Inside: Chancellor Inauguration, SIU Students Helping Others, The Best And The Brightest, and more…Inside: Chancellor Inauguration, SIU Students Helping Others, The Best And The Brightest, and more…

Student TelefunderConnects With Alumni

drian Garcia realizes that his communica-tions skills could serve as a springboard to

a successful professional career someday. TheChicago native is pursuing a degree in advertis-

ing at Southern, and knows a personal touch withclients could go a long way in his future endeavors.

He is also finding out that serving as a studentcaller for the SIU Foundation is providing a terrifictraining ground.

“Advertising requires interaction with people, alongwith persuasion. My position with the Foundationmeans a great deal to me and it provides me with anopportunity to enhance my communication skills,”Garcia says.“Additionally, speaking with successful alum-ni allows me to develop a connection with them.”

It seems to be working for Garcia, who just completed his sophomore year at Southern. In just two semes-ters as a telefunder, he has raised $26,000 for the Foundation. Garcia is part of a team of 75 student callerswho contact alumni and friends of the University each semester in an attempt to verify information, provideupdates to prospects regarding the campus and other news, and also to solicit contributions. The fundsraised support various initiatives, including scholarships, academic programs, and campus facilities.

Nanditha Balasubramanian, director of annual giving for the Foundation, says recruiting and hiring stu-dents who are enthusiastic about being at Southern is critical. She says these students are grateful for theopportunity to pursue their academic goals and convey this during phone calls. They also share positive newsstories about the University, while engaging alumni and friends in conversation.

“Adrian is a perfect example of someone who invests the time to connect with alumni and friends andconvince them of the need for support. He is quiet-natured, yet skilled at articulating the mission of theAnnual Fund,” she says.“Additionally, he is a leader in student organizations and keeps abreast of the latestnews and developments on the campus, which enables him to communicate well with alumni and friends.His success in a short period of time is a testament to his persistence, hard work, and determination.”

Rickey N. McCurry, vice chancellor for institutional advancement and chief executive officer of the SIUFoundation, says:“Adrian is a terrific student ambassador who we’re pleased to have on our team. While hegoes about his business in a quiet manner, his success speaks volumes. In short order, Adrian is a young manwho has become a tremendous asset to our advancement efforts.”

Garcia, a Dean’s List student, is president and fundraising chair of Sigma Lambda Beta InternationalFraternity, and a note taker for the Achieve Program. He points out that it’s not unusual to discover common-alties with alumni that can spark enjoyable conversation.

“One particular night I spoke with an alumni fraternity brother who I had never met. He provided me withsome time-management tips that have assisted me in handling and coordinating my work, school, and frater-nity responsibilities,’ Garcia says.“We talked for an extended period, and he eventually invited me to visit hisoffice for an internship interview.

“I enjoy meeting and working with people from all walks of life as we try to accomplish the same goal –raising money for this wonderful University.”

If you are considering making a gift or need further information regarding the SIU Foundation Annual Fund,please contact Director of Annual Giving Nan Balasubramanian at 618.453.4929, or, Assistant Director of AnnualGiving Amber Kinkelaar at 618.453.6096.

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“Investing In Saluki Futures”www.siuf.org

A

Adrian Garcia

A Time To HealAs a successful business executive,Byron Hill makes crucial decisions eachday that help shape the success of hiscompany. One of the best personaldecisions the retired Marine colonelmade, however, was returning toVietnam in 2009, where he helpedchange the life of a young boy whoneeded medical attention.

The Best And The BrightestWhen Southern honors its Most Distinguished Seniorsand Super Students each year, the group features

some of the best and brightest minds at theUniversity. One such senior is Brittany Cheves, who says

the “Southern hospitality” she received at SIU was unlike any-thing else she experienced.“My bond with this University goesbeyond just attending as a student,” she says.

A Little Gridiron EducationWhen the annual Saluki Women’s Football Clinicrolled around this year, three staff membersfrom the SIU Alumni Association decided toattend and see if they could glean a little grid-iron knowledge from the SIU football staff. WhenChris Lennon, wife of Saluki Head Football CoachDale Lennon, spoke to the group, she endearedherself to every potentially clueless attendeewhen she asked if they were as baffled as shewas about things such as “why players wouldchoose to run down the middle of the field ifthere is all that room on the sides?”

C O N T E N T SDEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

STAFFEditorGene Green ’75

Staff WriterBonnie Marx ’77

Art DirectorTodd Freeman ’89 The Noteworthy Group, Inc.Carbondale, Illinois

Graphic DesignerGreg Baker

PhotographySteve Jahnke ’02Tim Marlo ’01, M.B.A. ’09Greg Scott ’91, M.S. ’99Athletic Media ServicesDaily EgyptianUniversity Communications

ContributorsKathy Dillard ’90Mike HoeferlinHannah McArthyStephen Rickerl ’09Codell Rodriguez ’02Pete Rosenbery ’82Zack Sapienza ’99, M.S. ’05Greg Scott ’91, M.S. ’99Angela Spicer ‘09Tina ShingletonLaura Taylor ’05, M.A. ’07Zack ZiebertAthletic Media ServicesColumbia TribuneSouthern IllinoisanUniversity Communications

Volume 73, No. 3June 2011

Southern Alumni (ISSN 1526-4238) ispublished quarterly by the SIU AlumniAssociation, Colyer Hall, SIU, Carbondale,IL 62901-6809 for members of the SIUAlumni Association.

Association membership dues, $40 annu-ally, include a magazine subscription.Periodicals postage paid at Carbondale,Ill., and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Southern Alumni, SIU AlumniAssociation, Colyer Hall, Southern IllinoisUniversity, Carbondale, IL 62901-6809.

ON THE COVERByron Hill, president and CEO at ABCLabs in Columbia, Mo., returned toVietnam more than four decades afterhe left, and soon found more than wewas expecting – a young boy whoselife he would change.

Enjoy Your Magazine . . . . . . . . . . 2Thanks For Writing . . . . . . . . . . . 3Congratulations Graduates . . . . . . . 4Chancellor’s Greeting . . . . . . . . . . 5Membership Makes A Difference . . . . 6Southern Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . 8Her Next Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Students Helping Others . . . . . . . 11Commencement Speakers . . . . . . . 17Remembering 9/11 . . . . . . . . . . 18Salukis In Business . . . . . . . . . . 19Saluki Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Gridiron Education . . . . . . . . . . 26Baseball Alumni Return . . . . . . . . 28Take Advantage Of Us . . . . . . . . . 30Keeping A Promise . . . . . . . . . . 33Serving Others . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Flying High . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Association News . . . . . . . . . . . 36In Memoriam . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Class Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Returning To Southern . . . . . . . . 46Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . 47Step Back In Time . . . . . . . . . . . 48

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by Gene Green

I’ve always been impressed with the strong and pas-sionate memories that many of our graduates still

hold for the Old Main Building. Southern continues toembrace that legacy as well, as the University hostedan event this summer called “Remembering Old Main.”

Serving as both a celebration of the University’shistory and a way to preserve memories, event organiz-ers encouraged anyone who had an association withOld Main to record their thoughts for posterity. Theevent coincided with the anniversary of the fire thatdestroyed the structure – under mysterious circum-stances – in June 1969. Old Main served the Universityfrom 1887 until that blaze.

A WSIU-TV crew recorded the interviews, and Morris Library’s Gordon Pruett ’79says the goal of the project was to give personal voices to the building that served asthe symbol of the University for more than 80 years. Plans call for archiving the oralhistories in the Special Collections Research Center and the footage may becomepart of a larger video project about Old Main’s construction and history.

“The library holds a wealth of information in the form of letters, blueprints, andledger pages that have never been included in any previous history of the University”Pruett says.“The recorded memories of the building will preserve it, in a sense, forfuture generations.” (The Friends of Morris Library, in conjunction with WSIU-TV,sponsored the event. For more information, contact Pruett at gpruett@lib.siu.edu or618-453-1660.)

And regarding how the building burnt to the ground in the first place? SIUDirector of Student Safety Todd Sigler told the Southern Illinoisan a few years agothat as far as he is concerned the Old Main case is still under investigation.

“That is an open investigation and will remain that way,” the 1984 Southern graduatesays.“It will stay open until something develops that would lead to its being closed.”

