fall 2014 simpson magazine

FALL 2014

The MAgAzine

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he theme of this edition of the Simpson magazine is “Giving Back.” In the pages that follow, you will see numerous examples of how our alumni are making our communities better through their service and giving. Indeed, if

measuring the character of a person or organization is based on the care that person or organization extends to others, then Simpson College can truly be considered great.

The introduction to the main section of the magazine cites a variety of statistics about the service and contributions so many of our campus organizations make every year. Their efforts not only advance Simpson’s mission in terms of service and scholarship but also provide invaluable relief and assistance to multitudes of people.

Perhaps a more telling indicator of the character and impact of Simpson College can be measured by the actions of our alumni. As you continue reading, you will see profiles of several Simpson alumni whose spirit of giving and of service permeate their lives. Not only do these alumni share a highly developed commitment to altruism, they also see their efforts as motivated by service to a greater cause. In other words, they give and serve not because of the gratitude they all so richly deserve, but because of a desire to assist others with no expectation of any recognition. They truly set a standard to which all of us should aspire.

I know you will enjoy learning more about these remarkable individuals. As you encounter them, please join me in thanking them for the amazing work they are pursuing.

Sincerely,

Jay K. Simmons

Remarkable individuals

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The MAgAzine | FALL 2014 3

contents

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The Magazine

Simpson College PresidentJay K. Simmons

Produced by the Office of Marketing and Public Relations

Jill Ramthun Johnson ’85Executive Director of Marketing and Public Relations

Leslie Byars Diehl ’03Art Director

Ken FusonMarketing Writer/Media Specialist

Danny FastDigital Content Specialist

Amanda Leichty ’10Graphic Designer

Bryan geelan ’07Athletics Communication Director

Oscar PreisWeb Development Specialist

Mary FortuneAdministrative Assistant

Jenifer Mertes Welch ’12Copy Center Manager

Touring the Years EditorSara Thompson

Contributing WritersKen Fuson

Bryan geelan ’07Jill Ramthun Johnson ’85

PhotographyLuke Behaunek

Leslie Byars Diehl ’03Danny Fast

Bryan geelan ’07Duane Tinkey

Office of Alumni RelationsAndy english ’05

Director515-961-1547

Office of College AdvancementBob Lane ’81Vice President515-961-1549

27 UPCOMing eVenTS

29 eXTRA!- homecoming & Family Weekend- new Trustees- RAgBRAi - State Fair Recap

32 TOURing The YeARS

4 ThiS iS SiMPSOn

6 inVeSTing in SiMPSOn

7 FACULTY PURSUiTS- Janet everhart- Where Are They now?- Faculty Accomplishments

11 COnTinUing & gRADUATe PROgRAMS

12 A SiMPSOn SPACe SPeCiAL

15 COVeR STORY giving Back

22 AThLeTiCS

26 ChAPLAin’S CORneR

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The Simpson magazine is published by the Office of Marketing and Public Relations. Letters to the Editor and story ideas are welcomed. Send correspondence to [email protected]

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On the cover: Dave Merschman ’79 and a village leader in Mali celebrate a new clean water well. Story: Page 17.

Note: The new Pedestrian Plaza construction has been delayed due to weather and was not completed in time for this issue. Look for photos of this exciting new campus feature in the next issue of The Magazine or online at simpson.edu.

| th is i s s impson


A Chance toames Oplt ’72 needed a chance.

It was the late 1960s. He had just graduated from a high school in Elk Grove Village, a suburb north of

Chicago. His parents were divorced, and there wasn’t much money in the college education fund.

“I came to Simpson with nothing,” he says. “I got through school with a couple of loans and some scholarships, including an athletic scholarship. The loans enabled me to be the first person in my family to get a college degree. I always looked at Simpson as being the place that gave me a chance.”

Since the day he graduated, Oplt (pronounced O-pult) has looked for ways to give back to Simpson and to provide that chance for other students, particularly those who belong to his fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega.

“One of the benefits of Greek life is the networking you can do coming out of college and later on in life, as you get to know people in different careers,” he says. “It opens up some doors.”

Oplt is a senior vice president—wealth management for UBS Financial Services, the global financial firm. His six-

member team is called the Alpha Wealth Consulting Group, but you might as well call it Team Simpson.

Five of the six team members either graduated from Simpson or took classes at the College, and the sixth team member has a Simpson connection as well—he’s married to an alumna, who is also a member of the team.

The team manages more than $1 billion in client assets, which is rare in the industry, and has been recognized each of the past three years by Barron’s magazine as one of the top financial advisors in Iowa.

“We’re pretty proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish, and proud that Simpson is a part of it,” Oplt says.

Team members include:•Oplt, who specializes as a mutual fund and stock market

strategist. In addition, he served 27 years as a member of the Simpson Board of Trustees. He and his wife, Kathy Augustine Oplt ’72, were recently recognized by the College for giving more than $100,000 to Simpson during their lifetimes.

• James C. Spooner ’82, senior vice president—wealth management. He’s an expert on 401(k)s and other

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SUCCEEDretirement plans. He recently was named the alumni representative to the Simpson Board of Trustees.

•Trevor Shaner ’92, vice president—wealth management. He is the team’s expert on bond trading, insurance and annuities. He was hired as a broker straight out of college after serving as an intern while a student. “That’s really rare in our business,” Oplt says. “Usually they want the person to have experience selling in other industries.”

•Amanda Johnston Jackson ’02, senior registered client service associate. “Amanda assists clients moving from one account to the other,” Oplt says. “She’s very good dealing with clients.”

•Scott Jackson, financial advisor, who is married to Amanda. He graduated from the University of Iowa, “But he spent a lot of time at Simpson, too!” his wife says.

•Kathleen Ann Hendershott, senior registered client service associate. She has taken classes in Simpson’s Continuing & Graduate Programs.

By the way, Oplt says it’s strictly a coincidence that he hired three Simpson grads that happened to graduate exactly 10 years apart. But he says it’s no coincidence that Simpson graduates

are major contributors to the team’s success.

“I think the liberal arts education plays well in our industry,” Oplt says. “In our business you have to be individually motivated, and they are.”

Amanda Jackson says the Simpson grads enjoy comparing stories about campus life and professors from different times.

“When we are together at a meeting and someone in the room announces they are from Central College, I feel sorry for them,” she jokes. “We don’t waste any time letting them know how we feel about Central.”

Oplt said Simpson gives students the chance to succeed and the direction they need, but they have to earn it.

“Once I was there, it was up to me to prove it from there. I think that’s what Simpson allows you to do with a liberal arts education. It was life-changing for me. I love the place.”

His team members will verify that.

“He’s done more for Simpson than he will ever admit,” Amanda Jackson says. “Simpson is lucky to have such a great guy on their side. He’s the proudest alum I have ever met.” ■

From left: Kathleen Hendershott, James Oplt ’72, Amanda Johnston Jackson ’02, Scott Jackson, James C. Spooner ’82 and Trevor Shaner ’92


| invest ing in s impson

“I grew up so much there. It was fantastic for me.”

Bryan played basketball at Simpson for three years. Amy was captain of the track and cross-country teams. She and Bryan began dating after their junior year, and were married a few months after graduation.

When their son, Parker, was 23 months old, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and the Gregstons looked for ways to help him and other children.

They formed Parker’s Pedalers, a bicycling group that each year participates in the Tour de Cure Colorado, which is sponsored by the American Diabetes Association.

The group has raised more than $100,000 in 14 years.

“It’s a great feeling to know we’re part of that,” Bryan says.

Amy says her experiences at Simpson reinforced her “pay it forward” attitude.

“Not only do I volunteer my time with the ADA, but I also travel with our youth group from our church every summer on their mission trips and work daily with elementary-age kids with all types of backgrounds and issues,” she says.

As avid cyclists, Bryan and Amy also are regular members of Team Simpson on RAGBRAI.

Parker, meanwhile, is a healthy 17-year-old senior and wide receiver on his high school football team. He hopes to continue playing football in college.

“Simpson is on his list,” Bryan says. ■

RIDING FOR A REASON

hey were fresh out of college, with student loans still to repay, but Bryan Gregston ’87 and Amy Usher Gregston ’87 wanted to give back to

Simpson College.

“Even though we were strapped, we still wanted to give a little bit, just to do our part,” Bryan says.

Says Amy: “I know that I wanted to give back soon, because I knew there were other kids out there that wanted to attend Simpson but didn’t have the funds.”

As the couple’s income increased, so did their annual giving, to the point where the Gregstons now are members of The Presidents’ Society.

The Gregstons say they are giving back because they might not have been able to attend Simpson were it not for the generosity of other alumni. They also are acknowledging how much Simpson affected their lives.

“Simpson helped me get comfortable in my own skin and really learn who I was,” Bryan says. “It made a huge impact on me. I learned how to deal with people on my own and how to set priorities.”

Amy transferred to Simpson after two years at the University of Northern Iowa. “Simpson helped me focus on what I really wanted to do for a career, which

the bigger school did not,” she says.

Bryan now works as chief of staff to a senior leader in Charles Schwab’s office in Denver. Amy is a schoolteacher. They live with their two children, Parker and Tatum, in Arvada, Colo.

At Simpson, Bryan discovered the advantages of a liberal arts education, although he wasn’t immediately convinced that he needed an art class.

“I ended up taking art and absolutely loving it,” he says. “It was unbelievable exposure for me and I learned so much. Philosophy also became one of my favorite classes, because it gets you to think about and question things.”

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Amy Usher Gregston ’87 and Bryan Gregston ’87

Amy and Parker

he longer Janet Everhart studies the Bible, the more fascinating she finds it.

In 2006, for example, while teaching a summer graduate course on some of the lesser-known prophets, she realized that they were addressing a contemporary issue—the connection between the divine-human relationship and the health of the Earth.

“It was so clear,” she says.

As a result, she looked at the Bible anew, from an ecological perspective.

“Once you start reading with that lens, you discover that the Biblical writers were remarkably attentive to what we would call ecological issues,” she says. “They don’t have that language, but you can’t read more than a chapter without dealing with land and conservation. I mean, look at the story of Noah. Talk about species preservation. Every single species, clean and unclean, preserved.”

This marks Everhart’s 12th year at Simpson. She previously served 17 years as an ordained United Methodist minister in the California-Nevada Conference. She served three churches during that time.

Because so much of her pastoral work involved teaching, she found the transition to academia to be a smooth one. Everhart arrived at Simpson to run the Lilly grant program and now is chair of the Religion Department.

One of the biggest changes she has noticed since starting at Simpson is the interest students now have in non-Christian traditions. When Everhart launched a world religions class, it consisted of one class of 20 to 25 students. During the last academic year, five sections were offered in the day program, and all were full.

While they are learning about other religions, Everhart has discovered how much students still need to know about Christianity.

“It really hurts me when my students who have been raised in a Christian church say to me, ‘Wow, Buddhists really seem to care about the Earth. Do any other religious traditions have this concern?’

“I’m thinking, we have clearly missed the boat in our Christian communities because I think our traditions and our text have much to say about it, but our students don’t see it.”

They will now, thanks to Everhart, and some may go on to lead

A NEW PERSPECTIVE

their own churches. Everhart estimates that 20 students she has taught at Simpson are currently engaged in ministerial work throughout the country.

“We have one of the best programs in the country, and our alumni are doing cool stuff everywhere,” she says.

Many of them stay in touch and return to visit.

“It’s wonderful,” she says. ■

MORE ABOUT JANET EVERHART

What’s the most interesting thing in your office? Probably the 20 stoles. i had more than 40, but gave most of them away. each one has a story.

If I weren’t teaching, I would be…i might be pastoring, or i might have a different career altogether. But i like teaching.

