Winter 2007 - Westminster College

Transcription

TABLEOFCONTENTS
2
PRESIDENT’SCOLUMN
3
CAMPUSNEWS
PRESIDENT’SDINNER
12
Students Learn About
Middle East at First
Symposium
14
22
A New Innovative
Westminster Experience
Leadership Lives
Large at
Westminster
26
A Story of Touching Lives…
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32
CLASSNOTES
PRESIDENT’SCOLUMN
One of the major hallmarks of Westminster College is the rich and varied educational experiences
we offer our students. Our recently completed fall semester certainly attests to that environment.
Just reflecting on the luminaries our students encountered the last few months and the educational
opportunities they received is overwhelming.
Our two-day Symposium on Democracy, a first-time event on our campus,
brought some of the brightest and most informed minds on the Iraqi
War to Westminster to share their insights through lectures and panel
discussions with students, faculty and staff. As a visiting Woodrow Wilson
Scholar, Tanya Melich, one of the pioneers of the American women’s
political movement, spent an entire week on campus, teaching three to
four classes a day, presenting a lecture and book reading, and interacting
with a multitude of student organizations. Hugh Grant, CEO of Monsanto,
one of the largest corporations in America, delivered an IBM lecture on
campus and visited with many of our students. Hugh Lunghi, wartime
translator for Churchill and one of the only living survivors of major
events such as the Potsdam Conference, paid a visit to the Churchill
Memorial. Eight of our students came back to us this fall with eye-opening
experiences to share, thanks to our innovative new pilot program–The
Take-A-Friend Home program.
This issue of Leadership captures all of these major events and many more–such as the spectacular
President’s Dinner. All of us who enjoyed the sights, sounds and tastes that night of the global
community we have nurtured at Westminster as well as the remarkable talents of so many of our
students can confirm this was the best President’s Dinner in the history of this annual event.
From just this small sampling of the diverse learning experiences our students are receiving, it
should be no surprise that the world class education offered at Westminster continues to draw state
and national attention and recognition. For the fourth year in a row, U.S.News & World Report
named Westminster one of the top liberal arts colleges in the nation and The Princeton Review
cited us as one of the Best Midwestern Colleges. We are one of only eight Missouri colleges and
universities to be named to the Presidential Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Our
admissions web site is one of the most highly rated in the country by the National Research Center
for College and University Admissions. The Council of Independent Colleges featured us as one of
only six Missouri colleges and universities on its new national Historic Campus Architecture web
site. Our Emerson Center for Leadership and Service received the Innovative Program Award for
outstanding student affairs programs from the Missouri College Personnel Association.
To have so many prestigious citations in one semester is a tribute to the talents of our faculty, staff
and students and one of the many reasons we are so justifiably proud of Westminster College.
At our family weekend this fall, all the staff and student ambassadors were wearing t-shirts
emblazoned with the slogan “Small Campus, Big Experience.” That succinct but catchy phrase
certainly summarizes what is occurring here at Westminster because we have the best of both
worlds. Our students receive the individual attention and support that only is possible in a small
college environment. Yet they also gain a wealth of new and fascinating educational experiences
that few colleges and universities can match.
We are able offer such a rich learning environment because of the strong support of people like
you. Thank you for your significant role in ensuring Westminster maintains the highest of
academic standards. Because of you, we do have truth in advertising. Westminster is a “Small
Campus, Big Experience.”
President Fletcher M. Lamkin
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Leadership Westminster College
CAMPUSNEWS
Westminster Students Make Difference with Community Service
Approximately 125 students at Westminster College spent their Saturday, Oct. 21, making a
difference in the Fulton community through community service project work in their annual
“Into The Streets” campaign, sponsored by the Emerson Center for Leadership and Service and the
Service Corps. This is the fifth year Westminster College students have participated in this project.
This year’s Into The Streets projects included painting at the Fulton Baptist Church, Haven House,
CARDV and Central Missouri Community Action; cleaning the Senior Center; decorating Jefferson
Lodge for Halloween; helping with activities at Presbyterian Manor; sorting donations at the
Clothes Cupboard; re-roofing the storage shed at the campus garden; walking dogs for the Garret
Animal Shelter; assisting with YMCA youth soccer games; and raking and winterizing nine homes
for people who live on 7th and 8th streets.
Churchill’s Wartime Translator
Visits Westminster
Hugh Lunghi, wartime translator for Sir
Winston Churchill, paid a visit to Westminster
College Nov. 10. During his visit, Lunghi, a
British diplomat, historian and journalist as
well as a translator, toured the Winston
Churchill Memorial and Library in the United
States and other campus buildings, met with
history students over lunch and talked to
members of the media. His visit was sponsored
by the Westminster History Department,
History Club and the Churchill Memorial.
Lunghi served as one of the interpreters for the
British side at the Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam
Conferences held by Churchill, Stalin,
Roosevelt and later Truman during and after
World War II. Having learned Russian from his
Anglo-Russian mother, he was pulled from his
job as an artillery officer in the Army during
World War II and sent to Russia as aide-decamp to the head of the military mission, who
ordered him to travel to the Tehran Conference.
Left to right: Jayme Palmgren, Elena Khramova, Annabelle Rector, Shauna Klein and Jahnvi Pananchikal
Former Westminster Professor Publishes Novel
Leaving the Home Front, a coming-of-age novel by former Westminster English Professor Jay Karr,
has been published by Kingdom House Books in Fulton, MO. The book tells the story of Miles
Morgan, an All-American football player at the University of Iowa, who joins the military during
World War II and becomes one of the paratroopers who landed on the Island of Corregidor.
According to Karr, he started the book in 2001 with the intention of writing his memoirs and then
in the middle of his work realized the material would be better as a work of fiction. “I got twothirds of the way through and said: ‘This has got to be a novel, because it’s not going to be my
story… it’s going to be the protagonist’s story.’” As a young Army paratrooper, Karr actually sailed
past the Island of Corregidor days after the Japanese surrendered and was always haunted by the
images he saw there of parachute shreds hanging from charred trees–a reminder of the paratroopers
who had jumped out of cargo planes to land on the seaside crags and
retake the island from the Japanese. To deepen the story line, Karr
advertised in military newspapers to obtain the personal accounts of
paratroopers who actually made the wartime leap and received 25
responses.
Hugh Lunghi
Karr served as chair of the English Department at Westminster and
taught creative writing at the College for thirty years. In collaboration
with Professor Felix Morrison of William Woods, he established Janus,
a student literary magazine, and is well known for his research into
the life and work of Fulton author Henry Bellamann, who wrote
King’s Row. His novel may be purchased at the Kingdom of Callaway
Historical Society in Fulton.
w w w. w e s tm i n s t e r - m o . e d u
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CAMPUSNEWS
Cameron Day Chair at Work
According to Dr. Mike Amspoker, Cameron Day Chair and Biology Professor, this fully endowed
chair is now at the center of efforts to elevate the Westminster science program.
Westminster’s New Dining
Experience on the Way
Those traveling by the construction site of the
new Westminster dining hall facility, the
Mueller Leadership Hall, can now see a skeletal
frame taking shape as framing and trusses of
the main structure go up every day. This new
gem at Westminster will open in August
2007–just in time for the new academic year.
One of the highlights of this state-of-the-art
food center will be the use of four of the
beautiful stained glass panels from Swope
Chapel, which was vacated in 1966. The
stained glass will be showcased in the corridor
connecting the Mueller Leadership Hall to the
Mueller Student Center. The two buildings will
be connected so both buildings can be used for
meal and catering functions.
While the maximum capacity for the current
dining facility, Robertson Dining Hall, is only
230 students, the Mueller Leadership Hall will
seat 380 in the main dining hall, which
features a vaulted wood beam ceiling and large
windows overlooking Stinson Creek. In
addition, three private dining rooms will be
available for private functions and meetings
with a collapsible wall between two of the
private rooms to make it possible to expand
for medium sized groups. A large patio,
featuring umbrella tables, will also be available
so students can dine al fresco. Memorial
paving stones on the patio are still available
for a $500 donation. Please contact Mary
Rundus, Director of Advancement Services and
Grants, at (573) 592-5391 if you are interested
in making a contribution so that your name or
the name of a loved one can be memorialized.
The department is in discussion with the MU Callaway Physicians Clinic about establishing student
internships and shadowing experiences for Westminster students. Two physicians at the Clinic, Drs.
Jim Stevermer and Kevin Kane, are recommending medical papers for Westminster students to
discuss in their Biology Journal Club, a new course similar to those at medical schools and graduate
programs where students discuss primary journal articles on cutting edge research. Professor
Amspoker is also in discussion with the MU Health Education Center about Westminster becoming
an official partner in the Bryant Scholars program to offer support to students in medical school
that commit to practice medicine in underserved areas of rural Missouri. Dr. Erik Hewlett ’68 is in
the process of establishing a competitive research fellowship for a Westminster student to work at
the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
Westminster continues to work in close partnership with Saint Louis University Medical School
thanks to the endowment. Dr. Rich Samson, Director of Core Graduate programs in the Biomedical
Sciences, came on campus to speak about summer research opportunities available to Westminster
students. Dr. Randy Sprague, Professor of Pharmacological and Physiological Science and Internal
Medicine also presented a lecture on campus.
In addition, Westminster alumnus and student at Pikesville College School of Osteopathic Medicine
Michael Hawley ’01 and Dr. Michael Murphy, Associate Dean for Clinical Sciences at PCSOM, came
to campus this fall to talk to students about
opportunities in osteopathic medicine and Judy
Nolke, Admissions Coordinator for the MU
School of Medicine, spoke on how to seek admission to medical school.
Resources of the Day Chair have also supported
the research of Professor April Potterfield and
three students on breast cancer cells, the research
of Professor Jeff Mayne and two students on
how viruses attach to cell surfaces, and the
research of Professor Amspoker on a new diatom
genus, Hyaloneis.
Dr. Mike Amspopker, Cameron Day Chair and Biolgy Professor
Dr. Drew Makes House Call to Westminster
Dr. Drew Pinsky, famous radio and television expert on teen-age sex, addiction and relationship
problems, gave Westminster students his views on these issues and took questions from the
audience August 31 in Champ Auditorium at this special event sponsored by the Student
Government Association.
Dr. Drew’s experience with addicts and teens spans over 20 years. He began as a radio host in 1982,
answering medical questions on his show, Loveline, which originates from local California station
KROQ. Today Loveline is syndicated five
nights a week on over 100 radio stations,
answering young people’s tough questions on
sex, drugs and relationships all across the
country.
In 1996, Loveline began an unheard of fiveyear run on MTV with Dr. Drew and co-host
Adam Corolla. Dr. Drew appears regularly on
countless television programs including The
Oprah Winfrey Show, Today, Good Morning
America, The CBS Early Show and Dateline.
Byron Thomas, Dr. Drew and Rance Hairston
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Fall Sports Shorts
Senior Josh Moore was named Upper
Midwest Athletic Conference Football
Lineman of the Year, UMAC South
Division Lineman of the Year and a Second
Team CoSIDA Academic All-District Pick.
A three-time first team South Division
All-Conference selection, Moore leaves
Westminster with individual career records
for tackles for loss (42.5) and sacks (22.5).
CAMPUSNEWS
Two Westminster Psychogy Teams Take First at Competition
Junior Matt Mercer was named first-team
all-conference by vote of the St. Louis
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men’s
soccer coaches. Mercer led the team in
goals (10), assists (5), points (25) and
game-winning goals (3).
Junior Danielle Shannon has been named
to the SLIAC women’s soccer first team for
the third consecutive year. Shannon played
in 12 matches and led the team with seven
goals before being sidelined with minor
injuries. Shannon is the Westminster career
leader with 41 goals scored.
The Westminster volleyball squad snapped
a 28-match losing streak and won its first
conference match in three years. The Blue
Jays finished the season 5-21 with a squad
composed of nine underclassmen.
Follow the Blue Jays on the World Wide
Web at www.westminster-mo.edu
All-Conference Selections
Football (UMAC South Division)
Josh Moore, DL, First Team
Zach Thompson, LB, First Team
Aaron Browne, DL, First Team
Nick Diefenbach, DB, First Team
Chad Lane, WR/PR, First Team
Mark Garber, RB, First Team
Michael Harris, TE, First Team
Jacob Evans, OL, First Team
Andrew Malson, OL, Second Team
Chad Shank, WR, Second Team
Josh Pierce, DL, Second Team
Ben Woolf, LB, Second Team
Kyle Wagner, DB, Second Team
Ryan Evers, QB, Honorable Mention
Neil McCutcheon, LB, Honorable Mention
Men’s Soccer (SLIAC)
Matt Mercer, First Team
Zach Gorla, Honorable Mention
Dennis Patterson, Honorable Mention
Jack Rubenstein, Honorable Mention
Women’s Soccer (SLIAC)
Danielle Shannon, First Team
Sara Cook, Second Team
Meaghan Jones, Honorable Mention
Tara Olendorff, Honorable Mention
Two teams of Westminster psychology students took first place with their projects at the Missouri
Undergraduate Psychology Conference Nov. 10 at Avila University in Kansas City, MO. In the paper
presentation competition, junior Candice Crawford from Mokane, MO, junior Grant Henderson
from Houston, MO and senior Brad Dowling from Montgomery City, MO won first place for their
project “Household Crowding and Aggression,” developed in the Personality Lab course of Dr.
David Jones. Sophomore Stephen Long from Fulton, MO, junior Jessica Lang from Fulton, MO and
junior Stephanie Schwartz from Saint Peters, MO won first place in the poster competition for their
project “Effects of Transgressor Attractiveness and Transgressor Gender on Females’ Ability To
Forgive,’ which was developed in the Methods in Experimental Psychology” course of Dr. Ted
Jaeger.
Other Westminster students who presented at the four state regional conference were seniors
Bridget Johnston from Collinsville, OK, Alisha Toti from Eureka, MO, Emily Henry from Overland
Park, KS, and Jamie Winters from Jefferson City, MO; juniors Missy Kopp from O’Fallon, MO, Erin
Green from Eureka, MO and Crystal Blanchard from N. Little Rock, AR; and sophomore Jordan
Imhoff from Jefferson City, MO.
Monsanto CEO Delivers IBM Lecture
Hugh Grant, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Monsanto Company in
St. Louis, delivered the IBM Lecture Nov. 1, in the Wallace H. Coulter Science Center. Before the
lecture, Grant interacted with students in the
International Business class and dined with
Westminster students, faculty and staff.
