GONZAGAQ u a r t e r l y

SPRING 2010

TESOL at 11,000’ // Sima’s heart // the new techies // talking sports

Friends for Life

Regular ContributorsZack Berlat, Matt Gollnick, Kara Hertz, Autumn Jones, Sabrina Jones, Thayne McCulloh, Dan Pelle, Liz Smith, Sister Phyllis Taufen, S.N.J.M., Peter Tormey

The GONZAGA QUARTERLY staff welcomes you. Dale Goodwin, director of public relationsMarny Lombard, editor Gerald Almanza, graphics editor Jennifer Raudebaugh, photographer

GONZAGA QUARTERLY is published four times annually and is mailed free within the United States. Subscription requests, address changes, story ideas, letters to the editor, alumni updates and news items may be directed to Public Relations, 502 E. Boone Ave., Spokane, WA 99258-0070, or gonzaga@gonzaga.edu, or at (509) 313-6398. GONZAGA QUARTERLY is a publication of the Marketing & Communications Department.

The Regulars4 On Campus18 Alumni News23 To be continued . . .

8TESOL at 11,000’

10Sima’s heart

12Friends for life

14The new techies

16Talking sports

Vol. 1, Issue 4SPRING 2010

Inside Gonzaga Quarterly

Gonzaga senior Amy Danielson and junior Jon Ing lead P.E. class at Trinity Catholic School. Every Thursday a handful of Gonzaga physical education majors head to Trinity for an afternoon of play and physical activity. With just 150 students in a low-income neighborhood, Trinity has no funding for its own P.E. program. Diane Tunnell, chair of Gonzaga’s sport and physical education department, began the volunteer program in 2002. Gonzaga students work with first- through fourth-graders, gaining experience before their formal student teaching. And, as Trinity Principal Sandy Nokes puts it, “they show that ‘big kids’ still love to play with little kids.”

Cover: Jason Boyd, left, and Steve Brezniak, friends from the class of 1991, trade jokes during a visit in San Francisco this January. Barbara Ries photo.

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SPRING 2010– 3

President’s Perspective

Extraordinary and deeply human moments

Dr. Thayne McCullohGonzaga interim president

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As this issue of Gonzaga Quarterly goes to press, we are again engaged in a season of preparation and anticipation. Hard upon the beginning of the New

Year, we ready ourselves for the most important celebration of the liturgical year, Easter; and we are grateful for this opportunity to reflect upon what is central to the experience of community: relationships. We know that relationships take many shapes and forms. While we are fundamentally an intellectual community, and that fact shapes us, we are constituted of more than simply our ideas. Relationships for most students at Gonza-ga emerge and change over time through shared thoughts, shared meals, shared retreats and litur-gies, shared sports – as spectators or participants – shared losses and gains, sorrows and joys; and they all result in personal, spiritual and intellec-tual growth. Many of our students meet their life partners at Gonzaga; for the rest of their lives, for-mer students reunite with roommates and soul mates, share vacations with Gonzaga friends and reconnect at alumni gatherings and GU sports events. Beyond these, the bonds created between professors and students in classrooms, the men-toring relationships nurtured in advisers’ offices, and the informal but deep friendships struck be-tween a lonely first-year student and a sympa-thetic staff member not infrequently develop into friendships that span generations. More than a few faculty colleagues have shared stories about students who drop in on them one summer’s day to introduce their own children to someone whose ideas and humanity had a lasting impact on them. So, generations experience and treasure such intersections, and children discover those extraordinary and yet deeply human moments their parents shared with a respected faculty member or invaluable adviser. These are the fruits of the relationships that begin in the springtime of our students’ lives and sustain them through the summers and autumns of their adult existence. The annual cycle of the university is such that we are well into preparations for the upcoming (2010-11) academic year. The Office of Admission is reviewing applications for next fall in the face of an amazing surge in prospective student interest; courses for Summer Session are being solidified; interviews that will bring new faculty to Gonzaga

are being conducted in departments across the in-stitution. At the heart of every one of our conver-sations are our students: What is it that we want for them? How can we help them to fulfill their dreams? What will help them in their growth and development, to become educated and faith-filled women and men for others? These questions allow us to better align the resources of the University to meet the needs of our students and the faculty and staff who teach and mentor them. While the econo-my urges prudent caution and careful planning, we are a community filled with tremendous optimism for the future. One major reason for excitement is the suc-cessful culmination of our search for Gonzaga’s next academic vice president. I am most pleased to share with you that effective July 2010, Dr. Patri-cia O’Connell Killen (’74), a Distinguished Alumni Merit Award recipient (2008) who earned her mas-ter’s and doctoral degrees at Stanford University, will return to her alma mater as its chief academic officer. Killen, a theologian who most recently has served as provost and dean of graduate studies at Pacific Lutheran University, brings a wealth of ex-perience and perspective. A future edition of Gon-zaga Quarterly will give us the chance to more fully introduce her to you. This edition of the Quarterly is a special one, celebrating as it does the idea of lifelong friend-ship. It is with intention that Jesuits call themselves the Companions of Jesus and of one another, ac-knowledging the importance of the bonds that al-low us to share our stories and to do our work as a community of dedicated colleagues. It is appropri-ate that this edition is published during the Lenten Season, when we are called to reflect prayerfully upon our relationship with God, and to structure our daily life with this in mind. Lent offers us the opportunity to examine our own hearts and minds, and to strive to fulfill the promise of our baptism. We are called to devote daily time for the renewal of our faith and our relationship with God – and one another, through acts of service and selflessness. And though the days may be gray and the nights often chilly, we know that this time of preparation is harbored in spring, asking us to ready ourselves together for the new life that Easter represents. May the blessing of Christ’s peace be with us all during this time of renewal; may the joy of the coming Easter – that same joy that informed Jesus’ apostles, companions and friends upon learning of His resurrection – be with each of you.

SPRING 2010 – 4

On Campus

Now in its fifth year of sending students to Zambia for summer coursework, Gonzaga welcomed Zambian parish priest Father Dominic Sandu to Spo-

kane in February. Father Dominic has been cen-tral to the Gonzaga-in-Zambezi program. The children in Zambezi sometimes call him “Father Gonzaga.” During his month on campus, Father Domi-nic spoke to classes and groups of students and faculty, describing his life and the needs he tries to meet in rural Zambia. In one parish alone, 300 patients are bedridden from HIV/AIDS. Illiteracy and hunger are pressing needs. Churches, hos-pitals, schools – the demands for new buildings and other infrastructure are great. Father Domi-nic’s responsibilities cover all of this. These things most Americans might ex-pect. But Father Dominic also deals with a less well-publicized challenge. He is the first African priest that many of his parishioners have known. In Zambia, the Catholic Church is in transition from being a missionary church to a local church, which is why “Father Self-Reliance” is another of Father Dominic’s nicknames. His primary mes-sage to Gonzaga students is that Zambians must learn the skills to be self-reliant in their changing world. Gonzaga is sending students to two sites in Zambia again this summer for coursework and hands-on experience in servant leadership, psy-chology and biology. As well, the University’s School of Education is launching a new Zambia program in partnership with a Jesuit teachers’ college. Associate Professor Deborah Booth and six education students will spend four weeks in May and June in the rural Monze District at Charles Lwanga College of Education. Their teaching and learning will occur within a rural population of high illiteracy. Only 27 percent of Zambia’s chil-dren go past sixth grade, and just 2 per cent go beyond high school. “What I envision is that we will be working with faculty and their students,” Booth said. “At times we will meet altogether, and at times I will

I’m going to Zambia this summer with the School of Education to help develop litera-cy programs at a college and a high school

in Monze, Zambia. Zambia’s education sys-tem is in desperate need of change and the structures to do this aren’t in place. By working with a teacher’s college, we can help certified teachers and those on their way to be certified to gain important knowl-edge in how they can best teach their students. Literacy is the most important part of an edu-cation and without it, students will continue to fall behind. I am excited to go to Zambia and help teachers create a long-lasting literacy program that can be implemented in schools and help future generations of students. I traveled to Zambia three years ago with Gonzaga and I was extremely worried during

Zambian priest Father Dominic Sandu is welcomed by Gonzaga students on his arrival in Spokane.

Zags & Zambia

meet only with my teacher candidates to talk about theory,” Booth said. The Gonzaga students also will experience teaching in rural schools. Their focus will be third- through fifth-graders. “It will be a phenomenal experience for our candidates to reach out to others, to learn how to teach with limited resources and with cultural competency,” Booth said. “To meet those students where they are, and to find ways to move them along without the typical canned resources.” Rote memorization is a mainstay in rural Zam-bian schools; colored pencils and markers are a rarity. While there might be a PTA, its participants may meet outside under a shady tree. Travelling with the group will be Raymond Reyes, Gonzaga’s associate academic vice presi-dent and chief diversity officer, who will work with Charles Lwanga officials to enhance their Jesuit curriculum.

Student POV: Graduate student can’t wait to get back to Zambia

that trip. Having the experience behind me, I am purely just anxious to go back this sum-mer. Zambians have the most amazing spirit of any people I’ve met and I can’t wait to create relationships with the new people I encounter. There are so many misconceptions we have about the continent of Africa and while, in some places, these conceptions may hold true, for the majority that is just what they are, misconceptions. We have so much to learn from Zambians, more than we can ever hope to teach them. I am beyond ecstatic that I am able to go back and I will probably be shoving people out of the way on the plane so I can get off faster when we land.

— Sarah Tharp (‘09), graduate student in GU’s master’s in literacy program

Bulldog Blog: www.tallmomontherun.com Melanie (Tipps) Faulkner (’01, ’03 M.Org.L.), former Gonzaga basketball player, started her blog, Tall Mom on the Run, a year ago, to document her journey training for her first half mara-thon. “As a student athlete my plate was always full,” she said. Today, it’s even fuller. “I work fulltime, have two kids and blog daily. My passion for writing, pho-tography, quotes and running shape the words posted every day.”

Wanted: remarkable blogs with a GU connection. E-mail URLs to gonzaga@gonzaga.edu. Editors reserve the right to select blogs.

Melanie Faulkner ran the10-K Snoqualmie Railroad Days race in 45:54.

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SPRING 2010 – 5

Most who use Gonzaga’s Foley Center Li-brary are students. But scholars and re-searchers also climb those broad steps, seeking materials that span civilizations

and centuries. On Foley’s third floor, the Special Collections regularly receives scholarly visitors. One often-re-quested resource, says Special Collections librarian Stephanie Plowman, is the largest U.S. collection on Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J. Several editors from the University of Oxford have come to Gon-zaga recently to use the Hopkins collection, as they

work on a multi-volume collection on the famed English Jesuit poet. Another recent researcher was a doctoral student from the University of Wis-consin at Madison who wanted to know how Catholic universities taught the sci-ences pre-1900. Century-old course catalogues were just the ticket for him. Next up, football: Tony Canadeo played for GU in the 1930s, before he became a legend with the Green Bay Packers. His grandson visited last fall, poring over the archives from his grandfather’s day. Foley’s archives can even help revive an endangered language. The director of a Salish language school on Montana’s Flathead Indian Reservation, visited cam-pus last summer seeking materials that would aid in teaching Salish today. The Jesuit Oregon Province Archives, located in the Foley Center, contain dictionar-ies, grammars and many other texts in several Indian languages from the Pacific Northwest. Archivist David Kingma said, “Jesuit missionaries generated many handwrit-ten manuscripts in their efforts to study the native languages of the tribal groups they were engaged with, and to teach those languages to their fellow Jesuits.” A dictionary of Salish, an American Indian language.