A book everyone should read is…Their Eyes Were Watching God by zora neale hurston or East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

What would people be surprised to learn about you? That i was born in the United Kingdom.

What is your favorite Bible passage? Deuteronomy 30:15. I’ve set before you the ways of life and death. Choose life.

JANET EVERHART Department Chair of Religion, Associate Professor of Religioneducation: • A.B.inU.S.History,UniversityofCaliforniaatDavis,

1978.• M.Div.,DrewUniversityTheologicalSchool,Madison,

new Jersey, 1981.• Ph.D.,UniversityofDenverandIliffSchoolof

Theology, Denver, Colo., 2003.

facu l ty pursuits |


WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

JIM WIllIAMS

f it’s fall, you can find Jim Williams on a football field.

Williams served as Simpson’s head football coach from 1987-2001, compiling a record of 106-48-1, four

conference titles and some of the most memorable seasons in school history. The 1997 squad finished 12-1, the only loss coming in the Division III quarterfinals.

And how has he spent his retirement? By coaching football, of course. Williams has been the offensive line coach at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines since 2003. He was head coach at the school from 1964-75, leaving to become offensive line coach at Iowa State University.

How did you end up at Simpson?There had been some staff changes and upheaval at Iowa State, and John Sirianni (then the Simpson athletic director) called me and said they were going to make a change and would I be interested. I had never thought about coaching at the Division III level, but the more I looked at it, the more interested I became.

Was is difficult adjusting from a Division I program at Iowa State to a Division III program at Simpson?I started enjoying it more than Division I, because you coached kids that played football for the same reason they did in high school. They loved it. There were no scholarships, so I looked for kids that fit the school, in terms of their academics, and whether they still wanted to play football and be part of something special.

You certainly created something special here.The program had been down pretty far, but the second year we won the championship, and the highlight of that was beating Central College and going to the playoffs. Anytime you beat Central it stood out. I also remember the game when we beat Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Division III quarterfinals. We scored late and then stopped Whitewater as the game ended.

Do you hear from former players?I hear from a lot of them on a regular basis, and that’s very nice. I always enjoy that.

You attended the dedication of the new Steven Johnson Fitness Center. What did you think of the new look on campus?It looked great. I told John Sirianni, “This is 15 years too late.” (Laughs.) It must be a real crown jewel for Division III facilities now, which is great. It will help with recruiting and gives athletes a nice atmosphere to work in. I really like the coaches there now. (Head coach) Jim Glogowski, (Assistant Head Coach) Joe Beschorner and (Offensive Line Coach) Kevin Ferguson, who played for me for four years, are good coaches and have a good philosophy. I always hope that they do well.

The office for football coaches is named for you.It’s unbelievably humbling, believe me. I’m just very appreciative.

How did it happen that you are coaching again at Dowling?When they hired Tom Wilson as football coach, he called me and wanted to talk about how to integrate some of the traditions of the past with his ideas for the future. I told him I’d do anything to help, and he said, “Why don’t you coach the offensive line for me?” I figured I’d help out for a couple of years, and here I am, still doing it 10 years later.

You always speak fondly of your time at Simpson.It’s a time I really enjoyed. Building the program back up was exciting. It was always tough recruiting, because the entrance requirements at Simpson were higher than our competition, which just meant we had to work harder to attract the right kinds of kids, and I think we did. It’s a quality school. The selling point for me was that it’s a real quality school in a small community, and yet it has all the features of a major metropolitan area close by. Kids there had the best of both worlds. ■



FACUlTY ACCOMPlISHMENTSNancy St. Clair, professor of English, was asked to be the editor of a new series of scholarly texts entitled “Between Two Worlds: Young Adult Texts and the Literary Abyss,” initiated by Peter Lang Academic Publishers. St. Clair will choose two to three manuscripts a year for the series and oversee their publication.

Mark Bates, professor of Spanish, appeared on local television station KCWI’s “Great Day” morning show to promote his book, With Arms Wide Open. The book is a series of short stories that tells of the joys, trials and celebration of experiences from nearly twenty years of becoming part of the culture of Nicaragua. The book is available at https://www.tatepublishing.com.

Bernard McDonald, Simpson’s director of opera, was guest conductor of Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh’s critically acclaimed production of Lehár’s The Merry Widow. The Pittsburgh Stage stated, “Conductor Bernard McDonald did masterful work with the orchestra, balancing and fine-tuning his efforts so that singers and players alike were afforded their full opportunities throughout.”

Dave Camwell, associate professor of music, completed a recording of the music of Bach and Marcello for orchestra and soloist. Camwell will also perform a concerto and several workshops in Calgary, Alberta, Canada this fall. Finally, Camwell performed with the Des Moines Symphony for the Fourth of July celebration at the Capitol grounds in Des Moines.

Cyd Dyer, college librarian/archivist, will be presenting at the 2014 Charleston Conference this fall. The joint presentation is titled, Good Things Come In Small Packages, and will discuss the establishment and progress of the new Central Iowa Collaborative Collections Initiative.

James Poulsen, instructor of music, reached the semi-final stage for the American Prize in Composition this summer. His orchestral work, “Heartland Poem,” was chosen out of hundreds of entries for this competition. Poulsen’s “Love and Death” and “Letter of Poe” were performed with orchestra this past spring at the faculty spring concert. Poulsen also completed his latest art song, “The Suicide’s Soliloquy,” by Abraham Lincoln. The work will be performed this fall on Simpson’s campus.

Jan Everhart, associate professor of religion, will lead a session on the Bible and ecology for the First United Methodist Church in Indianola this fall.

Emily Hansen, assistant professor of sport science & health education, finished work on her Ph.D. at South Dakota State University last spring. Hansen also presented an abstract titled, “Dietary Restraint Scores Associated with Attempting to Lose Weight,” at the annual meeting for the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior with nicci Nelsen Whalen ’98, associate professor of sport science & health education. The work was awarded one of four student research awards given by the society at the annual meeting each year.

Chatt Pongpatipat, assistant professor of marketing, successfully defended his dissertation and earned his Ph.D. this spring. Pongpatipat presented his paper, “How Consumers Use Online Reviews: The Effect of Self-Construal,” at the 2014 American Marketing Association’s Summer Marketing Educators’ Conference in San Francisco.

David Richmond, professor of art, was the art director for the summer 2014 issue of Voices From the Prairie, a publication of Humanities Iowa.

Heidi Berger, assistant professor of mathematics, received the Simpson College Distinguished Junior Faculty Award, selected each year by the faculty personnel committee. Upon announcing the award, President Simmons said of Berger, “She continues to seek creative methods for engaging students and improving their learning by engaging them in independent research projects, both during the school year and during the summer.”

Jackie Brittingham, professor of biology, received the Simpson College Distinguished Teaching Award, selected by the graduating class. In Senior Taylor Van De Krol’s remarks about Brittingham he said, “She has served on numerous faculty and college committees and was chair of the biology department for six years. She is a member of several professional societies, such as the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions, The American Physiological Society, Iowa Physiological Society and the American Association of Anatomists, just to name a few.”

lora Friedrich, professor of sociology, received the Simpson College Faculty Award for Exemplary Teaching. President Simmons presented the award and said this of Friedrich: “As the leader of multiple trips to Thailand and the architect of the semester in Thailand program, she has educated more than 100 students about a part of the world, and ways of living, that most of them had never considered.”

Mike Eckerty, assistant professor of music and director of instrumental music, performed bassoon and saxophone in

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Porgy and Bess, the Musical at the Des Moines Civic Center. In addition, Eckerty was guest conductor for the Raccoon River Valley Conference Honor Band and served as the College Affairs Committee chair for the Iowa Bandmasters’ Association.

Brian Steffen, professor of communication and media studies, has become editor-in-chief of the journal, Teaching Journalism and Mass Communication, published by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Paul Craven, associate professor of computer science, worked with volunteers to translate his Introduction to Programming website—ProgramArcadeGames.com—into both Spanish and Hungarian.

Steve Rose, professor of education, attended an Eric Jensen Brain-Based Learning and Leadership conference in Charlotte, N.C. Rose has also been invited to speak at the National Educator Dispositions Conference at the University of Northern Kentucky this fall.

John Benoit, professor of music, presented “‘Pep, Harmony, Beauty’: Seymour, Iowa’s Phillips Sisters Orchestra at the Chautauqua” to the Wayne County Historical Society this spring. Benoit also gave a presentation on Iowa’s early town bands at the annual meeting of the American School Band Directors Association held in Cedar Rapids. Finally, Benoit’s Ballyhoo Foxtrot Combo was one of two featured bands at the “Louis Armstrong Birthday Bash!” held at the Salisbury House in Des Moines.

FACUlTY ACCOMPlISHMENTS continued


Nick Proctor, professor of history, Judy Walden, associate professor of history and Rebecca livingstone, associate professor of history, hosted the international Reacting to the Past Game Development Conference at Simpson College this summer. Approximately 60 scholars, including those in this photograph, attended from across the United States as well as Canada and Japan.


t never gets old.

Each year, Craig Peck ’89 watches another group of adult students

collect their diplomas.

He knows their stories—how they overcame their fear about returning to school, how they juggled school, work and family, and how they persevered.

“To see them walk across that stage and receive their diplomas, it’s unbelievably rewarding,” he says. “It’s why I do what I do.”

Peck recently started his 10th year as director of Simpson’s Continuing &

Graduate Programs in Ankeny.

These are exciting days in the Ankeny program. Simpson will be moving to a new location in the Prairie Trail development.

The intent is that the increased visibility of the new site will result in more students and more of the success stories Peck witnesses each year.

Simpson’s offices will be in the same building as Fitness World West and Fong’s Pizza and near a new Jethro’s Barbecue.

“They’re going to bring in lots of people,” Peck says.

He also says he hopes the proximity to Des Moines Area Community College will result in additional transfer students. Prairie Trail will offer Simpson enough space for an extra classroom.

“I look forward to building on the great relationship we already have with DMACC,” he says.

Peck grew up in Indianola. His mother, Hazel “Bunny” Peck ’92, was Simpson’s nurse for 14 years, and finished her degree as an adult student. Three of his siblings are Simpson alumni. Peck worked as the mental health counselor on the Indianola campus for eight years and has been an adjunct instructor for 12 years.

“When I started teaching a night class, I fell in love with the adult students,” he says. “When this position opened up, when I saw the opportunity to work with adults on a full-time basis, I jumped at it. I never cease to be amazed with what these students accomplish.” ■

EXCITING DAYS

CRAIG PECK ’89Director of Continuing & Graduate Programs

in Ankeny

cont inuing & graduate programs | cont inuing & graduate programs |


| a s impson space| a s impson space

L I B R A R YEST. 1964

| a s impson space spec ia l

n a sunny Saturday in October 1964, materials were carried from the Carnegie Library to the new library in a book brigade. Dunn Library was designed by Richard Neutra, an Austrian American architect considered among the most important

modernist architects. As well as making various collections available, Dunn is a community gathering place and space to exchange ideas and gain inspiration.

Since 1983, to encourage a culture of student-centered learning, various learning resources have been added to the facility:

• Computerlab (provided by Information Technology Services)

• HawleyAcademic&AdvisingCenter(includes subject tutoring and disability assistance)

• EducationDepartmentcurriculumlab• ResearchAssistanceCenter

• StudentSupportServices (for first-generation college students)

• EducationMethodsclassrooms• SimpsonWritingCenter (includes writing

tutors)• EMERGE@Simpson(business incubator)

Join the celebration! Become a Facebook fan of Dunn Library to see Throwback Thursday photos. Enjoy the display, Dunn is Done, in October. Take a tour during the Community Open House on Homecoming Saturday. Bid on vintage card catalogs. See Ace of Hearts, the 1927 Wendell Tutt movie, accompanied by piano music (thanks to John Benoit). Investigate the archives before the planned remodel (thanks to a generous donation from relatives of Joe Walt). Review the visionary concept design which shows a possible library remodel. Here’s to the next fifty! ■


Fifty!Here’S TO THe nexT

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Whatever you call it, Simpson College graduates have been doing it for a very long time.

