert Bao If you’re a fan of the inspirational Chicken Soup stories that keep getting more shelf space in bookstores, well, get ready for an upcoming book filled with such stories from fellow Spartans. And you can help this book get written, too. MSU’s Student Alumni Foundation plans to publish Chicken Soup for the Spartan Soul. It’s gathering stories from alumni around the globe. If you know a great inspirational story involving the MSU experience, please send it along to the SAF. Just follow the directions at the end of this column. I’d like to share with you one such story, written by Adam Busuttil, a member of the Spartan Marching Band in the late 1990s: Page 44 1999 was going to be a great year. I started that fall by marching in the drum line with the Spartan Marching Band. My life couldn’t have been better. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to be a part of the MSU Marching Band. The season started out well; the games, the people I met, and being part of the drum line was great. The week of the Michigan game was exciting and a lot of work. Long hours of rehearsals and a full load of classes, but nothing could compete with the excitement of the game that lied ahead. Finally, Friday rolled around and the big game was almost there. The excitement was growing and there was a feeling of a possible victory in the air. The night before the game though I started feeling ill and my body was run down. I had a bad cold like many other students. Instead of hanging out with my buddies, as we always did before a game, I went home and went to bed as I didn’t want to miss the big game. In the middle of the night I woke up with a case of the flu. I realized I couldn’t march the game. It never entered my mind that in the evening I would be on my way to the hospital near death. I couldn’t believe the diagnosis; I had meningitis. I got to the hospital, my blood pressure dropped, I looked at my family and I knew I was not coming home that night. A few days later I woke up. There standing next to me was my best friend and my mom. I told them I was in the ICU and had meningitis and someone better tell all the reporters how to pronounce my name. (They had a radio playing to stimulate brain activity while I was in an induced coma.) I looked around the room a bit more and all of the cards from The Spartan Marching Band and support was amazing. I then looked at my hands and saw they were bandaged up. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I would be loosing finger tips. What was I going to do? I am a musician. A little later that day John Madden, Spartan Marching Band Director, came to visit me. He was so supportive, bringing stories and support from the band. My friends from the drum line and band came to visit me every day to cheer me up. Emails from band members poured out to me. There were messages from Spartans I didn’t even know. The support was amazing. Later I found out that at the end of every rehearsal the band would circle around Mr. Madden and put their arms on each other’s shoulders and share my recovery stories or just a funny story about my antics (I was quite sedated most of the time). After that they would sing the Alma Mater. I was moved and inspired by all of this and knew I was going to recover with the support from my fellow Spartan Band Members. After I was released from Lansing, I went to Louisville, Kentucky to receive therapy and, ultimately, have amputations. Even though I was far away from Spartan Country, the support continued through emails, cards, phone calls, and those daily Alma Mater sessions. After a short recovery at home, I decided it was time to make the trip to East Lansing to thank the group for all of their support during my time of need. This was a special rehearsal as the band was practicing for the Citrus Bowl. At the beginning of rehearsal John Madden called the band to “bring it in”. It was unusual as this was normal procedure at the conclusion of a rehearsal. He then proceeded to say, “I