www.adrian.edu

CONSTANT

Letters PolicyUnless noted as “not for publication,”communications to the editor areconsidered for publication (often in acondensed version) when space isavailable. Include your name, addressand phone number and limit yourcomments to Contact or topicsmentioned in the magazine.

Mail: Editor, Contact110 S. Madison St., Adrian, MI 49221Email: contact@adrian.eduFax: 517-264-3810Online: contact.adrian.eduAC Switchboard: 517-265-5161www.adrian.edu

Vol. 111, No. 3Summer 2007

Adrian CollegeAlumni Magazine

EditorBrad WhitehouseDirector of Communications

Associate EditorMellissa BoydDirector of Publications

ContributorsParker Deen, Silver Moon PhotographyMarsha Fielder ’00Darcy Gifford ’91Carolyn Jones ’94Andrew Krukowski ’06Randy MascharkaNancy PayneLad StrayerLisa WigodaConnie Williams

Change Of AddressMail: Carol Carson, Records Clerk110 S. Madison St., Adrian, MI 49221Email: ccarson@adrian.eduFax: 517-264-3331

PRESIDENT�S PERSPECTIVE

letters1

One of the great joys of my first two years at Adrian has been meeting our wonderfulalumni throughout the country. From coast to coast friends have welcomed me intotheir homes to learn about all that is happening at our small College.

During these excursions nearly everyone wants to know the same things. “Tell usabout all the changes on campus,” they say. “Why are you building an ice arena? Whatdoes the new Ritchie Marketplace look like? Did Professor Hodgman’s College Choirreally get invited to perform at the Beijing Olympics? What new academic programs arethe faculty planning to start through your Renaissance II program?”

Change is certainly the operative word at Adrian and it is always fun for me to talkabout all our new initiatives. I never forget, however, to point out that one thing will notchange regardless of how many changes we make to improve our beautiful campus.That unchanging variable is the importance we place on caring and meaningful rela-tionships. We put people first, and all that is good about Adrian begins and ends withconcern for others.

On the pages that follow you will read the reflections of people whose lives werechanged because of the people they met, and the relationships they formed, during theirundergraduate years.

You will read how Micheal Cromley ’60 was forever changed after President Dawsontook a personal interest in his future, convincing him to attend college and to live a lifeof value and importance to others.

You will read about how Professor Pi Benio helped Karen Haas Misseldine ’87discover her passion for art therapy and to devote herself to helping the elderly copewith end-of-life issues.

You will read about Ron Mead ’72 being wounded at work by a disturbed teacher andhow he learned to overcome tragedy in part by drawing on close relationships with Godand others.

You will learn about a college softball coach with a big heart – Karen Baird ’93 – wholearned that when you put others first and teach players to believe in themselves, successwill naturally follow.

“Relationships” have always been central to a strong and meaningful education atAdrian College. When I ask alumni to ponder their most memorable experiences atAdrian they speak most often of the professors who cared for them, the friends whoenriched them, the coaches who challenged them, and the Spirit that carried themthrough the good times and the bad.

“If I’d gone to a place where I was just a number,” Micheal Cromley notes in hisarticle, “I never would have survived.”

Students will never be merely numbers at Adrian; they will continue to be infinitelyvalued and infinitely valuable. This part of Adrian College will not change.

I encourage you to rekindle your relationship with Adrian College, and with thepeople – past and present – who helped to mold you during your formative undergradu-ate years.

Kind regards,

Dr. Jeffrey R. Docking

the

Change amid

contents

1 President’s Perspective

3 Around The Mall

6 Faculty Notes

22 Class Notes

Contact strives to keep alumni and friends informed about the lives of their friends and classmates and about the changing face of Adrian College today. This full-color magazine is an emotional link between alumni and their alma mater, and therefore serves an informational purpose and is not a medium for direct solicitation.Stories focus on the alumni, faculty and students that make Adrian College a lively and challenging campus community while also examining issues that people facein everyday life. The editor makes the final determination of suitability of the published content of this magazine. Letters, articles and pictures which are questionablein content will not be accepted for publication. Wedding announcements will be published as long as the wedding is recognized under the laws of the State ofMichigan and is consistent with the policies of the United Methodist Church. Announcements that do not conform to those guidelines will not be accepted forpublication. Please note, however, that the views expressed in the publication are not necessarily the views of this magazine or the views of Adrian College.

features7 Can Fitness Help With Cancer?

Professor launches student-run research with survivors

8 Treat People Like PeopleShelley Brown Milano ’78 gives commencement address

9 Adrian Ice Sports5 things you should know

on the cover

11 How Adrian Changed My LifeAlumni from across the decades tell how their college choicehas made a difference

19 For Now He DreamsTaz Wallace’s quest to make it in professional football

Micheal Cromley ’60, see pg. 12.

www.adrian.edu

Choir Goes to JamestownPresident Bush in attendance

Last year the Adrian College Choir performed at Carnegie Hall.Tough act to follow – unless, of course, you sing for the Presidentof the United States.

In May the choir loaded onto a tour bus and headed to Virginiato sing for the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown.Accompanied by members of the Lenawee Community Chorus,they joined a massive choir for the grand finale of “America’sAnniversary Weekend,” the signature weekend of the JamestownAnniversary 2007 events. There were 1,607 voices in the choir torepresent the year of the colony’s founding, and a 400-piece or-chestra to represent the years since then. Among the 15,000 peoplein the audience were George and Laura Bush, and the presidentserved as guest conductor for the orchestra.

Adrian College received a letter of invitation to participate ayear ago. It followed their performance at Carnegie Hall in Marchof 2006. Proceeds from two campus performances, the “Tributeto America” concert in April and the student-run “A BroadwayRevue” musical theatre performance in January, both helped fundthe trip. The groups were the only choirs representing Michiganand attracted media attention before and after they went.

So what’s next year? The choirs have been invited to perform atthe 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. They are hoping to raiseenough money to go.

When President Jeffrey R. Docking gave the 2007 State of the Col-lege Address on campus at the end of March, he told the audiencethat “…the greatest risk brings the greatest reward.” He said no onewould have believed the College could more than triple applicationsor raise $10.2 million toward campus improvements, but it happened.Likewise, he said, “We need to be bold and strong and incrediblycreative in mapping our academic future,” calling for such changesas a J-term (January term), experiential learning and a greater focuson faculty publication. The full speech is at www.adrian.edu.

State of the CollegePrior to the meetings of the Adrian College Board of Trustees and AlumniAssociation Board of Directors on May 12, a ribbon-cutting ceremony tookplace to announce name changes to two campus buildings. The formerpresident’s house, which was reconfigured as the Admissions House in thefall of 2005, has been renamed Ward Admissions House in honor of formertrustee and retired Methodist minister Robert Ward and his wife Joan. NorthHall has been renamed Valade Hall in honor of trustee and retiredDaimlerChrysler executive Gary Valade and his wife Margaret. Above, Boband Joan cut one ribbon before Gary and Margaret cut the other.

Name changes

In addition to taking part in the celebration, choir members hadopportunities to visit important historical sites, go to Busch Gar-dens, and get cool T-shirts. Shown here are (front, l to r) AmyVanBecelaere, Kim Ferguson, Deveny Lopinski and (back, l to r)Bridget Leary, Marcus Laban, Ashley Laabs.

around the mall

around the mall 4

Over 500 incoming students have made depos-its for the fall. The record-setting class offers a vari-ety of wonderful opportunities, including a largenumber of high achievers. As a result, the Collegeis taking measures to expand its honors programto accommodate them.

Forty incoming students have qualified for and ex-pressed interest in the Adrian College Honors Pro-gram. Directed by Dr. Adam Coughlin ’97, the pro-gram will provide an extra level of academic rigor tohelp the most academically motivated students reachtheir potential.

The average GPA for students in the program is 3.85.The average ACT score is 26, with six students earninga score of 30 or higher.

Smart KidsHonors Program preps for freshmen

Last fall Adrian College expanded its many study abroad options by establish-ing a Study Abroad Office. It’s an excellent student resource that is creatingsome incredible opportunities. Study Abroad Director and English professorDr. Robin Bott has been working her magic to create impressive new affilia-tions with Adrian, including schools in Scotland, Thailand, Quebec, Athens,and as this Q&A explains, even South Korea.

Who: Sharon Parks, AC senior from Columbus, OhioWhere: Yonsei University, Seoul, South KoreaWhen: Last January through AugustWhy did you go? Two reasons: First, I was born in South Korea and haven’thad an opportunity to return until now. Second, I would eventually like to entera graduate program for cultural anthropology, particularly Asian Studies.How’s it going? It’s been the opportunity of a lifetime. I’ve made lifelongfriends from all over the world and already have plans to visit them next year. Ifyou’re open-minded, patient, adventurous, and respect the culture, then Koreamight be the place for you. I want to come back as soon as possible.Were you nervous at first? I was extremely nervous, but not about coming toKorea in general. I was more nervous to meet my mother’s side of the family.Getting to know them has been the biggest highlight. As corny as it may sound,I’ve learned a lot about myself in Korea. I’ve gotten to embrace my culture, meetmy family, and test myself in a foreign environment.Bringing back anything to Adrian? Recipes for Korean food, for one.Hardest part? Leaving a place that I’ve wanted to come to for so long is going tobe one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.Bring Sharon Back!We interviewed Sharon for this story through Facebook, the popular socialnetworking website that is one of the main ways she keeps in touch with lovedones. Search on the site for “Sharon Parks” and you’ll see lots of photos fromKorea on her page. You’ll also see the spoof web page created by Adrian studentJosh Schramm so that Sharon’s AC friends can tell her how much they missher. The Facebook group, called the “Sharon Parks, Would you come back fromKorea Already!” Foundation, is 93 members strong and growing, and includesrequests for Sharon clones, a proposal to the U.N. to bring Sharon back, and arequest from a friend who tries to claim he’s her lonely grandfather.

For information on study abroad at AC, go to www.adrian.edu/Study_Abroad.

South KoreaSpotlight on Study Abroad:

Virginia Tech victims were recognized during AdrianCollege’s spring commencement on April 29.Thirty-two lilies in Virginia Tech’s colors, maroonand orange, were placed at the front of the stageduring the ceremony to honor the victims. The flow-ers were later planted on campus, placed in a ringto symbolize the circle of life we all share.