Researchers dig for goldin Foley Center archives

Gonzaga is staking out new territory in its study of hate. Seven professors are collaborating this semester on a new course titled “Hate Studies in Business.” The School of Business Administration course begins with

two days of vignettes on the faces of hate. Course material includes the history of the labor movement, dehumanization of workers, the villainiza-tion of “dirty workers” (garbage collectors, custodians, etc.), sex traffick-ing and the divide between management and workers. Students explore cognitive and emotional elements of hate, and classical and contempo-rary philisophical studies of virtues and their role in a moral life. They also will imagine and organize events designed to offer hope against hate. In one lecture, Brian Steverson, associate professor of business eth-ics, used fear of mice as an example of an irrational emotion, then ex-plored how an emotion like hate is formed. The contributing professors have chosen topics about which they care passionately. Annie Voy, assistant professor of economics, assigned class reading from “Half the Sky,” a book about empowering women in the face of sex trafficking. Nancy Chase, associate professor of manage-ment information systems, will explore cyber-terrorism and how infor-mation technology is used to spread hate. Marinilka Kimbro, assistant professor of accounting, will focus on fraud, economic crime and execu-tive compensation. Gonzaga will host its second International Conference on Hate Stud-ies April 7-9, 2011. The University’s first course in hate studies, “Why People Hate,” was launched last spring, also as a collaborative teaching project. In 1997, the University formed the Gonzaga Institute for Action Against Hate in response to a series of unsolved racial threats and epi-thets on campus. “There are many schools teaching classes on diversity and topics like oppression and discrimination, but I have not heard of any classes at other universities that address hate specifically,” said Molly Pepper, as-sociate professor of business-management, adding that Gonzaga is in a unique position to help trace the multidisciplinary bounds of the field. “It is not a developed field of study,” Pepper said. “We hope to do some scholarly work on the topic that others might be able to use.” Samuel Kerson, Imperial Armies in the Garden, No. 5

Getting in hate’s business

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SPRING 2010 – 6

On Campus

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She’s on the ball

Stability balls are a rolling co-nundrum. They have been used for more than 30 years in rehabilitation and thera-

py, but still feel like a revolutionary fitness tool. Only recently have they been used by the general population as a type of fitness equipment and as substitutes for office chairs. “I’m sold on them,” says Tina Geithner, human physiology pro-fessor. “They provide an effective means of engaging more muscles. They can be used in many ways to obtain multiple benefits, and are a relatively inexpensive and fun way to enhance your exercise program.” Even the name ‘stability ball’ is a conundrum: It’s the ball’s inherent instability that gives users a work-out. Geithner, who recently com-pleted three years as chair of the Consumer Information Committee of the American College of Sports Medicine, organized and wrote bro-chures for use nationwide about sta-bility balls and other fitness topics, as well as responding to requests from media across the country, the AARP and Consumer reports. “It was challenging and fun to draw on my academic training and experience in kinesiology and teaching,” she said. For downloadable brochures on stability balls and more, go to www.acsm.org/brochures.

Josh Heytvelt’s size 18 shoe and the championship surfboard from the 2009 Maui Invitational are among 150 items in “Hoop It Up: Gonzaga’s Basketball Heritage” on exhibit in the Cowles Rare Book Reading Room in Gonzaga’s Foley Center Library through May 10. The Gon-zaga University Archives provided the historical materials, the Athletic Depart-ment supplied the current items, said Stephanie Plowman, Gonzaga archivist. ¶ Biophysicist Carlos J. Bustamante will give the 24th Annual Timothy J. O’Leary Lecture, speaking on “Grab-bing the cat by the tail: Discrete steps by a DNA packaging motor and the inter-subunit coordination in a ring-ATPase.” The lecture will be March 23 in the Wolff Auditorium of Jepson Center. Busta-mante’s research focuses on the manipu-lation and study of individual molecules of biological interest, using instruments such as optical tweezers and atomic force microscopes. ¶ Race for Am-bassadors: One-hundred, ninety-eight GU students were nominated last fall to become Ambassadors. Of those,116 students applied. Forty became final-ists, and 21 were selected to join the Ambassadors, who guide visitors’ tours and help prospective students during GEL weekend, coming up on April 17-18. “Students who apply for the program and make it all the way to the final inter-view should be proud of themselves as they are amongst some of the ‘best and brightest’ of GU,” said Elizabeth Marsh of the University’s Visit Office. Their com-mon denominator? A shared dedication to community service – specifically, a passion for being able to give back to the University. ¶ With 19 alumni serving in the Peace Corps in 2009, Gonzaga is ranked No. 7 in the nation among small colleges and universities whose alumni serve the Peace Corps. ¶ Through a benefit concert on campus, dining fund donations and other projects, Gonzaga students raised more than $10,000 for Catholic Relief Services in Haiti. A GU Haiti Task Force organized a teach-in to give students a better understanding of Haiti’s history and lined up speak-ers for later in the spring. ¶ Three new living-and-learning communities will serve freshmen and sophomores next year in the new Coughlin Residence Hall. Focuses include Service and Leadership, Global Engagement, and Mind, Body, Spirit. Each community may encompass 80 students or more. These communities are designed to further Jesuit educa-tion’s emphasis on developing the whole person. As well, Coughlin will have a faculty in residence, in addition to its chaplain. ¶ Last summer, Gonzaga’s Campus Kitchen made its first attempt at gleaning, which yielded a “about a million pounds of plums.” This sum-mer the group plans to plant potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and green beans in

The Influence of Fr. Pat Carroll A friend happened to tell me about the recent article (Gonzaga Quarterly winter issue) about Fa-ther Pat Carroll. I dearly loved that man and know he had a big influence on students, so I was thrilled to hear about the article. I’ve just gone online to read it and was reminded of how much fun it is to read that publication and catch up on the news of students I’ve taught. Dick Bass and Christine Ro-bisch, both mentioned in the issue, were students of mine. A few years ago, I was in touch with GU alum-nus Larry Murillo (’79), a psychology major and advisee of mine. I was thrilled to discover that he had earned his doctorate and at that time was working at the Oregon Health and Science Univer-sity. He had gone into the study of the effects of traditional native American medicine. You’re prob-ably wondering why I bring him up. He once told me that when he was an undergraduate, Pat Car-roll had encouraged and challenged him to delve into his native heritage. What I liked about Pat so much is that he was able to reach people and challenge them via what seemed like off-hand, casual, often quite humor-ous comments. Sister Elizabeth Cole(former professor of psychology)Sisters of ProvidenceSpokane

Letters to the Editor

GONZAGAQ u a r t e r l y

WINTER 2010

the art of planning war // parents’ hopes and dreams // glimmers of talent // awash in memories

Listeningfor God’s Call

Respect is the word I read Gonzaga Quarterly cover to cover and enjoy the news and perspec-tive. In the winter issue is a piece titled “Standing together for tolerance.” That is a poor word choice. The word ‘tolerance’ implies that the one doing the tolerating is su-perior to the one being tolerated.

I hope that in the future that you will use the word ‘respect’ in place of tolerance. Respect implies the dignity that is inherent in every indi-vidual created in the image of God. Respect does not imply superiority. Respect is should be given regardless of whether individuals agree politically and is the basis of free, open and considerate dis-cussion that is at the heart of education institu-tions and civilized society.

Tony Caruso (M.I.T. ‘04)Spokane

We love to hear from our readers. Send your thoughts to gonzaga@gonzaga.edu.

Professor Tina Geithner relaxes with a stability ball.

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SPRING 2010 – 7

Gonzaga has been awarded a competi-tive grant to join a national experiment in undergraduate science education, funded by the Howard Hughes Medical

Institute. The Science Education Alliance is based on student research and nationwide collaboration. All 35 universities in the program will pool their data, share images and more. “So our students will get to see what it’s like to participate in a collab-orative project on a large scale,” said Nancy Staub, biology professor. Phages – viruses that attack bacteria – are the biological linchpin of this program. “We aren’t the only ones that get attacked by viruses; bacteria suffer from viral infections too. This yearlong lab sequence focuses on isolating and se-quencing the DNA of bacte-riophages. The phages will be isolated from local soil samples,” Staub explains. Each year, SEA coordina-tors will pose a new ques-tion about phages for students to research. Starting this fall, Gonzaga sophomores will have the opportunity for this research in two lab classes. Upperclassmen will benefit by be-ing teaching assistants for the lab, and other up-perclassmen may benefit from doing related re-search. Given the diversity of these viruses, many are expected to be unique, so the students will get to name their newly identified life form. They then will purify and characterize their phage and extract its DNA. Between terms, the purified DNA will be sent to the Joint Genome Institute-Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico for sequencing. In the second term, the students re-ceive files containing their isolated phage’s DNA

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a donated 100-foot long greenhouse. Campus Kitchen director Emily Paulson said the group is seeking donations of seeds and starts. The produce will help student volunteers feed the disadvan-taged in Spokane. ¶ Gonzaga’s nursing students were among the steady hands to administer the University’s H1N1 im-munizations last semester. Under the supervision of nursing faculty, students who helped with the immunization clinics were able to satisfy part of their clinical requirements. “But it soon blossomed into a truly volunteer effort that didn’t count towards anything other than serv-ing the community,” said Dale Abendroth, assistant professor of nursing. “I had one student tell me she personally gave close to 200 shots.” ¶ Business major Kevin Darrow and computer science major Sam Youtsey, both juniors, are the proud owners of a developing Spokane busi-ness, Spokane Pedicab. “One of the biggest challenges we encountered was simply overcoming some of our fears of owning our own business,” said Youtsey. Spokane Pedicab is a green business, providing the city’s first zero-emission public transportation. They offer both tours of the area and taxi transportation around Gonzaga and downtown. ¶ If all Gonzaga students who live off campus drive to class on the same day, the one-way distance traveled is 28,217 miles. For faculty and staff, the figure is 12,697 miles. Distances were calculated based on zip code. On the other hand, out of all employers participating in Spokane’s Bike to Work Week last year, Gonzaga had the highest percentage of new bike com-muters. ¶ Students who yearn for later hours at the Foley Center Library are getting their wish. Starting this semester, Foley stays open until 2 a.m., Sunday through Thursday. The news so pleased one group of students they gave their librarian a standing ovation. As students explain it to Foley Dean Eileen Bell Gar-rison, they have many activities in the early evening and often don’t get started studying or researching until around 10 p.m. So, forcing them to leave at mid-night is actually disrupting them in the midst of their prime work time ¶ All in the family, Gonzaga style: Allen Patty, director of the Gonzaga leadership devel-opment program (and former director of ROTC), wife Ronna, and daughter Morgan are all current students at Gonzaga. Allen is pursuing a doctorate in leadership studies. Ronna and sophomore Morgan are both pursuing nursing. “My goal is to have my doctorate by the time the other two graduate so we can all be on stage together,” said Allen. The only thing missing, said Ronna, is a wife. “We need someone to do the housework and some-one to make dinner for us when we’re all doing homework.”

