My favorite teacher

This issue of Horizons was funded in part by the generosity of Earl McIntyre

of Neenah, Wis., who passed away on Aug. 19, 2000. The gift was sent on his

behalf by his sister, Blanche McIntyre.

Earl dedicated the majority of his life to journalism and print media. He was

the director of Communications at Northern from 1965-1972. He supervised the

News Bureau, Athletic News Bureau (including radio), all official student publica-

tions, the university editor’s office, the university lecture-concert series, and spe-

cial relations projects.

Prior to coming to NMU, he served as a military intelligence officer in the

South Pacific. He taught journalism at Michigan State University and then moved

on to Florida State University’s Journalism School in 1956, where he helped form

the Florida Magazine Association and served as its executive director for several

years. For the next 10 years, he conducted the group’s annual magazine contest

and workshop.

He was named an associate professor of journalism at the University of South

Carolina in 1961 and served as secretary-manager of the South Carolina Press

Association and an executive director of the State Scholastic Press Association. He

was elected president of the Advertising Club in Columbia and later was presented

the Advertising Federation of America Printers Ink Silver Metal Award.

After his tenure at NMU, Earl moved to Virginia Commonwealth University.

He was the first full-time sports information director for VCU until 1986. He then

began working at the VCU police department and retired in 1995.

On behalf of all of us here at Horizons, I’d like to thank Earl for contributing

to the ongoing improvement of Northern’s alumni publication.

—KW

Farewell Mac

FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

WINTER 2001 • VOLUME 90 • NUMBER 2

F E AT U R E S

O n t h e c o v e r

My favorite teacherIn the last issue of Horizons, we askedyou to write us about your favoriteteacher during your time at NMU.Here is what eight alumni recall abouttheir most memorable professors.COVER ART BY JEREMY KUHN ’00

Passionate for the PastyJust like iron ore mining and long,snowy winters, the pasty has anindelible tie with Michigan’s UpperPeninsula. NMU Instructor Leslie CoryShoemaker explores our attachment tothe pasty and helps explain its simplemystique.

D E PA R T M E N T S

2 Campus News

8 Alumni Association

18 Sports

20 Development

22 Keeping Track

14

10

HorizonsVolume 90, No. 2Winter 2001

Cindy Paavola ’84Brian Zinser

Co-directors of Communications and Marketing, Co-Publisher, Horizons

Martha Van Der KampDirector of Alumni RelationsCo-Publisher, Horizons

LoriLee RebhanExecutive Director, NMU Development Fund

Karen WallingfordEditor, Horizons

Kristi EvansNews Director

Jan MaranaEditorial Assistant

Deanna Hemmila ’88Assistant Director, Alumni Relations

James PinarPaul Thomas ’97

Sports Information

Cindy Paavola ’84Development Communications

Wendy CarlsonRobyn Stille ’00

Alumni Relations Staff

Contributing WritersBrandie Sheets

Horizons, the Northern MichiganUniversity alumni and friends magazine, ispublished three times a year by theCommunications and Developmentdivisions of NMU.

Funding is provided by NMU, the NMUAlumni Association, the NMU DevelopmentFund, alumni, and friends. Subscriptions areavailable at $15 per year, $7.50 for NMUretirees. Views expressed are not necessarilythose of the NMU Alumni Association.

Northern Michigan University is anAA/EO institution.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes toHorizons, Office of Communications andMarketing, Northern Michigan University,1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette,Michigan 49855. Third-class postage paid atMidland, Michigan 48642.

orthern Michigan Univer-sity is a secondary partici-pant in the Internet 2 proj-

ect. Internet 2 is a consortium ofmore than 180 research universitiesworking with industry and govern-ment to develop advanced networkapplications and technologies.

In order to become involved inthe project, NMU had to be spon-sored by an Internet 2 member insti-tution. This support came fromMichigan Technological University.

“Northern has always had a col-laborative relationship with Tech,”said Fred Joyal, interim provost andvice president of academic affairs atNMU. “Internet 2 is nationally rec-ognized as playing a pivotal role inthe future of research and highereducation. While Northern is not adoctoral-granting institution likeMTU, we do have faculty involvedin major research who could utilizea network that allows them to col-laborate with others and share mate-rial and data.”

NMU hosted a visit by MTUadministrators and staff membersNov. 10 to discuss projects, applica-tions and collaboration opportuni-ties. An NMU delegation traveled toHoughton Dec. 13 to discuss thetechnical implications.

The partnership at the heart ofInternet 2 — featuring academia,government and industry — alsowas responsible for nurturing theoriginal Internet during its infancy.

“The current Internet started outas a federally-subsidized systemdesigned to link research universities

with government agencies and com-panies making use of the research,”Joyal said. “When it gained popular-ity as a commodity network, thegovernment bowed out.”

The network became so cloggedwith commercial and other trafficthat researchers had a hard time col-laborating and testing applications.Joyal said they needed a dedicated,advanced network capable of con-trolling high-powered instruments inreal time, moving lots of data or com-mands, and handling multiple users.

This prompted the creation ofAbilene, the high-speed backbonemanaged by the Internet 2 project.NMU will work with Michigan Techand Merit Inc., a pioneer in networkmanagement, to connect to Abilene.

“One of the applications we seecoming out of this opportunity isstreaming video,” Joyal said.“Rather than downloading videoand then playing it back, digitaltelecommunication links allow youto transfer video in a stream. It’s likewatching TV, but it doesn’t requireso much bandwidth. This couldpresent interesting applications fordistance education and sharing allkinds of material.”

Joyal said Northern is alreadyworking on collaborative researchprojects with MTU and theUniversity of Illinois. He expectsmore will follow. At the Nov. 10kickoff meeting with MTU, Joyalestimated that 10-15 Northern facul-ty either had or envisioned applica-tions that would benefit fromInternet 2 access.

Campus NewsLetters

L IFELONG LOVE

The article inHorizons on JoyceSharer ’52 and RonMorrison ’54(“Reunited...” Fall2000) was interest-ing. I knew Joyce

slightly. I didn’tknow Ron, but I

remember seeing himaround. That was a great story.

I like our story even better. Myoriginal honey and I are still goingdown the road of life together. Wewere married at St. Michael’s acrossthe street from NMU. It was still inthe building that was originally awomen’s dormitory for the college.

NMU is a completely new insti-tution from when I attended. I’m sureit’s greatly improved and studentsare receiving a wonderful education.

NMU was just part of my lifeup there.

At this stage of the game, I amdoing something new — being achurch choir director. It is very excit-ing, being the one to pick out andinterpret the music. My husbandsings in the choir and is a soloist.

—Dorothy Drozdiak ’51

LETTERS POLICY

Horizons welcomes all incoming let-ters for inclusion in the publication.Priority will be given to letters add-ressing issues or topics discussed inthe magazine. Letters will be print-ed as space permits, and they maybe edited for brevity and clarity. Ifthere are too many letters on agiven topic for the space available,we will choose a balanced, repre-sentative sample.

Send your letters tohorizons@nmu.edu or mail toHorizons editor, Northern MichiganUniversity, 1401 Presque IsleAvenue, Marquette, Michigan 49855.

Technology for tomorrowNorthern participates in Internet 2 project

By KRISTI EVANS

N

2 H O R I Z O N S W I N T E R 2 0 0 1

W I N T E R 2 0 0 1 H O R I Z O N S 3

igh school studentsincreasingly depend onthe Internet to research

college options, so the recruitingprocess has gone high tech.Northern Michigan University hasjoined other universities participat-ing in on-line college fairs.

“Participation in on-line collegefairs is an important statement theuniversity is making concerningbecoming a technologically advancedlearning environment,” said GerriDaniels, director of admissions atNorthern Michigan University.According to Daniels, the fairs alsoallow the university to reach studentswho would not have the opportunityto learn about NMU at traditional col-lege fairs.

NMU participates in the fairshosted by the National Association forCollege Admissions Counseling,whose mission is to help studentsmake successful transitions from highschool to college. At each fair, the uni-versity has a booth that students canaccess via the World Wide Web. If stu-dents are interested in speaking withcampus representatives, they canenter the NMU chat room.

“The fairs have advantages forstudents beyond providing access toinformation on colleges,” saidDaniels. “If students do not knowwhat colleges they are interested in orwhether the schools provide their pro-gram, they can fill out a profile ofthemselves and search for collegesthat can meet their needs.”

Northern participated in its first

on-line college fair in October. At thisfair, 28 students accessed the NMUbooth and 20 students entered thechat room to speak with campus rep-resentatives. The university participat-ed in an international student on-linefair as well as a science, engineering,and technology fair and a generalfocus fair in November. Northern willparticipate in another general focusfair in March.

“It is still too early to judge theimpact of the fairs, but we are track-ing the students who showed inter-est,” said Daniels.

According to Daniels, the univer-sity is also investigating the possibili-ty of hosting on-line open houses. Theoffice of International Affairs is con-sidering hosting open houses so stu-dents from around the world can con-tact the university and ask questions.This would eliminate barriers relatedto geography and time zones.

High-tech recruitingOn-line college fairs help Northern expand its recruitment reach

By BRANDI SHEETS

H

Bailey announces five-yearenrollment goal Northern Michigan UniversityPresident Judi Bailey used her fallconvocation address to announcea goal of boosting total enrollmentto 11,200 by the year 2005. Thatwould be an increase of about3,000 students from fall 2000headcount.

“Is it a reachable goal?Absolutely,” Bailey told the facultyand staff in attendance. “We’vealready made strong strides in theright direction. The averageincrease in the freshman class ineach of the past two years hasbeen 13.6 percent. These increaseswill compound over time. We havemade a good start; we’re well onour way.”

Of the total enrollment goal of11,200, undergraduates wouldaccount for 10,300. That would bea 43 percent jump from the fall1999 undergraduate count.

“Our belief is that these par-ticular figures will make our stu-dent body large enough to bringour state appropriation figuredown to $5,500 per fiscal-year-equated student,” she said, addingthat the state legislature has estab-lished $4,500 per FYES as the“floor funding level” for universi-ties in NMU’s peer group.

While campus housing isfilled to capacity for this academicyear, Bailey said NMU will nothave to build new facilities toaccommodate future growth, butwill have to be innovative in itsuse of available facilities toaddress student housing needs.

NMU’s fall 2000 enrollmentreport shows a total headcount of8,435. This represents about a 4percent increase from the 7,920 fig-ure recorded in fall 1999.

Campus News

4 H O R I Z O N S W I N T E R 2 0 0 1

College of Arts and Sciences

Biology professor recognized forexcellence in teaching

Biology Professor Jacqueline Bird hasbeen recognized for her teachingexcellence in Who’s Who AmongAmerica’s Teachers 2000. A professor atNMU since 1996, Bird is conductingtwo ongoing research projects. She isexploring the epidemiology of brain-worm infections in white-tailed deer,and she is researching the ecology ofthe deer tick in Menominee County.She also is working with a formergraduate student on a manuscriptconcerning a survey of parasites indogs in Marquette County.

Geography profs give students aworldy experience

John Anderton, assistant professor ofgeography, and Richard Eathorne,instructor of geography, are enhanc-ing their students classroom experi-ence with world travel. Andertonrecently spent 11 days in Scotlandwith a group of geography students.

“It gave students a very differentperspective about their own lives andtheir own societies,” Anderton said.“They got to see a different way ofdoing things, a different way oforganizing things culturally.”

Eathorne took a group of geogra-phy students to Costa Rica to get a feelfor the ecotourism there and to explorethe national parks and culture.

College of Professional Studies

NMU names new head of Sociologyand Social Work

Ira Hutchison joined the college as thenew head of the department ofSociology and Social Work.

Hutchison taught at theUniversity of North Carolina atCharlotte for the past 23 years. Hisgeneral teaching interest is the sociol-ogy of marriage and family. For thelast 20 years, almost all of Hutchi-son’s research has been in the area offamily violence.

Hutchison assumed the responsi-bilities of department head on Aug. 1.

Criminal Justice professor sought forprogram expertise

Professor Bill Waters recentlyreturned from Durban WestvilleUniversity School of Law in SouthAfrica, where he was invited to teacha full semester course on alternativedispute resolution. While at the uni-versity, Waters consulted with the lawschool on the development of a crimi-nal justice program. He also consult-ed with members of the criminal jus-tice community in Durban.

Nursing gets a new name, newfacilities

The Department of Nursing hasbecome the School of Nursing. TheSchool now offers nursing from thetechnical LPN level all the waythrough the master’s level.