Honoring Virginia Tech

A new wood kiln on campus makes AdrianCollege’s ceramics program one of the mostequipped in the state and region. The kiln wasbuilt through the generosity of alumni Jane Castle’75 and her husband Tom Boldt ’75, and Ann’74 and Howie Vreeland ’72. They will be hon-ored at a pig roast on Homecoming weekend,when the meat will be cooked in the kiln itself.The College also has a salt kiln and two updraftgas kilns along with two raku kilns, a primitivefire area, multiple electric kilns, and individualwork spaces for upper level students.

Art students get new wood kilnFire Up!

www.adrian.edu

around the mall5

A new agreement with Specs Howard School of BroadcastingArts in Southfield, Mich., opens up new options for students whoseek broadcasting certification and a college degree.

Adrian College President Jeffrey Docking met with SpecsHoward President Jonathan Liebman in Southfield in May tosign the articulation agreement, which makes it easier for SpecsHoward students to transfer credits to Adrian.

The two schools are currently conversing about the possibilityof an even stronger collaboration. Under such an agreement,Adrian communication students would benefit from SpecsHoward facilities and/or faculty, and Specs Howard students wouldbenefit from Adrian’s liberal arts curriculum and accreditation.

Details have yet to be hammered out, but both schools areopen to discussing various ways of moving forward.

Specs Howard has a national reputation for its state-of-the-artprograms in radio and television.

Broadcasting SchoolAdrian enters agreement with Specs Howard

Savannah Lee, the station manager at the campus radio stationand an AC senior from Keller, Texas, shares her top five songs ofthe moment. Tune into WVAC 107.9 FM for more, or listen onlineat radio.adrian.edu.

1. “Makes Me Wonder” by Maroon 5 – This is the first singleoff their new album, and I think it’s got a fun dance quality to it.

2. “Here (In Your Arms)” by Hellogoodbye – This song is anice change from the slew of emo bands that have been popularrecently, and I picked it because it’s a cool blend of techno-sound-ing vocals and 80s pop music.

3. “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood – I’m a littleembarrassed that I picked this one, but I think that I like this songbecause it’s promising music from an American Idol winner. I’mnot a big fan of country, but this song is cool because it bridges thegap between country and pop.

4. “Dani California” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers – I lovethis song because it’s fast, fun, and has a great beat. It’s a truethrowback to earlier Peppers stuff with its fast and wild lyricsfrom front man Anthony Kiedis.

5. “Steady As She Goes” by the Racontuers – I picked this songbecause it is some of the newest work from Jack White of theWhite Stripes. His new band the Racontuers is a great mix of theodd but intelligent and interesting White Stripes lyrics, but witha tighter sound. It’s a great listen!

Top Songs5

Adrian College named Kathryn Mohr’84 as the new chairperson of the Boardof Trustees at the May board meeting.

By accepting the position, Mohr madehistory in a couple of ways. She is thefirst female board chair in Adrian his-tory. In addition, she is the first Adriangraduate to accept the position in 29years. The last Adrian graduate to serveas board chair was Loran Lewis ’25, ajudge who served in the Court of Com-mon Pleas in Allegheny County, Pa., and

who was chair 1967-1978.Kathryn M. Mohr is a partner with Robison, Curphey & O’Connell,

a law firm based in Toledo, Ohio. She is based at the firm’s Adrian

Alumna Named Board ChairMohr is the first alum in 29 years, and the first woman ever

office and has clients throughout southeast Michigan and north-west Ohio. She has practiced law for 20 years.

“Adrian College made a big difference in my life and I love thisplace,” Mohr said. “I am thrilled with the tremendous progress thatthe College is making and am honored to help it build on thatprogress.”

Kathryn brings years of service to her work as chairperson. Shehas served as a board member for the past 11 years, most recently assecretary. Prior to that, she served for eight years on the Adrian Col-lege Alumni Board of Directors, including as president.

Mohr replaces Gary Valade, who with great ability served as chairfor six years. He remains on the board.

Mohr lives in Britton, Mich., with her husband, Mark Prielipp,and their three children, ages 6, 12, and 17. Two of her nephews areAdrian College alumni: Jason Brennan ’01 and Stephen Goetz ’06.

around the mall 6

You’ve learned a lot in your career. Would you be willing tohelp a student figure out how you did it?

The Office of Career Planning (formerly Career Services)introduces a student resource called the Adrian College CareerNetwork, to help students who are just starting out in theircareers. Submit your information and you will help build adatabase that could help AC connect you with a student whowill benefit from your expertise.

Every semester, Career Planning Director ShannonMartineau does her best to field questions from students withan interest in everything from crime scene photography tofinancial advising. Knowing how to reach alumni in variouscareers will be a tremendous help. Depending on the case,alumni in the program might provide advice, ideas, intern-ships, connections or job shadowing opportunities.

The program is one of a series of improvements to the office.Now located in the Stanton Administration Building, the of-fice suite is equipped with a dedicated recruiter office, extraoffice space, and a reception area with self-assessment com-puter stations.

The Adrian College Career Network replaces the now-de-funct Bulldog Network and alumni who participated in thatprogram are asked to re-register.

For more information, visit www.adrian.edu/career_planning/alumni.

We need your help!

Alumni NetworkRobin Bott, associate professor of English, wasaccepted as a National Endowment for the Hu-manities fellow as part of the NEH Summer In-stitute programs, on “Cathedrals and Culture: Me-dieval York,” at York Minster in England. Bryan

Bott, lecturer in the modern languages and cultures departmentand head of the Japanese Studies program, was also accepted asa fellow, for “The Ideal and the Real: Arcs of Change in ChineseCulture” at the East-West Center on the campus of the Univer-sity of Hawaii.

Chris Momany ’84, AC chaplain, will present apaper in September at a conference sponsored bythe Center for the Study of Scottish Philosophyat Princeton Theological Seminary. The papercompares Mahan’s moral theory to that of both

Immanuel Kant and the Scottish tradition. Roger Fechner, re-tired history professor, will also present a paper. Momany con-tinues to write for the Daily Bible Study of the United Method-ist Publishing House, most recently on the prophets Micah,Zephaniah, Habakkuk, and Jeremiah.

Philip Howe, assistant professor of political science, chaired apanel on ethnicity, trust and democracy entitled “Pulling Together,Pushing Apart in Post-Communist Countries” at the annual meet-ing of the Midwest Political Science Association in April.

Derek Brereton, lecturer of anthropology, contrib-uted three two-page entries to the newly publishedDictionary of Critical Realism (Routledge, 2007):“Anthropology,” “Evolution of Society,” and, “Evo-lutionary Psychology.” He edited Michigan Dis-

cussions in Anthropology, v. 16, and wrote the respective on an-thropological linguist Robbins Burling for that volume.

Melissa Stewart, assistant professor of religion,presented a paper titled “Bridge or Barrier: Mary,Mary Quite Contrary” at the regional conferenceof the American Academy of Religion in Chicagoin March. She worked closely with then-student

Mary Bolz Hagley ’07, who presented a paper titled “Retrievalof Mary Magdalene as a Symbol of Female Ministers.”

Sarah Hanson, associate professor of earth sci-ence, presented a paper at the Rochester Miner-alogical Symposium in Rochester, N.Y., in April.

James Spence, assistant professor of philosophy/religion, chairedthe 34th Conference on Value Inquiry, held on campus in Apriland hosted by the philosophy and religion department. Attend-ees included 70 philosophers from five different countries.

Faculty Notes

www.adrian.edu

After Dr. Adam Coughlin ’97 sawhis mom endure a double mastec-tomy and chemotherapy, he took an

unusual approach to dealing with it. Heran a marathon and seven triathlons overa three-month period.

He’ll admit now that what started as asomewhat foolhardy bet at a holiday partyturned into a long and grueling summer.But when he thought about the couragethat his mom, Martie Coughlin, showedthrough her ordeal, he wanted to expressto her how much of a difference she’dmade in his life.

That was five years ago, when he was akinesiology doctoral student at MichiganState. Now that he’s an assistant professorof exercise science and director of the Hon-ors Program at AC, he’s taking his inspira-tion in an entirely new direction, by start-ing a program for student-led cancer re-search.

The idea for the research began with asimple question: If you survive cancer, canexercise improve your long-term chancesfor staying free of the disease? ToCoughlin’s amazement, little long-termresearch has been done to find out. Whynot give AC students an opportunity tohelp?

“I started thinking what else our studentscould do with their degree in the healthfield. And then what would be scientifi-cally beneficial, and at the same time helpsthe community?” Coughlin said. “Thiswill meet all three goals.”

The research aspires to fill an importantgap in the current cancer research. Moststudies on physical fitness and cancer fo-

Professor launches student-runresearch for survivors

cus on immediate recovery, and thus onlyinclude data for two years at most.Coughlin’s study is designed to collect datafor five years and more, to find out moreabout what might lead to a longer and bet-ter life for survivors.

Students can’t wait to get involved. Exer-cise science major Brian Rider, for instance,is anxious for the research to start this fall.He’ll graduate in December, but sees theprogram as so valuable that he plans tocontinue to participate through the spring.

“First of all, it’s a great opportunity,” hesaid. “Second, it’s something I’ll enjoy do-ing, and it’s a great cause.”

Brian appreciates how the program willbroaden students’ options in the depart-ment beyond physical therapy and athletictraining.

“I know I want to go into a health fieldwhere I work with people one-on-one, andI know I don’t want to be a doctor or aphysical therapist,” he said. “I’m thinkingabout attending graduate school for car-diac rehabilitation, and this would be agreat opportunity for that.”

As soon as patients have been diagnosed,they will be encouraged to enroll so that abaseline can be established. The study willtrack the five component areas of fitness:aerobic conditioning, body composition,muscular strength, muscular endurance,and flexibility. Fitness testing will occurtwo times a year for the first two to threeyears, and then once a year for as long aspossible.

While most participants will come onreferral from Hickman Cancer Center inAdrian, the program will be open to any-

Can fitness HELP

with Cancer?

one who’s interested, including anyalumni who can make it back to campus.

Coughlin’s wish-list for equipment islong. For example, the high-tech Bod Pod,a machine that measures body composi-tion with air pressure, would be ideal forcancer patients who may be missing tis-sue and are hard to measure with conven-tional methods. If grant funding comesthrough, the College might be able to getone.