GU joins national research projectsequence. The students will use bioinformatics tools to analyze and annotate the genomes from their phage. “One of our goals in biology is that our stu-dents learn how to solve mysteries about the natu-ral world. This is what science is,” said Kirk Anders, associate professor of biology at Gonzaga. “This course puts real discovery and problem-solving

right up front. Our hope is that all the students who take this course will be inspired to get involved with more research later on.” The program complements Gonzaga’s current HHMI grant. In April 2008, GU received $1.2 million for added undergraduate research opportunities and other science enhancements.

• Two new pieces of equipment funded by Nation-al Science Foundation grants totaling $350,000 will mean more – and more sophisticated – student re-search at Gonzaga––. A CD spectrometer will bend light in ways useful to molecular research. An in-ductively coupled plasma spectrometer will be in-stalled toward the end of the semester and will be available to several departments.

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TESOLat 11,000’By Sabrina Jones

Although Diana Candia-Martinez grew up in Cusco, Peru, it nev-er crossed her mind that she would one day write a thesis on teaching English to the artisans in her hometown. “As a child, I spent a lot of time in the Sacred Valley of the Incas,” said Candia-Martinez, who is currently enrolled in Gonzaga’s graduate Teach-ing English to Speakers of Other Languages program. “Tour-ists come from all over and most all of them rely on English to communicate. I knew there were no institutions in Pisac or

Chinchero for the artisans and market vendors to learn English, so the opportunity to teach was there.” Candia-Martinez spent three months in Peru surveying, interviewing and ob-serving market vendors, negotiating with local authorities and arranging Spanish classes and accommodations in an effort to make the two-week class a reality. Eigh-teen months, countless e-mails and meetings with town officials in Pisac and Chin-chero, Candia-Martinez and her adviser, Gonzaga University assistant Professor of English as a Second Language Marilyn Jackson-Runyan, had received approval to offer the TESOL program in Peru. “The mayors of these towns were invaluable to me,” Candia-Martinez said. “They promoted our classes within the artisan commu-nity and let ESL students register through their town halls, provided us with class-room space and certificates for the ESL students.” Last Christmas Day, Candia-Martinez and Jackson-Runyan, along with seven other students, boarded a plane in Spokane destined for Lima, Peru. Over the course of those 14 days, TESOL students took turns as both student and teacher. According to Candia-Martinez, “The participants learned English pedagogy in our TESOL class, the ESL class gave them the opportunity to teach and apply what they learned, and they took on the role of language learners in the Spanish class.” One of the participants, who already spoke Spanish, took Quechua lessons. At the end of the course, students earned a TESOL certificate, allowing them to teach English in different parts of the world. The ESL students also earned a certificate from Gonzaga and the towns of Pisac and Chinchero. Katie Love (’09) found the transition from student to teacher to be difficult. “Teaching in front of a classroom was extremely taxing,” she said. “More thought goes into the creation of a lesson plan than I anticipated.” Love had no Spanish language experience. “I hadn’t really thought about the implications of this un-til I was standing in front of a classroom, trying to teach people who spoke Quechua and Spanish, while I could only communicate in English. It was a very humbling experience to realize what a handicap I had. I certainly have more appreciation for people who come to America without knowing English.” Following class each day, Love took Spanish lessons and credits her own students’ perseverance in learning the English language for her ability to “power through” a new language of her own. Each afternoon Jackson-Runyan and the Gonzaga students broke into two groups, each traveling to the rural towns of either Pisac or Chinchero to teach English to local adults. “All of my students were na-tive speakers of Quechua, which is the indigenous language spoken in most of Peru,” Runyan said. “Most were also traditional weavers and knitters.” By the end of two weeks, almost all of their students were able to say: “Welcome, please look” and answer the questions: “What is this? Is it handmade? How is it made? How much is it?” The students also became conversant in colors, numbers and sizes. “It’s an incredible, interconnected teaching-learning program,” Jackson-Runyan said. “The students go there not only to learn another language, but to discover how to teach another language to the local people. For me, I treasure the personal connections I made with the artisans. One of our students invited us to her home to show us how she makes her art. We saw the plants that provide the dyes for the alpaca wool, the root she grates to clean the wool and how she makes a stunning red dye from a Cochinita beetle.”

Living with the locals

For Rose Knight, just getting to Peru was an experience. “We flew into Lima and then to Cusco,” she said. “From there we hopped a bus to

Urubamba, which means ‘land of the spi-ders and insects’ so I definitely had my ra-dar up.” The surprises didn’t stop once she got to Urubamba, either. Knight spent two weeks in Gonzaga’s Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages program with a local family – parents who were retired professors – who just happened to keep roosters as pets – right outside Knight’s bedroom window. “Those roosters started their days at 3:30 a.m. and, therefore, I did too.” The most popular dish in Peru? Try guinea pig. “I had guinea pig soup, and pretty soon I just stopped asking and ate what was placed in front of me,” said Knight, who will graduate from Gonzaga in May with a double major in political sci-ence and international relations. Knight also learned the value of understatement from her host family. “One day my host father took me on a local tour and explained the lifestyle of the Quecha people,” Knight said. “One evening I came home after a day of learning and teaching to find some of these people at our table, sharing dinner with us. Although my host family is considered to be ‘distin-guished’ among their peers, they choose not to live like it.” Knight spent her afternoons in the rural town of Chinchero, traveling by bus “driven by crazy drivers on curvy, moun-tainous roads, sometimes stopping for goats, baby pigs or mudslides when they got in the way.” Knight’s most memorable moment? “Seeing my students communicate with me in English,” she said. “They started out calling me ‘teacher, teacher’ and by the end of my short time there, not only could they say my name, but they knew the meanings of English words that had an impact on

Spanish in the morning, English afternoonsDinner? Guinea pig soup.Gonzaga TESOL Abroad takes adventure-minded students to Peru’s Valley of the Incas.

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Rose Knight admires hand-woven textiles.

TESOLat 11,000’

For Love, her time in Peru “really called into question the issues of justice and poverty, top-ics that I had learned and thought about, but had never experienced outside of my Gonzaga service work.” Beyond the teaching and learning, the Gonza-ga students also found time to explore the rich cul-ture of the area, visiting Machu Picchu and several archeological sites in the Sacred Valley of the In-cas. “Our trip to Machu Pichu was incredible,” Love said. “Four of us hiked Waynapichu, traversing up the side of an extremely steep mountain. It was the most awe-inspiring trip I have ever taken.” “We all went out for a farewell dinner after our last day of class,” Jackson-Runyan said. “One of my students literally gave me the hat off her head, which was quite an honor. When my other students heard about it, they took up a collection for the ar-tisan because they wanted to feel they were part of this gift, too. Although materially they have so little, they overflow in their acts of kindness and generosity.”

Above: The Incas used this as a laboratory to grow crops from different ecologi-cal regions. Each terrace has a different temperature, so crops that grew in different climates could be grown here. At the bottom crops are being grown, likely potatoes.

Left: At Ollantaytambo, an ancient Inca city, mem-bers of the Gonzaga group climbing down from the Temple of the Sun.

Sima’s heart CCASL director’s hard work, tenacity shapes students into young men and women for others

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Dani Long(’09), co-ordinator of Campus Kids, embraces one of the elementary students. “She does love a good hug,” Long said.

Sima Thorpe, director of Gonzaga’s Center for Community Action and Service Learning, greets students as they’re arriving for Campus Kids activities. Since 1994, Gonzaga students have mentored more than 700 fourth- through sixth-graders.

By Peter Tormey

Impacts of the nation’s economic mal-aise are visible everywhere in the early months of 2010, even in the growing need for volunteer services provided by students through Gonzaga’s Center for Community Action and Service-Learning, directed by Sima Thorpe. Thorpe, her staff and students have

expanded Gonzaga’s service work almost expo-nentially from its modest profile when she first came to Gonzaga in 1994. Thanks in large part to Thorpe’s leadership, Gonzaga has provided more than 100,000 hours of volunteer service annually for several years. Thorpe’s influence on the service aspect of Gonzaga’s Mission has been incalculable, said Sue Weitz, vice president for student life. “Sima fulfilled the service vision that Gon-zaga had as an institution. She made the dream of an incorporated service office come true,” Weitz said, adding that service programs were minimal before Thorpe was hired. “The lack of money never stopped Sima from developing service as part of Gonzaga’s culture,” Weitz said. “She wrote grants, solicited founda-tions, gathered donations and persevered to find a way to give students an opportunity to serve the Gonzaga community as well as the greater Spokane community. Gonzaga’s service program is now known as one of the best in the country. Kudos to Sima.” In her first year, Thorpe started the popular programs April’s Angels, which helps renovate and aid organizations that serve children, and Campus Kids, which conducts afterschool men-toring for fourth- through sixth-graders. Fifteen years later, both programs are thriving, and Campus Kids is considered a national model for afterschool service programs. Thorpe recently was named to the Washington State Afterschool Hall of Fame. She has many stories underscoring the im-pact Campus Kids program has had not only on the children being mentored but on the Gonzaga student mentors. “I am amazed at how many have fallen in love with teaching as their chosen career and many have gone on to teach children in impov-erished areas,” Thorpe said. She related one of many Campus Kids success stories. A GU stu-dent mentored a boy for four years. The two met weekly on campus from sixth grade until the boy began living on the streets in eighth grade. “During that time the Gonzaga student met with his mentee more frequently to help with his homework and keep him motivated to go to school. Even after the mentor graduated from Gonzaga and moved into a post-graduate service program in California, he continued to stay in touch with the boy,” Thorpe said. “On a visit to Spokane, our alumnus stopped by my of-fice so we could catch up and said that despite all, the boy had managed to graduate from high school. At the same time our alum was pursu-ing graduate studies in public policy so he could make changes in society to impact social injus-tice. Without a doubt his experiences as a men-tor formed his commitment and thirst for justice later in life.” Service work is almost second nature for Thorpe, whose background includes working for several years as a legal advocate and high school English teacher. For her, service is a ra-tional response to the need that has increased dramatically the past two years as many people have lost their jobs in the nation’s worst econo-my since the Great Depression. “The number of kids on free and reduced school lunches, one measure of poverty, has soared nationwide this past year,” said Thorpe. A study by the Brookings Institute released in January shows the use of food stamps increased by a staggering 24 percent from August 2008 to