The School of Nursing also is inthe final planning stages for theirnew Nursing Arts lab. The lab wasrecently renamed the Rettig NursingArts Lab for the School’s first dean,Margaret Rettig. In addition to thenew lab, nursing students will soonget to take advantage of the Pendilhome suite, which will be a simula-tion of a home environment. Thiswill enable students to practice nurs-ing care in a home setting prior togoing out and providing care for realpatients in the community.

News from the mallUpdates from the four academic colleges

Be true to your schoolShow your Wildcat spirit by pur-chasing an NMU license plate.

NMU is one of 15 public uni-versities in Michigan with its ownlicense plate through a new stateinitiative designed to let Michiganresidents show pride in the schoolof their choice and, at the sametime, help that school raise addi-tional revenue.

The plates were made availablefor sale on Oct. 2.

Two versions of the plate areavailable — a regular plate that maybe renewed annually and a collector’splate for display on an automobile.

Motorists will pay $35 abovetheir annual vehicle registration feeto purchase a fundraising plate, with$25 going to the university. Each timethe license plate is renewed, a $10renewal fee, above the annual vehicleregistration fee, will be collected andsent to the university. The collector’sversion of the NMU plate can be pur-chased for a one-time fee of $35, with$25 going to the university.

Those ordering either version ofthe plate at a Secretary of Statebranch office will receive their platein the mail. The plates are availablewith a disabled designation, andthey also can be personalized withno more than five characters for anadditional fee of $30.

Proceeds will help fund studentscholarships, student learning activi-ties, and help support alumni rela-tions programming.

For more information, includingoptions for ordering plates, visit theuniversity license plate page on theSecretary of State Web site atwww.sos.state.mi.us/uplates/.

W I N T E R 2 0 0 1 H O R I Z O N S 5

Walker L. Cisler College ofBusiness

New program assists women-ownedbusinesses in the U.P.

Northern Michigan University andarea business leaders are sponsoringthe international ATHENAPowerLinkprogram in the Upper Peninsula.

This non-profit program is offeredthrough the ATHENA Foundation. Itsmission is to help women-owned busi-nesses expand profitability throughleadership and input from a volunteeradvisory panel comprised of success-ful community professionals.

The Walker L. Cisler College ofBusiness is a sponsor of the program.

According to the foundation, the“advisory panel concept” has had amajor impact on many women-owned businesses. After completingthe year of counseling provided bythe advisory panels, participantshave seen increases in their averagegross revenues, number of employ-ees, real estate and sales taxes paid,and size of occupied office space.

Interested women business own-ers can apply for the ATHENAPowerLink program based on theirpotential to effectively utilize an advi-sory panel and its ability to assist thebusiness’ profitable growth.

Established women businessowner candidates must meet certaincriteria to be considered and selectedfor the program.

College of Technology and AppliedSciences

Forging partnerships

The College of Technology andApplied Sciences is developiong apartnership with Pioneer SurgicalTechnology to aid with an expansionof their manufacturing capacity. BillRigby, head of the IndustrialTechnologies department, is spear-heading the partnership.

The healing force of art

By KRISTI EVANS

Sam Dozzi says art saved him fromdepression.

The Gwinn resident hadalways been interested in screenprinting; he even dabbled in it pro-fessionally, producing t-shirts andcards. But Dozzi wanted to perfectthe craft and explore its untappedpotential. The motivation to finallyfulfill this desire came from anunfortunate source: PolycysticKidney Disease.

PKD is a disorder in which multiple clusters of cysts form on the kid-neys and impair their function. Dozzi, 51, his brother and sister inherited thedisease from their father.

“When I entered the final stages of renal failure, I figured it was my lastchance to pursue my interest in screen printing,” Dozzi said. “I needed some-thing to get my mind off my health problems. I was brooding and makingmyself miserable.”

Rather than wallow in self-pity, he enrolled in classes at NorthernMichigan University. Now three of his creations are being featured in a nation-al juried exhibition, Art as Healing: Aesthetic Objects That Restore One to Health.

It is an appropriate showcase for Dozzi and the 17 other artists assem-bled for the traveling collection. Each discovered that the creative processoffers a means of recovery from a traumatic illness or incident.

“My art was a source of comfort; it kept me going,” Dozzi explained.“Many times I had to push myself because I had little energy or I was inpain, but it was healing me mentally. Art won’t improve my condition, but itimproves my outlook.”

During the fall semester Dozzi was on the NMU campus three timeseach week for printmaking sessions with NMU professor John Hubbard.

“Sam has come a long way,” Hubbard said. “When he started, he hadtraditional, stereotyped ideas about images and didn’t know much about theprocess. But his imagery has changed dramatically. He’s tapping into his ownideas and bringing more originality to his work. He’s researching newprocesses and techniques, and sometimes even shows me a few things. Andhe’s a hard worker; he’s a nice student to have around.”

In addition to having his work accepted in a national exhibition, Dozzialso learned he won a purchase award worth up to $500. He is not used tohis creativity paying off financially.

“I don’t do this to make money — just to keep occupied,” he said. “I’vegiven a lot of my work away. If someone likes something I’ve done, I give itto them. If they get enjoyment out of the image, that makes me feel good.”

The Art as Healing exhibition — sponsored by the Printmaking Council ofNew Jersey — will travel to a number of hospitals and other venues throughOctober 2002.

Sam Dozzi thinks of himself as an imagetechnician. “There’s beauty in all things,” hesaid, “and sometimes you can tweak them toget even more out of them.”

helley Russell is afraid of waterand doesn’t know how toswim. Ironic, considering the

Northern Michigan University profes-sor and playwright derives so muchcreative inspiration from LakeSuperior and its surrounding region.

Her latest effort is Holdin’ OurOwn: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.The play opened at NMU Nov. 8 —two days before the 25th anniversary ofthe tragedy. The title is based on thefinal words uttered by Captain ErnestMcSorley before the Fitzgerald disap-peared beneath the surface.

Russell said she never set out towrite a play on the EdmundFitzgerald. When a friend made thesuggestion based on the approachinganniversary, she was preoccupiedwith other projects and hardly eagerto take on a new one. Still, once pre-sented with the idea, she couldn’t getit out of her head.

“There’s an odd dialectic sur-rounding the incident,” she said. “Onone hand, there’s the argument that itwas a matter of fate that the ship hap-pened onto that storm. On the otherhand, there are those who questionwhy that ship was anywhere near thatstorm in the first place.”

The debate and mystery sur-rounding the Fitzgerald is well docu-mented. Russell scoured many booksand articles during the course of herresearch. She and members of the castalso ventured aboard the Lee A.Tregurtha, a freighter that frequentlydocks in Marquette to take on a loadof iron ore pellets.

The boat’s captain, Jim Nuzzo of

the Interlake Steamship Company,served as a consultant on Holdin’ OurOwn. Nuzzo and a Fitzgerald crewmember were classmates at the GreatLakes Maritime Academy.

“I like the perspective of the scriptbecause it personalizes the tragedy andthe individual trauma as it developed,”he said. “I think it’s an honorableattempt to memorialize the individualsrather than glamorize the sinking.”

The resulting production — acombination of historical accuracyand artistic license — features a castof 14. Eleven compose a representa-tional group aboard the EdmundFitzgerald. The remaining three areon the Anderson, the boat in closestproximity to the Fitzgerald on thatfateful evening.

“On the surface, you had a storm,a driven captain, and an experiencedcrew on this flagship vessel of thecompany; all of these factors com-bined to make it seem indestructible,”Russell said. “Yet this was a ship withmechanical problems — two radarswere out. The Whitefish beacon andlight were also out. At some point,you can’t help but look at this andask about the real explanation forwhat happened.”

There have been countless ship-wrecks on the Great Lakes, but theEdmund Fitzgerald has had the mostenduring impact. It happened recent-ly enough that many people clearlyremember reports of the Nov. 10,1975, incident. It was also immortal-ized in the compelling ballad byGordon Lightfoot.

Russell said it was impossible to

research the tragedy without beingpersonally affected.

“During the day, it never let go ofme,” she said. “I looked at the lakeand thought of the crew. As I playedwith my daughter, I thought of howsome of those men wanted nothingmore than to see their kids again.”

Despite being haunted by LakeSuperior, Russell plans to “writeabout her until the day I die.” Herwork often revolves around the natu-ral surroundings and people ofMichigan’s Upper Peninsula. Shewrote and directed Haywire, a musicalabout a U.P. logging camp that wasperformed at the Kennedy Center.She also was the creative force behindBeacon on the Rock, a musical aboutthe diverse immigrant groups thatsettled the region.

Campus News

6 H O R I Z O N S W I N T E R 2 0 0 1

Edmund Fitzgerald tragedyinspires theater production

CaptainMcSorley,played byNMUfreshmanBill Holland,leaves thedock andboards theEdmundFitzgeraldfor her finalvoyage.

SBy KRISTI EVANS

In Shelley Russell’s mind, she hasspent the past year on an ore boat,immersed in thoughts of whattranspired during the final hours ofthat ill-fated voyage.

W I N T E R 2 0 0 1 H O R I Z O N S 7

Making wavesNorthern professor is using radioto promote wellness in Africa

ouise Bourgault’s fascinationwith Third World countriestraces back to her Rhode

Island childhood. She attended aCatholic school, where missionarynuns narrated slide shows detailingtheir work in underdeveloped areas.She also enjoyed leafing through thepages of National Geographic andother magazines that offered glimpsesof far-off places and people.

When Bourgault enrolled atSyracuse University as a teenager, how-ever, her academic compass was point-ing in a different direction. She origi-nally planned to major in advertising.

“I became turned off by usingmedia simply to sell products andmeasure ratings,” she said. “We’retalking about a very powerful tooland it seemed like it could be used forsome higher purpose.”

In the Syracuse Universitylibrary, Bourgault experienced a life-defining moment when she stumbledupon a section on Africa. She satamidst the stacks poring over bookswith the same anticipation andcuriosity she experienced as a childwith National Geographic.

“Somewhere in the midst of allthis, I found out that the mass mediawere being employed in promotion ofThird World wellness. I thought —Eureka — this is it; this is what I wantto do!”

As a professor in the Communica-tions and Performance Studies depart-ment at NMU, Bourgault now is ableto combine her affinity for ThirdWorld countries — particularly those

in Africa — withher academicinterests in com-munications andbroadcasting.

She traveledto Liberia in 1989with the U.S. AidProject to help pro-mote the expan-sion of rural radio.

“They hadbeen broadcastingin Africa in majorlanguages likeSwahili, but the minor languages wereexcluded,” Bourgault said. “It was amatter of making radio accessible tomore Liberians by giving them a rep-resentative voice. The project promot-ed development and put 13 Liberianlanguages on the air.”

On another U.S. Aid excursion,Bourgault spent three weeks in Malileading a workshop on broadcastscriptwriting techniques and produc-tion ideas. She developed a manualthat was distributed to the country’s90 non-governmental stations.

“The new radio system in Mali isderegulated,” she said. “Most of thestations are low power and under-funded. They tend to be communityoriented — similar to public accesstelevision. There are even women onthe air now, which previously wouldnot have happened.”

Bourgault spent a portion of her1999-2000 sabbatical in Durban, SouthAfrica. She served as a scholar in resi-dence at the University of Natal.

While researching the use of per-formance art to address AIDS and othersocial ills in South Africa, Bourgaultdiscovered Eager Artists. The troupecombines acting, singing, and dancingto raise awareness of various causes.

With the help of local individualsand organizations, Bourgault broughtEager Artists to Marquette in October.

“That experience taught me thatthe way to really impact students is totouch them personally and allow themto make human connections,” she said.“I could have shown a video or had aguest lecture, but they wouldn’t havebeen nearly as effective. My studentswere so buzzed because they had awhole week to connect with these per-formers. There was a big hugfest thelast night they were in town.”

One of her students is producing avideo on the Eager Artists’ visit. Othersare working on a multi-media CDcompanion to the book she is writingtitled, Playing for Life: AfricanPerformance in the Age of AIDS.

By KRISTI EVANS

Louise Bourgault with research assistant John Momo in Mauwa,Liberia, West Africa.

L

Alumni Association

8 H O R I Z O N S W I N T E R 2 0 0 1

In late September, I spent a couple of days at NMU and had theopportunity to present a techniques workshop in the New ScienceFacility to some of the students in the diagnostic genetics program.I would like to congratulate the faculty, staff, and everyoneinvolved in designing and building the New Science Facility. It is a

wonderful educational facility for both teaching and research. As NMUcontinues to grow and improve, I applaud all faculty and staff for theirhard work and dedication.