Until then, his departmental budget andmodest internal grants have provided thebasic equipment needed to get started. Thehuman performance lab in the MerillatSport & Fitness Center is ready to acceptpatients.

Eight years ago one of those patients wasMartie Coughlin. Now cancer-free, sheremembers all too well the struggle sheand her family had with the disease.

“When I was diagnosed, I think Adamwas so shocked that he might lose his momat age 50 that he realized how short lifecan be,” she said. “He’s made it his per-sonal mission ever since then. If he andthe students can find answers that mighthelp someone else down the road, I thinkthat is so awesome.”

Senior Phil Harrington tests out equipment in the lab with cancer survivor Martie Coughlin.

Adam Coughlin ’97

like PEOPLE

around the mall 8

If you were asked to give the commencement address at youralma mater, what on earth would you say?That’s the predicament that Shelley Brown Milano ’78 faced

when she was invited to speak at Adrian College’s spring com-mencement in April. She hadn’t been back to campus in de-cades, and now was expected to try to tell a group of young andtalented graduates how to be successful. Despite her career as acorporate lawyer for such companies as Starbucks and EddieBauer, the task seemed daunting.

In the end, she decided to stick to the basics, including a decep-tively simple message: Treat people right. She shared this anec-dote from when she wasn’t much older than the students in theaudience, as a young lawyer feeling overwhelmed as the newgeneral counsel for a major corporation.

Treat people

One day, this company received notice of a major charge andinvestigation from the government. I immediately hired a senioranti-trust lawyer who brought in several other senior lawyers toprepare for a hearing on the government allegations of wrongdo-ing. We had to appear in front of a certain governmental com-mission to testify and provide information they requested.

The president of the company asked me to speak on behalf ofthe company – rather than the experienced lawyers. As you canimagine, these lawyers were livid and I was petrified. Having nochoice, I stayed up all night preparing my remarks. At that time,my oldest daughter was around three or four years old and as sheoften did, she sat at the table in my study and worked with meuntil her bedtime.

Unfortunately, I fell asleep at my desk while working and I didnot wake up until 6:30 a.m. My flight was at 7 a.m. and we lived35 minutes from the airport. I quickly dumped the contents ofmy desk into my largest briefcase and literally dressed in the caron my way to the airport. I luckily made the flight – although Iwas quite a sight!

When we arrived, the first order of business was to exchangeintroductions and business cards. Immediately, there was snick-ering and laughing. My little daughter had drawn little stick fig-ure dolls all over the cards! I thought I would die! The lawyerswith me all rolled their eyes in disdain.

After some questions and several laughs from these govern-ment investigators, I then began my presentation. Because I feltat ease and realized that I was addressing real people, I scrappedmy written presentation and just talked to them. I told them thecompany’s story. Following the presentation, the commissionasked a few questions, and called for a short recess.

My lawyers took me in a room and were mortified. They werefirst embarrassed over my business cards fiasco, and now theywere dismayed that I didn’t present all the barriers to the infor-mation requests that we had discussed, but rather, had supplied,in their opinion, far too much information. They told me I haddone a great disservice to my company.

When we were called back into the room, the governmentinvestigators said that they were so impressed with our honestyand straightforward style, and while they would need much moreinformation and review, they were going to focus on the othercompanies in this same situation. While I can’t assert that thisnovel approach changed the outcome, I can assure you that theinvestigation went smoothly, was friendly and cost the companyless than 10 percent of what it cost the other companies.

The point I am trying to make here is that no matter howdifficult or challenging a matter is, if you deal with people ashuman beings, talk to them and understand what they need orwant, you will be successful. Had I followed the typical course ofdealing with the government, it would have been exceedinglyadversarial and perhaps we would not have enjoyed such a posi-tive result. I think people get so caught up in their “roles” thatthey forget we all are dealing with other people. If you becomeself-important or fall in the trap of doing it like the next guy, thepeople aspect gets missed.

You can be the brightest, most experienced expert on a subject,but if you ignore the “people” aspect, you won’t enjoy success.Make people a part of the equation.

Shelley Brown Milano �78 givescommencement address

Speech excerpt:

www.adrian.edu

features9

3

21

5 thingsYOU

ACabout

should know

Ice SportsWhat hockey teams do we have?

The Bulldogs now boast varsity hockey teams for both men andwomen, providing one of the only options in the region for competingat the Division III level. There is also a men’s club team.

What in the world is synchronized skating?As you may have heard, Adrian is developing a team in this up and coming

sport. Think synchronized swimming on ice – sort of high-speed figure skatersmoving in formation. It is the fastest growing area of ice sports. According toU.S. Figure Skating, there are 8,000 active synchronized skaters in this country,and a great number of them are located in the Midwest region. However, col-leges do not yet take full advantage of the interest. Miami University is the onlyother school with a fully-funded varsity program.

What about facilities?This fall the Arrington Ice Arena will open for play for the first-ever

home hockey games. The $5.5 million facility will consist of a single sheet ofice, 500 chair back seats, press box, president’s box, concession stand, proshop with skate rental, offices for ice sport coaches and personnel, and lockerrooms. The operating schedule will include open skates for the community,learn-to-skate programs for children and adults, and hockey programs forpeople of various ages and abilities.

features 10

5

4

Trivia Bonus AC New Home of Ice ArenaManagement School

Sure, a lot of 18-year-olds come toAdrian. Now aspiring ice professionalsdo, too.

Yes, actually. That’s because Adrian isthe new home of the Ice Arena Insti-tute of Management (iAIM), a leadingtraining program that attracts peoplefrom all over the nation.

The program, which consists of 32hours of intense classroom experienceover the course of a week, provides cer-tification in such areas as arena pro-gramming, management, and opera-tions, and attracts up-and-coming lead-ers in the growing industry of ice arenamanagement. A recent session in Mayattracted pupils from Seattle to Floridaand Boston to California.

The founder and director of theschool is Jack Vivian ’66. Jack is theCEO of JRV Management, a globalleader in building and managing state-of-the-art sports facilities. It was an-nounced that Adrian College would bethe new training site for iAIM at thearena groundbreaking last fall.

How can I get tickets?Season tickets are now available; visit the athletics web page for more

information. Tickets for home games start at $5. Men’s varsity opens athome against Potsdam State 7 p.m. on Oct. 19, the women open 3 p.m. onOct. 20 against Chatham, and ACHA (club) plays home against Michiganat 7 p.m. on Sept. 29. Official Arrington Ice Arena dedication ceremonieswill take place on the evening of Oct. 19.

What is �Icing the puck�?Since Adrian College will now be a hockey school, it might

be time to learn some lingo. “Icing” doesn’t have anythingto do with cake. It’s actually a penalty for sending the puckuntouched to the opponent’s end. If it passes from behindthe red center line to the other team’s red goal line, then it’sconsidered a delay tactic that is unaggressive and boring towatch. The penalty is a face off on your end of the rink. A: Not icing; B: Icing

And how about a toe pick?The set of teeth located at the front of each skate blade is called the toe pick, and

is used for jumps, spins, and for stopping when skating backwards. Figure skatershave them and hockey players don’t, leading to the famous movie line in “CuttingEdge” (1992). When Doug the hockey player struggles to become the new partnerto Kate the figure skater, she repeatedly points out his failings by saying, “Toe pick!”

Where was the first professional hockey team in the world located?Houghton, Mich. (Portage Lakers, 1903)

How far does a Zamboni or similar ice resurfacer travel on the rink in thecourse of a year?

Approximately 2,000 miles.

Who do we play, and what are our chances?The varsity men’s hockey team has been accepted to the challenging Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association,

which consists of five teams from Wisconsin, one from Minnesota and one from the Upper Peninsula. Thewomen’s team is a candidate for the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association and will compete as a schedulingpartner during the upcoming season. The NCHA consists of teams from Wisconsin, Chicago, and the UpperPeninsula. The men’s club team is part of the American College Hockey Association Division I and will playteams from throughout the region, including Michigan, Michigan State and Saint Louis University.

Adrian is rare in that all the teams are completely new this year. However, head coaches for the programs willhave recruited throughout the U.S. and Canada for as much as a year prior to the first games in order to be ascompetitive as possible. According to collegehockeyrecruits.com, Adrian College has captured the top 2007recruiting class in all of NCAA Division III men’s ice hockey.

www.adrian.edu

features11

When Dr. Robert Brown ’50 got back from World War II in thespring of 1946, he was ready to go to college that fall. So he appliedto Albion.

Unfortunately for them, the school was too full to accept himuntil February. His friend Jack Charters ’49 and a Methodist min-ister he knew suggested he look at Adrian instead. He decided to

take summer and fall classes here and then transfer later.“I never made the switch,” Bob said. “I liked Adrian so much

and got involved with so many activities that I decided tostay.”

As a result, Bob began a lifelong relationship with AdrianCollege, including a college degree, 25 years on staff, and a12-year stint on the board of trustees that continues tothis day.

Bob returned to Adrian a few years after college to headthe struggling admissions department. Two years laterDr. John Dawson ’38 became president, and Brown

worked with the remarkable leader for the next 23 years.Eventually Bob was promoted to vice president of devel-

opment, and went on to serve very successfully as presidentof Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Mo., from 1978-1989.

During that time the college halted declining enrollment andthen more than doubled it, expanded academic programs, re-ceived $33 million in private gifts, and greatly improved the

physical campus. The state-of-the-art performing arts center,dedicated in 1990, bears his name.

Adrian College influenced Bob in many ways,but the part he’s happiest about is meeting his

wife Carolyn while in the area, to whomhe’s now been married for 51 years. Now

that his working years are over, Bobenjoys travel, golf and gardening –

not to mention the seven grand-children.

“I’m a full-time grandfathernow,” he said.

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www.adrian.edu

“When I think back on how I ended up at Adrian, I realize it was pureserendipity, pure luck! Adrian College literally turned my life around.”

As a high school senior Micheal Cromley ’60 was, as he puts it, “rebellingagainst everything.” His grades were so poor he ranked almost at the bottomof his class, and he wasn’t even thinking about going to college.

Then the high school principal, an Adrian alumnus, invited AC PresidentJohn Dawson ’38 to give the commencement address. Dawson and Michealstruck up a conversation during the reception afterward and it changedeverything.