Hugh Grant, Chairman, President and CEO of the
Monsanto Company in St. Louis
Grant’s lecture, “Introducing New Technologies in
Developing Countries,” explored how new kinds of
public/private partnerships offer the hope for
farmers in developing nations to gain access to
agricultural technologies available to farmers in
more developed countries. He explained the need
for everyone, and specifically our major American
corporations, to step up to the plate to assume
responsible stewardship of our world resources
through partnerships with other organizations
Established by the International Business Machines Corporation in 1980, the IBM Lecture in
Business and Finance is designed to bring campus leaders in the world of business and finance or
professors of economics and business administration to the Westminster campus.
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CAMPUSNEWS
Fresh Ideas and Westminster College:
A Continuing Partnership
Fresh Ideas is proud to have served on the construction planning
committee for the new dining hall. The design features of the
future Mueller Leadership Hall will make it one of the best college
dining facilities we have seen. After one final year in
Robertson Dining Hall, Fresh Ideas is looking forward
to Fall 2007 and the grand opening of something truly special.
Congratulations!
Fresh Ideas provides food management, consulting and design for academic
institutions and business and industry. For more information contact us at
(573) 445-4321 or visit our website at www.freshideasllc.com.
Lecture at Westminster by
Fulbright Robertson Professor
Dr. Richard C. Allen, visiting Fulbright
Robertson professor from the University of
Sunderland in North East England, presented a
public lecture Oct. 3 on “Historical Reflections
on Wales, the Welsh, and the World.”
The Fulbright Robertson Visiting Professor in
British History award is given to a British
historian who agrees to teach and conduct
research specifically at Westminster College.
The candidate also is expected to establish a
collaborative relationship and conduct
personal research at the Winston Churchill
Memorial and Library in the United States
and neighboring presidential libraries as well
as accepting speaking engagements and
participating in academic conferences in the
United States and Canada.
“Junk Rock” Band a Hit at Westminster
Hard-rock drumming and hip-hop funk filled Champ Auditorium when the national tour of the
award-winning “junk rock” band Recycled Percussion came to Westminster Oct. 25. Over 350
members of the Westminster community and local music fans attended the concert.
Sponsored by the Westminster Student
Government Association, Recycled Percussion
is a band of three drummers and a DJ who
play everything from plastic buckets, huge
ladders, mortar casings and giant 50-gallon
containers to a massive traditional drum kit.
This fall leg of the group’s tour is their largest
tour to date, with performances at over 200
college campuses nationwide and numerous
NFL and NBA half time shows.
Recycled Percussion
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CAMPUSNEWS
Westminster Leadership Program Wins State Innovation Award
The Emerson Center for Leadership and Service at Westminster College has been awarded the 2006
Innovative Program Award for outstanding student affairs programs in Missouri higher education.
Created in 2002 in honor of the late Missouri Congressman and Westminster alumnus William
Emerson ’59, the Emerson Center for Leadership and Service is a four-point program, which includes
leadership development, a servant-leader partnership between the College and the local community, the integration of leadership into designated curricula and a leadership awards program.
Westminster staff members John Comerford, Vice President and Dean of Student Life; Bob Hansen,
Director of Counseling and Health Services; Meg Langland, Director of Career Services; Jackie
Weber, Director of Student Activities; and Bryan Carrier, Director of Residential and Greek Life;
attended the ceremony to receive the award from the Missouri College Personnel Association
(MOCPA) Sept. 25 at the Lodge of the Four Seasons in the Lake of the Ozarks.
Westminster Students Join Statewide Festival of Sharing
collection effort to assemble various care
packages or kits for individuals and families in
need.
The Westminster Chapel Leadership Council
assembled personal health kits, comprised of
ten items. The Council recruited 10 student
organizations to participate in the project, and
each participating organization collected one
item to be included in the kits. Once collected
and assembled, the personal health kits were
taken to the Festival of Sharing office in
Columbia for distribution. This is the first
year Westminster students and staff have
participated in this project.
Student members of the Westminster Chapel Leadership Council assembled care packages for needy
families Oct. 18, at the Hunter Activity Center as a part of statewide Festival of Sharing activities.
The Festival of Sharing is an annual, statewide event that promotes peace, caring and sharing
among different people, races, cultures and families in need. Every year the Festival includes a
Irish Folklore Tour
Westminster College President’s Trip
Tour of the West of Ireland and Dublin
July 28 – August 4, 2007
Estimated Cost $2199 + airfare per person
(based on double occupancy)
RSVP Deadline is April 15, 2007!
For More Information Contact:
Mary Rundus, (573) 592-5391
[email protected]
Carol Rone, (888) 684-8687
[email protected]
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CAMPUSNEWS
FOX News Features Westminster Student
Westminster College Featured on
New National Historic Website
People wanting to view the historic campus of
Westminster College and learn more about it
can now do so on-line with the launching of
the new Historic Campus Architecture Project
web site www.cic.edu/hcap by The Council
of Independent Colleges. Westminster College
is one of only six Missouri colleges and universities to be featured as a part of this first nationwide architecture and landscape database of
independent college and university campus.
The Westminster area of the site contains a
color campus map and profiles and pictures of
the Churchill Memorial and Library, Westminster
Gymnasium and the Westminster College
Historic District, which includes The Columns,
Newnham Hall, Westminster Hall, Westminster
Gymnasium, Swope Chapel Memorial,
Washington West House and Reeves Library.
This new national website documents nearly
2,000 campus sites of historic significance at
370 different higher education institutions and
includes more than 4,300 images.
Westminster sophomore Ian Mackey from Urbana, MO received the
experience of a lifetime when FOX News Channel contacted him to
appear on the show “Studio B With Shepard Smith” on Nov. 2 in
O’Fallon, MO. As President of the Young Democrats of Missouri,
Mackey was invited on the program to debate the President of the
Missouri Federation of Young Republicans on key issues of the
midterm election in battleground states.
“It was a unique, thrilling learning experience as well as a tremendous
responsibility to speak on behalf of so many people on national
television,” says Mackey. “It seemed as if I had barely begun answering
the first question before I realized I was already answering the last.
I had an hour-long conversation in ten minutes that felt like ten
seconds.”
Some of the issues Mackey discussed on the program were the U.S. Senate race in Missouri between
U.S. Senator Jim Talent and Missouri State Auditor Claire McCaskill, Constitutional Amendment 2
on behalf of stem cell research in Missouri, Constitutional Amendment 3 to increase state tobacco
taxes to cover health care costs and the Get-Out-The Vote effort of the Democratic Party in
Missouri.
Mackey was elected President of the Young Democrats of Missouri his freshman year at Westminster
during the Young Democrats State Convention held in Springfield, MO. He has also worked as an
intern for Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan and managed to political campaigns. He has
served as the President of Young Democrats at Westminster and plans to attend law school after finishing his major in elementary education and political psychology.
Alumni/Sibling
Scholarship Awards
Westminster Admission Website
Ranked Top in the Country
Westminster College has been notified that its
college admissions website is among the most
highly rated in the country by the National
Research Center for College & University
Admissions (NRCCUA). Westminster College
was one of only 157 institutions to receive an
“A” grade.
Tyler Hunter ’10, son of Frank ’77 and
brother of Emily ’08 recently joined the
132 year old Hunter family tradition of attending
Westminster College. His great-great grandfather,
Frank Allen Hunter graduated in 1874, and
NRCCUA used its 8th Annual Enrollment
Power Index to analyze the admissions
websites of more than 3,000 post-secondary
institutions. The research based study rates
how well the functionality and design of
college and university admissions websites
provide information to potential students and
move them from prospect to applicant.
Websites at higher education institutions were
graded on a 100-point scale.
his great-great-uncle, Frank O. Hunter, was a
member of the Class of 1904.
Alumni/Sibling Scholarship Awards are available
to the sons, daughters, grandsons,
granddaughters, brothers or sisters of
Westminster alumni.
For more information about this unique
scholarship, please call our Enrollment Services
Frank ’77, Emily ’08 and Tyler Hunter ’10
share a priceless moment of family tradition on
Move In Day 2006.
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Office at (800) 465-3361.
CAMPUSNEWS
Every Gift Makes a Difference
Political Leader Spends Week with
Westminster Students
Tanya Melich, one of
the founders of the
modern women’s
political caucus, spent
Oct. 22–27 teaching
3-4 political science
classes daily and
giving a public lecture
and public reading at
Westminster as part of
the Woodrow Wilson
Visiting Scholar Program. She also shared
meals with members of various student organizations and faculty members and attended
campus activities. Her visit was sponsored by
the Student Government Association.
Melich’s lecture in the Coulter Science Center
Oct. 24 was entitled “What We’ve Become,
What We Could Be,” and focused on the
impact of today’s U.S. foreign policy on
America’s reputation and ability to defend
itself. On Oct. 23, at West Wood Coffeeshop,
she read from her critically acclaimed book,
The Republican War Against Women, which
traces her personal struggle to fight for
women’s rights as a part of the GOP’s national
platform.
Formerly a Republican on the political staffs
of Nelson Rockefeller, Jacob Javits, Charles
Goodell and John Lindsey, Melich now
considers herself a Jeffords Independent. She
ran a political consulting firm for 20 years
and served as public policy analyst for CBS
corporate management and national elections
director for ABC News. She played a key role in
the election of Rudy Giuliani as Mayor of New
York City and was senior advisor on centrist
voters for the 2004 Kerry for President
campaign.
Spencer Daniels
Class of 2008
Major: Business
Administration
Student Foundation Fees*
Equipment for Blue Jay
Basketball Team*
Funding of Alumni/Sibling
Scholarship Fund*
Every gift to the Westminster Fund makes a real
difference in the quality of daily life of our students.
Your $10 or $25, added to those of your fellow alumni,
makes it possible for Spencer to be involved in many activities
where he can further develop his leadership skills. Your support
of the Westminster Fund has an immediate impact on the
day-to-day life and academic experience of today’s students.
Every gift, from $10 to $10,000, has an impact.
Prospective students also look at alumni giving as a sign of
confidence and a show of commitment in the mission of
Westminster College. Help us to prepare our students, and future
students, for lives of success, significance and service by making
your Westminster Fund gift today. Give online at
www.westminster-mo.edu/giving or return your gift via the
postage paid envelope enclosed in this issue of Leadership.
*provided by YOU through your gifts
WESTMINSTER FUND
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CAMPUSNEWS
Students Implement Voter Registration Project
Westminster Community Raises
Funds for Injured Player
Members of the Westminster community have
taken steps to help the family of injured
Westminster sophomore football player Teron
Sutherlin of St. Louis to pay medical bills
incurred from a recent car accident.
The students in the “Political Parties, Voting, and Campaign Strategies” class of Professor Amy
Carter were given the assignment of writing a grant proposal to implement a voter registration
drive on campus. Those who submitted the best proposals, Seniors Henry Klaus of Columbia, MO
and Kimberly Allyn of Saint Peters, MO, were each awarded a $50 prize and given a $100 to
implement their project. The result was a very successful campus wide voter registration drive
Sept. 20.
Students from Carter’s political science class had tables set up in the Hunter Activity Center and
in the main entrance of the Wallace H. Coulter Science Center where students could register.
Information was provided to out-of-state students on how they could register in their home states
and other states’ registration deadlines. By the end of the day, 78 new voters had registered for the
November election.
The Westminster Men’s Basketball team has
sold “WC 4 TERON” t-shirts around campus
and at athletic events with all profits going to
Sutherlin’s family. That effort has generated
over $2,000. The Student Government
Association has been selling royal blue
bracelets with the slogan “WC 4 Teron–Buckle
Up!” appearing on them to raise additional
funds. The Westminster Athletic Department
has also established a special account at
Regions Bank in Sutherlin’s name. Those interested in donating money can go to any branch
of Regions Bank to contribute to the Teron
Sutherlin Fund.
Sutherlin and fellow St. Louis freshman
teammate Joseppi Wallace were traveling to
St. Louis to attend a high school football game
Oct. 6 when their vehicle was involved in an
accident on I-70 near St. Charles. While
Wallace escaped with bruises, Sutherlin
suffered extensive serious injuries. Originally
in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit
of St. John’s Mercy Hospital in St. Louis,
Sutherlin has now returned home but faces a
long recovery.
Westminster Ranked High in Latest U.S. News Best Colleges List
For the fourth straight year in a row Westminster College has been ranked one of the top liberal
arts colleges in the nation, according to the recently published findings of U.S.News & World
Report’s America’s Best Colleges 2007. U.S.News & World Report, a national magazine, evaluates
America’s colleges and universities for their academic excellence
annually and publishes their findings in the newsstand book,
“America’s Best Colleges.”
Westminster is one of only three Missouri higher education
institutions to be selected for inclusion among 212 liberal arts
institutions across the country that focus on undergraduate
education. The report found Westminster to be particularly
strong in alumni giving, graduation rate performance and
retention and academic reputation.
Teron Sutherlin
10
CAMPUSNEWS
In Memory of Dr. Tammy Stiller
The Westminster College community lost Dr. Tammy Stiller, Associate Professor of
Biology, Nov. 3 after a courageous battle with cancer. A memorial service for family and
friends was held Nov. 4 in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury on
campus. Donations can be made in her memory to the Westminster College Professor
Endowment for Student Research.
Students Treat Local
Children for Halloween
During her fifteen year tenure at
Westminster, Dr. Stiller was Chair of the
Biology Department (1999-2001) and
Director of the Westminster Seminar
program (1998-2001). Since 2003, she
had served as Director of the Health
Professions program. She was also the
Marshal of the College, leading the Skulls
of Seven during commencement and
lecture ceremonies.
Dedication Ceremony Held for Professor Endowment Program
A dedication ceremony was held Sept. 29 in the atrium of the Wallace H. Coulter Science Center to
launch the new Science Professor Endowment Program at Westminster. Earnings from the endowment will provide grant money for students and faculty to conduct significant research projects.
The program was the brainchild of Dr. Doug Fickess, Professor of Biology; Dr. John Shultz, Professor
of Chemistry; and the late Dr. Warry Williams, Professor of Biology. A plaque honoring the three
professors and recognizing contributors to the endowment was also unveiled adjacent to the atrium
on the north wall.
Speakers at the event included President Lamkin, Dr. Fickess, and Dr. Barney Forsythe, Westminster
Senior Vice President and Dean of Faculty. Schultz and Williams’ wife Joyce were in attendance as
well as Dr. David Stubbs ’68, Dr. Rick Omohondro ’74 and Dr. Michael Duff ’67, who were instrumental in the establishment of the endowment.
Anyone interested in
helping to perpetuate
the work of another
favorite Westminster
professor may contact
Mary Rundus, Director
of Advancement
Services and Grants, at
(573) 592-5391 for
how an endowment
program can be
established.