A magazine much larger than this one would be required to list the many and various ways Simpson alumni contribute to their communities, towns, states and the world, whether it be through volunteer work, charitable giving or simply checking on a neighbor’s welfare.

This is why success at Simpson goes beyond earning a degree, landing a job or getting accepted to graduate school. Success also means serving others.

What is it about Simpson that encourages students to reach out to the world around them?

Perhaps it is that line in the College’s Mission Statement that says Simpson is committed to “graduating students who continue to grow as free, responsible and fulfilled individuals in the world of family, work, service and scholarship.”

Students learn about that commitment to service from almost the first moment they arrive when they are served by volunteers helping on Move-In Day.

Two days later, the first-year students participate in Service Learning Day, a project designed to illustrate the many communities to which they now belong. They paint, do yard work and contribute through other activities.

“I think a lot of our students do come into Simpson already knowing what it means to be committed to service; often that’s what draws them to Simpson,” says Jorie Landers ’12, service coordinator/chapel assistant. “I also think service and community engagement are so embedded in what we do at Simpson that students who aren’t as familiar with giving back are exposed to service practically as soon as they step foot on campus. Through our service-learning classes, Wesley Service Scholarship and many other service opportunities, service becomes more than an extra-curricular activity; it just becomes part of the way members of the Simpson community live

their lives. Then that culture of service created at Simpson extends beyond campus through our alumni who have continued growing their passion for giving back.”

Consider a few of the many ways that current Simpson students and others give back:

• TheReligiousLifeCommunity(RLC)sendsvans of students to Des Moines four days a week who serve at Children and Family Urban Movement and Des Moines Catholic Worker House.

• RLCalsosupportsanumberofalternativebreak trips every year. Last year, six spring break trips spread out across the country from Washington state to Washington, D.C. to serve communities through Habitat for Humanity and through local food banks.

• Everyyear,ourWesleyServiceScholars(about120 students each year) average approximately 10,000 hours of service to the community.

• TheCallofServiceMayTermtripaveragesabout 350 hours of service in Indianola and in Denver, Colo.

• In2012-2013,theGreekhousesoncampuscollectively served more than 6,000 hours.

• CampusDaytypicallyclocksinaround1,400 hours of service by 650-700 students, staff and faculty.

• TheMLKDay/MealsfromtheHeartlandevent in January involved 185 members of the campus community, each contributing one hour of service.

So it’s no surprise that our alumni are so committed to helping others. Service is a lifelong continuation of what they were doing as Simpson students.

On the following pages, you’ll meet a few of our alumni who are making the world a better place. Of all the Simpson traditions, that’s one of the best.

Giving back. Paying it forward. Helping others.


cover stor y |

he Rev. Chris Coon ’90 is co-lead pastor for a church in Chicago with worship sites in four different neighborhoods.

What he doesn’t have is a building.

“We are trying to do church a little differently,” he says.

Urban Village Church, which is affiliated with the United Methodist Church, calls itself a Church Without Walls. There is a staff, about 750 active participants, weekly services and there are activities to help the less fortunate. Just like any other church.

But one worship service is held in the chapel of a theological school; another is held in a nursing home; another is held in a theater; and yet another is held in a different church that worships at a separate time.

Staff meetings and small group sessions are held in homes, coffee shops, even an ice cream parlor.

“Wherever they can find a few chairs,” says Coon, who works out of a home office.

Coon and another pastor began Urban Village Church five years ago. “Our intent was to try to reach folks who might be put off by entering the doors of a traditional church,” he says.

In addition, the pair saw the need for a church that would be inclusive, particularly with regard to sexual orientation issues, “as well as having a real strong belief in the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

The church is currently exploring what it means to be a diverse and anti-racist church.

Starting a church is not what Coon thought he would be doing after he left Simpson, where he majored in communication and minored in religion. He envisioned a future as a religion journalist.

“All in all, I’m certainly happy with the way things turned out,” he says. “Simpson certainly had a huge role in helping me grow and explore who I was and consider the world around me, too.”

As for now, Coon says he does not see a building in his church’s future, but that’s fine with him.

“It forces us to get out there,” he says. “We feel it’s a great way to live out our faith.”

CoonC h r i s The Rev.

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here was something about the newspaper story that captured the attention of Dave

Merschman ’79.

The story concerned Mali, a country in West Africa almost twice as big as Texas, and the grinding poverty that affects most of its 11.6 million people.

A phone number was listed at the end of the article for anyone who was interested in helping.

Merschman, a businessman in Urbandale, a suburb of Des Moines, called the number.

It changed his life.

Merschman now serves as president of Medicine for Mali, a small band of unpaid volunteers, most of them in Iowa and Ohio, who are committed to helping people half a world away. He joined in 2002.

“When you tell people you are going to Africa, the first thing they ask is, ‘Oh, are you going on a safari?’” he says. “No, we live in the villages with the people who have no electricity and get running water from hand pumps. It’s very touching. When you step off that plane, you are stepping back in time.”

To this day, Merschman isn’t exactly sure why the newspaper article inspired him.

He was interested in learning more about a third-world country, but so interested that he would make 11 trips there?

“There was just something that stirred in my heart about this,” he says.

Merschman graduated with an accounting degree from Simpson, and he wasn’t sure how his business expertise might help. He discovered during his research that people in some impoverished countries were being helped with small loans—called micro-financing—so he helped Medicine for Mali establish a program there.

Most of the loans are for small amounts, $20 to $100, but they can make a huge difference in a country in which the per capita income amounts to $1 a day.

“In the eight years that we’ve had the program, every single loan has been paid back to us,” he says. “Every single one.”

The organization also focuses on providing clean water, education, public health information and medical services.

“It’s neat to see how a small group of people could make a big difference,” Merschman says. “I did not realize how big until I made the first trip.”

For more information, go to www.medicineformali.org.

D A V E

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Dave Merschman ’79 and a group of villagers with their new well

ameron Scott ’12 and Sarah Morgan Scott ’13 give back to their community by helping at-risk youth.

Cameron is youth director at the United Methodist Church in Altoona, an area that has dealt with five student suicides in recent years.

Sarah teaches Spanish to sixth- through eighth-graders at Callanan Middle School in Des Moines, where every student qualifies for free or reduced price lunches.

“It’s an urban school setting, and you have all the related issues,” she says. “I definitely wanted to work in a more diverse community and really be able to impact their lives. I feel like I am making an impact and helping them.”

Both arrived at Simpson thinking they would do something different after graduation.

Cameron, for example, majored in theology and economics and was set to become a police officer in Urbandale, “but obviously God had different plans for me.”

As youth director, he’s responsible for building the church’s ministry for middle school and high school students, “just to give them an opportunity to know Jesus and get closer to Jesus through teaching and things that are relevant to their age. It has been an awesome experience.”

Dealing with the youth suicides was difficult, he says.

“I had to learn how to help them cope with that,” he says. “It’s hard being a kid nowadays, with so many temptations and so many opportunities to make bad decisions. My biggest focus is to first give kids a positive influence in life.”

Sarah, who majored in Spanish with a minor in secondary education, decided to become a teacher after a Simpson professor urged her to attend an Iowa World Language Association conference.

“That changed my life,” she says.

Both say Simpson encourages students to serve others, and they know many former classmates who were inspired to seek service jobs after graduation.

“It is something I don’t think they came into college doing, or maybe it wasn’t important to them,” Cameron says. “But they graduated from Simpson understanding that helping out in the community is something they want to do.”


Y O U T H D I R E C T O R & S P A N I S H T E A C H E R

C A m E r o n & s A r A h m o r g A n

he year was 1982. Dr. Hal Bryan ’57 was a successful ophthalmologist in Yakima, Wash. He was married to his college sweetheart, Greta Stuart

Bryan ’57. Life was good.

So why did he feel that something was missing?

“Is this it?” he asked his wife one morning. “Is this all there is?”

Three events would converge to change their lives.

First, they heard a sermon in which the pastor described how a young engineer walked away from a high-paying job to work in a third-world country.

Second, they heard a minister at their daughter’s high school graduation urge students to help the world’s less fortunate.

Third, Dr. Bryan received a letter from a Minnesota ophthalmologist who requested donations of money and time to help his clinic in Sierra Leone, West Africa.

And that’s how, two years later, the Bryans found themselves volunteering for a month at that same clinic.

Fifteen missions and 15 years later, the Bryans had assisted as many as 2,000 patients in six different countries. They say the missions represent some of the most fulfilling work of their lives.

“In many cases the patients were blind when they came in for surgery,” Greta says. “When we’d take off the patch, there was just a celebration beyond belief that they could see again, maybe for the first time in many years.”

Says Hal: “It was the most rewarding experience of my life. I could sit and operate all day knowing that I was making a significant difference in a person’s life.”

Greta grew up in Altoona and graduated from Simpson’s two-year teaching program. She worked as a schoolteacher for 13 years before moving to Yakima, where she directed an outreach program at the local YMCA for 20 years.

Hal’s hometown is Indianola, and he was president of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity at Simpson. He retired in 2001 after 30 years as an ophthalmologist.

They served as a team on their overseas trips. She cleaned and prepped the patients’ eyes and maintained the charts while he conducted surgeries, as many as 32 on one day. They transported as much as 500 pounds of equipment and free eyeglasses on each trip.

The Bryans have established a summer research program in mathematics at Simpson that allows students to study math for eight weeks.

Asked what she would tell current Simpson students, Greta says, “I would suggest they do something with their lives that helps other people and brings them joy. Serving does bring you joy, there’s no doubt about that.”

D r . h A l & g r E t A s t u A r t

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Dr. Bryan ’57 (red shirt) post-operation, Cape Coast, Ghana

Greta Bryan ’57 holding a baby with bi-lateral cataracts

hen Joel Fry ’97 and Heather Bartenhagen Fry ’00 take a leap of faith, they jump all the way to Ethiopia.

Since Thanksgiving of 2013, the Iowa couple has adopted four children from Ethiopia, ranging in age from 9 to 18.

They were plenty busy before that. Joel is an Iowa state representative, a Simpson adjunct professor and president of TEAM Restoration Ministries, which provides Christian-based counseling. Heather, meanwhile, was using her teaching degree from Simpson to home school their four biological children in their rural Clarke County home north of Osceola.

Now she home schools their eight children.

“There’s been a lot of praying,” Joel says.

The Frys had been foster parents in Iowa for many years, caring for nine different children. Adopting one of them wasn’t a possibility, so they worked with Holt International Children’s Services to adopt an international child.

Reading through Holt’s information, Heather discovered two Ethiopian children who needed help, but Joel thought they should adopt children six years or younger.

Then they attended a conference at which parents talked about the joys of adopting older children.

“It felt like God had hit me with a ton of bricks,” Joel says.

Yadi, 18, and Gabriela, 9, joined the family.

Six months later, the Frys were asked if they would consider adopting two other Ethiopian teens—Amanuel, 14, and Fanuel, 13—whom they had met during the first adoption process.

Amanuel and Fanuel arrived in Iowa in July, joining their two friends and the Frys’ four biological children—Tanner, 12, Mason, 10, Reagan, 6, and Landon, 4.

“They’re figuring out how to be brothers and sisters together,” Joel says. “There have definitely been some cultural differences and challenges, but it’s all good.”

The Frys now encourage other families to consider adopting older children.

“They’re just waiting for somebody to give them a chance in this world and help them be successful,” Joel says.

How about the Frys—are they done?