“What do you want to do with your life?” Dawson asked.“I don’t know,” the aimless young Cromley replied.By the next day, the possibility of college had taken root in

Cromley’s heart and mind. He was going to Adrian. Hetook the GED and got in by the skin of his teeth onacademic probation.

The adjustment to the rigors of college didn’thappen overnight, but the support at a smallschool was exactly what he needed to eventu-ally thrive. Cromley went on to graduateschool and 27 years as associate professorof counseling for the City Colleges of Chi-cago. He has served as chief examinerfor the GED in Cook County (Chicago),held a private family counseling prac-tice where he helped youth with drugaddictions, and is now an adjunctpsychology professor at North Cen-tral Michigan College.

“When I got to Adrian I failedfreshman English twice. NowI’ve taught it at the college level,”he said.

Cromley has always beendrawn to those who need ex-tra help to reach their poten-tial. Looking back over morethan 45 years of teaching ex-perience, he can’t imanginewhere he’d be withoutAdrian.

“If I’d gone to a placewhere I was just a number, Inever would have survived.”

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Ask Ron Mead ’72 about Chelsea High School and he’ll tell you it’s been afantastic place to be principal for the last 18 years. With a supportive commu-nity and great families, the district boasts one of the best ACT averages in thecounty, an excellent music program, and an athletics program that has wonmultiple state championships.

For a small town, it’s also had more than its share of tragedies. A car accidentafter a football game claimed the lives of three senior girls. Parents and staffmembers have died unexpectedly, and there have been suicides. And whileRon has a personal policy not to talk to the media about it, in 1993 an angryteacher shot and killed the superintendent and wounded Ron and anotherteacher.

“Dealing with crises is something you hope you don’t have to get good at, butwe’ve had to,” Ron said. “We work together to try to help people put the piecesback together.”

One way Ron has contributed to this effort is throughEle’s Place, a Lansing-based nonprofit that helps

children and their families with death and griev-ing. Ron is one of the key volunteers who helped

expand the program into Chelsea and the restof Washtenaw County last April.

Ron came to AC to play football, but theteam improved and he switched tointramurals. Choosing Adrian, however, hasmade a big difference in his life. He met hiswife Marilyn Williams Mead ’72 here. Andhe values how AC prepared him for his career,helped him grow spiritually, and taught him

the value of personal connections.“At Adrian I learned howeffective relationships can

be, and that’s helped mebe successful as a high

school principal. “Education has

been an incrediblyrewarding life forme. You don’t getrich, except inhow you im-pact lives.”

www.adrian.edu

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Karen Haas Misseldine ’87 thought about going to a bigger school thatalready offered art therapy. Instead she came to Adrian, which didn’t havea program yet, but where art chair Pi Benio understood her passion andsaid they could make it happen.

“It was through helping me that Pi really started to develop the pro-gram,” Karen said. “We worked together so I could get the coursework andhands-on experience I needed to go to graduate school.”

Her willingness to break new ground for art therapy is what later helpedher fashion her career.

“Art therapy is common in big cities, but in smaller towns where I’ve lived,I’ve had to work hard to convince people how valuable it can be,” she said.

Haas Misseldine earned a master’s degree in art therapy and then moved toPocatello, Idaho, with her husband, Tom Misseldine ’85 (the son of long-time AC English professor Al Misseldine). When a youth foundation ad-vertised for a counselor, she convinced the staff that a trained art thera-pist was the best choice for the troubled teens.

“Art is a good way for families and teens to see their problems in adifferent light,” Karen said. “It’s another way to encourage people toopen up by communicating in a nonverbal way.”

Now Karen and her family live in Decorah, Iowa, which is evensmaller. Not content to sit back, she invented her own niche there bycontracting her services with four area nursing homes.

“I have a real passion for working with older people and end-of-lifeissues. I help people use their creativity to stay more cognitive, to get intouch with their memories, and to connect with their new communi-ties in the nursing homes,” she said.

When Karen looks back at her college years, she thinks about the fieldwork, her own self-discovery as a double major synthesizing sociologyand studio art, and all those late nights working with her friends in thestudio.

“It was kind of a magical time,” she said.

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What’s the secret to good coaching?To Karen Baird ’93, head softball coach at Eastern Michigan

University, it comes down to two simple principles: teach eachplayer to believe in herself, and teach her to put the team first.

Something must be working. This year her team foughtback from a 1-11 start to win the conference championshipfor the first time in school history, beating Central Michi-gan in an extra-innings nail-biter.

“Talent is important, but sometimes heart mattersmore. We were the team that showed the most heart,”Baird said.

As a result, Karen was the first-ever coach from heruniversity to be named MAC Coach of the Year. Baird ison track to becoming the second winningest coach inEMU softball history and has increased her program’swinning percentage in each of her first four seasons. Shecredits much of her success to her experience at AC, whereshe is a Hall of Famer for both softball and basketball.

“College was the best time of my life, and a lot of thethings I learned at Adrian I take into my coaching now,” shesaid.

“Even though I’m at a Division I school, one of the mostimportant things I stress to my athletes is to be a student athlete.Go to class, get a degree and move on to a good career. That stemsfrom the Division III philosophy I learned at Adrian,” she said.

That philosophy is paying off. Her team has ranked in thetop ten in the nation for academics for the last four years.

www.adrian.edu

When Steve Brooks ’03 came to Adrian College, he wasn’t planning to join the Army. But not long afterhe graduated he decided it would help him repay school loans, provide tuition assistance for more educa-tion, and more than anything, it would give him a challenge.

Challenge him it has. As a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, he has been on a 15-month deploy-ment in Afghanistan since January, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. While his daily life has itsshare of trials, the hardest part is being away from his wife, Beth Lawrence ’04, and their seven-month-old,Isabelle Grace. He’ll meet his daughter for the first time when he comes home on leave this month.

“This is an extremely tough time for us, still being somewhat newlyweds, with a newborn, and beingthousands of miles away from each other,” Steve emailed from overseas. “Beth does an unbelievable job ofsending me pictures and DVDs of Isabelle. She also does a wonderful job taking care of our daughter.”

Brooks came to Adrian to play basketball. He went on his campus visit with Dan Walter ’03, and the twohave been best friends ever since. Walter is the second-highest scorer in AC men’s basketball history with1,620, followed by Brooks with 1,523.

“How did AC change my life?” Brooks asked. “I met my wife and best friend here. My experience at AChelped me learn how to think. It helped my decision-making ability. It helped me become more indepen-dent.”

Beth is currently finishing pre-requisites and plans to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy. Steveis working on an online master’s degree in education. When he finishes

military service in 2008, he wants to be a science teacher and tocoach at the secondary and then collegiate levels.

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There’s a TV commercial where two roommates meet for the first time. Theycouldn’t be more opposite; one is bubbly and wears lots of pink, the other isgoth and has candles, lots of black clothes, and a big pet snake.

Before Kari Forshey (left)met her roommate freshman year, she had a mo-ment of fear that they’d be that different. But she and Brittany Luckett weresoon best friends. Now juniors, the pair wouldn’t think of rooming with any-one else.

Both women can be shy, but they’ve discovered new sides of themselvesthrough the friendship. They have inside jokes about everything—starting withthe episode of hysteria involving a stubborn jar of olives and an unknown malestudent in the hallway – that seems to make every day significant.

“I never believed it was possible to laugh until it hurt until I came to Adrian,”Kari said.

Brittany, from Muskegon, and Kari, from Richland, bothgot interested in AC through admissions mailings. Smallinfluence, big impact. In addition to new friendships, theworld is getting bigger in terms of their minds.

Both are smart. Kari got a 29 on her ACT, putting herin the 95th percentile nationwide, and Brittany had3.9 GPA in high school. Neither of them, however,had ever considered graduate school before com-ing to college. Due to the personal influence oftheir professors and each other, Kari is nowconsidering a doctorate in genetics, and Brit-tany in anatomy.

“I think college is a time when you try tofind yourself,” Brittany said. “Kari and I havehelped each other find out who we are andwhat we want in life.”

www.adrian.edu

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Taz Wallace�s quest to make it in professional football

For now

by darcy gifford �91

He DREAMS

The consummate team player is alone now. No teammates. No coaches. It’s just Tavarski Wallace and a dreamthat he’s carried since he was nine years old.

features 20The former Bulldog star linebacker is trying to break into

professional football. He pushes himself through demand-ing individual workouts to improve his speed, strength anddefensive technique, and the results show on his chiseled5’11”, 233-pound frame. He’s gained nearly eight poundsof muscle since working out for scouts at the University ofMichigan’s Pro Day in March. And there’s much more workto do.

Despite an unwavering work ethic and a storied career asthe all-time leading tackler in National Collegiate AthleticAssociation (NCAA) Division III history, Wallace faces longodds. With roughly 2,700 roster spots in the National Foot-ball League (NFL), the Canadian Football League (CFL)and the Arena Football League (AFL), there are a finite num-ber of jobs available. Most are taken, either by veterans ormarquee draft picks.

“I grew up around drugs and violence,” he said. “Seeingpeople on drugs probably had the biggest effect on me, andthe images really stuck in my head. I just remember thinkingthat I don’t ever want to be in that situation. I didn’t havedrugs or violence in my house, but around me, that’s allthere was. There were hardly any role models, and I washanging with the wrong crowd and doing the wrong things,so I was looking for a better life. No one had to tell me tomove. I wanted to move on my own.”

With Jacqueline’s blessing, Wallace moved to Adrian andstarted over with Lester and Joann Wallace, Jacqueline’sbrother and sister-in-law. He enrolled at Madison High Schooland, after going back and forth between Tuscaloosa andAdrian for a spell, finally settled into life up north. The geo-graphic shuffling affected his athletic eligibility, though, andhe had to sit out his senior year. He spent the next few months

�...just because you come from a situationdoesn�t mean you have to stay in that situation.�

NCAA research shows that only 1.80 percent of collegefootball seniors are drafted into the NFL each year. Not allmake NFL rosters. Becoming an NFL player is less likely thanbeing selected for NASA’s astronaut training program, whichonly accepts 2.75 percent of stringently pre-screened appli-cants.