told you all I would do this until he came back and well, he IS back.” The cheers of support floored me: it left me unable to speak. They then sang MSU Shadows as a group. I was able to march with the band a month after I was released from the hospital at the Citrus Bowl. (MSU won the game). To this day, I truly believe it was the support of John Madden and the Spartan Marching Band that kept me alive. I have graduated with a music education degree and work as a music teacher in Warren, MI. I am also now the president of the Meningitis Foundation of America and speak about this disease throughout the country. Adam is currently the assistant marching band director, elementary band director and communication arts teacher for music theory and audio recording at Fitzgerald High School in Warren, MI. He also plays professionally as a percussionist throughout areas of Michigan. Did you get goose bumps from reading this story, as I did? Wouldn’t it be great to assemble a Spartan collection of such stories? If you have an uplifting, inspirational tale, or know of someone who has one, please visit www.msusaf.com/ChickenSoup for instructions on how to pass it along to us. If you have any questions, call (517) 355-4458 or email [email protected]. Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine MSU Alumni Association Board of Directors *Stella Cash Chairperson *Bonnie Knutson Vice Chairperson *Bill Beekman Immediate Past Chairperson *Jane Dibbern Treasurer *Ed Liebler Secretary Michigan State University Click Right Through for MSU *Greg Hauser *Gloria Kielbaso Patrick Alguire L. Susan Carter Christopher Iamarino George Johnson Kevin Kelly John Klein Phillip Kuhn www.msualum.com Carole Lick Judy O’Brien David Sauter Robert Snyder Brian Wagner Scott Westerman Yuzo Yagi Marietta Baba Dean, College of Social Science Terry Denbow Vice President University Relations Keith A. Williams Executive Director MSU Alumni Association Charles Webb Vice President University Development * Denotes Executive Committee Frankie Orlando President, Student Alumni Foundation Charles Salmon Dean, College of Communication Arts and Sciences Page 45 STATE’S STARS Marjorie Sorge, ’72, principal in M3 Strategies, Livonia, has been named vice president of corporate communications of Metaldyne Corp., Plymouth. Previously, she was director of corporation communications for Visteon Corp. and served as executive on loan to Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Michigan Dept. of Labor and Economic Growth. She was editor-in-chief of Automotive Industries, executive editor of Ward’s Auto World, feature editor at Automotive News and staff writer at the Detroit News. Sorge is a trustee of Kettering University and is on the advisory panel for the Automotive Hall of Fame. She serves on the boards of the Society of Automotive Analysts and the Automotive Press Association. Georges Bordage, Ph.D. ’82, professor in the Dept. of Medical Education, University of Illinois, Chicago, has received the Association of American Medical Colleges Abraham Flexner Award for Distinguished Service to Medical Education. Bordage previously served as graduate studies director of the university’s Masters of Health Profession Education Program. Before he joined the University of Illinois, he founded and directed a similar program at Laval University in Canada. He has received several honorary degrees from universities around the world. Christie Montgomery-Boronico, Ph.D. ’93, assistant dean, Rutgers University, NY, has been named director of Career Services at the University of New Haven, West Haven, CT. Previously, she was the career center manager, direcPage 46 tor of student life, and assistant director of admissions for Oakland Community College, Bloomfield Hills. She was a career counselor for Lansing Community College and assistant dean for the graduate programs of the College of Business at Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti. Rene Shingles, Ph.D. ’01, associate professor