“I’m not going to say never, let’s just say that,” Joel says. “I’ve said, ‘We’re done’ a couple of times before and the good Lord has had other thoughts.”

J o E l & h E A t h E r B A r t E n h A g E n


P R E S I D E N T O F T E A M R E S T O R A T I O N M I N I S T R I E S

D r. K E i t h

“ R E T I R E D ” F A M I L Y D O C T O R


red shoebox sits inside the front door of a doctor’s office in Atlantic, Iowa. If patients have the resources, they can pay what they want and leave

the money in the shoebox. If they can’t afford it, they don’t have to pay anything.

No insurance. No paperwork. No questions asked.

In an era of ever-rising health care costs, such a scenario doesn’t sound possible, at least not until you talk with Dr. Keith Swanson ’54.

Swanson officially “retired” from his medical practice in Atlantic in 1997, but still sees 100 patients each week in the same office.

There are no insurance forms to fill out because the doctor doesn’t want to deal with insurance companies. No worries about Obamacare, either, because he doesn’t participate.

What you have is an 82-year-old doctor who has practiced medicine for 55 years and says this:

“I’ll tell you what, if you treat people right, they’ll treat you right.”

Swanson comes across as a kindly doctor in an old Western movie who takes his time with each patient and then accepts a couple of chickens for payment. Even when he had a full-time practice, he routinely reduced the amount of his bill if he thought a patient was unable to afford it.

When he retired in 1997, Swanson and his wife, Berniece Ruby Swanson, who spent her first two years at Simpson before graduating from the University of Iowa, built a house in the country.

“This isn’t living,” he announced one morning at the kitchen table. “I don’t enjoy sitting here doing nothing. I need to go to Africa or South America and do some missionary work.”

“Why don’t you do the missionary work right here?” Berniece asked.

Well, he wondered, what would he charge? That was always his least favorite part of the job.

His wife had an idea for that, too. “Why don’t we just set out a red box and then you won’t have to do any paperwork?”

Swanson has been conducting business like that ever since, only stopping to go on missionary trips, once to Romania and three times to Guatemala. He also served many years on the Simpson Board of Trustees, and he was named an honorary life member in 2006.

Swanson vows to keep practicing—“the day I walk down the hall and die, I’ll stop”—and to never send out another bill.

“Money has nothing to do with life,” he says. “The fun of life is helping others. I’m the richest man on Earth.” ■

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GIVES BACKSAACSimpson student-athletes take part in the Rally to Stop Hunger


| ath let ics

hough the fall sports seasons are just getting underway, Simpson student-athletes have already set a school record

in 2014.

The record had nothing to do with points, touchdowns, runs or goals. It had to do with lending a helping hand.

Simpson student-athletes, in conjunction with Sodexo and the Sodexo Foundation, recently collected more than 2,400 non-perishable food items at the third annual Rally to Stop Hunger food drive.

In addition to the athletes themselves, teams, coaches, intramural groups, faculty and staff members all chipped in to contribute 2,412 items, up from roughly 1,600 a year ago.

The Rally to Stop Hunger is a partnership between the athletic department’s Wayne Carse Storm Athletic Benefit, Sodexo, the Student-Athlete Advisory Council and Simpson Intramurals. The items collected were donated to Helping Hand in Indianola.

“A special thanks goes out to everyone who participated in this year’s event,” said John Harris, campus services general manager at Simpson. “The food and non-perishable items we collected will go a long way in helping folks in our community.”

Items were collected from Sept. 2 to Sept. 5, the date of the Wayne Carse Storm Athletic Benefit.

A competition was held between Simpson’s athletic teams, with the winning team determined by the most donations relative to the team’s roster size.

The swimming teams took home the title, as the women won the competition by donating 29 items per team member. The men’s team was second at 14.45 items per member and the volleyball team finished third with 9.91 items per team member.

The football team donated the most total items with 940.

The Sodexo Foundation works to ensure that children in the United States, especially those most at-risk, grow up with dependable access to enough nutritious food to enable them to lead a healthy, productive life. ■


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A UNIQUEEXPERIENCE

he Simpson men’s soccer team enjoyed a unique bonding experience during the 2014 preseason: a trip to Costa Rica.

Head Coach Rick Isaacson and the Storm arrived in the capital city of San Jose on Sunday, Aug. 3, and stayed in Central America until Monday, Aug. 11. During their stay, the team competed in three exhibition soccer matches, enjoyed several sightseeing opportunities and engaged in a community service project.

For the service project, the guys spent time interacting with a group of underprivileged children at a care center in the San Jose area.

“We jumped on the opportunity to take on a community service project,” Isaacson said. “It was a rewarding experience for our entire team. The trip was about more than simply playing soccer.”

The members of the team played games and spent time with the group of children at the center. The children played soccer, others sang songs, but most just wanted to be carried or swung around, said junior Louis Joslyn.

“They were ecstatic to see us,” he said. “It certainly made our day to see them so happy.”

Simpson’s three exhibition soccer matches during the trip—against local first- and second-division club teams—all ended in draws. The team played Alajuela, San Carlos and Liberia.

“The local clubs we played offered a different brand of soccer than what we are accustomed to seeing in the United States,” Isaacson said. “It was fun to compete against teams that challenged us to think differently and forced us to adjust our style of play.”

Aside from spending time on the soccer pitch, the team had plenty of opportunities to soak up Costa Rican culture. Activities throughout the week included a trek through the rainforest, a whitewater rafting expedition, a catamaran tour of the coastline and a visit to the breathtakingly beautiful La Fortuna Waterfall.

“Competing in Costa Rica was an experience that our players will not soon forget,” Isaacson said. “The opportunity to play the game we love in a country that has such an intense passion for the sport of soccer created a once in a lifetime experience for the young men in our soccer program.” ■

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impson swimmer Christina Amburgy ’16 recently received the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports-Scholar Award for her efforts in the pool and the classroom in 2014.

The award, sponsored by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education Magazine, honors undergraduate students who have excelled in the classroom as well as in their sport. The award is named in honor of tennis legend Arthur Ashe, Jr.

A junior from Knoxville, Amburgy was the only Division III swimmer in the nation to earn the award on the women’s side. Majoring in exercise science and athletic training, Amburgy achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA during the 2013 fall semester. She earned a cumulative 3.47 GPA at the time.

As a sophomore, Amburgy helped set three school records in the final meet of the season on the way to earning a spot on the All-Liberal Arts Championship Team. She set new marks in the 100 and 200 freestyle and helped the 400 freestyle relay to a new record as well. Her record in the 100 freestyle broke a 10-year old mark previously held by Dana Kuiken Conilogue ’04, the program’s only All-American.

Amburgy was named Simpson’s Female Student-Athlete of the Month for February. ■

A stRoNg tRAdItIoN of sUCCEss

Veteran Golf Coach Larry Shoop returns for his second stint at Simpson College, where he has been named the next head coach of the women’s golf team. Shoop

replaces Heather Sheffer, who resigned following the 2013-14 season.

Shoop is no stranger to Simpson, having served as the head men’s golf coach from 2002-08. During his seven-year tenure, Shoop led the Storm to three third-place finishes at the Iowa Conference Championship, coached six all-conference performers and helped Mike Martin ’05 earn conference medalist honors in 2003.

“I am extremely happy to have Larry back on our staff,” Athletics Director Brian Niemuth said. “His track record is impressive and he really focuses on developing student-athletes as people, not just golfers. We believe he has what it takes to return our program to the top of the Iowa Conference.”

The women’s golf program at Simpson has a strong tradition of success on the course, crowning 10 All-Americans and qualifying for 15 NCAA Tournaments from 1991-2007. ■

AmbURgy NAmEd ARthUR AshE JR. sPoRts sCholAR


ne of the greatest gifts in the work of a chaplain is the invitation to be a part of someone’s process of

discovery. I call this discernment; others may call it discovering our passions, our gifts or our vocations—anything that feels like finding our truest “self.” I find myself consistently reminded that this work is not a one-time thing, but an ongoing process—a life-long journey.

Before we can begin the work of giving back, we have to be involved in the work of getting to know ourselves. But sometimes those can look like the same thing. It is through the giving of ourselves that we discover who we truly are.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus sends the disciples across the Sea of Galilee in a boat while he seeks a quiet place to pray. In the middle of the night, they are woken up by a sudden storm that begins to throw their boat around. Jesus begins to walk across the lake to them, and the disciples are convinced that he must be a ghost. Jesus calls out to them, with the message, “Do not be afraid!” Peter, who always seems eager to please, says to Jesus, “Lord, if it’s you, order me to come to you on the water.”

After the invitation to come, Peter steps out of the boat and takes a few steps on the water. But then, what surrounds him gets the best of him, and he begins to sink. This is where most people begin to chide Peter for his lack of faith, as he has to be rescued by Jesus. But what if we saw Peter’s first step as the place to focus? Rather than being held captive by the fear of the waves and remaining in the safety of the boat, Peter stepped out in faith, and gave himself over to the possibilities on the other side of the deck.

The ways people give back are as varied as our personalities. Whether it is the gift of financial support, or sharing your Simpson experience with your friends, neighbors and relatives, giving back to a place like

“THE GIFT OF OURSElVES”BY MARA LeheW B AiLeY ’06 , ChAPLAin

| chapla in ’s corner


Simpson College can seem simple if it is something you are passionate about.

What do you most love about your Simpson Experience? How can you give back because of that experience? The point is not that you give back in the exact same way that someone else does, but that you give back in the way that is most meaningful to you. You commit to stepping out of the boat. And perhaps in this process, it is not only others who will benefit by the work of your hands, but you will also benefit as you learn more about your truest self—who you were created to be. ■


ON OUR CAlENDARON OUR CAlENDARCalendar events are subject to change. For complete details and updates, view the full calendar online at http://events.simpson.edu/calendar/.

OCTOBER1 McBride Lecture: Emily Bazelon

14 Matthew Simpson Lecture: Victoria Barnett

15 World Food Prize Lecture: Dr. Pedro Sanchez

16 Alumni Lecture in Philosophy: Collin Rice

Presidents’ Society Dinner

17 Homecoming & Family Weekend 2014

Class of 1964 50th Reunion

Alumni Recognition Reception

Red and Gold Celebration

Carousel by Rodgers & Hammerstein

18 Homecoming & Family Weekend 2014

Class of 1989 Reunion

Classes of 2009-2014 Homecoming Reunion

Mathematics Day

Fall Visit Day—Homecoming Edition

Decades Brunch for Classes of 1940-1970

50Years@DunnOpenHouse

Alpha Chi Omega Brunch

Opera and Theatre Reception


19 Worship Service

Community Brunch


23 Simpson Symphonic Band Concert

26 Simpson College Chamber Singers Concert

28 Simpson Speaker Series: James Autry and Sally Pederson

NOVEMBER5 Watson Lecture: Professor Lora Friedrich

9 College Choir & Women’s Chorale Concert

11 Colin Woodard, author of American Nations: A History of the Eleven Regional Cultures of North America

Jazz Ensemble Invitational Concert

14 Fall Visit Day

15 Cheer and Dance Visit Day

15-16 The Memory of Water by Shelgh Stephenson

17 The Memory of Water by Shelgh Stephenson

20 Transfigurations by Theatre Artist Peterson Toscano

21 Simpson Madrigal Dinner

21-22 The Memory of Water by Shelgh Stephenson

22 Simpson Madrigal Dinner

23 Simpson College Community Orchestra Concert

24 Instrumental Chamber Music Concert

DECEMBER4 Symphonic Band Concert

7 Lessons & Carols

JANUARY19 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observance

FEBRUARY13-14 Simpson Opera: Calisto

15 Simpson Opera & Scholarship Day

Simpson Opera: Calisto

16-27 The Iowa State Fair: An Exhibit of Photos by Kurt Ullrich (closed on weekends)

27 Music Weekend Morning Concert

Music Weekend Student & Faculty Concert

27-28 Simpson College Music Weekend & Scholarship Auditions

MARCH2-31 The Iowa State Fair: An Exhibit of Photos by

Kurt Ullrich (closed on weekends)

20 Access Simpson (Admitted Student Day-1)

Nostalgia Dance

20-22 Pericles by William Shakespeare

26 The Iowa State Fair: Architecture, Cultural History and Photographs

29 Madrigal Singers Concert

Annual donors sustain and strengthen success at Simpson College by supporting student scholarships, academic programs and other vital experiential learning opportunities. Simpson College is committed to providing students with a well-rounded experience that prepares them for careers and lives as responsible global citizens.