Over 200 local Fulton children received a very
special Halloween treat thanks to the highly
successful Student Government Association
Trick or Treat event. Sixteen Westminster
organizations participated by decorating the
outside of their living group, dressing in
costume and handing out candy to children.
Two $150 prizes were awarded by faculty
judges for the living group with the best
decorations, participation and costumes.
Wetterau Hall won the residential category
and Sigma Chi won the Greek category. Other
participating living groups included Delta Tau
Delta, Kappa Alpha, Beta Theta Pi, Phi Delta
Theta, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Kappa Alpha
Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, five other
residential halls (Gage, Marquess, Rice, Scott
and Emerson) and two other organizations
(Education Association and a Residential
House).
“This event provided Westminster students
with a way to give back to the Fulton community
and display a positive atmosphere of college
life to the children and their parents,” says
Kelly Dye, SGA Community Relations Chair.
Registered children for the event also received
a Westminster bracelet, a frosty coupon for
Wendy’s Restaurant and a fake tattoo.
Dr. Doug Fickess, Dr. John Shultz and Mrs. Joyce Williams
11
PRESIDENT’SDINNER
Destination
WEstminster
Guests for the sixth annual President’s Dinner Oct. 20 were treated to a spectacular global
experience at “Destination Westminster” that they will not soon forget as they explored the
diverse worlds that have converged at Westminster thanks to a student population that now
represents 55 different countries.
Each of the 169 guests were given a passport for the evening’s journey and seated in one of four
distinct areas of the Mueller Student Center decorated to represent the continents of Europe,
Asia, Africa and South America. Before dinner, guests circulated throughout the room, enjoying
delicious hors d’oeuvres from each continent. The appetizers ranged from South African meal loaf
and Peruvian marinated shrimp to poached salmon and sushi.
Following a three course dinner, the guests were entertained by the men’s choir Sublime Harmony,
an international fashion show, the Blue Diamond Dance Team, an African drum duet and an
exciting performance of the South African gumboot dance by a group of international and
domestic students.
During the recognition segment of the dinner, President Lamkin inducted Dr. Robert Volz ’54
into the Leadership Society honoring those whose lifetime giving to
the College meets or exceeds one million dollars, inducted Ron
Kostich ’63 into the Robertson Founders Circle honoring those
whose lifetime donations to the College meet or exceed $250,000 and
inducted Peter Childs ’59 and Bob Muehlhauser ’68 into the
Sentinels of the Columns honoring those benefactors whose lifetime
giving falls between $249,000–$100,000.
Ron Winney ’64, Chair of The President’s Club, told the group about
the first President’s trip, an Alaskan cruise last July, and announced
that this year’s President’s trip would be to Ireland.
Members of The President’s Club who give a minimum of $1,000
annually to the College has reached a
record 382 members this year.
12
13
Students Learn About Middle
14
East at First Symposium
Students at Westminster learned about the Middle East and prospects for democracy in the region
from a wide range of viewpoints during the first Symposium on Democracy held on campus Sept.
20-21. One of the most popular sessions, which drew standing room only crowds, was a panel of
Westminster students from Middle Eastern countries who explained what it is to live in this region.
Panelists included Aluat Hamoudi (Algeria), Akin Aytekin (Turkey), Rita Udisho (Iraq), Mustafa
Bdraldeen (Iraq), Bahaa Al-Dahoudi (Palestine) and Hasan Adwan (Palestine). The dramatic impact
hostilities have on the citizens in the region was brought home when students heard Adwan’s story
about the difficulties of getting from his home to the United States so he could attend college at
Westminster. He had just arrived in Fulton the night before the panel after days of travel, which
included making his way through a battle zone.
Two keynote speakers for the Symposium with very contrasting viewpoints on Iraq were U.S.
Army Lieutenant General David Petraeus and documentary filmmaker Jehane Noujaim. Petraeus
was the first commander of the Multi-National Security Transition Command responsible for
training, equipping and mentoring Iraqi security force in Iraq. Noujaim directed the controversial
documentary Control Room which focuses on the Arabic language cable news station Al Jazeera, a
station that questions the prevailing images and positions offered on the war by the U.S. news
media and has been condemned by some American and Arab government officials for its reporting.
Other speakers for the two-day event, which included panels on Iraqi culture, the insurgency
movement and media coverage of the war, included U.S. Army Major Daniel Barnard, a faculty
member of the U.S. Military Academy history department; Dr. Najib Ghadbian, Asst. Professor of
Political Science and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Arkansas; Roger Gafke, a University
of Missouri journalism professor; and Saleem Al-Habash and Fred Vultee, two
doctoral students in journalism at the University of Missouri.
Because the Symposium was such a huge success, a faculty and staff
committee is already making plans for a second Symposium to be held on
September 26-27, 2007.
The following interviews
on pages 16 – 21 were
conducted by students in
Dr. David Collins’ class in
Magazine Writing and Editing.
15
An Interview with Lieutenant
General David H. Petraeus
Interview conducted by Patrick Clark, Shawn Manning, Ashley Nelson, Rachel Nichols and Mike Willis
Lieutenant General David H. Petraeus, one of the most decorated soldiers in the United States Army,
commanded the elite 101st Airborne, the fabled “Band of Brothers,” on the drive to Baghdad in the Second
Iraq War. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point (top five-percent of his class),
General Petraeus went on to earn a Ph.D. at Princeton University. He thrives on competition. A former
superior officer jokes that while most men in their fifties are slowing down, Petraeus is “driving young
officers half his age into the ground like tent pegs.” He can do seventy-five push-ups a minute when
challenged and can outrun anyone in a ten-mile race. He has recently been named the Top U.S. and
Coalition Commander in Iraq. General Petraeus was the keynote speaker at the first Symposium on
Democracy at Westminster College.
WC: General Petraeus, we’d like to thank you very much for agreeing to talk with us today. We
hope to learn a great deal from what you have to say and have many, many questions.
To begin, you graduated in the top five percent of your class at West Point. You earned both an
M.A. and a Ph.D. from Princeton and had a fellowship at Georgetown University. Education is
obviously very important to you. How did your education prepare you for the battlefield?
Gen. Petraeus: Don’t get me wrong, a huge part of the global on terror has to be to kill or
capture those who are absolutely, unalterably opposed to our way of life, our values. But there’s
a wonderful quotation from a little known British political scientist named Martin White:
“The truth is not to be found in any school of thought but debate among them.” I have
jokingly said that when we are going hard at it with some other country what we ought to do –
immediately – is to triple the number of full ride scholarships given to their students so even
more of them can come over here and appreciate what is possible in a country where there’s a
degree of tolerance for views that are completely different from one’s own.
Regrettably, military action has its place, but even more important is what you’re doing in this
Symposium on Democracy, exposing people from different cultures to American culture, American
values: the concept of democracy, free market economics, the host of opportunities available to
ordinary people. I’m not implying that we’re a perfect nation, but ours is a country whose basic
structures – economic, political, and social – have provided a unparallel degree of upward mobilityfor people. That’s what makes the American dream, and it is that American dream that attracts so
many people from other countries here.
People often ask me, “What prepared you most for the early days in Iraq, after the fight to Baghdad,
after Saddam was gone?” Interestingly, what prepared me most for that period was having gone to
a civilian graduate school. We try very hard to generate new insights in the Army. Commissioned
officers actually spend a lot of time in school in the course of their careers. We have provocative
speakers, thought provoking readings and lectures. But you do that with fellow officers, and at the
end of the day, even if you have the most provocative speaker in the world, you end up at the
coffee pot with people who generally think the same way that you do. An old boss of mine used to
describe our existence as a “grindstone cloister.” I think it’s very important for leaders to be taken
out of their intellectual comfort zone.
In the mid-1980s I went from the Staff College at Fort Leavenworth to graduate school. At Ft.
Leavenworth the big debate at that time was about nuclear weapons, whether we needed 100 of
these very powerful, land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, each with 10 warheads, or if we
needed 200. I went to off to a civilian graduate school and, lo and behold, found out that there
were some folks – extremely bright, quite thoughtful – who argued that perhaps you needed none
of these types of missiles because they might be destabilizing. That was a great educational
experience. A little intellectual humility goes a long way – and I think graduate school will do that
for you.
16
WC: You have been called by people close to you the
most competitive man on the planet. Where does that
competitiveness come from?
Gen. Petraeus: True, I’m competitive. I think you get it
from your upbringing, through your parents. I had a very
competitive father. He was a crusty old sea captain and he
was not big on excuses. His inevitable response was,
“Results boy!” Life is a competitive endeavor. No matter
what you are doing, you should be creating and setting
goals to make you compete with yourself. I told someone that I would go through a Ph.D. program,
and I regretted it a thousand times after that. But the fact that I made that pledge made me stick
with it. I knew it would be very difficult, but when you lay down a marker like that for yourself it
forces you to produce. I think a competitive spirit is a good thing. At the end of the day, combat is
the ultimate competition. The other guy is not just out there to pass you in the final lap, or to
make it into the end zone – that guy is out to kill you. And so I say to my soldiers, “I love you too
much, Ranger, not to make you do ten more push-ups!”
Of course, you need to be to be a team player a lot of time. You want to engage in healthy
competition with your buddies and with your fellow commanders and their units, but at the end
of the day, you’re going to go to war together to do a tough mission. Together.
WC: Brigadier General Frankly said that when you led the 101st your competitiveness on occasion
pinned you against the wall. Does your level of competitiveness ever hinder you?
Gen. Petraeus: Undoubtedly, it does. But it’s a question of dynamics. When you are in combat,
you can’t give mixed messages to your soldiers. When I led the 101st in the fight to Bagdad, we
had every condition set so when that first soldier was shot at we could respond with everything
that is appropriate – we call that “setting the condition.” We did that, and it was very effective. We
soundly defeated and destroyed some big threats. People sometimes want to have more dialogue,
but you know, the boss has to sit down and ask to whom do I want to listen to right now? At some
point you have to listen to your own counsel and make a decision.
WC: Another of your critics, David Hackwood,
has called you a “Perfumed Prince.” How would
you respond?
Gen. Petraeus: That was a strange one. I have
spent more time deployed than any other officer
in the army. If you go back fifteen years, I don’t
think there’s been anyone who’s spent more
time in the units and in the field. I’d invite any-
one who feels that way to join me for a run, or
have a little contest on the pull-up bars. Then
we’ll both be sweaty princes, if they can hang.
WC: In order to make enlistment quotas, the
Army has lowered standards for enlistees. The
maximum age has been raised from thirty-five
to forty-two. Mental standards have been
lowered as well. Would you want to lead these
less qualified soldiers into combat?
Gen. Petraeus: When you make such
changes, you have to do it intelligently. Our
army has lots of different skill sets. You can’t
take the oldest enlistee and say “Welcome to
the infantry!” Physical ability is very important
to those who are going to ruck up and strap on
Kevlar, but we have all kinds of different jobs,
a lot of people who work behind the scenes:
drivers, electricians, journalists, medical
people, doctors, lawyers. True, we have taken a
number of what are called “Cat 4’s,” those
who scored at the lower levels on the general
IQ test. There is a place for those folks; you
just have to do it intelligently.
Read the full interview with General Petraeus at
www.westminster-mo.edu
17
An Interview with Jehane Noujaim
Interview conducted by Amy Barclay, Ashley Creek, Erin Houlihan, Justin Pilarski and Nike Stinger
Jehane Noujaim is a rising star in the world of documentary film, working on a dream to unite the world
through the power of film. Her recent appearance at the Westminster College Symposium on Democracy
focused on her experience as a filmmaker with a unique blend of Middle Eastern and American cultural
influences – a diversity of perspectives she explored in her film Control Room. Contrasting the reporting of
Western newspeople whose information came from Central Command in Qatar with that of reporters
working for the Middle Eastern news network Al Jazeera, Noujaim reveals the difficulties of reporting “the
truth,” a problem that lies at the heart of all journalism.
Her work in several documentary films focuses on the universal nature of subjective experience: Mokattam,
about an Egyptian garbage-collecting village, startup.com, a depiction of the online business world, and
Unfiltered, a documentary series for MTV. This point of view has earned her several awards including one
from the Director’s Guild of American and the IDA Award for “best film.” As a recipient of the TED prize
(Technology, Entertainment, Design), Noujaim is currently working on her wish to unite the world through
film for one day each year.
WC: We would like to begin by congratulating you on receiving the TED Prize. What motivated
you to choose as your wish “to bring the world together through the power of film.”
Jehane Noujaim: Thank you. The reasons are many. I grew up traveling between the Middle East
and the United States. I have an American mother and an Egyptian/Lebanese/Syrian father, and
that kind of background forces you always to be putting yourself in another person’s shoes. The
negative side of that is that you can never really make a decision because you’re constantly seeing
the other side of the situation. I started with film and photography because it was a way for me to
bring my Egyptian life to the States and my American life to Egypt. It was a great way to help people in both places understand. When I showed Control Room both in the States and in Egypt, the
reactions showed me the real power film has to create understanding between people. That reaction
made me feel that this was the way to lead people to a better understanding – the second best
option to having people meet in person. I felt that by having a day of screenings across the world,
and projecting on places like the Great Pyramid and the Reuters screen in Times Square, and broadcasing on Fox and Jazeera and a number of other stations, it will really get out to a wide population. The content will be from well-known filmmakers from around the world because the content
has to be fantastic the first year; the focus will be on film highlighting our common humanity
while at the same time appreciating that we are a diverse world.
18
WC: Have you faced any obstacles in establishing sites across the globe and making the dream a
reality?
Jehane Noujaim: The biggest obstacle for me was “What is going to be the content?” With
Control Room we were talking about the media specifically, and it’s been a popular film around the
world because everybody has questions about the media and its objectivity, about whether we’re
seeing what everybody else is seeing. Trying to think about films that are going to appeal to
somebody in the United Sates and somebody in China and somebody in the Middle East is very
challenging. I want people to be truly inspired and affected by the films. To make sure that we hold
people’s attention, I think that we’re going to be doing ten minutes films interspersed with
speeches and music. The logistics were actually less of a concern because we’re partnering
with the people that put on Live 8, and there are a lot of companies that want to be involved
– companies like Nokia and HSBC – because they want to be part of this new awareness.
WC: Will the images you show be able to transcend not only language barriers but cultural
barriers as well?