You will notice many stories throughout this issue of Southern Alumni that celebratestudent accomplishments both in and out of the classroom. SIU’s newest graduates, ofwhich there were more than 3,200 in May, continue to do some amazing things.

Whether it is reading about this institution’s Most Distinguished Seniors or takingpride in projects away from campus that a selfless Saluki such as Lucas Pulley getsinvolved in each year, I hope you feel a great deal of Saluki Pride when you finish thismagazine.

The SIU Alumni Association is sending this edition to all May graduates with ourcompliments. Someday many of them will no doubt be back on these pages againwhen they accomplish great things in their professional careers.

Enjoy Your Magazine

(618) 453-2408 Fax: (618) 453-2586www.siualumni.com

Board of Directors President

Ray Serati ’59, Springfield, Ill.

Past-President

Randy Ragan ’67, M.S. ’68, Springfield, Ill.

President-Elect

Barry Smith ’80, Paducah, Ky.

Vice Presidents

Steve Falat ’87, Murphysboro, Ill.

Howard Spiegel ’75, Buffalo Grove, Ill.

Treasurer

Michael Kasser ’78, Carbondale, Ill.

Executive Committee At-Large

Jim Hayes ’62, Harrisburg, Ill.

Dede Ittner ’61, Carbondale, Ill.

Lowell Keel ’66, Tullahoma, Tenn.

Executive Director

Michelle Suarez ’85, M.S. Ed. ’04

Members

Len Baldyga ’59, Arlington, Va.

N. Lee Beneze ’85, Springfield, Ill.

Kimberly Brombosz, student representative

Barb Brown, ’76, ’77, ’85, Chester, Ill.

Treg Brown, M.D., ’88, Carbondale, Ill.

Winston Calvert ’02, St. Louis, Mo.

Harry Fanning ’83, Wright City, Mo.

Larry Fischer ’68, Quincy, Ill.

Christine Heins ’76, J.D. ’92, Murphysboro, Ill.

Sheri Hunter ’76, M.S. ’88, Marion, Ill.

Marcus King, student representative

Jeffrey Kutterer ’86, Saint Peters, Mo.

Todd Martin ’86, LaGrange, Ill.

Andrea McNeill ’89, J.D. ’92, Johnston City, Ill.

Larry Mieldezis ’86, Suwanee, Ga.

Steven Middleton, student representative

Charles Neal ’87, Ewing, Ill.

Allison Niendiek ’08, West Des Moines, Iowa

Richard Reynolds ’56, M.A. ’57, University City, Mo.

Sandra Smith ’72, Chicago, Ill.

Laura Soucy ’87, Grayslake, Ill.

Tim Southey ’80, Bloomington, Ill.

Bill Szelag ’73, M.S. ’74, Bastrop, Tex.

Ravi Tammana ’89, ”94, Hawthorne Woods, Ill.

Mark Temple ’96, Bloomington, Ill.

Ben Weinberger ’01, Durham, N.C.

Southern Alumni2

Southern Alumni 3

Thanks for Writing

thing that can be enjoyed forgenerations of students tocome.

It is not easy these days toget shovels in the dirt, but theSaluki Way project is startingto take shape and help theUniversity in many ways. Mycongratulations on a job welldone.Charles Naven EX ’72Naperville, Ill.

SandersEncouragedThis Graduate I was saddened to hear thatKeith Sanders passed away. Dr.

Sanderswas myacademicadvisorwhen I was aPresident’sScholar at

CampusExcitesAlumnus

It had been 12 years sinceI had been back to SIU, anddecided it was time to changethat. My wife and I were dri-ving to Memphis this springand detoured off Interstate 57to drive through campus andsee improvements we hadbeen reading about in thealumni magazine.

Always a beautiful setting,we were stunned to see thenew Saluki Stadium, Troutt-Wittmann Center, some ofthe new student housingoptions, and the attractivenew entrances to campus. Butwe saved the best for lastwhen we walked throughThompson Woods andarrived at the new MorrisLibrary! What a showplacethat facility now is – some-

SIU. I remember his constantencouragement, when I, as afreshman, was in a class withjuniors and seniors.

I also took a couple ofcourses with grad students,was “teacher for a day” on aproject I researched, andspent a semester studying inWashington, D.C., with theNational Collegiate HonorsCouncil.

After graduation I wouldkeep track of his manyaccomplishments and sendhim notes about my moremodest ones. He wasn’t a

great correspondent, butevery once in a while I wouldreceive a note or an email.

Our last message was in2008, when I congratulatedhim on receiving theDistinguished Alumni Award.I was surprised at the time tohear that he was pursuinganother degree, this one fromthe University of Chicago.Thank you, Dr. Sanders, forteaching us one more lesson– one never stops learning.Edith Reese ’77Life MemberDeerfield, Ill.

Alumnus Questions Climate Change Issues

I was distressed to read the article in the Marchissue of Southern Alumni concerning climate change inthe South Pacific. Beautiful pictures aside, there havebeen many specific sources who have proven much ofthe data used in such studies to be flawed. I find thosewho are pushing the climate change issue are eithersocialistic in nature, ignorant to how nature works, orare profiting greatly from the case of global warming(who were saying global cooling 30 years ago).

The common denominator is an attack on civilizedWestern life, which allows people to live longer and health-ier lives. Part of our Social Security funding problem is dueto the fact that we are all living longer lives, so the amountof money needed to fund Social Security is higher.James Economos ’76 Life MemberBartlett, Ill.

(Editor’s Note: The above is a portion of a letter JamesEconomos sent to the magazine. Other material included werehistorical examples provided where he felt attacks on societyhad been done “in the name of the environment, protecting thechildren, the poor, etc.” He also took to task the movie “AnInconvenient Truth,” the Al Gore film dealing with global-warming issues.

Although we welcome his views, we noted in a response thatour story’s intent was simply to illustrate what a talented andcaring group of Southern students had done to try and help theinhabitants on the tiny island of Palau.)

Your SIU Alumni Association is always eager to hearyour opinions of Southern Alumni. As with all alumni

magazines, we can only improve if we are being respon-sive to you, our readers. Therefore, we encourage you totake some time after you’ve read this issue of SouthernAlumni to let us know what you’re thinking. Please mailyour letters to:

Southern AlumniColyer HallMailcode 6809Southern Illinois UniversityCarbondale, Ill. 62901You can email your letters to alumni@siu.edu.

Letters are sometimes edited for length and style.We also invite you to send items and pho-

tographs of interest for the class notes section aswell as submissions for Southern Memories. You canmail this information or send it by email to theabove addresses.

We are looking forward to hearing from you!Thank you for your continued support of the SIUAlumni Association.

Dear Readers…

Chancellor’s Greeting

Dear Fellow Salukis:

The ranks of our loyal alumni grew significantly last month when more than 3,000 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral candidatesearned their degrees. We are proud of their many accomplishments, and I am confident that they will join you in providing much-

needed help that will allow future Salukis to pursue their educational and career dreams.

Commencement weekend closed out a busy and productive semester and academic year. One of the spring semester’s highlights was thecelebration of the excellence of our University during the week of April 11-17. Many of you joined us for wonderful events on campusand in Springfield and Chicago that showcased the incredible talents of our students and faculty.

We learned about the important research underway during the annualUndergraduate Research Forum and Research Town Hall Meeting and Fair,and marveled at the performances provided by the School of Music. Our annu-al Honors Day celebration and the College of Agricultural Science’s Ag IndustryDays also attracted many families, friends, and alumni to the campus.

I was extremely grateful for the efforts of the many people who made all of ouractivities so memorable, including the ceremony on April 15 when I had thehonor of being formally installed as the University’s 22nd chancellor. As I notedduring my speech that day, all of the week’s activities celebrated our traditions,our contributions, and the future that we are creating together. I would like toshare just a few excerpts from my speech with you:

• “I was attracted to SIU because of its proud past and traditions; because of thepowerful research culture, significant accomplishments, and national reputationof the faculty and academic programs; because of core values that embrace diver-sity and outreach; and because of the commitment to bringing positive change toall of those we serve. SIU is truly a remarkable university with a unique andwonderful legacy of addressing the needs of the underserved, including veterans,those with disabilities, minorities, and first-generation students.”