Please consider supporting The Simpson Fund, so that together, we can make a million dollar impact for our students. Your support sends a powerful message that the Simpson Experience is worth the investment.

millionDOLLAR

$965,183T O T A L R A I S E D :


2013-14 BY THE NUMBERS

4,102MILESF A R T H E S T G I F T :

W A R R E N G E M B E R L I N G ’ 8 3 E N G L A N D

3,559T O T A L G I F T S

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G I F T S


OctOber 17, 18, and 19

eVentS:•AlumniRecognitionReception•TheRed&GoldAthleticAwardsCelebration•TailgateParty•StormFootballvs.CoeCollege•TheatreSimpsonandSimpsonCollege Opera present Carousel•And much more…

reUnIOnS:•1964•1989

•2009-2014•MusicandTheatre

Join us

extra! |

NEW TRUSTEES

TeaM SiMPSOn

or the 50 or so members of Team Simpson, RAGBRAI XLII was a piece of cake. And pie. And you might want to throw a pork chop or two

in there as well.

For the sixth consecutive year, Simpson was well represented on the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, which began in Rock Valley on July 20 and ended 418 miles across the state in Guttenburg on July 26.

The Team Simpson members, resplendent in their matching jerseys, included riders from several states stretching from Georgia to California. The group included former President John Byrd, who has become a RAGBRAI regular.

The riders stayed each night with hosts that had Simpson connections. Everyone is already looking forward to next year’s ride. ■


DeVito Gillespie

Kennedy Munoz

Selzer

he Simpson College Board of Trustees welcomed five new members during its May meeting. They are:

• Michael DeVito, who leads the Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Servicing organization, which services mortgage loans and home equity products for more than 12 million customers.

• Jared Gillespie ’02, senior client service manager for The Principal Financial Group in Des Moines.

• Sean M. Kennedy ’92, president and chief executive officer of the IMT group, parent company to IMT Insurance Company and Wadena Insurance Company in West Des Moines.

• Alejandro Munoz, vice president, Global Commercial Business, which includes responsibility for all DuPont Pioneer commercial markets worldwide. He also is a member of the DuPont Pioneer Leadership Team.

• J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Company Inc., a company that focuses on providing high-quality audience research for media clients and others.

• James C. Spooner ’82, senior vice president-wealth management for UBS Financial Services in West Des Moines. He was appointed as the alumni representative on the board and will serve two, three-year terms. ■

Spooner


A POPUlAR PlACEo the list that includes butter cows, corn dogs and the big boar, add another Iowa State Fair tradition —the Simpson College booth.

For the second year in a row, Simpson sponsored a booth in the fair’s Varied Industries Building. And for the second year in a row, it was a popular stopping place for fairgoers.

• 40,000frisbeesweregivenoutthatsaySuccess@Simpson College (back by popular demand). Jill Ramthun Johnson ’85, the executive director of the Office of Marketing and Public Relations, says look for the next cool thing in 2015.

• Simpson’sNoBoothphotoboothallowedfairgoersto get their picture taken, decorate themselves with Simpson-related icons and then post the photo on Facebook for their friends to see. A total of 3,820 photos were taken.

• Simpson’sFacebookpagereceived175new“Likes”during the fair.

• Atleast2,745peoplehaveliked,commentedorshared photos from our fair booth, extending Simpson’s brand even further.

This was a total team effort. Simpson staff and alumni volunteered time at the booth, the marketing office designed the booth and promoted it on social media. Two Simpson alums, Chris Mars ’10 and Pat Tierney ’11 of Bow and Arrow Productions, made sure we had one of the best-looking booths at the fair.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and said hello. We’ll see you again next year! ■

| tour ing the years

ClASS NOTES

Dr. W. Bryce Van Syoc ’37 is retired and resides in Indianola.

William Peterson ’51 and Jane McCoy Peterson ’53 reside in Savannah, Ga.

Marjorie Varley Lucero ’54 is a retired music teacher and resides in Oakdale, Calif.

Erwin Frerichs ’56, retired director of administrative services at Iowa Workforce Development, and his wife, Kathryn, reside in Ankeny and are enjoying every minute of retirement.

Charles Brodersen ’57 has retired from his position as a pharmacist with Hy-Vee Food Stores and resides in Des Moines.

Barbara Bowen Snyder ’57 was named Citizen of the Year in 2013 by the Tullahoma News and was recognized by the NEA Retired Association for her community activities in May. Barbara is retired and lives in Tullahoma, Tenn.

J. Ernest “Sunny” Breeding Jr. ’60 is a travel consultant, photographer and the owner of World Class Travel & Tours in Slidell, La.

Thomas Himstreet ’61 is a commander in the U.S. Navy. He and his wife, Pamela, reside in Bend, Ore.

After retiring from teaching in 2000, Nova Turpen Kane ’61 and her husband, James, built a home on Lake Namakagon in Cable, Wisc. Nova now spends her time volunteering at the local school and the Historical Museum as the education director. She is involved with HCE, Red Hats and Lions Club. In 2013, Nova and James bought a home in Anthem, Ariz., and became snowbirds.

Margaret Hanna Preston ’61 resides in Westminster, Colo., with her husband, Jerold.

Jim Isaacson ’63 is retired and resides in Valparaiso, Ind., with his wife, Gailyn.

Jose V. deJesus ’64, certified CPA in Iowa and Puerto Rico, retired in 2005. He worked for Ernst & Young, KPMG and Price Coopers from 1964-1972 and owned his own firm in Puerto Rico from 1972-1985. From 1985-2005, Jose developed and managed several enterprises, including a mail order pharmacy in Orlando, Fla., and a hotel project in Costa Rica. Jose now devotes time to charity and community services related to helping disadvantaged children as a member of the Optimist Club of Irmo, S.C., near where he lives in Lexington, S.C. He has five grown children.

Joanna Harmon ’64 is a retired archivist who resides in Albuquerque, N.M.

Sandra Haarvig Blinn ’65 is a retired elementary school teacher and resides in Bellingham, Wash., with her husband, Dean Blinn ’64.

Jerry Haldeman ’65 is retired and lives in Coralville.

Jim Seidel ’65 is a retired teacher from Starmont Community Schools in Arlington. He and his wife, Barbara, reside in Strawberry Point.

H. Roger Grant ’66 is the author of his 30th academic book, The Louisville, Cincinnati & Charleston Rail Road (Indiana University Press, 2014). His recent book, Railroads and the American People (Indiana University Press), won gold in the 2014 Independent Publisher Book Awards.

Arlyn Brown ’67 retired as the manager of purchasing for Talley Industries. He resides in Mesa, Ariz. with his wife, Angela.

Janet Ogilvie Meade ’68 is retired and lives in West Lafayette, Ind., with her husband, Tom.

Larry Andes ’69 is a retired optometrist who lives in Pinetop, Ariz., with his wife, Marlena.

In July, Jay ’64 and Cheri Keating Nugent ’67 hosted a 50-year reunion for 20 Lambda Chi Alpha Simpson graduates and their spouses.

The reunion evoked countless stories that recreated a partially accurate picture of collegiate experiences and events that shaped their lives. It was a wonderful 24 hours, which culminated with tearful “goodbyes” after a Sunday brunch.

Seventeen of the couples have or will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversaries within the next two years. Nine of the wives were members of Delta Delta Delta and four were members of Alpha Chi Omega at Simpson; five of the women had been the “Crescent Girl.” Fourteen of the couples met at Simpson—a record maybe, an interesting statistic for sure!

The brothers and their wives or significant others spent Saturday reconnecting and recollecting “the good old days,” catching up on the years since and enjoying the snacks. The reunion moved to Mama Lacona’s in Urbandale where the reminiscing continued. The highlight of the evening was Mike Parker’s ’66 impromptu review of events: winning grade cups, All College Sings, and intramural trophies from 1963 through 1966—a speech that prompted laughter and a few tears. Those brothers who have passed were remembered and everyone agreed to meet again soon.

Simpson College provided such a variety of events and challenges and memorable mentors (Dr. Larsen, Dr. Lekberg, Dr. Watson, Dr. Koch, Dr. Walt, Dr. Alberding, Coach Larry Johnson—to name a few) that it was the “best” of places in the early 1960s. The hope is that it still is today.

The Simpson Experience was the centerpiece of the reunion and an immeasurable influence on all. Simpson is where they met, roomed, studied, competed and graduated before beginning their careers and families.

Let’s give a “Hip, Hip, Hooray” and thank you to Jay and Cheri Nugent for organizing and hosting a great event!


THE SIMPSON EXPERIENCE


Susan Hutchcroft Campbell ’69 is retired from Deere & Company and resides in Bettendorf with her husband, Brad Campbell ’69.

Keith Dunbar ’69 retired from the National Park Service where he was chief of planning for the Pacific West Region. He and his wife of 41 years, Donna, reside in Kirkland, Wash., and have two sons and six grandchildren.

Gene Langstaff ’69 retired after 45 years of teaching math and computers and coaching basketball and track. He also served in the Iowa/Illinois National Guard for 22 years, retiring in 1992 as a staff sergeant. Gene and his wife, Sue, reside near Wapello.

Barb Moul ’70 has retired from teaching in the Des Moines Independent Community School District. She lives in Indianola.

Kathryn McDougal Spracklin ’70 retired as a United Methodist pastor in 2013 and lives with her husband, Gerald, in Fremont, Neb.

Leslie Brelsford ’71 farms and resides in Red Oak, Okla., with his wife, Ruth.

Susan Segerstrom Riesau ’71 is employed by St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, Calif., as a nuclear medicine technologist. She currently lives in Lakewood, Calif.

Beverly Kemper Clark ’72 spends time volunteering at Lincoln Literacy, where she tutors English and teaches a citizenship preparation class.

Nancy Summers Brown ’73 resides in Brooklyn Park, Minn., with her husband Steve.

Carol McVey Fricke ’73 has been named president and CEO of LKF Marketing, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Mich. She and her husband, Thomas, reside in Kalamazoo and recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary with a European cruise.

Sylvester “Sly” Hughes ’74 works as a program manager for the State of Illinois in Chicago, where he resides.

Rhys Christensen ’76 owns RPC Properties, LLC in Fort Collins, Colo., where he lives with his wife, Judy.

Larry Edwards ’76 works as a nuclear medicine technologist for Community Hospital in Grand Junction, Colo.

Robin Dircks Lathrum ’76 teaches 4th grade at Bright Beginnings School in Chandler, Ariz. She and her husband, Rick Lathrum ’75, reside in Gilbert, Ariz.

Cary Shapiro ’76 retired at the end of the 2014 school year after teaching speech, theatre and English for 25 years at Ankeny High School. He was named a National Finalist for the American High School Theatre Festival in 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2013 and took students to perform at the Edinburgh, Scotland Fringe Festival. Cary was named the Iowa Speech/Theatre/Debate Teacher of the Year for 2012-13 by the National Federation of High Schools and in 2012 was named the Ankeny Teacher of the Year by the Ankeny Masonic Lodge. He and his wife, Jane Lauritzen Shapiro ’77, reside in Ankeny.