Jehane Noujaim: We’re still working on the directive we’ll give the filmmakers in order to
give the films a certain cohesiveness, a certain connection. We’re hoping to create a “global
tapestry.” There will be dialogue, a challenge we’re going to have to work with in terms of
translation, but there will not be a huge emphasis on dialogue because when you’re
talking about these huge screening events you want to concentrate on the emotions each
film portrays. I do think it’s very difficult to cross cultural barriers; you have to keep the
stories very personal, there are some things such as father-son stories, mother-daughter
stories, and love stories that are universal across the globe. It will have to be about really
personal stories. One of our ideas is to go to emotions – joy, fear, guilt, and so on – and
so on. Each filmmaker will have to choose an emotion and that will be the title of his or
her film. So, for example, Errol Morris might choose “Joy” and create a film about somebody
experiencing joy that will translate to Asia, Africa, the Middle East.
WC: In addition to this media experience, we understand that you are trying to initiate
an online component as well.
Jehane Noujaim: This is very important because if you make a film and put it out
there people are all affected in their own ways, but I really want there to be something
concrete carrying this day forward throughout the year. How do you do that? I’ll give
you an example. There are two organizations working within Israel/Palestine right now;
one is called “One Voice” which is working with Israelis and Palestinians who are
working together for peace, the other is called “Just Vision” and it has been working
with a place called “The Bereaved Family forum.” “The Bereaved Family Forum” brings
together Israelis and Palestinians who have lost family to the conflict and who are now
working together through peaceful means. “Just vision” has just made a film called
Encounter Point which is about these families working together. The concept of these
families working together is so powerful because they have great standing in their
communities; they have lost family to the crisis. Nobody can say, “You don’t understand what it’s like.” Many of them are heroes in their communities; they’re standing
up and saying “We will not let our leaders use our names to justify any more violence
against each other.” That’s a very powerful statement because right now the news is
consumed by extremist voices on either side – and it’s very hard to fight those extremist
voices. “One Voice” is working in Israel and Palestine doing a group survey;
they’ve sent out ballots to thousands asking them to rate issues in
terms of their importance. It’s the first time a real grassroots decision
making from the people has been organized in that part of the world.
“One Voice” has an amazing web site that connects Israelis and
Palestinians. If an Israeli says, “In order to accomplish this I need a
Palestinian working with me,” the web site that helps in finding that
person.
If we are able to project Pangea on the wall in the West Bank, we can show
clips from these different organizations and lure people to watch these two
websites. People inspired by the speeches, the music, the visuals, the films
will then be able to go someplace after the day. They’ll be able to go to the
website and say, “OK, this is happening in my community.”
Read the full interview with Jehane Noujaim at www.westminster-mo.edu
19
An Interview with Major Daniel Barnard
Interview conducted by Laura Smith and Amy Elliott
Major Daniel Barnard, born and raised in Columbia, Missouri, descends from a military family that has
served the United States since the Revolutionary War. Though his military career began as a practical
measure, a means to pay for college, following his experience as a peacekeeper in Bosnia, it has became his
passion and life-long vocation. In addition to Bosnia he has been deployed several times in the Middle East
and currently serves as an instructor of history at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Major
Barnard holds a Master’s Degree in Middle Eastern History and is working on a Ph.D. at the University of
Chicago, scheduled for completion in 2007.
WC: In college you joined the Reserve Officer’s
Training Corps and, upon graduation, signed
on in the regular Army as a second lieutenant.
Recently promoted to Major, you’ve risen
rapidly in the Officer Corps. Were you to write
your own press release, how would you
describe yourself? Five words.
Maj. Barnard: Five words, a tough job! I’d go
with local boy does well, you know, something
like that. I’m proud of being from Missouri. I
believe the education I received in Missouri
public schools prepared me to compete at the
highest levels. I try to count Columbia in my
background as I travel around the United
States. That’s what I’d put down.
WC: As a military historian can you draw parallels between the reconstructions of the South
following the Civil War and reconstruction in Iraq that might help Americans understand the
situation there?
Maj. Barnard: There’s a great deal of interesting scholarship on that. I think that the
reconstruction of the South is very illustrative for Americans, not only because it shows how
significantly changed the region was, but because it directly parallels the situation in Iraq. During
reconstruction tens of thousands of Union troops were stationed in the South for a long period
of time. Their presence was required to maintain law and order, a task seriously challenged by an
insurgency motivated by hatred of African Americans and supported by the pillars of society.
While Union troops remained in the South this movement was suppressed; when they left, it
succeeded. The Ku Klux Klan flourished; the Jim Crow Laws were passed. A hundred years of
rolling back civil rights was the direct result of removing the Union Troops. Currently, there is
a powerful impulse to pull our troops out of Iraq. I understand the domestic and military
pressures that support this. Nearly every soldier has been in Iraq, some several times, and
we’re exhausted. Families of military personnel feel this too. We see in Iraq the same prejudices that
existed in post Civil War America; extreme elements move quickly to violence and sectarian
passions. But if we pull out now we will see a rise in those sentiments in Iraq. Pulling our troops
out of Iraq now would result a loss of liberty for the Iraqi people – the direct opposite of our goal.
Read the full interview with Major Barnard at www.westminster-mo.edu
20
An Interview with Dr. Najib Ghadbian
Interview conducted by Elizabeth Blood, Marshall Chambers, Dustin Davis, Robert Davis, and Joey Falkaoff
An Assistant Professor of Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Arkansas, Syrian
born Dr. Najib Ghadbian has come to be recognized as one of our country’s foremost experts on events in
the Arab world. Educated at the University of the United Arab Emirates (B.A.), Rutgers University (M.A.),
and City University of New York (Ph.D.), Professor Ghadbian has published widely in scholarly journals in
both English and Arabic. His book-length study of conditions in the Middle East, Democratization and the
Islamists Challenge in the Arab World, was published in 1997. His expert commentary has been sought
out by numerous television stations in the United States, by the BBC, and by Al-Jazeera. Prior to accepting
a position at the University of Arkansas, Dr. Ghadbian worked as a research analyst at the Emirates
Center for Strategic Studies and Research in Abu Shabi, where he headed the media unit and served on the
administrative board.
WC: Let’s begin with a question about the general level of knowledge people in the United States –
college students and the general public – have of the Middle East and its problems. How would you
assess the situation?
Dr. Ghadbian: I think that when it comes to the Middle East there is a lot of – I don’t want to say
ignorance, but maybe lack of knowledge. That became apparent to me after 9/11 when people
began asking all kinds of questions and I because very involved. I realized how little the average
American knows about it. What I see from my perspective is a lack of communication. I see certain
stereotypes, resentment, and sometimes even opposition, and in the Shiites case hatred of the
U.S.A. Sometimes, listening to the news media, reading newspaper articles, I see actual mistakes.
“Wow!” I think to myself. To give you an example: Not long ago I was reading The Washington Post
and somebody said there that Yemen is a tiny Persian Gulf country. Everything is wrong with that.
This is the beginning of an article in a prestigious, national newspaper! Yemen is not a tiny
country, nor is it a Persian gulf country. I feel that there is a serious problem with understanding or
misunderstanding in America, and I believe the way to understanding in this country is through
education.
WC: You have on several occasions commented that the American news media seldom tells the full
story of the Middle East in general, or the Iraq war in particular. Do media outlets in the Arab world
also spin their coverage?
Dr. Ghadbian: I don’t want to sound simplistic in saying that coverage here is insufficient, but I
will say we’re not getting the full story by watching just American news. In my Introduction to
Comparative Politics class I asked if they had been watching the news in the last three years – and
then asked them to give me the population of Iraq. I didn’t get an answer. They had no clue. When
we watch the mainstream media – CNN, Fox News, or other twenty-four hour channels – there is a
lot of coverage, but all you get is sound bites. There is no competent background and there is a
tendency to cover the sensational elements only. Fox News obviously leans to the right and has
succeeded in attracting more viewers; as a result the other channels have shifted to the right as
well. Competition: that is the disadvantage of privately owned media. You’re after profit, and by so
doing you’re really not giving the other side
much attention.
You can say the same thing for Al-Jazeera. I’ve
written about Al-Jazeera, I’ve contributed
commentary to Al-Jazeera, and I think it is a
great contribution to the freedom of expression in the Arab world. But Al-Jazeera is biased
too. They cover a part of the other side as well.
You really have to watch all these news
stations to get a full picture of what’s going on.
I tell my students – many are fans of Fox News
– to continue watching Fox, but to try to
watch a little bit of CNN, and then to watch
some of the BBC coverage. Read the
Independent, read the KOPN Perspective, and
then read something from the Arab world in
English, available online now. You need to get
all of these perspectives to fully understand
this story.
Read the full interview with Dr. Ghadbian at
21
A New Innovative
Westminster Experience
With over ten percent of its student population from 55 different countries, Westminster College certainly offers a global community where young people
from diverse backgrounds can live and learn together. Presenting different cultural backgrounds and outlooks, expanding an understanding of today’s
world, and developing an appreciation for differences are all part of the Westminster experience.
Yet Westminster officials have chosen to take this experience to a new level this year with an exciting pilot project called the Take-A-Friend Home Program.
Under this program, four domestic students spent three weeks of their summer break visiting the homes of four internationals students and in return, the
international students will spend academic year breaks in the homes of the domestic students. This cross-cultural learning experience has been made
possible thanks to the generous contributions of members of the Westminster College Board of Trustees. The wide range of experiences enjoyed by the eight
students who completed the international segment of this remarkable journey are profiled below.
Elena (Lena) Khramova from Kaliningrad, Russia and
Kelly Pittman from Kansas City, Missouri
Lena and Kelly spent most of their time at Lena’s home
in Kaliningrad, a portion of Russia enclosed by Poland
and Lithuania. Lena and her family were nervous about
the language barrier prior to Kelly’s visit. Lena’s father
could only communicate through gestures, her third
grade brother was only starting to learn English, and her
mother, who could speak a little English, was afraid of
making mistakes. The family was also apprehensive about
what Kelly would think of their standard of living in
comparison to America. They made repairs and replaced
wallpaper to make her feel comfortable. They need not
have worried.
“Kelly was accepting of everything that I am telling her
and showing her,” says Lena. “I do not think she was
judging anything as bad or good, according to her own
standards.” Kelly was also so positive and confident about
the experience that Lena’s family soon relaxed about
communication barriers and with Lena as an interpreter,
communication went smoothly.
One of the largest adaptations for Kelly was adjusting to life in a crowded Russian city. She
was amazed at how close people came to her and felt awkward having her personal space
invaded. However, the warm hospitality of Lena’s family and the friendliness of the people in
the stores and shops put her at ease. She also learned the benefits of living in a city where all
shopping needs were within walking distance.
A trip to the Amber Museum was a high point of Kelly’s visit, and Lena had really wanted her
to see it because she felt this circular building that was once a fortress and now contained
beautiful artifacts was a symbol of her region. Taking Kelly through the museum, Lena gained
a deeper understanding of her own history and culture.
While serving as a guide for Kelly’s visit, Lena learned new information about the Russian
people and their behavior and even her own family. Kelly’s assessment was: “The trip made
me more open to new experiences and made me think about other cultures and realize they
are just as fascinating as our own.” She loved Lena’s family and found Russian food to be
excellent–even better than American food in some aspects.
Above: Kelly and Lena (far right) with Lena’s parents Alexander and Ludmila.
Left: Königsberg Cathedral was the main church of old Königsberg and today it remains a landmark of modern Kaliningrad.
The cathedral stands on Kneiphof island. A number of Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order and Prussian princes are interred
in the vaults of Königsberg Cathedral. Adjoining the cathedral, on the north side of the choir, is the grave of the famed
philosopher Immanuel Kant, the “sage of Königsberg.” Along with Kant, many of the professors of Königsberg University
were buried there.
22
Nikolay Domashev from Kirovo-Chepetsk, Russia and
Dustin Davis from Independence, Missouri
Dustin’s visit to Russia was quite different from that of Kelly. Nikolay and his mother Tatiana had
arranged a whirlwind visit of a wide range of venues that included schools, mines, cathedrals,
government buildings, restaurants, the cinema and even a graduation ceremony. They visited the
cities of Murmansk, a city on the Arctic Ocean; Kirovsk, an industrial town in the middle of the
Kola Peninsula; and Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second capital on the Baltic Sea. In Murmansk, they
stayed in a hostel at the train station. In Kirovsk, they lived with a friend of Nikolay’s mother, Irina.
In Saint Petersburg, they stayed in an apartment of Nikolay’s friend Antonina, an English language
teacher at Petrozavodsk State University. Nikolay’s mother is the chairperson of the Interregional
Association for the Support of the UN of Russia so she led presentations on critical thinking at the
school visits, while Nikolay and Dustin gave their opinions and shared personal examples.
The biggest difficulty for Dustin was adjusting to hot tea, the
non-alcoholic beverage of choice for Russians. Because tap
water is not safe to drink, Russians boil their water and flavor
it with tea. One of the most fascinating experiences was
experiencing a “polar day” in Kirovsk. During the summer
months, it is never dark in this part of the Russian North but
during the long winter, the sun is rarely seen.
“It was amazing to see how eager Russian young people were
to meet Dustin and share their personal hobbies with him,”
says Nikolay. “People would recognize from 500 meters that
Dustin wasn’t a Russian because he has an expression of
freedom and a relaxed attitude.”
Food was a mixed experience for Dustin. He liked the
pancakes they served for breakfast which were similar to
French crepes, but not being a fish lover, he found it rather
unappealing to see people walking around selling whole fish
on a string. He was quite surprised by their square pies and
Russian style pizza, which contained mayonnaise.
“I was very surprised to find that even in a place as remote as
Kirovsk, people still live meaningful lives, welcome foreigners,
know the English language, and are excited for change,” says
Dustin.
Above: Dustin and Nikolay at the Aurora, one of the most
famous ships in Russia. In October 1917 the ship’s crew was
commanded to fire into the Winter Palace, the place of the
Provisional Government of Russia at that time. Ironically, the
shot was a fake one (it had no gun powder charge). However,
it served as a signal for communists to attack, overtake public
offices and ultimately ignited the October Revolution. This
historic battleship is now a museum and stationed in SaintPetersburg.
Left (from left to right): Antonina Schukina, a Senior Dean of
the Foreign Languages Department at Petrozavodsk State
University (Kola branch), Antonina Sidorovich, Head of the
Parents’ Committee of YMCA-Kirovsk Chapter, Dustin and
Nikolay.
23
Shauna Aminath from Malé, the Maldives and
Kim Siess from St. Clair, Missouri
Kim and Shauna certainly had the most exciting adventure of any of the participants in the
program. The night before Kim arrived, people in Malé demonstrated on the streets against the
government, demanding the release of political detainees. Several of Shauna’s friends were arrested
by the government for participating in this nonviolent demonstration. So one of the first events in
Kim’s visit was joining Shauna in a meeting with the opposition party members petitioning to
negotiate the release of the demonstrators. “It was difficult for Kim to comprehend the reasoning
behind the arrest of that many people for participating in a non-violent demonstration in a
‘democratic’ country,” says Shauna. “The meeting and the distribution of our petition around the
island gave an insight to the Maldivian political system for Kim and comprehending the issues that
are important to the youth.”