August 2009 to a total of 36.5 million people. That’s 3.4 million more children on food stamps in a single year. “Times are tough, but the times demand even more volunteers to better help meet the need,” said Thorpe, who foresees Gonzaga’s ser-vice work increasing. “I see the potential contri-bution of our students and others not only at the regional and local level, but systemically, to cre-ate social change.” Thorpe promotes volunteer work to GU se-niors so effectively that Gonzaga sends the most alumni volunteers to the Jesuit Volunteer Corps per capita of any of the 28 U.S. Jesuit colleges and universities. Last year, 29 Gonzaga alumni were among the total 336 Jesuit volunteers. They ministered by teaching, providing legal services, working with refugees and immigrants, organiz-ing in low-income communities and caring for people with HIV/AIDS. Overall, 89 Gonzaga alum-ni have served in JVC. “That’s a tremendous accomplishment for Gonzaga’s mission to develop men and women for others,” Thorpe said. Gonzaga’s rise in the Jesuit service world has been noticed by many, including the JVC. Thorpe was one of two Jesuit school administrators cho-sen last year to join the national JVC Board of Directors. “Her name was initially raised at a JVC board meeting as someone who has done a phenom-enal job of promoting JVC to college seniors,” said Jack McLean, assistant vice president of student development at Loyola University, Chi-cago. “Her extensive background in community service and service-learning made her a great fit for the board.” The JVC and Gonzaga share a strong com-mitment to social justice. When Thorpe designed Mission: Possible, Gonzaga’s popular spring break service program, she drew on the four principles of the JVC mission: simple living, so-cial justice, faith and service. “There’s so much grace that you receive in return for that simple lifestyle,” Thorpe said. Her work has resulted in millions of dollars in grants and gifts, including a multi-year grant from the Washington State Mentors (via the Gates Foundation) to study the impact of men-toring programs at the national level. This grant supports Campus Kids and allows Thorpe and colleagues to participate in a study that will be disseminated internationally. CCASL has received grants for AmeriCorps and VISTA volunteers for the past 15 years. Those volunteers staff many programs and are crucial to such innovations as the Gonzaga University Spe-cialized Recreation, which puts developmentally disabled children and adults on stage, coached by GU students, in their own theater productions. Through other CCASL programs, Gonzaga stu-dents promote environmental outreach for chil-dren, as well as tutoring and study skills. “Here are our graduates from Gonzaga working in the trenches. They are working to cre-ate systemic change. Certainly, if you look at the world right now, it’s work that is very much need-ed,” Thorpe said. She believes society can and must keep changing to accommodate the poor and otherwise marginalized members of society. Thorpe’s hard work surely has accrued a reserve of grace, which she passes on to those most in need. One beneficiary is Spokane’s Wom-en Helping Women Fund. Thorpe is president of the group this year, which annually organizes a major public benefit luncheon. The 2008-2009 event featured a keynote address by journalist and author Jean Chatzky and raised $240,000 to aid 22 local programs for women and children in need. That’s precisely the kind of systemic change to which Thorpe has committed her life’s work.

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Friends for lifeA

s Kim Brezniak tells it, she wondered why – on their sec-ond date – her husband-to-be pulled out photo albums of his Gonzaga buddies. Story after

story, he told that evening. Kim knew that Steve was a newcomer to San Francisco who had left strong ties in the Pacific North-west. “But it was almost like they were his family,” she said. “Now I understand. They really were his family.’’ On Feb. 3, one of those friends, Jason Boyd (’91), kissed his 5-year-old daughter good-bye, took a three-week leave from his job in Portland, Ore., and flew south to give Steve “Brez” Brezniak (’91) a kidney – and a new life.

By Marny Lombard

Right: the Brezniak family Kim, Grayson and Steve.

Kim and Steve spent Christmas 2008 snowed in in Seattle. Steve missed an appointment with a kidney specialist. But it didn’t seem like a big deal. Life went on. Kim yearned to be a fulltime mom, rather than a clinical social worker for Marin County. So that January, she gave notice. But when Steve got in to see the specialist in February, the doctor dropped a bombshell. Polycystic kidney disease was clogging his kidneys with cysts. Steve’s kidneys were failing. Normal kidneys are the size of a fist. Doctors eventually compared each of Steve’s kidneys to the size of a football. How could he be in kidney failure and not know it? He had fewer symptoms than many patients, and he’s a remarkably easy-going guy. Steve learned several years ago that he had inherited PKD, but he hadn’t expected its onset so soon. Steve’s mother went on dialysis when he was a teen. She died in 1998 after a transplant gave her almost 10 good years. After the February appointment, Kim panicked – and Steve left on a business trip. “He was taking it in bit by bit, not sharing a lot,” Kim said. With 16,000 names on California’s kidney transplant list, Steve faced a six-year wait for a so-called ca-daver transplant. His other option was to find his own donor – a living transplant. “I was so naïve about living transplants. I thought it would all be taken care of so fast,” Kim said. Grayson’s room has a rocking chair. “From that chair, you can see a photograph of our wedding, hanging out in the hallway,” she said. “Looking at that picture made me think that life as we know it can change so fast. A couple of years ago I didn’t have a care in the world, and now I’m wondering if my little boy is going to have a father to help him grow up.” As Steve prepared reluctantly for dialysis his doctor had him tour a dialysis center. The machines, the older patients — it all brought

back memories of his mother. He recoiled from the idea of segmenting his life into three-times-a-week sessions. How could he work in a job that re-quired travel? Dialysis seemed like waiting for death. So, Kim – 5-foot-8 next to Steve’s 6-foot-4 frame – read-ied herself to be Steve’s donor. Their difference in height and frame was significant, but not impossible. “They don’t want to have a small kidney trying to work in a big body,’ Steve explained. “But it was going to be OK.” “I was so sure it was going to work.” Kim’s voice thickens with emotion. She went through blood tests, tissue tests, blood stool testing, an EKG, a spirometry test and more. Es-pecially for a first donor applicant, the process can run as long as three months. No match. Kim produced too much oxalate in her kid-neys, forcing them to work harder than normal. She was a poor candidate for life with one kidney. “It was an awful

time. I felt like I’d let Steve down.” In May, a week after he applied for medical leave, Steve was laid off at Samsung. But Kim and Steve had socked away money to buy a house. They knew they were fortunate. They had each other, their son and health insurance through COBRA. They turned to their parish, St. Agnes Church in San Francisco. Three friends stepped forward. Each came away diagnosed with previously unknown health conditions. None was a match. The weeks and months of summer and early autumn were ticking by. But the man with legions of Gonzaga friends felt uncomfortable asking for a kidney. “That’s just the way Steve is,” Kim said. “He’s much happier in the role of caregiver.” His abdomen grew swollen, his skin dry and itchy, fatigue crept in – all signs of kidney failure. Father Cameron Ayers, S.J., the Brezniaks’ pastor, underwent testing in October. When the Brezniaks learned he was not a match, Kim bottomed out. She posted a cryptic remark on Facebook: “We’re out of people, and I’m not

sure what’s going to happen next.” GU friends responded, and the next morn-ing, Mark Briggs (’91) posted the news on Face-book. In the subject line, he wrote “Brez needs our help”. Jason Boyd was headed for a Starbucks in Eugene, Ore., when he received the e-mail. He pulled over to read it, immediately called Sau-salito, couldn’t get through and left a message. “Even before I knew what it entailed, I knew I would do it. Brez and I go back a long time, 20 years,” Jason said. The two had become friends their junior year through the Kennel Club. “And it’s not like we were a couple of guys who went to school together and then forgot about each other. I do remember thinking that I should probably know more about what I just offered to do.” Before the week was out, eight members of the Class of ’91 and two other friends submitted medical questionnaires. Jason saw the transplant as a way to save Steve’s life, not as a danger to himself. His only questions for the doctors were about whether he would be able to keep running triathlons and do-ing the other long-distance and extreme sports he still loves.

The transplant took place on Feb. 4 at UCSF Medical Center. Jason’s left kidney ‘pinked right up’ and started working as soon as it was attached in Steve’s lower right abdomen. Just two hours post-surgery, Steve’s color improved and the swelling under his eyes reduced dramatically. Transplant surgeon Dr. Chris Friese declared it a ‘textbook’ procedure and said he was extraordinarily optimistic about the future for both men. Steve was released from the hospital Feb. 7, and Jason got out on Feb. 8. Both have recovered well. “All the glossy college brochures talk about friendships that last a lifetime and the meaning of a Jesuit education,” said Kim. “I just wanted to let you know that it is all true. These men that graduated from GU are amazing. They are teachers and salesmen, writers and entrepreneurs. They are husbands, fathers and friends. Thank you for being a University that brings out the best in the students that you serve. Thank you for making the promises true. ”

These members of the Class of ’91 volunteered as potential kidney donors for Steve Brezniak: Jason Boyd, Mark Briggs, Brad Benson, Dan Summerfeldt, John Bianchi, Mike Stehlik, Jeff Skeldon, Bill Taylor. All but two lived together their freshman year in Catherine-Monica.

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– Kim Brezniak

Top: Jason Boyd volunteered immediately as a potential donor and was the first to submit his medical questionnaire.

Left: Steve Brezniak, nicknamed Brez by his GU friends, sails 17-month-old Grayson high in his arms.

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Markus Weickenmeier(’08) / Microsoft

What do you do for Microsoft? I am responsible for our Microsoft Online Ser-vices business in education, as well as setting our approach in competing against Google in small and mid-market segments. I oversee the strategic direction of our cloud services platform, directing the activities of our education and small and mid-market sales teams.

Tell us something cool about your job. I get to be on the move constantly. My job involves the strategic oversight over one of Micro-soft’s core products, but also directly influences the way we compete with companies such as Google across the United States. I have the privilege of meeting with governors of states, ministers of education, as well as company CIOs and heads of

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technology for education institutions. Last spring I visited over 20 universities in four weeks – I get to travel and discuss trends in technology and help people solve their technology headaches.

What is your passion with this work? My job challenges me every day. This is a space and field that requires diligence, rigor and experience. Being relatively new to the “real world” I am challenged to learn all this on the fly and grow personally and professionally every day. I come to work every morning and there is a good chance something has happened overnight that could mean a set back to the team and the company. I get to work through that, problem solve, drive results – it amazes me to see the trust our leadership team and Microsoft put into a 24-year-old to drive a business that impacts the company bottom line and millions of users.

On your Markus, set, go!

Above, Markus Weickenmeier directs a Microsoft sales team of 150 people. Heather Cummins, center, oversees smart grid projects for Avista; Andrew Durgan, right, is the latest addition to the R&D group at Moses Lake Industries; and top is Darren Sekiguchi, at left, with an S-100 unmanned aerial vehicle.

Darren Sekiguchi(’99, ’00 M.B.A.) / Boeing runs a program that supports customers who buy Boeing’s unmanned aircraft, ground or maritime systems – drones, as the public knows them. “My team works side-by-side with the military personnel who are responsible for missions utiliz-ing unmanned systems. Our team provides ser-vices from support to maintenance to operational flight services, assuring they’re always ready to fly. The team works domestically and in multiple theaters of operation, all over the world.” Sekiguchi also is tasked with transforming his team from a focus on product, to a focus on ser-vice. “It’s not ‘We’ll sell you a product and you’re on your own.’ Instead, we provide services to our customers from training to hardware.” Forty weeks a year, he visits customers, in-ternal and external, domestically and abroad, to make sure they’re getting the level of service they need, addressing their concerns and providing them with updates on Boeing’s services. “I also spend a lot of time with our employees to find out what we can do to make their jobs eas-ier and to help them better serve the customer.” His regular stops reach from tiny Bingen, Wash., along the Columbia River, where Boeing subsid-iary Insitu, Inc. manufactures unmanned aircraft, to Washington, D.C., where he works with the U.S. Department of Defense, to Vienna, Austria, where he connects with a major manufacturing partner. “While many see drones purely for defense uses – there is another aspect of drones,” Sekiguchi said. “There are drones as defense, and drones for saving and protecting lives. Primarily we operate in the area of saving lives. We spend a lot of time ensuring the quality of support for the equipment, and in many cases we are overhead of American sons and daughters in Afghanistan and Iraq, using surveillance and helping our customer figure out how not to get into trouble.”