Marty Lehman ’79 is an attorney in Dallas, Texas. He coached his son’s basketball team to the U16 Div II State (Texas) and National Christian Home-School Championships. His wife, Laurie, home-schools their five children, Cole (16), Landis (14), Abbie (12), Connor (9) and Blake (7). Marty and family reside in Lucas, Texas.

Duane Lookingbill ’79 is an ordained minister in Annandale, Minn., where he currently lives with his wife, Ruth.

David Smith ’79 is executive director at Tompkins Learning Partners and also lectures at Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y., where he resides.

Jeffrey Cook ’80 joined The Purple Guys in Kansas City, Kan., as the vice-president of client relations in February. He was named Missouri Conference Scouting Coordinator for the United

Methodist Church by Bishop Robert Schnase in April. Jeff resides in Gladstone, Mo., with his wife, Jill.

Carrie Ohland Gulling ’80 is employed as an accountant for The Principal Financial Group in Des Moines. She currently resides in Altoona with her husband, Steve.

Leila Blackburn ’83 is pastor at the United Methodist Church in Irwin, where she resides with her husband, Jeffrey Leden, and their daughter, Sarah (14).

Kent Mick ’85 was awarded a Master of Arts in history from American Military University in February. Mick’s rock band Time Will Tell toured Iowa this summer.

Jane Forgy Gullett ’87 is a designer for McHatton Interiors in Madill, Okla.

John Amelse ’88 works as an IT team lead for Pella Corporation and lives in Pella with his wife, Lauri, and their two children, Jase and Avey.

Laura Roan ’88 served as visiting faculty at the winter term Trial Advocacy Workshop, Harvard Law School, January 2013. She is an area prosecutor for the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.

Lisa Chapman Furnal ’89 teaches elementary reading for Pleasantville Community Schools. She and her husband, Jeff, reside in Ackworth and have two grown sons.

Mary Blazek Peterson ’89 is employed by Shenandoah Community Schools as a high school special education teacher. She and her husband, Michael, are excited that their daughter is attending Simpson as a freshman this fall.

Michael Sadler ’89 was selected as a 2014 Father of the Year by the Father’s Day Council of Iowa. He resides in Urbandale with his wife, Eleena, and daughter, Mykal.

Janice Van Vleet Rychnovsky ’91 will be retiring this year from teaching English and journalism at Clarke

Community High School in Osceola in order to pursue other interests. She currently resides in Osceola with her husband, Marvin.

Sean Grant ’92 is chief administrative officer for The Columbus Partnership and resides in Pickerington, Ohio.

Sarah Berkson Turell ’92 is employed as an administrative assistant for the American Holistic Medical Association in Woodmere, Ohio. She resides in Shaker Heights, Ohio, with her husband, David.

Jean Johnson Schares ’93 is a financial consultant for Wells Fargo Bank. She lives in Johnston with her husband, Keith.

Kristen Newman Geiger ’94 is a realtor for Century 21 and resides in Ankeny with her husband, Robb Geiger ’96. Kristen is working on her Master of Science in mental health counseling at Buena Vista University and anticipates graduating in 2016.

Sherry Kent Kluender ’95 is a project manager at Cambridge Investment Research in Fairfield, where she resides with her husband, Tim Kluender ’93. Tim serves as senior vice president/commercial and ag loans at First National Bank in Fairfield.

Brooke Christofferson ’96 is employed by Republic Media – Gannett, Inc., in Phoenix, Ariz., as the vice-president of marketing and strategy.

Kimberly Richards Fankhauser ’96 is the economic development coordinator for the Greater Des Moines Partnership and resides in Windsor Heights.

Jamie Thomson Roberts ’96 and her husband, Mark, reside in Shawnee, Kan.

Jason Stolte ’96 works as a team leader in marketing communications for John Deere Financial in Johnston. He and his wife, Teri Vert Stolte ’92, reside in Winterset.


Debra Arendt Sundberg ’96 is the executive director of the Alii Health Center in Kailua Kona, Hawaii, where she lives with her husband, Chuck.

Peter Waltz ’96 received the “2013 Congeniality of the Year” award from the Algona Chamber of Commerce. Peter is a teacher and coach in the Algona Community School District and resides in Algona with his wife, Holly.

Mike Williams ’96 is an education consultant for the State of Iowa.

Kathi Kingery Thompson ’97 is a senior retirement document analyst – team lead at The Principal Financial Group. She and her husband, Brian, reside in Indianola.

Steve Vine ’97 works for the corrections department of the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office in Independence and has three daughters.

Jamie Gutshall Christensen ’98 works for Westwood Management in Dallas, Texas, as vice president of marketing and communications. She and Cameron Christensen ’98 reside in Dallas.

Terri Lutz Simmons ’98 is resources development coordinator for Hope Ministries in Des Moines. She and her husband, Gregory Simmons ’99, reside in Dallas Center.

Kelly Shepherd Brummond ’99 is a senior consultant at Nationwide Insurance in Des Moines. She and her husband, Troy, reside in Urbandale.

James “Jeb” Burt ’99 is the sole proprietor of James Burt Writing, a writing and editing business. He lives with his wife, Annie, in Rochester, Minn.

Renee Woodward Dalrymple ’99 is a practitioner and owner of Soaring Crane Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine in Indianola.

Chris Hanson ’99 is art director at Lessing Flynn Advertising in Des Moines.

Paul Hengesteg ’99 is pursuing his Master of Education in student affairs at Iowa State University.

Justin Kelso ’99 is a call center planning and analysis manager for Wells Fargo. He and his wife, Crystal, reside in Johnston.

Nikki Hall Thies ’99 and Brian Thies reside in West Des Moines.

Ed Wallace ’99 earned his MBA from the Henry B. Tippie School of Management at the University of Iowa. He continues to work as the deputy director of Iowa Workforce Development and resides in Urbandale with his wife, Jennifer, and sons, Jack and Tate.

Melissa Wilson Wilder ’99 obtained a new position as a site coordinator for Facebook at the Altoona Data Center in January. She resides in Bondurant.

Wendy Frankford Bellus ’00 is a communication specialist at Nationwide Insurance in Des Moines. She and her husband, Ben, reside in Des Moines with their son, Benjamin (6½).

Amanda Elgin Coates ’00 teaches first grade in Pleasant Hill for the Des Moines Public School District. She and her husband, Joe, reside in Pleasant Hill.

Karen Dobranski Brix ’02 resides in Grimes with her husband, Shane, and is a stay-at-home-mom for daughter, Anna (3).

Amanda Johnston Jackson ’02 is senior registered client service associate at UBS Financial Services. Amanda and her husband, Scott, reside in Clive with their daughters, Kennedy (2½) and Vera (6 months).

Rebecca Kingery Jolly ’02 is a statistical research analyst for the State of Iowa Department of Natural Resources. She and her husband, Jeremy, reside in Pleasantville with their family.

Michael Norris ’02 graduated from Iowa State University with his Ph.D.

in educational leadership. His dissertation focused on predicting application levels and matriculation yield among MBA programs: the use and application of marketing mix and relationship marketing theories.

Danuel Olenius ’02 works as the manager of investor relations for Calpine. He lives with his wife, Katherine, and son, Jackson, in Katy, Texas.

Renae Kingery Park ’02 is an administrative assistant II for the Department of Natural Resources. Renae has two daughters, 8 and 4 years old, and resides in Pleasantville.

Christina Hart Perkins ’02 is a pastor with the Crewe United Methodist Church in Crewe, Va., where she resides with her husband, Nathan Perkins ’01.

Justin Palmer ’03 is senior correspondent closing analyst for Agri-Access in Johnston. He and his wife, Lauren, and their family reside in Winterset.

Becky Young Rasmussen ’03 is a level II special education teacher for the Cedar Rapids Consolidated School District. She and her husband, David, reside in Cedar Rapids with their children, Madison (14), Thaddeus (8), Genevie (5) and Orrin (6 months).

Jill Carson ’04 is a communication strategist II for The Principal Financial Group in Des Moines and resides in Sully.

Brian Cyronek ’04 resides in Carona Del Mar, Calif., with his wife, Rebecca.

Sarah Risius Harris ’04 is a registered nurse at Indiana University Health West Hospital after receiving her Master of Science in cardiac rehabilitation from Eastern Illinois University and her Bachelor of Science in nursing from Marian University. She and her husband, Jeremy, reside in Avon, Ind., with their daughters, Lydia and Emelia.

Ashley Godfredsen Leininger ’04 is an adjunct lecturer at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny. She and her husband, Wyatt, and their son, Woodrow, reside in Davenport.

Dan Stark ’04 is a park ranger – law enforcement for the National Park Service in Grand Teton National Park. He and his wife, Sarah, reside in Moran, Wyo.

Meghan Kelso Von Behren ’04 works as a real estate closing coordinator for Lamberti, Gocke, Takekawa & Luetje, P.C. in Ankeny, where she resides with her husband, Jesse Von Behren ’03.

Christine Walsh ’04 works as a radiologist for Radiology Group. She lives in Bettendorf with her husband, John Sales.

Scott Gillespie ’05 is an audit senior manager for Deloitte & Touche LLP.

April Zobel ’05 is senior export traffic manager at Lansing Trade Group in Overland Park, Kan.

Melinda “Lindy” Lange Ferguson ’06 is human resource manager for Kiewit Corporation and resides in Elkhorn, Neb.

Jennifer Humphrey Harris ’06 earned her master’s degree in educational technology from Boise State University in 2013 and now teaches music for Newton Community Schools. She and her husband, Jonathon, and son, Linken, live in Des Moines.

Dr. Becka Neary-DeLaPorte ’06 is director of student activities and leadership development for Buena Vista University. Becka and her husband, Dijon, both earned their Doctorate of Education from the University of South Dakota in May.

Stephanie Sons Neve ’06 is retention coordinator for TRIO Student Support Services at Simpson College. She and her husband, Stephen Neve ’05, reside in Indianola with their sons, Jameson (3) and Samuel (6 months).

Grant Peterson ’06 is employed as an internal medicine physician for Unity Point in Ankeny.

Ben Thompson ’06 is associate director of bands for Pella Community Schools.


Nathan Wells ’06 currently resides in Riverside where he is employed as an innovation specialist for BASF – The Chemical Company.

Sarah Pearson Wendl ’06, a licensed CPA, works as a senior financial reporting analyst for The IMT Group in West Des Moines. She and her husband, Joe, run a marketing business online and a photography business (called Sarah Wendl Photography) out of their home in Ankeny.

Jennifer Allan ’07 is school/at-risk counselor for Union Community School District. She received her master’s degree in school counseling from the University of Northern Iowa.

Amrita Moore Beirman ’07 works as a business process consultant for Target. She lives in Eagan, Minn., with her husband, Ashik.

Carolyn Myers Laughlin ’07 is a communications specialist at Iowa Soybean Association in Ankeny. Ryan Laughlin ’06 graduated from Des Moines University’s doctor of osteopathic medicine program in the spring and began his family medicine residency at Broadlawns Hospital in July. Carolyn, Ryan and their son, Victor, reside in Des Moines.

Kimberly Opatz ’07 is a staff attorney for Linn County Advocate and resides in Cedar Rapids.

David Williams ’07 is a team sales manager at The Golf Warehouse in Wichita, Kan. He and his wife, Callie, reside in Park City, Kan.

Ashley Noe Bergman ’08 and Andrew Bergman ’06 reside in Waukee.

Laura Hupp ’08 recently completed her law degree at the University of Iowa College of Law. She is an associate attorney doing patent work at Shook, Hardy & Bacon in Kansas City, Mo.

Mackenzie Webb ’08 has completed her master’s degree in arts and cultural management at Saint Mary’s University in Minnesota. She now resides in

Alexandria, Minn., where she is the performing arts manager for Alexandria Public Schools.