and program director, athletic training education program, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, has received the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers’ Association Dedicated Service Award. Among her accomplishments, she was a trainer at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. In 2003 she received the Michigan Athletic Trainers’ Society Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award and she has served as a NCAA Athletics Certification Committee member since 2004. Tony Messina, ’80, vice president and general manager for emission systems, BorgWarner, Auburn Hills, has been named vice president and general manager, North America for BorgWarner transmission systems. Messina joined the company in 1980 as a sales application engineer. He has held a number of positions during his tenure, including director for technical training, account manager, product manager and vice president of sales and marketing. Saturnino Rodriguez, Ph.D., ’80, visiting assistant professor of Spanish and Portuguese at MSU, is the editor and publisher of Adelante, a new Lansing area bilingual magazine. Previously, Rodriguez worked in the Lansing School District as a counselor, assistant principal and principal of Pattengill Middle School and superintendent of the Lansing School District. He also served on the Lansing City Council. Julie Fasone Holder, ’75, business vice president for Specialty Plastics and Elastomers, Dow Chemical Co., Midland, has been named corporate vice president of Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion, and Public Affairs. She joined the company as a sales representative in 1975 and has since held a variety of leadership positions. Fasone Holder was a founder of the Women’s Innovation Network, and in 1999 received Dow’s Genesis Award for people excellence. She currently serves on Midland’s economic development council and on the board of directors of Wolverine Bank. Fasone Holder is a member of the Presidents Club. Chuck Williams, MBA ’86, Ph.D. 90, professor of management at Texas Christian University, Forth Worth, TX, has been named dean of the Eberhardt School of Business, Univeristy of the Pacific, Stockton, CA. During his 15-year tenure with TCU, Williams served as professor, department chair and associate dean for undergraduate utudies. He also taught at Oklahoma State University. He has received numerous teaching awards and was recognized as an “Outstanding Faculty Member” at both universities. He has written two widely used management textbooks and is a former member of the Journal of Management’s editorial board. David Norton, ’77, executive vice president of worldwide human resources at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., White Plaines, NY, has been named senior vice president of human resources for The New York Times Co., NY. Prior to his current position, Norton held various positions with PepsiCo, Inc., including senior vice president, human resources for Frito-Lay North America and senior vice president, human resources, Pepsi Food Systems. Ram Sah, Ph.D., ’92, National Wheat Research Coordinator, National Wheat Resarch Programme, Nepal, has been named executive director of the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC). He is also the administrative head, chairman of the executive board and member secretary of the governing council of NARC. He has held several leadership positions in the field of agriculture research, including Director of Crops & Horticulture Research and Station Chief, both at NARC. He is a member of the Nepal Agriculture Association, the Society of Agricultural Scientists and the Agronomy Society (Nepal). Mark Wagner, ’84, director of Furniture Galleries excellence Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine and marketing, La-Z-Boy, Inc., Monroe, has been named vice president of store development and marketing. He joined La-Z-Boy in 1996 as retail advertising manager. Since then, he has served