I initially chose to attend NMU because of it’s successful pre-medprogram. But after participating in a valuable preceptorship program thatis offered to pre-med students, I discovered that a career in medicine wasnot for me. I have received both a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and amaster’s degree in biology from NMU, and the education that I receivedfrom the faculty at Northern provided me with the tools I needed to con-tinue my education and receive my doctorate in pathology from the StateUniversity of New York at Buffalo.

There are two NMU professors who were instrumental in my deci-sion to continue my education. I will always be grateful to FrankA.Verley, professor of biology and Thomas W. Griffith, retired professorof chemistry, for seeing potential in me and encouraging me to apply tothe master’s program in biology at NMU. My experience as a graduatestudent in the department of biology was so positive that I chose to con-tinue my education after receiving my master’s degree. As a graduatestudent at NMU, I had the opportunity to participate in a research projectand be a teaching assistant. Both experiences were valuable to me formu-lating my career goals.

I would like to thank all my former professors for providing me witha wonderful educational experience, but especially, the present andretired faculty members from the biology and chemistry departments fortheir dedication to higher education and research. As a graduate student,I had the great fortune to have Frank Verley as my mentor. As many ofhis former and present students know, Dr. Verleytakes a great deal of interest in the education-al growth of his students. Over the years,he has continued to provide me withvaluable guidance and encouragementin my career decisions. I would like tothank him for the dedication he has toteaching and the interest he takes inhis students.

Susan Dagenais is a research fellow inthe Departments of Human Genetics

and Pediatrics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Guest Column

By SUSAN DAGENAIS ’87, ’90 MA

Giving thanks...Reunion WeekendJune 29-30, 2001

Make your plansnow to be on campusfor this special week-end. We’ll have avariety of reunionactivities including an

alumni reception, family events, classreunions, a hockey alumni game, andmuch more.

The following groups havealready begun their planning:

• NMU Hockey 25th Anniversary

• Student Leader Fellowship 10thAnniversary

• Classes of 1950 and 1951 Golden Anniversary

If you are interested in gettingyour class, student group or friendstogether, and need some assistancewith planning, get in touch with theAlumni office. We’ll help. This is theperfect opportunity to renew friend-ships with former classmates.

Contact the Alumni Associationtoll free at 1-877-GRAD NMU oralumni@nmu.edu.

NMU Hockey Alumni GameCelebrate 25 years of Wildcat hock-ey with a Wildcat Alumni benefithockey game.

Former Wildcats from around thecountry will take to the ice at the BerryEvents Center. Don’t miss out on thisopportunity to watch current and for-mer NHL players, as well as thosewell-known Wildcat names from 25years of Wildcat hockey.

It’s all part of Reunion Weekend2001, Friday and Saturday, June 29and 30.

W I N T E R 2 0 0 1 H O R I Z O N S 9

A bittersweet Sports Hallof Fame

Do you know where thesefolks are?Thank you for helping us track downsome of the people we’ve lost touchwith. How about helping us findthese folks?

• Robert M. Guard ’52• Dorothy R. Granskog ’55• Norman C. Grieninger ’61• William C. Gutzman ’65• Darla J. Guy ’67• Gradford C. Gutman ’69• Emma Gosting ’72• Margaret S. Moran ’76• Marlene J. White ’76

Please let us know where theyare. Call toll free 1-877-GRAD-NMUor e-mail the Alumni Association atalumni@nmu.edu.

“Just wanted to let you know that wethink the ‘What’s New, NMU?’newsletter is a great idea—lots oftimely information.”

—Erin Weber-Holloway ’93 and ChrisHolloway ’95

“Thanks so much for the news fromthe ‘Great White North!’ I missMarquette and think about it often.”

—Jake Jurecki ’87

“I love the columns and look forwardto reading them every Monday. Keepup the good work. I love to hearabout Marquette since I’m way downhere in sunny Florida.”

—Diane Storm ’97

“I look forward to reading ‘What’sNew, NMU?’ each week. The addi-tion of pictures is great! Keep up thegreat work. It’s nice to still feel con-nected to NMU. Thanks.”

—Bill Hawker ’95

“Thanks for reminding me of NMU. Ienjoy the pictures of the changesdowntown and the updates on sportsactivities. Go ’Cats!”

—John Fleming ’64

If you are not receiving “What’s New,NMU?” and would like to, send youre-mail address to dhemmila@nmu.edu.You can also view the weekly columnat www.nmu.edu/alumni.

Here’s what some of you aresaying about our weekly electronicnewsletter, “What’s New, NMU?”

What’s New,NMU?

Volunteers neededThe NMU Admissions office is look-ing for volunteers to assist with thefollowing “Connect to NMU” pro-grams. The programs provide infor-mation about NMU to prospectivestudents and their parents.

There’s no cost involved — onlytwo hours of your time. You’ll beproviding a valuable service to highschool students and their parents.

2001 Connect to NMU Programs• January 25 Novi• January 29 Appleton, Wis.• January 30 Chicago• January 31 Chicago• February 1 Milwaukee• February 5 Gaylord• February 6 Saginaw• February 7 Detroit area• February 8 Sault Ste. Marie• February 12 Houghton• February 13 Ironwood• February 14 Escanaba

Contact the Admissions officetoll free at 800-682-9797 or bye-mail at admiss@nmu.edu to learnmore about how you can make adifference.

Our thoughts are with theJim Lindstrom ’68 familyof Escanaba. Jim (center)

was inducted into theNMU sports hall of fame

on Saturday, November 11.He passed away

November 25 after avaliant battle with cancer.Jim was a four-year letter

winner on the NMUfootball team from 1965-68;

he was the team’s mostvaluable player in 1968.

He will be longremembered for his tireless

dedication to the sport.

10 H O R I Z O N S W I N T E R 2 0 0 1

PassionateFor the Pasty

On March 20, 1913, in theMarquette Iron Range ofMichigan’s Upper Peninsula,deep within the bowels ofthe earth, where darkness iseternal and ore dust pene-trates every pore of his body,a Cornish miner shines alantern on his pocket watchto confirm what his stomachalready knows. It is twelvenoon. Time to break forlunch. He is too far under-ground to hear the noon whistle blow. He, unlike hiscoworkers above ground, will remain in darkness and eathis lunch by lamplight; probably still standing in the samespot he had been working when the clock struck twelve.

This miner, an immi-grant from Cornwall,England — known inAmerica as a “cousin Jack”— leans against a wheelbar-row of ore, takes from hispocket a square packagewrapped in newspaper, andplaces it on the same shovelhe uses to fill his wheelbar-row full of ore twelve hoursa day, six days a week. Hepositions his lantern under-

neath the shovel to heat his lunch contained within theneatly wrapped newspaper. It isn’t long before the familiararoma of lean meat, starchy white potatoes, vegetables, andsavory pastry rise from the shovel and reach his sooty nose.

I dearly luv a pasty

a ‘ot ‘n’ leaky wun

Weth taties, mayt ‘n’ turmit

Purs’ly ‘n’ honyun

Un crus be made with su’t

‘N’ shaped like ‘alf a moon,

Weth crinkly h’edges, freshly baked

‘E’ always gone too soon!

(Mining Journal, March 25, 1971)

By LESLIE CORY SHOEMAKER

In anticipation of the first mouthful,his stomach rumbles. The miner, likeall other cousin Jacks will be eating aCornish pasty for lunch.

The pasty is a portable, well-bal-anced meal in one package. Wrappedin pastry, its crimped edge makes aconvenient handle, therefore requiringno utensils and little or no light inorder to consume it — a perfect lunchfor the miner in the bottom of a mineshaft. What a comfort and delight tosit down and unwrap your lunch andinhale the aroma of warm crustwrapped around meat and vegetablesand savor the taste of a complete mealprepared by loving hands.

Deep ore mining was the work ofCornish miners who brought theirskills, sledges, drills, and blastingpowder from the mining pits ofCornwall, England, to the prosperingshafts of Lake Superior where copperand iron deposits were discovered inMichigan’s Upper Peninsula in thelate 1840s. Their families brought away of life that included the pasty, adelectable potato and meat turnoverthat the miner carried with him andate with a flask of tea.

According to the AuthenticCornish Pasty Company’s Web site,“to the Cornish Miners, the pasty rep-resented an essential part of the dailydiet.” At lunchtime the miners wouldarrange for their pasties to bedropped down the mineshaft. Oftentheir wives would make a completemeal of the pasty by structuring thepasty filling in layers so that the menate the vegetable end first, then hewould come across the meat, andfinally he would get to a fruit such asapple, blackberries, or mango.According to Robert Hatcher of theAuthentic Cornish Pasty Company,the classic Cornish pasty owes itsshape to these miners. “The crimpedside edge of the Cornish pasty was

not eaten but used as a handle for theminer to hold while eating the rest ofthe pasty.”

The cousin Jack’s wife — usuallyan excellent cook — was known as a“cousin Jenny.” For her, pasty makingwas an ethnic art form passed on fromone generation to the next. It still is tothis day. The quality of the product didnot depend on the written instructions

but rather on the skills and talent ofthe producer. Unlike visual art, cre-ative derivations and innovations werenot to be tolerated, and the criteria forthe perfect pasty were standard amongits judges. To date, the only derivationfrom my own Cornish great-grand-mother’s recipe has been to substitutethe cholesterol-laden beef suet in thepastry recipe for vegetable shortening.

W I N T E R 2 0 0 1 H O R I Z O N S 11

THE PERFECT PASTY — Leslie Cory Shoemaker holds a perfectly formed, hot pasty — theinspiration behind her research. Photograph by Kristi Evans.

12 H O R I Z O N S W I N T E R 2 0 0 1

It is said that there are as manypasty recipes as there are individualsin the County of Cornwall, but myfamily has produced the same recipefor generations. The perfect blend oftender juicy steak and pork, layeredwith thinly sliced potatoes, rutabagas,(known as “Swedes” in England) andonions, seasoned with fresh parsley,salt, pepper, and a pat of butter,wrapped together in a savory pastrycrust is a taste sensation like no other.

As the great-granddaughter ofCornish immigrants, pasties were apart of my ethnic heritage, and I havevivid memories of my Nana making

pasties in her small kitchen. By thistime my family was no longer involvedin the mining industry, but when mygrandfather, the son of the Captain ofthe Rolling Mills Mine in MarquetteCounty, married my Nana, along withthe exchange of marriage vows camethe coveted family pasty recipe.

While pasties are not made in thehousehold on a weekly basis any-more, when they are made, the wholefamily is told in advance, and no oneis late for dinner. Pasty dinners are asmuch an event in modern CornishAmerican homes as the AmericanThanksgiving turkey dinner; however,

pasty dinners happen much more fre-quently than once a year!

Just mention the pasty in conver-sation with a U.P. native and a “pastystory” usually follows. No other foodevokes such vivid memories, nostal-gia, and intense debate as the Cornishpasty in the U.P. The pasty speaks tous of home, of grandmothers andmothers in the comfort of their warmkitchens, and of hard working fathersat the mine. It speaks to us of ouryouth and school lunches, of churchbake sales, of picnics, of college days(when many people who came to U.P.universities first experienced them),and of something that was carriedwith you no matter how far you mightstray from the U.P. or how many newfoods you may have come to love.

Perhaps the original “fast food,”the Cornish pasty is the ultimate fin-ger food as it is so portable and easyto eat. According to John Owen of theSeattle Post-Intelligencer, “You needonly pronounce the words “Cornishpasty” and devotees around the worldbegin to sniff, salivate and generallybehave as though they’ve been surviv-ing on sunflower husks and vinegarwater since the last millennium.”

In February 2000, I started solicit-ing “pasty memories.” I was over-whelmed with the response. I received75 responses from all over the UnitedStates, including telephone calls, e-mails and personal letters. I evenreceived a hand written letter from a100-year-old Cornish woman living in

the U.P. who still makes her ownpasties from a recipe her mother hadreceived from a Cornish woman in1905. Not everyone I heard from wasof Cornish heritage; however, roughly75 percent of my respondents weredirect descendants of Cornish families.

Two common threads ranthrough all the memories. TheCornish pasty had deeply embeddeditself to the very core of people’s lifestories, and nobody had ever madepasties as tasty as their mothers had.No matter how far away from theUpper Peninsula people’s lives hadtaken them, they took the pasty withthem in their hearts, memories, andtaste buds. What follows are a few ofthe pasty memoirs taken from myresearch, some nostalgic, somehumorous, some historical, but all inall — passionate for the pasty!