Heather Cummins(’00) / Avista is director of smart grid projects for Avista, a private utility in eastern Washington and north Idaho. Cummins currently oversees two projects valued at $78 mil-lion. A lot of money? Yes, but Cummins points out that these are on the small end of smart grid proj-ects today. One of the projects will affect 14,000 Pullman residents. In this regional smart-grid demonstra-tion, those Avista customers will be able to track their energy use on line. A sample group of 1,500 will have automated control of certain appliances. “The Pullman project includes making a lot of devices smarter so we can improve our system’s efficiency through more intelligent management,” Cummins said. The Pullman project also involves working with several other regional entities. The second smart grid project under Cum-mins’ direction will improve Spokane-area power distribution facilities by adding ‘brains’ to switch-es that would normally operate manually. For cus-tomers, the difference will mean a blink in their power versus an outage of an hour when there is a disruption to the system, like a car hitting a pole.Cummins started up the leadership ladder three years ago and counts herself lucky to work with so many knowledgeable colleagues. “I’m hands on in decision-making, but not in the design or the logistics. I definitely keep up-to-date on technical advances so I can make accurate decisions. When anyone asks what I do, I still tell them I’m an engineer. “Because the smart grid projects are bringing transformational technology and operational is-sues to Avista, we are continually reviewing our processes and normal assumptions to make sure they are still applicable.” Cummins teaches as an adjunct instructor in Gonzaga’s Transmission and Distribution Program in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Andrew Durgan(’09) / Moses Lake Industriesis a research chemist, the latest addition to the research and development team at Moses Lake Industries, Inc., a producer of chemicals for the semi-conductor industry. He chose employment after graduation in order to gain experience before committing to one area of research in graduate school. “While at Gonzaga, I became interested in inorganic and analytical chemistry. Even in those two classes, the fields of chemistry involved are numerous, so I felt that I wanted to explore those fields more.” Working with Assistant Professor Matthew Cremeens, Durgan did his own research as an undergraduate. Those experiences gave him confidence, understanding, and the mindset of a chemist. “You can learn every bit of theory from the classes and textbooks, but the application of chemistry is where you transform from a chem-istry student to a chemist. I found myself facing problems which I had no clear path for solving. Often times, solving these problems demanded numerous tests or simply following trial and er-ror until a promising avenue came into view. Cremeens allowed me to take charge of my proj-ects in the research lab. He was more a guide for when I was truly lost, than someone giving me a procedure to follow word for word. That freedom to explore was what allowed me to grow as a stu-dent, researcher and chemist.” Durgan sees a future for himself at Moses Lake Industries. For several years, MLI has been awarded quality excellence and customer ap-proval awards by major companies such as Intel and Samsung. At the same time Durgan hopes to start graduate school in the next couple of years. He recently became engaged and will be married in August.

On your Markus, set, go!

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Four spring season student athletes talk about their sport and the coming season Mental toughness

KRISTINA ZAUERE: I love the feeling that I am playing not just for myself, but for my team and Gonzaga. The encouragement and support of my teammates and coach is what makes me fight till the end. I love this sport, it is my passion. Every victory is a special moment, when you feel that you have accom-plished something for your team, for your university. But I think that in ten-nis, a real golden moment is yet to come for me. What was really important and significant for me was getting into Gonzaga and being on the team. That opened up a lot of opportunities for me, not only in terms of tennis, but also academically and building my future life. Coach (D.J.) Gurule keeps reminding me, “Move your feet!” That is the main thing I try to keep in mind. No good luck charms for me, but one odd thing is that I never flip my racket in my hand. I always hit the forehand with the same side of the racket. And I check how I am holding my racket before every point. I am a sophomore from Riga, Latvia, and I always knew that I would go to the United States to study and play tennis. We don’t have sports programs at Latvian universities, and I wanted to keep playing tennis. I searched for a smaller university with a friendly community and a similar climate to my home. I like Gonzaga and would not trade it for any other university.

DEREK CHENEY: Most sports last two or three hours per game, but golf rounds – espe-cially tournament rounds – take much longer. For most tournaments, we are on the golf course for up to 11 or 12 hours. This requires great patience, which is something I have. One of the most important moments in my golfing career came the summer after my freshman year. I won the Tri-City Amateur golf tourna-ment, beating out five players from Pac-10 teams and many former college golfers. It made me realize that I could compete with almost any college golfer in any given week. Without that win, I might not have been able to accomplish all that I have in the past few years at Gonzaga. Since I was a freshman, Coach (Robert) Gray has worked to help me keep my emotions in check when I hit a bad shot. I used to get so upset with myself. Coach tries to get me to forget about the bad shots when they happen and just move on to the next one. That way, I can keep my emo-tions steady and stay more consistent throughout the tournament. It sounds weird, but when I play I always have four golf tees in my right pocket. If I have five, my pocket feels too full, and if I have three, it feels too empty. If I break a tee I get a new one out of my bag. I have done this as long as I can remember. The hardest thing about the upcoming season? Knowing that it will be my last one. I have had the time of my life over the past four years playing on this team, and I can’t believe it is almost over.

To follow Corrina O’Brien on one of her races, go to www.gonzaga.edu/GQlinks.

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CORRINA O’BRIEN: Coach (Pat) Tyson always tells us to have positive self-talk, because the minute we become negative in our heads, is the moment we start giving up and become slower. Coach tells me how fast he thinks I could be if I had the right attitude and trained properly. Since I changed my outlook and committed to his program, I have become faster. Coach has these motivational things he says. Sometimes he tells you about your form, or to relax; other times he tells a joke to get you to smile and enjoy the race. I have found myself saying two of his phrases to my-self. The first is “Eyes up, spirits up.” I am awful at looking forward and ‘reeling in’ the competition. I would much rather stare at the ground and stay in my zone. Coach knows that if I see where I am in the race, I can lift my spirit up as well. So, I love it when he says that. Next is “Embrace the pain.” He knows that we are in pain when we run. How I handle the pain determines how I do in the race. The upcoming season could be my best yet. I can tell I am much faster than last spring. However, I am majoring in physical education and, as a senior, I student teach this semester. Due to my schedule, I will either meet the team late at the track, or do workouts by myself. I won’t have team-mates running with me, pulling me along. I will have to find determination within myself. Before my races, I ask God to be present and help me be positive for my teammates. Even if I am nervous, I feel like as a captain it is my job to act calm and be the person to whom my teammates can turn.

Mental toughness

CODY MARTIN: Baseball is such a slow and methodical sport, people don’t always see what is going on inside the game. Yet if you are not mentally tough, this game will eat you alive. Over the years – especially here at Gonzaga – I have learned how to control my emotions and stay mentally tough enough to fight through any situation. At the end of last year’s WCC Championship series, the stands were packed with a few thousand screaming fans. In the dugout we were just waiting for the last out. It felt like forever, but we knew once we got it, we were going to rush out and be part of one of the greatest ‘dog-piles’ ever on a Gonzaga baseball field. We had worked all year to win the WCC cham-pionship and reaching that goal was one of the most incredible feelings. Having faith in our teammates is a big thing for Coach (Mark) Mach-tolf. He tells us that we need to trust that if we do something poorly, our teammates will be there to pick us up. Our team has grown into a close-knit family. The hardest thing about this season? For me, it’ll be stepping up as a leader, trying to be a bit more vocal as a senior than I have in the past. Every time I step on the mound I draw a cross on the backside of the mound with my cleats and say a quick little prayer to myself. A few years back my grandfather told me that he said a prayer for me every time I took the mound. After a while he suggested I do it myself. I tried it and threw extremely well that day.

golden moments and more...

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SPRING 2010 – 18

Share your ALUMNEWSWe’re interested not only in the major milestones of your lives, but in the rest of your lives: volunteer work, vacation news and sightings of long-lost Zags. Please send word of adventures and ac-complishments to gonzaga@gonzaga.edu, or by snail mail to Editor, Gonzaga Quarterly, Gonzaga University Marketing & Communications, 502 E. Boone Ave., Spokane, WA 99258-0070. Quality pho-tos are appreciated, will be used if space permits, and returned to you upon request.

Alumni News

Geoff Bellman (’61) is the co-author of “Extraordinary Groups,” the result of a field-study as to why some groups are more successful than others. Bellman uses inter-views with individuals from 60 groups, product designers to ball players, to develop suggestions for those working in group settings.

Sheila Kelly (’64) has writ-ten “Treadwell Gold: An Alaska Saga of Riches and Ruin.” The book provides first-person accounts of the company town surrounding the world’s largest gold mine at the turn of the 20th cen-tury. Vintage photos capture the industrial vigor of the mines and the daily lives that made up Treadwell society.

Shanna Stevenson (’71) is the author of “Women’s Votes, Women’s Voices: The Campaign for Equal Rights in Washington.” The book, published by the Washing-ton State Historical Society, traces the roots of the movement nationally and locally.

Jeff Koehler (’91) has written “Rice Pasta Couscous: The Heart of the Mediterranean Kitchen” which explores the staple foods of the region. His first book, “La Paella: Deliciously Authentic Rice Dishes from Spain’s Mediter-ranean Coast” was named a noteworthy cookbook of 2006 by the New York Times. Stefan Bradley (’96) describes the impact of Black Power ideology on the Students’ Afro-Amer-ican Society at Columbia in “Harlem vs. Columbia University, Black Student Power in the Late 1960s.” Bradley is an assistant professor of history and African American studies at St. Louis University. Brian Robbins (’97) has authored “The House on Neptune,” in which he explores the idea that “Christ’s followers understand themselves to be, in the biblical phrase, ‘strangers and aliens’ on this earth,” Robbins said. “Saints of previous gen-erations considered themselves pilgrims on a journey toward heaven, but what does it look like for us to live that out in the 21st century?”

An Alaska Saga of Riches and Ruin

Sheila Kelly

Alumni Books

’63 Howard Tennant has been reap-pointed to the National Research Council Canada. His expertise includes budget-

ing, financing and commercializing the output of science at the university level. From 1977 to 1987 he served as dean of graduate studies and research and associate vice president at the University of Saskatchewan. He also served as president and vice chancellor of the University of Lethbridge in Alberta. The NRC is recognized for research and innovation in science and technology.

’70 Joe Day, classics professor at Wabash College, was named Classics Teacher of the Year in Indiana. Joe was a student

of Father Fredric Schlatter, S.J., Gonzaga faculty emeritus. Day has been a senior associ-ate member of the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece, and is an expert on the ancient Greek epigram, rituals and monu-ments.

’74 Edward Davis is a new part-ner at Bullivant

Houser Bailey PC, a West Coast business and complex litigation law firm in San Francis-co. Toni (Cook) Smith and her husband Doug attended the Interna-tional Conference on the History of Cartog-raphy in Copenhagen, Denmark, last July. Bob Sweigert (M.A. Theatre Arts ’79) had a tough medical year. “At my age and after what I have been through in the last year and a half, just waking up alive every morning puts a smile on my face,” he said. Bob enjoys writing a column for the Sierra Sun in Lake Tahoe, where he’s lived for 27 years.