Even Kim’s arrival was eventful when Shauna was two hours late to meet her because she couldn’t
get past an immigration officer at the airport. Kim also had many other interesting and enlightening experiences. Malé, the capital city of the Maldives, has 100,000 people living in a 1.5 square
mile area so one of the first culture shocks for Kim was the overcrowded conditions. Then she had
the opportunity to travel to the island Addu where Shauna had lived until the age of six. This
peaceful environment with its unindustrialized, subsistence-based society was a total contrast to
Malé. Kim learned about the environmental problems of the Maldives and the unequal distribution
of wealth among the classes. “Some public areas were used as garbage
dumps because people were not accessible to the area the government
has designated for garbage disposal,” says Kim. “The island did not have
proper garbage disposal methods; thus, beautiful beaches were polluted
with garbage.”
After their trip to Addu, Kim did get to experience the paradise side of
the Maldives. Shauna’s father arranged for them to stay at his work
place, Cocopalm Resort and Spa, where they saw dolphins, participated
in a snorkeling safari with a marine biologist and enjoyed the resort
amenities. Kim also had the opportunity to visit the island of
Thulhaadhoo one afternoon and Hulhamalé, an artificially reclaimed
island annex of Malé.
Overall, Kim had a great time and wants to fulfill Shauna’s dream of
learning how to milk a cow when Shauna visits her home.
24
Below: A small part of the Maldives from the air.
Below left: Shauna and Kim after their snorkeling
safari on the way to Cocopalm Resort and Spa
Above: Ajit with his sister Ashwini, his cousin Jyoti and his mother Usha Balkawade
Right: Jamie the snake charmer.
Ajit Balkawade from Daravali, India and
Jamie Brown from St. Clair, Missouri
Jamie was immediately immersed in Indian culture when Ajit took her on a guided tour of his
hometown during her first day. “He drove me around the city in one of his Dad’s cars, and at first I
was a little scared because the traffic of the city was chaotic,” Jamie recalls. “It was a bit of a shock
to hear nothing but horns and Ajit singing along with the radio. The masses of people walking
along the street and the occasional cow relaxing in the road didn’t help in calming me down either.
Then the highlight of the day was when I was informed that Ajit didn’t have a driver’s license after
he bumped into a rickshaw.”
One of the more interesting experiences for Jamie was helping Ajit’s sister prepare for an interview
with the family of a potential husband for her as a part of the arranged marriage process that takes
place in India. Jamie helped her dress in “the most amazing sari,” the traditional fashion of India,
and straightened her hair with a flat iron so she was able to wear her hair down.
In Delhi, Jamie visited the India gate built by the British during the colonial period and a temple
that was in the shape of a lotus flower as well going a few hours outside Delhi to the most
breathtaking sight of her entire trip–the Taj Mahal.
On the day of Jamie’s departure, Ajit’s family gave her a spectacular send-off. They had invited a
snake expert to their home to put on a show. Everything was going well with the snakes until Jamie
decided to take a flash picture of the king cobra. The cobra didn’t like this attention at all and
quickly focused on Jamie, but the snake expert acted quickly to bring the cobra back under control.
Ajit’s family also prepared a traditional going away ceremony for Jamie to ensure her safe travel
back to America.
“I hoped to show Jamie a lot of my day-to-day activities and some of the main attractions that
‘outsiders’ have about India,” says Ajit. “I tried to prepare my family better to interact with her so
she didn’t feel left out since she didn’t speak Hindi or Marathi. We both were continuously
interacting about what she would like to see and how I could organize it. My family liked her
positive attitude toward India a lot, and now, we hope she will be able to visit India sometime
again.”
During her adventures, Jamie fell in love with India and her biggest regret of the trip is that she
doesn’t know if she will ever be able to return.
In all four cases, the Take-A-Friend Home Program
proved to be a transformational experience for the
students involved. Hosting a friend in one’s home
invites hospitality and builds good will. Bonds of
friendship have been formed that will last a
lifetime. Both the guests and the hosts gained
valuable insights about their own countries and
cultures as well as acquiring a new appreciation
for the countries and cultures different from their
own. They learned how to adjust to being outside
their comfort zones and gained the confidence
necessary to be open to new opportunities and
experiences in the future. The domestic students
were truly sensitized to the challenges faced by
international students when they enter the
Westminster campus, and they now see the
importance of having a friend to help make the
transition to a foreign land.
Certainly, from the results, Westminster is
enthusiastic about continuing this valuable
learning experience. In fact, administrators would
like to expand the program this summer and
eventually be able to offer Take-A-Friend Home to
10-15 pairs of students. If you are interested in
participating in the endowment for Take-A-Friend
Home, please contact the Office of Development at
(573) 592-5370.
25
Leadership Lives Large at
College life in the movie worlds of “Van Wilder” and “Animal House” may be filled with the “party
down, sleep in” mentality, but the small and select liberal arts school of Westminster College
demonstrates that this student stereotype is reel world, not real world.
Certainly, Westminster has a healthy, active social life,
and sleeping in does happen when the schedule allows.
However, the prevailing atmosphere at Westminster is
student involvement–on campus and within the local
community. On any given day, students can be found
hosting blood drives, visiting senior centers, partnering
with Missouri’s Division of Youth Services, and
volunteering at the local soup kitchen, schools, the
YMCA and Little Brothers/Little Sisters.
Last year alone, Westminster students performed more
than 6,500 hours of service. For Make a Difference Day
the end of October, over 150 students gave up their
Saturday to complete local community service projects,
ranging from raking leaves and winterization at the
homes of senior citizens to cleaning up a Head Start
facility. Why?
“Because developing leaders of character prepared to
contribute in a global community is what we are about at
Westminster,” says President Dr. Fletcher M. Lamkin. “We
don’t just give lip service to this focus. Our students live
it and breathe it every single day.”
The heart and soul of that commitment on campus is the
Emerson Center for Leadership & Service, created in 2002
in honor of the late Missouri Congressman and
Westminster alumnus William Emerson ’59.
The Emerson Center for Leadership & Service is a four-point program, which includes leadership
development, a servant-leader partnership between the College and the local community, the
integration of leadership into designated curricula and a leadership awards program.
The leadership program itself is a series of academic credit-bearing classes and lab experiences that
result in a Leadership Minor or Leadership Certification for participating students. This program
provides a model for integration of academic and student affairs and is taught by a combination of
student affairs staff and tenure-track faculty under a
jointly created curriculum.
“Students today are demanding skills beyond
basic academics that will set them apart from
others when they enter the work force,” says
President Lamkin. “They are searching for a total
developmental experience that will help them in
all aspects of their lives to include family, career
and community interaction. Our Leadership
Center fulfills those needs.”
26
Westminster
The Center also integrates academic and student affairs through
its support of service-learning. Stipends and operational funds are
provided for faculty who wish to incorporate service-learning into
their courses. Center staff works with the faculty members to
ensure particular service projects meet a community need and
incorporate learning through reflection. For example, last year
during tax season, Center staff worked with accounting professors
on a program where students prepared tax returns for low-income
families and helped them receive tax credits.
“The Emerson Center for Leadership & Service is based on the servant-leadership model,” says
Dr. David Humphrey, Center Director. “Our goal is to instill values in leadership development and
teach our students that to lead, you must reach out and serve those who you wish to influence.”
The results are receiving prestigious recognition. The Center recently received the 2006 Innovative
Program Award presented by the Missouri College Personnel Association for outstanding student
affairs programs in Missouri higher education. Westminster was also notified that the College is one
of only eight colleges and universities in Missouri to be named to the President’s Higher Education
Community Service Honor Roll because of its record of student community service.
Reaching out in partnership with the community since its inception, the Center has involved
hundreds of students in programs and opportunities that address human needs such as literacy,
nutrition, health promotion, youth development and housing. Clothing and blood drives, bone
marrow drives, campus recycling, Habitat for Humanity house construction and alternative spring
break trips to help Katrina victims rebuild from the devastation are just a short list of some of the
projects Westminster students have undertaken through the Leadership Center.
Westminster’s most famous visitor, Sir Winston
Churchill, who delivered his “Iron Curtain”
address on campus in 1946, once said: “We
make a living by what we get, but we make
a life with what we give.” Students at
Westminster College are making a life for
themselves through their involvement in the
Emerson Center for Leadership & Service.
One of the more unique projects initiated last year is the campus organic garden project to raise
awareness about sustainability and environmentally sound agricultural practices. The produce
raised was given to local senior citizens and to Westminster international students who live in
Fulton during the summer while the College dining hall is closed. The ultimate goal of the garden
project is to produce enough vegetables and herbs for use at the local soup kitchen and food
pantry.
Another project that will be greatly expanded this year is
mentoring and tutoring with the Little Brothers/Little
Sisters organization. Under this program, Westminster
students take a youth mentoring leadership lab to study
child development and learn best practices. Then they are
matched up with young people who have been identified
in need of after school support through the state STARS
(Students and Teachers as Research Scientists) after school
program. Approximately 25 students are participating in
the program compared to 15 last year.
“Learning about values and the importance of giving back
to the community, state and nation are an integral part of
our educational process,” says Lamkin. “We believe that
character counts.”
27
A Story of Touching Lives…
Now and For Generations To Come
John McFarland ’62 is a happy man. Tonight, he is sitting with his wife
Karen and “thier” students…; Ashton Ellett, class of 2008 and Amber
Martin, class of 2007. The event is the annual President’s Dinner.
Ashton excitedly talks about his goal of joining the United States
Foreign Services. His love of politics and service is evident as he
animatedly discusses his desire to travel the world and help bring
diverse cultures together. Amber talks about the challenges and rewards
of being a resident student advisor, a role which will help her prepare
for her graduate studies and career as a teacher.
John sits back and smiles…
John and Karen McFarland with scholarship recipients Amber Martin and Ashton Ellett
28
In Ashton and Amber, John sees the future of
this country and he is pleased. Through the
McFarland Family Endowed Scholarship Fund,
which John and Karen established in 2002, they
know that they have touched the lives of Ashton
and Amber… and, the two students realize the
impact of this scholarship will benefit them for
years to come.
Each year, the story of John, Karen, Ashton and
Amber is repeated 100 times at Westminster.
That’s the number of named endowed scholarships that are currently making it possible for
deserving students to experience Westminster.
“The beauty of establishing an endowed
scholarship is that you can chose the criteria
the students must meet in order to receive the
award,” said McFarland. With the McFarland
Family Scholarship, John and Karen wanted to
reward demonstrated excellence and impact the
retention rate at Westminster by targeting juniors
and seniors. Good grades are a must and the
students have to demonstrate leadership skills
and good character.
For the students, the “carrot” of continuing the scholarship is a powerful incentive. Both Ashton
and Amber have enviable grade point averages, both belong to at least two honor societies and they
love to participate in campus activities.
Like so many dedicated alumni, John wanted to “give back” to the College that gave him so much.
A successful businessman, John realizes the impact Westminster has made in his life… and he wants
that impact to be felt by future generations of students. “My desire is that those students who
receive this scholarship will realize that hard work and good character pay off.” McFarland adds.
Hard work and good character has been paying off for Westminster students for more than 155
years, in no small part due to the insightful generosity of people like John and Karen McFarland.
Young Rev. B.Y. George, one of the first 50 students to attend, then Fulton College, in 1851 could
never comprehend the Westminster of today. Yet, even at the College’s inception, our founders
were looking to the future. In Bill Parrish’s book, Westminster College: An Informal History, 18511999, he notes that trustees of the College established a “scholarship plan” permitting, “a purchaser
to secure to himself and his sons for a period of twenty years the complete prepatory and college
course for $150.” Parrish adds that an endowed scholarship could be established for $500.
In 1892, a successful businessman from Hannibal, Missouri, William Sausser passed away leaving
the College his entire estate valued at $125,000. This amount more than doubled the College’s
endowment. Sausser was not an alumnus but he valued the College’s commitment to values and
character. Though the amount of these scholarships and bequest seem small by today’s comparison,
they allowed the College to survive many turbulent years to include the Civil War and Great
Depression.
Today, Westminster enrolls more than 900 students, employees nationally respected faculty and
provides a nurturing living and learning environment. The success of recently completed Campaign
for Westminster provided for the state-of-the-art Wallace H. Coulter Science Center, the renovation
of the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library, new technology and the Mueller Leadership Hall
dining facility which will open in the fall of 2007.
The Campaign for Westminster has greatly helped the College of today. The question is;
what will become of the Westminster of the future?
“Growing the College’s endowment isn’t about
monetary goals and national rankings,” said
Westminster College President Fletcher
Lamkin. “Securing the College’s endowment
is all about ensuring that deserving students
like Ashton and Amber will be able to benefit
from the Westminster experience for the next
155 years and beyond.”
For the one who establishes the endowed
scholarship, however, it is even more personal.
“I’m genuinely interested in being a part of
these student’s lives,” said McFarland. “I would
sincerely hope to keep in touch with students
like Aston and Amber after graduation.”
For the student, the scholarship is nothing
less than making a dream come true. Ashton, a
Rhodes Scholar candidate, plans to follow in
his parent’s footsteps after his duty in the
Foreign Services is complete. “Teaching history,
literature and foreign relations at a small
private college or university like Westminster
would be the opportunity of a lifetime and a
dream come true. Thank you.”
If you are interested in touching the lives of
students and helping to make their dreams
come true, please consider establishing an
endowed scholarship at Westminster. Please
contact Dan Diedriech, Vice President for
Institutional Advancement at (573) 592-5370
to help begin building relationships that will
last a lifetime.
29
westminster at a glance
See for yourself what’s happening at Westminster College
Alumni Weekend
April 20–22, 2007
31
CLASSNOTES
Martha Kochheim, former Beta
housemother in the 1980s,
celebrated her 98th birthday in
2006. She is doing well living in
Seminole, FL, and enjoys her
health and family.
40’s
Bill Backer ’43 married Jean
Lincoln on December 14, 2006.
The couple resides in Fulton, MO.
Backer is the Owner of the Auto
World Museum.
50’s
Dean Macris ’53 retired from a
career as the San Francisco
Planning Director after working
for mayors Joe Alioto, Dianne
Feinstein, Art Agnos and Gavin
Newsom. Macris is known as the
architect of the San Francisco
skyline.