Khris Kennedy, a flight engineerfor the U.S. Air force, flies on the C-5Galaxy, the free world’s largest air-plane. During Operation Desert Storm,he cooked up one of his mother’sfrozen pasties aboard the C-5 whileflying 37,000 feet over the Red Sea onthe way to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

“The wonderful aroma comingfrom the galley oven made all therest of the crew envious of mylunch!” he said.

Kathleen Olivier ’83 ofMarquette wrote, “My favorite pastymemory is the time my mother waschatting with a group of women whowere bragging about their pastyrecipes. After listening to gloriousexaggerations, she calmly mentionedthat her pasties were so good, the

Perhaps the original

“fast food,” the

Cornish pasty is the

ultimate finger food as

it is so portable and

easy to eat.

When my grandfather,

the son of the Captain

of the Rolling Mills

Mine in Marquette

County, married my

Nana, along with the

exchange of marriage

vows came the coveted

family pasty recipe.

Nobody had ever made

pasties as tasty as their

mothers had.

W I N T E R 2 0 0 1 H O R I Z O N S 13

recipe had been requested from allover the world. Upon further inquisi-tion, it was discovered that my uncle,who at the time was a chaplain in theAir Force and traveled all over theworld, loved my mother’s pasties andalways gave the recipe to the airbase’s cook in fervent hopes the cookcould duplicate them. Unfortunately,my uncle was fairly unorganized andmanaged to lose the recipe repeatedly,forcing him to re-request it wheneverhe got transferred to a new base.”

Charles DeRidder wrote that hegrew up with the pasty in Norway,Michigan, and cannot recall a timegrowing up when he couldn’t find apasty if he tried hard enough. Whileattending Michigan State University,he only found a few classmates whohad ever heard of the pasty.

“After my military time andgraduate work at Oregon StateUniversity, I took to making my own.Ha, the crust was my downfall!However, I had to introduce my bride(a native Oregonian) to pasties otherthan mine. On one of our earlier tripsback to Northern Michigan I took topurchasing an ice cooler along withtwelve pasties and put them in thetrunk of the car and departed forOregon. Yes, I eat them cold; however,my wife and daughter didn’t thinkmuch of this idea. They wanted themwarm — IDEA — I wrapped one infoil and placed it on the engine mani-fold for about 20 miles, and it cameout tasting good. No gasoline andpiping hot.”

Diane Vasquez ’74, an administra-tive associate at The University ofMichigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan,wrote, “I grew up in Iron River,Michigan, with a mom in the housewho was the best cook in the wholeworld — as evidenced by the fantasticpasties she’d make once a week. Mybrothers, sisters, and I were spoiled;

didn’t children everywhere get pastiesfor supper?

“ I had a rude awakening when Igot married to a Marine Corps officerand left the U.P. Pasties were no longerpart of my existence. We could onlyindulge our pasty-tooth when visitingthe U.P. After Mom died, we were for-tunate that Dad remarried anothergreat pasty-maker, and we were oftengiven a supply of frozen pasties totake us through until the next visit.But these had to be rationed carefully.Finally, in self-preservation, my sisterbegan to make pasties, perfecting herattempts until I could finally say thatthey are just like Mom’s.”

The deeply rooted tradition ofpasty making and eating in Michigan’sUpper Peninsula runs like a strongcurrent through most all the memo-ries. Jeff Kleinscmidt tells the story ofhis grandmother’s immigration fromCornwall, England, to the U.P.

“Pasties have always been a partof my family history. My grandmotherimmigrated to the U.S. from Cornwall,England, when she was eight yearsold. She remembers that her handi-capped mother was on Ellis Island

trying to get in the country when thejudge asked her where she was goingand what skills she had to supportherself. She said that she was going toCalumet, Michigan, and that shecould bake pasties. The judge wasvery familiar with Calumet andagreed that she could make a livingselling pasties there and let her in.”

Mary Allwin Tuisku and JeanneAllwin Lantto also wrote of theirgrandmother.

“Our grandma Prideaux, whosefamily came from Cornwall, was thebest pasty maker in the world. Shedied when I was 8 and my sister was6. One of our fondest memories wasclimbing the steps to her upstairsapartment and being greeted with thesmell of fresh baked pasties. Shewould store the pasties in a cabinet,and the first thing we did was run to itand search for those pasties. We’d siton the floor where she couldn’t see usand eat the pasty as fast as we couldbefore we got caught. As we grewolder, we realized the pasties wereplaced there for us to find, and thewhole thing was a type of game she

PPaassttyy CCrruusstt

3 cups flour1 t. salt1 cup suet (chopped fine or ground)1/4 cup Crisco1 stick (1/4 cup) butter or margerine1/4 cup cold water, as needed

PPaassttyy FFiilllliinngg

1 1/2 lbs. sirloin steak, cubed3/4 lb. pork loin or pork steak, cubed3 onions, chopped1 rutabaga, peeled and sliced5-6 potatoes, peeled and slicedbutter, salt & pepperparsley, chopped

FFoorr CCrruusstt

Roll suet into flour. Place in mixing bowl andadd shortening. Mix as for pie crust. Addenough water to make right consistency.Divide into four portions and roll out forpasties.

FFoorr FFiilllliinngg

In layers, starting with potato, then rutabaga,onion and lastly meat (on top), fill pastydough. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, butter, andparsley to taste. Fold dough over filling,crimp, and vent top of pasty with aknife. Place on baking sheet and bake at 375º

for about one hour.

continued on page 28

14 H O R I Z O N S W I N T E R 2 0 0 1

My Favorite

TeacherBy DAVID SEVICK ’81, COLLEEN MAKI ’81, VICKI STEIN ’92, GERRY

GOERLITZ ’62, KATHLEEN FOSTER ’92, GAYLE SULLIVAN ’80,FRED FISHER ’76, and SHERMAN KEMPP ’84

In the last issue of Horizons, we asked you to write us about your

favorite teacher during your years at NMU. Your response was

tremendous. What seemed common to many of your responses

is the strong connection of learning and friendship that developed

between you and your professors. This is only a partial listing of

your letters and e-mails. To read all of the responses, go to the

Alumni Association’s Web page at www.nmu.edu/alumni and

click on the “My Favorite Teacher” link.

Richard “Mike” Gorski, Art and Design

My years at NMU gave me memories that willlast a lifetime. Those memories include manygreat professors. But there was one who helpedme chart a course in life, and for that I am for-ever grateful. His name is Richard Gorskialthough for some reason, which I never quitefigured out, everyone calls him Mike.

Mike was not only the head professor ofmy major concentration, graphic design, he wasalso my adviser. He wasn’t one of those popu-

lar professors — liked by all who met him. Infact, several students in his classes simply couldnot relate and, as a result, dropped his course.

He was tough, demanding, and rigid, buthe was oddly comical at times. He told strangejokes and puns, so many of which he was theonly one laughing at. But that made him allthe more lovable. And I finally realized whyhe was so tough. He knew it was his job to“weed out” the students who, in his opinion,

W I N T E R 2 0 0 1 H O R I Z O N S 15

didn’t have what it would take to be successfulin the field.

Oh, there were times when even I thoughthe was cruel. Now that I am part of the busi-ness he knew so well, I understand why hehad to be the way he was. It’s a cruel business.In the world of advertising and media commu-nications, you have to deal with an almostinhumane level of pressure, deadlines, and avariety of personalities. The tough make it. Heknew that. We didn’t.

By the time I reached my junior year,those of us left in the program were the oneswho had survived “the wrath of Gorski,” aswe sometimes called it. It was also that yearthat we discovered something wonderfulabout Mike. He was, in fact, human, and avery considerate one at that.

Once he saw us commit to our careers, he

opened up as a friend and counselor. For thenext two years, Mike Gorski was our mostvaluable resource, and I for one tapped into itmore than was my fair share.

The day before my graduation, I walkedinto his office to thank him for his wisdom andinsight over the years. As I reached out to shakehis hand, he threw his arms around me andgave me one of the most comforting bear hugs Ihad ever received. He looked me in the eyesand with the utmost confidence said, “You’regoing to make it, David. You really are.”

He was right. I owe so much of my suc-cess to him. But Mike Gorski didn’t just teachme how to succeed in the business, he taughtme how to survive. For that, I am foreverindebted to him.

—David Sevick ’81Lakewood, Colorado

Jim Livingston wins my vote. For one, he wasfunny. I always thought he looked like one ofthe Whos down in Whoville. I used to meltwhen he read Chaucer in Middle English. Icouldn’t understand a word he said, but hecertainly captivated the class with his style. Hewas informative, he was personable, and he

was compassionate. He encouraged us to dig deeper, to ques-

tion reality, and to write about it. Of all theinstructors at NMU he was my favorite. I hadhim for four classes!

—Vicki Stein ’82Grand Rapids, Michigan

James Livingston, English

I have to say that Rolande Graves, my Frenchprofessor, was always my favorite professor.Mme. Graves inspired me to do my best ineverything. She was always so enthusiastic inFrench class, I couldn’t help but be interestedin the language. She helped me to enroll in aFrench university as a graduate student. Itchanged my life forever.

I traveled throughout Europe and Africa. Iended up working in France and living therefor three years. Upon returning to the United

States, I decided to obtain my teaching certifi-cate in French. I had spent my years at NMUas an art major. I switched to secondary educa-tion/French. I have been teaching the lan-guage in lower Michigan for 12 years now.

She probably has no idea, but she was myrole model. I use things she taught me in myclasses. A big part of the reason why I’m hereteaching French is her. Merci, Mme. Graves.

—Colleen Maki ’81Sandusky, Michigan

Rolande Graves, Languages

16 H O R I Z O N S W I N T E R 2 0 0 1

Dr. Edgar Harden, NMU president (1956-1967)F.L. “Frosty” Ferzacca, Head Football Coach (1957-1965)Jim Rapport, Theatre

In my final year at NMU, I signed up for aclass in my law enforcement major calledPolice Stress Analysis. The instructor was Dr.Kurt Kynell, and I had heard from a few ofmy fellow law enforcement classmates that hewas pretty tough, so needless to say I was alittle nervous.

As I walked into the classroom in CareyHall that night, I saw my professor at theblackboard. Here stood this huge man withgray whiskers in casual clothing. I thought helooked more at home in the outdoors thanlecturing in a classroom. But when he startedto speak, I was dead wrong.

Dr. Kynell was the most intelligent, mostinteresting instructor I’d ever encountered. He

taught in such a way that even a 2 1/2 hourlecture didn’t get tedious. He used an exercisein mock blindness to teach us about trust. Hehad the class do something outrageous infront of other people — I walked up campuswith a bag on my head — to teach us aboutnon-conformity. He showed us films andmade us write essays. He was easy to confidein about schoolwork problems. He offered towrite me a recommendation (and did) uponmy graduation. He was, in short, the best pro-fessor on campus.

I hope this somehow finds its way to himso he knows how much he was appreciated.

—Kathleen Foster ’92Alpena, Michigan

I’d like to highlight three individuals who,while in school and since graduation, havemade a difference.

First, there was President Edgar Harden,whose “right to try” initiative allowed me tocome to NMU in 1958. He was a gracious anddecent man who treated students with a greatdeal of respect, even during times when wemay not have been deserving. To us students,he was not just the “Prez;” he was an educa-tor, visionary, and friend. He believed asound, competitive intercollegiate programwas healthy for the university and the regionit served.

Second would be my head football coach,F.L. “Frosty” Ferzacca. Dr. Harden recruitedFrosty to build a football program of studentathletes that would raise the visibility of thenNorthern Michigan College. With the supportof Dr. Harden’s “right to try” initiative andFrosty’s basic trust in young people, he mold-ed teams out of some “blue chippers,” somecastoffs of other programs, and some question-able players. Some didn’t make it, but themajority did. Frosty’s ’61 team missed out on

being in the National Association of Interco-llegiate Athletic Championship game by 5yards. We played Lenoir Rhyne to a 20-20 tie,and the game was decided on total yardage.

Third is Dr. Jim Rapport, better known as“Daddy Bear” — another one of Dr. Harden’srecruits. This “Buckeye” and lover of theatrecame to have a look and never left. He did forthe theatre what Frosty did for football. In hisfirst few years, the athletes may have lookedupon being in the theatre as less than macho,but Dr. Jim changed all that. He persuaded meto try out for the part of the bailiff in The Nightof January 16th. After that questionable per-formance, he got me to try out for the role ofStewpot in South Pacific. That was the icebreaker between athletics and theater.

