BogAugury - Kalamazoo College

THE MAGAZINE OF KALAMAZOO COLLEGE
S P R I N G
2 0 0 7
BogAugury
Consulting wetland prophets
is a matter for all majors.
Homecoming 2006!
N
ot everyone
shaved chest hair
into “K” shapes!
However, more than
600 returning
alumni joined
current students to
share school spirit
and good times
during last fall’s
homecoming
festivities.
M
att Bunkowski ’00
enjoys Friday festivities
with President WilsonOyelaran and her
husband, Sope.
S
pirited Dads: Monty Okey,
with pennant, parent of
Liz Okey ’07, and John Franchi,
with turkey, parent of
John Franchi ’09.
H
omecoming means
sharing memories with
professors. Steven
Latta ’81 (right photo,
center) and his wife
Naomi Callado
reminisce with
Professor Emeritus
of Mathematics
George Nielsen.
West Nelson ’81 (inset
photo on facing page)
shares a laugh with
Gail Griffin, the Ann V.
and Donald R. Parfet
Distinguished
Professor of English.
P
ep rally pyramids prompt a
spirited response.
To give a gift: www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
d
2
LUXESTO
P
rovost Gregory Mahler accepts an
extraordinary gift from the Class of 1966
during its Homecoming dinner. The Class
used the occasion of its 40th reunion to
raise more than $100,000—the largest
combined gift given by a class in support
of scholarships for students. (The reunion
photo of these generous individuals
appears on page 28).
D
H
irector of Women’s
Athletics Kristen Smith
and her daghter, Andrea.
omecoming is many things to
many people — smiles and
friendships, both new and renewed,
and an occasional tuba solo.
O
n your mark.
set...Saturday
morning’s 5K run
takes off into a
weekend of
Homecoming fun.
H
omecoming means alumni awards
and Athletic Hall of Fame inductions.
Alumni awardees (right photo) joining
President Wilson-Oyelaran (center)
and Alumni Assocation Executive
Board President David Easterbrook ’69
(right) were (l-r): Amy Mantel Hale ’66,
Distinguished Service Award; Bernard
Palchick, Weimer K. Hicks Award; and
Helen Pratt Mickens ’76, Distinguished
Achievement Award. The 2006 Athletic
Hall of Fame inductees (left photo)
pictured with President WilsonOyelaran and David Easterbrook
include (l-r): Tom Anagnost ’95,
soccer; Brett Robbins ’98, swimming;
and Cara Marker ’96, volleyball. Not
pictured is Les Dodson ’58, tennis.
d
d
Table of Contents
A fellowship in learning:
at home in the world
3
LUXESTO
SPRING 2007
Volume 68, No. 3
EDITORS
Jim VanSweden ’73
Zinta Aistars
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Lisa Darling
SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR
Steve Wideen
PUBLICATIONS ASSISTANT
Lynnette Gollnick
PHOTOGRAPHY
Ed McKinney (including cover)
Keith Mumma
Emma Perry ’08
Elizabeth (Sloan) Smith ’73
DESIGN
Watson DeZin
PRINTER
Performance Communications
Holland Litho
DIRECT CORRESPONDENCE TO:
The Editor, LuxEsto
Kalamazoo College
1200 Academy Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49006
269.337.7291
[email protected]
Opinions expressed herein do not
necessarily represent the views of
Kalamazoo College or the editors.
LuxEsto (ISSN 1526-7997) is
published quarterly by Kalamazoo
College, 1200 Academy Street,
Kalamazoo, MI 49006 USA.
Printed in the United States of
America. Periodicals postage paid at
Kalamazoo, Michigan, and at
additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Please send address
changes to LuxEsto, Kalamazoo
College, 1200 Academy Street,
Kalamazoo, MI 49006
© April 2007
Features
8 – Careers for the Common Good
by Sara Wiener ’03
Two graduates discuss the elements of a
Kalamazoo College education that motivated
them to careers of service to others.
14 – Triple Major by Emma Perry ’08
Collegiate sports at Kalamazoo College is a
vital learning experience for many students.
The career of Susie (Anderson) Dubeck ’98
shows why.
20 – Botswana Bound, Both Ways
by Zinta Aistars
Kalamazoo College has opened a new study
abroad center at the University of Botswana,
and the exchange of faculty and staff goes
both ways.
22 – How to Play Six-Handed Canasta
by Jeff Palmer ’76
You don’t need cards for this game, and you
don’t need a degree in music. Friendships
and a liberal arts background will suffice.
CORRECTIONS
r. Binney
Girdler
(right) would
seem to be
consulting the
stars during an
autumn early
morning science
trek to a
northern peat
bog located near
campus. But
divination in this
wetland is not a
matter of reading
the stars, but
rather the hard
science of
measuring,
recording, and
discussing
changes over
time in the leaf
morphology of a
bog denizen
called the
northern pitcher
plant. At stake?
The future of
these fascinating
wetlands, and
learning what it
means to be a
citizen of the
planet.
d
Dan Wort is a proud member of the Class of 1990; in fact he’s the
class agent. In the Winter LuxEsto we incorrectly placed his
classnote and photo of his three children and misspelled Dan’s
name. In the article on LEED certification, we failed to
adequately and accurately portray the communal nature of the
student-led effort. Many individuals and groups were
instrumental to the decision to pursue LEED certification at the
silver level for the renovation of Hicks Center. These individuals
and groups included, among others, Rob Morrison; Erin Agee;
Rob Foley; Emily Fraser; Emily Dayton; EnvOrg, the student
environmental association; D.I.R.T., the campus organic
gardening club; and the College’s recycling crew. LuxEsto
apologizes for these errors.
The name LuxEsto is based on the College’s official motto, Lux esto, “be light.”
D
WRITERS
Jeff Palmer ’76
Zinta Aistars
Sara Wiener ’03
Emma Perry ’08
4
LUXESTO
Letters
G
“ ot a
favorite
story or
strong
memory
about your
life as a
Kalamazoo
College
student, one
that
captures the
essence of
your college
experience?
We want it.”
Special Letter
So wrote LuxEsto last winter, on behalf of Professor of Sociology Bob
Stauffer and alumna Marlene Francis ’58 (who is currently writing a history
of the College). A number of graduates sent their recollections to Bob and
Marlene. LuxEsto is pleased to reprint several, beginning with a story from
Lisa Daleiden-Brugman ’93. She is a Chicago Public Schools teacher and
was on maternity leave when she wrote “10 Weeks.”
10 Weeks
The artistry of the Kalamazoo Plan lured us in. Endless opportunities and
incredible adventures awaited us. However, the reality of 10-week
quarters and the constant change and upheaval really stressed us out. At
first I wondered if I would make it to graduation. In the end, this
organized confusion molded me into a flexible and more courageous
person. I realized that great things could happen in short periods of time.
Like most dewy-eyed freshmen, I came to college with only a vague
hope of what my future might hold. I initially declared anthropology and
religion as my major and minor, mostly based on a subliminal desire to
be a female Indiana Jones. While the structure of freshman year
remained fairly normal, my intense 10-week courses put me through the
wringer. Dr. Gary Dorrien made me quickly realize that the academics of
religion were incredibly cerebral and philosophical. I found “Cultural
Anthropology” with Dr. Marigene Arnold fascinating, but I worked my
butt off for a “C.” Not a very glamorous beginning for my swashbuckling
archaeology career.
I felt disillusioned. Luckily, in 10 weeks I could take a whole new
course load and try something else! This comforted me in a way. The
constant change allowed me to sample majors like sampling salad
toppings in the cafeteria. The weeks took on certain characteristics.
Week 1 – What’s this class going to be about? Should I drop it?
Week 2 – What reading is actually required to pass the tests?
Weeks 3 & 4 – I had better get going on some of this work.
Week 5 – Midterms already?
Sophomore year began normally. Jokes were made about freshmen
dating sophomores and how they would not see each other back on
campus until five quarters later. The Kalamazoo Plan did not go easy on
inter-class relationships. Or, on the flip side, it provided a real trial-byfire. Is she a true friend or just someone to commiserate with after class?
5
Am I in love with him or is it just a phase I’m going through? Along with the
intense courses, the pressure to declare a major, and the roller coaster social life,
we needed to research and apply for a career development (CD) position for the
spring. I had, by this time, considered somewhat seriously a major in English
and, later, computer science. I was looking for direction. However, while
perusing the binders of possibilities at the CD center, a position in Chevy Chase,
Md., caught my eye: an environmental educator at the Audubon Naturalist
Society. A little left field, yes. But I was tired of answering the what’s-your-major
question and really just wanted to do something fun and cool.
Little did I know that I would be so challenged and changed by my casual
desire to head to the east coast and be a granola-girl for 10 weeks. I think back
with awe to all that happened in that short span of time. I could write at some
length about the lessons of self-reliance I learned. Having no car, I relied on my
bike to do everything—grocery shop, go to the laundromat, get to and from
work, etc. I lived with an elderly woman and found myself lonely for maybe the
first time ever. Then my bike got stolen and I was stranded! All of these
experiences changed me to be sure, but then there was the matter of my
miraculously becoming a teacher in those 10 weeks.
I did not even know it had happened, but when I look back, a seed had been
planted. It lay dormant for awhile, but it soon grew and became much like the
dill weed that currently thrives in my yard. Sometimes it takes over every spare
inch of open soil, choking other plants out. But eradicating it is impossible.
Every year there are still a few dill plants poking up somewhere. Ever since my
internship I have been unable to stop teaching, whether it was woodworking to
summer camp kids or tutoring individual students in my home while my
children nap. There are very few things that are as rewarding or challenging or
important.
Without the Kalamazoo Plan would I have had the chance to discover this
passion? Would I have had the courage to choose my path in life and then
constantly alter it? Would I have made such lifelong friends? The Kalamazoo Plan
transforms you, or distills you, or frees you…or something like that, and I find
that I continue to live life according to some of its precepts:
Rule 1 – Travel light. Everything might be different next quarter.
Rule 2 – Jump right in. She who hesitates misses the first half of the quarter.
Rule 3 – It is okay to be a constantly changing person. My dreams change
and what I am capable of continually expands. This makes me powerful. This
makes me a Kalamazoo College graduate.
Lisa Daleiden-Brugman
d
60 Years
of Bach
Building
6
LUXESTO
Henry Overley
and (inset photo)
James Turner.
At right, Overley
directs the Bach
Festival in Stetson
Quad
ON THE
Chapel.
7
T
he Bach Festival Society of Kalamazoo celebrates two milestones this season—a 60th birthday and a
10th anniversary. The birthday’s the Society’s; and the anniversary belongs to its fifth director,
Associate Professor of Music James Turner. In 1946, his original predecessor, Kalamazoo College
Professor of Music Dr. Henry Overley, founded the choral music organization for the purpose of
bringing to the widest possible audience in southwest Michigan the very best vocal, choral, and
instrumental music. Subsequent Bach Festival directors have included Russell Hammar, Judith
Breneman, and Peter Hopkins. Originally, the Festival was one week of intensive concert programming
culminating in the performance of a major symphonic choral work by Johann Sebastian Bach.
But today the Festival spans an entire academic year and features educational programs, guest-artist
performances, Bach Legacy Lectures, a “Bach-Around-the-Clock” Organ Crawl, a Young Vocalists
Competition, a High School Choral Festival, master classes for young singers, performances with the
Kalamazoo Symphony, the annual Christmas concert, and a gala finale performance of a major work—not
necessarily by Bach (recent finales have included Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s Lord Nelson
Mass, and Handel’s Messiah). The Festival’s repertoire today includes Bach’s contemporaries, as well as 19thand 20th-century composers.
Turner, in his 10th year as director, has re-inspired the Society’s zeitgeist of connecting Kalamazoo
College students with a wide variety of members of the southwest Michigan community—all sharing their love of
great music. This year’s season is appropriately named “Bach and Beyond—Celebrating 60 Years of Music.”
The season so far has included: the 9th annual High School Choral Festival, which featured clinician
Dr. Dirk Garner, Oklahoma State University, and 10 local high school choirs; the Bach Legacy Lecture,
during which Garner took the audience on an exploration of J.S. Bach’s B minor Mass; and the 3rd annual
Middle School Outreach program with visits to six local middle schools by clinician Kristina Boerger.
Still to come:
Young Vocalists Competition and Concert. May 12, Light Fine Arts Building, Kalamazoo College, 4 P.M.
“Bach-Around-the-Block” Organ Crawl featuring works performed on the organs of downtown Kalamazoo
churches. May 14.
The finale concert: J.S. Bach’s greatest choral masterwork, the B minor Mass, featuring the Kalamazoo
Symphony Orchestra, guest vocal soloists (including Kalamazoo College alumni Susan Lyle ’73 and Keven Keyes
’92), the Bach Festival Chorus and Kalamazoo College Singers. May 19, Second Reformed Church, 7:30 P.M.
d
8
LUXESTO
Careers
FOR THE
COMMON GOOD
T
he Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for
Service-Learning brought six Kalamazoo area
alumni to campus to speak about their
“Careers for the Common Good.” They
included: Andrea Augustine ’00 from the City of
Kalamazoo, D’Angelo Bailey ’05 from Jeter’s
Leaders, Rayline Manni ’97 from Partners Building
Community, Suprotik Stotz-Ghosh ’95 and Ronda
(Cunningham) Webber ’97 from the Greater
Kalamazoo United Way, and Shawn Tenney ’04
from the Edison Neighborhood Association. They
spoke about their paths into the nonprofit sector,
their motivations to work in the local community,
and the role Kalamazoo College played in their
career choices. The stories of two panelists follow.
As this issue went to press, we learned that
Suprotik took a new position at the W.E. Upjohn
Institute for Employment Research.
D’Angelo Bailey ’05
On a Tuesday afternoon two high school
students, Eric and Erika, search the second floor
of Kalamazoo College’s Olds-Upton Hall for
D’Angelo Bailey, coordinator of Jeter’s Leaders in
Kalamazoo. The weekly Tuesday afternoon
study session is a component of Jeter’s Leaders,
the signature program of the Turn 2 Foundation,
which was created by Kalamazoo native and
New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. Eric
and Erika never miss.
D’Angelo Bailey runs a
study group for local kids.
Quad
ON THE
Today Erica needs assistance on a paper she’s
writing for her English class. D’Angelo talks to
her about topic sentences and arranging her
thoughts into paragraphs that build on each
other. “I don’t want to get another ‘C’,” she
laments. D’Angelo looks directly at Erica.
“A ‘C’ is average, and you are not average. Let’s
get started.”
The oldest child in a single-parent family
growing up in a section of Chicago often plagued
by gang violence, D’Angelo Bailey remembers
well the lessons his mother taught him about
what it takes to excel. When D’Angelo received
his first ‘C’ in a high school geometry class, his
mother grounded him for a month. “She
wouldn’t let me settle for average, and she got
her point across. There were no ‘C’s after that.”
D’Angelo finished high school and became
the first male in his family to graduate from
college, a success story he attributes to the
support of his mother and his professors. At
Kalamazoo College D’Angelo discovered, and
then used, a network of supports and resources
that included his mentor of five years, John
Fink, the Rosemary K. Brown Professor in
Mathematics and Computer Science. “My math
skills improved dramatically with the
encouragement of Dr. Fink. His support lifted
me up, and I want to give that kind of support
to others.”
During the summer after graduation,
D’Angelo helped Professor Fink administer a
math camp on Kalamazoo College’s campus for
low-income, Kalamazoo-area youth. John
encouraged D’Angelo to explore a job with Jeter’s
Leaders, (the Turn 2 Foundation was
the primary funding source for John’s
summer math camp). After two
interviews, D’Angelo was hired to
coordinate Jeter’s Leaders in
Kalamazoo. He runs study groups,
plans leadership events, facilitates
volunteer opportunities, mentors, and
travels with the students to conferences
and college tours.
D’Angelo’s experiences in the Mary
Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for
Service-Learning helped prepare him
for this work. “As an elementary
school tutor, I worked not only with
young children but also teachers and
parents. I learned how to handle and
present myself with individuals of all
ages, which was wonderful preparation
for my job today.”
His varied undergraduate
9
experiences helped develop his leadership ability.
He served as the president of the Black Student
Organization and as a residence hall advisor for the
College’s student development operation. He was a
member of Student Commission, the Student
Activities Committee, and the Admission
department’s “K”-Crew. He played on the men’s
basketball team and later worked as an assistant
coach. With this academic and extracurricular
load, D’Angelo was busy, and he learned quickly
how to manage his time to make the most out of
his college life. This is an important skill he
teaches his students. “I see myself in them; I
realize the tremendous potential they have; and I
want to be very involved in this work in this
community for a very long time.”
Suprotik Stotz-Ghosh ’95
An effective way to catch the attention of Suprotik
Stotz-Ghosh is with a good slogan. Prior to his
freshman year at “K,” the Southfield (Mich.) high
school student and second-generation Asian
American received a T-shirt from Kalamazoo
College that read: “The World is our Campus.”
Those words spoke to his interest in discovering
the world beyond the United States. Four years
and a Kalamazoo College degree (English) later,
another tagline—this one associated with The
Forum for Kalamazoo County—began to influence
his plans for his future: “If you want to change the
world, the best place to start is your own backyard.”
At the time, Suprotik was considering a career
as a writer, and toward that end he had enrolled in
a M.F.A. program in creative writing at Western
Michigan University (WMU). He also took a job at
The Forum for Kalamazoo County, housed at the
L. Lee Stryker Center at Kalamazoo College. Even
though he lacked experience in the community
organizing nonprofit sector, Suprotik was drawn to
the earnestness and dedication of the staff at The
Forum and to its mission to engage and improve
the local community.
As The Forum’s special projects director,
Suprotik worked closely with community groups
to facilitate the expansion of the KalHaven bicycle
trail (which currently runs from South Haven to
Kalamazoo) eastward to Battle Creek. In addition
to classes and his job, he also worked part time to
support volunteers of Healthy Futures, a
Kalamazoo nonprofit dedicated to ending domestic
violence and poverty. Eventually his focus for his
career and future began to shift—community
building became primary and writing secondary.
Suprotik saw firsthand the extraordinary
compassion and care for others evident in
volunteers, and he was humbled and inspired.
He became the associate director of
community investment for the Greater Kalamazoo
United Way (GKUW). But he also taught
undergraduate playwriting workshops at WMU (he
received his M.F.A. from that institution in 2001),
and he continues to write.
At GKUW, he worked closely with the
volunteers and member agencies that allocate and
receive GKUW funding. “In addition to funding 43
member agencies, GKUW’s Community
Investment Division is involved in more than 30
community partnerships,” he says. “These
partnerships address issues such as healthcare for
the uninsured, workforce development, and youth
leadership development.”
Suprotik says his education at Kalamazoo
College prepared him well for nonprofit human
service work. “‘The World is our Campus’
advocates tolerance and compassion,” he adds. “It
emphasizes that relationships must extend beyond
ourselves. In addition, Kalamazoo College, and
particularly my English degree, taught me to think
broadly and to synthesize; those skills have been
assets to me in the human service sector.”
Suprotik hopes that more college graduates
will choose the nonprofit sector for their careers.
“Nonprofits are often
viewed as ‘nice’—what
one does before or after
one’s ‘real job.’” Building
on the success of the
“Careers for the Common
Good” presentation,
Suprotik is working with
the College’s Alumni
Relations office to develop
additional panel
discussions and job
shadowing opportunities
in the nonprofit sector for
Kalamazoo College
students.
“I feel very fortunate
to have attended ‘K’
because the College
fosters an environment
that teaches its graduates
that the world is their
home and encourages
them to make it better.”
Suprotik StotzGhosh with
Mairead Corrigan
Maguire at the
Great Lakes Peace
d
Jam Youth
Conference in
Kalamazoo.
10
LUXESTO
BogAugury
F
or eons, seers have tried to divine the future by
interpreting various signs—from animal
entrails to crystal balls, tea leaves to tarot cards.
You might have heard of I Ching’s 49 yarrow
stalks, but the shoulder blades of Scottish
sheep? (Yep—it was called scapulimancy, with
prognostication obvious from the cracks in the
bone after it was thrown into a fire).
More familiar was the predictive potential of
the movement of the stars. And that wasn’t considered
hocus-pocus. No self-respecting progressive university
in the late Middle Ages lacked a chair of the
astrological sciences.
Binney Girdler, Ph.D., is not that chair at
Kalamazoo College, and the assistant professor of
biology’s “Environmental Science” class isn’t exactly
“Augury 101.” Nevertheless, students in that class are
learning about the divination powers of S. purpurea,
the northern pitcher plant.
And because science is a contact sport in this
course for non-majors,
students traipse to the
home field (a
floating mat,
actually) of
the
carnivorous little oracles, which means getting their
feet wet. And that’s where learning gets kind of
romantic (although, perhaps the phrase “liberal artsish” better conveys the expansiveness that exceeds
confinements such as “career relevance”—the
difference, say, between touching a pitcher plant in its
habitat versus seeing a picture of one in a book or on
TV)—romantic because pitcher plants live in those
most otherworldly (and wonderfully named)
wetlands: bogs and fens. Such nomenclature may have
something to do with the varied work product of this
particular biology class. Dr. Girdler’s students not only
learn and do good science, they also have written bog
poems, created bog reflection paragraphs, composed a
bog rap, and, in one case, authored a prizewinning
play set (where else?) in a bog.
“Bogs and fens.” The very names conjure fog,
darkness, and a preternatural stillness. But the Sunday
morning that Dr. Girdler and her class venture to
Bishop’s Bog (about five miles south of campus, in
Portage) is a blue autumn day, chilly and sunlit. And
the expedition’s scientific purposes are just as clear
and focused—one of which is to thoroughly immerse
students who have no plans to pursue careers in
science into the practice, power, and limits of
scientific inquiry—
important stuff to
know for any
citizen of the planet
no matter what he
or she may choose
for a career. A
second purpose is
to seek ways to
foretell—and
preserve—the
future of this kind
of ecological system
in general and
Bishop’s Bog in
particular.