Reverend Otis Young ’53
retired in September 2006 from
the First-Plymouth Congregational
Church in Lincoln, NE after
serving as the Senior Minister for
35 years. Young plans to continue
his popular “All About Books”
book review program on NET
Radio and has begun working as
a church consultant, sharing his
expertise in church planning
and management with other
congregations in Nebraska and
elsewhere. He also will do
part-time community relations
for Sampson Construction Co.
Dr. Bill Cross ’55 was featured
in the September 7, 2006 issue of
the Kansas City Press Dispatch in
“A lesson in what teaching is all
about,” and the November 9,
2006 issue of the Sun Tribune in
“Stopping not an option for
Gladstone mayor.”
Dick Schwieder ’57 and wife
Jonne (Thompson WWU ’55)
celebrated their 50th wedding
anniversary on August 18 2006.
60’s
Col. Linn Schofield ’60 retired
from the Department of Defense
and moved to Hawaii. Schofield’s
daughter Valerie is a junior at
Westminster and plans to attend
medical school.
Tom Kleinschmidt ’62 is an
Attorney with Schneider &
Onofry in Phoenix, AZ.
Carl Tegtmeier ’66 received the
Distinguished Service Award from
the Missouri Military Academy in
Mexico, MO during the 2006
Homecoming Alumni Convocation.
Jim Morton ’67 is the Vice
Chairman of Nissan North
America, Inc. in Nashville, TN.
70’s
Dan Harris ’70 is the Deputy
Assistant Secretary for
International Operations in the
US Commercial Service in
Washington, DC.
Dan Grubb ’71 works in Sales
for the Targeted Publications and
Catalog Group of Quebecor
World.
Bob Edwards ’76 is a Social
Security Representative with
Allsup, Inc. in Belleville, IL.
Jim Kiburz ’76 is a Senior Vice
President, Enterprise Risk
Management with UMB Financial
CorpCredit Alliance, Inc. in
Kansas City, MO.
Al Minor ’76 is the Vice
President of Sales for OnSite
Network.
Kerry Kimble ’78 completed
the Federal Emergency
Management Agency Emergency
Management Certification
Program in September 2006.
Kimble works for the State of
Colorado Division of Emergency
Management in Centennial, CO.
Rene Smeraglia ’78 is an
Information Security Officer with
the United States Mint in
Washington, DC.
Ted Wilson ’78 is President of
the Bank of Weston in Weston,
MO.
of the clinic and it was renamed
the Community Health Center.
Steve Spitsnogle ’79 retired and
moved to Florida. Spitsnogle is
recently engaged to his high
school sweetheart.
80’s
Nathan Carrington ’80 is a
Quality Assurance Specialist for
the Claim Division of American
Family Insurance. His primary
responsibilities are to review the
effectiveness and accuracy of
processes, performance and
standards of the Claim Division.
Carrington resides with his family
in St. Joseph, MO.
Bill Esry ’80 was elected
President of the Missouri
Independent Bankers Association.
Esry will guide the MIBA as it
serves Missouri’s community
banks by providing legislative
representation, hosting education
and seminar programs, as well as
other services designed exclusively
for community banks. Esry is the
President and CEO of Blue Ridge
Bank and Trust in Independence,
MO.
John Weidner ’71 is a
Founding Partner of Cornell
Global LLC in Wilton, CT.
Scott Mulford ’74 is the Press
Secretary for Illinois Attorney
General Lisa Madigan in
Springfield, IL.
Dr. Craig Roth ’74 was
recognized with the Minnesota
Laureate Award from the
American College of Physicians
in November 2006. Roth is an
Associate Professor of Medicine at
the University of Minnesota.
Johnson Ho ’75 is the President
of Pantheon Wine Society, a
world class showcase store in
Northbrook, IL. Visit the website
at pantheonwinesociety.com.
Jim Rosen ’75 is a Vice
President and Director of Leasing
with Pace Properties in St. Louis,
MO.
32
Bob Baker ’76 is a Portfolio
Manager with Morgan Stanley
Investment Management in
Houston, TX.
Barrett and Brooke, age 10, children of
Les ’79 and Nina Baledge
Bill Esry ’80
David Nicholson ’79 was elected
Circuit Court Clerk of Jefferson
County in November 2006.
Nicholson and wife Debra
celebrated their 25th wedding
anniversary in August 2006 and
have 2 children, Sara, age 18 and
Sam, age 15.
Dr. Jeff Sanders ’79 founded
the volunteer-based Jefferson City
Free Medical Clinic in 1996,
providing free health services to
community members. Sanders
recently turned over management
Randy Sparks ’80 and wife
Laura recently celebrated their
16th wedding anniversary. They
reside in Charlotte, NC with their
two boys, Matthew, age 9, and
William, age 6. Sparks is the Chief
Counsel to Bank of America’s
Global Treasury Services Division
and was recently appointed to the
additional role of Chief AntiMoney Laundering Counsel for
the Bank’s Global Corporate and
Investment Bank.
Howard ’83 and Jocelyn Hubbell
were married on April 22, 2006 in
Charleston, SC. The couple resides
in Johns Island, SC. Hubbell is a
CT Technologist at Roper Hospital
in Charleston.
William and Matthew Sparks, sons of Randy
’80 and Laura Sparks
Scott Schenck ’82 is a Coach
at Conscious Choices in
Hendersonville, NC.
General Larry Kay ’83 is the
Deputy Director for the Missouri
Veterans Commission in Jefferson
City, MO.
Dennis Meyer ’83 is a Staff
Underwriter and Product
Specialist with Allied/Nationwide
Insurance in Des Moines, IA.
J.T. Nangle ’85 is the Director of
Resort Operations with Summerwinds
Resort Services, LLC in Branson,
MO.
Tennessee State University in
Murfreesboro, TN.
Rusty Smith ’85 is a Managing
Partner of Third Coast International
Group, LLC in Chicago, IL.
Dr. Jim Williams ’86 will be
teaching “Winston Churchill: War
Leader, Politician, Author, Artist”
through the Cooperative Center
for Study Abroad London Summer
Program 2007. Williams is a
Professor of History at Middle
Matthew Kim, age 3, son of Michael ’87
and Marleen Kim
33
CLASSNOTES
John Rollins ’87 is a Partner
with Kenner and Kavanaugh in
Kansas City, MO.
Drew Erwin ’88 and wife
Stephanie (WWU ’89) are proud
to annouce the birth of their 4th
son, Alden Templeton Erwin, on
August 16, 2006. Alden joins big
brothers Adlai, age 10, Ashtyn,
age 5, and Aubrey, age 4. The
family resides in Quincy, IL where
Erwin practices law.
Dr. Mark Taylor ’89 is an
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Education at the University of
Tennessee in Knoxville.
90’s
Brea, age 1, daughter of Brian and Kim
(Boswell) ’90 Daniel
Ashtyn, Aubrey and Adlai Erwin welcome
new baby brother, Alden
Gayle (Leone) Gilley ’88 is a
Senior Accountant with
Intergraph Service Company in
Huntsville, AL.
Greg Richard ’88 is the Senior
Vice President of Sales and
Marketing with Synarc, Inc.
Richard is responsible for leading
Synarc’s global commercial sales
and marketing strategy.
Angela Pangelinan-Reed ’92
and husband John welcomed John
Charles Reed, VI on December 12,
2006. The couple was married on
May 9, 2005 in Las Vegas, NV.
John joins older siblings Kieran,
age 11, and Kody, age 9. The
family resides in San Antonio, TX
where Pangelinan-Reed is a
Product Director with USAA.
Lisa (Gebken) Thibault ’92
and husband Michael welcomed
Lucille “Lucy” Elizabeth Thibault
on July 25, 2006. Lucy joins older
sisters Genevieve, age 7, and
Sophie, age 6. The family resides
in Indianapolis, IN.
David Phillips ’90 is a Vice
President and Branch Manager
with Stephens, Inc. in Conway,
AR.
The Theroff Family - Ken ’88 and Susie,
Emmi, Anna and Grace
Jack Talbot ’93 is an Attorney
with Bridges, Young, Matthews &
Drake PLC in Pine Bluff, AR.
Jonathan Wade ’93 is the CEO
of Covenant Hospital Plainview in
Plainview, TX. Wade and wife
Kimberly are expecting twins in
April.
Emily (Richardson) ’94 and Jeff ’94
Blake
Gary Bonsall ’94 is the
Guidance Counselor at South
Callaway High School in Mokane,
MO.
Kimberly Clarke-McCarty ’94
works in Training and
Productivity with Keller Williams
Realty in Texas.
Dr. David Jacobson ’90 prepares an
experimental fuel cell for real-time imaging
at the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) Center for Neutron
Research in Gaithersburg, MD. ©Robert Rathe
Tom Gorman ’92 was named
the October 2006 Bartlesville (OK)
Area Chamber Board Member of
the Month. Gorman has been a
Chamber member since 2001 and
is the President of Gorman
Management Company, which
manages residential apartments
throughout the state of
Oklahoma.
Tom ’89 and Tiffany
(Thomas) ’96 Holman
welcomed Nathan James Holman
on July 9, 2006. Nate joins older
brother Nicholas, age 3. The family
resides in Columbia, MO where
Tom is the Chief Appraiser with
District 2 MoDOT and Tiffany is a
1st Grade Teacher at Fairview
Elementary.
George Mahn ’92 is working on
licensing and scoring opportunities
with major film and television
projects. Mahn scored the independent film The Promise in 2004
and finished a collection of new
instrumental pieces in 2005.
Sophie and Genevieve Thibault welcome
their new baby sister Lucy
James Barrington ’93 is an
Attorney with Bremer Whyte
Brown & O’Meara in Las Vegas,
NV. Barrington and wife Jennifer
have two sons, Jack, age 4, and
Hank, age 1.
Kelly (Ferguson) Cravens ’93
was admitted as Partner in the
firm Mauldin & Jenkins Certified
Public Accountants, LLC in
Birmingham, AL in September
2006.
Julie (Dabney) Devoti ’94 and children
Joseph, age 7, Sophia, age 6, and Nicholas,
age 2, cheer on the Blue Jays during the Fall
2006 Football Season.
Ehren Earleywine ’94 is the
Head Softball Coach at the
University of Missouri-Columbia.
Earleywine and wife Lisa have two
children, a son Connor, age 3,
and a daughter Duran, age 1.
Lila Ohler ’93 is an Acquisitions
Librarian at the University of
Oklahoma in Norman.
Jenny Otting ’93 is an English
Language Teacher at Koç
University in Istanbul, Turkey.
Nate Holman
Ehren Earleywine ’94
34
CLASSNOTES
Cary Justice ’94 and wife Ginny
announce the birth of Samuel
Bullitt Ward Justice on August 1,
2006. The family resides in
Washington, DC. Justice is the
Deputy Associate Director for
Legislative Affairs in the Office of
National Drug Control Policy at
The White House.
Samuel Justice
Damon Sacra ’94 is an Assistant
District Attorney with the Tulsa
County District Attorney's Office.
Meredith Wampler ’94
graduated with a Doctorate in
Physical Therapy through a joint
program from San Francisco State
University and the University of
California San Francisco in August
2005. Wampler is a Faculty Member
at San Francisco State University.
Lance Baker ’95 was promoted
to Branch Manager and Associate
Vice President of the A.G. Edwards
Oklahoma City office in March
2006. Baker and wife Laura have
two children, Elizabeth, age 6,
and Harrison, age 4, and are in
the process of adopting a little girl
from China.
Sam Harper ’95 received a PhD
in Public Health from the
University of Michigan. Harper
resides in Montreal, QC.
Wendy Humphrey ’95 is an
Attorney with Lovell, Lovell &
Newsom, LLP in Amarillo, TX.
Christine and Ryan ’95 Hunter with
children Lola, 6 months, and Mason, age 2
Audra Miller ’95 is a Managing
Partner with Full Sail Properties
LLC in Kansas City, MO.
Donna (Gorbet) Redmond ’95
is an Internet Development
Manager with Herff-Jones, Inc. in
Indianapolis, IN.
Jessica Spanglehour ’95 is the
Director of Development at the
Central Missouri Food Bank in
Columbia.
Amy (Collier) Swanson ’95
and husband Jeramie welcomed
Andrew Carter Swanson on March
10, 2006. Andrew joins big brothers
Jacob, age 7, and David, age 4.
The family resides in Lincoln, NE
where Swanson is the Vice
President of Operations with DEC
Capital Inc.
2006. The couple was married on
June 25, 2005 in Little Rock, AR.
The wedding party included
Bethany Moran ’97. The family
resides in Houston, TX where
Kirby is now a stay at home mom
after a 10 year career with
HealthSCOPE Benefits as Director
of Account Management.
Jill (Schnurbusch) Sanderson
’97 and husband Joshua
announce the birth of Quinn
Taylor Sanderson on August 19,
2005. Quinn joins older sibling,
Kergan, age 3. The family resides
in Lake Saint Louis, MO.
Brandon Beshears ’98 is the
Coalitions Director and Ag &
Sportsmen Outreach Coordinator
for Missouri Victory ’06.
Rick Erwin ’98 and Kaly
Harkins ’98 were married on
October 14, 2006 in Fort Morgan,
AL. The wedding party included
Chaney (Harkins) Hagemann
’97, Justin Gage ’98, and
Jeremy Salmons ’98. Also in
attendance were Kerrie Knoll
’98, Kristen Kennedy ’98, Dan
Hagemann ’99, Christopher
Monroe ’01 and Robyn Erwin
’04. The couple resides in St.
Louis, MO where Erwin is
Director of Operations for the
City Museum and Harkins is a
Environmental Project Manager
with Williams & Co. Consulting.
Abbey Marie Kirby
Todd Marler ’96 is an Attorney
with Borengasser & Marler
Attorneys and Counselors at Law,
LLC in Lake Saint Louis, MO.
Andrew Carter Swanson
Angie Bono-Severy ’96 is a
Patient Care Manager and
Counselor at the Carle Addiction
Recovery Center with the Carle
Clinic Association in Urbana, IL.
Brad Buckner ’96 was selected
as the McGinnis Woods Country
Day School 2006 Teacher of the
Year, where he has taught kindergarten for the last 6 years.
Buckner resides in Cumming, GA
with his wife Aime, a 4th Grade
Teacher at the same school.
Andrea (Wiley) ’96 and Dennis Sagely
with twins Aubyn and Ashtyn
Jason White ’96 and wife Tessa
announce the birth of Jevin James
White on October 11, 2006. Jevin
joins older siblings Miranda, age
11, and Jace, age 6. The family
resides in Eldon, MO. White is a
Business Teacher and Basketball
Coach at Eugene High School.