These pioneer leaders brought a vision ofwhat could be to a small, remote college cam-pus. One result is this proud Wildcat grad,who will forever be indebted to Dr. Ed,Frosty, and Daddy Bear — educators, motiva-tors, and friends.

—Gerry Goerlitz ’62Exton, Pennsylvania

Kurt Kynell, Criminal Justice

W I N T E R 2 0 0 1 H O R I Z O N S 17

As a newly declared economics major, I wasstruggling with many of the concepts of micro-economics. Dr. Mokhlis “Mo” Zaki used aunique blend of humor, personal experience,and thorough knowledge to bring the subjectmatter to life. Whether simple supply anddemand examples drawn from his birthplacefor sophomores, or complex equations drawnfrom his research for his graduate level stu-dents, the various theories Dr. Zaki taughtcame alive under his tutelage.

Dr. Zaki would often joke in his lectures,“okay now, pay very close attention, this isvery, very interesting — besides it is on thetest!” Dr. Zaki understood the demands on his

students and delivered his lectures at the pacehe wrote the notes on the blackboard. Thoughmany of his students have burned into theirmemories the back of Dr. Zaki’s sports coatcovered in chalk dust as he blazed across theblackboard, those lessons are burned in aswell. Dr. Zaki’s style of communication andmentoring, have played an important role inmaking my banking career successful.

Dr. Mo Zaki is one of those rare professorswho one remembers fondly even years later. Dr.Zaki, thank you for all you have done for us.

—Sherman Kempp ’84 (formerly Sherman Kemppainen)

Manitou Springs, Colorado

I had just returned to Northern in September1973 after flunking out in January 1969 andspending the next four years in the U.S. AirForce and seeing a lot of Southeast Asia.

One of the classes I took the followingspring ’74 term was a humanities class cover-ing the ancient Greeks. Dr. Fred Stenkamp ofthe History Department was the teacher, andin the first class he asked us to identify howwe first came into contact with the variousstories in Greek mythology. I put down theClassic Comics series that I had read as ayoung boy. Dr. Stenkamp mentioned it aloudin class, and several of my younger class-

mates giggled, but he dismissed them with agruff disjoinder that the Classic Comics wereindeed a valid source.

I took another class from him a year later,and he still was able to captivate the class ashe related the discoveries of Heinrich VonSchliemann (the ancient city of Troy) as well asoffering tacit, yet probing meanings behind thedialogue of the Greek playwrights.

I liked his classes because they made methink of ideas that I did not have before classthat morning and every morning of the semester.

—Fred Fisher ’76San Antonio, Texas

Mary Ellen Powers, Nursing

Fred Stenkamp, History

Mokhlis “Mo” Zaki, Economics

While I knew many outstanding professors atNorthern, the one who made the most lastingimpression on me was my mental health nurs-ing professor, Mary Ellen Powers.

Everyone admired her strength and self-confidence. At the end of the semester, shetaught me a lesson I have never forgotten. Sheasked each of us to grade ourselves and meetwith her individually to go over our grades.After all of the hard work and hours I put intothe class, I definitely thought I deserved an A.

However, either out of modesty or adesire to hear her sing my praises, I said I

deserved a B. Professor Powers then said thatshe thought I deserved an A but that I wouldknow best, and she changed my grade to B!Seeing my reaction, she firmly said, “Gayle,always give yourself what you deserve. Don’tunderestimate yourself because if you don’thave faith in yourself, no one will.”

For the past twenty years, I have carriedthat message in my heart and used it as a les-son to my two sons. Thank you Dr. Powers, forhelping me become self-confident and proud.

—Gayle A. Sullivan ’80Salem, Masachusettes

Sports

or NMU cross country and skicoach Sten Fjeldheim ‘86, lifeis good, and he knows it.

He and his family — wife Pamelaand children Ing, Kirsten, and Stig —are healthy and happy. He loves hisjob. He lives in a place he calls “one ofthe best on Earth.”

His women’s cross country teamrecently qualified for the NCAAChampionship for the first time inschool history and finished eighth of24 teams.

Three of his Nordic skiers —Caitlin Compton, Melissa Oram, andAubrey Smith — qualified for thewomen’s U.S. Junior WorldChampionship Team that competedin Slovakia last winter where Smithhad the best-ever finish of anyAmerican woman at the event, aswell as Chris Cook, who qualified forthe men’s U.S. team.

Last spring, Fjeldheim’s Nordicsquads swept the NCAA CentralRegional meet to allow full-team par-ticipation at the NCAA Champion-ships, where Abby Larson was thehighest-placing American in theNCAA women’s Nordic event.

And in November, Fjeldheim wasselected the Great Lakes Region CrossCountry Coach of the Year for the firsttime in his 13-year career. In Septem-ber, Fjeldheim was honored as theU.S. Ski Team’s 2000 DevelopmentalCoach of the Year, an award thatcrosses all ski disciplines at all devel-opmental levels.

Fjeldheim, who first coached

NMU’s ski team from1986-94 then did astint with the U.S.national and juniornational programsfrom 1994-97 beforereturning to NMU in1998, says he is hon-ored to receive therecognition, but neverset out to do so.Attaining such acco-lades is not on his listof priorities — andFjeldheim’s life andcoaching philoso-phies are all aboutpriorities.

“I tell my stu-dents and student-athletes all the timethat life is aboutchoices and conse-quences. Each choicebrings a consequence,and how you react toconsequences deter-mines your journey.To achieve any goalyou have to under-stand that,” said Fjeldheim.

“In my athletes’ lives right nowthey have three major choices:school, skiing/running, and socialactivities. I tell them to make surethey pick the right two,” he saidwith a chuckle. “Some also squeezein jobs, which makes the choices thatmuch more difficult.”

When it comes to training, the

NMU coach believes Nordic skiers areamong the most concentrated, dedi-cated, and physically well-trained ath-letes in the world.

“Nordic skiing is the most com-plex sport to train and develop racestrategy for; it requires year-roundcommitment,” said Fjeldheim. “To skiat the elite level, you must train everymuscle of the body. Unlike mostsports where there is dominant use of

18 H O R I Z O N S W I N T E R 2 0 0 1

Choices andconsequencesNorthern’s cross countryand ski coach teaches focusBy CINDY PAAVOLA ’84

F

In September, Fjeldheim was inducted into the Upper PeninsulaSports Hall of Fame, which he said, “meant more to me thaneven the national award.”

W I N T E R 2 0 0 1 H O R I Z O N S 19

an area of the body, Nordic skiingrequires equal strength in both theupper and lower body and superiorcardiovascular endurance.”

To meet the challenge of on-going intense training, all NMUwomen skiers are also members ofthe cross country team. This interdis-ciplinary training has allowed theskiers to focus on maintaining thehighest fitness level while challeng-ing the runners to heighten theirtraining to keep up with the skiers onthe cross country trails.

Fjeldheim, a member of the U.S.Ski Team from 1980-86, understandswhat it takes to ski at the internation-al level, and he is confident thatNorthern will produce several U.S.Olympians in the near future, maybeas soon as the 2002 Salt Lake CityOlympic Games.

“There is no doubt in my mindthat we have on our roster todayfuture Olympians,” he said.

Fjeldheim is extremely proudthat his ski roster consists ofAmerican athletes.

“I don’t believe we need to findNorwegians or Swedes to be a suc-cessful program. We are doing itwith Americans, and I’m proud ofthat,” said Fjeldheim, a native ofHaugesund, Norway, who came tothe United States as a teenager in1961 and received his U.S. citizen-ship in 1975. “The NMU program ismaking a huge impact on Nordic ski-ing in the United States and in thedevelopment of elite NorthAmerican skiers.”

That the impact is garneringnotice pleases Fjeldheim.

“We have big plans for these twoprograms and we’re ready to pay theconsequences for choosing to set ourgoals high,” said Fjeldheim beforethrowing his hands in the air andadding, “Life is good. Let it snow.”

Born to run, born to ski

For most student-athletes, a chanceto compete at any NCAAChampionship is a feat to hang

their careers on. But for NMU juniorsAbby Larson and Aubrey Smith, makingit to this year’s NCAA II Women’s CrossCountry Championship — their secondtrip to an NCAA Championship in eightmonths — is an added bonus to a pair ofstoried careers in skiing.

Larson and Smith are two-sport athletes at NMU, participating forboth the nationally-ranked Wildcat cross country running and Nordic ski-ing programs.

Last March, the duo found themselves in Soldier Hollow, Utah, as two ofthe three women competing for NMU at the 2000 NCAA Skiing Champion-ship. Now the two have participated in a national meet again, running as partof a seven-member squad that represented NMU for the first time in schoolhistory at the NCAA II Women’s Cross Country Championship on Nov. 18.

Larson and Smith came to Northern to ski, and while training for thesport they love, they’ve achieved national success in two sports — some-thing most athletes dream of.

Larson walked on to the Wildcat ski team in the fall of 1997. After red-shirting her first year, she has developed into one of NMU’s top femaleskiers, making three trips to the NCAA Skiing Championships. She hasearned All-America honors in both classical and freestyle racing in each ofthe last two seasons, and earned a spot on the U.S. National Team at the 1999Junior World Championships.

Last season, Larson was the highest-placing American in the NCAAwomen’s Nordic events, finishing 10th in the five-kilometer freestyle andfifth in the 15-kilometer classical races. She has placed among the top 10 ineach of her last four races at the NCAA meet.

Smith exploded onto the collegiate ski scene last year and made nationalheadlines, recording the highest finish ever by an American at the JuniorWorld Championships in Slovakia, placing 13th in the five-kilometerfreestyle. That accomplishment, coupled with three seventh-place finishes atthe U.S. Cross Country Championships, earned her a spot on the U.S. SkiTeam’s Development Program.

One of three Wildcats to see action in every harrier meet this season,Smith, like Larson, scored in every meet she ran. Six of Smith’s seven finish-es were in the top 20, including a 19th-place showing at the NCAA II GreatLakes Regional.

Smith finished 36th and Larson finished 81st out of 177 runners at theNCAA II National Championships. NMU finished eighth out of 24 teamswith 194 points. NMU freshman Caitlin Compton earned All-American hon-ors for the second straight year as the top finishing Wildcat. She finished16th with a time of 22.21.2.

Abby Larson Aubrey Smith

20 H O R I Z O N S W I N T E R 2 0 0 1

Development Fund

For love of art and musicFormer NMU president John X. Jamrich increases campaign gift

ife would be less without artand music, according to for-mer Northern Michigan

University president John X. Jamrich. “Music and art are really the

essential, decorative elements of life.They ease the tension of daily, routinedemands. Without music and art tocontribute to the stability of our psy-ches, we become routine-automatedbeings,” said NMU’s top administra-tor from 1968 to 1983.

Jamrich and his wife June ofVenice, Fla., have decided to increasetheir gift to This Decisive Season: TheCampaign for Northern MichiganUniversity by endowing their annualmusic scholarship.

In 1970, the couple had estab-lished a fund directed at piano stu-dents. The gift was re-designated in1986 into the Jamrich Art EndowmentFund, which has supported several artexhibits at the NMU Art Museumover the years and today has grown toabout $60,000. Some of the exhibitsthe endowment has funded includeArtists of Michigan, Art of Haiti, PeterMaqua — Native American Artist,Remington’s Early Years, and the 1998NMU Alumni Art & Design Exhibit.

As a gift to This Decisive Season,the Jamrichs established the John X.and June A. Jamrich Music Scholar-ship, in 1998. Now, they have chosento increase their gift by supporting theannual scholarship until its principalhas reached a $20,000 endowed statusin 2001.

The award is available to NMUfreshmen music majors studyingpiano, violin or clarinet.

The couple’s gift reflects not only

their love of music, but also theirbelief in Northern’s music program’sability to produce outstanding musi-cians and music teachers.

“Over the years, the NMU MusicDepartment has been one of the uni-versity’s most vigorous, performance-oriented units with groups like theFantastics, musical/operatic perform-ances, and now the very successfulmusicals with NMU faculty as com-posers and directors that have gar-nered national visibility.”

The idea of providing scholarshipassistance to music students is espe-cially appealing to Jamrich because, tothis day, he clearly remembers thecosts of his own music lessons andcollege education.

“I began my music training in ele-mentary school. This was in the daysof the Depression. Lessons were 25cents,” he said. “By the time I startedhigh school, I was playing the piano,violin, and clarinet. I even took lessonsin orchestral conducting, actuallyappearing as guest conductor of thecity municipal band at age 17. In addi-tion to this, mathematics was a favoritesubject. From this emerged the goal ofbecoming a music/math teacher at thehigh school level. This was in 1939.”