• “What I have found is that this is a University that is welcoming, collaborative, and intellectually curious. The exchange of ideas, theshared thrill of discovery, and the deep respect for our campus and our communities define our culture. We stand together on academicsthat meet our high standards of rigor and access. We work closely with local leaders to build business partnerships, providing the inno-vations that fuel the economy of an entire region. We share a collective spirit that spreads out beyond the borders of the campus andlives on in the hearts of our proud alums.”

• “Across our campuses, new discoveries are being made not only in our science and engineering labs, but also in social and behav-ioral and humanities programs, and in our professional schools. These discoveries are changing the way we think about so many criti-cally important issues: climate change, hydrology, and farming; our food and water supplies; coal, energy, and alternative fuels; treat-ments for cancer and Alzheimer’s disease; substance abuse and gambling addictions; and how we educate our children. Universityexperts are asked to help answer questions about Asian carp in our waterways; about diseases that destroy soybean crops; about howto enhance bridge safety; about how to reduce recidivism among criminals.”

I invite you to read the full text, which is available at www.chancellor.siuc.edu/speeches.html. We truly are advancing a culture of excel-lence, and I am excited about the future.

Thank you for your commitment to our University. It is a privilege to be a member of such a collaborative and supportive community.I hope you have a wonderful summer and that you are making plans to visit the campus soon.

Sincerely,

Rita ChengChancellor

From left, SIU President Glenn Poshard congratulatesSIUC Chancellor Rita Cheng, as SIUE Chancellor VaughnVandegrift looks on.

New Life MembersFeb. 7 - May 19, 2011Benjamin AdsitBarry and Jo Ancell Lee ArmstrongMatthew ArnoldAlan and Kristina DehorityTyler BenlineLori Betts-Mattix and Chris MattixWilliam and Dawn BirdJohn BrocarMichael BurkeMark Buxton and Elham KhorasaniCharles and Janice CampbellMary CarrollJames CashHerbert ClayRobert Comper Jr. and Elisa LumRobbie Cox-RussellJohn CranleyGerald CrouseTim CurryFeroze and Bethany DhunjishaJean EckertCharles and Michelle Ellett

Janet FauthJeff and Leigh FlammJohn HomanMichael HudsonJohn and Pamela KaskyPhilip KeenethDouglas KirchensFrank and Linda LaFoonDavid and Kathy LaneDaniel LattzLawrence and Pamela LeenigDwight LeMastersWilliam and Tracy MartinRicky McGlothinJohnny MillerMario MillerDebbie MillerDavid MillerBeth MuellerDebbie MungeAndrea NickrentElizabeth NielsenJeuan MitchellSusan Pastor

Derek PattonRachel RicheySandra SchenkDonna ScottiSandra SmithTad SmithGary and Leslie StarkJames StencelJoseph and Sarah StevensonStephen and Victoria SwansonErik TalleySusanne TaylorJason TriyonisChad TruebloodEva UnikelJoshua WalterScott and Julia WeidnerGordon WestScott WilsonWilliam WoodJames and Denise ZaczekSusan Zamora

You Spoke, We Listened.

In January we surveyed a random sampling ofmembers and asked about the SIU Alumni

Association’s Member Benefit Program. We wantedto know how we could improve the program, howyou use benefits, and what could be added.

The answers we collected were encouraging.When asked why you joined, the overwhelmingresponse was,“to support Southern and theAssociation.”You also enjoy benefits like pregamefootball tailgates, access to online research siteslike JSTOR, and discounts on Saluki apparel.

We also heard that we have room to make someimprovements. Like adding more benefits in the

Chicagoland area, more online discounts, and assis-tance with career searches. In the upcoming issues of Southern Alumni magazine, we will highlightour new endeavors and continue to bring you, our valued member, the best membership programpossible. We hope you’re excited for an improved benefit program to launch on July 1. Check outwww.siualumni.com/advantages for more information.

What is your primary reason for maintaining a membership with the SIU Alumni Association?

Check Out Our Benefit ProgramINTERNATIONAL *Choice Hotels: (at participating) Clarion Inn, Comfort

Inn, Quality Inn, Friendship Inn, Econo Lodge,Rodeway Inn, Sleep Inn (up to 20%)

*European Auto and Hotel via Destination Europe JSTOR: Browse thousands of scholarly journals through

JSTOR's online database*Sherwin – Williams Paints: 10% off regular priced itemsSIU Alumni Association Online Store: 15% off mer-

chandise (membership number required)

NATIONWIDE *Allied Van Lines/Federal Companies: 63% off on

interstate movesBeautifulDisplays.com: 15% off list prices of trade

show exhibit kits and graphics*Bella & Fella Children’s Bedding: (online only) 10% off

crib bedding sets*Boyer’s Coffee: 10% off*Car Rental: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, and National*CORD North American: Up to 63% off interstate movesCruise One: 10-60% savings on leading cruise lines. Also

waive $14.95 service feeDate Recovery Group: Free hard drive evaluation and

15% discount for completed data recoveries*DELL Computers: 7% savings on DELL computers and

products*Drury Hotels: $10 off double occupancy, 3rd and 4th

persons stay free*From You Flowers: (online or over the phone) 20% off

regularly priced itemsHeartland Gifts: 10% off a single gift order *High Hand Designs: 15% off all purchases*JobBound: Save 10% on all individual career services KickBike America: 10% off all online purchases for

annual members; 20% for life members; 5% off pur-chase at Phoenix Cycles in Carbondale

Maberry Consulting: 10% off grant writing/evaluationservice

RE/MAX Realty: Dennis Sluga: 20% off fees when buy-ing or selling a house anywhere in the continentalUnited States

Sam’s Club: $25 gift card to new and renewed members,of Sam’s Club Plus; $10 gift card to new and renewedmembers of Sam’s Club Advantage. Coupon required.

*Sticker Giant: 15% off any custom sticker order*Ten Pin Designs: 15% off all purchases*The Perfect Sign, LLC: 15% off all purchasesTicketmaster: Opportunity for savings on select event

tickets on-line*Working Advantage: Discounts on theme parks,

sporting events, online shopping, ski tickets, giftcertificates, and more

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS A Petal Patch Florist: Carbondale –10% off Alongi’s Italian Restaurant: DuQuoin – Free dessert

with purchase of entrée (excludes banquet room &other coupons)

American Flooring: Marion – 10 % off any regularpriced flooring plus 5% off standard installation

Angelo & Jan’s Inn: Murphysboro - 10% off regular rateBarton House Bed & Breakfast: Carbondale – advance

registration required for 10% discountBella Terra Winery: Creal Springs - 10% off menu items

Bike Surgeon: Carbondale - 10% off new parts andaccessories

Carlson Wagonlit Travel Agency: Herrin/ Marion, 5%off all preferred cruises & vacations

Coleman-Rhoads Furniture: West Frankfort – 15% offaccessories

Common Grounds Coffee Shop: Carbondale – 10% off*Enterprise Rent-a-Car: Carbondale – 10%Fazoli’s: Carbondale - Free soft drink with entrée Furniture King: Carbondale - 15% off accessoriesGambit Inn : Vienna– 10% off room, and 10% off at

Gambit Steak HouseGarfield’s Restaurant: Carbondale - 20% off (not avail-

able on lunch specials)Gold’s Gym: Marion & Carbondale – $109 enrollment

fee waivedGreenRetreat: Murphysboro – 10% off accommodations

on stays two nights or longer and 10% off servicesHampton Inn: Carbondale – 10% off standard room rateHarbaugh’s Restaurant: Carbondale - 10% offHoulihan’s: Carbondale - Free appetizer with purchase

of two entrées (excludes sampler/combo) Huck’s: Carbondale - (S. 51 location only) - 3¢ discount

per gallon of gasHundley House Bed & Breakfast: Carbondale – 20%

off published ratesIrish Inn: Ozark, Ill. - 10% off regular rates, 20% off for

joint members Italian Village: Carbondale - 10% off your mealLush Aveda Salon & Spa: Carbondale - 10% off servicesMakanda Inn: Makanda – 10% off first night’s stayMane Attraction Hair Studio: Carbondale – 10% off

services for annual members ($15 or more), 15% offservices for life members ($15 or more)

Marion Econolodge: Marion – 15% off room rateMarion Ford Lincoln Mercury Hyundai: Marion - 10%

off auto parts and service (including Quicklane) Mary’s Restaurant: Herrin – 10% off lunch or dinner

entree. Also 10 % off regular room rates at Mary’sBed & Breakfast.