as Furniture Galleries advertising manager and director of retail marketing. Previously Wagner held positions in sales and marketing for Multi-Ad Services, Inc., Peoria, Il; Key Multimedia, West Bloomfield; and Levelor Corp., Greensboro, NC. Lolanda Johnson, ’75, risk management attorney, Hurley Medical Center, Flint, has received the Professional Achievement Award, presented by the Flint Club of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc. Johnson has been in private practice for 15 years. She is a former assistant city attorney for Flint and city attorney for Highland Park. She is the former Commissioner of Bishop International Airport Authority. She currently serves on the board of the Salvation Army and is a member of the Genesee County Bar Association and the American Society of Hospital Risk Managers. William Denstedt, ’84, senior vice president & manager, Capital Markets Group, for GE Commercial Finance, has been named Risk Information Leader. Denstedt began his career with GE in 1994 at Aviation Services, where he held positions in finance, quality and capital markets. He joined the risk management Click Right Through for MSU team in 1999, where he has held roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as leader of the Capital Markets Readiness team. His previous experience includes financial management roles at GM and GTE. Denstedt is a certified Black Belt and a Life Member of the MSUAA. Boyce Williams, MA ’75, Ph.D. ’82, vice president of institutional relations for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, has received the Association of Teacher Educators President’s Service Award. Williams has served as project director of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Technical Support Network. She has been active in local education by serving as a member of the Superintendents Advisory Council for Fairfax County Public Schools and the Model Campus International Baccalaureate Committee. Bob Weiss, JD ’63, probate court judge, Genesee County, has been named chief judge of the Genesee County Probate Court. Previously, Weiss served as general counsel for Serra Automotive. He is a former prosecuting attorney for Genesee county and former city attorney for Flint. He was in private law practice for many years and is past president of the Prosecuting Attorney Association of Michigan, past vice president of the National District Attorney Association and a former member of the MSU Board of Trustees. Jack Schripsema, ’73, manager with Partner Marketing, Grand www.msualum.com Rapids, has been named vice president for sales and marketing at the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau. His experience in sales and marketing management includes 25 years with Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids, and Alticor, the parent company of Amway Corp. He has held positions at the Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles; the Plaza Hotel, New York; and the Detroit Plaza Hotel. James Distelrath, ’96, vice president and corporate controller, Clarkston Financial Corp. Clarkston, has been named CFO. Prior to joining the company in 2004, he was senior vice president and treasurer for Paramount Bank and engagement manager at the accounting firm of Crowe, Chizek and Co. He is a member of the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Patricia Dudek, ’86, partner in Hafeli, Staran, Hallahan, Christ & Dudek, P.C., Bloomfield Hills, has received the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys 2005 Powley Elder Law Award for her commitment to advocating for seniors and people with disabilities. Dudek has served as a UCP board member and chair of the agency’s government affairs committee for more than a decade. She is a Life Member of the MSUAA. Kristin Beltzer, ’86, director of media services for the Michigan Senate, has been named assistant vice president of private banking for Fifth Third Bank, Lansing, MI. Previously, Beltzer was chief of staff to former