“As things turned out, I madereasonably good progress on thepiano. As valedictorian [of my highschool class], I received a full tuitionscholarship to Milwaukee StateTeachers College — valued at $37.50!”

Jamrich said he decided to pursuebeing a concert pianist during hisfreshman year and studied the pianowith John Caree of Chicago andHoward Stein of Milwaukee.

“That concentrated effort of prac-ticing six hours per day lasted foralmost two years but came to an endwhen I volunteered for the Air Forceprogram in meteorology at theUniversity of Chicago,” Jamrich said.

“In the ensuing years after thewar, I did not pursue the piano butdecided to take advantage of the GIBill to get my degrees. And that is theroute that took me to college teachingand university administration.”

Despite the new career direction,music remained an important part ofthe Jamrichs’ lives.

“Music was an integral part ofour lives, more as listeners than per-formers. Classical music was part ofthe daily menu while our childrenwere growing up,” said Jamrich.

Today the couple enjoys perform-ing for retirement and nursing homesnear their home.

The Jamrich Scholarship is one of13 current or retired NMU faculty-staff gifts made to the campaignworth $10,000 or more. The goal ofThis Decisive Season is to raise $30 mil-lion in private giving to the universityof which more than $26 million ingifts have been pledged to date.

L

John X. Jamrich

Leading by example

he great American educatorFather Theodore Hesburgh,former president of the

University of Notre Dame (1952-87)and consultant to every U.S. presi-dent since Eisenhower, once said, “Itis easier to exemplify values thanteach them.”

Northern administrator PaulDuby may not be familiar with all ofHesburgh’s writings, but the $10,000gift from he and his wife Betty to ThisDecisive Season: The Campaign forNorthern Michigan University can cer-tainly back that particular teaching.The couple has designated their gift tobenefit NMU’s Student Leader

Fellowship Program.Duby is Northern’s associate vice

president for planning and analyticalstudies. He came to NMU in 1984.His wife is employed by Book Worldof Marquette.

According to Duby, a lot of collegecampuses talk about developing tomor-row’s leaders, but not many actuallyestablish programs showing studentshow to develop leadership skills.

“The fact that Northern not onlyhas the very successful StudentLeader Fellowship Program, but thatit will be celebrating its 10th anniver-sary is an excellent example of NMU’s

ames D. Hendricks, director ofthe School of Education and asso-ciate dean of the College ofProfessional Studies, retired Dec.

31. A celebration honoring him for 33years of service to NMU was held lastmonth in the University Center.

A scholarship fund has beenestablished at NMU in honor ofHendricks and his late wife, Sandra,an active community volunteer whodied in 1998.

Hendricks came to Northern in1965. He left briefly to help PortlandState University in Oregon develop adoctoral program in education, thenreturned to NMU in 1969.

He was interim chair for the for-mer department of home economics.He also initiated the setup of the fol-lowing conferences: Young Authors,U.P. Reading, Early Childhood,

Special Education and “The TeachingChallenge: Preparation andCommunity Support.”

At his retirement celebration,Hendricks was also honored for hiscivic involvement. He is affiliatedwith Marquette Rotary, the PeterWhite Public Library, the CommunityConcert Association, and St. Paul’sEpiscopal Church. He chaired theGwinn Area Public Schools andUniversity Partnership for schooldownsizing related to the closure ofK.I. Sawyer AFB. He also served onthe Superior Central Schools andUniversity Professional DevelopmentSchool Partnership.

Further information on how toendow a scholarship and about NMU’sscholarship program is available atwww.nmu.edu/development or by calling906-227-2627.

Associate VP makes $10,000 gift to student program

T

Dedicated to education Scholarship to honor NMU educator

CAMPAIGN UPDATEThis Decisive Season:

The Campaign for NorthernMichigan University

Student success and accessGoal: $12 millionEndowed scholarships, the Annual Fund,programs for innovative teaching andlearning, and technology advancements.

Received $9.8 million toward goal ...$2.2 million to go.

Improving campus facilitiesGoal: $8 millionGlenn T. Seaborg Science Complex,Berry Events Center, Izzo-MariucciAcademic Center, Reynolds Concert Halland other on-campus facilities projects.

Received $4.6 million toward goal ...$3.4 million to go.

Investing in the people of NMUGoal: $6 millionEndowed professorships and facultychairs, funds for faculty and staff lead-ership and development opportunities.

Received $221,845 toward goal ...$5.6 million to go.

Outreach and partnershipsGoal: $4 millionPublic radio and television, economicdevelopment and educational out-reach programs.

Received $3.4 million toward goal ...$600,000 to go.

Other gifts received(no goal set)Unrestricted funds, pending designa-tion, planned gifts and gifts-in-kind.Received $8.2 million.

25% 50% 75% 100%

25% 50% 75% 100%

25% 50% 75% 100%

25% 50% 75% 100%

J

continued on page 28

W I N T E R 2 0 0 1 H O R I Z O N S 21

22 H O R I Z O N S W I N T E R 2 0 0 1

Pre-1960sMelvin Holli ’57 of River Forest, Ill., co-directed a conference at the University ofIllinois at Chicago titled, “The ModernPresidency: FDR to Clinton.” He moder-ated a panel discussion on presidentialcharacter and morality at the conference.He also led a session titled, “Results ofPresidential Ranking Poll.”

60sJoyce (Tenhunen) Kirkwood ’60 taughtfor ten years in various schools districtsand was actively involved in the giftedand talented program in the Lansingand MSU areas. Her husband PhilKirkwood ’66 retired from the MichiganDepartment of Agriculture as managerof food services sanitation. He is a foodservice consultant for a cruise liner andis owner of Kirkwood and Associates inLansing and Lake Worth, Fla.

Belva (Erickson) Olson ’64 of Daggetttaught school for 30 years in theStephenson area schools. She is a widowwith three grown children and has lotsof hobbies.

Georgia Grile ’67 of Ann Arbor is listedin Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers,2000. She is an elementary schoolteacher in Milan.

David Williams II ’69, ’70 MA ofNashville, Tenn., was appointed vice-chancellor, general counsel, and secre-tary to Vanderbilt University, as well asprofessor of law. He is the first AfricanAmerican senior administrator atVanderbilt.

70sStuart Boland ’71 of Calgary, Canada,says that he keeps busy at his job pro-viding human resources services toemployees across Canada. In his leisuretime he enjoys golf, hiking, and moun-tain biking in nearby Banff NationalPark, and in the winter he enjoys down-hill skiing. He is manager of humanresources at McDermott.

Joseph Gavlas ’71 of Portland, Ore., isaccounting manager with Great WesternChemical Co. joe_gavlas@hotmail.com

Alan Harju ’72 of Buffalo Grove, Ill., hasretired after 25 years combined servicein the corporate headquarters of AllstateInsurance Company in Northbrook, Ill.,and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter,Discover Card in Riverwoods, Ill.alharju@mediaone.net

David Mattson ’72 of Cape Coral, Fla.,retired from The Wall Street Journal.

Laurence Trepany ’72 of Clearwater,Fla., is an operations supervisor at thePinellas County Water Treatment Plant.ltrepany@peoplepc.com

Richard Gose ’73 of Duluth, Minn., hasbeen elected to the board of directorsof the Mesaba Park Association inHibbing, Minn.

JoAnn (Bennie) Huber ’73 of Tulsa,Okla., is a founding director of an out-patient mental health clinic familyresource group. She gives speeches andretreats about mental health issues andspirituality. Joannhuber@juno.com

Anna Taylor ’73 of Wright-PattersonAFB, Ohio, was assigned as the deputy

commander of the Air Force ROTCnorthwest region providing oversight toAir Force ROTC programs at 37 univer-sities in the Northeast United States.

Dave Roberts ’74 of Negaunee wasselected by the Michigan Association ofCounty Clerks as the Michigan CountyClerk of the Year. He has beenMarquette County Clerk since 1985.

Wendy Rose ’74 of Midland is currentlyactive as worship leader in a localEpiscopal Church. She says that she isputting to use the wonderful trainingshe received from Dr. Margaret Haynes,a faculty member in the vocal programin the early 1970s.

Susan (Strong) Youngberg ’75, ’80 MAof Iron Mountain teaches business edu-cation and computer classes for BreitungTownship Schools. She also is a part-time instructor for Bay de NocCommunity College. Her husband isMichael Youngberg ’73.

Chet Jessick ’75, ’78 MA of Petoskeywas listed in Who’s Who AmongAmerican’s Teachers 2000. He is a profes-sor at North Central Michigan College.

Kim Van Osdol ’75 of Menominee ispresident of community banking withWells Fargo Bank Michigan. Accordingto Kim, three out of the seven MichiganWells Fargo presidents are NMU gradu-ates. His wife is Lauri (Lundquist) VanOsdol ’74. vanfamily@cybrzn.com

Frederick Fisher ’76, ’79 MA of SanAntonio, Texas, recently completed twoyears as the training advisor to theKuwait Ministry of Defense. He is nowworking as chief inspector on the AirEducation and Training Command ofthe Inspector General’s Team.

Mark Lovell ’77 of Pittsburg, Pa., is thedirector of the concussion evaluationprograms for the NHL and NFL. He alsoworks with a number of universities andhigh schools. He is a neuropsychologist.

Roy Yelland ’78 of Merritt Island, Fla., isfleet management supervisor for the

Keeping Track

Have you published a book or released a CD lately? If so, send us a brief synopsis

along with the book cover or CD jacket, and we’ll print it in Horizons. Do you have

some other exciting news? Let us know, and we’ll print it in Horizons. “Keeping Track”

is generated by your submissions and is open to all NMU alumni. Send your “Keeping

Track’” submissions to the Alumni Association, Northern Michigan University, 1401

Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, MI 49855; e-mail to horizons@nmu.edu, or send via

NMU’s Web page www.nmu.edu/alumni.

W I N T E R 2 0 0 1 H O R I Z O N S 23

City of Cocoa Beach.

Sandra Kammer ’79 of Port Huron is anassistant divisional director of Adultand Family Services at St. Clair CountyCommunity Mental Health.

80sRuss Jokinen ’80 of Brunswick, Ga.,completed the customs basic enforce-ment school for new criminal investiga-tors who are employed by the U.S.Customs Service. As an attorney for theCustoms Service, Russ participated in thecourse to develop a better understandingof the agency’s multifaceted law enforce-ment mission to prepare him for histeaching duties at the U.S. CustomsService Academy at Glynco, Ga. yooper@iname.com

Sheila (Greig) Balog ’81, ’82 MA ofAustin, Texas, is a graduate career spe-cialist at the University of Texas atAustin, McCombs School of Business.Her husband Bill Balog ’83 is a seniorstaffing manager at Dell ComputerCorporation in Round Rock, Texas. wbalog@aol.com

Ron Caviani Jr. ’81 of Huntington, W.Va., is the orchestra director in Cabell-Midland High School and has three mid-dle-school string programs. He is thefounder, director, and conductor for theTri-State Youth Orchestra and is the vicepresident of Artists Resources for the Tri-State (ARTS) a non-profit organizationthat brings together non-profit perform-ing and fine arts groups in the area. Healso is the director of curriculum.

Kent Eckstrom ’81 of Fairport, N.Y., com-pleted a master of science in humanresources development at the RochesterInstitute of Technology. He is the directorof human resources for Bausch and Lomb.

Karen (Apple) Gabrielsen ’82 of NewBerlin, Wis., is the owner of VictoryLady Fitness Centers of Wisconsin.

David Meinert ’82, ’84 of Springfield,Mo., was promoted to full professor and

received a University Teaching Award atSouthwest Missouri State University. Healso serves as the Director of the MS CISprogram that was recently ranked 8th inthe nation by Computerworld.

Mike Flanigan ’83 of Aylett, Va., isdirector of E-Solutions with UPSHOTMarketing in Richmond, Va. mflanigan@upshotmail.com

Michael Gaffney ’83 of Hudson, Ohio,is a drive systems commissioningmanager for Reliance Electric/RockwellAutomation, where he has worked for16 years. He is married and has fivechildren.

James Jamison ’83 of South Lyon isregional manager of NeodymeTechnologies.

Marilee Fogeltanz ’84 of Green Bay,Wis., has been promoted to senior artdirector at The Goltz Seering Agency.