These statistics, however, do not dissuade Wallace, whohas always shot for the moon. The son of Otis Meeks, ahigh-performance engine mechanic in Detroit, and Jacqueline,an Alabama nursing home aide, he was just 15 when hehatched a life-altering plan and left his roots.

“I grew up in inner city Tuscaloosa,” Wallace said, a softand unmistakably southern cadence pacing his words. “Alot of people don’t know that, and I don’t say it for peopleto feel sorry for me. Sometimes I do tell kids, ‘Look, this iswhere I came from. I’m not saying I’m the best person in theworld, but just because you come from a situation doesn’tmean you have to stay in that situation.’

away from football, working out and hoping to get a chanceto play at the next level.

A similar circumstance repeats today. Much like 2003when he flew under the radar of major college football re-cruiters, Wallace is an unproven commodity to some profes-sional scouts. He was a three-time All-American and the onlyNCAA Division III player invited to play in the MagnoliaBowl in Jackson, Miss., but some question the level of com-petition he faced during his collegiate career. Wallace easilyeschews the scrutiny, saying “People think that Division Ifootball is so much faster than Division III, but realisticallyit’s not. That’s just my opinion. I played in the MagnoliaBowl, an all-star game with all Division I players, and thepace is faster, don’t get me wrong, but the difference betweenDivision III and Division I is taking angles. An angle thatyou can take in Division III and make a play just won’twork against Division I athletes.”

Wallace, who was given the moniker “Taz” by a high school

www.adrian.edu

features21

basketball coach who kept stumbling over his real name, isknown for his quiet maturity and his desire to make himselfand his teammates better. He once told teammate DesmondUpshaw that he would never display an individual awardunless the Bulldogs won a league championship. Adrian was27-13 during his career but didn’t capture an MIAA title.There were two 8-2 finishes but no rings. Wallace stayed trueto his word and has never hung up a single award. He ismajoring in criminal justice, wants to be a social worker,and is one semester shy of graduating, saying he will get hisdegree “no matter what.” He mentors youth at Madison H.S.,becoming the role model that he never had. By everyone’saccount he is a leader and self-motivated young man, thiskid who once flirted with trouble in Tuscaloosa.

“I’m appreciative of everything that’s taken place in mylife and I don’t regret anything that I’ve done,” he said. “Idon’t regret coming to Adrian College because I have greatrelationships with so many people here, and Coach [Jim]Lyall is the best coach I’ve ever had.”

He has spent the majority of his waking hours jugglingPlan A – finishing school – with Plan B – playing football.He is young and in the best shape of his life, and his poten-tial has not gone unnoticed. Wallace was one of 47 playerswho participated in a Detroit Lions rookie camp in May. He

has also drawn interest from several other teams, includingthe Buffalo Bills and the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders. As heattempts to blaze a path to the NFL, he keeps in mind thatprofessional football is all about needs. Some teams need aquarterback. Some need a punter. And when one needs afeared hitter who can run well and make plays, he wantsscouts to think of him.

“I try to be realistic about things,” he said. “I could beplaying next year or I could not be playing. I could get hurttomorrow. So I just try to be realistic. Some guys put every-thing into one basket, and at the end of the day, they havenothing because it was all about football.

“I love football to death. But I’m not going to put mywhole life into football. I’ve told myself I’m not going to dothat. I don’t want to be 26 years old still trying to make it inprofessional football. Some people can do that, but that’sjust not my plan.”

For now, he dreams. He has beaten the odds before. Whycan’t he do it again?

As of July 2 Taz Wallace remains a free agent candidate. Checkwww.adrian.edu for updates on his journey.

2. 3.

4. 5. 5.

1.

1. Wallace awaits his next series on the field at Hope College this past October. 2. Taz runs the three-cone drill for NFL scouts and Pro Day atthe University of Michigan’s Schembechler Hall. 3. Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Joe Barry instructs Wallace at Lions Rookie Camp.4. Wallace shows his speed to New York Giants linebackers coach Bill Sheridan at the University of Michigan Pro Day. 5. Former AC defensivecoordinator Aaron Klotz ’98 and Wallace at the Detroit Lions Facility in Allen Park. 6. Taz makes one of his 429 career tackles againstKalamazoo College on Sept. 30 at the AC Performance Stadium.

class noteseration Lifesaver, based in Cleveland. Bycreating the “Rolling Billboards AcrossAmerica,” advertisers place their mes-sage on freight cars with Operation Life-saver ads to educate the public about thedangers of railroad grade crossings andtrespassing. The first client to place anad on the Florida East Coast Railwayswas the Florida Marlins. Ted lives in So-lon, Ohio.

Bill Kenyon ’74, former AC vice presi-dent for institutional advancement, ac-cepted a position as executive directorfor Hospice of Lenawee. Bill was recentlyawarded the 2007 Maurice StubnitzAward, presented annually to a local in-dividual who exemplifies the spirit of vol-unteer leadership and service to theLenawee United Way and Volunteer Cen-ter. Bill and his wife, Diane ElfersKenyon ’73, live in Adrian.

John Aiken ’77, Office of Financial andInsurance Services (OFIS) bank exam-iner, received one of three graduate bank-ing school scholarships awarded in 2007by the Education Foundation of StateBank Supervisors. The scholarship willcover expenses for up to three years’ at-tendance at the graduate banking or trustschool of the recipient’s choice. Johnplans to attend the Graduate School ofBanking at Colorado in Boulder. Johnjoined OFIS in 2003 following a 23-yearcareer in banking. He lives with his wife,Gayle Carter Aiken ’80, and family inChesterfield.

1980sRandy Boadway ’84, of Comstock Park,was the contest director for the NationalAssociation of Rocketry Annual Meet(NARAM) held in July at Prairieville Farmsin Delton.

Charlie Lytle ’87 was recently appointedvice president of marketing forStonehouse Building Products. Prior tohis new position, Charlie was employedfor nine years at Senco Products, Inc.Stonehouse is a small, privately heldcompany conducting business withLowe’s and other design centers acrossthe U.S. Charlie and his wife, Rosemary,

continue to live in Cincinnati with theirchildren, Grant, 13, Isaac, 10, and Addie,8. In June, the Lytle family, including sib-ling Rose Lytle Grafton ’86, held a vol-leyball tournament to benefitChristopher’s Insulin Education Founda-tion (ChIEF), started two and a half yearsago after the death of their nephew. ChIEFwas created to help teenagers and chil-dren with diabetes.

1990sSteven Ashley ’91 performed with thegroup Roads to Rome at the ChristianFamily Centre in Adrian. He is the leadguitar player for the five-man Christianrock band. Last year, Steve co-wrote asong that was used on the CBS Televi-sion show “Cold Case.” Steve and his fam-ily live in Nashville.

Steve Lajiness ’91 was appointed as de-velopment manager for DUCTZ, a lead-ing duct-cleaning franchise. Prior to hisappointment, Steve worked for five yearswith the Molly Maid franchise in the areaof operations support. He resides inLambertville.

Kevin Stone ’91 coached, mentored andcompeted in the eighth annual EndeavorGames for Athletes with Physical Disabili-ties held June 7-10 in Edmond, Okla.Kevin, a five-year U.S. Paralympics Ar-chery National Team member and 2004Paralympic Team medalist, set a nationalrecord during the tournament by improv-ing the 2005 record in the 70 Meter Olym-pic distance by 18 points. Kevin alsoposted a score that earned him EliteParalympic Team status and is nownamed to his third World ChampionshipTeam for the U.S. He’ll be vying for an-other spot on the 2008 U.S. ParalympicTeam at the IPC World Target Champi-onships to be held in Korea later this year.Kevin and family reside in Kodak, Tenn.

Kiersten Knudstrup Chapman ’92 wasa contributing editor to the recently pub-lished book “Axis of Evil World Tour,” byAdrian native Scott Fisher. The book,

1940sEarl Dickey ’40 and his wife were fea-tured in the April 2007 “Outdoor Illinois”magazine for their volunteer work at thevisitor center of Giant City Park (Ill.). Earlwas a Giant City Civilian ConservationCorps worker in the 1930s and enjoyssharing his stories about the “old days.”The couple lives in Carbondale, Ill., andhas two daughters, a son, three grand-children and seven great-grandchildren.

Edward Braun ’43 and his wife Sally cel-ebrated their 60th wedding anniversary onFeb. 9 with a family celebration. The couplelives in Adrian and has three children.

1960sKeith Smith ’61 and his wife, Dorothy,celebrated their 50th wedding anniversaryin June. Keith serves as minister of pas-toral care at the Element Church inBlissfield. The couple has two daughters,four grandchildren and one great-grand-son.

Richard Cheatham ’63, of San Antonio,published a book titled “Can You Makethe Buttons Even? Lessons LearnedAlong Life’s Spiritual Path” (AuthorHouse,2006). The book shares excerpts from theauthor’s own lifelong spiritual journey.

In May, Richard Gurdjian ’68 wasnamed recipient of the Marvin E.Muilenberg CLU Distinguished ServiceAward for his service to the communityand his profession. The award is pre-sented annually by the National Associa-tion of Insurance and Financial Advisors-Michigan (NAIFA) to an individual selectedfrom the association’s 1,600 members.Rick is a member and past president ofthe NAIFA-Lenawee County. Rick is alsoan AC trustee, former Alumni Board mem-ber, member of TKE, and past recipientof the AC Distinguished Alumni Award.He and his wife, Jan Drake Gurdjian’68, live in Adrian and have two children.

1970sSince retiring from the railroad industry,Ted Johnson Jr. ’72, co-founder ofFreight Train Media, has been working topromote greater public exposure for Op-

www.adrian.edu

class notes23available at Amazon.com, recountsFisher’s time spent in North Korea,Iraq and Iran. Kiersten lives with herdaughter in Saline, where sheteaches English at Saline HighSchool.

Cyndi Koppelman ’93 was thisyear’s juror of awards at the LenaweeHigh School Art Exhibition. Cyndi ischair of the art department at SalineHigh School and coordinator of art forSaline Schools.

Elizabeth Bibik ’97 recently directedthe Farmington Players in “Okla-homa!” which had a sold-out openingweekend in May. She resides inBerkley.

Jessie Ellis ’97 recently won runner-up in the international writing com-petition for the Fish Publishing His-torical Short Fiction Prize 2006 forher one-page story titled “Knoxville1899.” Jessie was recently selectedas the 2007-08 vice president for theAC Alumni Association Board of Di-rectors and lives in Howell.