According to
Dr. Girdler, the City
of Portage hopes to
preserve Bishop’s
Bog as a bog and a
public park. Toward
that end the City
commissioned a
study of the
wetland in 2001. A
Students record data
on pitcher plant leaves.
11
Dr. Binney Girdler leads her Environmental
Science class onto Bishop’s Bog.
University of Michigan research botanist found
Bishop’s Bog to be the largest and finest “raised peat
bog” in Southwest Michigan. And it turns out that the
likelihood of finding a bog of this quality any further
south is quite small. In other words, Bishop’s Bog is a
valuable resource, the health of which is well worth
protecting, one reason Dr. Girdler’s class makes this
trek every fall.
“The natural succession of a lake is to eventually
become forest,” she says. “A bog represents one
process of the wetland-to-forest succession.”
A bog is a floating mass of sphagnum moss (peat,
or “very young coal,” says Dr. Girdler). The mat can
reach a mass of 12 or more feet, with new growth atop
a vast swath of dead but un-decomposed plant matter.
A bog’s sole source of water is rain, and the highly
acid quality of bog water retards decomposition. Every
so often the news will carry a story of a bog that
releases from its timeless embrace a centuries-old
corpse that’s remarkably intact, with leathery skin and
flesh still covering the bones.
“Bogs are inhospitable places for the organisms
that decompose organic matter,” explains Dr. Girdler.
“They are nutrient poor and nitrogen deficient, which
means they’re not
such good places
for plants to make
a living either.”
How does a
pitcher plant do it? In part, by turning carnivore.
Pitcher plants take their name from leaves that curl
into pitcher-like tubes that trap and drown insects.
The “pitcher” provides a haven for various
decomposers that mineralize nitrogen and other
nutrients from the dead prey for absorption by the
plant.
Other plants have evolved ways to cope with (and
thrive in) this nitrogen-deficient environment, and
insects and animals have come to depend on these,
together forming a distinctive bog-supported “web of
life” with diverse and strange denizens—like a plant
that eats “meat,” so to speak.
Ironically, an influx of nitrogen and nutrients
would threaten an ecological system that developed
uniquely as a result of their absence. That threat exists
today. Nitrogenous pollutants pose a widespread
environmental problem, which, worldwide, has
proven more intractable than others because the
To give a gift: www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
12
LUXESTO
human sources of nitrogen pollution are less localized
and less easily regulated. Humankind also lacks an
accurate small-scale measure of nitrogen deposition
over time.
Is the bog ecosystem at risk of losing the
fundamental characteristic that makes it a bog?
Scattered tea leaves or the organs of a slaughtered goat
won’t help with that question.
What’s needed is an elegant long-term biological
marker sensitive in some way to the influx of
nitrogen. Such a marker could help the City of
Portage monitor the health of its bog, which is
vulnerable to changes in water flow resulting from
nearby development and to fertilizer run-off.
Enter S. purpurea!
The pitcher plant lives long (more than 50 years),
and recent experiments suggest it changes its leaf
shape in any growing season in response to
fluctuations in nitrogen levels.
“When nitrogen is deficient the plant grows its
leaves into the carnivorous pitchers it needs to
thrive,” says Dr. Girdler. “But there is a photosynthetic
cost to that curled shape due to less leaf area available
to catch sunlight.” Nevertheless, the benefit exceeds
the cost when environmental nitrogen levels are low.
When those levels are high, however, the plant will
grow flatter leaves in order to catch more sunlight.
And so it is to these “Cassandras” of bog health
that Dr. Girdler’s students wet-march this Sunday
morning, calipers in hand, to measure leaf shapes.
They are careful, choosing an adequate sample of
some 150 plants and taking into account each plant’s
location’s exposure to sun and shade. They collect
data on other surrogate markers of bog well-being,
including pH measurements and surveys of tamarack
(a bog citizen) and invasive plant species (definitely
not bog citizens, and likely to overwhelm indigenous
species if pollution changes the bog environment).
“We share our data with the City,” says Dr.
Girdler. The City and the class members also share the
concern that human activities do not hasten the
demise of this incredible ecosystem. And so every fall
they’ll consult the pitcher plant prophets.
“The beauty of a biological marker like the
pitcher plant is that it is onsite all of the time,
collecting and expressing data in the morphology of
its leaves,” says Dr. Girdler.
By noon the class has packed its tools and
notebooks. These “other-than-science” majors will
collate and interpret their data, then share it for
discussion among themselves.
Because of a bog’s strangeness (floating mats
many feet thick, ghosts that keep their flesh, plants
that eat insects rather than the other way around) it’s
easy to imagine the area after the class has departed—
a place where life would seem unlikely, yet where life
has evolved (and triumphed) into something fantastic.
And vulnerable.
It seems right to hope that at least one student
imagines that Bishop’s Bog holds a secret corpse—six
centuries old and uncorrupted. And many feet above
its entanglement in dead sphagnum moss pitcher
plants live, their leaves growing in shapes that seem to
sing the words, “May it long be so.”
d
Gaining nutrients the carnivorous way
13
EXCERPTS FROM
Phenomenon of Decline
...a one-act play by Joe
Tracz ’04, earned first
place at the 2005
American College Theatre
Region III New
Playwrights Program
Competition. The play
tells the story of Randolph
Wonder, a 30-year-old
writer struggling to deal
with the childhood
disappearance of his twin
brother in a swamp.
Wonder is visited by his
girlfriend and three sisters
who all try to convince
him to leave his log cabin,
which is literally sinking
into a bog. “I thought the
image of a house sinking
into the earth would be an
appropriate metaphor for
that kind of emotional
state,” says Tracz. “I set
the play in a bog because
I’d studied bogs in
Environmental Science
class, which I guess makes
the play a direct product of
a liberal arts education!”
d
“ Bo g R e f l e c t i o n P a ra g r a ph s ”
written by students in Dr. Binney Girdler’s fall 2006
“Environmental Science” class
“I didn’t think I would be excited to see this
particular Sunday morning: cold, early, ‘K’ College
activity. Not usually my favorite combination of
elements. However, the sun beat down on us
through chilly atmosphere to paint a perfect
autumnal landscape, and it was beautiful. Bishop’s
Bog proved to be a brilliant landscape to discover
different kinds of organisms in their proper
ecosystem. My experiences with nature are often so
stilted and altered by the parameters imposed by
technology that I found it easy to ignore the cold
and simply enjoy the moist touch of life, of the
organic on my fingertips as I measured plant after
pitcher plant. My feet eventually grew comfortable
with the extra work the bog imposed on them, and
I particularly enjoyed the beauty of the sphagnum
moss – some of it looks like little stars! When I
had time to leave my group, I found an uprooted
tree and sat against it, looking out in every
direction. The sky canvassed in clouds, I began to
think of people who had only known nature, of
people who lived and died without witnessing the
advent of automobiles and mobile phones, the
technological messiahs without which we students
of today would not be able to enjoy the life of the
bog.”
“It’s surprising to me that such a large area of
seemingly undisturbed, wild land could exist in the
midst of a city. I hope that we see some animals,
but I suspect we won’t, as there are so many of us
out here. I wonder how long it will take nature to
recoup from our invasion of it today. I also love the
vast mix of colors that I see all around me. It’s like
the typical stereotype of what one would call
‘earthy’ colors. It is now evident to me why so
many people go on walks to better understand
themselves within the big scheme of things.”
“My feet were numb. I wondered just how
precisely we measured our pitcher plants. I
wondered how the sharp edges of the calipers and
the holes they tore would affect the plants. I
wondered how many hibernating animals I might
have disturbed. Mostly though, I wondered what I
was thinking when I chose history over an
undergraduate study of the natural sciences. I
regret it. I have always been an outdoor person. My
mother, a biochemist, always encouraged me to
follow my love for the outdoors into the study of
earth and its life.”
d
14
LUXESTO
Triple Major
Susie and her husband,
Dan, pose in their
Huntington Woods home.
F
or a great
number of
students and
alumni,
athletics is an
indispensable
component (and
enduring value)
of the
Kalamazoo
College learning
experience.
Susie
(Anderson)
Dubeck ’98
provides one
example,
representative of
many.
Children admire the
bookmobile in the
countryside of
Guatemala.
“Look at the record
book and you’ll be
impressed by her
accomplishments,”
says Kristen Smith,
director of women’s
athletics at
Kalamazoo College.
Susie (Anderson)
Dubeck ’98 earned
all-MIAA and AllRegion recognition
for her soccer
prowess. In four
years, the teams on
which she played
posted an overall
record of 60 wins,
18 losses, three ties.
She led two of those teams to the
NCAA tournament. She set the
College record for assists (23) in a
single season, and that record
still stands.
But the record book
tells just a piece of the story. For most “Hornets”
the educational value of academics and athletics is
an indivisible whole, and for them the College’s
greatness is a matter of both. “Academics and
athletics combine perfectly,” says Smith. “All
athletes are ‘double majors’.” So Susie “double
majored” in psychology and soccer. But she also
earned her Spanish teaching certificate. A “triple
major?” Add to that two career externships, six
months of foreign study in Madrid, a SIP, and a
social life (that thing we sometimes seem to
forget at “K”).
Since graduation, Susie’s earned an MA
(Cambridge College) and married her best friend,
Dan. She has shaped a career that combines, well,
academics and athletics.
When Susie greets me at her door, her
cheerful disposition floods the room. She flashes
the smile (complete with dimples) that Kristen
Smith described (her exact words were: “She
could sprain an ankle and still laugh and have
fun.”). She even pours me lemonade!
So it’s surprising that a few players on her
first varsity boys’ soccer team at Berkley
High School found her intimidating.
15
Yes, boys! For four years Susie coached both the
boys’ and the girls’ varsity soccer teams as well as
girls’ volleyball. Today she coaches volleyball only.
Although, as Kristen Smith stresses, “a woman
coaching a varsity boys’ team is very rare,” Susie
insists, “it was a smooth transition, better than I’d
anticipated.”
Part of that smooth transition stemmed from
Susie’s experience working with the Kalamazoo
College’s Hornet soccer team the year after she
graduated. She served as assistant coach in 1999
while she taught at Parchment Middle School. That
season the team achieved an impressive 18-3 record
(not bad for a rookie collegiate coach). Susie
describes the change from player to coach as
“wonderful. I was still able to be part of the program
but could understand it from another angle. The
experience gave me a foundation for the teams I
coach today, volleyball or soccer.”
Susie explains that focusing on talent, rather
than gender, helped her ease into the role as boys’
coach at Berkley. She once overheard one player
telling another, “If you can make it through preseason with Coach Anderson, you can do anything!”
Susie had no idea she had been so demanding. “It
was shocking to learn that some of them were really
intimidated.”
That intimidation gave way quickly to respect
and loyalty. Under Susie’s leadership, the boys’
soccer team took the Oakland Athletic Association
(OAA) league championship, and four athletes
received All-State Recognition. Two of her players
were named “Scholar Athletes” by the metro-Detroit
Channel 7 News. A film crew came on location to
document some of the team’s practices. Susie didn’t
think twice, believing they were highlighting the
scholar athletes. But she was the story! High School
Sports had named her “Coach of the Week” after her
boys’ team secretly nominated her for the honor.
“Susie’s not only gifted physically, she’s a natural
leader,” says Kristen. “She rallies you to keep
pushing. She loves to give back; she loves ‘K.’” That
love has yielded some unintentional recruitment in
the past years! Aliza Caplan ’08, Steve Hagerman ’08,
Lizzy Primeau ’08, Paige Howell ’10, and Neil
Matthews-Pennanen ’10 played soccer for Susie at
Berkley High School and now attend Kalamazoo
College.
Like most “K” athletes, Susie’s no slouch when it
comes to academics and service to others. She
teaches Spanish, Level I through advanced
placement, at Berkley High School. In the summer
of 2005, she was chosen to participate in a Fulbright
program in Belize, which precluded pre-season
School children in Antigua, Guatemala, do homework and read books from the bookmobile
sponsored by the Library Project of Guatemala. Susie studied with the Probigua School in 2004 and
volunteered to read with these children every afternoon.
To give a gift: www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
16
LUXESTO
soccer practice and led to her decision to give up
coaching that sport and focus on volleyball
exclusively.
Twelve teachers from Michigan were accepted
into the program to study diversity and culture for
one month in Central America. One of the 12 was
Alex Vitner ’97, who had studied in the College’s
Madrid program the year before Susie. With the
goal of “internationalizing the curriculum,” Susie,
Alex and the other ten teachers lived with Mayan
families, acquiring new lessons to integrate into
their classrooms. Exploring the Mayan ruins deep
inside hidden sea caves “was an eye opening
experience,” Susie says. “I’m constantly looking
for new ideas to incorporate into the classroom,
and this program gave them to me.
“In Belize,” Susie says, “there was a signpost
with mileage marked to New York, Paris, Tokyo.
And with these there was one sign pointing north,
telling how many miles to Kalamazoo.” At the
time, Susie and Alex laughed about the seeming
omnipresence of “K.” But then the notion didn’t
seem so far-fetched. After all, without her first
foreign study experience in Madrid during her
junior year, she wouldn’t have been standing
before that sign post in Belize.
Her first foreign study occurred in 1996, and
Susie’s Berkley High School Spanish students in
Madrid, Spain. Susie facilitated and led this study
abroad program in 2005.
“I wouldn’t have changed anything about that
wonderful experience,” says Susie. “My Spanish
family became just that—my family away from
home.” She made such strong connections with
her hosts that she returned in 1999 to attend the
wedding of her Spanish “sister.”
“For me, living with my host family was the
best way to learn about the culture and language,”
Susie remarks. In 2005, Susie got to see her
Spanish sister’s newborn baby when she was
directing a high school foreign exchange program
in Spain.
Well aware of the rewards that study abroad
and home stays provide, Susie recently facilitated a
study abroad experience for her high school
Spanish students. Each student lived with a host
family in Spain for five days. “They learned about
the Spanish culture, and they learned about
themselves,” Susie explains, “And just like ‘K,’ the
home stay enabled them to develop relationships.”
Two of the students she took to Spain have
since returned to visit their host families, while
one of the Spanish ‘sisters’ came to Berkley High
School as an exchange student last year.
“She had a life-changing year,” Susie
remarked, “Adventuring beyond what you’re used
to excites me, and I attribute that to ‘K’.”
17
Kalamazoo College’s study abroad program in
woman! Susie smiles, “It was a fun day.”
Madrid helped Susie grow into her love for Spanish
Guatemala proved she hasn’t lost her
language and culture. But, as Susie knows, growth
competitive touch. But with all her professional
doesn’t stop after graduation. “I learned so much
teaching and coaching responsibilities, her studentabout Spain’s culture from Kalamazoo’s foreign
athlete days sometimes seemed a fading memory.
study, and that became ‘Spanish’ to me,” she says.
That is, until an unexpected phone call reminded
“But now, after traveling to Puerto Rico,
Susie of her collegiate athletics.
Guatemala, Venezuela, Mexico and Belize, the term
“Kristen Smith called me late in the evening on
‘Spanish’ has acquired a much deeper meaning.”
April 2, 2004, to tell me I was getting inducted into
The Fulbright program in Belize was not the
the Athletic Hall of Fame. I was so touched and
only post-grad international initiative Susie has
thrown off guard,” Susie says. “The Hall of Fame
undertaken. In 2004, she lived in Antigua,
got me excited about where I was in my life and
Guatemala, for one month, studying at the
brought back great memories.” Fellow inductee
Probigua School, which stands for “Proyecto
Erin Killian ’99, Susie’s former teammate, made the
Biblioteca de Guatemala,” or the “Library Project of ceremony even more meaningful. “And two of my
Guatemala.” The school’s motto, roughly
close friends from college surprised me and came
translated, is “Book by Book, Guatemala will
to the induction. When I saw them,” Susie says, “I
Change.” Susie spent her mornings working onewas shaking with emotion.
on-one with a Spanish teacher, and volunteered to
“The athletic experience at ‘K’ is about setting
work with children on their reading and writing in
goals, working diligently, and creating a family
the afternoon.
away from home. Those skills apply to teaching,
“Many children in Guatemala cannot afford to
coaching, and friendships.”
go to school,” Susie says, “and even if they can pay
Playing soccer helped Susie become both a
tuition, they often cannot afford uniforms and
championship coach and a respected leader. Study
school supplies required for attendance.” Susie
abroad in Madrid contributed to her future
recalls her experience with the children’s public
vocation as a Spanish teacher and sparked her
bookmobile: “It was an old rundown school bus
passion for traveling. Her career internship at an
that had the seats ripped out to make room for
environmental school in Maine reinforced her love
shelves. There were books lining the overhead
for teaching. “And the professors at ‘K’ were
compartment. It would travel to different
deeply involved in academics and athletics,” Susie
communities in Guatemala to allow students to
notes, citing perhaps the most important influence
read. These students had no books, no pencils, no
on her own success as a teacher. Her talent for
paper,” Susie remembers, “and they were wide-eyed teaching was publicly recognized when her high
with awe when they encountered the books.
school nominated her two years running for
Watching them turn the pages was a touching
“Oakland County Teacher of the Year.”
experience for me.”
Her face brightens and her dimples deepen, “I
In Guatemala, Susie found time to attend a
love to learn, and I’m curious about what’s out
soccer game. When one of the players didn’t show
there. What a great place Kalamazoo College is for
up, an absence that would have forced the home
people like that.”
team’s forfeit, Susie donned a jersey and stepped in.
And this was a
championship
game!
“They were
yelling, ‘there’s a
girl playing soccer!’
¡Hay una mujer que
juega al fútbol!’”
Susie laughs,
shaking her head.
When she got an
assist, no one
noticed the goal,
but everyone
noticed that the
assist came from a
usie (first row, third from the right) poses for a picture
S
after substituting for an absent player in the team’s
championship game.
d
18
LUXESTO
and
John uise:
o
e-L ays
Ann ve alw ach
e
e’
“W spired her,
in
ot
ing
eng to
l
l
a
ch ther
o
.”
each r best
u
be o
Two
Kalamazoo
College
friends today
– “4 and
Forever”
AnneLouise in
1981, a
student at
Kalamazoo
College
K
John at AnneLouise’s
commencement
ceremony.
The Church of Saint Ignatius of Antioch,
home of Polyhymnia
alamazoo College prepares its students to enter the future, and, in some cases, like that of John Bradley ’83,
to enter the past, and to do so musically! That kind of “time travel,” John insists, is not possible without a
good friend to serve as a portal. For John, that good friend is Anne-Louise Marquis ’84.
The two friends have been “pinging” ideas off each other, as they put it, since becoming pals at Kalamazoo
College. They are still “pinging.” Even today, with John in New York City and Anne-Louise in Washington,
D.C., they have found a way to collaborate. John is the artistic director of Polyhymnia, an early music
ensemble of 12 professional singers and instrumentalists, named for the Greek muse of sacred song and
rhetoric. Anne-Louise sits on the board of directors that manages the ensemble (her day job is management
and program analyst for the Office of Budget, Department of Commerce). John is the music, Anne-Louise
makes the music possible by helping it to reach its audience.
“We’ve always inspired each other,” Anne-Louise says. “Since our days at ‘K,’ it’s been a friendly
competition, a friendly sparring, challenging each other to be our best. We never actually had a class together,
yet we were always hanging out together in the same group of friends, all of whom had very different interests.
There were chemistry, theater, economics majors among us and that mix made our group more interesting. We
all got to know a little bit about a lot of everything.”
John agrees. “The beauty of liberal arts is that it teaches you not to be afraid to communicate with people
19
outside your own circle. We had exposure to many
different disciplines. Our years together at Kalamazoo
opened up many worlds.”
“From a career standpoint,” Anne-Louise
continues, “instead of fearing change or the unknown,
we were taught the attitude of – ‘hey, this could be fun
to jump into!’”
So they jumped. John was a theatre major who
loved to sing in the Kalamazoo College choir, and
Anne-Louise studied art history and French and also
sang. For John, singing in the choir was his first
exposure to early music from the 16th century, “and it
has haunted me and fascinated me ever since.” His
lifelong passion, and challenge, has been to bring this
music to the contemporary world.
After completing his degree at Kalamazoo
College, John, a Kalamazoo native, continued his
education at Western Michigan University and Case
Western Reserve University, and spent one postgraduate year at Mannes College of Music. He worked
in various capacities for the fully staged productions
of Carl Heinrich Graun’s Montezuma with the Arcadia
Players, Purcell’s King Arthur with the Boston Early
Music Festival, G. F. Handel’s Alcina with Ex-Machina
in Minneapolis, and Handel’s Dueling Sopranos with
Julianne Baird, Beverly Hoch, and the Philadelphia
Classical Orchestra. As a tenor, his credits include
Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers and Bach’s Saint John
Passion. He has held several professional choir
positions in New York and sung in the New Jersey
Bach Festival and the Amherst Early Music Festival.
Director of Polyhymnia since 1994, John has been
researching and creating original editions of
Renaissance choral masterworks for the ensemble,
focusing on composers Clemens non Papa and Jacob
Vaet. He has edited four mass settings as well as some
20 Franco-Flemish, German, and Italian motets for
the ensemble.
Anne-Louise says: “The reason I was eager to be
on the board of Polyhymnia was not just to help an
old college friend, or to put my skills to work for a
non-profit, though both play strong roles. What I
value most is that John, by locating and editing music
manuscripts that are otherwise unknown, recovers
something for the entire world that was at risk of
being lost. As a board member, my role is to enable
that process. And I get to discover new ideas, discuss
them, and experience them, just like the experiential
learning that is the Kalamazoo Plan.”
The two college friends are undaunted by what
might seem to many an unpopular idea (who wants to
listen to 16th century music in this age of music
videos, hip-hop and rap?). While one creates, or
recreates, the other presents and markets.
Anne-Louise: “After ‘K’ I earned an MBA, partly to
understand how the world works, and what makes the
business and policy and government systems tick.
Knowing how things run means one can influence
and improve them. Those lessons are useful in a nonprofit or arts context because I learned the language
needed to talk to executives and business people who
ultimately help underwrite the arts. As an art historian
I observe, analyze, discuss, and convey conclusions.