Midwest Ear Nose & Throat Clinic: Herrin – 10% offhearing aids

Murdale True Value: Carbondale - 20% off reg. paint,5% off sale paint

Niemann Flooring, Inc.: Carbondale – 10% off regularpriced items

Owl Creek Vineyard: Cobden - 10% off gift and foodpurchases

Papa Mike’s: Olney – 10% dine in onlyPhotography By Al Parr: Carbondale - 10% off matted

prints featuring campus lakePurcell Tire & Rubber: Granite City, Mt. Vernon, and

Springfield, Ill. - $5 off oil change, 5% off any 4 tires,10% repairs over $100

Quatro’s Pizza: Carbondale – free pitcher of soda withmedium or large pizza

Red Hawk Golf Course: DuQuoin – 18 holes with cartfor $25

Reppert’s Office Supplies-Furniture-Machines: Anna- 10% off regular priced items

RX For Pools: Marion – 15% off store merchandise exceptfor Polaris cleaners (not good with any other discount)

Saluki Bookstore: Carbondale – 20% off for life members,15% off for annual members on SIU imprinted items

710 Bookstore: Carbondale – Illinois Ave. locationonly, 20% off for life members, 15% off for annualmembers discount on SIU Imprinted items

Sanibel’s Treasures: Metropolis - $2 off wine bottlelamp; $2 off sea shell jar

Shawnee Winery: Vienna - 10% off merchandiseSpinoni’s Pizza & Pasta House: Carbondale - $2 off

any food purchase of $10 or more (not valid onspecials or with other offers)

The Sports Performance Store: Marion - 10% off ser-vices, 10% off equipment.

Super 8: Carbondale – 10% off standard room rateTalent Education School: Carbondale - 20% off

Wiggles-N-Tunes Pre-K music classTrain Inn: Carbondale - 10% off advanced registrationTres Hombres: Carbondale – $1 off dinner entrée; $.50

off lunch entrée Universitees: Carbondale - 20% offVisions Hair Studio: Carbondale - 20% off products, $10

off color services, 5% off haircuts (select stylists only)Vogler Ford: Carbondale –10% off any car rentalWalt’s Pizza: Marion – 10% off

OTHER The Chuckwagon Restaurant at the Springfield

Carriage Company: Springfield, Ill. - 10% off menuitems

DPR Realty, LLC: Glendale, Ariz. – discounted realestate listing

Keller Williams Realty: Austin,Texas – ask for Steve orJudy Scott

Mehta Motors: Elmhurst, Ill. – 10% off oil change andsafety check

Meyers O’Donnell Banners and Signs: Serious Saluki discounts for alumni events and SIU sports outings

Ravisloe Country Club: Homewood, Ill. - $5 off greens fee

CAMPUS McLeod Theater – 20% off adult/senior citizen tickets

(excludes Summer Playhouse)Morris Library Privileges – 1/2 off library courtesy cardOld Main Restaurant: Student Center – 10% offSIU Career Services: Free access to Saluki Job Bank

(job search system) and complimentary resume critiques

Student Center: Bowling & Billiards: members receiveSIU student rates; Craft Shop: 10% off Saluki mer-chandise

Touch of Nature: 20% off lodging at Little Grassy LodgeUniversity Bookstore: Student Center – 20% off SIU

apparelUniversity Press Publications: 20% off

This list is subject to change.

Present your membership card to receive your discount.

* Denotes discount code is available at siualumni.com.

Consider membership as a gift!Members receive:• The Southern Alumni magazine quarterly

• Saluki Pride electronic newsletter twice annually

• Access to member-only areas of career and network-ing community

• 15% discount at the SIU Alumni Online Store•Opportunity to attend events at member rates

* Denotes benefit code required. To access codes, please call us at 618-453-2408 or visit us at siualumni.com.

Southern Alumni8

Southern Exposure

“Advancing a Culture of Excellence” was the theme of a week-long celebration in April of the achievements of Southern

Illinois University Carbondale’s students, faculty and staff.Several events took place on the campus, in Springfield, and

in Chicago. Among the activities were the annualUndergraduate Research Forum, the Eighth Annual ResearchTown Meeting and Fair, the Seventh Annual AgricultureIndustry Days, and Honors Day. Audiences in Springfield andChicago enjoyed performances by theSIU Concert Choir and the WindEnsemble. Both groups represent themost select student musicians from theSchool of Music.

These and other events were part ofInauguration Week at Southern, asmembers of the campus community andgeneral public attended the April 15 for-mal installation of Rita Cheng as theUniversity’s 22nd chancellor. The cere-mony was held in Shryock Auditorium,and a reception followed on the lawnoutside.

Cheng says the focus of the week wason the commitment and talents of stu-dents, faculty, and staff.

“They make important contributions in so many areas tothe University, in the communities we serve, throughout thestate and beyond,” she says.“It was also a time to thank ourdevoted alumni and our many friends and partners for theirinvaluable support.”

Cheng also hosted several events with students throughoutthe week, including annual events such as the student leader-ship breakfast, the University Honors Program Distinguished

Inauguration Week Celebrates Southern Excellence

Top right, Chancellor Rita Cheng has a conversation with SIU Alumni Association President Ray Serati, and his wife, Margaret.Above, the SIU Concert Choir and Wind Ensemble entertains alumni and friends attending one of the inauguration events.

Southern Alumni

Southern Exposure

Student Reception and Dinner, and the SIU AlumniAssociation’s annual 25 Most Distinguished Seniors andSuper Students Banquet.

A committee of students, faculty, staff and alumni assist-ed in planning and coordinating Inauguration Week activi-ties. To see a video of Chancellor’s Cheng’s installation, go tohttp://www.chancellor.siuc.edu/video/index.html. ■

On The Side

The April 14 performance in Chicago’s storied Orchestra Hall– first proposed within the School of Music a year ago by SIUWind Ensemble Conductor and Director of BandsChristopher Morehouse (top photo) – was a first for bothensembles. Cheng, above, thanked Southern’s many partners“for their invaluable support.”

John Nicklow Appointed Provost

Chancellor Rita Cheng named John Nicklow as Southern IllinoisUniversity Carbondale’s new provost and vice chancellor for academic

affairs. The appointment was effective May 12.Nicklow has served as interim assistant

provost for enrollment management since June2010. In that position, he is responsible for theoffices of undergraduate admissions, financialaid, transfer student services, records and regis-tration, bursar, and international programs andservices.

“Dr. Nicklow’s record of accomplishment atour University and his leadership skills make himuniquely qualified to serve as our next provost,”Cheng says.“He is passionate about student suc-cess and the quality of our academic programs. Ilook forward to working with him to move ourinstitution forward.”

Nicklow joined the faculty as an assistant pro-fessor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in 1998. Hebecame an associate professor in 2003 and was promoted to professor in2007. He served as acting chair of the department from July throughDecember 2005, and was interim associate dean of the College of Engineeringfrom 2006 to 2007. He became permanent associate dean in 2007.

He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, both in civil engineering,from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., in 1993. He earned his doctoratein civil engineering from Arizona State University in 1998.

“I’m excited to be able to serve my institution this way,” he says.“SIUC isclose to my heart, and I have a passion for making sure we succeed. Yes,there are challenges, but we have some incredible talent at this University,some incredibly motivated, hard-working people. Together I know we caninnovate to make sure we succeed as an institution.

“This is our University, and it is our home. I share Chancellor Cheng’sfocus on enhancing enrollment, the quality of our academic programs, andthe branding and marketing of our University.”

Cheng says that she solicited input from throughout the campus beforemaking her decision.

“Dr. Nicklow enjoys widespread support,” she stresses.“I am excited tohave him join the administrative team and about what we will be able toaccomplish.” ■

McCurry Named To Position At Rose-Hulman

R ickey McCurry, who spent the last 11 years as vice chancellor for institu-tional advancement and chief executive officer of the Southern Illinois

University Foundation, announced that he will leave SIU to become vicepresident for institutional advancement at Rose-Hulman Institute ofTechnology. He will set strategies for fundraising and alumni affairs that sup-port the Terre Haute, Ind., institution’s long-range educational objectives, andwill also serve as a member of the president’s administrative cabinet.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to join the Rose-Hulman family,”saysMcCurry.“It has established itself as a national model of excellence in undergrad-uate engineering education and I look forward to creating an advancement pro-gram that reflects that same level of commitment to excellence.” ■

John Nicklow

Southern Alumni10

Her Next Step

She’s following a similarcareer path as both her par-

ents, but Elizabeth Nielsen ’11,a Southern Illinois UniversityCarbondale physiology majorfrom Bloomington-Normal,insists her decision to follow herpassion for science to medicalschool is an independent choice.