Linda (Potter) Rosenkranz ’84 ofNashville, Tenn., co-presented an allday workshop titled, “Total RiskManagement for Climbing Walls,” atthe National Intramural RecreationalSports Association National Conference.He is the assistant director of campusrecreation at Vanderbilt University.

Colleen (Bitner) Sullivan ’85, ’94 MA ofDurham, N.C., is a training and devel-opment consultant at FMI Corporation.She is a doctoral candidate in adult edu-cation at North Carolina StateUniversity. csulliva@ntrnet.net

Barbara (Beck) Updike ’85, ’94 MA ofPortage is assistant vice president forhuman resources at Western MichiganUniversity. She worked in the NMUPersonnel department from 1986-93.barbara.updike@wmich.edu

Susan (Phare) Boback ’86, ’95 ofIshpeming is an administrative secretaryat the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fameand Museum where she assists withshop decor and museum displays. Shealso works on their Web page and helpswith grant writing.

Michael Henderson ’86 of Traverse Cityillustrated Jungle Journey, a children’sbook teaching children about grief. He isa Web developer at Big Net.

Lisa (Harry) Sanders ’86 of Inver GroveHeights, Minn., is the retail manager inthe Nutrition Services Department atUnited Children’s Hospital in down-town St. Paul.

“Guess what! While golf-ing at my local golf course

in Charleston, SouthCarolina, I ran into a

Randy Clark who attendedNMU during the early1970’s. I spotted him

because his son was wear-ing an NMU t-shirt. Randywas on the NMU basket-

ball team prior to transfer-ring to the College of

Charleston. His wife is fromMarquette and graduatedfrom NMU in 1972. This ismy first sighting of a NMUgrad in Charleston sincemoving here in 1988!” J A K E J U R E C K I ‘ 8 7

Have you spied a fellow NMU alum lately? Let us know.We’d love to tell others about it.

You just never know where those NMU t-shirts are going to show up.

I SPY NMU

24 H O R I Z O N S W I N T E R 2 0 0 1

Keeping Track

’ll never forget my very firstlecture.” So began Donna(Maki) Becker ’87, as she

reflected on the start of hercareer as a professor at her almamater, Northern MichiganUniversity. “There I was, stand-ing in West Science,” sherecalled, “in the same place Dr.Fowler stood all those times.Except this time, I wasn’t sittingthere listening; I was giving thelecture. I remember standingthere thinking ‘This is so weird.’It was almost surreal.”

A Marquette native,Donna’s post-graduate worktook her first to Michigan State University, then to MichiganTechnological University, where she earned her doctorate.Later she moved to the University of Minnesota, where shespent time as a research associate in plant pathology. Afterall that, why return to her alma mater?

“To be honest, we had never really considered it atfirst,” she said. “Jobs in my field are very hard to come by.Then, in the summer of 1998, I saw the biology departmentwas advertising for an assistant professor and I applied.My husband and I were very excited when they offered methe position.”

“We liked St. Paul, but we wanted a more moderatesized city. A lot of people grow up here and can’t wait to getout. I was never like that. And my family has so much loyal-ty to Northern; I can’t help but be proud to be back.”

Along with husband Howard Becker ‘87, eight mem-bers of Donna’s immediate family earned degrees atNorthern Michigan University.

“I feel a strong attachment to Northern,” she said.“Aside from the family aspect of it, the faculty at this schoolshaped me. They helped me realize who I was and what Iwanted to do.”

Like many alumni, Donna can directly point to certainprofessors who were instrumental in her career, althoughshe readily admits, at the time, she did not realize it.

“Dr. Frank Verley made ahuge difference in my life,” sheexplained. “He caught me veryearly on in my studies in organ-ic chemistry. I was strugglingand he could tell. There is sucha big difference between highschool and college. No one hadtaken the time to show me howto study. He took that extratime. He made a lasting impacton my life.”

Becker shares that storywith her students as she helpsthem with their study habits.

“I tell them, ‘You may notbelieve me now, but I am proof

that good study habits pay off.’”She also points to several key interactions with Dr. Ron

Parejko and Dr. Warren Vande Berg for setting her on theresearch path. “I saw their passion and enthusiasm for thisfield and it just ignited mine,” she said. “I knew I wanted tobe as excited about my work as they were about theirs.Once I was involved in the research end of this field, I justfell in love with it.”

Becker hopes she can have a similar impact on the livesof her students.

“I know these students are not going to rememberevery single thing I say. My biggest goal is to get them excit-ed about science. Let them see how exciting and stimulatingthis field can be and give them opportunities in researchthat will make them more marketable in the future. That’swhat my Northern professors did for me.”

Many of those professors are now her colleagues. Thatwas a little strange initially.

“I have to admit, it was a little odd at first,” sheacknowledged. “My first year was an adjustment. But now,it’s fun to be back here. I have found it very rewardingworking alongside the faculty who taught me. They treat meas a peer and know I am completely qualified. And I’m veryfortunate to be working with such wonderful people.”

—Deanna Hemmila ’88

There’s no place like homeD O N N A B E C K E R ’ 8 7

I

Donna Becker explains culture features to her students. Photo by Kim Marsh.

“

W I N T E R 2 0 0 1 H O R I Z O N S 25

Sharon (Rice) Pearson ’87 of Lindwood,Minn., just relocated to a suburb of St.Paul and is a registered nurse at HealthEast, St. John’s Hospital. She is marriedand has a son.

Gretchen (Anderson) Zigman ’89 ofMaple Grove, Minn., is an on-line train-ing supervisor with Wells Fargo inMinneapolis.

90sWalt Lindala ’90 of Marquette has beennamed Network News Director forGreat Lakes Radio, Inc, a four-stationnetwork based in Marquette. Thenetwork currently owns and operatesWKQS-FM, WFXD-FM, WHCH-FM andWQXO-AM. His wife is April (Kelly)Lindala ’97. news@greatlakesradio.org

Terry Klavitter ’92 of Waterford is a resi-dential care specialist supervisor in theadolescent sex offender unit ofHavenwyck Hospital Auburn Hills. Hiswife Tracy (Boylan) Klavitter ’95 is anoffice administrator at JAE Electronics,Inc., automotive division in Livonia.

Brent Olson ’92 of Ann Arbor is a cor-porate auditor for General MotorsCorporation in Detroit. He is based outof GM’s corporate headquarters at theRenaissance Center, and his job involvesworldwide travel. He also is taking fly-ing lessons and anticipates having a pri-vate pilot’s license in the winter of 2001.b.olson@excite.com

John Zubiena ’92, ’94 of Milwaukee,Wis., is the director of human resourcesfor the Medical College of Wisconsin inMilwaukee. jzub@execpc.com

Gregory Hayes ’93 of Chicago, Ill., is acorporate attorney with Piper, Marbury,Rudnick, and Wolfe.gregory.hayes@piperrudnick.com

Jodanne (Woodbeck) Hedrick ’93 ofChesterfield was recently elected chiefresident of obstetrics and gynecology atMt. Clemens General Hospital.

Vicki (Vietzke) Logan ’94 of Lindstrom,Minn., released an instrumental CD oforiginal music written and performedby herself titled, Chasing Dreams. Vickiowns her own graphics company.vicki@vickilogan.com; Web site:www.vickilogan.com.

Bill Mays ’94 of Sofia, Bulgaria, writesbusiness and financial plans for privatecompanies and privatization deals inBulgaria and Croatia.bulginvest@hotmail.com

Malissa Vegas ’94 of Ludington wasnominated for volunteer of the year.

Andrew Brawner ’95, ’98 MA ofPulaski, Wis., is a copywriter at TheGoltz Seering Agency.

Heather (Newburg) Ferguson ’95 ofSault Ste. Marie, Ontario, is the learningcenter director and coordinator of uni-versity studies at Lake Superior StateUniversity.

Jon Gordon ’95 of Orange Park, Fla.,graduated from law school. He is thehead cross country coach at St. John’s,and in his first season posted a 33-3record and won the district champi-onship for only the second time in theschool’s history. JonGordon9@aol.com

Tom Isaacson ’96 of Bothell, Wash., is asenior account manager at RollingThunder Marketing, a high-tech publicrelations agency near Seattle.tomi@rolling-thunder.com

Daryl Radley ’96 of Bossier City, La., isa district sales representative for NalcoChemical Company. He works in thePulp and Paper Division.

Gregory Wood ’96 of Pittsburg, Pa., is afirst year doctoral student at theUniversity of Pittsburgh.

Patrick Crowley ’97 of Muskegon grad-uated from the University of DaytonSchool of Law and accepted a positionas an assistant prosecutor in MuskegonCounty. He is the proud father of adaughter, Kiera Delaney Crowley. Hiswife is Sacha (Conklin) Crowley ’97.

Kari (Ross) Marcotte ’97, ’99 MA of FortWayne, Ind., presented “CritiquingCareer Services Websites” at the CareerDevelopment Professionals of Indianaconference in Syracuse, Ind. She co-pre-sented “Critiquing Web-Based CareerServices Resources,” at the MidwestAssociation of Colleges and Employersconference in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is thecoordinator of employment services, aca-demic counseling, and career services.Her husband is Paul White ’92, ’95 MA.marcottk@ipfw.edu

Peggy (Toellner) Stickney ’97 ofMilwaukee, Wis., is currently in herthird year of Medical School at theMedical College of Wisconsin inMilwaukee. pstickne@mcw.edu

Kelly Wagner ’98 of St. Paul, Minn., is athird year student at HamlineUniversity School of Law in St. Paul.kelw@uswest.net

Karen Cashman ’99 of Quincy, Mass., isa French teacher in westernMassachusetts and is a track coach tojunior high students. She writes that sheenjoyed her Olympic training at NMU.

Bruce Herr, Jr. ’99 of Newport receiveda promotion from the surgical post-opfloor to the ICU as a registered nurse atMercy Memorial Hospital.

Jennifer Hurst ’99 of White Lake isdoing a year of national service withAmeriCorps NCCC. She is stationed atthe Central Region Campus in Denver,Colo. Jenniferhurst76@hotmail.com

Kathleen Johnson ’99 of Ishpeming hasworked more than 22 years at NMU,

“I can honestly say that I love my job.”D A R Y L R A D L E Y ’ 9 6

26 H O R I Z O N S W I N T E R 2 0 0 1

Keeping Track

where she is currently a supervisor inDining Services, Quad I. She worked atWUPX when it was WBKX. She has heldnine jobs at NMU with each successivejob being a promotion.

DeathsHildegarde Johnson ’20, ’51, Aug. 8,2000, Marquette.

Elizabeth (Taylor) Johnson ’33, Aug. 24,2000, Farmington Hills.

Elaine (Aho) Rutter ’36, Aug. 27, 2000,Marquette.

Evelyn Berwin ’39 MA, July 7, 2000,Manistique.

Clarice Brown ’40, ’67 MA, Aug. 6,2000, Ishpeming.

Catherine (Baxter) Rubbo ’45, July 9,2000, Iron Mountain.

Wallace McNeil ’49, July 11, 2000, SunCity West, Ariz.

James Webber ’50, July 14, 2000,Ontonagon.

Daniel Sensiba ’57, July 24, 2000,Kimberly, Wis.

George Gusick ’59, ’62 MA, Feb. 2,2000, Oshkosh, Wis.

Miriam (Nathenson) Boyd ’62, Apr. 24,2000, Marquette.

Bud Arola ’64, Aug. 12, 2000, Calumet.

Clayton “Mickey” Valle ’64, Aug. 30,2000, Ironwood.

Steve Gurchinoff ’67, ’69 MA, Mar. 20,2000, Stambaugh Township.

Dennis LaMere ’68, ’73 MA, Aug. 23,2000, Negaunee.

Peter Bill Jr. ’70, July 9, 2000, RochesterHills.

Peter Wolf ’70, Aug. 25, 2000, RapidRiver.

Patricia (Walsh) Landree ’78, July 17,2000, Ontonagon.

Michele (Morin) Lundberg ’81, Aug. 12,2000, Green Bay, Wis.

Timothy Zehren ’81, July 5, 2000,Manistique.

Karen Skufca ’82, July 19, 2000,Douglas, Ariz.

David Turenne ’83, Aug. 18, 2000,Marquette.

FriendsEarl McIntyre, Aug. 19, 2000, Neenah,Wis., NMU employee, director of com-munications from 1965-1972.

Herbert Weza, Aug. 16, 2000, Marquette,NMU employee, custodian in theMaintenance Department.

MarriagesMarilyn Peterson ’71, ’74 MA to LorenEastman.