As an administrator, I use some of those same skills; I
just apply them to different concepts. I keep a foot in
both worlds. I guess that makes me a polyglot!”
John nods in appreciation. Her work leaves him
free to discover and conduct the music he loves. “The
architecture of early music is unbelievably beautiful.
Renaissance music is full of hidden messages,” he
says. “It’s like going on a treasure hunt. There are no
recordings, of course, to tell us how this music was
originally performed; we can only interpret it as we
understand it today. In that sense, music is timeless. It
can resonate today even though it was written
centuries ago.”
John has found his home, and a home for
Polyhymnia, at The Church of Saint Ignatius of
Antioch on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Walking in from the street, history enfolds, and it
indeed seems that one has walked through a time
portal. Here, John and the ensemble of singers and
instrumentalists perform their three concert series and
occasionally music for liturgical feasts. The interior of
the church is cool and dark, having changed little
since its construction more than a century ago. As the
Polyhymnia singers begin their polyphony, everything
in the church is still, as if the stone walls themselves
are listening.
In October 2006, Polyhymnia recorded the long
neglected music of Jacob Vaet (1529-1567), composer
to Holy Roman emperor Maximillian II. Vaet, a
contemporary of the famed composers Lassus and
Palestrina, was among the most celebrated composers
of his day. The recording features the six-voice Missa,
“Tytire, tu patulae,” based on Lassus’s musical setting
of verses from Virgil’s first Eclogue. These
compositions were intended for coronations and other
imperial ceremonies of state.
The invitation on a church sign states: “We invite
you to experience this great musical and liturgical
tradition here at St. Ignatius of Antioch, a tradition
which removes us from the rush of the secular world,
and places us within the beauty of holiness.”
Two Kalamazoo College friends have opened this
portal between Kalamazoo College, the 16th century,
and modern day Manhattan. And when you hear the
music, you wish that time might stop.
For more information about John Bradley and
Polyhymnia, please visit:
http://www.polyhymnia-nyc.org/
d
To give a gift: www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
20
LUXESTO
he process of making a dream
College videographer and instructor, Dhera
come true: step one – read
Strauss, learning about the workings of filmannouncement stating that only
making and on-air journalism.
two students will be chosen to study
Onkabetse is working at the Center for
abroad at a distant place called Kalamazoo
International Programs as an office assistant while
College; step two – state unequivocally to
studying economics and finance. He, too, is the first of
friends that you will be one of those two; fill out
his family to come to the United States. The value of
application; write an essay
study abroad, he says,
explaining your dream and
“is the opportunity to
why it must, simply must,
experience different
come true; rewrite essay;
teaching styles. It is very
rewrite essay again; rewrite
different here than it is
essay twice more; anxiously
at UB. Here I have had
await phone call; receive
tea with my professors.
phone call for interview; go to
During the first week,
interview; wait for second
there was an ice cream
phone call; wait, pace, wait;
social on the Quad
answer phone and jump up
where students and
and down on bed, shouting
professors met and
hurrah, happy tears streaming.
talked. It is like a big
Step 3 – pack.
family. At home, there
The two carefully chosen
were no such meetings
students from the University
between professors and
of Botswana(UB) are Pretty
students.”
Segwai and Onkabetse Nkane.
Both students hope
They were chosen from 12
to incorporate their
applicants for a new exchange
experiences here into
program between Kalamazoo
their own lifestyles and
College and UB, a school with
cultures back home.
about 15,000 students in
Simultaneously, as
Gaborone. Pretty comes to
ambassadors, each
Kalamazoo College from UB’s
hopes to bring their
department of media studies,
culture to Kalamazoo to
Onkabetse from finance. They
share with the College
are at Kalamazoo for the full
community.
academic year, and they
“The more I learn
are thrilled.
about other cultures,
“I’ve wanted to come to
and the more I can share
the United States since I was
my own,” Pretty says,
University of Botswana
small,” Pretty says. “Such a
“the richer we all will
faraway place! No one in my family has been to
be. It is the building of a lifelong network. There are
university, and no one in my family has ever been to
so many cultures represented in the United States –
the United States – I am the first.”
and at Kalamazoo College. Being away from home
Among the requirements for participants in the
gives you the opportunity to learn about others, but
new exchange program are a sense of adventure and
also to rethink and reevaluate your own life, your
strong English language skills.
home, and your future, by stepping out of it for a
“I’ve studied English for 13 years,” says Pretty.
moment and seeing it all from a distance.”
“Growing up, I watched on television everything I
Networking is a concept familiar to Joseph
could find in English. I wanted to hear the language as Brockington, director of international programs at
it was used in daily life, not just in textbooks, and I
Kalamazoo College. It is how he makes things
wanted to see how people live in other places. I
happen. “People talking to people,” he says.
developed a deep passion for the language, and for
“Someone who knows someone who knows someone.
communication in general.”
That was how the exchange program with the
Pretty will learn about communications, public
University of Botswana began.”
relations, and the media while she is at Kalamazoo
Brockington had participated in a Great Lakes
College. She is working in media services with
Colleges Association (GLCA) conference in 2003, and
T
botswana
and kalamazoo:
Exchanging Dreams
Pretty Segwai is studying
communications and media at
Kalamazoo College.
in conversation with colleagues
there, “someone” had mentioned
that a school in Southern Africa
was looking for an exchange
program with a liberal arts
college in the United States.
Brockington’s ears perked up. He
added to his itinerary a trip to
Africa, traveling with Kalamazoo
College Provost Gregory Mahler
to explore the possibilities.
Usually several such
“backburner conversations” are
going on at the Center for
International Programs (CIP) at
any one time, Brockington says.
He is always on the lookout to
expand the CIP network, to find
a new study abroad program for
Kalamazoo College students and,
he notes, for faculty, too.
The University of Botswana,
Brockington says, was a “great
match.” Although UB had
students on campus representing
18 countries, they were mostly
African, and UB was looking to
expand its programs into Europe
and North America. The GLCA,
with Kalamazoo College as the
first member, will serve as a
gateway, exchanging both
students and professors with
Botswana. Kalamazoo College
will be sending students abroad
soon – two next year, then four
to six in the years to come. “And
I hope that we can bring a
professor over from UB to teach
here as well,” says Brockington.
During the 2006-07
academic year, Ahmed Hussen,
Kalamazoo College professor of
economics, is at the University
of Botswana on a Fulbright
scholarship, helping to establish
the exchange program at UB’s
end. Brockington plans to return
several times, too. “Building
exchange programs is about
building relationships,” he says.
Ahmed Hussen is spending a year
at University of Botswana to teach
economics.
Onkabetse Nkane is at Kalamazoo
College to study economics and
business.
d
To give a gift: www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
21
22
LUXESTO
$"
&
%
!"
melody above everything. If a song isn’t melodic and
harmonious, we walk away from it.”
During live performances, Canasta often adds
a piano, keyboards, trombone, clarinet, and
violin to its standard rock setup of guitar and
!"
drums. But anything goes during recording
"
sessions when they’ve been known to add cello,
pedal-steel guitar, and bass fiddle.
The result, said Cunningham, is an eclectic
mix of orchestral pop that moves easily from
"# !
""
“bouncy horn-driven ditties to sweeping
7,
’9
anthems, to country-tinged narratives to
!"
instrumental post rock.”
Plus, it has a good beat, and you can
#
dance
to it, which fans frequently do at sold’00
"
out Chicago-area performances in venues
'
such as the Metro, Schubas, and Double
# ’97
Door. They’ve also performed at the Chicago
’97
Ribfest and numerous events benefiting
’
victims of domestic-abuse and rape, persons
’99
living with HIV or AIDS, and arts
organizations.
’97
Canasta has also won fans during
road trips to Indianapolis, Louisville,
Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis,
Nashville, Pittsburgh, Cleveland (the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame), and music festivals in New
York City and Austin, Texas.
ix friends—all
In spring 2005, they played Kraftbrau in
Kalamazoo College alumni
Kalamazoo
in front of an audience that included
living in Chicago—meet every
former
Kalamazoo
College friends.
Monday night with Canasta on
Most Canasta members played in high school
their minds. They play for hours,
orchestras and had some musical training prior to
often late into the night, while they
college. None of the members pursued a music degree
laugh, argue, criticize, and praise, as
at Kalamazoo, but all played instruments in pick-up
only good friends can.
They frequently meet a second night bands or sang in the College’s choir.
Only a few of the current band mates knew each
during the week, gather on weekends as
other
during their campus years. But through
often as possible, and take an annual weekcommon
friends and a shared love of the live
long trip together, all for the love of Canasta.
The one thing they never do, however, is play performance, they gravitated toward one another in
Chicago in the years that followed.
cards. That would interfere with playing music.
Lindau (violin) was in the first version of the
Elizabeth Lindau ’97, Megan O’Connor ’97, Matt
band along with O’Connor (piano) and Priest (vocals,
Priest ’97, Colin Sheaff ’97, Ben Imdieke ’99 and John
bass, trombone). “We didn’t have a drummer, so we
Cunningham ’00 don’t play canasta; they are Canasta,
weren’t like a real band,” said Lindau. “We didn’t play
a Chicago-based, indie-rock sextet that has its act
gigs, we just played.”
together and is poised to take it on the road.
Priest eventually recruited Sheaff (drums) and
The band’s sound falls generally within the indie
Cunningham. Ben Imdieke (guitar) was the last to
rock genre. Think The Decemberists, Wilco, or Belle
join, in 2005.
& Sebastian. Or maybe The Sea and Cake, Yo La
Like many a fledgling band, Canasta has
Tengo and The Arcade Fire. Or ask your children. Or
experienced its share of highs and lows while
grandchildren.
struggling to find its own sound, play original music,
“We often use the term ‘chamber pop’ to describe
get heard, get a break—even surviving a stolen car full
ourselves because we have somewhat of an orchestral
of instruments and sound equipment.
sound,” said Cunningham, the group’s keyboard
And never underestimate the importance of
player and clarinetist. “We use a lot of instruments
and play around with a variety of genres, but we value having a regular place to rehearse.
23
“For years, we practiced in Colin’s parent’s
basement in Oak Park,” said Lindau. “Then they
moved to Arkansas. Now, we share space with
another band. But it’s in a quiet residential area and
the neighbors hate us. They’ve called the cops on us.”
Canasta meets Monday nights to rehearse and
often squeezes in a second weeknight session. They
play gigs as frequently as they can book them. Each
year, they sequester themselves for a solid week to
work on new material.
The hard work has paid off in the form of
bigger audiences in larger venues and in sharing the
stage with better-known bands. In October 2005
they released the 13-song “We Were Set Up,” their
first full-length CD.
Matt Priest is the group’s lead vocalist and sole
lyricist. Although “all members provide nuggets of
music” that the band collectively develops into
full songs.
“I have musical ideas and lyrics running
through my head all day long,” says Matt, “and it’s
fun to hear a great band help me flesh those out.
Since we usually don’t consider a song finished
until all six of us are pleased, the process seems to
ensure a fairly high standard of quality.”
Band members agree that after nearly five years
together, Canasta is approaching a critical point in
its development. Rehearsing, playing, traveling,
promoting, and doing all the behind-the-scenes
work requires a big commitment for people who all
have day jobs and other interests.
It also requires their own financial resources.
No record label or sponsor for this band. Yet.
“The next step for us would likely include
hiring a manager who has the right connections
and can help us move to the next level,” said
Cunningham. “Someone who can get us gigs at
more prestigious venues and maybe a recording
contract.”
While all members agree they are poised to
make a move up, all understand the sacrifices that
might be required, said Lindau.
“We’re all at or near 30,” she said. “I just
bought a condo. It’s one thing to ride with these
guys in a van for hours on end, but do I want to go
back to living four in a room like at college? I love
them all, but…” Her words trail off in a sigh.
Cunningham agreed. “We’ve achieved a lot
here in Chicago. But succeeding on a regional or
national level will put a lot of pressure on our lives
outside the band.”
As evidence, he said, Priest got married in July,
O’Connor in August, and Lindau is engaged.
“Fortunately, fiancés and friends come to shows
and understand our commitment to the band.”
[Further evidence that change (and hopefully
adaptation) come quick: LuxEsto learned at press
time that band member Ben Imdieke has left
Canasta in order to attend seminary. He’s been
replaced by a new guitarist who is not a Kalamazoo
College alumnus.]
Despite their concerns, band members are
optimistic that the band will play on. One thing in
their favor: “Canasta is way more organized than
other bands we know,” said Lindau.
“We are very detail oriented in our promotions
and media efforts. We have a checking account that
balances and we actually pay our taxes!
“I think that’s a product of having gone to
Kalamazoo College,” she added, “being good at
managing projects.”
Lindau said the College also “helped us
learn how to make and support an
argument.” But that, she added can
be both an asset and a liability.
“We not only have six
people with opinions, we are
all well trained in how to
defend and argue our
positions. A lot of debate
goes on within the band.
Fortunately, it’s far more
constructive than
argumentative, and it’s
all part of the creative
process.”
Cunningham credits
Kalamazoo College for
both providing the network
of friends and musical
sensibilities that led to Canasta’s
formation and for helping band
members learn how to collaborate in
a creative environment.
“Now, with any luck, a record label will
pick up ‘We Were Set Up’ and re-release it to a
wider audience.”
Until then, Canasta will continue to meet as
often as possible in order to deal themselves more
winning hands in the way of more gigs, more fans,
and perhaps another CD.
But they won’t be playing canasta.
“We tried to play the game once a couple years
ago, but it was too confounding,” said
Cunningham. “It involves two decks of cards, for
Pete’s sake!”
###
For everything there is to know about Canasta, visit
www.canastamusic.com, the band’s website.
d
To give a gift: www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
Notables
24
Paul Manstrom, Facilities
Management, successfully completed
the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED)
Professional Accreditation exam. The
exam is administered by the U.S. Green
Building Council, and Paul is now a
LEED Accredited Professional and
listed in the organization’s Accredited
Professional Directory. The College is
seeking LEED accreditation (at the
silver level) for its Hicks Center
renovation project.
Recent faculty work and accomplishments in the Department of
Chemistry include one research grant
and five papers. A grant from the
American Chemical Society’s
Petroleum Research Fund titled
“Catalyses Involving Immobilized 1,10Phenanthroline Complexes: A Study of
Internal Resin Effect” (June 2005August 2008, $50,000) allows for a
fundamental study of the effect of a
polymeric environment on performance
of known transition metal catalysts.
The grant has enhanced the equipment
holdings of the chemistry department
by enabling the acquisition of a
Domino-Block Reactor, and it supports
three 10-week research internships for
Kalamazoo College students, the first of
which was completed summer 2006.
The paper “Catalytic Allylic Amination
Versus Allylic Oxidation: A Mechanistic
Dichotomy” (K. Smith, C.D. Hupp,
K.L. Allen, and G.A. Slough) appeared
in Organometallics (2005), 24, 17471755. It represents the culmination of
collaborative research with three
Kalamazoo College students and
documents a unique carbon-hydrogen
activation reaction which converts lowvalue hydrocarbon substrates to more
valuable nitrogen-containing
compounds. A second paper, “Synthesis
of Readily Cleavable Immobilized 1,10Phenanthroline Resins,” (Organic
Letters 2004, 45, 5237-5241) reports a
practical synthetic process for the
immobilization of 1,10-phenanthroline
on polystyrene/divinylbenzene polymer
beads. These new solid-phase resins are
suitable for high throughput screening
of transition metal catalysts in organic
chemical reactions. Greg Slough and V.
Krchnak were authors of “Dual linker
with a reference cleavage site for
information rich analysis of polymersupported transformations,” which
appeared in Tetrahedron Letters, 2004,
45, 5237-5241. They demonstrated a
new diagnostic method in polymersupported synthesis which uses a
sensitive cleavage site to measure the
efficacy of chemical transformations.
Also appearing in Tetrahedron Letters,
2004, 45, 4649-4652, and written by
the same authors, was “General
methodology for solid-phase synthesis
of N-alkylhydroxamic acids.” The paper
extends the reference cleavage site
diagnostic method to the synthesis of
polymer-supported hydroxamic acids.
Slough and Krchnak collaborated on a
third paper titled “Polymer-supported
N-benzyl- and N-benzhydryl-2nitrobenzenesulfonamides as
alternative to aldehyde linkers.” That
paper demonstrates how a sensitive
cleavage site, similar to the reference
cleavage method, can be used
synthetically to prepare reactive
functional groups on polymer resins. It
appeared in Tetrahedron Letters 2004,
45, 4289-4291.
Kalamazoo City Mayor Hannah
McKinney, Economics and Business, is
pictured on the cover, and featured in
the cover story, of CQ Weekly, October
23, 2006. The cover article, “New
Perspectives on Poverty,” by John
Cochran, profiles several grassroots,
highly pragmatic new ideas by various
cities, large and small, to lift people out
of poverty. And Kalamazoo is one of
those cities, in large part because of the
leadership of its mayor. The article
specifically mentions the public-private
partnership that brought the full service
grocery store, Felpausch Food Center,
into Kalamazoo’s Northside
neighborhood. That effort was led by
local activist Mattie Jordan-Woods
(pictured on the magazine’s cover along
with Mayor McKinney). The initiative
combined money from federal, state
and city governments, and private
foundations and citizens and was
implemented without the creation of a
new government agency. The new store
allows Northside families to avoid the
higher costs of shopping at stores far
from their residences and the higher
prices of vital staples sold at corner
convenience stores, thereby preserving
precious income that would otherwise
be lost to the “high cost of being poor.”
More than that, the store provides
valuable first-work experiences for
local youth and has already begun to
attract movement of other businesses
into the neighborhood. The CQ Weekly
article also mentions the “Kalamazoo
Promise” and Kalamazoo’s “Poverty
Reduction Initiative,” a group of public
and private organizations working
together to provide employment
services, job training, and housing
assistance for low-income families.
McKinney closes the article. “‘I think
we’re creating a grassroots level
movement to put poverty back on the
national agenda,’ McKinney said. ‘But I
think we’re doing it in a less
ideological, more pragmatic way. These
are Americans,’ she said. ‘The American
dream is being lost at the local level.
And we have to work together to
restore it.’”
David Barclay, the Margaret and Roger
Scholten Professor of International
Studies (History), has been named to
the International Advisory Council of
the Allied Museum in Berlin. The
museum was established in 1994 to
commemorate the activities of the three
Western Allies after 1945. The
International Advisory Council
includes 12 members from four
countries (France, Germany, the United
Kingdom, and the U.S.); each is
nominated by his or her respective
government. David continues to be an
active member of two other groups in
Berlin, the Prussian Historical
Commission and the “Prussia Project”
at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of
Sciences. David also is the new
executive director of the German
Studies Association (GSA), and those
responsibilities kept him busy during
his sabbatical last fall. In September he
organized GSA’s annual conference in
Pittsburgh. The conference included
873 participants—with more than 160
from Germany, Austria, and
Switzerland—who attended 210
sessions and three keynote addresses
over four days. David was ably assisted
in Pittsburgh by Charles Fulton ’05
and Patrick Tobin ’06. But no sooner
was this meeting finished than he had
to start planning the next, which will
take place in San Diego in October
2007. David also participated in two
conferences (one in New York, the
other in Kansas City) of the American
Council of Learned Societies. And he
attended two meetings in Washington,
D.C. The first of these was the annual
meeting of the Friends of the German
Historical Institute (he serves on the
25
board of directors). The second was a
special two-day seminar at the German
Embassy for 60 selected alumni of four
German international-exchange
organizations (the German Academic
Exchange Service, the Alexander von
Humboldt Foundation, the Robert
Bosch Foundation, and the Fulbright
Commission). Among the participants
was Carol (Grzelewski) Deck ’82, an
alumna of the Bosch Foundation. David
recently began a five-month research
fellowship at the American Academy in
Berlin, where he will work on his next
project, a history of West Berlin in the
larger cultural and political context of
the Cold War.
The Lansing Art Gallery featured the
work of Professor of Art Tom Rice in a
December 2006 exhibition titled
“Cosmologies.” In the work Tom draws
upon sources as varied as Buddhist and
Navajo sand paintings, ancient maps,
satellite photography, molecular
biology, and computer games to make
explorations into the realms of the
invisible. The paintings provide access
to the territory of thoughts,
imagination, and memory outside of
the physical and observable.
A book of short stories by Andy
Mozina, English, will be published in
June by Wayne State University Press.
The Women Were Leaving the Men is a
collection of offbeat stories about
intimacy. The characters, knocked
beyond the brink by departed family
members, curious obsessions, and
unruly physical attributes, climb and
scrap their way toward intimacy, sanity,
and redemption. A divorced astronaut,
back from the moon, tries to
rehabilitate his stroke-ridden mother. A
young woman must decide whether to
stay with a man she suspects of being a
murderer. A son helps his mother bake
a cake sculpted into the image of his
runaway father. A man born with a
single enormous hand can barely tell
the difference between cleaning and
making love. Absurdity dogs all of these
people, but each of their stories is
rooted in emotional realism. Their
humor and pathos fuel their conflicts
and relationships. Eleven of the 13
stories in the collection have appeared
in literary magazines such as Tin House,
The Massachusetts Review, Alaska
Quarterly Review, Fence, West Branch,
Beloit Fiction Journal, and The Florida
Review. One of the stories was named a
“Distinguished Story” in The Best
American Short Stories 2005 and
received “Special Mention” in 2006
Pushcart Prize XXX. The collection was
a finalist for the Mary McCarthy Prize
in Short Fiction.
Provost Gregory Mahler, Political
Science, moderated an event titled
“Weathering the Canada-United States
Relationship: Sunshine and Squalls” in
October. The event featured
Ambassador Michael F. Kergin, Special
Advisor to Ontario on Border Policy
and Former Canadian Ambassador to
the U.S. Mahler, who is the former
president of the Association for
Canadian Studies in the United States,
introduced Ambassador Kergin.
The photography of Richard Koenig,
Art, was exhibited at Alma College in
January in the Flora Kirsch Beck
Gallery. The title of the exhibit was
“Photographic Prevarications.”