Vanessa Lozzi ’97, a paralegalbased in the Bloomfield Hills law of-fice of Butzel Long, received the Dis-tinguished Service Award from theDetroit Metropolitan Bar Association.Vanessa completed her three-yearterm as a Paralegal Section Chair inMay. At Butzel Long’s office, sheworks in the practice area of litiga-tion, appellate litigation, class actionlitigation and securities. Vanessa re-sides in Clinton Township.

In May 2006, Erin Strittmatter ’98earned a master’s degree in literacyinstruction from Michigan State Uni-versity. She continues to teach fifthgrade at Jennings Elementary Schoolin Quincy.

Erica Emery ’99, marketing man-ager with The Bostwick-Braun Com-pany in Toledo, was named Em-ployee of the Year for 2006. Ericawas promoted to marketing managerin 2003, and currently oversees allmarketing and advertising efforts.

BirthsHeidi Wendt Bistak ’93 and herhusband, Deron, announce the birthof their son, Antonio Jackson, onMarch 25. Heidi is a third gradeteacher for the Euclid City Schools.They live in Mentor, Ohio.

Kristi Daane Garcia ’93 and herhusband, Noel, announce the birthof twin sons, Austin Noel and GerritNikolaas, on Nov. 17, 2006. TheGarcias live in DeWitt.

Kimberley Black Muir ’93 and herhusband, John, announce the birthof their son, Joshua Richard, on Feb.3. The family lives in Howell.Kimberley and her husband, an op-tometrist, own and operate GrandRiver Eye Care. (photo next page)

Austin and Gerrit Garcia

Erin Strittmatter ’98

Antonio Bistak

Erica Emery ’99

A typical morning for Bob Miller ’86 mightinvolve getting his clothes on, eating somebreakfast, and shooing away roaming animals.

“Occasionally, I have cows walking by the frontgate,” he said.

Miller doesn’t live on a farm. Instead, he’s work-ing for the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanza-nia, as a financial management officer.

Nestled in between the Democratic Republic ofthe Congo and the Indian Ocean, Tanzania con-tains a majority of the Serengeti.

Miller’s job is to oversee aid and cash flow thatcomes into the U.S. Embassy.

“I basically take care of all of the money thatcomes from the United States government for as-sistance and to run the embassy.”

Miller has experience with finances. He gradu-ated from Adrian College with an accounting de-gree, and he worked as a CPA for 10 years.

But, a chance vacation to Germany really inter-ested him in embassy work. After leaving the U.S.Embassy in East Berlin in 1989, he said, “I walkedout of there saying ‘That would really be a cool placeto work!’”

Miller said his job is the best if you like to travel,but the harsh reality is that it’s also dangerous. TheU.S. embassy in Dar es Salaam was one of two em-bassies bombed in 1998. Miller has a guard stationedat his house 24 hours a day.

“Everyone’s got a guard,” he said, “so if you don’thave one, you become the target.”

The risk doesn’t faze Miller. In fact, he cherishesthe opportunities the job gives him, including go-ing on an African safari. Even better, he met formerSecretary of State Madeleine Albright.

“It was an extremely interesting opportunity anda highlight of my career,” he said.

From the

by andrew krukowski �06

U.S. Embassy

class notes 24

Stacy Pasch Rellinger ’93 and her hus-band, Ray, announce the birth of their “littlebulldog” Elizabeth Lee, on June 23, 2006.The Rellingers live in Fremont, Ohio, andfriends may visit their website atwww.ohiotimberhaven.com.

Tony ’93 and Colleen Day DeNardo ’95announce the birth of Anthony Francis III,born Nov. 15. Baby Tony joins sisterIsabella, 4. Tony is a program engineer forLacks Trim Systems, and Colleen is abusiness account manager for both the ITand Operations departments at La-Z-Boy,Inc., in Monroe. The DeNardo family wel-comes email at cdenardo@chartermi.net.

Mark ’95 and Aimee Lanning Adamski’95 announce the birth of their son, EvanJoseph, on April 11. He joins sistersMegan, 6, and Janine, 3. The Adamskifamily lives in Sterling Heights.

Britton ’94 and Ginger Pasch Cox ’95announce the birth of their second child,Genevieve Linda, on Jan. 18, 2006. Shejoins sister Jillian, 3. Britton is the CFO

for Real Times, Inc., in Detroit, and Gin-ger is a full-time mom. The family lives inBrighton.

Jane McNabb Kovicak ’95 and her hus-band, Robert, announce the birth of theirsecond child, Nathan Joseph, on March11. Nathan joins brother, Jack Andrew,2. The Kovicak family lives in Elkton, Md.,where Jane is a stay-at-home mom. Shewould enjoy hearing from friends atjane.kovicak@gmail.com.

Matthew Roberts ’96 and his wife,Stacey, announce the birth of their daugh-ter, Emma Jenelle, on Oct. 13. She joinstwo step-sisters, Kathryn, 11, and Alex,12. Matt is the general manager at 2VIndustries, Inc., in Wixom. TheRobertses live in Howell, and can bereached at mroberts@2vindustries.com.

Jessica Tomac Lehti ’97 and her hus-band, Steve, announce the birth of theirdaughter, Jaelyn Elyse. Jaelyn joins herbrother, Teagon, 2. The Lehti family livesin Grand Rapids. Jessica is a partner ina renewable energy business calledChoose Renewables, helping to educate,evaluate and empower people with renew-

able energy. Friends may email them atlehtij@chooserenewables.com.

Chad ’98 and Shanan Stamm Henline’97 announce the birth of their son, ChaseAndrew, on March 16. He joins brotherCaden, 3. Shanan teaches first grade atPrairie Elementary, and Chad is a plantmanager for Venchurs, Inc. The Henlineslive in Adrian.

Michael ’98 and Kimberly Cook Hirvela’97 announce the birth of their son, OwenSamuel, on Aug. 13, 2006. The Hirvelafamily lives in Novi. Kimberly is a casemanager at Henry Ford Hospital in De-troit, and Michael is vice president at To-tal Lawn Care in Royal Oak.

Joe Hunter ’98 and his wife, Heather,announce the birth of their daughter,Diana Grace, on Jan. 8. Joe is a projectmanager at Borders Group, Inc., in AnnArbor, where they live.

G. Aaron ’98 and Alison Eggly Klotz’99 announce the birth of their daughter,Alexis Suzanne, on April 10. Alexis joinsbig brother Logan, 3. The Klotz family livesin Adrian. (photo next page)

Owen Hirvela

Chase Henline

Jaelyn Lehti

Isabella and Anthony DeNardo

Elizabeth Rellinger

Joshua Muir

Nathan Kovicak

Jillian and Genevieve Cox

Kathryn, Emma and Alex Roberts

www.adrian.edu

class notes25Haupricht ’97, Randy Browne ’97,Matt Farney ’97, Curtis Beagle’97, Jason Melynchek ’97, andDawn Dular Fischaber ’98. Ted isemployed at the University of Michi-gan in the Administrative InformationSystems department. The couple re-sides in Ann Arbor.

Chris Chaffee ’98 and MounaSukkarieh were married May 4, atthe Saint Joan of Arc CatholicChurch in Saint Clair Shores. Par-ents of the groom are Ted ’70 andBecky Amstutz Chaffee ’71.Groomsmen included Matt Grimm’98, Geoff Pence ’00, and VinceHarkins ’97. Guests included Kevin’98 and Jane Floyd Richie ’00,Todd Rosenbrook ’01, JeffRosenbrook ’99, Jon Mignin ’97,Richard Kirkpatrick ’99, KurtEggly ’02, Jenilyn NormanHarkins ’00, Joel ’96 and JulieHarkins Humphries ’96,Marianne Crego ’00, AmandaGorning Godin ’97, ShawnSoudek ’01, Shane McVey ’01,Nick ’01 and Jackie TonsorWhiteley ’01, Steve ’71 and CarolChaffee Lawrence ’70, EileenChaffee ’76, Daniel Amstutz ’78,Garrett Hotchkiss ’00, and EricTasselmeyer. The couple lives in St.Clair Shores. Chris is employed asthe operations manager for MarriottCourtyard in Utica.

David ’98 and Danea Hall Simetz’99 announce the birth of their daugh-ter, Dylan January, on Dec. 8. Dylan’smiddle name is taken from January“Jana” Creech ’99. Danea left herjob as an interior designer after eightyears to stay home with the baby.Dave is a foreman for a residentialbuilder. The Simetz family lives inWaterford.

WeddingsKim Herington ’95 and Greg Grantwere married Sept. 30, 2006, atChurch of the Master United Meth-odist in Westerville, Ohio. Alumni inattendance were Kathy CarrSyrjanen ’93 and Brett Peters ’95.Kim works as a legal assistant for adowntown Columbus law firm. Theylive in northeast Columbus.

Edward “Ted” Stebbins ’97 andLisa Piggott were married Nov. 11, inLindsay, Ontario. Alumni attendingthe wedding included Rob Simetz’97, Dana Strand ’97, Jason

Ted ’97 and Lisa Stebbins

Chris ’98 and Mouna Chaffee

Alexis Klotz

Dylan Simetz

Greg and Kim Herington Grant ’95

In the last issue we invited alumni to try to be thefirst to answer the Strawberry Ice Cream problemfrom Dr. Doug Brumbaugh ’62.The first person to respond correctly was Tom

Northey ’74. His prize was a fleece blanket fromthe bookstore. Correct answers were also submit-ted by Rhonda Phillips Rolph ’84, Molly O’NeillKlettner ’88, Peh Ng ’84, Janet Stafford Penrose’67, Tom Fevig ’81, and Allen VandenBoss ’92 (whosaid that, no, his dad and retired math professorEugene VandenBoss, did not help him).

If you’re curious, here is the problem, answer andsolution provided by Brumbaugh:

The Strawberry Ice Cream ProblemAn AC math professor invites a group of prospectivestudents to her house for lunch. One of the guestsasks the ages of her children. “I have three,” shesays. “Each has a counting-number age. The prod-uct of their ages is 72. The sum of their ages is thesame as this house number.” The guest thinks amoment, checks the house number, and says, “I needmore information.” The professor says, “The oldestlikes strawberry ice cream.” The guest then givesthe correct ages (and is promptly accepted for ad-mission!).