Representative Clark Bisbee and deputy chief of staff for former Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus. She currently serves as vice president of the Haslett School Board and is a Life Member of the MSUAA. John Halstead, MA ’72, has been named the sixth president of SUNY College at Brockport, NY. Prior to taking the helm of Brockport in August, he was president of Mansfield University in Pennsylvania for seven years. Halstead has served as chair of the Commission of Presidents and the Commission for Universities of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. He also has had leadership roles in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Julie Hartner, ’83, manager of Business Development Soil and Materials Engineers, Inc., Lansing, has been elected membership chair and a national delegate of Michigan Regional Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW). Hartner is actively involved with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority and is a member of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce PAC, the International Council of Shopping Centers and Inforum Mid-Michigan (formerly the Women’s Economic Club). Page 47 OBITUARIES 30’s Leland R. Cribbs, ’30, of Laingsburg, Jan. 4, age 97. Janette Trachsel, ’31, of East Lansing, Jan. 26, age 96. Welcon L. Slisher, ’32, of Bronson, Dec. 16, age 98. Claudine (Burkhart) Jackson, ’34, of Howell, Dec. 17, 2005, age 92. Margaret “Peggy” (Baker) Malone, ’34, of Saginaw, Dec. 23, age 93. Iva L. Ferguson, M ’36, of Saline, Jan. 13, age 99. Elizabeth (Heald) Patterson, ’36, of Holt, Jan. 19, age 91. Andrew F. Bednar, ’38, M ’48, of Ironwood, Jan. 26, age 92. Patrick J. Gormely, ’38, of Manhattan, KS, Dec. 15, 2005, age 90. William E. Mason, ’38, of Imlay City, formerly of Ann Arbor, Mar. 5, age 92. Ethel (Krans) Wallace, ’38, of Flint, Jan. 1, age 89. Lois (Kempf) Beckwith, ’39, of Fort Gratiot, Dec. 2, 2005. Charles Birkeland, ’39, of Urbana, IL, Nov. 28, 2005, age 89. Flora (Anderson) Faust, ’39, of Bridgeport, CT, formerly of Spring Lake, Jan. 1, age 88. Mary H. (Iverson) Hume, ’39, of Owosso, Jan. 4, age 87. Robert “Bob” S. Tooker, ’39, of Spring Hill, FL, Mar. 7, age 88. O. Arthur Wolcott, ’39, of Mesa, AZ, Dec. 31, age 91. 40’s Donna Hultin, ’40, of Mason, Feb. 12, age 87. Louis N. Theroux, ’40, of Holt, Feb. 14, age 86. Charles E. Childes, ’41, of Plymouth, Mar. 2, age 87. Page 48 Herbert J. Gettel, ’41, of Pigeon, Dec. 27, 2005, age 83. Rita K. Hinch, ’41, of Flint, Dec. 11, 2005, age 86. Stephen A. Jakubowski, ’41, of Grand Rapids, Dec. 1, 2005, age 88. Robert S. Swanson, ’41, of Leroy, Feb. 20, age 86. Roma J. (Fritz) Walstrom Bolline, ’41, of Harbor Springs, Nov. 21, 2005, age 85. Marie T. (Toth) Young, ’41, of Naples, FL, formerly of Arlington, VA, Dec. 26, 2005, age 86. June H. Doelle, ’42, of Tucson, AZ, February, age 85. Bernard Doll, ’42, of Dafter, Feb. 23, age 85. Donald E. Fugere, ’42, of Madison, WI, Jan. 8. William F. Gridley, ’42, of Bloomfield Hills, Dec. 9, 2005, age 85. Lawrence C. Pancost, ’42, of Lansing, Mar. 21, age 85. Bert Sangster, ’42, of Flushing, Mar. 15, age 86. Mary E. (Crosby) Shaw, ’42, of Farmington Hills, Feb. 24, age 85. Eugene F. Stone, ’42, of Beulah, Nov. 27, 2005, age 83. Ruth (Koehler) Zinger, ’42, of Zephyrhills, FL, Jan. 20, age 85. Juanita (Baxter) Assiff, ’43, M ’68, of Lansing, Jan. 15, age 84. James E. Funston, ’43, of Leesburg, FL, Feb. 23. Nelson E. Wentworth, ’43, of Troy, Jan. 4, age 85. Mary (Driver) Van Dien, ’44, MA ’75, of Okemos, Dec. 3, 2005, age 82. Roland J. Baldwin, ’46, of Escanaba, Dec. 7, 2005, age 81. Jo Ann (Gruel) Gardner, ’46, of Acme, Jan. 15, age 81. Barbara J. Weidemann, ’46, of Rochester, Jan. 11, age 80. Stuart Bearup, ’47, of Charlotte, Dec. 24, 2005, age 88. Marvin Eppelheimer, ’47, M ’53, of Coldwater and Sarasota, FL, Nov. 20, 2005, age 82. Alvin “Al” L. Farnsworth, ’47, of Columbia, SC, Jan. 27, age 82. Clayton Kowalk, ’47, of Dewitt, Dec. 4, 2005, age 84. C. David