Three teams of Kalamazoo College
students participated in the 2006
Michigan Autumn Take-Home
(M.A.T.H.) Challenge. Adam Granger
’07, Alex Guppy ’07, and Scott Beck
’09 formed one team. Jaclyn Sanders
’09 and Halcyon Derks ’09 formed a
second. And Chelsea Rye ’09 and Jesse
DeGuire ’08 made up the third. The
“K” teams were organized by Michael
Tanoff, Physics. The trio of Granger,
Guppy, and Beck tied for first place
with teams from Taylor University and
Michigan Technological Institute. The
M.A.T.H. test consists of 10 problems,
each worth 10 points, which the
students have three hours to complete.
The key is creativity and determining
what type of mathematics will be useful
in solving a problem. The champs
scored 61 points out of 100; the next
highest score (fourth place) was 54,
followed by 43. M.A.T.H. Challenge is
an autumn offshoot of the Lower
Michigan Mathematics Competition,
which has occurred for more than 30
years each spring. Professor of
Mathematics John Fink is a founder of
the LMMC, which requires participants
to journey to the host institution in that
particular year. LMMC’s 13-year old
“younger sister” provides an autumn
option that does not require the
contestants to travel. The Kalamazoo
College students look forward to
competing for the LMMC
championship this month.
The National Science Foundation
(NSF) has awarded Kalamazoo
College a $460,000 grant to provide
local access to a national science-rich
liberal arts education. The grant will
fund a project called Science and Math
Scholars. Its objectives are to support
more students from underrepresented
groups interested in majoring in science
or mathematics at Kalamazoo College;
to enhance and add to existing support
programs to ensure that these and other
students succeed in math- and sciencerelated fields; and to ultimately endow
a scholarship program for students
from underrepresented groups with
academic talent and financial need who
wish to major in math or science.
Former Kalamazoo College Professor of
Religion Gary Dorrien was
inaugurated as the Reinhold Niebuhr
Professor of Social Ethics at Union
Theological Seminary (New York City)
on January 31, 2007. Trustee Joyce
Coleman ’66 and former Kalamazoo
College President James F. Jones, Jr.,
attended the ceremony. Other guests
with a “K” connection included Becca
Kutz-Marks, who served as Gary’s
assistant at Kalamazoo College, and
Professor Emeritus of Education
Romeo Phillips. The event featured a
public symposium on Dr. Dorrien’s
trilogy The Making of American Liberal
Theology, with particular emphasis on
the third volume. The symposium
included comments by visiting
theologians and attracted an audience
of more than 70 people.
Joyce Coleman and
Gary Dorrien
To give a gift: www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
Notables
26
Clean water is a basic need for human
beings, and perhaps children at play is a
basic need for civilization. Trevor Field
has combined both to the benefit of
individuals and communities in South
Africa and other countries. Field, the
developer of the “Play Pump” and
founder of PlayPumps International
(www.playpumps.org), visited
Kalamazoo College in January to talk
about these matters. His appearance
was sponsored by the Office of the
President and was organized by faculty
and staff from the following
departments: African studies,
chemistry, environmental studies,
and the Mary Jane Underwood
Stryker Institute for ServiceLearning. As a result of a complex web
of circumstances—including a
burgeoning human population and the
loss of water to many non-native and
invasive plant species—some 5 million
people in rural villages across South
Africa lack access to clean drinking
water. This lack of access carries costs
in public health, such as the
proliferation of disease associated with
impotable water, and social costs
resulting from the increasing amount of
time and energy families spend (and
must divert from beneficial activities
such as child care and education)
seeking and transporting distant water.
Mr. Field teamed with an inventor to
develop the “play pump,” a merry-goround that pumps clean and safe
drinking water from a deep well every
time children spin. The pumps take a
few hours to install, cost about $7,000,
and can pump (and store) about 400
gallons of water an hour when children
play on the merry-go-round.
Advertising space on the well
infrastructure is sold, and the proceeds
support maintenance of the well and
merry-go-ground. A portion of the
advertising space is reserved for HIV
and AIDS prevention education. The
idea proved so inventive, cost-efficient,
and fun for kids that it received a 2000
World Bank Marketplace Development
Award. Some 700 PlayPump Systems
are installed in communities across
South Africa, Mozambique, and
Swaziland, and they have transformed
the lives of more than a million people.
PlayPumps International’s goal is to
reach 10 million people throughout
Sub-Saharan Africa within the next
three years.
At the Corporation for National
Community Service (CNCS) awards
banquet held last October, Kalamazoo
College was named to the “President’s
Higher Education Community Service
Honor Roll” and cited “with distinction
for general community service.”
Kalamazoo College is affiliated with
CNCS and Campus Compact, a
national organization that promotes
community service by colleges and
universities. The Michigan Campus
Compact has honored the College for a
variety of programs, many implemented
under the auspices of the Mary Jane
Underwood Stryker Center for ServiceLearning. The College’s many servicelearning programs have included the
efforts of faculty and students to
improve science education in the public
schools (kindergarten through high
school); to develop bilingual mentoring
programs that improve academic
performance and generate intercultural
understanding; to raise awareness of
and promote solutions for local and
global hunger; and to provide
interpretation assistance for Spanishspeaking patients during health care
appointments. Kalamazoo College
President Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran
is one of the 25 members (selected by
Governor Jennifer Granholm) of the
Michigan Community Service
Commission.
During the last few months, poet-inresidence Diane Seuss has had six
poems accepted for publication. Each
one is stronger than death, which is
why poetry matters to all of us. By way
of explanation, Di cites two
fragments—a poem John Keats wrote
on his deathbed about his living hand,
which, at the moment of his writing the
poem, was “still warm and capable/ of
earnest grasping.” Not for long.
Although, centuries later, that same
hand gestures toward the reader, who,
commingling the poem and her own
imagination, “streams red life through
its veins.” Di’s second fragment is the
end of “Song of Myself,” vaster and
vastly stronger than Walt Whitman’s
physical death in 1892. “If you want me
again look for me under your bootsoles….Failing to fetch me at first keep
encouraged,/ Missing me one place
search another, I stop somewhere
waiting for you.” Making poems that
are strong enough to connect the dead
with the living, even resurrect the dead
in the living, might appeal to a small
child who witnessed her father’s six-
year struggle with a terminal illness. He
died when Di was seven—her age in
“Crucifixions,” a poem in her first
book, It Blows You Hollow. In it she
describes a moment—once, “when he
was/ on the telephone, I watched him
use/ his free hand to catch the spinal
fluid/ that dripped out of the unhealing
incision/ on his back with a paper
napkin/ covered in swans.” A moment
of terrible beauty, complex—part illness
and death; part connection to others
(the phone conversation, the little
daughter’s hidden observation), the
quickening grace of the catch, the
paper swans. Poems, says Di, crystallize
the complexity of any given moment—
the coexistence therein of grace and
horror, with the latter deriving
(minimally) from every given moment’s
inevitable passing. Summoning
courage, the poet frames and penetrates
a moment, and the resulting poem
makes life more fulsome—right then!,
for the writer, and later (perhaps
forever) for readers. Space limitations
preclude our printing all six poems, so
we publish our favorite, “Twist-O-Flex
Poetica” (North American Review), with
permission of the author. The other five
poems are: “Fathoms” (Cimarron
Review), “i lie back on my red coverlet
and contemplate” (Blackbird), “prayer
that goes: dear god” (Blackbird), “I’m
Glorious in my Destruction Like an
Atomic Bomb” (The Georgia Review),
and “Grammar Lesson” (Indiana
Review).
T W I S T- O - F L E X P O E T I C A
by Diane Seuss
Like my grandpa the barber
who learned barbering at the side
of his grandpa the barber, I learned
my craft through blessed though
random apprenticeships,
at the knees of the greats,
the Reverend Whiteford,
trumpet-playing sermonizer,
adulterer and overseer
of the construction of the new
church, replacing the old cinder
block one with a glorious edifice,
red carpet throughout and gold
fixtures. He then abandoned
the cloth for real estate school.
And Peach Fetters, who showed me
that the word goddamnit has seventeen
syllables and is its own haiku.
I learned the most about craft
from the man who inherited
my dad’s watch, an unexceptional
Elgin with a twist-o-flex band.
27
He thought he’d honor the Old
Boy by taking his little girl, me,
fishing in a man-made lake. I’m
fishing, I remember thinking.
I’d just had my eighth birthday,
the first without my dad
sitting there in his blood-tinted
robe, face lit up by birthday
candles. I couldn’t figure out
what to wish for. There weren’t
that many toys back then—
maybe a cowboy gun and holster
set, a red cowboy hat. I’ll be
a cowboy, I thought, already
looking to false identity
as a sheet to pull up over
the face of my suffering. And
then, I’ll be a fisherman, I’ll be
a girl who likes to go fishing.
Dave, my dad’s watch flashing
on his wrist, said, We’re gonna
troll for those suckers, just let
that rubber worm shimmy,
sit back and let him dance,
when the sun sets her butt
down into the bathwater
you pop open a beer and let
the world do its own work,
what do any of us know
anyway about what makes
fish tick? and then a great tug
hit my pole, like a midnight
pang, and Dave said
reel her in hard, and it was
thorny, working against
the pull of time, drawing in
what wants to draw back,
hoisting the beast into the small
boat, the only craft I’ve got,
my inheritance for an
afternoon. Hold it up
by the cartilage of its lip,
he said, feel the weight
of your responsibility,
and my biceps screamed
with it. I froze it whole.
For years, when I went to
grab a little frozen pizza
its frosted over eye would
look me over. Have you ever
watched a typesetter work—
I mean the typesetters
of the Old School—heard
the sound of metal letters
sliding into place, an
intractable sound,
like the prayers
of fundamentalists
who want things
one way and one way
only—God’s way, they say,
meaning their own way
dressed up in a God costume.
We set the type, the dye
is cast, we paint
the indelible ink upon
pages and bind them
everlasting. A kind
of craft. Dave
showed me the plug
in the bottom of the boat,
how he could easily work it
out with his jackknife
and we’d go swirling down.
For a moment I forgot
that I was fishing in order to be
The Girl Who Fishes, I saw
myself as a part of the great
trembling nothingness
of Southwest Lower
Michigan, water swallowing
sun’s hook, dad’s watch
in fish’s eye, fish suffering
in the watch face, boards
of the old craft aching,
existing only to hold us out
of the water for awhile.
d
Place mathematical signs (+, -, x, ÷) between each of
the numbers to complete the equations accurately.
MAKE A GIFT TO THE KALAMAZOO
COLLEGE FUND AND “ADD” A
MATCHING GIFT THROUGH
YOUR EMPLOYER.
For more information on how
you can make a Matching Gift,
contact the Human Resources
Department at your place of
employment,
or
June Shockley
Matching Gift Coordinator
Kalamazoo College Fund
1200 Academy Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49006
No matter how you figure, matching gifts double your gift to
the Kalamazoo College Fund. Please give a gift to the
Kalamazoo College Fund in the postage paid envelope
provided in this issue of LuxEsto.
Solution on page 47.
269.337.7288
269.337.7262
[email protected]
http://www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
Classnotes
28
Homecoming Classes Reunite!
Nine classes returned home to Kalamazoo College for various reunion events. Five classes are pictured here.
The other four will appear in the summer issue.
Class of 1961
Class members reuniting in
October included (l-r): front row—
Karen (Paulin) Boles, Sylvia
(Schaaf) Kelly, Mary Ellen
(Steketee) Fischer, David W.
Fischer ’59, Linda Brenneman
Schneider, Mary (Hanson) Kerley;
second row—Mary Jo (Dunkirk)
Smits, Jane (Ayers) Walsh,
Francoise Masson-Lami, Ojars
Smits ’60, Eleanore Helfen Miller ’60,
Mary (Gross) Vitolins; back row—
Gary Miller, Bob Kelly, Terence L.
Eads, John Kerley, John A. Lake,
and Dave Pellegrom.
1961
Class of 1966
…set this year’s record for class turnout. Returnees included (l-r): front row—Deanna (Hultquist) Tiefenthal, Sam
Kountoupes ’64, Donna (Danielson) Kountoupes, Lisa Godfrey, Jeanne (Williams) Bentley, Ginne (Good) Warner,
Patricia (Rance) Hablutzel, Amy (Mantel) Hale, Marguerite Dewey Lambert, Sherry Ann Murphy, Karen (Grosky)
Leisinger, Marilyn Halverson Bamford, Joyce Kirk Coleman, Anneliese (Schliebusch) Virro; second row—Chuck
Dibble, Chung-Yiu Wu, Alfred P. Lee, Betty Strand Ludden, Marylu Simmons Andrews, Lynne Eddy, Pat (Flynn)
McCrery, Linda (Plein) daCosta, Liga Abolins, Katherine Vonk, Joan (Baker) Deschamps, Olaf Virro, David Kyvig; third
row—Kathy (Shaw) Kortge, Jan (Janik) Mayerhofer, Karen Strong Melin, Susan (Weiss) Jensen, Meribeth (Matulis)
Freeman, Beth Neubert Myers, Dick Myers, Marna (Erickson) Dixit, Mary (Brubaker) Wilsted, Dave Renné, Jeff Beusse,
Dan Busdiecker; fourth row—Donald Waller, Norm Buntaine, Penny (Blasberg) Shada, Michael Ash, James Hale, James
McKittrick, Charlotte Hauch Hall, Robert Hall, Eugene Losey, Jim Tiefenthal, David Rector, Tom Wilsted, Liz Bradley,
Jennifer (Smith) Sanderson, Michael J. Ham; back row—James Howard, Bob Pursel, Bob Baker, Bill Barrett, John
Warner, Don M. Schmidt, Jim Peters, Jimm White, Richard Hess, Dennis Thornton, Chuck Morse, Ed Moticka, Richard
Bradley, William Sanderson, and George Lambert.
1966
29
Class of 1971
Gathering to share good times, 35 years
after graduation, were (l-r): front row—
Carole A. Kersten-Burns, Glenna
Jackson Heckathorn, Linda (Popp)
Scholten, Barbara Rockelmann Keefe,
Rosie Gordon Mochizuki, Ann R.
(Rutledge) Vossekuil; second row—
Mary (Mosier) Breymann, Laurie (Mileo)
O’Sullivan, Carolyn (Welti) Hoffee, Ann
(Burt) Berger, Edie (Smith) Trent; third
row—Henry Perkins, Kathy (Hall)
Ledesma, Linda Wilhelm King, Carol
(Post) Raines, Shirley (Hedges)
Westrate, Karen (Datte) Helm; back
row—George Laws, Steve Helm, Bill
Williams, Lynn Bravender, and Wayne
“Chip” Roe.
1971
Class of 1976
Returning alumni included (l-r): first
row—Mark Thomson, Michael
Thomson, Lisa Culp, Katherine Ann
(Sinclair) Blaauw, Gail Bumgarner, Sue
Dobrich, Mimi (Hickok) Martin, Rodney
Martin, Steve Simms, Randall Reed;
second row—Bruce “Frisbee” Johnson,
Rick L. Moore, Jo Ann (Copeland)
Moore ’75, Gary Coffey, Francis
Broadway, Roberta J. Bidwell, Robert
Foote, Eugene Bissell, Deb Russell, Ami
(Moss) Simms, Bill Garzia, Carol
(Ditzhazy) Vogel; third row—Jim
Robideau, Dan Clark, Helen Pratt
Mickens, Jim Galligan, Steve Becker,
Barb Slinker, Carol Sinden, Valorie
(Vogel) Van Patten, Trent Foley, Evan
Hughes; back row—Vance L. Kincaid,
Mark Foley, Matt Tyler, Jeff Palmer,
Sandie Morseth, Carlton R. Marcyan,
Kevin McCarthy, Jim Farnsworth, Mike
Gibson, Jan M. Curtis, Robert F. Van
Patten, Howie Van Houten, Timothy C.
Smith, and Walt Vogel.
1976
Class of 1991
Welcome home to (l-r): first row—
Bridget Jones, Colleen DeWitt, Julie
Chickola, Wendy Ransom-Hodgkins,
Evie (Haight) Madvig, Peter Kilcline;
second row—Greg Herder, Jim Padilla,
Elizabeth VanDerMeulen, Claire
(Grover) Nehring, Liana Iacobelli, Erin
O’Brien, Michael Miller; third row—
Dinesh Goburdhun, Jennifer Vince, Chip
Reichardt, Marnie (Weiland) Gucciard,
Cyndee (Carpenter) Garrod, Leigh
Clancy, Ray Black, Bob Chandler; back
row—Alan Higbee, Michael Finkler,
Chris Monsma, Tom Daggett, Patrick
Thompson, Eric Hegg, David Bainbridge,
Steven Adams-Smith, Derek Stottlemyer,
and Rich Hutchman.
1991
Classnotes
30
1936 – Class Agent: Louise
Northam / 269.344.3055
SCIENCE POWER
1937 – Class Agent: Al Deal /
616.842.7865
1938 – Class Agent: Red Heerens /
[email protected]
1940 – Class Agents: Bud and Jane
Moore / [email protected]
1941 – Class Agent: Richard
Walker / 269.344.5904
1942 – Class Agent: Marian
Simmons / [email protected]
“Oh the Places They Have Gone” is all
about the possibilities of Kalamazoo
College undergraduate degrees in biology
and chemistry. “The Places” are two
bulletin boards in the Dow Science Building
that feature thumbnail sketches and
photographs detailing the postgraduate
lives of “K” science majors. More than 80
biology majors and more than 20 chemistry
majors have submitted pictures and
information about the way they have
applied their liberal arts degrees. The
program is the brainchild of Professor of
Biology Paul Sotherland and Administrative
Assistant (chemistry and biology) Mary
Jane Holcomb. Paul first saw the idea used
by the psychology department and
borrowed and adapted it for the denizens of
Dow. Mary Jane coordinates it, collecting
the information from science alums
throughout the country. The biggest
beneficiaries, according to Mary Jane, are
current students (Seniors George Etenger
and April Sasinowski are pictured above).
“They feel pretty good about what they
learn from perusing that bulletin board,”
she says. “They discover the power of a ‘K’
liberal arts science education is in the
variety options it opens up.” Just a few of
those options, according to the alumni
profiles, include physician’s assistant, a
paleontologist investigating fossil whales
in Egypt, vaccine research, college
professors, Ph.D. candidates, tropical plant
biology, forensic technology, cancer
research, intellectual property law, medical
school, biochemistry, and pharmacy. Mary
Jane would like more alumni biology and
chemistry majors to contact her about their
postgraduate lives. She can be reached at
[email protected].
Eric Pratt and Patricia Miller Pratt ’47
celebrated 60 years of happy marriage
last year. They were married in Stetson
Chapel on September 14, 1946, with
Bill Culver as best man and Jane
(Richardson) Morgan ’47 as maid of
honor. Eric and Patricia celebrated the
anniversary with a long weekend at a
cabin on the Au Sable River in northern
Michigan. They were joined by their
four children and their spouses and
children. [email protected]
1944
Russell Becker was part of a two-week
mission to Kampala, Uganda, last
winter. His son, Carl Becker ’79, led
the group of 25 members of the
Glencoe Union Church, and together
the group built a residential unit for
children orphaned by the AIDS
epidemic. Carl has been the pastor of
the Glencoe, Ill., church since 1999,
and he has led two previous work
groups from the church to the same
orphanage in 2004 and 2005. Russell
had served as pastor of the church from
1969 to 1986. “As a part of this year’s
mission,” wrote Russell, “members and
friends of the Church are committed to
raising $60,000 to cover the costs of
building materials for five additional
residential units at the Uganda
orphanage. A second mission work
project conducted by Carl went to an
orphanage in Guatemala last June, and
we will repeat that venture in June of
this year.” Russell was a member of the
faculty of Yale Divinity School before
becoming pastor of the church in
Glencoe. Since his retirement he has
lived in a retirement community for
ministers and missionaries called
Pilgrim Place, located in Claremont,
Calif. Fellow classmate and former
Kalamazoo College faculty member,
Robert Dewey is also a resident of
Pilgrim Place.
1945 – Class Agent: Bruce Cooke /
540.297.6368 /
[email protected]
1946 – Class Agents: Jim and
Marilyn Wetherbee /
[email protected]
1947 REUNION YEAR (June 2007)
Class Agent: John Polzin /
[email protected]
1948 – Class Agent: Maxine Bearss /
219.223.6829
Joan (Akerman) Millar and her
husband, John, celebrated their 50th
wedding anniversary in Pittsburgh, Pa.,
with a gathering of family and friends.
Jackie (Buck) Mallinson, who was
Joan’s matron of honor, was one of the
friends who helped celebrate the
occasion.
Russell Strong has served for more
than 30 years as secretary and editor for
the 306th Bomb Group Association. He
matriculated to “K” in 1942, but
military service in the U.S. Army Air
Corps interrupted his studies. He was
stationed in England during World War
II and flew 35 missions over France and
Germany. During his undergraduate
years (before and after his military
service) he worked in the College’s
sports information area and was an
editor for the College’s alumni
magazine. After graduation he enjoyed
a career in journalism and public
relations. As secretary and editor of the
306th Bomb Group Association, he has
written a 325-page history of the unit,
compiled several other books, and
edited a quarterly newsletter sent to
members in the U.S., England, and
Australia. He has maintained an
extensive collection of records and data
on the 306th, and that record will be
donated to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo.
Russ and his wife, June Thomas, were
married at Stetson Chapel. They have
five sons, nine grandchildren, and three
great-grandchildren. They live in
Charlotte, North Carolina.
Jacqueline (Buck) Mallinson received
an honorary degree, Doctor of Science,
from Western Michigan University
during the school’s 288th
31
commencement (December 16). She
was honored for her indefatigable
dedication to science education. She is
the author of more than 300
professional articles and reviews and
the co-author of a series of K-12 science
textbooks that have been used in
thousands of classrooms across the
country. Her influence has extended to
state and national programs and
organizations that focus on the teaching
of science.