Nielsen graduated from theSIU College of Science on May14, and immediate plans are toremain in Carbondale until mid-summer, and then to prepare forlife as a medical student at theUniversity of Medicine andHealth Sciences – St. Kitts, theisland in the Caribbean Sea.

“I feel privileged,” the SIUAlumni Association life membersays, acknowledging that living inan island paradise frequented bycruise ships is probably not gen-erally seen as a hardship.“I’mexcited about it.”

Nielsen explains that her par-ents, Thomas Nielsen M.D. ’81and Kathryn Bohn M.D. ’83, met whilethey were students in the SIU School ofMedicine, then went on to work togetheras emergency room doctors for 26 years.Now her mother is a vein specialist, andher father is preparing to follow his wifeinto that specialty.

“They joke that I should specialize inveins too,” she says, noting that she andher family are close. Still, she notes, herdecision to apply for medical school real-ly had nothing to do with her parents’careers. It was a natural extension of herlove of math and science, and the pas-sion for the medical arts she discoveredin a class taught by James Ferraro, anassociate professor of physiology.

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to dowhen I first came here,” Nielsen admits.

“Marching band was a big part of mylife, probably the most important thingto me then, and the enthusiasm andenergy of the marching band here is whyI came to SIU.”

Nielsen says participation in march-ing band shaped her as a person, teach-ing her the difficult-to-quantify skillsthat often make the difference betweensuccess and struggle for a student. Forexample, the time management skills shelearned in marching band – and also inpep band – helped her when she met thechallenges of her first physiology class.

“I remember telling him I wanted tostudy physiology,” she says.“He asked meif I was aware that physiology is one ofthe most demanding sciences; it waspretty intimidating. When I took my sec-

ond physiology class, I lookedback at the first one andthought,‘I thought that washard? That’s nothing.’”

Nielsen got over being intimi-dated and later worked withFerraro on her honors thesis,“Trends in Age of Menarche,” astudy in which Nielsen surveyedwomen in the area and analyzedthe data to determine factorsaffecting the age a womanbegins menstruation.

She says one of her mostexciting experiences as an SIUstudent was an Ancient Legaciestrip to Egypt with Southern phi-losophy professor Robert Hahn.Her parents came along andeven acted as tour docents whenthe group talked about Egyptianmedical arts. She learned aboutthe opportunity to visit Egyptand simultaneously learnedabout its ancient history withsome hands-on activities in anhonors philosophy class Hahn

taught.“That was a different class for me,”

she says.“But I’m glad I took it because itopened my mind up to thinking aboutscience in a different way than I mighthave otherwise.”

Nielsen was a University Honorsstudent, treasurer of the Pre-HealthProfessions, a registered student orga-nization, and a student worker in theMedical Resource Center. She was alsotreasurer of the Beta Beta Beta honorssociety for biological sciences, and amember of Alpha Lambda Delta,Sigma Alpha Lambda, and the GoldenKey International Honor Society. Shefound time to volunteer for Relay forLife and the Carbondale Boys andGirls Club. ■

Love Of Science Will Lead Senior To Medical School

Even though both of her parents are doctors, Nielsensays her decision to enter medical school is independentof their careers.

Students Helping Others

Southern Alumni 11

by Bonnie Marx

The Japanese are no strangers to earth-quakes and tsunamis, but the one that hit

on March 11 was a different beast, strongerand more deadly than most that came before.

The 23 Japanese students at Southernspent some anxious hours in the immedi-ate aftermath before they were able to con-tact families and friends, but the news wasremarkable. The families of every SIU stu-dent reported in as safe.

Then the students swung into action.Ten days later, the Japanese StudentAssociation (JSA) set up shop in the StudentCenter to raise funds to assist in relief effortsand to raise awareness. For 15 hours overthree days, JSA members helped others finda way to give and send their thoughts andphotos to the people of Japan.

“My thought was that it would be reallysmall,”says Masanobu Nakatsugawa M.A. ’11.“We didn’t set a goal because we appreciateanything people wanted to give, maybe justchange or pennies.”But Nakatsugawa andhis fellow organizer of the event,TomoeNishio ’05, M.A. ’08, got a pleasant surprise –more than $15,000 rolled in. Much of thematerials the group needed for the funddrive was also donated, Nakatsugawa says,including signs from Silkworm Inc. and fliersfrom Copies and More.

The organization’s gratitude to the com-munity was almost palpable. A letter thanwent out from the JSA said,“We will neverforget the devastation that struck Japanover three weeks ago. We will never forgetall the men, women, and children that werelost in the rubble. We will never forget the

hopeless feeling brought on by the imagesof destruction. But through all that, we willnever forget the love, care, and supportfrom the people of southern Illinois.”

The proceeds, along with those fromactivities and events throughout thesemester, all go to the American Red CrossLittle Egypt Network, which will then funnelit to the Japan Red Cross. The JSA has ablog, fundraiser.exblog.jp/ and a Facebookgroup, Aid Japan Earthquake & TsunamiVictims.” In mid-May, the Japanese govern-ment estimated the damage from the dis-aster to reach $289 billion. So far upwardsof 24,000 are dead or missing.

Sandy Webster, director of the Red CrossLittle Egypt Service Center,reports that she was “reallytouched” when the JSA con-tacted her.“This is our tomor-row,” she says.“These are ourRed Cross people tomorrow.They’ve already developed aheart for wanting to give to thecommunity. Whether we live inJapan or southern Illinois, weare one big community.”

Carla Coppi, director ofInternational Students andScholars, was proud of themtoo.“Words cannot express howpleased I am with the efforts of

the Japanese Student Association in theway they have coalesced for a cause andhave been successful in such a short periodof time,” she said.“Their performance in thisis remarkable.”

Nakatsugawa, who returned to Japanon March 26 after finishing requirementsfor his master’s degree in teaching Englishas a second language, has direct experi-ence with disaster relief. His father works infamily preparation and disaster relief forthe Japan Red Cross and Nakatsugawavividly recalls the 1993 Hokkaido-Okashiriearthquake and tsunami. Hokkaido, inSapporo prefecture, is his hometown.

Nishio wondered how she would be ableto thank those who helped.“We might needsome more time to recover, but I am surethat with warm-hearted aid from all over theworld, we will survive this tragedy and reviveJapan, as our great ancestors have done somany times in the past,” she predicts.

“I wouldn’t possibly be able to speak forthose who had lost their lives in the earth-quakes and tsunami. I can only imaginehow the family and friends who lost theirloved ones must be feeling. Covering up myeyes from the brutal reality in the affectedareas wouldn’t do anything – all I can do isstay strong for the future of Japan. Thankyou for all who have prayed for Japan forgiving me the power to keep going.” ■

Japanese Students Raise Funds AndAwareness For Their Homeland

Members of the Japanese Student Association set up shop in the always-bustlingStudent Center to collect donations for their homeland, raising more than $15,000 forearthquake and tsunami relief.

All donors received a paper with their own name writ-ten in Japanese and decorated with an origami figure.The Japanese Student Association also took photos ofeach donor and his or her hand-written message.

by Gene Green

It has now been almost a decade since Byron Hill firstarrived in Columbia, Mo., to resurrect Analytical Bio-

Chemistry Laboratories (ABC Labs). The 1964 Southern IllinoisUniversity graduate was hired as a consultant to save the oncevibrant company, but odds were stacked against him when he ini-tially surveyed the situation in 2003.

Hill began the turnaround by slashing operations at the companythat were “cash drains.”According to the Columbia Business Times, herefocused the company and its management team on what ABC

Labs did right – pharmaceutical and chemical services. Today, thecompany tests pesticides, herbicides, and pharmaceuticals to deter-mine whether they conform to the guidelines and regulations of theEnvironmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture,and Federal Drug Administration. More than a quarter of its busi-ness is devoted to agriculture and chemical testing, while the rest isaimed at pharmaceutical testing.