Loeks, ’47, of Blacksburg, VA, Jan. 18, age 82. Lewis P. Nedeau, ’47, of Marquette, Feb. 5, age 84. Phyllis Roberts, ’47, of Charlevoix, Jan. 2, age 83. Henry “Hank” J. Anderson, ’48, MBA ’69, of Tallahassee, FL, Oct. 17, 2005, age 81. William A. Atchison, ’48, of Decatur, GA, Nov. 18, 2005, age 82. John L. Blakkan, ’48, of Boyne City, Dec. 4, age 78. Jack M. Cole, ’48, of Howell, Feb. 11, age 84. Elsworth Harger, ’48, of Munising, Dec. 28, 2005, age 80. Wesley F. Hasenbank, ’48, of Freesoil, Dec. 9, 2005, age 79. Kenneth G. Kraus, ’48, of Saginaw, Jan. 30, age 86. Laurence “Pike” O’Leary, ’48, of Hanover, Dec. 17, 2005. Shirley (Suprenant) Porter, ’48, of Grand Blanc, Feb. 4, age 79. Ralph J. Stephenson, M ’48, of Mt. Pleasant, Mar. 11, age 83. Warren B. Huey, ’49, of Palmetto, FL, Dec. 5, 2005. Nancy L. Moss, ’49, of East Lansing, Dec. 14, 2005. Ellis E. Nixon, ’49, of Midland, Dec. 17, 2005. William E. Pearson, ’49, of Midland, Mar. 20, age 81. Richard C. Prince, ’49, of Harbor Springs, Feb. 26, age 81. Mary (Canfield) Smith, ’49, of Sturgeon Bay, WI, Jul. 28, age 81. 50’s H. Jack Hinkle, ’50, of Big Rapids, Nov. 18, 2005, age 81. Donald A. Jadwin, ’50, of Mt. Dora, FL, Feb. 20. William J. Marshall, ’50, of Kendallville, IN and Zephyrhills, FL, Dec. 9, 2005, age 80. John F. McHugh, ’50, of Grand Rapids, Dec. 28, 2005, age 83. William C. Mitchell, ’50, of Eugene, OR, Jan. 2, age 80. William C. Newberry, ’50, of Coldwater, Jan. 3, age 79. John H. Slachter, ’50, of McBain, Dec. 18, 2005, age 83. Oren D. Blevins, ’51, of Marion, Dec. 27, 2005, age 79. James W. Goff, ’51, M ’52 Ph.D. ’57, of Montrose, CO, Jan. 6, age 85. George V. Lentz, ’51, of Haslett, Mar. 21, age 84. Erwin W. Miller, ’51, of Rochester Hills, Feb. 11, age 81. James C. Murphy, ’51, of Newaygo, Jan. 13, age 78. James R. Paull, ’51, of Grand Rapids, formerly of Coldwater, Jan. 24, age 78. Katherine G. VanWert, M ’51, of East Lansing, Feb. 23, age 96. Oscar Wade, ’51, of Lansing, Dec. 7, 2005, age 96. William W. Arbaugh, ’52, M ’56, of Grosse Pointe Woods, Dec. 12, age 75. Barbara (Ingall) Johnson, ’52, of Union City, Feb. 25, age 74. Robert C. Moore, ’52, of Huntington Beach, CA, Nov. 10, 2005, age 75. Earl R. Rose, ’52, of Swartz Creek, Feb. 12, age 76. Rees R. Smith, ’52, of Marietta, GA, Feb. 18, age 77. Ira A. Murphy, ’53, of Midland, Mar. 8, age 88. James V. Tufty, ’53, of Bradenton, FL, Jan. 11. Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine Fred G. Bradley, ’55, of Stanwood, Dec. 28, 2005, age 73. John C. Earle, ’55, of Bloomfield Hills, Jan. 17, age 77. Beatrice (Medicine) Garner, M ’55, of Wakpala, SD, Dec. 19, 2005, age 82. Walter E. Haines, ’55, of Holland, Jan. 31, age 73. Marian J. Hayton, M ’55, of Mt. Vernon, WA, Nov. 6, 2005, age 83. John F. Janowitz, ’55, of Menominee, Jan. 4, age 74. Ronald “Candyman” McLaren, ’55, of Grand Blanc, Dec. 25, 2005, age 75. Ralph H. Berggruen, ’56, of Clinton Twp., Feb. 25, age 71. C. Gerald Haarer, ’56, of Bonita Springs, FL, formerly of East Lansing, Feb. 17, age 71. Marilyn J. (Erdmann) Olson, ’56, of Bear Lake, formerly of Traverse City and Flossmoor, IL, Feb. 20, age 71. Richard “Boom” D. Pratt, ’56, of Okemos, Feb. 12, age 76. Bernard Potwardowski, ’57, of Riverside, CA, Mar. 2, age 73. Paul L. Tavenner, ’57, of Anderson, SC, formerly of Lansing, Nov. 30, 2005, age 76. Jean E. (Curnalia) Arnold, ’58, of Williamsburg, formerly of Lansing, Feb. 8, age 69. Frank M. Johnson, ’58, of Springfield, Jan. 11, age 77. Robert J. Richards, M ’58, of Rockwall, TX, Nov. 8, 2005, age 77. Thomas D. Strong, ’58, of Arnold, MD, Dec. 4, 2005, age 73. Ernest R. Johnson, M ’59, of Flint, Dec. 25, 2005, age 75. Helen E. (McCully) Leach, M ’59, of Niles, Jan. 2006, age 90. David E. McCardel, ’59, of Lansing, Dec. 23, 2005, age 69. Click Right Through for MSU Margaret (Lorimer) Parsons, Ph.D. ’59, of East Lansing, Jan. 7, age 83. Edward C. Scollon, ’59, DVM ’61, of Cass City, Feb. 24, age 70. 