Karen (Griffin) Butcher '96
and husband David welcomed
Audrey Marie Butcher on October
9, 2006. Audrey joins older brother Anthony, age 3. The family
Butcher is a Human Resources
Specialist with Salton, Inc.
Jennifer (Janson) Kirby ’96
and husband Charles welcomed
Abbey Marie Kirby on July 20,
Rick ’98 and Kaly (Harkins) ’98 Erwin
and wedding party
Jevin James White
Audrey Marie Butcher
Rob Fasoldt ’98 is the Director
of Ticket Sales for the St. Louis
Blues.
35
Aaron Fray ’98 is President of
ION-E Network, Inc. in Newark,
DE.
David Mayor ’98 is a
Commercial Manager, Latin
America with Nokia in Irving, TX.
Amy (Schaeperkoetter)
Herman ’98 and husband Dale
welcomed Ivie Schae Herman on
April 13, 2006. The family resides
in Durham, NC. Herman is the
Assistant Athletic Director for
Compliance at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Tyler Schaper ’98 and wife
Christy welcomed Blake
Alexander Schaper on September
11, 2006. Blake joins older brother Jacob, age 1 1/2. The family
resides in Godfrey, IL where
Schaper is a Senior Financial
Consultant for three branches at
US Bancorp. Schaper is a
President’s Club Producer who
recently earned a 2006 Pinnacle
Award for his 3rd quarter
performance and production.
Dean Pat Kirby catches up with Amy
(Schaeperkoetter) ’98 and Dale Herman
and baby Ivie during a recent campus visit
Jim Hoodenpyle ’98 is a Region
Team Leader in the Finance
Department with Frito Lay in
Springfield, MO.
36
Jacob and Blake Schaper
Jill (Swank) ’98 and Barret
’99 Seymour welcomed Cori
Stockton Seymour on June 9,
2006. The family resides in
Oklahoma City, OK.
Engineering Group in Crested
Butte, CO. Harper earned a degree
in Civil Engineering from
Colorado State University.
Trey ’99 and Audra (Meyers)
’99 Jackson welcomed Carter
Elizabeth Jackson on September
28, 2006. Carter joins older
brother Lucas, age 2. The family
resides in Fort Smith, AR.
Dr. Dan Neller ’99 is a Forensic
Psychologist at Georgia Regional
Hospital at Augusta.
Cori Stockton Seymour
Rebecca Dillender ’99 is a
Health Insurance Specialist with
the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services, Kansas City
Region. Dillender was recognized
in September 2006 with the
Administrator’s Achievement
Award for identifying an error in
the 2006 Medicare Ambulance
Fee Schedule that saved the
Medicare program more than $65
million in overpayments for
ambulance services.
Dodson Harper ’99 is a
Structural Engineer with Resource
Nancy Picht ’99 is a Lab
Assistant II with Northwest
Regional Laboratory in
Bellingham, WA.
Rebecca Dillender ’99 with Dr. Mark
McClellan, CMS Administrator, and Tom
Lenz, CMS Kansas City Region Administrator,
at the CMS Awards Ceremony in Baltimore in
Septemeber 2006
CLASSNOTES
2000’s
Gregg Klinginsmith ’00 is the
Assistant Principal at South
Middle School in Joplin, MO.
Gregg Klinginsmith ’00
Michelle Miller ’00 married
Thomas Fassler on May 6, 2006
at Lake Ozark, MO. The wedding
party included Candice
(Criswell) Chastain ’00. The
couple resides in Imperial, MO.
Miller is currently completing a
Master’s in School Counseling at
Lindenwood University.
Donald Wood ’00 is the
Associate Director of
Development with the Sigma Chi
Foundation in Evanston, IL.
Marcus Dixon ’01 graduated
from the University of Phoenix
with an MBA in 2004. Dixon is a
Vehicle Remarketing Manager of
the Southern Auto Auction of
DaimlerChrysler Services North
America LLC in East Windsor, CT.
Alisia Eckert ’01 graduated
with an MBA from the Yale
School of Management in May
2005. Eckert is a Development
Coordinator with Children’s
Memorial in Chicago, IL.
Matt ’01 and Katie (Rader) ’03
Haverstick welcomed Daniel R.
Haverstick on April 1, 2006.
Daniel joins older brothers
Steven, age 5, and Wyatt, age 2.
The family resides in Fenton, MO.
Matt is a Family Advocate with
the YWCA Head Start and Katie is
a Senior Accountant with Code
Consultants, Inc. in St. Louis.
Mike W. Hawley ’01 a third
year student at the Pikeville
College School of Osteopathic
Medicine.
Jocelyn Schaefer, age 4 months, daughter of
Jennifer (Whitaker) Schaefer ’00
Cecil Skaggs ‘00 is a Computer
Technician with Columbia
Integrated Technologies in
Columbia, MO.
Beth (Howard) Stubbs ’00 is a
Pharmacist and Part Owner of
Kilgore’s Medical Pharmacy in
Columbia, MO.
James Turner ’00 is a Deputy
Sheriff in the K9 Unit with the
Tulare County Sheriff’s
Department in Visalia, CA.
Joe Winters ’00 married Mary
Gilmore on September 9, 2006 in
Columbia, MO. The couple resides
in Columbia, MO. Winters is a
Recreation Supervisor at the
Missouri Department of
Corrections in Moberly.
38
Elizabeth Malm ’01 is a
Resident in Urology at the
University of Missouri-Columbia
Hospital.
Christopher Beale ’02 is in his
final year as a Youth and Community
Development Volunteer in the
Eastern Caribbean serving on the
island nation of Antigua and
Barbuda. As a PCV, Beale works
with government agencies and
local organizations to help
strengthen their capacity with a
focus on program design and
management. Beale also works
with schools and youth groups in
the context of the HIV/AIDS
epidemic.
Erica Darmstaedter ’02 is an
Agent Assistant and Customer
Service Representative with
American Family Insurance, Bill
Voss Agency in Ellisville, MO.
Amber Thompson ’01 married
Luke Shafer on August 26, 2006 in
Troy, MO. The couple resides in
Clarksville, MO. Thompson is the
President of the Bank of
Louisianna.
Nick Cacciabando ’03 is a
Senior Associate with Senior
Living Investment Brokerage in
St. Louis, MO.
Hillary (Haas) Clark ’03 is an
Environmental Specialist with the
Missouri Department of Natural
Resources in Jefferson City, MO.
Brandon Heath ’03 is a Branch
Manager with Regions Bank in
Collierville, TN.
Prity Vanmali ’02 married Curt
Stubinger on August 4, 2006 in
Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The couple
resides in Jefferson City, MO
where Vanmali is a Realtor with
Century 21.
Sarah (Idel) Watts ’02 and
husband Nathan welcomed son
Cameron Lee Watts on August 23,
2006. Cameron joins older brothers
Dawson, age 6, and Gabriel, age 1
1/2. Watts is a Senior Account
Executive with Pitney Bowes, Inc
out of the St Louis district. The
family resides in Columbia, MO.
Tyson Ross ’01 married Melissa
Meli on November 11, 2006. Ross
works for Promotion Incorporated
in St. Louis, MO.
Lauren (Burdolski) Taylor ’01
is the Assistant to the President of
uclick.com and gocomics, a
Division of Andrews McMeel
Universal, in Kansas City, MO.
Taylor is responsible for contracts
such as Garfield, Ziggy, Tokyo Pop
and Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles.
Kirksville College of Osteopathic
Medicine and will graduate in
June 2007.
Gabriel, Dawson and Cameron, sons of
Sarah (Idel) ’02 and Nathan Watts
Josh and Rhonda (Herndon) ’03
Kottemann
Whitney Locke ’03 married
Michael Holliday on June 3, 2006
in Hannibal, MO. The wedding
party included Christine
(McCaul) Howard ’03,
Whitney (Kinnard) Backsen
’03, Maggie O’Donnell ’03,
Lauren Humphrey ’03, Brett
Ellis ’03 and Lauren
Christmann ’03. The couple
resides in Hannibal, MO where
Locke is a 10th Grade History
Teacher. She received a Masters in
Education from the University of
Missouri-Columbia in 2004 and a
Specialist Degree in Educational
Administration from Willliam
Woods in 2006.
Amanda (Knight) Black ’03 is
a Pampered Chef Consultant in
Fayetteville, AR.
Amanda Brondel ’03 married
Jacob Rodemann on June 3, 2006
in Jefferson City, MO. The wedding
party included Aspen Burrow
’03 and Katie Farris ’03. The
couple resides in South Bend, IN.
Brondel is a Medical Student at
Whitney (Locke) ’03 and Michael
Holliday
CLASSNOTES
Amanda Masiel ’03 and Joshua
Jacob were married on September
2, 2006 in Cape Girardeau, MO.
The wedding party included Julie
(Binggeli) Hicklin ’03. The
couple resides in Nashville, TN
where Masiel is a Project
Consultant with Vanderbilt
University.
Dr. Amanda Signaigo, DC ’03
is the Owner and Chiropractor of
Tiger Family Chiropractic &
Wellness Center in Columbia,
MO.
Julie Slisz ’03 married Robert
Gastler ’05 on July 22, 2006 at
Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
in Columbia, MO. The wedding
party included Kristy
Halverson ’02 and Trisha
Peplinski ’06. The couple
resides in Columbia, MO. Slisz is a
High School Science Teacher at
Fulton Public Schools and Gastler
is studying Applied Mathematics
at the University of MissouriColumbia.
Amanda (Masiel) ’03 and Joshua Jacob
Brian Naslund ’03 married
Jessica Landsbury ’05 on
October 28, 2006 in the Church of
St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury.
The couple resides in Nixa, MO.
Nasland is a veterinarian technician with Gentle Care Animal
Hospital and Landsbury is a Youth
Care Worker in a residential facility for Burrell Behavioral Health.
Julie (Slisz) ’03 and Robert ’05 Gastler
Elizabeth (Moore) Stickley
’03 is a First Grade Teacher at
North Glendale Elementary in
Kirkwood, MO.
Jessica (Landsbury ’05) and Brian ’03
Naslund
Tiffany Norris ’03 and Gregory
Schwartz were married on July 8,
2006 in Fulton, MO. The wedding
party included Brad Harrigan
’03, Brandi Schubert ’03, Kate
McClain ’03 and Elisa Donnelly
’03. The couple resides in St.
Louis, MO where Norris is a Law
Clerk with Thompson Coburn
LLP.
Valerie Stuart ’03 graduated in
August 2006 from Webster
University with a Master’s Degree
in Secondary Mathematics. Stuart
is a Mathematics Teacher at Seckman
High School in Imperial, MO.
Lindsey Brondel ’04 married
Phil Pitts on July 22, 2006 in
Jefferson City, MO. The couple
resides in Jefferson City. Brondel
is an Office Support Staff III in the
Accounting Department at the
University of Missouri-Columbia.
Ben Young ’04, Scott Rigg
’04, Matt House ’06, Kali
Wright ’04 and Joanna
Carpenter ’06. The couple
Jackson is a third year medical
student at the University of
Missouri-Columbia and Leone is
the Assistant Store Manager at
Eddie Bauer.
Mira Doneva ’04 is a Senior
Consultant in Enterprise Risk
Services with Deloitte & Touche
LLP in St. Louis, MO.
Mira Doneva ’04 and Forrest
Ashley Driggers ’04 graduated
from the Accelerated Option at
Research College of Nursing with
a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing
in August 2006. Driggers is a
Registered Nurse in the Newborn
Nursery at Research Medical
Center in Kansas City, MO.
Kristen (Leone) ’06 and Danny ’04
Jackson
Lindsay Knight ’04 married
Denver Reigel on September 30,
2006. Knight is pursuing graduate
studies at the University of
Missouri-St. Louis.
Hope Eaton ’04 is an
Employment and Training
Counselor with Workforce
Oklahoma in Norman. Eaton
serves students in various nursing
programs.
Kasey Hames ’04 graduated
with a Master of Science (Reseach)
degree in Biology from St. Louis
University in May 2006. Hames
received the Outstanding Teaching
Assistant Award from both the
Biology Department and from the
Graduate School Association. She
is currently attending the
on a Life Sciences Fellowship to
pursue a PhD in Plant Sciences.
Brooke Jackson ’04 married
Whitney Mahar on September 16,
2006 in St. Lucia. The couple
resides in St. Louis, MO. Jackson
is an Interpretive Resource
Technician at Mastadon State
Historic Site in Imperial, MO.
Danny Jackson ’04 and
Kristen Leone ’06 were married
on October 13, 2006 at the
Church of St. Mary the Virgin,
Aldermanbury in Fulton, MO.
The wedding party included
David Jackson ’10, Pete
Miranti ’04, Dan O’Hearn ’04,
Gina Rackers ’03 is the Director
of Marketing Events with Graves
Menu Maker Foods in Jefferson
City, MO.
Katie Kramer ’04 is a Sales
Representative with PARS
International Corp. in New York,
NY.
Brooke (Jackson) ’04 and Whitney
Mahar
Blaire Leible ’04 married Ryan
Garwitz on June 24, 2006 in
Columbia, MO. The wedding
party included Sarah Muenks
’04, Kali Wright ’04 and
Brooke Jackson ’04. The
couple resides in Columbia,
MO. Leible graduated from the
in May 2006 with a Master’s in
Journalism and is an Information
Specialist at the State Historical
Society of Missouri.
Lindsey (Brondel) ’04 and Phil Pitts
39
CLASSNOTES
Montgomery County R-II Middle
School in Montgomery City, MO.
Adam Froidl ’05 is a Retail
Supervisor with Central Bank in
Jefferson City, MO.
Cameron Highsmith ’05 is
serving in the Peace Corps in
Ukraine.
Blaire (Leible) ’04 and Ryan Garwitz
Casey Maloney ’04 graduated
from nursing school in May 2006
and is a Registered Nurse in the
Emergency Room at Lake Regional
Hospital in Osage Beach, MO.
Eoghan Miller ’04 is pursuing a
Master’s Degree in US History at
the University of MissouriColumbia.
Jennifer (Jones) Walker ’04 is
a Lab Technician at St. Mary’s
Health Center in Jefferson City,
MO.
Sara Weir ’04 is a Public Policy
Specialist with B&D Consulting,
LLP in Washington, DC.
Brian White ’04 is attending
the University of South Dakota
Law School in Vermillion.
Jenny Wilkins ’04 is an
Equipment Consultant with Gray
Automotive Products Co. in St.
Joseph, MO. Wilkins is pursuing
an MBA at Baker University in
Overland Park, KS.
Josh Wright ’04 is an
Accountant with Cerner in
Kansas City, MO.
Sara Bagley ’05 is a Study
Coordinator in the Psychiatry
Research Lab at Washington
University School of Medicine in
St. Louis, MO.