1952 REUNION YEAR (June 2007)
Class Agent: Tom Willson /
[email protected]
1954 – Class Agent: Lee Adams /
[email protected]
1955 – Class Agents: Don
Steinhilber / 574.273.2244; Dan
McFadden / [email protected]
John Overley announces his marriage
to Halene Millikin of Pinckneyville, Ill.,
on October 29, 2005. The couple
recently celebrated their first
anniversary with a trip through
northern Michigan during the color
season. They live in Kalamazoo.
Dan McFadden was elected president
of the Michigan Chapter of the Realtors
Land Institute. The RLI organization is
an affiliate of the 900,000-member
National Association of Realtors. It
brings together real estate professions
interested in improving their education
and competence in activities related to
land, commercial and industrial land
development, and other specialty areas.
Dan is a commercial real estate broker
in Marshall, Mich.
1951 – Class Agent: Bob
Binhammer / 402.392.1061
1956 – Class Agent: Marylou
Crooks / [email protected]
Bill Ives retired from business in 1995.
He wrote, “We bought a villa in
Sarasota (Fla.) and live here seven
months of the year. My wife, Mary
Louis, passed away in 2002 after 51
years of marriage. I met Marilyn in
Sarasota, and we have celebrated our
second anniversary. Over the years I
have had an interesting and often
challenging career as a volunteer with
Rotary International. I served as a
trustee of the Rotary Foundation and,
later, as director of Rotary
International. The organization is in the
final stages of a 20-year collaboration
with WHO, UNICEF, and the CDC to
eradicate polio from the world. I
exchange e-mails with Jerry Adrianson
and Hal Flynn, and I occasionally see
Dick Meyerson at ‘K’ events in
Sarasota.” [email protected]
1957 REUNION YEAR (June 2007)
Class Agent: Judy Shoolery /
[email protected]
1950 – Class Agent: Mary Discher /
585.342.2444
The Genetics, Cell Biology and
Anatomy Department of the University
of Nebraska Medical College honored
Bob Binhammer with an afternoon tea
and evening dinner to recognize his 50
years of teaching gross anatomy. The
department presented him a plaque and
a glass sculpture of a sailboat (sailing is
one of his favorite activities). Last
spring the UNMC physical therapy
faculty honored Bob for the same
milestone with a 24-carat gold-plated
hemostat.
Barbara Rock Andrews has completed
her 45th book for publication. She
wrote the last 23 in partnership with
her daughter, Pam Hanson. Barbara has
been published by Dell, Harlequin, and
Guidepost. She also writes a column on
postcard collecting for The Antique
Trader and articles for other hobby
publications.
Mary Ann (Goff) and John LaMonte
are pleased (“and amazed,” wrote Mary
Ann) to announce their 50th wedding
anniversary (September 2006). “We’re
both active in musical and crafty
enterprises,” says Mary Ann.
Barb McCabe Fowler and Jim Fowler
celebrated 50 years of marriage by
taking family to the Dominican
Republic during the Christmas
holidays. Family members include Jeff
Fowler ’81, Dan Fowler ’83, Chris
Fowler ’94, Linda Craig Fowler ’84,
and Kelsey Fowler ’07.
1958 – Class Agent: Merrilyn
Vaughn Hoffman /
[email protected]
1959 – Class Agent: Karen DeVos /
[email protected]
Merrillyn VanZandt Krider retired
from school counseling in Omaha, Neb.
She now lives in Martinez, Calif., with
her two daughters, a son-in-law, and
granddaughters Isabelle and Melissa.
1960 – Class Agent: Ann Wagner
Inderbitzin / 1008 Longer Road
Middleburg PA 17842 /
[email protected]
Jim Van Zandt was named the National
Junior College Athletic Association
Region 8 tennis coach of the year. Jim
coaches the Kalamazoo Valley
Community College women’s tennis
team, which won the NJCAA Region 8
tournament and will play in the
national tournament in Tuscon in May.
John A. VanHaaften was remarried to
his first wife (NellieAnn Bush) on
September 23, 2006, after 30 years
apart. He wrote, “We are enjoying our
new life together, and our children and
granddaughters are thrilled.”
[email protected]
A survey of Law & Politics Media, Inc.,
named Alfred Gemrich to its list of
“Michigan Super Lawyers.” He is one of
5 percent of Michigan attorneys named
to the list, which was compiled through
a process of peer evaluation and
independent research. Al is an attorney
in the Kalamazoo office of Howard &
Howard. He specializes in business and
corporate law.
1961 – Class Agent: Mary Jo Smits /
[email protected]
1962 REUNION YEAR (October
2007)
Dave Hawkins is the project manager
for the Integration of Renewable
Resources at the California
Independent System Operator. His
work includes development of new
wind and solar generation forecasting
tools to assist in the scheduling of
power generation, and it helps the ISO
support California’s goal to reduce
greenhouse gases and to have 20
percent of its electric energy come from
renewable resources by 2010.
[email protected]
After nearly 20 years working in faculty
development and curriculum
development at the Defense Language
Institute (Monterey, Calif.), Patricia
Crego Boylan retired in 2004. “I love
To give a gift: www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
Classnotes
32
retirement and spend my time doing
year-round cactus and succulent
gardening, volunteering at the SPCA
(handling dogs), volunteering at Meals
on Wheels and the Food Bank, reading,
cooking, knitting, and much more,” she
wrote. “I’m still waiting for my
husband, John, to get around to
retiring. Our daughter, Alyxe Lett ’05,
is serving in the Peace Corps in
Guatemala.” [email protected].
1963 – Class Agent: Don Schneider /
[email protected]
CAYMAN HORNETS
Susan Dasher ’66 (right) has had the
pleasure of meeting a few Kalamazoo
alumni in her post-retirement career on
Grand Cayman. Susan, a SCUBA
instructor at DiveTech, most recently
trained Erin McClintic ’99 (left) and her
fiancé in open water certification. Erin
was shocked when the routine “Nice to
meet you; where are you from?” greeting
led to a Kalamazoo College connection.
BIRTHDAY BASH
Charles Tucker ’56 celebrated his 71st
birthday with a family gathering. Pictured
are (l-r): granddaughter Samantha,
daughter Lisa, wife Roz, Charles, daughterin-law Cheryl, son Wayne (Class of 1983),
granddaughter Sydney, son-in-law Alan,
daughter Stacy, granddaughters Gabrielle
and Marissa. Charles is the president and
CEO of The Sports Network.
Dennis Lamb and Don Schneider kept
up their autumn rendezvous tradition
with a 2006 trip to the Pennsylvania
Railroad Museum in Strasbourg. They
were joined by Dennis’s wife, Pat, and
Don’s wife, Jean. The four enjoyed a
tour of the museum and a pretzel
sandwich and root beer lunch at nearby
Isaac’s.
1964 – Class Agent: Susan Cooper /
[email protected]
Gretchen Cassel Eick, Ph.D., wrote, “I
am elated that the scholarly community
is discovering that Wichita, Kansas, had
the first successful student sit-in of the
modern Civil Rights Movement
in 1958, a story told in the first
chapter of my book Dissent in
Wichita: the Civil Rights
Movement in the Midwest.” Last
October 21, fourteen of the
original sit-in participants
gathered to be honored by the
Wichita NAACP. Some 500
people attended that event, and
Gretchen was a featured
speaker, along with Dr. Ron
Walters, University of
Maryland, who was president of
the NAACP Youth in 1958.
“Recognition that the Civil
Rights Movement was national,
not only southern, has taken
time, but it is happening,” says
Gretchen. “It is exciting to have been a
part of making that change in our
understanding of our past.” She is on
sabbatical spring semester to complete
a book on the American colonization of
the northern Great Plains.
[email protected]
After moving to a self-designed and
self-built cabin in the woods five years
ago, David Clowers has been living a
Thoreau-like existence. In 2005, for the
first time since his “K” days, he
appeared in a play, doing eight different
roles in “The Laramie Project.” Since
then he has appeared in several other
productions with local community
theatre groups, most recently doing
Professor Willard and Farmer Carter in
“Our Town.” He has begun to get his
poetry published, locally, which, given
the small size of the community
(Sturgeon Bay, Wis.), has had the effect
of making him a well-known local poet.
Besides maintaining a small law
practice in Sturgeon Bay, he also does
the Legal Aid Clinic for Door County.
[email protected]
Penny Britton Kolloff and her
husband, John Urice, have retired and
moved to Eau Claire, Wis. “Since
retiring from the faculty of Illinois State
University I have enjoyed a term as
president of the Illinois Association for
Gifted Children,” wrote Penny. “And I
currently co-chair a national task force
on state policy related to gifted
education. I still publish in my field and
do occasional consulting. Volunteering
as a tutor has allowed me to return to
the joy of working with children.”
Penny lives at 5401 North Shore Drive,
Eau Claire, WI 54703-2271. She would
enjoy hearing from “K” friends at her email address: [email protected].
1965 – Class Agent: Kay Seaman
Lewis / [email protected]
Harold Schuitmaker was elected
Secretary of the Probate Council of the
Michigan State Bar. The council has
more than 5,000 members. His
daughter, Tonya Schuitmaker, was
elected to a second term of office in the
Michigan House of Representatives.
1966 – Class Agent: John Honell /
[email protected]
1967 REUNION YEAR (Oct. 2007)
Class Agent: Nancy Southard Young /
[email protected]
The Water Environment Federation
awarded the Harry E. Schlenz Medal for
public education about the
environment to Joel Thurtell and
Patricia Beck. Thurtell is a reporter with
the Detroit Free Press and Beck is a Free
Press photographer. After lots of
planning in winter and spring, 2005,
the pair paddled a canoe more than 27
miles up the Rouge River in Metro
Detroit. The trip took five days. In
1985, the Michigan Water Resources
Commission set 2005 as the deadline
for making the highly polluted Rouge
33
River swimmable. The river in 2005
was safe for “full body contact” only 5
percent of the time.
Free Press stories
written by Thurtell
with Beck’s
photographs ran on
October 19 and 20,
2005, and
documented the
river’s condition.
Joel Thurtell
Harold Decker was appointed co-chair
of the Biotech Sub-Committee of the
American Bar Association Section of
Litigation Products Liability
Committee. Harold is a principal in the
Kalamazoo office of the law firm Miller,
Canfield, Paddock & Stone.
1968 – Class Agents: Bill Garrow /
[email protected]; Susan Kilborn
Francois / [email protected]; Ed
Thompson, Jr. / [email protected]
Sue Ahmed (Susan Wolofski) is a
senior fellow at Mathematica Policy
Research. She has two children (Wendy
Turenne, 32, and Sharif Ahmed, 28)
and one grandchild (Trip Turenne, 15
months). [email protected]
In 2005-06, Paula Prane Marian was
awarded a sabbatical from her position
as head of the art department at New
Milford High School. Her goal was to
design a project to integrate social
studies and decorative arts. She
commuted to New York City from her
home in rural Connecticut to take
classes in decorative art at Parsons
School of Design, and for six months
she was an intern in the American
Decorative Art Department of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art. The
project she designed on Early American
Samplers is documented in a Web site
at http://web.mac.com/
paulamarian1/iWeb. “Kalamazoo
College prepared me for risk taking,”
says Paula, “even late in professional
life.” She was the oldest intern at the
Met. She’s back teaching school and has
completed a series of lectures about
Early American Samplers. A weekly
blog from her sabbatical may be found
at: http://homepage.mac.com.
paulamarian1.
1969 – Class Agent – Bill Weiner /
[email protected]
David Weed recently retired after 32
years as a clinical psychologist for the
Massachusetts Department of Mental
Health. He currently coordinates
“Healthy City Fall River,” a public
health promotion project that operates
out of the city mayor’s office. He and
his wife, Sarah, a regional library
director in Providence, R.I., live in
Warren, R.I. Their son, Jonathan, a
graduate of Bard College, works for the
American Arbitration Association in
East Providence, R.I. [email protected]
1970 – Class Agent: David Kessler /
[email protected]
Retirement seems out of the question
for R. Moses Thompson. “My wife,
Holli, and I put in a vineyard on the
farm as a diversion from the fact that
we will most likely be working until we
drop,” he wrote. “We seemed so relaxed
when at college and turned into such
‘Type A’s’ later in life. I spend about
two-thirds of the year in developing
countries working on post-conflict
situations and the rest of the time
working from the farm office in
Virginia. At least this, my second, time
around with children I can take my boy
to school and be in the front row for
recitals. Life is good.”
[email protected]
Linda Ryan works as a Web site
reviewer and content developer in the
literacy and ESL areas at
teachersfirst.com and
teachersandfamilies.com.
[email protected]
Alan Israel is in his 27th year with the
same medical group, Bristol Park, but
he has moved to a new office at 16300
Sand Canyon Avenue, 4th Floor, Irvine,
CA 92618 / 949.552.4200.
[email protected]
Cynthia Lord Harrison was named a
Community Librarian of the Year by the
New York Times. This significant honor
recognizes her career as an outstanding
public librarian. Cindy has been
manager of the Bainbridge (Wash.)
Public Library since 1990. Her first
librarian position was under Eleanor
Pinkham’s leadership at Kalamazoo
College’s Upjohn Library in 1972.
Cindy is married to David Harrison, a
senior lecturer at the Evans School of
Public Affairs at the University of
Washington and a gubernatorial
appointee as chair of the Washington
Workforce Training and Education
Coordinating Board. Cindy and David
moved to Bainbridge (a ferry ride from
Seattle) in 1986. They have two grown
sons.
Eric Anderson, the former CEO of
Crescent Machinery Company in Fort
Worth, Texas, took a new position as
chief operating officer of the Dallas
(Texas) School District. He oversees
nonacademic departments, including
payroll, human resources, purchasing,
and maintenance in a school district
with a budget of more than $1 billion.
1971 – Class Agent: Steven Helm /
[email protected]
On September 9, 2006, at the
caretaker’s cottage at the Hollywood
Bowl in Los Angeles, Dan Kerkhoff ’71
wed Carol Hobaugh in a decidedly nontraditional ceremony, and then treated
their guests to a Willie Nelson concert
at the Bowl. It is the first marriage for
both, and it didn’t take Dan 35 years to
pop the question. The two met at a line
dancing class in the Los Angeles area
and became
one more
notch on
the belt of
their
instructor,
who claims
to have
matched
more than a
few couples.
Members of the Class of 1971 who joined
classmate Dan Kerkoff and Carol Hobaugh for
their wedding festivities were (l-r): Rod Day,
Jim “JP” Preston, Dan and Carol, and Scott
Nofsinger. Not pictured is Willie Nelson.
1972 REUNION YEAR (Oct. 2007)
Class Agents: Stan and Diane
Larimer / [email protected]
Judy St. Clair completed a postdoctoral degree in chiropractic
rehabilitation (diplomate of the
American Chiropractic Rehabilitation
Board). She received the Distinguished
Service Award for her 25 years of
service to the Minnesota Chiropractic
Association. She serves as that
organization’s treasurer and also as the
interim music director at her church.
[email protected]
Bill Bartlett and Christina (Busey)
Bartlett live in Bangkok, Thailand. Bill
is Minister of Consular Affairs at the
U.S. Embassy there. Tina teaches IB
To give a gift: www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
Classnotes
34
biology at the New International School
of Thailand. [email protected]
Vernon M. Kays, Ph.D., lives in
Manchester, Mo. His son Timothy was
recently promoted to Master Sergeant
in the Air Force. Vernon has two
grandchildren: Robbie (2) and Sasha (2
months). [email protected]
Paul Lashkari sends the following
contact information: 1507-33 Elmhurst
Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M2N6G8
Canada / 416.730.9444 /
[email protected].
1973 – Class Agent: Bill Washburn /
[email protected]
Sally Madsen retired (“not entirely by
choice,” she wrote) from United
Airlines after 23 years of service. She
now works for a corporate travel
agency in Denver. Last November she
wrote, “The week after Thanksgiving I
will be in Berlin, staying with friends
whom I met during foreign study in
1971/72 and lived with when I was in
Berlin teaching English in 1974/75. I
was shocked to hear that their son, who
was 6 when I met him, will be 40 in
February. It doesn’t seem possible that
many years have gone by since I spent
that semester in Berlin. This will be my
first trip to Germany in more than 10
years. I hope to visit with Jenny
Kentner (daughter of Susan Kentner
’69) who is living in Potsdam.”
Steven Gevinson and David
Hammond and their friend Phil
Thompson (whose daughter is applying
to Kalamazoo College this year) have
had their combo DVD/Teachers’ Guide
published by Heinemann. It’s called
Increase the Peace, and it’s a series of
imaginative and innovative activities,
sequenced to move middle and high
school students from simple emotional
reactions to more reasoned responses to
the threat of violence in their school
environment. Check it out at
http://books.heinemann.com/products/
E00952.aspx.
1974 – Class Agent – Phil
Kraushaar, Jr. / [email protected]
Since January, 2006, Paul Guenette has
been working as Vice President for
Africa at an international Nongovernmental Organization (NGO)
called ACDI/VOCA. That NGO
implements programs to improve links
between rural farmers and largely urban
or international markets. Paul has
visited programs in Egypt, Kenya,
Rwanda, Tanzania, Mozambique,
Malawi, Zambia, Angola, and Liberia.
Susan Huyck is curriculum
coordinator at Teda International
School in Tianjin, near Beijing, China.
She wrote, “Anyone wanting to come
and visit China, just make yourself
known! I have a single or double bed
waiting for you. Better yet, if you are a
teacher and looking for a different
experience, e-mail me!”
[email protected]
Randy Gepp has been named a Georgia
Super Lawyer in the category of
“Employment Litigation Representing
Management” for the fourth
consecutive year. Super Lawyers are in
the top 5 percent of their fields as
selected by their peers. Randy also is
one of the first employment specialists
certified by the Florida Bar Association.
He is a partner with Hollowell Foster
and Gepp. He lives in Atlanta and
practices in Georgia and Florida.
Barbara (Uhlig) Ostroth is an empty
nester. Three of her kids are in college,
and all four live in states other than her
home state of New Jersey. “My oldest
son, Mark, is a graduate of the
University of Michigan and lives in
Austin, Texas,” she wrote. “My son
Steve is a senior at Johnson & Wales
University in Providence, R.I., and my
daughters Jenny and Katie are freshmen
at the University of Wisconsin and the
University of Pittsburgh, respectively. I
am still a realtor with Coldwell Banker
in Bergen County, working as hard as I
can to pay all of the tuitions.” Last
summer Barbara had dinner (and a
good time catching up) with Nancy
(Underhill) Eaton ’73 on Cape Cod.
Nancy lives with her partner in
Harwich, Mass., and makes her living
as a therapist working with adolescents
and families.
1975 – Class Agents: David and
Lisa Smith / [email protected]
Norman Neher has worked in the
Midland (Mich.) Public Schools for the
past 31 years. His first 19 were spent
teaching high school Spanish along
with various administrative duties. For
the past 12 years he has served as the
coordinator of instructional media and
technology, overseeing 17 district
libraries and everything dealing with
technology in the district. “This year
my job has expanded to include
responsibilities as coordinator of world
languages,” he wrote. “It has been good
to return to my world language roots.”
[email protected]
Debra Wierenga received her M.F.A. in
poetry from the Writing Seminars at
Bennington College. A chapbook of her
poems, Marriage and Other Infidelities,
is out this month from the New
Women’s Voices Series of Finishing
Line Press. [email protected]
1976 – Class Agents: Rob and Val
Van Patten /
[email protected]
Ami (Moss) Simms wrote in a note last
November 29 that the Alzheimer’s Art
Quilt Initiative, which she founded,
had raised at that point more than
$40,000 in 11 months for Alzheimer’s
research. Persons interested in raising
that total can do so by bidding on very
small art quilts (no larger
than 9 inches by 12
inches) during monthly
auctions held the first 10
days of each month at
www.AlzQuilts.org. Ami
continues to crisscross the
country teaching quilting.
She is always glad when
she runs into a fellow “K”
alum. [email protected]
Ami Simms
Last summer Carolyn Sevin traveled
with the Christ Church Chorale of
Grosse Pointe (Mich.) on a concert tour
of Eastern Europe and the Baltic States.
It was her first visit to Latvia, Estonia,
and St. Petersburg in Russia. She used
the occasion to re-connect with her
foreign study host family through their
youngest son, who now lives in Riga,
Latvia.
The Christ Church Chorale of Grosse Pointe
on its summer 2006 concert tour. Carolyn
Sevin ’74 is front row, second from left.
35
Kristel Heinz-Ciullo wrote, “Sorry to
have missed everyone at Homecoming!
I’ll try again in 2011.”
1977 REUNION YEAR (Oct. 2007)
Class Agent: Lee Morriss-Mueller /
[email protected]
Lance Tennant lives and works in
Budapest, Hungary. “Alums or foreign
study students are welcome to drop by
for a bowl of goulash and glass of
wine,” he wrote. [email protected]
Last November Clint David traveled to
Aix to visit his daughter, who is
studying abroad there through a
program at Vanderbilt University. Clint
studied there when he was a Kalamazoo
College student, and he paid a visit to
his French mother during the trip to
see his daughter.
John F. MacArthur practices law in
Mount Clemens, Mich. He is the senior
partner in a firm opened by his greatgrandfather in 1903. That firm is a
Michigan Centennial Business. John
and his wife, Gail, have been married
for 28 years. Their daughter, Gillian, is
a recent honors graduate of Michigan
State University, and their son, Ian, is a
sophomore at Western Michigan
University, where he enjoys a full fouryear U.S. Army ROTC scholarship.
[email protected]
Elizabeth Belser Loegel is the athletic
director and the principal at North
Huron Secondary School (grades 7-12).
“It’s been a challenge to balance both
jobs because each is demanding in its
own way,” wrote Elizabeth. “However,
change can always be exciting and open
one’s eyes to a whole new perspective.
My husband, Michael, is awaiting a
kidney transplant and is currently on
leave from his teaching job at North
Huron Schools. Daughter Jane is a
senior set to graduate from ‘K’ this
June.” [email protected]
Michael Berkow is the new chief of the
Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police
Department in Georgia. He began his
duties last November. Michael has
nearly three decades of police
experience, most recently as deputy
chief of police in the Los Angeles Police
Department.