Answer:3, 3, 8.

Solution:At first there appears to be several possibilities. Ifthe house number is 74, the ages are 72, 1, 1. If it’s39, the ages are 36, 2, 1. If 28, then 24, 3, 1. However,the only number that demands more informationis 14, because there are two sets of ages that couldwork: 3, 3, 8, or 6, 6, 2. Strawberry ice cream isirrelevant, but the fact that someone is oldest rulesout 6, 6, 2. (Note: Many people conclude the chil-dren must be 9, 8, and 1 because they count 18 let-ters in “strawberry ice cream.”)

Answer toMath Stumper #3

class notes 26

Amy Howell DeKeyser ’03 and her hus-band, Kyle, announce the birth of theirson, Carson Ross, on May 23, 2006. Amyis employed as a claims specialist withthe Kapnick Insurance Group. TheDeKeyser family lives in Adrian.

Michael ’04 and Leticia Joyner Fox ’99announce the birth of their son, Isaiah,on Feb. 7. He joins sisters Naomi andMichael Ann. Leticia works as a secre-tary in Academic Services at AC, andMichael is a member of the Alumni As-sociation Board of Directors.

Tom ’05 and Jillian Bogus Nash ’05 an-nounce the birth of their daughter, KathrynJoanne, on March 22. The Nash familylives in Lake Bluff, Ill.

WeddingsCathy Dobrovolec ’00 and Nick Cocciawere married July 28, 2006, in Livonia.The wedding party included JennyDobrovolec Zavadil ’96, DebraSwatosh ’99, Brandi ElenbaasReynolds ’00, and Jill Robinson ’00.AC alumni in attendance were BethWeidmeyer Heiss ’98, Josh Reynolds’97, Pete ’91 and Sherri StammMazzoni ’97, and Kristin Cook ’01.

Brad Larson ’05 has finished his first se-mester at the University of Hawaii, wherehe taught three classes (Intro to Acting),and attended three classes. Brad recentlyplayed the role of Oliver in “As You Like It”and over spring break had the opportunityto do some background acting work onthe set of the TV show “Lost.”

BirthsBrian Aulph ’00 and his wife, Holly, an-nounce the birth of their daughter, AddyRenee, on Dec. 23. Brian is a Spanishteacher in Grosse Pointe. Addy is alreadybeing brought up as a Bulldog. GoDawgs!!! Brian can be reached by emailat baulph@yahoo.com.

Heather Naughton Crosby ’01 and herhusband, Les, announce the birth of twinson Jan. 16. Madelyn Christine and Ma-son John join sister Emma Noelle, 3. Thefamily lives in Colorado, where Heatherteaches fourth grade.

Isaiah Fox

Carson DeKeyser

Carl Embry ’04

2000sElizabeth Fetherston ’00 spent fouryears working for the National MaritimeFisheries Service as an observer on fish-ing ships in the Bering Sea in Alaska.After receiving a master’s degree in envi-ronmental management at DukeUniversity’s Nichols School of the Envi-ronment in 2005, she has been employedby the Ocean Conservancy’s St. Peters-burg (Fla.) office as manager of fisheriesprograms. Ocean Conservancy is anNPO dedicated to restoring the oceansand preserving its fish life. Elizabeth livesin St. Petersburg.

Terra Huffman Brow ’03 completed hermaster’s degree in special education atWestern Michigan University. Terra hasbeen teaching at the Kalamazoo CountyJuvenile Home Schools since 2005, uti-lizing her most recent teaching endorse-ments in the areas of emotional impair-ments and learning disabilities. She livesin Kalamazoo with her husband, Anthony.They were married in October 2005.

In May, Laura Kennedy Jaissle ’03graduated from the Methodist Theologi-cal School in Ohio, and in June, was com-missioned as a probationary elder in theEast Ohio Conference of the United Meth-odist Church. Laura was also recentlyappointed by Bishop Hopkins of the EastOhio Conference to Lakewood UnitedMethodist Church in Lakewood, Ohio,where she will serve as an associate pas-tor. Husband Mike Jaissle ’03, is a fifthgrade teacher in the area.

Michelle Zeiler Staggs ’04, Pittsford El-ementary fourth grade teacher, was cho-sen by Wal-Mart as their local Teacherof the Year. Michelle lives in Jonesville.

Adrian College defensive line coach CarlEmbry ’04 has been selected to serve asummer training camp internship with theDetroit Lions as part of the NFL’s Minor-ity Coaching Fellowship Program. Embrysaid he hopes that through the experi-ence he will become a better coach, as-sist the Lions, and bring back skills tohelp AC win an MIAA championship. Hewill enter his second season as AC’s de-fensive line coach this fall. He was headjunior varsity coach in 2004, and widereceivers coach at the University ofFindlay in 2005.

Brian ’00, Holly and Addy Aulph

Brad Larson ’05

Madelyn, Mason and Emma Crosby

www.adrian.edu

class notes27Cathy recently earned a master’s de-gree in teaching from Wayne StateUniversity and teaches high schoolSpanish in Wayne-Westland. Thecouple lives in Royal Oak.

Katie Bouckaert ’03 and NicholasReed were married Feb. 24, in Kan-sas City, Mo. In attendance wereAllison Keebaugh ’03, SarahVincke ’03, Sarah Moulik ’03, JillSpencer Feick ’03, MargaretMoses ’02, Rachael Petre ’05, andKim Misiak Ziehmer ’03.

Kristen Toy ’04 and Nathan Carterwere married Jan. 6. The couplechose to have a small, intimate cer-emony with their immediate familiesat Christ the King Lutheran Churchin Grosse Pointe Woods. Kristen isan executive assistant at a furniturerepair and refinisher called FurnitureMedic. The couple is living tempo-rarily in Eastpointe.

In MemoriamRuth Hostetler Hastings ’27, a resi-dent of Grant, died March 15 at theage of 101. She taught French andSpanish for 30 years at MuskegonHeights High School and MuskegonJunior High School. She lived in Fre-mont and Grant for the past 31 years.Ruth was inducted into the AC Ath-letic Hall of Fame in 1985. She issurvived by her daughter, three grand-sons and three great-grandchildren.She was preceded in death by her hus-

band, George, and brothers R. DonaldHostetler ’25, Robert Hostetler ’32,and Dale Hostetler ’48.

Katherine Henninger Ehlert ’35,a resident of Palmyra, died June 21.Katherine worked as a nurse’s aideat Herrick Hospital in Tecumseh, andlater at Hillhaven Convalescent Cen-ter in Adrian. Surviving are three sonsand one sister.

Harriett Bean Kennedy ’36, of Al-buquerque, who taught elementaryand junior high in Toledo and Sylvaniaschools in the 1950s, died June 9.Harriett earned her master’s degreein education from the University ofArizona, and was a member of theKappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Sheis survived by her son, Roderick.

John “Jack” Pfeiffle ’39, formerlyof Adrian, died May 14. After 35 yearsof operating Maple City Floral, hemoved to Brooksville, Fla., with hiswife, Carolyn Thompson Pfeiffle’40, who preceded him in death in1993. Surviving are a daughter, twosons, three grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and a sister.

Betty Hale Siegworth ’44, a residentof Barrington, Ill., died June 11. She issurvived by a son and a daughter, andwas preceded in death by her sister,Virginia Hale Milliman ’40.

Emily “Jean” Van Schaick Bailey’45, a resident of Adrian and formerLPN, died June 18. Jean had workedas a nurse at Bixby Hospital and atthe medical office of Dr. Feeney, re-tiring after many years with his prac-tice. She was preceded in death byher husband, Franklyn “Bus”Bailey ’50. Surviving Jean are fourchildren, including Stephen Bailey’72, 11 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Robert R. Luce ’50, a resident ofBay City, died Dec. 28. He was thedirector of special education for theBay City Public schools from 1965to 1977 and the director of specialeducation for Midland County ISDfrom 1977 to 1988. Bob played foot-ball for four years while at AC, then

Kristen Toy Carter ’04and husband Nathan

Nick and Cathy Dobrovolec Coccia ’00D r. Willard Leahman Craft, Jr., 68,Bozeman, Mont., had a guiding principle forhis entire teaching career: develop confidence

and competence in his students.“You knew that he was going to demand the best

from you,” said Doug Hudgins ’86, Craft’s formerstudent and NASA program scientist.

Craft, who died March 23 in Billings, Mont., wasa chemistry professor at Adrian from 1967 to 1994.

Mary Martin, Craft’s oldest sister, said she remem-bers Bill experimenting with a chemistry set wellbefore college, setting the groundwork for his ca-reer.

Bill received a bachelor’s degree from the Uni-versity of Michigan and a doctorate from the Uni-versity of Washington in Seattle. He completed hispost-doctoral work at the College of Wooster in Ohioand taught at Barry University in Miami, Fla., forfour years before retiring in 1998.

Hudgins said Craft would give his students a verychallenging topic and then make them tackle it ontheir own. If it were “the coefficient of thermal ex-pansion of a gas,” they were required to find anddevelop an experiment for measuring it that metCraft’s standards.

“Particularly, the first few times you did that, youwould end up getting kicked out,” Hudgins said,adding that this taught students more than they re-alized.

“Everybody should have a teacher like Bill Craftin their life,” Hudgins said.

Martin said Bill truly cared for his students. Hesometimes included them in the cycling trips heenjoyed so much, and when students couldn’t makeit home for the holidays he invited them home tohis family.

Martin and Steve Barrett, Craft’s oldest nephew,remember his humor.

“His jokes were never, ever, ever off-color,” Mar-tin said.

“Well, he told me a few jokes that were,” Barrettsheepishly interjected. “He taught me how to swearin German. But, for education’s sake, he also taughtme how to count to ten in German.”

Barrett confessed he remembered more of thecurse words than the numbers. But he knew thosewords with confidence.