Emily Knudsen McDonald ’09 is looking forward to completing her master’s degree in educational technology from the American College of Education. Emily is currently the K-5 learning behavior specialist for the Bannockburn School District in Illinois where she resides with her husband, Rick.

Christen Sondag McKay ’09 is an outreach athletic trainer at Northridge High School for Banner Health. She received her Master of Science in kinesiology from California State University-Long Beach in 2012. Christen and her husband, John, reside in Morrison, Colo., with their son, Corbin.

Kirsten Towne Olson ’09 is a mental health counselor for UnityPoint Berryhill Center for Mental Health and resides in Fort Dodge with her husband, Adam.

Kayla Seil ’09 works for ValleyCrest Landscape Companies as a business developer and resides in Virginia Beach, Va.

Meredith Sayler Swoyer ’09 is operations manager at Children’s Cancer Connection in Des Moines. She and her husband, Zachary, reside in Urbandale.

Katherine Petrak Vasquez ’09 completed her associate nursing degree at Mercy College of Health Science in 2012. She is now employed as a registered nurse at Mercy Medical Center and resides in Pleasant Hill with her husband, Craig Vasquez ’06, and their two children.

Sarah Hammel Bakula ’10 works for Zoetis in Charles City as a quality scientist II. She and her husband, Jason, reside in Fort Atkinson.

Taylor Browning ’10 works as a sales coordinator for Levy Restaurants in Phoenix, Ariz.

Allison Hack ’10 received her Master of Library Science from Indiana University in May.

Jacob Hamilton ’10 began a new job in Des Moines as the outside sales representative for Wells Fargo in May 2013. His wife, Amber Vrbsky Hamilton ’10, is an intake specialist for Orchard Place in Des Moines. Jacob and Amber bought a house in April and now reside in Pleasant Hill with their son, Blake.

Steffani Johnson ’10 is an administrative assistant at the First United Methodist Church in Algona, where she resides.

Meghan Klinkenborg ’10 graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a Master of Music, emphasis in voice, in 2013. She now resides in Bronx, N.Y., where she works as an administrative assistant for the NYC District Council of Carpenters.

Jennifer Ludemann ’10 is employed as an administrative assistant for Mayo Clinic and resides in Ostrander, Minn.

Sonya Nielsen Schiphoff ’10 teaches elementary general music in the Underwood Community School District. She and her husband, Alex, reside in Underwood.

Brandon Thompson ’10 is a team manager, customer service, for GE Capital Retail Finance in Miriam, Kan.

Kate Harris ’11 works as a foreign trainer for Disney English in Shanghai, China.

Betsy Knudsen Henry ’11 teaches third grade in the Winterset Community School District. She and her husband, Josh, reside in Winterset.

Katrina Housholder ’11 is an actuarial technician II for Transamerica and resides in Cedar Rapids.

Sarah Keller ’11 is director of youth and family ministry at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Ankeny, where she resides.

Katie Prowant Manchester ’11 is the manager of comics at Mayhem Comics and Games in Des Moines, where she resides with her husband, Benjamin Manchester ’09.

Mary Huff Ray ’11 is a graduate research assistant at the University of Iowa and resides in North Liberty.

Aaron Sewell ’11 is the director of youth and children’s ministry at St. Paul Presbyterian Church. He and his wife, Katelyn Teachout Sewell ’11, currently reside in West Des Moines.

Christine Dunn Skog ’11 teaches elementary music for the Harlan Community School District and resides in Atlantic with her husband, Adam Skog ’09.

Alicia Votaw ’11 is employed as a special education teacher for the Indianola Community School District.

Gaston Akerman ’12 works as a police officer and public safety research fellow for the City of Buenos Aires and the Department of Justice and Safety in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Hannah Benson ’12 resides in Waukee and is employed by The Principal Financial Group as an application analyst.

Erin Broich ’12 recently completed her Master of Arts in theology and ministry at Boston College and is serving as campus minister at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids.

Melissa Miller ’12 is the youth services librarian at the Storm Lake Public Library. Melissa resides in Storm Lake.

Patrick Poore-Christensen ’12 resides in O’Fallon, Mo., where he is recreation supervisor for the City of O’Fallon.

Molly Swenson Sorenson ’12 teaches second grade for the Dallas Center-Grimes Community School District. She and her husband, Joe Sorenson ’08, reside in West Des Moines.

Alison Babcock ’13 works in the accounting department at Brokers Clearing House in West Des Moines.


Laura Collins ’13 is pursuing a graduate degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Meg Parks ’13 teaches special education for the Kearney School District in Kearney, Mo., where she currently resides.

Jenny Sorenson ’13 is a fourth grade teacher for the Eagle County School District and resides in Edwards, Colo.

Sarah Stout ’13 is a recruiter for The Schwan Food Company and resides in Bloomington, Minn.

Dylan Anderson ’14 will be pursuing a law degree at Michigan State University.

Allison Barloon ’14 plans to attend Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville to earn her master’s degree in sport and exercise behavior.

Brittany Bell ’14 plans to attend the University of Denver and will be working toward a master’s degree in social work.

Stacy Bergeson ’14 will attend graduate school part-time in pursuit of a master’s degree in education while teaching in the Ackley-Geneva-Wellsburg-Steamboat Rock School District.

Madelyne Besack ’14 will be traveling to Thailand to work as an English teacher for Geovisions.

Tanner Birchmier ’14 is an associate claims specialist for Nationwide Insurance in Des Moines.

Nicole Bodenschatz ’14 plans to attend the University of Kansas at Lawrence where she will pursue her master’s degree in social work.

Ashtyn Bragg ’14 is employed by Everybody Wins Iowa in Des Moines in program development.

Kristin Comstock ’14 is a financial administrative assistant for the accounting department of the Iowa State Association of Counties in West Des Moines.

Sarah Crary ’14 is a chemist at Gelita USA in Sergeant Bluff and resides in South Sioux City, Neb.

Kimberly Dahle ’14 is working as the maize product development intern for Pioneer in Johnston.

Miranda Dean ’14 will be working toward a master’s degree in clinical-counseling psychology at Illinois State University.

Alissa Deutsch ’14 works as an audit associate for KPMG in Des Moines.

Mandi Deutsch ’14 is marketing coordinator for Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Brooke Egeland ’14 will pursue a master’s degree in kinesiology, with an emphasis in biomechanics, from Illinois State University.

Derek Entz ’14 plans to attend Eastern Washington University in Cheney to earn a master’s degree in biology.

Martha Esser ’14 is a business analyst for The Principal Financial Group in Des Moines.

Joe Farrand ’14 aspires to hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.

Michael Frank ’14 is pursuing a master’s degree in biomathematics at North Carolina State University.

Brittany Gochenour ’14 will be attending Creighton University in pursuit of a doctorate in occupational therapy.

Rachel Gocken ’14 is the administrative and communications coordinator for the Warren County Economic Development Corporation in Indianola.

Alicia Goetz ’14 is teaching 3rd grade and coaching 9th grade girls’ basketball for the Carlisle School District.

John Greaves ’14 will be attending Des Moines University in pursuit of his doctorate in podiatric medicine.

Dillan Hamilton ’14 is an entry level audit associate for TD&T CPA’s and Advisors in Pella.

Paul Hamilton ’14 is an inventory manager for the VA of Central Iowa Health Care in Des Moines.

Travis Hamilton ’14 is employed in West Des Moines as senior benefits representative for ADP.

Lauren Holland ’14 is café manager at The Winterset Stage in Winterset.

Taylor Johnson ’14 works for the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service in Des Moines as an agriculture statistician.

Nathan Jones ’14 is employed as an accountant for Cline DeVries & Allen, LLP in Clive.

Meghan Kasanders ’14 will be working toward a master’s degree in vocal performance at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Brandi Kastler ’14, field editor for YogaIowa in Ankeny, is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and environment at Iowa State University.

Maia Kelly ’14 is working towards a doctorate in chemistry at the University of Nebraska.

Lauren King ’14 is teaching 3rd grade for the Paton-Churdan Community School District in Churdan.

Kalie Kirchhoff ’14 plans to teach physical education at Earlham Elementary.

Korey Kreimeyer ’14 works with investment operations for The Principal Financial Group in Des Moines and is working on a master’s degree in financial management at Drake University.

Katelyn Lambert ’14 is employed by Deloitte in Des Moines as an audit associate.

Abby Lantzky ’14 is an assistant actuary for The Principle Financial Group.

Kaitlyn Lipovac ’14 is teaching 1st grade in the Ankeny Community School District.

Brandon Louis ’14 has been named vocal music teacher for the Prairie Valley Community School District in Gowrie. He resides in Farnhamville.

Mallory Machir ’14 is an animal presenter at Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines.

Andrew Mahoney ’14 is a team lead at Iowa Ortho in Des Moines, where he and his spouse, Thad Fitzgerald, reside.

Kenneth McDonald ’14 is employed by The Principal Financial Group in Des Moines as a financial analyst II.

Norma McGee ’14 presently works for Mediacom in Des Moines.

Emma McKirdy ’14 plans to attend the University of South Dakota and will be working towards a Master of Music with an emphasis in piano performance.

Christine Meggers ’14 is an associate team leader for Hormel Foods Corporation in Osceola.

Nicholas Mergen ’14 will be attending the University of Iowa to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy.

Jacob Meuler ’14 is employed by Steve Rogers Construction in Norwalk and specializes in trim carpentry.

Kristin Mouchka ’14 is employed by Nationwide Insurance in Des Moines as an associate commercial underwriter.

Rachel Peterson ’14 is a preschool teacher at Westlakes KinderCare in West Des Moines.

Kelsey Rawson ’14 is currently working on brand reputation for Nationwide Insurance in Des Moines.

Joseph Reed ’14 will be studying law at Drake University Law School.


BIRTHS/ADOPTIONS

Beckum James Rychnovsky, Nov. 20, 2012, to Travis Rychnovsky ’01 and Jenise Rychnovosky, Des Moines.

Veronica “Vera” Jackson, Feb. 20, 2014, to Amanda Johnston Jackson ’02 and Scott Jackson, Clive, joined Kennedy.

Maya Grace Jolly, Sept. 7, 2013, to Rebecca Kingery Jolly ’02 and Jeremy Jolly, Pleasantville.

Emma Maher, May 10, 2012, to Bryan Maher ’03 and Rebecca Sipes, Lompoc, Calif.

Kennedy Lyn Palmer, Dec. 3, 2013, to Justin Palmer ’03 and Lauren Palmer, Winterset.

Orrin Patrick Rasmussen, Feb. 14, 2014, to Rebecca Young Rasmussen ’03 and David Rasmussen, Cedar Rapids, joined Madison (14), Thaddeus (8) and Genevie (5).

Melissa Reinsch ’14 is the human resource and payroll manager for LeMar Industries in Des Moines.

Zachary Ripka ’14 is employed as a staff tax accountant by TD&T Financial in Pella.

Alexa Rohach ’14 will travel to Los Angeles where she will be attending the University of Southern California in pursuit of a master’s degree in physical therapy.

Kelli Salemink ’14 plans to earn a master’s degree in counselor education from Adams State University in Alamosa, Colo.

Lauren Schemmel ’14 will be attending the University of Iowa College of Dentistry to pursue a doctorate of dental surgery.

Jennifer Seil ’14 works as a correctional officer for the Iowa Department of Corrections in Mitchellville.

Amanda Shaner ’14 works in West Des Moines as a studio associate for Portrait Innovations.

Jessica Soko ’14 is pursuing a Master of Music Industry at California State University, Northridge.

Morgan Terpstra ’14 is teaching 5th grade at Irving Elementary in Indianola.

Patrick Thompson ’14 is studying entomology at Iowa State University.