Jeanette Bell ’05 is an Assistant
Coach for Women’s Basketball
and Soccer at Culver-Stockton
College in Canton, MO.
Patricia Catrow ’05 is a Care
Partner with Tenet Healthcare
working at St. Louis University
Hospital in St. Louis, MO.
Jessica Howe ’05 is pursuing
graduate studies in Anthropology
with an Archaeology focus at
Southern Illinios University
Carbondale. Howe is a Research
Assistant.
Valentin Leppert ’05 married
Jennifer Kerr on August 7, 2006 in
Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. The
couple resides in Atlanta, GA with
their son Carmine. Leppert is an
Investment Representative with
Edward Jones in Alpharetta, GA.
Amy Mengel ’05 is a Teacher at
St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church
Parent’s Day Out Program.
Mengel is pursuing a BSN at the
University of Arkansas for Medical
Sciences in Little Rock.
John Miller ’05 is pursuing a
Master’s in Education and Teaching
Credentials in History at Chapman
University in Orange, CA.
Sergey Morozov ’05 is a
Web Developer with Opus
Communications in Mission, KS.
Chris Nicholas ’05 has joined
the family grocery business at
Dave’s Country Market in
Boonville, MO.
Dorin Ciobanu ’06 is the
Deputy Director of Operations
and HUD and Tax Credit
Compliance Consultant with US
Housing Consultants in New
London, CT.
Ryan Dillon ’06 is a Personal
Aide to 4th District US
Representative Ike Skelton,
Chairman of the House Armed
Services Committee, in
Washington, DC.
Brian Dye ’06 married Kelly
Shepard ’08 on May 13, 2006 in
the Church of St. Mary the Virgin,
Aldermanbury on the Westminster
campus. The wedding party
included Derek Duncan ’07,
Josh Beck ’06 and Stephanie
Gordon ’08. Honorary bridesmaids included the Women of
Kappa Kappa Gamma and
honorary groomsmen included
the Men of Delta Tau Delta. The
couple resides in Fulton, MO
where Dye is pursuing a Masters
in Educational Leadership Policy
Anaylsis at the University of
Missouri-Columbia. Shepard is
completing her undergraduate
degree in Biology at Westminster
College and is a Reserved
Admissions Candiate at the
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Dental School.
Vanya Petkova ’05 works at
the Bulgarian Embassy in
Washington, DC.
Brad Taylor ’05 is a General
Manager with PRG Management
in St. Louis, MO.
Cassie Tritthart ’05 is the
Women’s Soccer Coach at Ozark
Christian College in Joplin, MO.
Adam Hans ’06 married
Michelle Latty on August 5, 2006
at the Church of St. Mary the
Virgin, Aldermanbury. The couple
resides in Fulton, MO. Hans is a
Salesman with Fastenal in
Columbia.
Jenna Manning ’06 is a Federal
Tax Associate with KPMG, LLP in
McLean, VA.
Lisa Moore ’06 married Mitchell
Jenkins on May 21, 2005 in
Eureka, MO. The couple resides in
Fulton, MO. Moore is an 8th
Grade Science Teacher with
Southern Boone County School
District in Ashland.
Patrick Morris ’06 is the
Director of Junior Development
in Arkanasas for the United States
Tennis Association. Morris is in
charge of working with all 18 and
under players, and trying to
improve the state of US tennis.
Luda Nazaria ’06 is a Marketing
Project Manager with CPI
Corporation in St. Louis, MO.
Emily Herzog ’09 was accepted
into the American University,
Washington Semester Program
and is spending the Spring 2007
in Washington, DC.
In Loving Memory
They were our classmates, our friends,
brothers and sisters. Together we
remember those who shared their lives
with us and left behind hearts full of
precious memories.
Kathryn “Kay” M. Lawrence
of Fulton, MO on December 6,
2006. Lawrence was a former
director of the men’s choir, “Men
of Song,” at Westminster College
from 1953-62. Lawrence’s sons
Gary ’66, Greg ’68 and Kenny
’75 attended Westminster.
Susan Sullivan ’05 is pursuing
a Doctor of Medicine degree at
the University of Arkansas for
Medical Sciences College of
Medicine.
Mark Clements ’05 is a 6th
Grade Social Studies Teacher at
40
Colby Beal ’06 is a Marketing
Representative with the Zimmer
Radio Group in Jefferson City,
MO and the surrounding areas.
Kelly (Shepard) ’08 and Brian ’06 Dye
Jared Genenbacher ’06 is
Special Education Teacher at
Saeger Middle School in the
Francis Howell School District in
St. Charles, MO.
Jim McGee of Fulton, MO on
November 27, 2006. McGee was
the husband of Barb McGee,
Executive Assistant to the Dean
of Enrollment Services.
Reverend Walter D. Langtry
’31 of Metairie, LA on September
Endowment Will…
Provide Support
A perpetual flow of annual gifts from
endowment will assist Westminster College
long after we are gone.
Promote Stability
Every endowment strengthens Westminster’s
financial base, helping Westminster to meet
current and future obligations and to
attract new donors.
Produce a Legacy
Dr. Richard Nierenberg ’77 delivers a six-figure check to President
Lamkin. Westminster College was a beneficiary of the Nierenberg
Charitable Remainder Unitrust.
Endowment will outlive us. It will be a timeless
record for future generations of our values and
our affection for Westminster College.
For free information on creating your own endowment
with Westminster College contact:
Rebecca (Becky) Zimmer, CFRE
Director of Planned Giving
(636) 448-1419 • (573) 592-5374
[email protected]
All inquiries are treated in complete confidence.
Anyone considering a life income gift should consult their legal or financial advisor.
A Bequest of…
Provides a perpetual
annual* gift of…
$2,000
$100
$5,000
$250
$10,000
$500
$25,000
$1,250
$50,000
$2,500
$100,000
$5,000
$500,000
$25,000
$1,000,000
$50,000
*Based on a 5% payment
41
CLASSNOTES
29, 2006. Langtry was a member
of Delta Tau Delta. He was the
Stated Clerk and Moderator of
North Mississippi Presbytery and
the New Orleans Presbytery and
Secretary of the Board of
Publications of Louisiana Synod.
Langtry was the organizing pastor
of Church of the Covenant. He
also served the Prytania Street
Church, the Sardis and Batesville
Churches in MS, as Student Pastor
at the University of Virginia, and
the St. Andrews Presbyterian
Church in St. Louis, MO. He also
helped organize the Greater New
Orleans Federation of Churches.
Langtry was a Board Member and
President of the Children’s Bureau
and the Seamen’s Bethel and was
a member of Kiwanis, the Round
Table of New Orleans and the
High 12 Club and held the
highest Masonic Offices. After he
retired in 1975, he served as
Interim Pastor in New Orleans
and other areas.
Reverend John A. Lampe ’33
of Delray Beach, FL and West
Dover, VT on September 17, 2006.
Lampe was a member of Delta Tau
Delta. He received an honorary
Doctorate of Divinity from
Westminster in 1955. In a 70 year
career as an ordained minister
Lampe served The First Presbyterian
Church of Jerseyville, IL, The
Rogers Park Presbyterian Church
in Chicago, IL, The Front Street
Presbyterian Church of Hamilton,
OH and Carmel Presbyterian
Church of Glenside, PA. Following
his retirement in 1977 he served
many churches in Pennsylvania
and Florida as interim pastor.
Lampe was also very active in the
Presbyterian Church on the local,
synod and national level. Lampe
was active in local issues, such as
building community centers,
promoting the growth of public
schools, and building life care
communities for the elderly.
Lampe authored numerous
short-stories and wrote several
books of commentary on
American life and faith.
42
R. K. Barton Jr. ’35 of St. Louis,
MO on October 20, 2006. Barton
was a member of Kappa Alpha
Order and the Skulls of Seven,
and served on the Alumni
Council. Barton was a second
lieutenant in the Army Reserve
and was called into active duty in
the Army shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He commanded
the 170th Engineering Battalion
of the Corps of Engineers and
took part in the invasion of the
Philippine Islands and Okinawa,
earning the rank of colonel by the
end of the war. Barton joined his
father’s business, Barton
Manufacturing Co. in St. Louis,
which produced DyanShine Shoe
Polish, serving as president of the
company until it was sold in the
mid-1960s. Barton served as president of The Players Theatrical
Group, chairman of the Ladue
Zoning and Planning Committee,
was active in the Landmarks
Association of St. Louis, historical
preservation projects in Jefferson
County and the Boy Scouts of
America.
Dr. D. T. Knight ’41 of Joplin,
MO on November 18, 2006.
Knight was a member of Delta
Tau Delta. He served as a B-25
Bomber Pilot in the US Army Air
Corps and retired as Lt. Col. with
over 20 years service with the US
Air Force Reserves. He saw active
duty in both World War II and
Korea and obtained several awards
and citations including the Silver
Star, Distinguished Flying Cross,
Distinguished Unit Badge, Air
Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters, and
the World War II Victory Medal.
Knight retired from his career in
broadcasting as General Manager
at KODE-TV in 1975. Knight was
past president of the Joplin area
Chamber of Commerce and was
Outstanding Chamber Citizen in
1974. He served on the Board of
Directors for Freeman Health
Systems, Twin Hills Golf and
Country Club, United Missouri
Bank and the Joplin Family Y.
Dwane S. Icenogle ’47 of
Kansas City, MO. on August 8,
2006. Icenogle was a member of
Delta Tau Delta and the Skulls of
Seven. He was a veteran of WWII,
serving in the US Marine Corps,
later joining the Naval Reserve,
from which he retired as Lt.
Commander. He was a 39-year
employee of Liberty Mutual
Insurance Company, and was a
lifelong member of the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ).
Leonard V. Luna ’50 of
Springfield, MO on June 25, 2005.
Carl E. Pitts ’50 of Three Rivers,
CA on October 26, 2006. Pitts was
a member of Kappa Alpha. He was
Chair of the Social/Behavioral
Department at Webster College in
St. Louis, MO during the early
sixties. Other teaching positions
included United States International
University, Dept. of Psychology
(San Diego) and California School
for Professional Psychology,
Section Head (San Diego). Later,
he became a business consultant,
developing training programs for
clients ranging from General
Electric’s aerospace division to
Citibank in Asia Pacific. Pitts
founded Maestro for An Evening,
a group of eight fellow aficionados
who met once a month to share
favorite music selections. Pitts
helped form a Three Rivers political
group working for a change in US
leadership. Pitts loved the ocean
and the Sierra foothills, and he
enjoyed playing golf and woodworking.
Hoyt A. Shotwell ’51 of
Keokuk, IA on September 22,
2006. He played baseball at
Westminster and and received a
master’s in education from the
University of Missouri. Shotwell
began teaching at Keokuk Junior
High School in 1953, where he
taught 7th grade geography until
his retirement in 1985. He served
in the Navy from 1942-45, aboard
the mine sweeper Scirmish in the
South Pacific. He was a lifetime
member of the National Education
Association and Iowa State
Education Association. He was a
member Trinity United Methodist
Church, where he tended the rose
garden for many years. Shotwell
took up carpentry after retirement
and enjoyed building furniture
and repairing and refinishing
antiques in his workshop.
Dr. Charles C. Abel ’52 of St.
Louis, MO on October 23, 2006.
Abel was a member of Sigma
Alpha Epsilon. Abel was an
Internist at Barnes Hospital for
41 years.
William A. Tedrick ’54 of
Vandalia, IL on March 24, 2006.
Tedrick was a member of Sigma
Alpha Epsilon. He was a retired
Manager at Vandalia Citizens
Savings and Loans.
Wilfred E. Botterbush ’61 of
Rolla, MO on October 4, 2006.
Botterbush was a member of Phi
Kappa Psi. He served in the US
Army in Vietnam and the Panama
Canal. Botterbush was a member
of the Rolla Masonic Lodge and
the Order of the Eastern Star. He
enjoyed fishing, hunting, gardening and providing a dynamic
fireworks display each 4th of July
for his neighbors.
Otto J. Miller II ’62 of Godrey,
IL on August 6, 2006. Miller was a
member of Sigma Chi. Miller was
the Owner of Money Concepts
Financial Planning Center in
Alton, IL for 25 years. He was a
former Army reservist and a
member of the First Presbyterian
Church, Eagles Alton Aerie 254,
Piasa Masonic Lodge 27, Shrine
and was a Tennessee Squire.
James A. Reinke ’62 of St.
Louis, MO on July 30, 2006.
Reinke was a member of Beta
Theta Pi. Reinke had a long dance
career with Arthur Murray in
Boston, later managing studios in
San Antonio and Beaumont. He
also worked with the disabled and
taught high school equivalency
courses. Reinke retired in 2001
and enjoyed his extensive library,
his cats and many pen-pals
around the country.
David G. Schumacher Jr. ’77
of Trophy Club, TX on August 28,
2006. Schumacher was a member
of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
Schumacher was a member of
Hope Lodge 251, Washington,
Scottish Rite and Shriners. He
graduated from the University
of Missouri-Columbia, with an
MBA and a master’s of hospital
administration.
Dave J. Wiethop ’84 of
Orlando, FL on October 18, 2006.
Wiethop was a member of Phi
Gamma Delta. Wiethop distinguished himself throughout a 22year writing career as a reporter,
columnist and award-winning
editor. He worked as a reporter in
Flat River, MO, Galesburg, IL,
Kokomo, IN, Elgin, IL and Winter
Haven, FL. He was editor of the
Fulton Sun and won numerous
awards. He also served as writer
and editor of several trade magazines in Chicago and Orlando.
At the time of his death he was
editor of The Watermark in
Orlando. Wiethop was a member
of Orlando Metropolitan Church.
Alumni Update Form
Name:
Maiden Name:
Class Year:
Living Group:
Spouse Name:
Home Address:
Home Phone:
Preferred E-Mail:
Work Name:
Title:
Work Address:
Work Phone and Fax:
News:
All alumni class notes
received after 12/13/06
will appear in the next
Westminster College • Office of Alumni and College Relations
edition of Leadership.
[email protected] • www.westminster-mo.edu
501 Westminster Avenue • Fulton, MO 65251-1299
Westminster Honors Retiring Professors
Ben Budde, Peter Haigh, Ann Lael,
Hank Ottinger and Mike Williams
Alumni Weekend - April 20, 2007
3pm – 5pm, Wallace H. Coulter Science Center Lecture Hall
If you would like to include a card, memory or memento in their scrapbooks,
please send by April 1 to:
Westminster College • Office of Alumni and College Relations
501 Westminster Avenue • Fulton, MO 65251

Winter 2007 - Westminster College

Transcription

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