–Andrew Krukowski ’06

Bill Craft

class notes 28

Submit a Class NoteSend your news to cwilliams@adrian.eduor Alumni Office, Adrian College, 110 S.Madison Street, Adrian MI 49221. Photosand information may be used as spacepermits. Digital images must be of suffi-cient quality. Due to internal deadlines,there may be a delay of up to two issuesfrom the time items are submitted.

played semi-pro football with the Big Redsof Adrian from 1951 to 1952. He earnedhis master’s degree from the Universityof Michigan. Bob was a member of theATO fraternity and a former member ofthe AC Alumni Association Board of Di-rectors. He is survived by his wife, InezEntrekin Luce ’50, five children, includ-ing Robert A. Luce ’73, 13 grandchil-dren, including Robert M. Luce ’02, andeight great-grandchildren.

Ralph Hiatt ’51, a resident of St. Peters-burg, Fla., died May 24. He retired in1987, as president of MARECO, Inc., acompany he started with his first wife.Ralph was an accomplished dog trainerand an avid pilot, flying for more than 40years in his plane, Annie. He is survivedby four brothers, one sister, four children,14 grandchildren and three great-grand-children.

Richard Lower ’51, a resident ofWestland and teacher for over 20 yearswith the Livonia Public Schools, died April7. He is survived by two daughters, abrother, seven grandchildren and twogreat-grandchildren. The family suggeststhat any memorial contributions be madeto Adrian College.

Richard McNicol ’52, a resident ofSebring, Fla., died June 2. He was thepurchasing agent for Aget ManufacturingCompany for 44 years., retiring in 1995.Richard was also a referee for Michiganhigh school basketball and football in theLenawee County area. Survivors includehis wife, Phyllis.

Thomas Corkery ’53, a resident of LakeTownship, died Nov. 4 at his winter homein Houston. A member of ATO, Tom issurvived by his wife of 52 years, Katherine.

Barbara Walker Florian ’53, of Salem,W.V., died Feb. 4. She is survived by herhusband of almost 56 years, RobertFlorian ’51, two daughters, one son, twograndchildren and one great-grandson.The Florians have lived in Salem since1958, when Bob began a 42-year careeras a professor of history at Salem Col-lege.

Myrtle Barron Solomonson ’60, a resi-dent of Morenci and retired teacher, diedAug. 15, 2006. Myrtle helped expandspecial education programs in theMorenci Area Schools and retired in1988, after 44 years of teaching. She re-

Change Of AddressMail: Carol Carson, Records Clerk110 S. Madison St., Adrian, MI 49221Email: ccarson@adrian.eduFax: 517-264-3331

ceived a master’s degree in educationwith an emphasis on special educationfrom Eastern Michigan University in 1965.The Lenawee County Federation ofWomen’s Clubs named her Teacher ofthe Year in 1982. Surviving are a daugh-ter, a son, two brothers, a sister, twograndsons and seven great-grandsons.

Georgian Wood Cox ’61, a resident ofGoodrich and former teacher, died inMarch. Georgian had recently celebratedher 103rd birthday with a family party. Shegraduated with a teaching certificate fromMichigan Normal College in Mount Pleas-ant and taught at a one-room school-house in Vestaburg. For many years, shetaught special students at the CroswellSchool for Special Children. Georgian wasa member of Alpha Phi while at AC, alifelong member of the Eastern Star andthe Tau Delta Sorority of Adrian. She issurvived by three sons, including Will-iam Cox ’61 and Charles Cox ’62,seven grandchildren and 15 great-grand-children.

Rebecca Lyons ’69, a resident ofGettysburg, Pa., died Feb. 7. She retiredfrom the National Park Service in 2006after 32 years of service. A noted histo-rian of the Gettysburg battles, Rebeccaalso served as an instructor for Harris-burg Area Community College and as aguest lecturer at Gettysburg College,Ford’s Theater, George Washington Uni-versity, and numerous Civil Warroundtables.

Doris McComb ’70, a resident of Adrianand retired teacher, died March 9. Beforegraduating from AC, Doris was a gradu-ate of Lenawee County Normal, andtaught in Maloney and Lincoln Elemen-tary Schools, retiring in 1978. Survivingare two daughters, including MarleneMcComb Gardner ’58, eight grandchil-dren, 21 great-grandchildren and fourgreat-great-grandchildren.

Al Smith ’73, of Seabrook, Texas, diedMarch 3, after a two-year struggle withCIDP and cancer. Al taught, coached andcounseled in Westland (Mich.) and Hous-ton for over 30 years. While at AC, Al wasa member of the ATO fraternity, distin-guished himself on the baseball field andwas selected All MIAA first teamcenterfielder for three consecutive years.He was also the Bulldog baseball MVPfor the ’69 and ’70 seasons. In 1971, Alwas selected in the eighth round of the

spring draft by the San Francisco Giantsand played four years in their minor leaguesystem, ending with a career batting av-erage in excess of .300. Al is survived byhis wife, Carla, and daughter Ashley.Other survivors include his mother, brotherMitch Smith ’71, and two sisters. Thefamily wishes to thank the many ACalumni and ATO brothers for all that wasdone on behalf of Al and his family for thepast two years.

Mark Soller ’79, a resident of Boardmanand former varsity basketball player at AC,died Feb. 13. He graduated from the OhioState University College of Dentistry in1983. Following his residency, he joinedhis father and uncle in their general den-tistry practice, where he continued topractice until his death. Survivors includehis wife, three sons, mother, a sister andtwo brothers.

Michael Osborn ’88, a resident ofAdrian, died March 29. Michael hadworked in the heating and cooling busi-ness for different companies in Ann Ar-bor. Survivors include his wife, two daugh-ters, a son, a sister and a brother.

FriendsCharles Nelson Reilly, actor, comedianand stage director, died May 25. In thefall semester of 1996, he was on theAdrian College campus working with theAC Singers and presented a master classdevoted to staging.

Floyd Young, former AC mail person,died May 11. He first worked at AC in theplant department as the night generalmaintenance man for many years. Hereturned after retirement several yearslater as the mail person from 1986 – 2000.

www.adrian.edu

2007-08 Alumni Association Board of DirectorsBrad Barrett ’04

Jim Culbertson ’63Kandi Weinlander Eklund ’51

Jessie Ellis ’97Madeleine Lakatos Fojtik ’82

Michael Fox Jr. ’04John Geisler ’61

Stephen R. Gregg ’68Deanna Baker Hartley ’72

Don J. Helser ’71Kevin Hile ’88

John P. Hiner ’82Julayne Morningstar Hughes ’86

Jennifer Kay ’03Mindy Dygert MacDonald ’74Beth Blonde McCaulley ’01Marilyn Munsell McNitt ’73Jill Merithew Ouellette ’89Laurie Dickens Perkins ’82

Nate Smith ’81Eric Sullivan ’61

Vicki Eustice Thomas ’80Marilyn Wilson Ward ’83

Andy Zerkel ’04Trustees Elected by the Alumni Association

Kurt L. Darrow ’77Lynn A. Schefsky ’70

Jack Shimko ’79James D. Thomas ’84

Thanks to Renaissance I, a carefully conceived plan to grow enrollment throughenhanced curricular and co-curricular offerings, Adrian College has attracted over500 freshmen this year. It’s the largest class since the Vietnam war era, and putsAdrian on track for its goal of 1,400 students.

We need you to ensure stable enrollment for years to come. A swimming pool isthe only remaining facility we need to complete Renaissance I. It is critical to thesuccess of the plan, and having a pool for our students will help us become arespected national liberal arts college.

The finish line is in sight. Will you help? We’ve built the stadium, ice arena,tennis courts, and baseball field. Please consider a five year pledge to this impor-tant facility while continuing the incredible momentum that has captivated thisCollege. Contact the College at 888-691-0008 or rreeves@adrian.edu to learn more.

Italy and Greece - May 2008

Highlights include Rome, Vatican City,Pompeii, Athens, Delphi, Olympia, anda cruise to Rhodes, Patmos, Ephesus, andCrete.

The price for this tour includes roundtripairfare, all ground transportation, admis-sion fees, guides, breakfast and dinner,and all meals for a four-day cruise.

The tour is 13 days, leaving May 4, 2008,and costs $2,832 for students, and $3,447for adults 24 and over.

For applications, itineraries, or more,please contact Dr. Bryan Bott at 517-265-5161 x4288, or email bbott@adrian.edu.

HELP

Finishus

STRONG

Hurry andmake atax-freedistribution ToAdrian Collegetoday!

Time is running out to take advantage of the Pension Protection Act of 2006.This provision’s scheduled expiration date is December 31, 2007. Keep thesepoints in mind:

You must have reached 70 ½ by the date of the gift.Distributions may be made only to public charities, like Adrian College, notdonor advised funds or private foundations.You may distribute up to $100,000 from either a traditional or Roth IRA.The gift must be made by December 31, 2007.

For more information, please contact Jim Mahony, Director of Development,directly at (517) 264-3104 or by email at jmahony@adrian.edu.

Don’t let time run out to take advantage of this great opportunity!

Visit www.adrian.edu to view merchandise.Call 517-264-3185 to place an order.

Finish spirit shop

The Bookstore has Moved!

New Name:

New Location:

Arrington Bookstore

Same Great Stuff!

Store HoursRegular HoursMonday - Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.Saturday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Summer HoursMonday - Friday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Caine Student Center

www.adrian.edu

ADRIAN COLLEGEADRIAN, MICHIGAN 49221

visit us at contact.adrian.edu

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Arrington Ice Arena – NEW!Attend an ACHA club hockey game in the new arena. (Fri, Sat)Play hockey? Alumni pickup game (Sat.)

Bulldog Reunion Challenge – NEW!Ten classes will compete and celebrate this year - ’57, ’62, ’67,’72, ’77, ’82, ’87, ’92, ’97, ’02.Special reunions 50th, 25th and 10th.

Pittsburgh Connection – NEW!Gathering of alumni who came from the greater Pittsburgharea, or who live there now.

Multisport Performance Stadium – NEARLY NEW!Watch men’s soccer Saturday afternoon and football under thelights Saturday night in this great venue.

Art2Go Auction – It’s back!The auction is one of many art-related events – be sure to stop by.

Parade – It’s back!Watch for the AC Marching Band and a host of others this year.

…and much more including Athletic Hall of Fame, AlumniAwards, Kids Korner, and Homecoming Worship.

Watch for your Homecoming brochure in late August or check for the online version at www.adrian.edu.

Follow the gold & black all the way back to AC for a great Homecoming!

OCTOBER 5 � 7

Highlights