’75 Jim Porter moved his practice to UBS Financial after spending nearly a quarter century at Merrill Lynch, both in Las

Vegas. A more important milestone, he said, was the birth of great granddaughter Zoi on July 6. “My wife Sue and I, our two daughters Karen and Page, our granddaughter Brittany, grandson Caleb and now Zoi are all living the dream here in Las Vegas,” said Jim. “I can golf 12 months out of the year and that is nice too.” Jim is look-ing forward to the basketball tournament in Las Vegas in March and hopes to see some of the old gang from the class of ’75.

’76 Dr. John Robinson was named chief medical officer of Molina Healthcare of Washington. He is responsible for

oversight of the integrated health services, qual-ity improvement, credentialing and pharmacy functions of the health plan. Molina Healthcare of Washington has approximately 327,000 mem-bers.

’77 Dr. Bobbi Daniels has been selected as chief executive officer for University of Minnesota Physicians. She had served

as chief medical officer for UMPhysicians since 2003. University of Minnesota Physicians serves as the group practice for the University of Min-nesota Medical School full-time faculty.

’80 Roger Brown (J.D.) recently completed a master’s in law degree in alternative dispute resolution from the University

of Missouri School of Law-Columbia. He has been in private practice since he graduated from Gonzaga. Roger was also recently accepted as a member of the American Board of Trial Advo-cates and for the second year was named to Super Lawyers of Kansas and Western Missouri.

’81 Susan Voss (J.D.) was elected presi-dent-elect of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. She is Iowa’s

insurance commissioner, a position she has held since appointment in 2005. Susan has served in several positions in Iowa’s state government.

’85 John Cowley is general sales manager for Pioneer Sports, Inc., a college and minor league sports marketing com-

pany. He has done the ‘color commentating’ for the University of Washington softball team for the last 10 years. “I even got a National Cham-pionship ring – something a 5-foot-6 guy really never counts on,” he said. John, his wife Sheila, son Max and daughter Olivia live in Kent, Wash.

’89 Mark Lambrecht was named executive director of the Montana Quality Educa-tion Coalition. He previously served as

manager of regulatory affairs for PPL Montana, a hydroelectric company.

’96 Scott Morgan, Lompoc police officer, has been promoted to agent. He partici-pated in extensive testing and competed

against other qualified candidates within the department. Scott attended Gonzaga on a bas-ketball scholarship before playing professional baseball for nine years for the Cleveland Indians, Anaheim Angels, Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres organizations, all before becom-ing an officer. The rank of agent is equivalent to corporal in other police departments. Jonathan Rains and wife, Maile, are about to celebrate the first birthday of their son, Oliver John Kainalu

Edward Davis

Doug and Toni Smith atop Denmark’s highest point at 193 meters.

John Cowley, center, wife Sheila, son Max and daughter Olivia

To read excerpts from these books, go to www.gonzaga.edu/GQlinks.

SPRING 2010 – 19

Who are these Zags? Our most recent “mystery Zag” was Dorothy Darby Smith, one-of-a-kind theater program di-rector from 1964-73. Readers shared their memo-ries, including this from Pete Thompson (’66): “Her son, Montgomery, and I were class-mates and friends. We talked each other into try-ing out for one of his mother’s plays. We showed up at the appointed time and had separate read-ings. I don’t recall how Monty did, but I certainly remember my experience. After hearing about three sentences, Dorothy peered over the top of her glasses, and in her husky voice looked me in the eyes and said in a rising crescendo, ‘Out, out, out!’ ” This time we offer four “mystery Zags” – three of whom are still on campus today. Identify them and share your favorite memories by email-ing gonzaga@gonzaga.edu or write to Editor, Gonzaga Quarterly, AD Box 70, Gonzaga Univer-sity, 502 E. Boone Ave., Spokane, WA 99258-0070.

Rains. They live in Denver where Jonathan works for the Russell Investment Group and Maile helps their first-born child learn about the world.

’97 Mia Ah Sani (M.A. Pastoral Ministry) is pastoral care director at Lumen Christi in St. Paul, Minn. She serves as a grief min-

ister. The death of her own father helped her be-come a better grief minister as she realized how heartbroken families really were. “I have also realized that death and dying is not something to

be feared,” she said.

’00 Chris Downey and Melissa Trainer welcomed

junior Zag Julian Trainer Downey on Oct. 13.

’01 Kelly Bland will coach the new Harbor Fire high

school lacrosse team in Gig Harbor, Wash. Kelly coached the seventh- and eighth-grade youth teams last season in Gig Harbor. Melody Crick and Scott Peters were married Oct. 3 at the Island Wedding Chapel in the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas. Sara Becker (’01) served as a bridesmaid; the bride’s mother, Nienke Crick (’92 M.Ed.,’98 Ed.D.), gave Melody away.

’02 Ezra Eckhardt (M.B.A.) serves as chief operat-

ing officer of Sterling Financial Corporation and chief operating officer and president of Sterling Sav-ings Bank. He also teaches as an adjunct instructor at Gonzaga’s Gradu-ate School of Business. William Schroeder was hired as an associate with Paine Hamblen LLP in the Spokane office. His em-phasis is in civil litigation. Meagan Flynn played

a small role in the film “Up in the Air” starring George Clooney. She was a flight attendant in the Golden Globe-nominated film. The best part, she said, was “looking to my right at George Clooney and looking to my left at Jason Reit-man. I’m a huge fan of both so it was definitely a ‘pinch me’ moment.”

’03 Matthew Hoag and Cara Gish (‘04) were married Oct. 17 at the Gonzaga Stu-dent Chapel with a reception at the Cat-

aldo Globe Room. They live in Knoxville, Tenn., where Matt is earning a doctorate in accounting and Cara is an enrollment specialist for Edison-Learning. Brandi Wildfang (’06 M.B.A.) and

Andrew Simmons were married Aug. 8 at Saint James Catholic Church in Vancouver, Wash. The reception was held at the World Trade Center in Portland. Brandi works in marketing at Time Warner Cable; Andrew is an assistant director of admissions at Regis University. “What brings a smile to me these days? Watching GU basketball, renovating our home, spending time with fellow Gonzaga alumni, and enjoying married life,” says Brandi.

’04 Kristen Doyle (’06 M. School Counsel-ing) married Jonathan Flemer on Nov. 14 in Bellevue, Wash. They live in Issaquah,

Wash., where Kristen is a school counselor

Chief Justice Madsen – a role beyond her dreams Barbara Madsen (’77 J.D.) has been named chief justice for Washington’s Supreme Court. “In my new role I am looking forward to working with others to open the legal profession and the judiciary to people from under-represented communities. As only the second woman to serve in this position I have a unique opportunity to be a role model, a mentor and a voice for inclusion and collabo-ration,” said Madsen, who has served 16 years on the Supreme Court. As a child, Madsen attended Catholic school in Renton, Wash. “The nuns impressed upon my classmates and me the tremendous gifts we had been given, along with the serious responsibility to share those gifts with others. Learning early in life about those in need and about other cultures made a deep mark in my world view. Every career I dreamed about as a child involved working in other countries. Although I never envi-sioned becoming a justice (or a chief), I did believe I would find a way to serve my community.” Chief Justice Madsen and her husband, Donald, have four chil-dren. “They are my greatest joy. They volunteer at soup kitchens, organize fund raising for community projects, drive for women’s transit and supervise at shelters for street kids – my husband and I are so fortunate,” she said In 1993, Chief Justice Madsen became the inaugural recipient of the Myra Bradwell Award, which annually honors a Gonzaga Law alumna who has made great strides on behalf of women. She serves on the Board of Advisers for Gonzaga Law School and regularly participates as a judge in Gonzaga’s annual Moot Court Competition. Madsen is one of three Gonzaga alumnae now serving on Washing-ton’s Supreme Court, along with Mary Fairhurst (‘79, ‘84 J.D.) and Debra Stephens (‘87, ‘93 J.D.).

Chief Justice Barbara Madsen

Jonathan Rains with wife Maile and son Oliver

Chris Downey and son Julian

Melody and Scott Peters

William Schroeder

To find more memories of Dorothy Darby Smith, go to www.gonzaga.edu/GQlinks.

SPRING 2010 – 20

Kristen and JonathanFlemer

and Jon is a systems analyst. Colin and Brenna (Foley) Kelly welcomed Ciaran William on Nov. 9. He joins big sister, Evelyn, 2. Colin recently joined Signia Capital Management as an associate analyst. He supports the research and trading functions of the company. The Kelly family lives in Spokane.

’05 Brittany French and John Stevens

were married Sept. 5 at the Prince of Peace Chapel in Seattle with a reception at the Space Needle. They live in Seattle where John is a third-year medical student at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine. Brittany graduated from UW’s School of Law in 2009. She is a litigation associ-ate in the San Francisco office of the law firm of Paul, Hastings, Janof-sky & Walker. An-drew Grant and Tracy Thompson were married Sept. 19 at the Wood-mark Hotel in Kirkland, Wash. Following the wedding, the couple honeymooned in Maza-

tlan, Mexico. The two make their home in West Seattle. Both practice law in Seattle, Tracy at Ogden Murphy Wallace and Andrew at Perkins Coie.

’06 Sara Fleehart is employed by Lifespan Psychological Services and provides therapy and tutoring services to adoles-

cents with a variety of challenges.

’07 Jeff Parker (M.Org.L.) is director of the executive search division of Stratum Med, Inc. of Urbana, Ill. Kelsey Mer-

wick and Joe Tomascheski wed Aug. 1 in Seattle. Bridesmaids Julie Tomascheski (‘13), Annie Carey and Breanne O’Doherty joined

groomsmen and ushers Nick Scarsella, DJ Farris, Tommy Hulse, Nick Tablot and Joe Vargo and Wes Norstat (‘08). Joe was co-pres-ident of the Kennel Club in 2007 and Kelsey was president of Gonzaga’s chapter of PRSSA in 2007. Joe is now the boot product manager for HO Sports Co, Inc in Redmond, Wash., and Kelsey is the marketing manager for Europe Express, a travel company in Bothell, Wash. Kelsey and Joe live in Woodinville, Wash. Marianne Fernan-dez (M.B.A.) has four pieces of art featured in a group show at Agora Gallery in New York City. Her style, like her work process, varies, she says. She has painted surrealist images, abstracts and landscape acrylics and pastels. The show will run through July.