1978 – Class Agents: Ann Dahmer /
[email protected]; Kerry Geffert /
[email protected]
Jonathan (Jothy) Rosenberg wrote,
“After starting five companies in the
last 10 years I decided to help other
people do the same thing. I found a
way to do that where I don’t just put
money in, but rather put in
management (me plus my network) as
well as money ($1 to $2 million each). I
am now going around evaluating
technology coming out of universities
and research labs, looking for great
innovations that cry out for becoming
commercial ventures. Then I form a
company around that technology. I’m
covering lots of markets and lots of
institutions, making some great new
little companies, and having the most
fun I’ve ever had.” [email protected]
1979 – Class Agents: Ken and Mary
King / [email protected]
assistant professor at the University of
Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry.
[email protected]
Len Pasek can be contacted at
[email protected].
David Harris recently retired as vice
president at clothing company Ann
Klein. Now, after 25 years, he has
begun work on a second album of
original music. Joining him will be Paul
McCandless and Glen Moore, founding
members of the jazz group, Oregon.
Dave also is managing director of
Harris Financial Group, a small group
within Swiss banking giant UBS that
works with high net worth investors.
[email protected]
1980 – Class Agent: Dana Holton
Hendrix / [email protected]
Doug Hewitt had a book published by
Hatherleigh Press, an affiliate of W.W.
Norton, and distributed by Random
House. The book, The Practical Guide to
Weekend Parenting: 101 Ways to Bond
With Your Children While Having Fun,
has caught
media attention,
and Doug
appeared on
New York’s The
CBS Early Show
to talk about the
book. For more
information on
Doug and his
book, visit
www.weekend
parenting.com.
Jane (Woodworth) Pettit works for
the University of Michigan Health
System as an organizational
effectiveness consultant. She did similar
work for the university itself during the
previous 22 years. Jane also visited
classmate Holly Ernst Groschner in
Pittsburgh last summer and wrote that
Holly “continues to shake up the world
with her energy and enthusiasm.” You
can reach Jane at
[email protected].
Timothy Kosinski has a son, TJ, who
is a sophomore at Kalamazoo College.
And Timothy’s daughter Jessica is
strongly considering “K” “to keep
things in the family,” he wrote. “My
dental practice is located in Bingham
Farms, Mich., but I also provide dental
implant procedures in Harbor Springs
and Traverse City.” Timothy is an
Kym Masera Taborn was promoted to
supervisory attorney for the Estate and
Gift Tax Group, Internal Revenue
Service, in Van Nuys, Calif. The group’s
primary responsibility is estate and gift
tax issues in Los Angeles.
[email protected]
Al Biland played basketball for the
Hornets from 1976 to 1980. His
daughter, Elizabeth, is the starting
center for the University of Southern
Mississippi women’s basketball team.
She is a junior and recently started her
59th collegiate game.
[email protected]
Gianfranco Chicco is the owner of the
New York City-based healthcare public
relations agency, Chandler Chicco
Agency (CCA). That award-winning
agency was named “Creative Agency of
the Year” in 2005 by the Holmes Group.
One year later, The Holmes Report noted
that CCA, “a perennial fixture on our
U.S. list of Best Public Relations
Agencies to Work For, is achieving the
same level of excellence in the UK.”
The article cites, in particular, the
agency’s egalitarian culture and
commitment to professional
development.
Orakawao David Dowuona, M.D.
wrote, “After ‘K,’ medical school at
Northwestern University, and residency
in New York, I worked for many years
(until 2003) on hospital staff positions
and in private practice in obstetrics and
gynecology in Brooklyn and Queens. I
now live in Accra, Ghana, and am
To give a gift: www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
Classnotes
36
involved in obstetrics and gynecology
on a much-reduced basis. I am involved
in building up a business in agroprocessing. I have been married for
many years. We have four children; the
youngest was born this past October. I
still consider my ‘K’ experience a lifechanging one, indeed, for a poor boy
from Ghana, West Africa.”
Diane Dupuis is grants acquisition
manager at Interlochen Center for the
Arts. Her daughter is a freshman at
Interlochen Arts Academy and her son
is a 5th grader at Interlochen
Pathfinder School. Her husband plays
music in a number of ensembles,
including a big band, jazz septet, and
brass ensemble.
[email protected]
1981 – Class Agent: West Nelson, II /
[email protected]
Ruth McLeister Anan earned her Ph.D.
in clinical psychology at Wayne State
University in 1996 and is currently
employed as Director of the Early
Childhood Program, Division of
Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at
William Beaumont Hospital (Royal
Oak, Mich.). Her work involves autistic
pre-schoolers and includes diagnosis,
supervision of behavior analytic daytreatment, and teaching. She’s been
married to Tom Anan ’79 for 26 years,
and they have two daughters.
L. West Nelson wrote, “As part of a
plan to redesign my life, I’ve moved to
Traverse City, Mich. A change in
latitude for a change in attitude, as it
were. I’m still doing computer
consulting and writing technical
manuals, but there are more creative
plans afoot. Drop a note or drop on by
if you’re in the vicinity. The kettle will
be on. Mahalo.” [email protected]
1982 REUNION YEAR (Oct. 2007)
Glendon Gardner, M.D., was a
contributing author in two books about
the diagnosis, prevention, and
treatment of voice disorders. He wrote a
chapter titled “Electromyography for
the Singer’s Voice” in the book The
Performer’s Voice. He was co-author of
the chapter “Laryngeal
Neurophysiology” in the book
Diagnosis and Treatment of Voice
Disorders.
1983 – Class Agents: Suzanne
Kleinsmith Saganich /
[email protected]; Holly Rarick
Witchey / [email protected]
Casey (Stousland) Audrain began her
second year as a classroom assistant at
Old School Montessori in Grayslake,
Ill. She works in a classroom of first,
second, and third graders.
[email protected]
Marshall B. Hay, M.D., wrote, “2006
was a big year for the Hay family. We
moved to Walloon in April, only to
decide a month later that Kalamazoo
was the place to be. So we moved in
November in preparation for my new
position at Borgess Hospital, which
began in January. Our youngest, Clarke,
turned one and now chases big brother
Cameron (two going on five) all over.”
[email protected]
Karl Leif Bates is the manager of
research communications in the Office
of News and Communications at Duke
University. He edits and reviews all
science-related news from the
university, including its schools of arts
and sciences, medicine, nursing,
engineering, and the environment. He
writes on a broad variety of science
subjects and will oversee the launch of
a forthcoming research magazine. Leif
had been director of life sciences
communications at the University of
Michigan since 2001. He and his wife,
Suzanne (Fechner) have two sons, ages
12 and 10. [email protected]
1984 – Class Agents: Lila Lazarus /
[email protected]; Greg Schuetz /
[email protected]
Richard Hensel is very involved in the
city of Benton Harbor, Mich. He is a
retail business owner, partner in the
Benton Harbor State Theatre, artist, and
volunteer community activist in the
areas of historic preservation and
creation of community events. His
work draws upon his days as an
undergraduate at Kalamazoo College. “I
use design skills honed in the theatre
department,” he wrote. “And my
activities in historic preservation have
roots in the historic preservation that
took place in the neighborhoods of
Kalamazoo when I was student there.”
[email protected]
William Gigante retired from the U.S.
Navy in July 2006 after serving for 20
Two Jolly Rogers F/A-18F aircraft
over Afghanistan, part of Thomas
O’Dowd’s current command
years. He and his wife, Leslie, and their
three children—Abigail (13), Allison
(5), and Alexis (2)—live in Lexington,
Va. William divides his time between
home and Singapore, where he
administers pre-position shipping for
the Department of Defense.
[email protected]
Night club and restaurant entrepreneur
Steve Adelman was the subject of a fall
article in the Wall Street Journal
(“Night-Club Owner Skips Late Nights
For Early Mornings in Boxing Ring,”
November 21, 2006). The article was
part of an online column that looks at
busy people’s fitness routines. Although
Steve’s businesses (he owns stakes in
clubs in New York and Los Angeles)
revolve around late nights, he’s rarely
up past midnight so that he can be
ready for his morning workouts. Steve
played Hornet basketball and continued
to enjoy the sport long after graduation.
But for the past 13 years he’s focused on
boxing. His workouts combine
stretching, mitt and bag work, and
eight to ten 3-minute rounds of
sparring with his trainer. Most recently,
Steve opened The Joint, a new fitness
center and all-purpose gym in Los
Angeles.
Lila Lazarus is an anchor and health
reporter for Fox television network. She
can be reached at
[email protected].
1985 – Class Agent: Judy Veronica
Hehs / [email protected]
Suzanne Peake wrote, “I’m presently
an artist’s model in Scotland and
‘mother’ to three gerbils.
[email protected]
Thomas (Tip) O’Dowd is the
Commanding Officer of the VFA-103
Jolly Rogers, currently deployed
onboard the U.S.S. Eisenhower and
flying in support of the NATO coalition
in Afghanistan. Before reaching the
Middle East, his squadron enjoyed trips
to Rome and Cyprus. Cyprus is the
33rd country that Thomas has visited
during his service in the U.S. Navy.
thomas.p.o’[email protected]
37
Diane Licholat-Surati and Michael
Licholat have returned to Michigan
and live in Addison Township. Michael
retired from the military last October.
Diane is organizing their new home
before venturing back into the world of
educational consulting and teaching.
Their son, Zachary, started half-day
preschool in January. You can reach
Diane and Michael at: 2030 Hidden
Lane, Addison Township, MI 48367 /
248.236.9464 / [email protected].
1986 – Class Agent: Bruce Kantor /
[email protected]
Lisa Mancini Saunders and her
husband, Bart, live in Orlando, Fla.,
with their three girls—Alexis (10),
Haley (8), and Sydney (4). After
graduating from “K,” Lisa attended
Case Western Reserve University
School of Law, and she began practicing
law in Orlando in 1990. She and her
husband manage their own law firm in
Winter Park, Fla.
[email protected]
Domonick Wegesin wrote, “We left
NYC for the Bay Area and are loving it.
Redwood Regional Park is less than a
block from our front door, so daily
hikes in the mountains are now de
rigueur. I left the field of neuroscience
research and am now doing the yogi
thing.” [email protected]
1987 REUNION YEAR (Oct. 2007)
Class Agent: Rick Howrey /
[email protected]
Keith Crandall was appointed Chair of
the Department of
Integrative Biology
at Brigham Young
University on
September 1, 2006.
Keith is a full
professor in his
11th year at BYU.
He enjoys the
exceptional skiing
that Utah offers and
spent the last year
on sabbatical at the
University of
Auckland in New
Zealand working at
the Bioinformatics
Institute.
keith_crandall@
byu.edu
Keith Crandall and
his five kids enjoy
their front yard in
New Zealand during
Keith’s sabbatical.
The Reverend Melanie Lee Carey
continues to serve as the senior pastor
of the First United Methodist Church in
Ypsilanti, Mich. She puts her Spanish
degree to good use, preaching each
Sunday in both English and Spanish. “I
remember when I graduated,” she
wrote, “and my father asked me, ‘What
are you going to do with a Spanish
major?’ I didn’t have a good answer for
him then, but now I am finding that
being bilingual is the most helpful
thing in the world!” Melanie is a
contributing author in a book of weekly
devotionals published by Abingdon
Press. It’s titled 2007 Upper Room
Disciplines. She is married to legal
service attorney, Jon Carey, and the
mother of two children, Nick (11) and
Grace (8).
[email protected]
Tracy Camp, Ph.D., is the founder and
director of the Toilers
(http://toilers.mines.edu), an active ad
hoc computer networks research group.
Dr. Camp’s research projects have
received more than $3 million in
external funding. With that funding,
she and her group have produced 11
software packages that have been
requested by (and shared with) more
than 700 researchers in 49 countries.
Dr. Camp’s articles have been cited
more than 1,300 times. Dr. Camp was a
Fulbright Scholar to New Zealand last
year. She was recently invited to be an
ACM Distinguished Lecturer (August
2006), awarded IEEE Senior Member
status (July 2006), and selected as an
ACM Distinguished Scientist (October
2006). [email protected]
Robin Yurk, M.D., sends the following
contact information: 11271 Ventura
Blvd #253, Studio City, CA 91604 /
310.601.6039 /
[email protected].
1988 – Class Agent: Patrick
Mahany / [email protected]
Karla Stoermer Grossman lives in
Ann Arbor, Mich. She and her husband,
Brian, have two girls: Katie (4) and
Elysabeth (2). Karla earned a B.S.N.
from the University of Michigan School
of Nursing and master’s degree in
health care administration from Central
Michigan University. She is a clinical
care coordinator at the University of
Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital,
where she runs a pediatric asthma
disease management program.
[email protected]
Yuriko Yamanaka edited a book,
Arabian Nights and Orientalism:
Perspectives From the East and West
(London: Tauris, 2006), and it received
a very favorable review (one and a half
pages worth) in the Times Literary
Supplement (November 3, 2006).
1989 – Class Agent: Anastasia
Harnden / [email protected]
Chris Rito and his wife Melinda were
married on August 19, 2006. They live
with their five children in a rural area
outside of Indianapolis. Chris is a
medicinal chemist working for Eli Lilly
& Company in pharmaceutical
discovery research. Melinda is an
assistant branch manager for PS
Executive Centers’ Indianapolis office.
Chris and Melinda Rito and their children
Tricia Wagner lives and teaches in
Monteverde, Costa Rica. She teaches
English and social studies, grades 5
through 8, in a bilingual school. She
recently graduated from New York
University with a master’s degree in
drama and education, and she’s putting
her skills to work in the classroom.
[email protected]
Kerstin (Lampe) Benoit married
Douglas Benoit on September 9, 2005.
They welcomed their first child,
Christopher Miles Benoit, to the family
on July 25, 2006. Kerstin has worked
for J.D. Power and Associates for the
past four years. She is an account
manager on the Ford account.
[email protected]
Karen Weaver Granata wrote, “In the
last two years I moved back to
Michigan, married my husband, Peter,
gave birth to my son, Max, and started
To give a gift: www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
Classnotes
38
a new position as assistant medical
director/faculty at a family medicine
residency with Oakwood Health
System. Life has been a wonderful
whirlwind.” [email protected]
In 2005, Regina R. Blough completed
her Master of Laws Degree in taxation
from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
She recently took a position with the
Michigan Department of Treasury,
Bureau of Local Government Services.
[email protected]
1990 – Class Agent: Dan Wort /
[email protected]
Cristin Reid English was selected by
U.S. Banker Magazine as one of the “25
Women to Watch in Banking.” Cristin
is chief operating officer with Capitol
Bancorp in Lansing (Mich.). Among
more than 5,000 nominated for the
honor nationwide, Cristin was the only
recipient from Michigan. She was the
highest ranked community banker
(#11) and the youngest to receive the
2006 award. Her selection was based, in
part, on the strength of her community
involvement and business leadership.
She is very involved in the local Junior
Achievement program, to which she
has dedicated countless hours, and for
which she has raised more than
$250,000. Cristin was honored at a
ceremony in New York in October.
Brita Boer is a member of “Finn
Chicks,” a professional women’s fishing
team. Last summer Finn Chicks took
second place out of 47 boats in the
Diamond Splash tournament in
Manistee, Mich. “Our weigh-in,” wrote
Brita, “of the five largest fish was 86
pounds, all salmon.” [email protected]
1991 – Class Agents: Bridget Jones /
[email protected]; Dinesh
Goburdhun / [email protected]
Mara Bird completed her Ph.D. in
international relations at the University
of Southern California. She is living in
Colombia until June of this year.
[email protected]
Tim Mulligan is a law clerk for Judge
Kurtis T. Wilder of the Michigan Court
of Appeals. Before accepting that
position he served with the Detroit
Office of the Prehearing Department of
the Michigan Court of Appeals. Tim
lives in Bloomfield Hills and can be
reached at [email protected].
Darcy Draft has worked for NSK
Corporation for eight years and
recently accepted an overseas
assignment. Since January, 2007, she’s
been the company’s marketing manager
for Europe, residing in Dusseldorf,
Germany. You can reach Darcy at
[email protected].
amazing experience, and now that it is
finished I am starting a catering
business called ‘Global Palate.’ In
November I spent two weeks in
Argentina, traveling to Buenos Aires,
Mendoza, and Bariloche. It was
fantastic!” [email protected]
Maggie (Catchick) Sturvist teaches
French and English in Cheboygan,
Mich. She continues to write poetry
and hopes to publish someday. She
would like to connect with old friends
and can be reached at
[email protected].
1992 REUNION YEAR (Oct. 2007)
Class Agent: Hans Morefield /
[email protected]
Wanda Hartmann and Michael Oehrli
were married on October 14, 2006. She
and Michael live in the northwest
suburbs of Chicago. Wanda teaches
chemistry at Elmhurst College; her
husband is starting a business in data
storage. [email protected]
Jimmy Osowski earned his M.B.A.
from Texas A&M University in May
2005. He currently lives in Chicago and
can be reached at
[email protected].
The U.S. Department of Education and
American Educational Research
Association have awarded Tammy
Kolbe a fellowship for policy research
in urban education. Her research
focuses on evaluating policies and
resources targeted at recruiting and
retaining highly qualified teachers in
disadvantaged schools. For the
fellowship’s duration she is on leave
from her position at Abt Associates,
Inc., and will serve on the faculty of the
University of Maryland’s Department of
Education Policy and Leadership. She
will teach courses on education
economics, finance, and policy, as well
as conduct her research.
[email protected]
Leah Alexander wrote, “I left my
pediatric practice in Elizabeth (New
Jersey) last November, and I have since
been contracted as a locum temum
instead. It’s a much better quality of
life, and fortunately I have found an
office that needs me long term. I have
decided to pursue my culinary dreams
and enrolled at the French Culinary
Institute of Manhattan. It was an
Leah Alexander in Argentina
Joseph Attia wrote, “I’m surviving in
the Michigan recession. To keep things
interesting our first baby is on the way,
due about the time this issue of the
magazine comes out.”
[email protected]
Amy Carlton completed a master’s
degree in nonprofit management at
North Park University. She has also coproduced the annual DIY Trunk Show
alternative craft fair for the past four
years. In November she was
interviewed about the burgeoning anticorporate alternative craft movement
by the filmmakers of The Indie Craft
Documentary, which is due to hit
theatres in 2008.
[email protected]
Douglas Ferguson is an informational
management specialist working for the
U.S. Department of State in Santiago,
Chile. He and his wife, Kate Husband,
have lived in Santiago since last
October. His e-mail address is
[email protected], and his
blog can be found at
http://osmr2snakes.blogspot.com.
1993 – Class Agents: Meg Dunn /
[email protected]; Erin
Brownlee Dell / [email protected];
Brad O’Neill / [email protected]
Gavin DeNyse and his wife continue to
love the fun and challenge of raising
39
their son. The family moved to the San
Francisco Bay Area about a year ago,
but, wrote Gavin, “being true
Midwesterners, we spend as much time
as possible in Tahoe during the winter
to get our fix of cold weather, snow, and
skiing.”
Heidi Buchele Harris and Michael
Harris celebrated the birth of their son,
Alexander. He was born on August 7,
2006.
Robert Davidson and Diana (Flynn)
Davidson celebrated the birth of their
third child. Ava Flynn Davidson was
born on September 13, 2006. She joins
brother Sam (3) and sister Mia (6). The
proud parents describe life as “still
sleepless but great.” Rob is an
emergency physician in Fremont,
Mich., and Diana is a family physician
in North Muskegon, Mich.
[email protected]
Katie Kool has lived in Costa Rica for a
year and a half. She works for Procter
& Gamble. “The kids and I love it
here,” she wrote. “We continue to go
on adventures and learn about our new
home.” [email protected]
Keirya Langkamp completed graduate
school at the University of Notre Dame
in May, 2006. A month later she started
teaching for the United States Military
Academy, West Point, NY. In October
she became engaged to Army Major
Brian Dunmire. And in November she
was promoted to Major in the Army.
[email protected]
Ellen Foley is a tenure-track professor
at Clark University in Worcester, Mass.
She teaches in that institution’s
International Development,
Community and Environment
Department. Prior to this position,
Ellen was a postdoctoral lecturer in the
Health and Societies Program at the
University of Pennsylvania and an
instructor in the Department of
Anthropology at Michigan State
University. She earned her Ph.D. in
anthropology from MSU. Her research
interests include
women’s health
issues, particularly
in West Africa. Her
recent work focuses
on the barriers
African immigrant
women in
Philadelphia face in
education,
prevention, testing,
and treatment of
HIV/AIDS.
Ellen Foley
After three moves last summer Seth
and Kelly (Roberts) Denawetz finally
moved into their dream house. They
also took a nice tour of Europe during
which they snapped a photo (see
below) of their year-and-a-half old son
Ryan at Strasbourg University.
[email protected]
Shannon McKeeby has been in medical
practice at Bronson Hospital in
Kalamazoo for five years. She and her
husband, Mike, celebrated their 10-year
anniversary with the delivery of their
third son, Gavin Paul, on June 9, 2006.
Gavin joins older brothers Aiden (4)
and Lucas (3).
Joel A. Harris joined the law firm,
Dykema, and works as an associate in
the firm’s Bloomfield Hills (Mich.)
office. His work focuses on general
litigation matters. He earned his J.D.
from University of Detroit Mercy, and
he lives in Grosse Pointe Woods.
1994 – Class Agents: Andy Burdick /
[email protected]; Bess
German / [email protected]
Young Ryan Denawetz, already “studying
abroad” at Strasbourg University.
In partnership with Latin activist and
film and television star Edward James
Olmos, Keith Alan Morris is helping
develop the activist/actor’s next featurelength script. It is titled “The
Bohemian” and tells the story of a
Honduran activist who ventures into
the rainforest and discovers something
the whole world wants. Olmos, whose
credits include Stand and Deliver, Blade
Runner, Miami Vice, and Battlestar
Galactica, is slated to star in the new
film. For more on the project, check
out filmscout.org/bohemian. You can
reach Keith at [email protected].