Rachel Tometich ’14 is a naturalist for the Department of Natural Resources.

Kat Vampola ’14 is working towards her law degree at the University of Nebraska College of Law.

Taylor Van De Krol ’14 is a field organizer for political campaigns in Des Moines and plans to attend law school.

Kylie Van Houten ’14 is an IT application analyst I at The Principal Financial Group and resides in Des Moines.

Carly Warner ’14 plans to attend the University of Indianapolis to earn her master’s degree in mental health counseling.

Hilary Zarr ’14 is working for MidAmerican Energy Company in Des Moines as a tax analyst.

MARRIAGES

Amanda Elgin ’00 and Joe Coates, July 20, 2013, Pleasant Hill.

David Williams ’07 and Callie Adreon, March 15, 2014, Indianola.

Joseph Sorenson ’08 and Molly Swenson ’12, March 15, 2014, Smith Chapel at Simpson College.

Sara Wherry ’08 and Aimee Weber ’09, Dec. 28, 2013, Dubuque.

Benjamin Manchester ’09 and Katie Prowant ’11, June 23, 2012, Smith Chapel at Simpson College.

Adam Skog ’09 and Christine Dunn ’11, Oct. 26, 2013, Willow Creek Glass Chapel near Shelby.

Kirsten Towne ’09 and Adam Olson, April 26, 2014, Veteran’s Memorial Park in Fort Dodge.

Sarah Hammel ’10 and Jason Bakula, Aug. 9, 2014, St. John’s Nepomucene Catholic Church in Fort Atkinson.

Heather Weeda ’10 and Kyle Newman, March 15, 2014, Enterprise, Ala.

Betsy Knudsen ’11 and Josh Henry, June 2013, Winterset.


Cameron Jay Schnell, Aug. 28, 2012, to Tiffany Wimberly Schnell ’03 and Jason Schnell ’03, West Des Moines, joined Madyson.

Ada Marie Von Behren, Oct. 2, 2013, to Jesse Von Behren ’03 and Meghan Kelso Von Behren ’04, Ankeny, joined Rya.

Evan Michael Gesellchen, May 26, 2012, to Jessica McDonald Gesellchen ’04 and Mike Gesellchen, St. Louis Park, Minn.

Amelia Elizabeth Harris, Dec. 26, 2013, to Sarah Risius Harris ’04 and Jeremy Harris, Avon, Ind., joined Lydia (4).

Woodrow Christopher Leininger, March 23, 2013, to Ashley Godfredsen Leininger ’04 and Wyatt Leininger, Davenport.

Maci Rae Parcel, Jan. 22, 2013, to Shanie George Parcel ’04 and Michael Parcel, Des Moines.

Ruby Katherine Sales, Jan. 11, 2013, to Dr. Christine Walsh ’04 and John Sales, Bettendorf.

Samuel Paul Neve, Feb. 18, 2014, to Stephen Neve ’05 and Stephanie Sons Neve ’06, Indianola, joined big brother, Jameson Wesley (3).

Linken James Harris, April 22, 2014, to Jennifer Humphrey Harris ’06 and Jonathon Harris, Des Moines.

Victor Laughlin, Nov. 1, 2013, to Ryan Laughlin ’06 and Carolyn Myers Laughlin ’07, Des Moines.

Twins Avery and Elliot DeLaPorte, July 21, 2014, to Rebekah Neary-DeLaPorte ’06 and Dijon DeLaPorte, Storm Lake.

Rowan Vasquez, June 30, 2012, and Greta Vasquez, Sept. 9, 2013, to Craig Vasquez ’06 and Katherine Petrak Vasquez ’09, Pleasant Hill.

Olivia Lynne Wendl, March 27, 2013, to Sarah Pearson Wendl ’06 and Joseph Wendl, Ankeny.

Kylea Elliott, May 2, 2012, to Megan Warner Elliott ’07 and Joseph Elliott, Ankeny, joined Keegan.

Jackson Dane Rideout, July 12, 2012, to Andrea Kruse Rideout ’07 and Ron Rideout, Salina, Kan., joined Cooper.

Eugene Thomas Stupfell, March 1, 2012, to Kelsey Volkens Stupfell ’07 and Perry Stupfell, Council Bluffs.

Rhett Dana Huff, July 24, 2014, to Katherine Tierney Huff ’08 and Ross Huff, Indianola.

Calvin Robson Earl Kroeger, Sept. 26, 2013, to Tracy Robson Kroeger ’09 and Joseph Kroeger, Des Moines.

Corbin John McKay, July 6, 2012, to Christen Sondag McKay ’09 and John McKay, Morrison, Colo.

Blake Allan Hamilton, Sept. 11, 2013, to Jacob Hamilton ’10 and Amber Vrbsky Hamilton ’10, Pleasant Hill.

DEATHS

Ruby Wirt Becker ’39, Dec. 26, 2012, Spring Valley, Calif.

Harriet Main Dohrmann ’39, July 9, 2014, Santa Ana, Calif.

Phyllis Pearson Shackelford ’39, June 11, 2014, Visalia, Calif.

Merle H. Boeck ’40, June 29, 2014, San Antonio, Texas.

Winifred Heaton Cox ’40, July 17, 2014, Aptos, Calif.

Lillian Offenhauser Paysen ’41, May 23, 2013, Wall Lake.

Bernard S. Smith ’42, May 26, 2014, Indianola.

Mary Jane Woodcock Marlowe ’43, June 11, 2014, Boulder, Colo.

Elizabeth Gunn Hoppe ’45, April 16, 2014, Rochester, N.Y.

Anita Miner McDonald ’45, Jan. 19, 2013, Apache Junction, Ariz.

Mary Cooley Johnson ’46, March 2, 2014, Reinbeck.

Barbara Stevens La Follette ’46, March 25, 2012, Ft. Dodge.

Emma Mae Dean Garrett Wright ’46, Feb. 28, 2014, Leon.

Evelyn Kempe Miller ’47, May 13, 2014, Memphis, Tenn.

Mary Johnston Criswell ’48, June 23, 2014, Indianola.

Paul E. Dudley ’48, April 11, 2014, Indianola.

Harold L. Kent ’48, Jan. 23, 2014, Tampa, Fla.

Doris Svenson Luckstead ’49, June 26, 2012, Indianola.

Rev. Dr. Lester L. Moore ’49, May 15, 2014, Ames.

Roy Slezak ’49, March 14, 2014, Glendale, Ariz.

Virginia Crawford Auxier ’50, May 14, 2012, Humeston.

Charles Marvin Elmore ’50, Oct. 11, 2013, Princeton, Mo.

Charlotte Haskell Huber ’50, Jan. 26, 2014, Fresno, Calif.

Rev. Raymond D. Moore ’50, July 6, 2014, Indianola.

Janet Smith Burket ’51, April 14, 2014, Minburn.

Joan Phillips Levine ’51, April 21, 2014, Creston.

Martha Williams Ford ’52, May 18, 2014, Indianola.

Carol Allen Jones ’52, Dec. 21, 2013, Shenandoah.

Doris Farley Mitchell ’52, March 13, 2014, Seminole, Fla.

Dean H. Dalziel ’53, Aug. 12, 2013, Maquoketa.

William R. Roberts ’53, Feb. 01, 2013, Fountain Valley, Calif.

Glen D. Cranston ’54, Dec. 7, 2012, Green Valley, Ariz.

Rev. Dr. Ray I. Martin ’54, July 02, 2014, Des Moines.

Dr. Larry A. Forbes ’56, March 14, 2014, Murray.

Paul Keller ’56, March 31, 2012, New Virginia.

Paul R. Smith ’56, Sept. 21, 2013, San Leandro, Calif.

Suzanne Jo Miller, who served as the first director of human resources at Simpson College, passed away June 11 in Indianola. She was 80.

Services were held June 16 at Smith Chapel on the Simpson campus.

Miller lived in Indianola her entire life, working at Peoples Trust and Saving Bank and then at Simpson College, where she remained for 28 years.

She was very proud that her two sons, Mark ’79 and Rob ’85, both graduated from Simpson.

Miller was active in the Simpson Guild, PEO Chapter NG, Warren County Child Abuse Prevention Council and the Education Committee of the Indianola Chamber of Commerce. She also volunteered to read weekly to fourth-grade students in Indianola and for the United Methodist Church, of which she was a member.

Memorials may be given in her name to Simpson College or Warren County Child Abuse Prevention Council.


IN MEMORIUM

Rev. Richard G. Viney ’56, Oct. 23, 2013, Branson, Mo.

John R. Sayre ’57, July 30, 2014, Indianola.

Barbara Bakker ’60, Jan. 16, 2014, Crete, Ill.

Larry Gillis ’61, March 12, 2014, Islamorada, Fla.

Stanley C. Welshhons ’61, July 26, 2014, Pleasantville.

Janet Grothe Fillman ’62, July 19, 2014, Des Moines.

Linda Trpkosh Thomas ’62, Dec. 24, 2013, Mt. Vernon, Ill.

Mary Dewey DeWeerth ’63, Jan. 23, 2014, New Hartford, N.Y.

George J. Yaniger ’64, Aug. 6, 2014, Albrightsville, Pa.

Benjiman W. Dougherty ’65, Dec. 11, 2013, Urbandale.

Robert E. Glasco ’65, Sept. 11, 2013, Chariton.

Gerald C. La Motte, III ’66, Nov. 11, 2012, Imperial, Mo.

Nancy Cole Lewis ’66, March 22, 2014, Hornell, N.Y.

Roger G. Mathias ’66, May 16, 2014, Atlantic.

N. Roberta Smith Williams ’67, July 16, 2014, Aurora, Ind.

Dr. John S. Barakat, II ’68, May 22, 2014, Clive.

Phillip C. Wooderson ’69, April 13, 2014, Indianola.

Steven L. Fritz ’70, May 9, 2014, Marshalltown.

Michael R. Norton ’71, June 27, 2014, Wever.

Timothy K. Edwards ’74, May 3, 2014, Urbandale.

William F. Ostermeier ’74, Feb. 28, 2014, North Port, Fla.

Brian L. Selck ’75, June 28, 2014, Cedar Rapids.

Terry W. Murray ’77, Jan. 2, 2014, Carroll.

Tom A. Harkins ’82, Aug. 5, 2013, Pataskala, Ohio.

Rev. Linda Picht Myers ’82, July 15, 2014, Anchorage, Alaska.

Joseph B. Hornaday ’86, May 19, 2014, Des Moines.

Scott W. Buising ’87, June 9, 2014, West Des Moines.

Robert D. Cappel ’90, April 30, 2014, Phoenix, Ariz.

Nicholas B. Hanson ’92, Sept. 2, 2012, West Des Moines.

Simpson College is pleased to have been awarded a Great Lakes’ 2014-15 Career Ready Internship grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation. The $134,200 award will be used during the 2014-15 academic year to create 48 new paid internships and convert 32 previously unpaid internships to paid positions.

“This is truly an amazing opportunity for our students,” said Jennifer Del Pino, director of Simpson’s career services center. “It not only provides more internship opportunities for students, it also benefits those with financial need who may otherwise miss a valuable, hands on work experience because they can’t afford to work without being paid.”

Simpson College Career Services is collaborating with faculty, employers in Des Moines and Indianola and EMERGE, the entrepreneurial development center on Simpson’s campus, to make these quality internships available to students at Simpson College.

“Our location, just minutes from the Des Moines metro, along with our extensive alumni network and business connections gives our students premier access to a wide variety of internship experiences. It’s one of the great advantages of being at Simpson,” said Del Pino.

Simpson College is one of three Iowa colleges to receive the award.

SIMPSON COllEGE RECEIVES GRANT TO CREATE STUDENT INTERNSHIPS

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fall 2014 simpson magazine

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