“I was hired to fix something that was broken,” he says.“And Iadmit that at first I wondered if ABC Labs stood much of a chancewith the economic issues that were in play.” The company, foundedin 1968 by University of Missouri Professor Emeritus CharlesGehrke, and two graduate students, soon began to make a quickrebound.

“Doc” Daugherty when Southern openedthe new SIU Student Center. As a facilitiesassistant, it appeared to be the perfect jobto have while pursuing a graduate degree.That all would change within a year.

“During Christmas 1965 I received mydraft notice,” Hill says.“I decided to enlistin the Marine Corps and eventually foundmyself on active duty in Vietnam. Thiswould be my life for 15 months, begin-ning in March of 1967. In so many ways itchanged and shaped who I am today.”

After The WarWhen Hill returned home after the

war, he had to decide what career path totake. As he was preparing to leave theMarine Corps, he was recruited by theFBI – but decided to pass.“After what Ihad been through in the service,” he nowsays with a chuckle,“I felt I needed nomore regimentation in my life.”

Instead he took a cost accountingposition with Johnson & Johnson in1969, staying with the company is vari-ous positions until 1975. Anotheraccounting position followed withPullman Inc. (1975-77), before Hill’smanagerial roles began to grow.

In 1977 he began an eight-year run asvice president and controller of Emersonin Chicago, and in 1985 accepted the bot-tom-line responsibility for Crane-Ferguson in St. Louis – a company thatwas in a turnaround mode.

Soon “the fixer” was making a namefor himself. At the Marmon Group in

Chicago, Hill was responsible for thefinancial management of a group of 30companies from 1989-96. A year lateracross town at Technology Solutions, heserved as corporate controller and spear-headed a transition within the organiza-tion that led to savings estimated at morethan $300 million.

From 1997-2003, the SIU AlumniAssociation life member served shortstints at four other companies in theChicago market, building a reputation asa highly effective administrator who hada knack of finding a profitable path tothe bottom line.

Now almost nine years into his tenureat ABC Labs, Hill looks back at his timein Columbia and takes great pride inwhat he and his team have accomplished.

“None of it has been easy, as therewere some tough decisions that had tobe made,” he admits.“But the company isin solid shape now and we continue togrow. I am proud to be a part of this suc-cess story.”

And success at Southern still mattersto Hill as well.

“My wife and I have contributed tothe Saluki Way project, and we were ableto be back in town when the new foot-ball stadium opened last year,” he notes.“That was exciting to see, and I hope tomake it back for a basketball game thisseason to see the refurbished SIU Arena.

“Those days at SIU – althoughdecades ago – are never far from mythoughts.” ■

By the second quarter of 2004 it brokeeven, and by the end of that year itbecame profitable once again. Since then,Hill, who would soon stay on and be pro-moted to president and CEO, has neverlooked back. ABC Labs now thrives at twolocations: its original 56-acre site just onemile off Interstate 70, and a 90,000-square-foot facility in the University ofMissouri Discovery Ridge Research Park.

Such success has been a trademarkfor Hill since his days on the Carbondalecampus: his academic training atSouthern and a stint in the militaryclearly shaped his existence and resolvein the years to come.

ComIng To SIUGrowing up in Sparta, Ill., Hill knew

he would he would be going to college innearby Carbondale if he earned a degreein higher education. His mother, BerthaCunningham, had attended theUniversity in the 1920s, and his quest fora diploma would make him the firstmember of his family to graduate.

Hill wanted to be a certified publicaccountant so he could qualify to be anFBI agent. He is a CPA, but the rest of thatplan would never happen. One plan thatdid fall into place, however, was meetingthe woman he would eventually marry.

“My wife, Janet, was the secretary tothe dean of the School of Business, and Ihad to go out to VTI to see him aboutsomething,” he recalls.“I met her thatday, and realized it was a small world. Iplayed sports in high school, and hadcompeted against her brother severaltimes when we battled Chester HighSchool.

“I had heard that he had a sister whowas a real good-looking lady. That cer-tainly turned out to be right – and shestill is today.”

During his college years, Hill lived in avariety of locations in Carbondale, alwayssearching for “the cheapest place I couldfind – we moved around a lot!”Althoughthe places changed, his roommates stayedpretty much the same. For most of histime at SIU, friends Roger Partington,Don Seck, and Bob Smith were at his side.

After graduating in 1964, Hill took ajob under former administrator Clarence

A RETURN TO VIETNAMFor many years, members of Byron Hill’s battalion in Vietnam have met each May

for a reunion.“The bond of going through battle with someone is unlike anything elseI’ve ever experienced,” he explains.“You develop a love for those people.”

At one such reunion, Hill told friends that he wanted to go back to Vietnam some-day, and take his wife, Janet, with him. Several others thought it was an intriguingidea, and in 2009 he and several other battalion alums embarked on a three-weekodyssey back to Vietnam.

The first thought of such a journey had been hatched years earlier when Hill readthe William Manchester book Goodbye Tomorrow, a story that dealt with the author’spersonal narrative about WWII and an eventual reunion tour. “When I read that book,”Hill says,“I knew someday I had to do that.”

As the accompanying story on pages 14-16 shows, Hill indeed returned in 2009, andchanged a life in the process when he encountered a young boy who needed medicalattention. The trip produced a cleansing of sorts and provided closure to a challengingtime in his life.

“I was surprised when we returned that the Vietnam people now love Americans,”he says.“Although by our standards they may not appear to have that much, theyseem extremely happy – and that made me feel good.”

BY MIKE HOEFERLIN

During the early months of 1967,the First Marine Division began

operations to drive elements of theSecond Division, North Vietnamese Army(NVA), out of the populous Que SonValley on the south-central coast, an arearich in rice fields and potential conscripts.

It was May 13, and 1st Lt. Byron Hillhad been in South Vietnam only a fewmonths. Suddenly he was thrown into anintense battle for the valley, whoseimpact still echoes more than fourdecades later.

Early that day, the 3rd Battalion, 5thMarines came under intense enemy fire,including mortars, small arms, and auto-matic weapons.In the early stages of thebattle, the commander of “M Company,”Captain James McElroy, was seriously

wounded but stayed with the unitthroughout the next day.

In the thick of the fight, Hill, anartillery forward observer with CompanyM, moved into an open area so he couldcall in close air support and adjust U.S.fire against the NVA position. He stayedthere under withering fire for two hours,according to a Marine Corps citation.

When Hill learned the commander ofthe 2nd platoon had been seriouslyinjured, at McElroy’s direction hemaneuvered across the field of fire andtook command, organizing his men andurging them on into the fight. That night,as the NVA launched an intense, last-ditch assault against Company M, Hillagain exposed himself to the firefight formore than two hours and directed U.S.artillery fire, and then led the pursuit asthe enemy withdrew.

“They literally came at us in waves,

and the records indicate that theylaunched a total of four separate, deadly,and well-planned attacks before they werefinally defeated,” he says. A bayonet-wield-ing NVA soldier came within an inch ofending the war for Hill then and there,leaving a scar on the left side of his face.

“Even today, in my mind I can stillhear the cacophony of sounds of apitched battle,” Hill recalls.“I can still feelthe thumping and concussions of highexplosives going off nearby and bulletsimpacting around me, the sounds ofpeople screaming, and the unmistakableand lingering acidic aroma of gunpow-der, bombs, napalm and, yes, even thesmell of death.”

Hill’s unit, known as Mike Company,accounted for 150 enemy soldiers killed,and Hill’s actions were credited withhelping turn the tide of battle. He wasawarded the Silver Star, the third-highest

14 Southern Alumni

Byron Hill revisits his final duty station on the SouthChina Sea, north of Da Nang in April 2009. Inset, Hill is shown standing in the same place 42 years earlier.

15Southern Alumni

military decoration awarded in anybranch of service, after the Navy Crossand the Medal of Honor.“By his steadfastcourage, exceptional professionalism, andselfless devotion to duty, First LieutenantHill was an inspiration to all who servedwith him,” the citation reads in part.

That day in the Que Son Valley, Hilladmits,“irrevocably shaped, changed,and in many ways defined my life, thenand now.”