Amy Schmidt-Stanek wrote, “I’m very
happily married and just had our first
child, Lily Louise Stanek, on August 16,
2006. I’ve been working in radio since I
graduated and am now a senior account
executive at WLUP in Chicago.”
[email protected]
Bill Duane lives in San Francisco
where he’s employed by Google as a
“geek herder” in the engineering
department. He wrote that he still
enjoys speaking about himself in the
third person and sliding down hills on
food service items. The latter has
unfortunately led to several postgraduation encounters with local law
enforcement officials. “Ah, good times.”
[email protected]
Matthew Ropp provides the following
contact information: 25437 Via
Impreso, Valencia, CA 91355 /
661.312.8784 /
[email protected].
The year 2006 has been big for Andy
Korcek. His medical practice is
thriving, and he got married. “Barbora
and I were married on August 5 in
Slovakia and then had another
reception in Detroit on October 7,”
Andy wrote. “Thanks to all the ‘K’
people that helped us celebrate.”
[email protected]
Steve Bastian and Dianna (Zarewych)
Bastian ’97 are nearly done with their
residencies. “Dianna is finishing
internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic,
and I am finishing orthopedics at the
University of Colorado,” wrote Steve.
“We are moving to Manhattan this
summer, and I will be completing a
fellowship in hand and upper extremity
surgery at NYU-HJD. We will likely
move back to Scottsdale the following
year to set up our practices.”
[email protected] /
[email protected]
Jamie Kozma was promoted to clinical
director of Onarga Academy, where she
has worked first as a therapist and more
recently as a supervisor. In her new
position she oversees three residential
programs, the training department, and
the clinical piece of the school’s
program. [email protected]
To give a gift: www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
Classnotes
40
Tim Streeter and Jennifer (Girvin)
Streeter live at 18027 Sparrows Nest
Drive, Lutz, FL 33558 / 813.960.2801 /
[email protected]. Tim and
Jennifer have two sons: Connor (5) and
Donovan (2).
Chris Yoon may be contacted at
[email protected].
Katharine Harris is happily married
and living in Austin, Texas. She wrote,
“Simon and I just welcomed our second
daughter, Anika, this fall. Big sister
Saskia is 2 years old. My evenings are
spent changing diapers and playing
toddler games. By day I manage China
operations (from Texas) for Motion
Computing, a local table PC
manufacturer.”
[email protected]
1995 – Class Agent: Heather
Morrison / 910.455.8586
Connor and Donovan Streeter
Lisa Corwin and her husband, Rajiv
Shah, adopted a baby girl, Maya, who
was born March 12, 2006, in
Guatemala. Maya joined her family,
including big brother Nathan, age 5, in
September. She is doing great and made
her first visit to “K” during
Homecoming weekend.
[email protected]
Sarah Bouchard and her husband
announce the birth of their daughter.
Melaina Bouchard Randall was born
last May. The family lives in
Westerville, Ohio (Sarah is a professor
at Otterbein
College), and
invites friends
who happen to
be in the area to
stop and meet
the family.
sbouchard@
otterbein.edu
Melaina Bouchard
Randall
Heather Mossman is completing her
third year of veterinary school at
Massey University in New Zealand. She
has two years remaining. She invites
alumni traveling to New Zealand to
look her up. [email protected]
Maya and Nathan Corwin-Shah
Preeti Hans wrote, “I’m working at the
National Institutes of Health in
Bethesda, Md. I’m also starting an
M.B.A. at Johns Hopkins next fall. If
anyone is in the area, please drop me an
e-mail.” [email protected]
Amber (Wujek) Yampolsky and her
husband moved from south Florida to
Nashville, Tenn., last February. Amber
works as a physical therapist at
Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, a career
she finds rewarding and challenging.
“We are adjusting to the cooler weather
during the winter, but we are pleased
with the move so far,” she wrote. “If
you are in the area, please look me up.”
[email protected]
Jodi von Jess works one day a week at
a mental health center doing therapy
with children and families. The rest of
the time she is busy with her family.
She and her husband have one son,
Mason, in kindergarten, and a second
son, Sawyer, who is two and a half. The
family lives at a boarding school in New
Hampshire and, wrote Jodi, “enjoys
begin surrounded by 350 teenagers
who keep us on our toes!”
[email protected]
The Reverend Hannah Wells is serving
as an interim minister at a church in
Florida while she searches for a settled
ministry. In July she plans to marry Kit
Petrie, a Canadian citizen, on Pender
Island, British Columbia.
Jennifer Barker Kuskovski lives in
Leysin, Switzerland. She and her
husband are part of an international
high school community (Leysin
American School), and Jennifer would
love to hear from or see “K” friends.
jkuskovski@ gmail.com
Jennifer
Barker
Kuskovski
and family
Gretchen
(Jacobson)
Parsons
and her
family have
returned to
Michigan.
She works
as a genetic
counselor at
Spectrum
Health in
Grand Rapids. Her husband has joined
Hastings Surgeons and practices at
Pennock Hospital in Hastings. They
live in Middleville and look forward to
re-connecting with “K” alumni in the
area. [email protected]
1996 – Class Agent: JoEllen O’Keefe /
[email protected]
Thomas Oakes graduated from the
U.S. Army Officer Candidate School
(Fort Benning, Ga.) on August 24. He
and his wife moved to Fort Sill, Okla.,
where Thomas will complete the next
phases of his training. He holds the
rank of Second Lieutenant.
Erik Cabble and his wife, Julie,
announce the birth of their son. Blake
Wilson Cabble was born October 21,
2006, the very day of Erik’s 10-year
class reunion, which he missed. “We’ll
try again next year,” wrote Erik. “To get
to homecoming,” he clarified.
Marnie Ernst Zoa wrote, “I finally
went and got married last summer. My
husband, Xion, and I had been together
for almost nine years. We chose the
name Zoa together, and he changed his
name as well.” Marnie published her
first book, a bilingual children’s
coloring storybook titled Lulu’s Lullaby
(marniernst.com).
[email protected]
Adam Bower and his family attended
the Class of 1996’s 10th reunion last
41
October. Shortly after, Adam wrote,
“My wife, Angie, daughter, Lily, and
yet-to-be-named peanut coming to
theatres on April 1 are getting along
well in St. Louis. All were present for
Homecoming…and don’t ask about the
accident in the bookstore where Dad
forgot to put a diaper on Lily.”
[email protected]
Joshua Azriel and his wife, Michelle,
live in Atlanta, Ga. Joshua is a professor
of communication at Kennesaw State
University, where he teaches courses in
journalism and media law. He would
love to hear from “K” alumni in the
Atlanta area. [email protected]
1997 REUNION YEAR (Oct. 2007)
Class Agent: Jeff Hotchkiss /
[email protected]
Renee (Landers) Powell and her
husband, Nathan, announce the birth
of their daughter, Catherine Jane. She
was born May 29, 2006. The Powells
live in Washington, D.C., where Renee
has been working as an analyst for the
Federal Government and is in her third
year studying law part-time at George
Mason University. She can be reached at
[email protected].
Heather Simpson provides the
following contact information: 225
Milan Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,
M5A 4C3 / 416.703.9331 /
[email protected].
Michael Mundahl now works as a
corporate strategic sourcing analyst for
Kinetic Concepts, Inc., a medical
equipment manufacturer.
[email protected]
Tara Darcy-Hall and Spencer Hall
welcomed daughter, Maia Christine, in
May 2006. darcyhall@gmail
Brian Miller, his wife, Megan, and
their daughter, Anabel, are expecting a
new addition to the family in April
2007.
[email protected]
Jamie Pfluecke and Stacy (Frattinger)
Pfluecke live in Chicago. Jamie works
as an organizer in public housing, and
Stacy is a developmental therapist at
the University of Illinois-Chicago.
[email protected]
Dia Penning is manager for student
and community programs at the Center
for Art and Public Life, California
College of the Arts. She will begin work
on her Ph.D. in social transformation in
September. “I’ve been working in the
community arts field since graduation
from ‘K’ and received my master’s
degree in interdisciplinary arts from
Columbia College in 2000. Michael
Casey and I were divorced in 2003 and
remain close friends.”
[email protected]
Sara (Musser) Kreckman, M.D., and
her family were the feature story of the
January 2007 issue of Brava Magazine,
a local publication in Madison, Wis.
The article, written by Annie Levihn,
describes Sara’s inspiration to become a
pediatrician (an accident during high
school sophomore-year basketball camp
that cost her the tip of her right hand
middle finger), the time management
skills (which Sara attributes to
collegiate hoops at “K” College)
required to balance work and family,
and the effect of having two young
children of her own has had on her
medical practice. The article includes a
sidebar of Sara’s advice on keeping
children healthy.
Renee, Catherine, and Nathan Powell
Andrew Schleicher married Lilamani
Ludwig on June 10, 2006. The wedding
party included classmate Ryan
McQuade, who served as best man, and
Kiragu Wambuii, whom Andrew met
during his study abroad in Kenya and
who later came to Kalamazoo College
to study for a year. In other news,
Andrew completed his second master’s
degree, a M.Div. from GarettEvangelical Theological Seminary
(Evanston, Ill.) in May 2006. “I hope to
be ordained a permanent deacon in the
United
Methodist
Church in
2007,” he
wrote, “even
as I continue
to work as
an editor at
The United
Methodist
Publishing
House in
Nashville.”
Tara Darcy-Hall and daughter Maia
In December 2006, Rayline Latchaw
Manni completed master’s level
certification in nonprofit leadership and
administration at Western Michigan
University. [email protected]
Julia Quigley Long and her husband,
David, welcomed their son, Carter
James Long, to the world on April 18,
2006. The family lives in Beverly, Mass.,
and Julia and David love being parents.
Julia works part-time as director of
Project SHARE, a medicine donation
program for people with hemophilia in
developing countries.
Andrew
Schleicher and
Lilamani
Ludwig
Matthew Rainson completed his
M.B.A. and relocated to San Jose, Calif.
He works for eBay.
[email protected]
Carter James Long
To give a gift: www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
Classnotes
42
out of his boarding school dorm room
at night to crawl into and explore
underground wombat dens and their
networks of connecting tunnels (some
of which can stretch to a hundred feet
or more). His late night subterranean
forays were not without risk of cave-ins
(and, as Rob points out, it’s unlikely
that anyone would have suggested
searching wombat burrows for a
missing schoolboy), but Nicholson’s
Nikhil Pellegrom Joshi nocturnal explorations resulted in the
most complete study of the burrows of
“Air-lubber” (and Assistant Professor of common wombats that had ever been
Zoology at North Carolina State
done, not to mention a first prize
University) Rob Dunn wrote the
science project.
featured story in the December 2006January 2007 issue of Natural History
1998 – Class Agents: Fletcher
Magazine. When Scientist Dunn
Brehler /
becomes Science Writer Dunn you can
[email protected];
Kellen John Rinehart
be sure of a literate and lively read. In
Yazmine Watts /
his article “Dig It! An air-lubber surveys [email protected]
Last year Christina Wootton changed
the pleasures and perils of the
jobs and went back to school. She
burrowing life,” Dunn reveals
Beckie (Craft) Hernandez wrote,
heads up internal communications for
fascinating details of the lives of
“Since
graduating I have: worked at
North America at Faurecia Automotive,
subterranean animals—part-time and
National City Bank; lived in Ithaca,
a French auto supplier. “It’s definitely a
full-time denizens, mammals, reptiles,
New York, where I worked as a
new challenge, but a positive one,” she
and amphibians, as well as insects,
cheesemonger and Spanish-language
wrote. “It’s good to be excited again
worms, or other invertebrates. The
bookseller; worked for the South Bend
about going to work everyday.” She also
ways in which animals have evolved to School’s bilingual department; traveled
began work on a master’s degree in
achieve the “basics” (digging and
to Chile; worked for a Medicaid dental
library and information science at
removing soil) of underground living
clinic; got married (she says
Wayne State University. “It’s library
are diverse and fascinating. Some
nonchalantly)
to a wonderful
school, but I’ll be concentrating on the
animals have developed specialized
Honduran named Arlex Hernandez;
archival track.” [email protected]
digging and soil-packing parts or
earned my license to teach high school
strategies (stronger forelimbs, tougher
Spanish and K-12 English as a Second
Christopher Altman and Alexandra
teeth and beaks, nose-mounted
Language; taught bilingual migrant
Foley Altman announce the birth of
scrapers, head-top packing plates, and a summer school; and started teaching
their daughter, Maeve Callahan Altman.
nose-to-hindquarters, follow-the-leader, Spanish (grades 8 through 12) in South
Maeve was born on September 19,
fire-brigade-like dirt removal process).
Bend.” [email protected]
2006. The family lives in Chicago.
Other animals move through soil
without really digging at all. Worms,
Sameer Patel lives in Royal Oak, Mich.
for example, adjust their body width to He is finishing up his radiology
enter and then expand existing cracks,
residency in Southfield, Mich.
with the expansions often opening new [email protected]
cracks to follow. An amphibian native
to Mexico expands its body and
In December Shawn Beilfuss took a
manipulates its spine in order to act
position as senior consultant for
like a piston ramming its way through
Manhattan Associates. He’s based in
soil. And did you know that soil is
Tokyo, Japan. Before he took that
between 40 and 60 percent air? Many
position he had worked for a Japanese
small animals simply pass from air
transportation and warehousing
pocket to air pocket. Rob suggests why company in Tokyo since 2005. He also
subterranean mammals tend to (and
manages his own blog, “Asia Logistics
need to) be plump, while cold-blooded Wrap (www.asiagander.typepad.com),”
animals can be tube-shaped (a body
which discusses supply chain logistics
design much easier to move through
with a focus on Asia. “I continue to
soil). Rob’s liberal arts roots are evident look back at my ‘K’ experience fondly,”
in his prose. He’s an accomplished poet, he wrote. “And I occasionally meet
Maeve Altman
and “Dig It!” includes “a mammal with others here in Asia with Kalamazoo
a queen” and “mole rat work songs.”
College connections.”
Liz Pellegrom and her husband,
And
Rob weaves his article around the
Manish Joshi, announce the birth of
story of Peter J. Nicholson, the
Jeanie (Gieseler) Iovino wrote, “Mario
their son. Nikhil Pellegrom Joshi was
Australian teenager who often snuck
and I got married on August 6, 2005,
born on November 22, 2006. “His first
Jesse Rinehart and Kim Rinehart
announce the birth of their son. Kellen
John Rinehart was born on October 14,
2006. The family lives in New Haven,
Conn., where Jesse is completing his
post-doc at Yale.
trip,” says Liz, “will
be to Canada to
visit his
grandparents. From
then on he will be
initiated into the
world of travel for
life.” Liz can be
reached at
wayfarer319@
yahoo.com.
43
and I earned by master’s degree in
Spanish literature from the University
of Northern Iowa in May 2006. Mario
works at Microsoft, and I teach high
school Spanish. I would love to hear
from old classmates.”
[email protected]
Anne (Woodring) and Jeff
Grisenthwaite celebrated the birth of
their second son. Emmett Michael was
born on August 23, 2006. “So far, he
has been a very happy and easy-going
guy,” wrote Anne. “Our older son,
Aidan, turned three in July and seems
to be adapting very well to being an
older brother. As anyone with a threeyear-old knows, he is simultaneously
delightful and challenging, but the
scales tip more toward delightful.”
Anne just finished her eighth year in
Youth Services at the Hinsdale Public
Library. She works part-time now in
order to spend more time with her
sons. Jeff is director of operations at
Knowledge Advisors. “We are doing
our best to achieve a good work/life
balance,” added Anne, “but are envious
of anyone who has actually been to a
movie theatre in the last few months!”
[email protected]
Emmett Michael Grisenthwaite
The Urban Institute for Contemporary
Painting chose “Images,” a painting by
Stephanie Wooster, for the Governor’s
Residence Michigan Artists Program.
The painting will be on display during
a yearlong loan at Michigan Governor
Jennifer Granholm’s residence in
Lansing. Some 80 artists submitted
works to the statewide, juried
competition; about 20 artists were
chosen. A reception for those artists
occurred at the residence where
Stephanie’s painting will hang (in the
livingroom), and during that reception
Stephanie met the Governor and
enjoyed a lively discussion regarding
her painting. Stephanie also had two
paintings on display at Florida State
University Museum of Fine Arts
(Tallahassee) last September for an
exhibition titled “Combined Talents:
The Florida International 2006.”
Stephanie is a gallery assistant at the
Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts
in Grand Rapids, Mich., and her
contact information follows. 5150
Meandering Creek Drive, Belmont, MI
49306-9000 / 616.874.8813 /
[email protected]
Katie (Potrzuski) Schalk and her
husband, Rick, had their second child,
a girl, on June 20, 2006. Her name is
Paige Nicole. The family lives in
Wayne, Mich., and can be reached at
[email protected].
Morgan and Paige Schalk
Nanda Filkin works at Ohio University
(Athens) as a research technician. She
studies nematode brains. Her husband,
Marco, and she have owned their first
house and dog for a year and “have not
messed up too much with either
endeavor,” she wrote.
Stephanie Wooster’s painting, “Images.” [email protected]
Shortly after his induction into the
Kalamazoo College Athletic Hall of
Fame last October, Brett Robbins and
his wife, Tamara, learned they were
expecting their second child, due in
June. And then more good news! Brent
accepted a position as director of sales
and marketing at Eagle Business
Solutions in Farmington Hills, Mich.
[email protected]
Eric J. Curtiss is in his eighth year of
teaching 10th grade English at
Galesburg-Augusta (Mich.) High
School. He was engaged to Tatiana
Tkachuk in September, and they plan a
July wedding. Eric is the president of
the local teacher’s union and coaches
varsity baseball at Coloma High School.
Nate Anderson began a new job with
Mercer (Detroit, Mich.) in January. He
completed his M.B.A. from the
University of Chicago in March. He and
his wife, Christina (Dudek) Anderson,
moved to the metro-Detroit area this
spring. They expect the birth of their
first child in late May.
[email protected]
1999 – Class Agents: Erik Karell /
[email protected]; Ben Imdieke /
[email protected];
Andy Miller /
[email protected]
John Latham and Maja Latham were
married in June, so “life is good,” wrote
John. “I’m no longer at Samsonite, but
now work for an outstanding
interactive company called ePrize.
Marriage, new house, new car, new
jobs….It’s been a busy 2006.”
[email protected]
Liesl Leary and her family (husband
and two-year-old daughter) have
moved to Boulder, Colo., so that Liesl
could take a promotion in her company,
for which she has worked these past six
years. She consults with companies
seeking to expand internationally, and
for the last two years she and her family
have traveled all over the world, most
recently in Paris, France. “Thank
goodness for my IAS degree,” wrote
Liesl. Earlier this year she returned to
her foreign study location (Beijing,
China) and Korea. “I also plan on going
to Spain and Italy. It’s been busy, but
we’re happy that our daughter has been
exposed to so much at such a young
age and that we’ve found an excellent
work-life balance.”
Merilee Valentino teaches high school
English at Brooklyn Collegiate in
Brooklyn, New York. She often finds
herself running into fellow “K”
graduates throughout the city.
[email protected]
To give a gift: www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
Classnotes
44
Leanne (Descamps) Savion and
Pouchon Savion were married on
September 29, 2006. They moved to
Florida, where Pouchon works as an
executive chef and Leanne opened her
own chiropractic clinic in February.
[email protected]
Dusty Morris lives in Vicksburg, Mich.
He wrote, “Hadley and I just bought a
house, and I am teaching at Vicksburg
High School.”
[email protected]
Kelsey Dilts relocated to Minneapolis
after “a great six years in Chicago.” The
reason for the move, she wrote, “was to
be with my now-financé, Leaf
McGregor, who is currently studying
law. A portion of our summer was spent
in Beijing, China, as part of the
University of Minnesota Law School’s
inaugural program there. This coming
June we plan to wed. I have put my
radio career on hold for the moment
while I contemplate my next ‘step.’ I’m
currently working at the University of
Minnesota Law School development
office.” [email protected]
Jozef Chrzanowski and Teryn Fox ’02
were married at Stetson Chapel on
August 12, 2006. Many alumni
attended (see photo). Jozef received his
master’s degree in automotive
engineering from the University of
Michigan (2004) and currently works
at Yazaki North America in Canton,
Mich., as an account manager. Teryn
teaches psychology and coaches
freshman basketball and varsity softball
at Northville (Mich.) High School. The
couple resides in Northville.
One may reach David J. Andersen at
2401 Tena Ave. N., Lehigh Acres, FL
33971 / 239.690.1552 /
[email protected].
Nicole Tweedie manages risk
management consultants and oversees
curriculum development and program
implementation for HCRMS, a risk
management group providing
Leanne and Pouchon Savion educational services and assessments
for long-term care facilities and owners
Cari Pattison earned her M.Div. degree throughout the U.S. Nicole also is a
from Princeton Seminary in May 2006. voice instructor at the School for
Last November she wrote, “In August I Performing Arts in Ann Arbor. She and
her husband, Calvin, live in Chelsea,
became engaged to Todd Riley, a Ph.D.
student (science) at Rutgers University. Mich. [email protected]
We plan to marry on March 24, 2007.
(Michellia) Lia Moore changed career
In the meantime I am looking for a
paths and now works for Hummer at its
ministry job (most likely through the
auto shows. She wrote, “Traveling is
Presbyterian Church) in a parish
great. I’m also working part-time as a
setting, hospital, college campus, or
karaoke host, so I’m still singing a ton
community center. I currently serve in
and loving it. I’m in a personal
a retirement community near
relationship that makes me happier
Princeton, NJ.”
than I’ve ever been, and I
[email protected]
just bought some property
to create my own house.
2000 – Class Agents: Dan
Life’s good.”
Appledorn / [email protected];
theatre_princess@
Jeannette Cooper Srivastava /
hotmail.com
[email protected]
Paula Sarut and Joshua Childers are
going to be parents. They are expecting
their first child in June.
[email protected]
Vik Virupannavar is in
the third year of his
residency in anesthesiology
at the University of
Chicago. He and his wife,
Sheela, were married in
June 2005. Sheela is a
dentist.