’08 Sean Currie (J.D.) joined Portland firm

Greene & Markley P.C. as an associate. He will focus on commercial litigation, business law, creditors’ rights and bank-ruptcy. Sean is admitted to practice in Oregon and Washington. Robyn Holder (M.Org.L.) was

Babauta makes history for U.S. territories Last July, Tony Babauta (’93) became the first native of any U.S. territory appointed by a U.S. president to serve as assistant secretary of the Department of the Interior for Insular Areas. Falling within his jurisdiction are the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as three independent island republics. Babauta turned to politics early. His parents instilled in him an ethic of service, and more than once, while at Gonzaga, he flew to Guam to help work on a political campaign. After gradu-ation, he worked for the Guam Legislature, before moving to Washington, D.C. All politics, all the time? Not Babauta. He’s a loving father, as well. He took the time, during his confirmation hearing, to expressly put on the record advice to his 6-year-old daughter, Ga-briella, who was born with disabilities. “I have been instilling in her one message which I would like to make a part of the record – ‘Sweetheart you can do and be anything you want if you study earnestly, work hard and stay focused.’ I believe one day she will better appreciate such guidance as well as this historic moment for our family and for all island communities,” Babauta told members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Babauta works on many issues – school budgets to airport security – always trying through federal policy to create a better quality of life for the island peoples. “At some point, you realize that all the effort one puts into making a law or changing policy affects many lives,” he said. “Historically, we acquired many of these areas as spoils of war and thereafter each found a strategic role during the cold war. Some areas, like Guam and the Northern Marianas… continue to have strategic military value. With or without such value, it is often difficult to muster the attention and resources needed to assist their development. Nevertheless, my staff and I care deeply about our mission. We set frustrations aside to pursue positive outcomes for the people, leaders and areas we work to improve.”

selected a YWCA Woman of Excellence in Har-risburg, Penn. She was nominated by her place of business, Central Pennsylvania College. Robyn will be featured in the Harrisburg Magazine for the achievement. Elyse Cleveland is a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, in the town of Jirapa. She will serve in Ghana through August 2011 working on water and sanitation concerns. Elyse continues to learn Dagaare, which is the local dialect.

’09 Ben Doornink has been hired as busi-ness manager for Far West Agribusiness Association. Adam Stohler (J.D.) was

hired as a lawyer in the trial division for the Office of the Public Defender for the Tenth Judicial Circuit in Florida. Andy Lundquist, Meghan Flaherty, Katie Lundberg, Margaret Kay, Barbie Sol-bakken and Stephanie Janicki (’06) worked at Camp Don Bosco last summer alongside several current Gonzaga students. The camp, run by Catholic Youth Organization, lies on the edge of the Snoqualmie River Valley.

Ciaran and Evelyn Kelly

Kelsey Merwick, Joe Tomascheski and wedding party

Brittany and JohnStevens

Sean Currie

Gonzaga students and alumni at Camp Don Bosco

Tony Babauta

Save the DateOct. 22-24

2010 Reunion WeekendFall Family WeekendAll-Military Reunion

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SPRING 2010 – 21

In Memoriam

Coach Fitzgerald, 67, passes away Dan Fitzgerald, the basketball coach credited with build-ing the foundation for Gonzaga’s hoops success, died in Spo-kane Jan. 19 from an apparent heart attack. He was 67. A fiery bench coach, he was a father-figure to many of his players, and a valued mentor to the assistant coaches he brought in. He hired Dan Monson, Mark Few and Bill Grier, who helped him develop a vision for what the Gonzaga bas-ketball program has become. It was Fitz’s vision to develop

a line of succession in the coach-ing ranks, and before he retired from coaching in 1997 he asked that Monson succeed him. Mon-son did the same with his top as-sistant, Mark Few. It is that con-sistency in coaching that many credit with the success of recent years. Fitz was an assistant at Gonzaga in 1973-75, left to work as an assistant to Carroll Williams at Santa Clara for three seasons, then returned to Gonzaga as head coach and athletic director in 1978. He stepped down from his coaching position in 1981 to

devote full time to his duties as AD. But the lure of the game drew him back to the bench in 1985 as he succeeded Jay Hillock. Fitz was 252-171 during his Gonzaga coaching career and led Gonzaga to its first NCAA tournament in 1995.

Dr. Hugh Keenan (’41) passed away Oct. 10 in Walla Walla, Wash. “Bud” was a champion debater. He received his medi-cal degree from Marquette University in 1944.

Edward Herbert Hambrook (’44) passed away Sept. 30. Herb attended Gonzaga on a basketball scholarship until en-listing in the Air Force. He was a teacher, coach and principal for 32 years.

Paul Carlson (’45) passed away Nov. 10 in Glendale, Ca-lif. He was a legendary diagnostician, revered surgeon and teacher. Paul served in the Army’s 24th Infantry Regiment in Korea and earned the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and the Silver Star. He was a self-taught harmonica virtuoso, inven-tor of the Vari-Strad washtub bass and an avid supporter of the arts.

Hon. Stephen Reilly (’49 J.D.) passed away Nov. 8 on Mer-cer Island, Wash. He served in WWII as a bombardier in the Army Air Corps. Reilly worked as an assistant attorney gen-eral in the Department of Fish and Game and an attorney at the Walthew Law Firm. He was appointed to the King County Superior Court bench in 1977 where he served as judge until he retired in 1989.

Chester Raun (’50) passed away Oct. 11 in Philadelphia. He served in the Army Air Corps in the Pacific Theatre dur-ing WWII. Raun was the cadet commanding officer of the first Army ROTC at Gonzaga and was one of the first distin-guished military graduates to accept a direct appointment as a second lieutenant in the Army Officer Corps. He served in the Korean War.

Dr. Daniel Aughney (’50) passed away Nov. 30 in Sonoma, Calif. He served in the Air Force and was stationed at Ham-ilton Field in 1955. Daniel opened his dental practice in No-vato, Calif., in 1958.

Robert Weber (’51) passed away Nov. 27 in Moscow, Idaho. He served in the Army from 1944-46 and was stationed on the Aleutian Islands where he was a clerk typist. After graduating from Gonzaga, he returned to the family farm in Uniontown, Wash.

Stanley Fairhurst (’52, ‘55 M.A. Philosophy) passed away Jan. 23 in Lacey, Wash. Stan served as Gonzaga’s vice presi-dent for business and finance 1975-1987 and taught phi-losophy, business management and education classes from 1984-1997. He improved Gonzaga’s financial policies and procedures when the University was facing significant chal-lenges. Stan was also responsible for the start of the offices of financial aid and human resources.

William Bertrand (’52) passed away Sept. 30 in Billings, Mont. Bill served in the Army from 1952-54 in Korea and else-where. He was active in the Knights of Columbus, Council 1259, holding all offices through grand knight. Bill was also an officer in the Billings Bowling Association and was elected a member of the Hall of Fame in 1993. In 2000, his family was named Montana State Bowling Family of the Year.

Robert Johnson (’52 J.D.) passed away Sept. 7 in Olympia. After graduating from Gonzaga, Bob served in the Army. He practiced law with Herman, Johnson and Banta, LLC, in Mill-wood, Wash., for 19 years. Bob then worked for the Washing-ton State Insurance Commissioner’s Office as deputy insur-ance commissioner for 27 years.

Jeremiah Buckley (’52, ’64 M.B.A.) passed away Dec. 1 in Spokane. He served in the Navy as a radioman first class in the Pacific Theatre during WWII. Jerry worked for Washing-ton Water Power for 36 years, retiring as its vice president for public affairs and corporate secretary. In 1961, Bishop Topel handpicked Jerry among others to spearhead the founding of St. Margaret’s Hall (now St. Margaret’s Shelter) for home-less women and children.

Mae Asimus (’55) passed away Dec. 1 in Spokane. She be-longed to several nursing associations and retired as a nurse practitioner for the Spokane County Health District.

Catharine Elliston (’55) passed away Dec. 1 in Wenatchee, Wash. She attended Gonzaga in 1951-52 before entering nursing school. Catharine graduated as a registered nurse in 1955. She assisted the Wenatchee public health doctor, im-munizing children in public schools in the 1960s and helped at the American Red Cross blood drawings each month.

Joseph Brennan (’55 J.D.) passed away May 22 in Olympia, Wash. After high school, Joe worked for the Great Northern Railroad. He served in the Army beginning in 1943, with the military railway and in the European Theatre in WWII.

Dr. Joseph Dobler (’66) passed away Sept. 10 in Gardnerv-ille, Nev. He served as a chiropractor in the Lake Tahoe and Gardnerville areas until his retirement.

Carol Flynn (’67) passed away Oct. 1 in Maui. She was a medical technologist, as well as the mother of five and grandmother to nine. She and her husband had just cele-brated their 40th wedding anniversary.

Mark Arthur (’73) passed away Oct. 15 in Kent, Wash. “Bogi” spent his childhood surfing and swimming daily with family and friends before attending Gonzaga. He became a life-long member of the “Vashon Gang.”

Lois Gilchrist (’79) passed away Nov. 16 in Spokane. She was a devoted teacher at St. Aloysius Catholic School and an avid Gonzaga basketball fan.

Thomas Brauer (’80 M. Human Resources) passed away Nov. 26 in Spokane. He joined the Air Force in 1959 as a medic and retired in 1986 and went to school to become a physician’s assistant. He was the father of five, grandfather of eight and great-grandfather of two.

Perry Lorenzo (’80) passed away Dec. 19 in Seattle. He was an internationally acclaimed speaker on opera and was the director of education at Seattle Opera. Known as the “Opera Guy,” Perry worked with students in communities all over Washington. He wrote and produced a 75-minute adaptation of Mozart’s Magic Flute to bring opera to students in kinder-garten through sixth grade. Perry was director of the perfor-mance-oriented Young Artists Program at Seattle Opera.

Helen Bartalamay (’81 M. Special Education ) passed away Sept. 26 in Texas. She worked for Central Valley School Dis-trict in Spokane for 31 years.

Joseph Pemberton (’82 J.D.) passed away Nov. 21 in Bell-ingham, Wash. Joe was a third generation attorney in Bell-ingham. His career was marked by a concern for justice for the disadvantaged, demonstrated by his founding the Volun-teer Law Program (now “Law Advocates”). Joe received the American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Publico Award.

Gail Sutton (’92 M.A. Counseling and ’02 M.A. Teaching) passed away Sept. 30 in Spokane. She was born and raised in the Inland Northwest and taught in California, Oregon and Washington.

Herbert Carlson passed away Sept. 24 in Spokane. A for-mer Gonzaga student, Herb received both the Bronze and Silver Stars while in the Army. He had a long and successful career with Standard Oil Company of California.

John Manix passed away Nov. 27 in Spokane. This former

Gonzaga student was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fra-ternity and the American Legion, a skilled pool player and a devoted fan of Notre Dame football and Gonzaga Prep ath-letics. He achieved his college degree at age 75 after a pro-fessional life as an insurance sales manager and a veteran of the armed forces.

Kenneth Ames, former dean of the School of Education, passed away Sept. 24 in St. Cloud, Minn. He worked at Gon-zaga beginning in the late 1960s and served until 1974.

William Niggemeyer passed away Jan. 14 in Spokane. He was a founding member of the Northwest Alliance for Re-sponsible Media at Gonzaga. Bill was a lay Franciscan, the father of 10 (several of whom are GU alumni) and a former junior high school teacher and coach. He was passionate about the role of the media in the lives of children.

Bud Hazel, Gonzaga professor emeritus, passed away on March 2 in Spokane. He taught communications for 37 years at Gonzaga from 1971 through 2008. He was husband to Kathleen Hazel, adjunct instructor in communication arts, and father to Michael Hazel, assistant professor of commu-nication and leadership studies.

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SPRING 2010 – 22

In the Chapters

Alumni from the Portland Chapter met with Ronny Turiaf after a game between the Portland Trailblazers and the San Francisco Warriors.