Four DecadesLater

Fast-forward to March 2009: Hill, aschief executive of Columbia, Missouri’sABC Labs, is a well known leader in thebusiness community. After more than 40years, he and a number of other veteransof Mike Company returned to Vietnamon a sort of pilgrimage to seek closureand, Hill says,“to commemorate thememory of several of our fallen Marinesand the Navy Hospital Corpsmen”medics “who had served with us.”

To Hill, Vietnam was – and is – botha destination and a destiny, and he nowknows why he had to return, to revisit,and to remember.

“I went to Vietnam the first timelooking for challenges, answers, andmeaning,” he notes.“And while I wasthere, I had a rendezvous with my inner-most fears and trepidations.”

But in 2009, Hill and his comradeswere drawn to the now-tranquil Que SonValley near the obscure village of PhoucDuc, where they had faced death fourdecades earlier.“I really didn’t know why,but I just knew I had to be there again,”he admits.“It was as if some unknownforce compelled me to return to that verybattlefield.”

As he and the others approached thehamlet near the site where many of theirfellow Marines fell, they came upon ayoung Vietnamese woman with a tinyboy in her arms. The child’s face wasgrotesque.“The poor little boy lookedlike a monster,” Hill recalls. At thatmoment, Hill was overcome with emo-

tion as he realized the encounter was thereason he had returned to Vietnam afterall those years.

He felt he had been “summoned” byan unknown force to a specific part ofVietnam 42 years after he almost lost hislife there, and he intuitively knew whathe had to do. After speaking to the boy’smother, Nguyen Thi My, through aninterpreter, he vowed to do whatever wasnecessary for the child to get the medicalattention he so desperately needed.

A determined and excited Hillreturned to the United States. He did notcare what it would cost or how long it

would take – he was on a mission, andnothing was going to stop him. Back inColumbia, he enlisted the help of AdamAndrews, a prominent Columbia oraland maxillofacial surgeon, and Andrews’assistant, Sandy Freiling. The threeimmediately began the challenging andarduous task of helping the Vietnamesechild, Minh Duc, and his young mother.

Andrews understood the significanceof the mission at hand.“Facilitatingtreatment for this child was going to healmore than a facial deformity,” he says.Andrews says his contribution consistedmostly of getting the ball rolling on

Hill met Minh Duc and his mother, Nguyen Thi My during a visit to former battlefields inVietnam. Hill waged a years-long battle to clear red tape and help the boy receive surgeryto correct a cleft palate and a cleft lip.

Photo courtesy of Smile Train

treatment.“In this day and age, there isa lot that can be accomplished halfwayaround the world with a cell phone,Internet, and email,” he says.

CUTTING THROUGHTHE RED TAPE

What happened next was a two-year labor of love involving countlesstelephone calls, emails, text messages,and letters. The team had originallyplanned to bring the boy and hismother from Vietnam to St. Louis,where Andrews and a colleague atSaint Louis University’s School ofMedicine would perform the surgery.Freiling persuaded Cardinal GlennonChildren’s Medical Center in St. Louis todonate a surgical suite for the proce-dures and the nearby Ronald McDonaldHouse to donate rooms for the disfiguredchild and his mother.

“Things were looking up,” Hill recalls.“Something deep inside had taken overand was driving us to help that unfortu-nate child.”

Trying to locate and communicatewith Minh Duc’s mother was difficult.Dealing with the Vietnamese bureaucra-cy was daunting, but Hill, Adams, andFreiling were relentless.

They got the break they needed whenthey learned it was possible to have thesurgery performed in Vietnam by U.S.surgeons working with Smile Train, anorganization that specializes in repairingcleft lips and palates on childrenthroughout the world. Since 2008, morethan 2,500 Vietnamese children have had

corrective surgery through Smile Train.That option appealed to Hill and the

others because the surgery would beexpedited and would make it unneces-sary for Minh Duc and his mother totravel halfway around the world to astrange country for surgery that could beobtained not far from their village.

“At first, when we learned that thesurgery would be performed in Vietnam,there was some sense of disappoint-ment,” Hill says.“It would have beenwonderful to have had the opportunityto welcome the child and his mother tothe U.S. But after realizing the traumaand trepidation that this family wouldhave necessarily endured, it was clearly abetter and certainly a more economicalsolution for the little boy and his motherto remain in Vietnam.”

The first surgerywas scheduled lastsummer, but bloodtests revealed MinhDuc suffered frommalnutrition andwas too weak. Hillimmediately sentmoney to the boy’sfamily for nutri-tional food. Minh

Duc’s health and conditionimproved, and he was finally able toundergo the corrective surgeries.The final procedure took place lastNovember.“Today, the cute little boyis thriving and leading a normallife,” Hill points out.“Adam, Sandy,and I are happy to have been able tohelp him.”

THE BOY’S NEW SMILE

“Minh Duc has a new smile,” saysSmile Train’s Vietnam country man-ager, Dzung Nguyen. Before the surg-eries, his mother would not allowphotographs because she and herfamily “did not want to documenttheir shame,” Dzung explained. Now,

however, photographs of him not only areallowed, but encouraged.“He is anextremely photogenic little boy,” Hill says.

Speaking to a group at the Universityof Missouri campus on the anniversaryof the bloody battle that brought himback to Vietnam, Hill explains: “Exactly43 years ago, an unlikely chain of occur-rences led me to an obscure valley thatno longer exists, and to a battle that, inretrospect, was inconsequential from anoverall global and historical perspective.But, at that time and possibly even now, itwas the most significant event of my life.

“Out of that terrible battle somethingpositive emerged, and I do not think it waspurely by chance or happenstance. Had Inot been there, fighting for my life and thelives of my Marines, I certainly would nothave felt compelled to return to what wasonce a valley of death – but today is apeaceful, tranquil, and happy place.

“Had I not returned, I would not haveencountered that hapless and helpless lit-tle peasant boy who will eventually have achance at a normal life thanks to a num-ber of wonderful and generous people inthis country and in Vietnam.”

– This story originally appeared in TheColumbia Missourian.

Southern Alumni

Byron and Janet Hill met at SIU, growing up in the areacommunities of Sparta and Chester. They have a daughter,Shelly, who graduated from the University of Kansas.

Hill, show here in Vietnam, retired as a colonel from the USMC-Reserve in 1995.

Commencement Speakers

Southern Alumni 17

Southern Illinois University Carbondale’sMay commencement ceremonies pro-

duced 3,230 candidates for degrees as ofMay 3, including: 2,624 for bachelor’sdegrees, 437 candidates for master’sdegrees, 55 candidates for doctoraldegrees, 99 law degree candidates, and 15candidates for associate degrees.

Commencement speakers included ajustice with the Missouri Supreme Court; aprofessor and dean emeritus in forestresources at Mississippi State University; aprofessor emeritus in political sciencefrom the University of Massachusetts-Amherst; a senior attorney with TheBoeing Company; a president and chiefexecutive officer of TheBANK ofEdwardsville; and the president and CEOof the Illinois Broadcasters Association. Inmost instances the commencementspeakers provided their own biographies.

Nine alumni received AlumniAchievement Awards as part of individualand school ceremonies. The award is thehighest honor presented by the SIUAlumni Association.

In addition, Carbondale businessmanGeorge Sheffer, owner and president ofMurdale True Value, and William Beck ofMount Vernon, the CEO of Beck BusTransportation, each received DistinguishedService Awards during the College ofBusiness commencement. The award is inrecognition of their service and devotion totheir alma mater and Southern Illinois.

These alumni spoke at each ceremonyand received the Alumni AchievementAward:

College of Liberal Arts – JeromeMileur ’55, Ph. D. ’71,professor emeritus inpolitical science at theUniversity ofMassachusetts-Amherst, retired in2004 after a 37-yearteaching career. Hereceived the chancel-lor’s medal for distin-

guished service to that university in 1997.College of Education and Human

Services – Debra Braunling-McMorrowM.S. ’80, Ph. D. ’86, a two-degree SIUCgraduate, is vice president of businessdevelopment and outcomes for

NeuroRestorative,which specializes inproviding rehabilita-tion to people withbrain and spinal cordinjuries.