60’s Petra (Johnson) A. Freers, ’60, of Topeka, KS, Nov. 27, age 67. David D. Gruber, ’60, of Laingsburg, Dec. 23, 2005, age 67. Clara S. (Sherman) Mayo, M ’60, of Lima, OH, Feb. 1, age 89. Mary Lou (Bladey) McCartin, ’60, of Grand Rapids, Feb. 26, age 69. Robert G. Miller, ’60, of Quincy, Jan. 7, age 68. Thomas C. Dandeneau, ’61, of Austin, TX, Dec. 9, 2005, age 72. June L. Hubbard, ’61, M ’64, of Grand Rapids, Nov. 9, 2005, age 66. Harriet (Phelps) Park, M ’61, of Lansing, Jan. 6. Jerry L. Hartman, ’62, of Pellston, Jan. 3, age 74. Donald Kitts, ’62, of Midland, Feb. 15, age 69. Colleen (Bordeaux) Van Orden, ’62, of Grand Blanc, Dec. 28, 2005, age 66. Linda B. Olson, ’63, MA ’81, of Central Lake, formerly of Kingsley, Jan. 31, age 65. Gertrude “Trudy” Eisenhour, MA ’64, of Manhattan, KS, Mar. 1, age 90. James E. Kramer, ’64, of W. Hartford, CT, Feb. 27, age 65. James A. Hartlage, Ph.D. ’65, of Chicago, IL, Feb. 28, age 65. Barry R. Miller, ’65, of Jaffrey, Dec. 25, age 63. Thomas E. DeWitt, ’66, of Bradenton, FL, formerly of Lansing, Mar. 18, age 64. www.msualum.com Joseph “Joe” E. Szalay, ’66, MBA ’73, MA ’72, of East Lansing, Mar. 16, age 61. James R. Wilson, ’66, of Haslett, Mar. 22, age 61. Duane D. Finley, ’67, of Banning, CA, Dec. 14, 2005, age 77. Charles F. Johnson, ’67, of Carrollton, TX, Jul. 9, 2005, age 60. Nancy J. (Stevens) Loomis, ’67, MA ’90, of East Lansing, Feb. 8, age 61. Vincent J. Mikus, M ’67, of Reston, VA, Dec. 24, 2005, age 69. William C. Wagner, M ’67, Ph.D. ’73, of Glen Ellyn, IL, Dec. 6, 2005, age 62. Carlton T. Boutwell, ’68, MA ’70, of Dewitt, Feb. 8, age 78. Jean H. Mowat, Ph.D. ’68, of Lake Lure, NC, Jan. 17. Michael “Mike” L. Ryan, ’68, of Reese, Dec. 25, 2005, age 60. Patricia (Wank) Sorensen, ’68, JD ’84, of Farmington Hills, Mar. 1. Susan J. (Walker) Timmerman, ’68, of Strathan, NH, Sept. 17, age 59. George F. Trentelman, MAT ’68, Ph.D. ’70, of Marquette, Dec. 22, 2005, age 61. Debbie Loftus Wilkins, ’68, MA ’72, of Safety Harbor, FL, Dec. 31, 2005, age 59. Elizabeth “Betty” Blanchard, MA ’69, of Lansing, Dec. 10, 2005, age 87. Thomas J. Cresswell, ’69, of Charlevoix, Jan. 3, age 59. Sylvia A. (Keskey) Harris-Maki, ’69, of Grand Haven, Feb. 23, age 85. Robert E. MacDonald, Ph.D. ’69, of Eugene, OR, Nov. 22, 2005, age 70. Jeannie L. (Sawyer) Putnam, ’69, of Carp Lake, Dec. 7, 2005, age 58. Vernon H. Stromberg, M ’69, of Pewaukee, WI, Dec. 8, 2005. Thadda “Teddy” (Gryczanoski) Wagner, MA ’69, of Grand Rapids, Jan. 10, age 87. 70’s Jean R. Dean, ’70, of Belleville, Dec. 19, 2005, age 57. Beverly A. Gilroy, ’70, DVM ’71, of Framingham, MA, Nov. 8, 2005, age 56. Paul E. Hathaway, ’70, of Williamston, Mar. 18, age 81. Richard A. Jackson, MA ’70, of Oak Ridge, NC, Dec. 14, 2005, age 62. Clifford M. Marcus, Ph.D. ’70, of Cortland, NY, Dec. 30, 2005, age 87. George M. Strout, ’70, of Concord, NH, formerly of Chichester, NH, Feb. 23, age 79. Jeanette R. (Frasik) Szabo, ’70, of Grand Blanc, Feb. 18, age 69. Robert A. White, ’70, MA ’74, of Adrian, Dec. 18, 2005, age 57. Gary D. Nolin, ’71, of Imlay City, Jan. 7, age 57. Robert J. Fata, ’72, of Grayslake, IL, Mar. 24, age 56. Dena M. McLeod, ’72, of Leoni Twp., Feb. 11, age 54. Gregg B. Johnson, ’73, of Escanaba, Feb. 17, age 55. John R. McCauley, ’73, of Delta Twp., Mar. 22, age 61. Neal V. Singles, EDS ’73, of Morenci, Dec. 20, 2005, age 73. James B. Kennedy, MBA ’74, of Haslett, Jan. 16, age 60. Ronald P. Davanzo, ’75, of Plymouth, Dec. 15, 2005, age 52. Susan (Babbitt) Engeseth, ’75, of Ada, Dec. 13, 2005. Douglas Fales, M ’75, of Burton, Jan. 14, age 81. Bruce P. Henderson, Ph.D. ’75, of Burleson, TX, Nov. 20, 2005, age 68. Page 49 Tamie L. Kaweck, ’75, of Lansing, Dec. 27, 2005, age 53. David E. Krino, M ’75, of Manistee, formerly of Williamston, Dec. 14, 2005, age 59. Frances S. Litchfield, ’75, MSW ’77, of Ovid, Feb. 2, age 68. James N. Martin, MS ’75, of Payson, AZ, formerly of Clio, Feb., 2006, age 63. Thomas P. Peralta, ’75, JD ’79, of Grosse Pte., Jan. 8. Patricia A. Smith, ’75, of Westland, Jan. 13, age 54. 