Vik and Sheela
Virupannavar
Paula Sarut and
Josh Childers
Festivities at the wedding reception of Jozef
Chrzanowski and Teryn Fox.
Jennifer Waldman sends her current
address, but it’s only good through May.
“I do move around a lot,” she wrote, “I
have wanderlust. I’ll finish my second
master’s degree this spring, and in the
future I hope to return to New
Zealand.” For a little while she can be
reached at 109 Bernard Street, Chapel
Hill, NC 27514. Or you can reach her
at [email protected].
2001 – Class Agents: Megan
Bartlett Kelly /
[email protected];
Jennifer (Campbell) Starkey/
[email protected]
45
“Life is good,” wrote Andrea
Naill. She is in her sixth year
teaching history and literature
at Sparta (Mich.) High School.
She is completing her master’s
degree in humanities and
recorded her second CD of
original acoustic rock. She
performs with a band in the
Grand Rapids and Muskegon
area. [email protected]
Andrea Naill
Matt Bramble and Sarah
(Sadie) Gallop ’05 met
through the College’s Alumni
Network. Matt helped Sarah
find her first job and apartment
in Los Angeles, Calif. They are
now good friends and
roommates living in L.A.
by sheltering them in “protected
houses” under the Swedish flag or by
securing their safe passage out of the
country through bribes or counterfeit
documents. Noah’s previous radio
experience includes a two-year stint at
Chicago’s WGN Radio, where he served
as morning news producer.
Andrew Kawel is pursuing a J.D./M.A.
at American University Washington
School of Law.
2002 REUNION YEAR
(Oct. 2007)
Class Agents: Joe Wicklander /
[email protected]/ Jodi (Pung) Schafer /
[email protected]
Betsy (Foley) Boyce and Ben Boyce
were married on September 9, 2006, in
Torch Lake, Mich. Many “K” friends
attended the wedding. Betsy and Ben
continue to live in Seattle, Wash.
Elizabeth Boody took a position in
November 2005 as a legislative analyst
for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Food Safety and Inspection Service. In
2006, after months of research, she was
accepted into the Daughters of the
American Revolution, and she recently
finished a Russian language series. “I
appreciate my ‘K’ experience now more
than ever,” she wrote. “It taught me the
importance of lifelong learning.”
[email protected]
Mitch Blink is in his fifth year (and his
first as a tenured teacher) at Paw Paw
(Mich.) High School. “I’m getting close
to completing another M.A.,” he wrote,
“this time in counseling. Sometime in
the spring of 2008 I’ll be a certified
school counselor, and also an LPC.
Then I might torture myself by working
on another degree. Who knows?”
[email protected]
Sadie Gallop ’05 and Matt Bramble ’01
Kathleen Miller lives in Chicago and
works as a charge nurse in the
Evanston Hospital emergency
department. In June she will travel to
Ireland for three weeks, “a small
refresher of study abroad, which I have
missed terribly,” she wrote. “I also
joined a 10-day medical mission trip to
Quito, Ecuador, and the Amazon in
April 2006. It was pretty amazing.”
[email protected]
Carolina Garza earned a master’s
degree in school counseling from
Michigan State University and is at
work on her teaching certificate. She
plans a career as a dual language
teacher and school counselor. She is
also planning her wedding, which will
take place in August.
Gillian Shaw is completing her final
year of veterinary school at Michigan
State University. She’ll graduate in May
with a D.V.M. and M.S. She plans to do
a veterinary anatomic pathology
residency. [email protected]
Noah Ovshinsky has joined the WDET
newsroom (Detroit Public Radio). He
was formerly a director and producer at
HKO Media, an Ann Arbor-based video
production company. He received a
Michigan Emmy for his documentary
titled “Raoul Wallenberg: One Person
Can Make a Difference.” Wallenberg
was a Swedish diplomat posted in
Budapest during World War II who
rescued thousands of Hungarian Jews
Stephanie Schrift is engaged to be
married to John-Paul Fletcher in
November 2007. She works at Cajon
High School (San Bernardino, Calif.) as
a dropout prevention specialist.
Elizabeth Bylenga lives in Chicago.
She is an international project
administrator at GIO Global
Intelligence, a market research firm.
[email protected]
Gathering to celebrate the marriage of Betsy
(Foley) Boyce and Ben Boyce were (l-r): front
row—James Cekola ’02, Erika Korowin ’02, Ian
S. McMorran ’00, Rob Foley ’09, Nick Kelly ’09;
second row—Cristina Calcagno ’02,
Inga Hofer ’02, Erin Rumery ’02, Ben, Evie
Khlyavich ’02, Sara Rockwell ’02, Betsy
(reclining), Jessica Foley ’03, Suzy Boyce ’08;
back row—Frank Powers ’02, Adam Karell ’02,
Emily Farrer ’02, Brad Berndt ’06,
Gwen Silas ’02, and Nolan Hathaway ’02.
In November, Sara Church wrote, “I
couldn’t resist and came back to France
this fall for one last semester in Paris
before heading back to Ann Arbor to
finish my law degree this spring. Next
year I’m off to work in Washington,
D.C.”
Leslie Joseph moved to Chicago and
loves it. She works as a human
resources manager at a manufacturing
facility in the downtown area and uses
her Spanish on a daily basis.
[email protected]
April Smoke is engaged and plans to
marry in September. She earned her
master’s degree in counseling
psychology from Northwestern
University in 2004 and is working
toward licensure. She also works at Yale
University as a clinician with children
and families with trauma histories. “I
truly appreciate the strong foundation I
received at ‘K,’” she wrote. “So many
have left wonderful impressions on me,
and I will always remember and
appreciate that.” [email protected]
Michael Carlson teaches a third grade
class at Charles Hay Elementary School
in Englewood, Colo. He expects to
complete his M.P.A. from the University
of Colorado next month and to coach
baseball at his favorite local middle
school. [email protected]
Rebecca Bielang is in her third year of
medical school at the University of
Chicago. Her recent travels have
included visiting her former “K”
roommate, Cristina Calcagno, in
Mexico and a trip to Morocco. “Life is
To give a gift: www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
Classnotes
46
getting faster every year,” she wrote.
“My academic year is busy, but I still try
to create time for running, friends, and
family. I would love to catch up with
folks, so please let me know if you’re
ever in Chicago.”
[email protected]
Evan Whitbeck graduated from the
University of Michigan dental school in
May 2006 and then moved to the
Washington, D.C., area. He works as a
dentist in the U.S. Navy.
[email protected]
2003 – Class Agents: Hamo Field /
[email protected]; Wendy
Miller / [email protected]
Elizabeth Eule completed work on her
master’s degree in social work at the
University of Michigan in 2005. She
relocated to Portland, Ore., for a 15month “bout of life experience, before
recently moving to Northern California,
where I teach eighth grade English.”
[email protected]
Brian Heyel lives in Saint Martin in the
French West Indies. His career is in
international sales of luxury
construction materials.
[email protected]
Andrea M. Plevek is completing her
master’s degree in social work at the
University of Michigan. She studies
community organizing and social policy
evaluation and is an intern with the
Community Collaborative of
Washtenaw County. Her work there
involves implementing a new
collaborative structure to address the
needs of the county. In November,
when this class note was submitted,
Andrea was planning a spring trip to
Europe while her partner, Meg, does
her dissertation research in Prague.
Rebecca Adams and Matthew Kaiser
’04 were married on June 3, 2006.
Rebecca is the daughter of Steven
Adams ’76. Her classmates Elise
Fleming and Heather Haines were
bridesmaids in the wedding. Rebecca
graduated from Michigan State
University College of Law in May 2006
and passed the Michigan BAR exam in
July 2006. She works for the legal
department of the Saginaw Chippewa
Indian Tribe. Matthew is working on
his master’s degree in entomology at
MSU.
Kelly White is engaged to Loren
Moulds ’04. They live in
Charlottesville, Va. Kelly teaches high
school math and Spanish, and Loren
attends graduate school at the
University of Virginia.
Katie Bassity completed her master’s
degree in autism, spent a summer in
New York, and then took a position as
an autism consultant in Columbus,
Ohio. “I love my job,” she wrote, “but it
was a tough move on Nathaniel, who
turned four in February. But he is
adjusting well, a true easy-going
Bassity.” [email protected]
James Goodwin wrote, “Marie
Webster recently completed a heroic
tour of duty as full-time nurse and
attendant to James Goodwin while he
recovered from reconstructive facial
surgery. James sustained multiple
fractures to his cheekbone and maxilla
in a not-so-heroic tour of duty as
goalkeeper for his amateur soccer team.
In addition to her status as the
indisputable apple of James’ eye, Marie
is a student at the Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, where
she is in her second year of her Ph.D. in
the department of pharmacology and
molecular sciences. When not suffering
the ill consequences of his general
clumsiness, James continues his pursuit
of a law degree and a master’s degree in
public policy at the University of
Maryland.” [email protected]
Aaron Przybysz is in the fourth year of
his doctoral program in pharmacology
at Vanderbilt University. He hopes to
complete his Ph.D. in the early months
of 2008, after which he plans on
starting medical school. He recently
became engaged to Emily Wachs of
Lexington, Ky. They plan a fall 2007
wedding in Lexington.
[email protected]
The post-graduate life of Kristian
Bjornard has been varied. He’s worked
as a landscaper, sojourned briefly in San
Francisco, interned at a record label,
run a freelance design business, worked
at a mall, and attended many rock
concerts. He currently works for
Zindren Design, a small visual design
firm in St. Paul, Minn. “I also have
begun to publish a monthly music
column online at
www.soundmachinedream.com,” he
wrote. He plans to pursue a M.F.A. in
graphic design.
[email protected]
Morgan Frances Campbell received
her master’s degree in critical theory
from the University of Nottingham in
December. She currently works for
academic support at the university and
is applying for Ph.D. programs for the
upcoming academic year. Morgan is
engaged to be married this summer.
[email protected]
Emily Durham graduated from the
Valparaiso University School of Law in
May 2006, passed the Michigan Bar
exam, and accepted a position with AVB
Construction
(www.avbconstruction.com) in Portage,
Mich. She is working on commercial
development as well as AVB’s legal
needs. [email protected]
2004 – Class Agents: Ali Beauvais /
[email protected]; Laura
(Mazzeo) Allen /
[email protected]; Brian
Weitzel / [email protected]
Tanya Krzeminski is working on her
graduate degree in urban and regional
planning at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison. She likes Madison
and particularly enjoys biking around
town, visiting one of the country’s
largest Farmer’s Markets, and meeting
new people. [email protected]
Andrew Tomchik provides the
following contact information: 2901 N.
Dale Mabry Hwy, Apt. 102, Tampa, FL
33607 / 954.270.2948 /
[email protected]
Kara Tweadey graduated from the
Mailman School of Public Health at
Columbia University (New York). She
received a master’s degree (M.P.H.) in
environmental health sciences. She is
Aaron Przybysz and Emily Wachs
currently working on a fellowship at
the National Cancer Institute in
Bethesda, Md. [email protected]
47
Michelle Harburg works at “Equal
Justice Works” in Washington, D.C.
This nonprofit organization provides
opportunities for law students to do
public interest law. “K” alums in law
school interested in learning more
should contact Michelle at
[email protected].
Katie Zapoluch has begun a master’s
program in English language and
literature with a creative writing
concentration at Central Michigan
University. She’s a grad assistant and
teaches two sections of Freshman
Composition. “I feel very prepared for
everything I’m doing now because of
what I learned during my four years at
‘K,’” she wrote. “When I talk with other
graduate students about my
undergraduate experience, most are in
awe over the education ‘K’ students
receive. It’s very rewarding to look back
on those accomplishments and to
appreciate the advantage they provide.”
[email protected]
Doug Lepisto is in a one-year master’s
program at the University of Chicago.
[email protected]
For many reasons Lillie Wolff is
grateful for her immersion into Spanish
during her junior year study abroad
(Quito, Ecuador). She is teaching
Spanish at a Montessori Elementary
School during the school year. She is
serving as the bilingual Migrant
Services Representative at a human
services agency during the summer.
And she co-founded an immigrant and
migrant advocacy group called the
Alliance for Immigrant Action. Last
March she completed her 200-hour
Yoga Teacher Training certification, and
she currently teaches at two yoga
studios in Traverse City, Mich.
[email protected]
Nathan Brouwer and Bree Koehler
Brouwer were married on June 24,
2006. They live in Milwaukee, where
Nate attends medical school and Bree
teaches high school.
Kirsten Rosenkrands is a graduate
student in Professional Residency in
Environmental Education at the Teton
Science School in Kelly, Wyo. “I hope to
continue on with graduate school next
year in order to obtain a M.S. in natural
science teaching,” she wrote. “In
addition to school and student teaching
I spend most of my time outside,
running, climbing, hiking, and skiing
in the Tetons.”
[email protected]
2005 – Class Agents:
Colin Baumgartner /
[email protected];
Kate McCracken /
[email protected];
Jeremy Vanisacker /
[email protected]
Alyssa Rhoades and Edgar Ochieng, of
Nairobi, Kenya, were married on March
3, 2006. Their daughter, Isabel Victoria
Atieno Ochieng, was born on December
12, 2006. [email protected]
James Burns moved to Bothell, Wash.,
with his girlfriend. He works for WellsFargo Bank there.
[email protected]
Megan Ender lives in Oakland, Calif.
She works at Sculpturesite Gallery
(www.sculpturesite.com), California’s
only gallery dedicated entirely to
modern and contemporary fine art
sculpture. She creates and displays iron
cast work in the Bay area, and her work
(www.meganender.com) was selected
for a juried exhibition held by the
Pacific Rim Sculptors Group. Prior to
working at the gallery, Megan
completed a yearlong commitment with
the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. She
worked as an environmental
campaigner and researcher at Pesticide
Action Network North America.
[email protected]
2006
Jenica Moore received a Rotary
Scholarship and will serve as an
ambassador of peace and goodwill in
Amman, Jordan. She represents Rotary
District 6290, which includes part of
Canada and extends to Holland, Mich.,
covering about half of the state of
Michigan. The Rotary Scholarship is
similar to a Fulbright. It provides room,
board, tuition, and a few amenities for
an academic year abroad. While she
takes classes, Jenica also will work with
at-risk children as part of the
community service aspect of her
scholarship. That position carries a
particular emphasis on intercultural
understanding and conflict resolution.
She hopes to create a pen pal program
between children in the U.S. and
children in Jordan. “I don’t know how
many students at Kalamazoo College
know about the Rotary Club and this
scholarship, and I would be happy to
answer any questions,” Jenica says. “I
am very thankful for my experience at
‘K.’” Jenica can be reached at
[email protected]. She begins
her academic year in Jordan in
September.
Isabel Victoria Atieno Ochieng
2009
Andrew Armstrong attended the Sigma
Xi Annual Meeting and Student
Research Conference in Detroit, Mich.,
last November. At the meeting Andrew
presented a poster on summer research
he conducted at Michigan State
University with Sandhya Payankaulam,
Ph.D., and David Arnosti, Ph.D. The
poster was titled “Evaluating the
Genetic Interaction Between Knirps and
Groucho.”
+
x
–
x
–
÷
–
x
–
÷
+
÷
Solution to puzzle on page 27.
To give a gift: www.kzoo.edu/afgiving
In Memory
48
Robert Cooper ’37 died on
July 24, 2006.
Frances (Ring) Hotelling ’39 died on
October 8, 2006. She earned her degree
in chemistry and worked as a high
school teacher.
Margaret (McCrimmon) Maunder ’41
died on November 4, 2006. She came
to Kalamazoo College from South
Haven, Mich., and majored in French.
She served as vice president of
Eurodelphian Gamma in her junior
year and as treasurer of the Overley
Society as a junior and a senior. She
was a member of the College’s yearbook
(Boiling Pot) staff and a member of the
String Ensemble. She pursued a career
in teaching and was living in California
at the time of her death.
Betty (Baker) LeRoy ’43 died on
November 21, 2006. She earned her
B.A. in music and went on to earn a
master’s degree in the subject from
Western Michigan University. She was
an active undergraduate. She served as
president of the Women’s Athletic
Association, vice president of the
College Singers, and program chairman
of the Overley Society. She also was a
member of the women’s literary society,
Kappa Pi. She worked as a reading
specialist for the Gull Lake Community
Schools for many years.
Richard Nycum ’47 died on June 8,
2006. He earned degrees from
Springfield (Mass.) College and George
Williams College (Downer’s Grove,
Ill.). He was a teacher in the public
schools before his retirement, and he
lived in Chino Hills, Calif., at the time
of his death.
Patricia Jean (Dunbar) Gregg ’49
died on December 24, 2006. She earned
her degree in biology and was active as
an undergraduate in numerous
organizations. She was a member of
Alpha Sigma Delta, College Players, the
Dramatics Club, and the Index. She
served as treasurer of the Overley
Society. Pat was deeply interested in the
arts, literature, and music. She was a
drama critic for the Seattle Times and
an expert on the British and Scottish
royal families. She wrote professionally
and enjoyed playing piano duets with
her father. She became a Silver Life
Master in Contract Bridge and taught
Bridge classes in the Kalamazoo Public
Schools. She also published a
newsletter for local Bridge groups. She
was living in Denver, Colo., at the time
of her death.
Joseph Lippman Hansen ’78 died on
July 11, 2006. He earned his B.A. in
math and studied abroad in Hanover,
Germany.
E. Joan Follette Derenge, who
attended Kalamazoo College as a
member of the Class of 1953, died on
January 9, 2007. She earned a B.A. from
Michigan State University, an M.A.
from Catholic University of America,
and a Ph.D. from Florida Institute of
Technology. She was a co-president of
the Roanoke Valley Branch of the
American Association of University
Women.
Ann M. Long-Lockhart ’80 died on
October 29, 2006. She did her foreign
study in Caen, France, and graduated
from Kalamazoo College with a B.A. in
economics.
Jack Doyle ’55 died on January 17,
2006. He earned his degree in
economics. During his undergraduate
years he played football and was
awarded All-MIAA honors in the sport
in 1953. He was a member of Century
Forum, “K” Club, and the Circle “K”
Club. He also played intramural sports.
After college he worked for McCrory
Stores, serving as senior vice president
and regional manager. He lived in
Plano, Texas.
Warren C. Andrews ’59 died on
January 3, 2006. He earned his B.A. in
elementary education, a master’s degree
in educational administration from
Eastern Michigan University, and a
specialist’s degree from Michigan State
University. He worked as a personnel
director and superintendent of schools
in Michigan, Iowa, and Wisconsin. He
lived in Surprise, Ariz., at the time of
his death.
Thomas C. Chambers, Jr. ’69 died on
September 21, 2005. He earned his B.A.
in mathematics and earned his M.A. in
the same subject at Eastern Michigan
University. He studied abroad in
Erlangen, Germany, and worked as a
math teacher in the Southfield (Mich.)
public schools.
Jeffrey Paul Chapman ’77 died of
pancreatic cancer on November 10,
2006. He earned his degree in
chemistry and studied abroad in
Madrid. He went on to earn a medical
degree and became a physician
specializing in urology and urological
surgery. In addition to caring for his
patients, he loved to read, ride his
motorcycle, pilot small aircraft, play
drums, ski, and engage in new
challenges.
Johanna (Troff) Sprouse died on
November 14, 2006. She worked for
Saga Food Service at Kalamazoo
College from 1971 to 1985.
Jose Vidal died in Valencia, Spain, on
October 4, 2006. Jose directed and
taught in the Kalamazoo Study Abroad
Program at the International Institute
in Madrid, Spain, for more than 25
years. He was the elder son of an
orange-growing family and grew up in
pre-Civil War rural Spain that had
hardly changed over the centuries. He
was deeply influenced by and a product
of the culture, traditions, and language
of Valencia, of which he was a native
speaker. For decades he was also an
adopted son of Madrid, where he was
well known in the intellectual, artistic,
literary, and educational scenes and a
close friend of nationally and
internationally known figures in these
scenes such as the Nobel laureate
Vincente Alexandre, and the writer,
poet, and critic Carlos Busono. He
studied and taught in the United States,
where he established lifelong
friendships and acquired an
understanding and appreciation for and
a deep attachment to the people and
way of life. And yet he remained
uniquely Spanish and served as a model
of the history and spirit of his native
land. As a teacher he effectively
interpreted the essence of Spanish
culture and thought to generations of
Kalamazoo students through the
medium of language and literature. He
was mentor, counselor, advisor, and
friend to many of his students, whose
lives he profoundly influenced. One
former student wrote: “His life will live
on in the many students whom he
shaped and taught—there are many of
us all around the world whose lives he
touched in so many ways.” In
recognition of his service to students
Kalamazoo College awarded Jose the
honorary degree Doctor of Humane
Letters in l992.
d
49
A
n article in the
Saturday (October
7) edition of
Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung, Germany’s most
influential newspaper,
carried a full-length
article on why U.S. liberal
arts colleges are better for
students than elite
research universities and
why Europeans should
not underrate them.
Kalamazoo College is
mentioned at
considerable length and
featured in the headline,
which translates
“Kalamazoo Instead of
Yale.” The article
appeared in the paper’s
“Beruf und Chance,” a
weekly section on jobs
and education, and was
written by Katja Gelinsky.
The article quotes Inez
von Weitershausen, a
University of Bonn
political science major
who studied at
Kalamazoo College
during the 2005-2006
academic year. Teaching
in the German
department and
interactions with other
international students
(from Kenya, Japan, and
Ecuador, among others)
Inez described as high
points of the experience.
“I would do it again and
again,” she is quoted as
saying.
d
he shape of the leaves
of the northern pitcher
plant is a voice, of sorts,
that augurs the future
health of the bog in
which the plant lives.
Each autumn, a bootshod bunch of liberal arts
inquirers from the
College’s Environmental
Science class ventures
forth to Bishop’s Bog, an
extraordinary wetland in
Portage, Mich., to consult
these carnivorous
Cassandras. For the story,
see page 10.
Office of College Communication
1200 Academy Street
Kalamazoo Michigan 49006
A fellowship in learning:
at home in the world