Donna Keskimaki ’72, ’80 MA to John“Jack” Leadbetter.

JoAnn Ferguson ’74 to RobertStrickland Jr.

Frederick Fisher ’76 to Tita Cabasag.

Lara Uimari ’90 to Scott Jackman.

Connie Laitinen ’91 to Lyle VanderSchaaf.

Terry Klavitter ’92 to Tracy Boylan ’95.

Peggy Poirier ’92 to Todd Mosher.

Briget Berquist ’93 to Wayne Fields.

Laura Fredrickson ’93 to BobHendrickson.

Gregory Hayes ’93 to Mary Wiertel.

Sara Beauchamp ’95, ’98 MA to DennisVan Abel.

Moving? Promoted? Change Careers? Personal Updates? Exciting News?TELL US SO WE CAN PUT IT IN ‘KEEPING TRACK’

(and update our records)

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Send to Alumni Office, Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, MI 49855, e-mail to horizons@nmu.edu or send via NMU’s WWW page: www.nmu.edu/alumni.

W I N T E R 2 0 0 1 H O R I Z O N S 27

eannie Thoren ’68 discoveredthe “missing link” in the evolu-tion of women’s downhill skiing.

The Marquette native and Alpineenthusiast was on the 1964 JuniorNational team, placed second in herclass in the Birkebeiner (“thirtypounds ago”), and won the PinBinding Downhill three years in arow in Sun Valley. Despite her successon the slopes, Thoren hit a plateauand knew something was wrong.

“I wanted to ski even better, butno matter how hard I tried or trained,I just couldn’t pull it off,” she said.“Then it occurred to me that theproblem might be with the equip-ment. Men and women are built dif-ferently, yet they were using the same gear designed for themale body. You can’t change anatomy, so it seemed logicalto change the apparatus.”

So Thoren began experimenting. She drilled differentholes in her skis and put heel lifts in her boots. In customiz-ing her own equipment, she realized other women were nodoubt experiencing similar problems. She set out on a mis-sion that took her to the mountains.

Thoren has spent the last 30 years researching the waywomen ski. She is a pioneer and crusader who revolution-ized an entire industry with her Thoren Theory — the beliefthat equipment modification can help women skiers radical-ly improve their technique.

“This isn’t a feminist issue; it’s purely anatomical,” shesaid. “The principles make sense, and they’ve been appliedto other sports. The women’s basketball is smaller, and theseat is wider in women’s cycling.”

Thoren designed the first woman’s ski in 1986 inAustria. European manufacturers — initially offended byher ideas — have come around now that marketing targetedtoward female athletes is more common. She works withmost of the major ski companies to promote the benefits ofmodified equipment.

“If I weren’t a native Yooper, I probably wouldn’t have

put up with everything I did,” shesaid. “I didn’t let people tell me I waswrong when I came across somethingthat didn’t make sense. I somehowfound myself trying to revolutionizethe thinking of an entire industry.”

A biology and chemistry majorat Northern from 1964-68, Thorenoriginally planned to be a doctor.After graduation, she and a friendleft for Switzerland for one year to“get skiing out of our blood.” Thorenended up spending four years in thecountry; her friend stayed six.

“I never made it to med school,but I use my Northern educationevery day, trying to figure out whatother people’s problems are and

helping them make adjustments,” she said. “This wholething started at home on Marquette Mountain and devel-oped because of my education, my love of skiing, and mydesire to stick with something.”

Away from her Duluth, Minn., home nine months outof the year, Thoren travels the country with a 28-foot trailerin tow. It is filled with 100 pairs of skis and 80 pairs of boots.She holds clinics at ski areas to teach women how to diag-nose and correct equipment problems for optimum controland performance. She is also a veteran ski and boot testerfor two industry magazines.

Her efforts have been recognized. Thoren recently wasnamed one of the top 100 most influential skiers of the cen-tury and one of the top 25 most influential people in skiingin the last 50 years by Ski and Skiing magazines, respectively.She was also the first inductee in the women’s ski hall offame established by Skiing for Women magazine.

It’s a good thing Thoren never quite managed to getskiing out of her blood. Her life has been all downhill eversince she turned her favorite pastime into a 30-year passion;and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

For more information on the Thoren Theory, visitwww.jeanniethoren.com

—Kristi Evans

‘Mean Jean’ the ski queenJ E A N N I E T H O R E N ’ 6 8

J

Jeannie Thoren Photo by Tim Hancock, Ski magazine.

Keeping Track

played with us. To this day we havenot tasted a pasty as good as hers!”

Sue Hewitt ’69, ’72 MA, ’86 MArecalls her days of eating pasties in thecar when she was a college student atNorthern Michigan University.

“A group of us students used tocarpool home on the weekends. Ourjourney lead us through Chatham,Michigan. It was usually around sup-pertime, and we were usually hungryand always rather poor. Our favoriteplace to stop on cold winter Fridayswas a gas station store for the pur-pose of picking up pasties. On manyoccasions, there would be no clerkpresent to sell the pasties. There wasa warming box in the entry filledwith fresh, warm pasties. The aromawas wonderful. You could pick outyour own and put what you owed ina tin box. I believe the price of eachwas $2.00, maybe less. I thank thecook for providing us with a satisfy-ing home-like meal that could beeaten in the car.”

Family tradition, days of youth,college days, and journeys beyond theUpper Peninsula are not the onlyplaces people’s memories of the pastyhave taken them. They also include thetime-honored tales of love and mar-riage. Joe Holman ’78 of Marquetterecalls his parent’s courtship.

“My parents started dating in 1929when my mom was 14. The first dishmy mom ever made for my father wasa pasty as it was the favorite meal mygrandmother, who came fromCornwall, made. My mom proudly satthe pasty down in front of my dad; mydad said it looked like a crumpled box-car. She cried. He ate the whole thing.I’m not sure she ever forgave him, butthey were married for 51 years.”

Gail Anthony of Marquette wroteabout her “romance” with the pasty.“My husband’s first career was as a

pasty maker in the Copper Country.He left for work every day for almost10 years at 2:30 a.m. so the pastieswould be ready for the noon rush. Healso proposed to me 21 years agoafter an intimate dinner of (youguessed it) pasties!”

It is evident that the Cornishpasty holds a very special place inthe hearts and memories of the peo-ple who love them. Whether or notthey are of Cornish descent, the peo-ple of the Upper Peninsula ofMichigan have claimed the CornishPasty as “the number one U.P. food.”There are many people whose livestake them far away from the U.P., butthey never forget what the pastymeans to them, their lives and theirfamilies, and they either search for areasonable facsimile when not avail-able, try to make their own if possi-ble, or they just wait until they visitthe U.P. again — and head straightfor the nearest pasty shop!

It seems only fitting to concludewith the following poem that express-es our passion for the pasty. It waswritten by Henry Rogers, who camefrom Cornwall, England, to work as aMethodist pastor in the U.P. in 1896.His only living descendent, Mrs.Marilyn Frank, of Ironwood,Michigan, sent this poem to me.

How dear to my lip is a hot Cornish pasty,When fondly my missus presents it to view;It makes my mouth water to see it there steaming,The most delicious that I ever knew.The twist on its edges, the hole in the middle, The sight of it gives me an appetite keen;Someday they may find out a meal that is better, But up to this time it has never been seen.A good Cornish pasty,

a hot Cornish pasty,A big Cornish pasty, its praises I’ll tell...

Leslie Cory Shoemaker is an instructor ofculinary arts for the College of Technology

and Applied Sciences at NMU.

28 H O R I Z O N S W I N T E R 2 0 0 1

Leading by example, continued from page 21

commitment to student leader-ship opportunities,” said Duby.

The Dubys didn’t want tojust talk about how great theythought the SLFP was, they want-ed to put their support in action.

“The student leader pro-gram has an impact on the stu-dents now while they attendNMU and throughout theirlives,” Duby said. “Betty and Iare excited that we can play asmall role in the future successof SLFP.

The SLFP, which began in1981, is designed to developcompetent, ethical and commu-nity-centered leaders. Over atwo-year period, students partic-ipate in six component areasfocusing on self-developmentand community involvement.The program has 339 graduateswho have donated nearly 38,000hours of community service.

Last year, Northern’s SLFPprogram received national cita-tion in the Templeton Guide:Colleges that Encourage CharacterDevelopment and the recentlypublished book Powerful Pro-gramming for Student Learning:Approaches That Make a Difference.

The campus portion ofNorthern’s first-ever compre-hensive campaign publiclykicked off on Oct. 12. The Dubygift is among 13 campus cam-paign gifts of $10,000 or more.

Passionate for the Pasty, continued from page 13

Northern has lost some high-impactplayers to graduation over the lastseveral years, yet you never seem tohave a rebuilding year. You simplyreload and set off on another seasonof 20-plus wins. Is this year’s squadcapable of continuing that pace?

MG: I think we’re capable. It is an

interesting challenge every year. Wehave been fortunate because we’vehad people step up when it counts.These are players who don’t get theminutes when the veteran players areout there performing. They wait fortheir chance and work every day sothat when their opportunity arises,they are ready. I think that’s the casewith this year’s team.

You are one of the most successfulactive coaches in Division IIwomen’s basketball, with a careerwinning percentage of .785, morethan 300 career victories, and multi-ple tournament appearances. Is thenational Division II crown the onlything missing?

MG: We certainly would love to winit, but I think what I’m more after isconsistency; to be a team that is inthere every year. I think that those arethe teams that end up winning cham-pionships. We see some teams thatare in the tournament for the firsttime and the players are talking about“just being happy to be here.” Wedon’t want our players to be happyjust to be there. We want our playersto go in and perform, to compete andmove on.

How has the game changed in yourtenure as head coach, in terms of theskill level and the style of play?

MG: I think that the major change isin the athletic ability of the players —there is much more quickness. Therewas quickness when I first got startedin the women’s game, but usually inthe point guard position. Now thereare quicker post people. Three-pointshooting has also improved and hasbecome much more of a weapon.

With your success, you’ve no doubtfielded offers to accept coachingassignments elsewhere — perhaps atthe Division I level. Do you plan tomove onward and upward some day,or are you content with riding outyour career at Northern?

MG: I’m a day-to-day person. As longas I have a team to coach, that’s whatcounts. It’s honestly very difficult fora male coach to move on in women’sbasketball. If I was fortunate enoughto have this kind of success coachinga men’s team, I think people wouldbe coming to me and asking if I’d beinterested in moving. But in thewomen’s game, I’ve only had a cou-ple of different schools offer me jobs.One was Division I and one wasDivision II. In both cases, the situa-tion here was better.

You’ve had many coaching high-lights; is there one that particularlystands out?

MG: I guess one of the highlights forme was the first season, when wetook over a team that had gone 9-18and we won 24 games and got to theNCAA tournament for the first timein Northern’s history. That was anawful lot of fun. Tangibly, of course,getting to the Elite Eight a couple oftimes and getting to the Final Fourare great things. But there is a lotmore to it than that. My joy comesfrom being in the gym a couple hoursa day with the players, working withthem to improve and become the bestplayers they can be.

In his 13th season as head coach of the Wildcat women’s

basketball team, Mike Geary has never had a losing season. He

is one of the most successful coaches in Division II women’s

basketball, and the most successful coach in NMU women’s

basketball history. How does he keep his competitive edge?

By KRISTI EVANS

The elements of successA conversation with Mike Geary

W I N T E R 2 0 0 1 H O R I Z O N S 29

HorizonsOffice of CommunicationsNorthern Michigan University1401 Presque Isle AvenueMarquette, MI 49855

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAIDMidland MI

Permit No. 135

Gil Ziegler ’60Alumni Association member since 1982.

To become a member of the NMU Alumni Association or to learn moreabout member benefits, call toll free 1-877-GRAD-NMU (locally, call227-2610) or visit our Web site at www.nmu.edu/alumni.

Why I’m a member of the NMUAlumni Association.

“I am proud to tell people my lifetime membership

number is 0001. That means I have supported the

Alumni Association since its inception. By helping

NMU in this way, I really stay connected to what is

happening. Many things about Northern are

different than the days when I was on campus, and

I like to keep up with those changes. One thing that

really hasn’t changed, though, since my days on

campus, is the good, solid educational experience

that students get. It has always been a great school

and always will be. I give Northern some credit for

the success I have seen in my professional career.

Without the degree I earned there, I might not have

been equipped with the skills I needed to create

and grow my company. Northern is an important

part of my life, and I still feel like I am an

important part of Northern — that’s probably what

means the most to me.”

—Gilbert Ziegler ’60