80’s Beth A. (Kutscher) Jackson, ’80, of Traverse City, Dec. 25, 2005, age 47. Monica A. (Roggenbuck) DeYoung, MA ’80, of Houston, TX, formerly of Lansing, Nov. 27, 2005, age 72. George J. Eisele, ’81, of Fowlerville, Mar. 2, age 46. Michael F. Pawluk, ’81, MA ’82, of Ft. Myers, FL, Dec. 4, 2005, age 55. Pamela (Gregoire) Downham, ’82, of Fishers, IN, Dec. 10, 2005, age 45. Mary K. Hobbs, Ph.D. ’82, of Lombard, IL, Jan. 10, age 62. Steven C. Ellingson, ’83, of Atlanta, GA, Feb. 9, age 44. Kimberly Paksi, ’83, of St. Johns, Jan. 2, age 44. Gaylene Perrault, Ph.D. ’83, of Austell, GA, Feb. 28, age 67. Brian J. Smith, DVM ’83, of McBain, Jan. 20, age 48. Joseph M. Liebetreu, ’84, of Kingwood, TX, Dec. 22, 2005, age 43. Barbar K. Murphy, M ’84, of Greenville, Dec. 27, 2005, age 58. Frederick “Ricky” J. Burks, ’86, of Saginaw, Feb. 13, age 46. Therese Peterson, Ph.D. ’88, of Okemos, Jan. 15, age 56. Deborah J. Porter, MS ’88, of Mesa, AZ, Jan. 1, age 53. Rick L. Lentz, ’89, of Tecumseh, Jan. 7, age 54. 90’s Cathy E. (Lutz) Spehn, ’90, of Rochester, Feb. 28, age 37. David S. Humphries, ’92, of Grand Ledge, Jan. 12, age 51. Ian T. Krul, ’93, of Orchard Lake, Jan. 11, age 34. Mary G. (Groesbeck) Youngs, MA ’93, of Hastings, Feb. 19, age 56. Drew Planten, ’95, of Raleigh, NC, Jan. 2, age 35. Theresa M. Ranger, ’97, of Lansing, Jan. 14, age 41. Faculty Lyman Bodman, professor emeritus of music, of East Lansing, Feb. 6, age 90. James Goff, ’51, M ’52, Ph.D. ’57, professor emeritus of packaging, 1952-87, of Telluride, CO, Jan. 6, age 85. Richard T. Hartwig, ’41, professor emeritus of agricultural economics, 1950-77, of Frankenmuth, Dec. 3, age 89. Francis McKelvey, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering, 1974-96, of Hudson, FL, Jan. 27, age 67. David Morrow, professor emeritus of large animal clinical sci- ences, 1968-90, of State College, PA, Dec. 22, age 70. Ira Polley, professor emeritus of political science, 1962-81, of East Lansing, Dec. 23, age 88. Blanche E. (Marquart) Simon, professor emeritus of health education, 1960-83, of Mecosta, Jan. 11, age 92. Wallace Sue, professor emeritus of linguistics and languages, 1964-95, of East Lansing, Nov. 20, age 80. Garson Tishkoff, professor emeritus of medicine, 1971-90, of Dimondale, Dec. 10, age 82. William W. Whallon, professor emeritus of English, 1962-01, of East Lansing, Jan. 5, age 77. Send Obituaries to: MSU Alumni Magazine 242 Spartan Way East Lansing, MI 48824-2005 or www.msualum.com/magazine /obituary.cfm Please include name, class year, city, date of death and age . All entries are subject to editorial review. Are You Moving? Be Sure to Take the MSU Alumni Magazine Along Email us at [email protected] Page 50 Winter 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine Click Right Through for MSU www.msualum.com Page 51 LASTINGIMPRESSIONS UNIVERSITY RELATIONS/Kurt Stepnitz The sprouting of colorful flowers in a courtyard of MSU’s Biomedical & Physical Sciences Building indicates this year’s belated arrival of Spring. Page 52 Spring 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid PAID Michigan State University MSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE 242 Spartan Way East Lansing, MI 48824-2005 A m a zon Voyage T h e Grea te st Voyage in Na t u ral Hi stor y Sponsored by the MSU Alumni Association Experience the wonder of the Rainforest! November 10-19, 2006 • Price: $2,998 per person (double occupancy) Plus airfare from Miami to Lima, Peru, starting at $619 Plus A 2-day Pre-Voyage Optional Extension to Nazca Lines, Paracas & Ballestas Islands: $798 pp and a 5-day Post-Voyage Optional Extension in Machu Picchu & Cusco: $1,898 pp Destination Highlights: Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve • Up-close encounters with Amazon wildlife Primate and bird sightings • Visits to remote villages • Local naturalist guides For more information or to request a brochure call MSUAA Travel at (888) 697-2863 or visit www.msualum.com