Alberta:The Alberta Chapter tried to host an impromptu gathering on Nov. 2 to watch the Men’s basketball team beat up the University of Alberta Golden Bears. Unfortunately, with short notice and no way to get the game on the satellite we had to cancel the event. We plan on schedul-ing another event in the late spring. Stay tuned. Our objective this year is to create an up-to-date Alberta alumni list. We are also attempting to in-clude all Canadian alumni on the mailing list for a paper copy of Gonzaga Quarterly. If you wish to be on the mailing list please email me or Kara Hertz at the alumni office (khertz@gonzaga.edu). Contact: Paul Storwick, pstorwick@greatwestken-worth.com ; 403.470.0401.

Boise: Gonzaga’s Boise Chapter has been serving the community and cheering on the Zags. In October, we participated in a poker run and bike ride for the Idaho Food Bank’s Backpacks for Kids. We donated almost 20 pounds of food and raised over $200, enough to fill 36 backpack. Ev-eryone who attended said they had a great time; we’ll make it an annual event. Alums and their families brought new toys to the December game watch for Toys for Tots. Game watches took place in Jan-uary and February, and we will cheer on the Zags during the NCAA tourna-ment. Also, we will coordinate a com-munity service event to coincide with the University’s April’s Angels ser-vice projects. Details to follow, watch your inbox. Contact: Connie Sturda-vant(’08, M.Org.L.) csturdavant@pol-icy-studies.com; 208.336.1184.

Chicago: The Chicago Chapter is officially established. Fresh off a successful coat drive, the unveiling of our new chapter logo and a great debut for the chapter T-shirts, we are storming into 2010. Thanks to the 200-plus Chicago-land alumni who braved the winter weather to attend the launch party. Illinois now knows the local Zagcommunity is growing at a rapid pace. Keep informed with the alumni website and the new Chicago Chap-ter Facebook page for upcoming events includ-ing March Madness game watches at Sully’s House (Gonzaga’s home in Chicago). We have a packed spring agenda; make sure you RSVP for our Networking/Cubs Rooftop event and look for info on a Gonzaga Mass/social. Chicago Chap-ter T-shirts are still available. Contact: Derrick Stricker, derrick.stricker@hotmail; 509.430.8533.

Hawaii: We were excited to launch the Ha-waii Chapter in November with a reception which included Interim President Thayne McCulloh and several Gonzaga staff members including Kai Uahinui(’79). Many of the Zag faithful joined our strong Hawaii alumni base to see the Zags win the Maui Invitational. In December the chapter hosted an Effective Networking workshop by the head of the Referral Institute Hawaii. It was a great way to get to know each other better, identify business opportunities and enhance our skills. We would like to get to know you on our Facebook page and we look forward to workshops, game watches and other fun activities in 2010. Contact: Brian Kealo-ha(’91), bkealoha33@gmail.com; 808.225.8039.

Kansas City: There was a strong show-ing of GU pride in Kansas City as Zags gathered to discuss the development of their chapter un-

der the leadership of Erik Crew (’08). The meeting was followed by the inaugural KC game watch with 18 alumni and family members. We are look-ing forward to a spring networking event in April. Visit zagsonline.org/kansascitychapter to keep in touch with our latest chapter news and upcoming events. We will be looking for additional alumni to fill chapter leadership positions. Contact Erik Crew, ecrew70@hotmail.com in Kansas City, or Mike Hommer (hommer@gonzaga.edu) in the alumni office.

Minnesota: The Minnesota chapter partici-pated in the first official service project in October by volunteering at Feed My Starving Children, a non-profit Christian organization committed to feeding God’s starving children in body and spirit. Ten-and-a-half volunteers – including one toddler – showed up to package meals for distribution to undernourished populations around the world. The chapter has also gotten together for a number of game watches. Contact: Chris Green (‘06), cellisg@hotmail.com; 612.270.1472.

Philadelphia: Calling all Philadelphia Gon-zaga alumni! Andrew(’06) and Anne Wilson(’07) have started an alumni chapter in Philadelphia and hope to attract alumni, friends and Gonzaga fans from all over Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We had our first meeting on Nov. 5 for the Wake Forest game, and our second game watch on Feb. 2 with a great turnout for the Memphis game. We hope to receive official alumni chapter status this year. Contact: Andrew Wilson, awilson3@gonzaga.edu; 602.388.0986. GO ZAGS!

Phoenix: The Phoenix Zags Alumni Group has hosted several events including a BBQ and game watches. The October BBQ was well over 100 de-grees. But even the heat couldn’t keep the alumni away, and we had a great turnout. In December, the Phoenix Zags kicked off basketball season with a game watch for the Gonzaga v. WSU game. Alumni new and old gathered to cheer on their team and get to know fellow Phoenix Zags. More game watches are planned for the spring. We are also looking forward to building the Phoenix net-work and identifying philanthropic opportunities in our community in 2010. You can find us on Fa-cebook. Or search Gonzaga University: Phoenix Alumni Chapter and become a fan. Contact: Billy and Robin Itule, gonzagaphoenixalumni@gmail.com.

Portland: The GU Portland Chapter spon-sored an alumni event following the Jan. 2 Port-land Trailblazers vs. Golden State Warriors game, featuring Zag alumnus Ronny Turiaf. Although the Warriors lost to the Portland home team, Ronny took a few minutes post-game to meet and greet Zag alumni, students, parents and friends at the Rose Garden. We had an opportunity to ask Ronny about his Zag days, Warrior role and phi-losophy of life. The Portland Gonzaga Trek was held on Jan. 5; 130 students toured local busi-nesses and attended a career fair, featuring 34 local businesses. That evening, nearly 30 alumni joined the networking social, connecting with the students and fellow Zags. Everyone enjoyed speaker Kent Lewis, who offered some great non-traditional job-hunting advice to students. Con-tact: John Timm, johnt@timco.com; 503.288.8818.

Seattle: Seattle area alumni continued to be active through the late fall and winter. Our game watches take place at Buckley’s in Belltown in downtown Seattle. Chapter members again this

year assisted in the organization and presentation of the Seattle Trek job fair and networking event on Jan. 5-6. For the fifth year running, the Seattle Chapter will partner with Rebuild-ing Together for a service project on April 24, assisting a local homeown-er in need. Sign-up information will be forthcoming on ZagsOnline and through the alumni e-mail service. Contact: Steve Robinson, sdrobin-son@karrtuttle.com; 206.224.8012.

Spokane: News alert – Youth Helps Youth in Spokane Chapter Com-munity Service. A Toys For Tots cam-paign was set in motion by Molly Nave’s Mission and Service Com-mittee. Donna and Terry Ryan lined up Cub Scout Pack #117 to sort and package hundreds of toys for needy children. Nine Webelos spent several hours on an early December day for the task. Alum Frank Christoff said the young Cubs asked if they could do

this as service project and found it such a reward-ing experience that the den hopes to repeat the project next December. Spokane area youth will be served again when Spokane Zags support the Soap Box Derby project for special needs children held annually in July. More on that next time. Contact: Rol Herriges, sqrgr@comcast.net.

Tacoma: The Tacoma Chapter ended the year with one new event and one reoccurring annual service project. Both were extremely successful and we look forward to repeating both in 2010. Our service project was the Christmas Adopt-a-Family. In addition to funds raised from the Father Bruno Basket at the Coach Krause Event, dona-tions and a mini fundraiser were held at various game watches. Thanks to the generosity of numer-ous alums, we provided for the needs and wishes of a deserving local family. The chapter also held its first wine tasting evening at the Wine Bank in University Place. The theme was wines or wineries with a Gonzaga connection. It was great evening with opportunities to connect with old friends and make new ones. We will definitely plan a repeat event. The board is planning for the coming year. Possibilities include attending a baseball game at Cheney Stadium and bringing back a par-3 golf tournament. If you have ideas, contact Julie or Paul Rehberger, JBRPAR@aol.com, 253.564.7743.

To becontinued . . .

Named in honor of the late Father Tony Lehmann, S.J., alumni chaplain, this column presents commentary about the University, its issues and its mission.

Father Hightower visits with members of the Kennel Club.

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Serving the orphans of HaitiBy Father C. Hightower, S.J.

In an interview with the Italian journalist Renzo Giacomelle, Peter Han Kolvenbach, S.J., the former father general of the Society of Jesus, described the hope and desire of Jesuit schools everywhere:

The Society hopes its former pupils will be socially recognizable as such,not only or not mainly by certain traits most easily specified –competence, qualifications – but by their commitment to the service offundamental Christian and human values. It would like them to bemature personalities, rich in kindness, and anxious to commit themselvesto the cause of true justice or to the generous service of the people of God.

A few years earlier, in a speech to U.S. Jesuit college and university administrators, Fr. Kolvenbach was more to the point, stating that Jesuit education means teaching our students to make “no significant decision without first thinking of how it would impact the least in society.” This is what it means to form our students to become men and women for others. In the past two weeks, I have received hundreds of texts, e-mails and cards following the death of my niece Molly Mackenzie Hightower in the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti. My oldest brother Mike and his wife of 25 years, Mary, along with Molly’s siblings Jordan, Zach and Sean have received thousands of cards, prayers, and well wishes. It is truly humbling to be supported by so many people who knew Molly or members of our family. In the days after the quake, we knew that Molly was trapped in the rubble of her seven-floor building. We knew she was on the fifth floor, but did not know if she was alive or dead. As other volunteers were pulled out alive, we rejoiced and continued to pray and hope. After three days filled with both pain and joy, Molly’s body was pulled from the rubble. During those days, Mike gave a number of interviews with both the local and national press. One ques-tion he was continually asked in vari-ous ways was “How could you allow your 22-year-old daughter to go to Haiti in the first place?” His response was always the same: “How could we not?” Mike and Mary had made their decision years earlier to send their children to Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma. As parents, they too went through a formational process which allowed them to rejoice and take pride as their two daughters and two sons grew to become men and women for others. Another Molly walked into my office a few days ago. She is a 2001 graduate of Gonzaga. She works for Catholic Relief Services on Delmas Street, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. There during the quake, she was in Spo-kane for a few days of rest after the chaos of the past few weeks. Her professional life is serving refugees in poor areas around the world. She had been in Haiti for seven months, the same amount of time as my niece. Molly will be returning to Haiti in a week or so to continue her work with CRS. I am hoping she runs across two 2009 graduates who are serving with the 82nd Airborne in Petionville, Haiti. There are a number of other Gonzaga graduates and community members working hard on behalf of a country that can only be described as the poorest of the poor. We expect our students to be competent in their area of study. We rejoice when they are recognized as men and women for others.

Fr. Hightower is director of University Ministry for Gonzaga. After his undergraduate work, he spent two years in service at Friends of the Orphans in Haiti, where his niece Molly also volunteered.

Post Script Jason Boyd (‘91), left:“Today is our three-week anniversary from the surgery and I am already back at the gym on a bike and elliptical trainers. I am pleased to get back to normal life – working out and playing with my daughter. I plan to ride a lot more as it is the easiest on the body at this point. My friend does a European bike ride with friends and co-workers. He invited me on a 10-day tour this summer. It sounds pretty laid back but riding is close to 100 plus miles per day, so it will require a lot of preparation. I hope to try something like that in about five months. So much for starting out slow.”

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Steve Brezniak (‘91), right:“I feel great and I am motivated to do as much as I can without causing harm to the internal stitches. I have been walking, which is highly recommended by my doctors, an average of 45 minutes a day since Feb. 8, the day after I went home from the hospital.”