College of Science– Thomas Holloway’72, M.B.A. ’74, presi-dent and chief execu-

tive officer of TheBANK of Edwardsville, has37 years in banking. He has been president

with the First GraniteCity National Bank,Magna Bank, UnionPlanters Bank, andmost recently,TheBANKof Edwardsville.TheBANK is a $1.5 bil-lion locally ownedcommunity bank with20 banking offices

throughout Madison and St. Clair counties.College of Applied Sciences and Arts

– Michael Peters A.A.S. ’98, ’99, a formerpilot who now is a self-employed entrepre-neur with several web-based businesses, is

founder of www.avia-tioninterviews.com, anInternet-based com-pany that provides aplace for pilots, flightattendants and dis-patchers to share theirinterview experienceswith others. The idea,born while Peters was

a student at SIUC and working to get intothe aviation industry, has grown from fourSalukis sharing information to more than40,000 aviation professionals during thelast 10 years.

College of Agricultural Sciences –John Gunter ’66, dean and professor emer-itus in the College of Forest Resources at

Mississippi StateUniversity, is now vicepresident of theIllinois ForestryAssociation. His careerincludes work withGeorgia-Pacific Corp.,and for the U.S.Department ofAgriculture-Forest

Service. The author or coauthor of numer-ous forestry publications, including threebooks, Gunter’s awards include Fellow ofthe Society of American Forestry.

College ofEngineering – LaurieLandgraf ’82, ’85,senior counsel at TheBoeing Company,focuses on intellectualproperty, and she pro-vides legal advice toBoeing’s Defense,Space and Securitybusiness unit.

College of Mass Communication andMedia Arts – Dennis Lyle ’75, M.S. ’00,

president and CEO ofthe IllinoisBroadcastersAssociation, is on advi-sory committees forthe Illinois EmergencyManagementAgency’s IllinoisTerrorism Task Force,and Illinois’ Amber

Alert Task Force. Lyle and his wife, Paula,were once the owners of WCIL AM-FM.

College of Business – Jeffrey Kottkamp’83, a senior client audit partner-banking

and securities withDeloitte, has more than27 years providing ser-vices to global financialservices industryclients. He is currentlythe global lead clientservice partner forMorgan Stanley, one ofthe largest audit clients

of the Deloitte global firm.School of Law – Judge Michael Wolff, a

member of the Supreme Court of Missouri,gave the address, and Judge Leslie Gerbracht

J.D. ’88 received theAlumni AchievementAward.Then-ColoradoGov. Bill Owensappointed Gerbracht tothe district court benchin September 2006, thefirst woman appointedjudge in Las AnimasCounty, Colo. ■

May Commencement Features Alumni Speakers

Mileur

McMorrow

Landgraf

Lyle

Kottkamp

Gerbracht

Holloway

Peters

Gunter

Southern Alumni18

Remembering 9/11

by Stephen Rickerl

President Barack Obama’s announce-ment of the death of Osama bin

Laden on May 1 brought jubilation inmany parts of the country. For two localSIU alumni survivors of the Sept. 11attacks, the news of the al-Qaida leader’sdemise brought memories of lost friendsand a sense of closure.

William Cain Jr. ’78 of Lake of Egyptand Lyndon Willms ’79, J.D. ’08 ofMurphysboro, both retired lieutenantcolonels in the Air Force, were at the

Pentagon when the attacks occurred in2001. Cain says was surprised by the news.

“My personal opinion is it brings clo-sure to a lot of families as well as in thePentagon, New York, and in Pennsylvania,”he says.“For me, personally, it’s justanother step in a long drawn-out strugglethat we’re going to have.”

Cain says the death of bin Laden isa victory for the U.S., but the battle isnot over.

“I think this sends a message that theU.S. is serious about tracking down ter-rorists ... that we’re not going to rest. If

the struggle is going to continue, we’renot going to forget, we’re going to staythe course,” he notes.“But we have tounderstand that they’re just as deter-mined to end our way of life. For me per-sonally, I’m glad we won the battle, butwe have to stay the course if we want topreserve our freedoms.”

Willms says he heard the news fromhis sister-in-law and watched live cover-age of the president’s announcement. Ashe heard the news, his thoughts went tofallen soldiers.

“I lost two friends on 9/11, and one ofthe guys I used to fly with got killed overin Afghanistan as part of the surge,” hesays.“I was thinking about them andtheir families.” Paraphrasing WinstonChurchill, Willms says the death of binLaden is not the end, but it might be thebeginning of the end.

“I think this shows a sign now; Ithink we’re turning a corner,” he notes.“Ithink with what’s going on in Egypt andall the other countries that we’re startingto see a rejection of the Taliban, the ArabBrotherhood, and more of a quiet transi-tion to democracy in some of thoseother countries. And it might be a partialresult of what’s been going on for the last10 years over there.”

Willms shared a memory of anassignment board at his post in themonths after Sept. 11. He recalls theboard read “God will judge Osama binLaden, our duty is to arrange a face-to-face meeting.”

“I feel like we finally fulfilled that,”he says.“I have closure finally on thiswhole thing.” ■

—Rickerl is a 2009 SIU graduate and areporter for the Southern Illinoisan,where this story first appeared.

Terrorist Leader’s Death Helps Bring Closure For Two Alumni

Lyndon Willms (left) and Bill Cain were SIU alumni working Sept. 11, 2001, at thePentagon. They say the recent death of Osama bin Laden brought a sense of closureto a day that they will never forget.

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Salukis In Business

Southern Alumni 19

by Bonnie Marx

Sources date the origin of pizza back tothe 3rd century B.C. when Cato the

Elder, writing the first history of Rome,spoke of “flat round of dough dressed witholive oil, herbs, and honey baked on stones.”

In the United States, pizza began to takeroot in the collective consciousness in thelate 1950s when pizzerias began to dot thelandscape and frozen pies first appeared ongrocery shelves.

In 1977, Walt ‘76 and Peggy ‘75 Niedsbecame the owners of a neighborhood jointon South Court Street in Marion called Joe’sPizza. For the first three years, Walt openedand closed the place himself, 11 a.m. to mid-night. Peggy spent her days working atFranklin-Williamson County Mental Healthand nights making sauce in the pizzeria.

More than 30 years later, what is nowWalt’s Pizza has spread its wings into threebuildings on five lots with an indoor/out-door patio, 70 employees, and an advertis-ing slogan,“More Than Great Pizza,” a refer-ence to the expansive menu of pasta andgrill items as well as their signature dish,double-decker pizza.

Through the decades, the high schoolsweethearts from northwest of Chicago havetransformed their business into an extensionof their personalities that reflects into everyaspect of the operation and beyond.

“It has evolved over the years,” saysWalt.“We’ve sold over a million pizzas, butwe sell a ton of taco-nachos too.”TheSouthern graduate believes one of the keysto the restaurant’s success is their commit-ment to using “everything as fresh as it canpossibly be. Nothing is frozen, precooked,or even prechopped.

All the cheese comes from Wisconsin,“because it’s the best,” Peggy says. But it’snot cheap. The restaurant goes throughabout 1,500 pounds of it every week. Whenthe price goes up, as it did recently by $1per pound, it makes a dent.

The couple provides daily quality con-trol by eating their meals at the restau-rant. Usually “we don’t let the kitchenknow when we order that it’s us,” Peggysays. And you won’t find them namingfavorites – anything they don’t eat is noton the menu.

The decor throughout the restaurant isa window into the couple’s own elbowgrease and talents, their families, and theireclectic collecting at auctions and such. Thespecially designed booths “we made our-selves,”Walt says, and Peggy created all thestained glass pieces.

On the walls you’ll find items like Walt’sdad’s 1944 certificate of graduation from theChicago College of Dental Surgery, Peggy’sfather’s military uniform, and a set ofandirons that belonged to her mother.Thereare panoramic photos of school classes fromthe early 1900s in Williamson County andone of the Nieds’ son Walt III (who has beenthe restaurant’s manager for a couple ofyears) as a preteen with legendary broad-caster Harry Caray. There are items fromauctions and “stuff” from their garage.

Southern Graduates Have Walt’s Pizza Going Strong In Marion

On the patio, which can be closed tothe elements by three large doors, eventhe plants are their personal concern.“Welove plants,” Walt says.“Sometimes wetake them home and give them a littleTLC; sometimes we bring plants fromhome.”

In the community, Walt’s is a presence inits support of local charities and causes,such as Saluki Way, the Marion Civic Center,the Women’s Center, and the SIU Arena. Lastyear they donated 500 pizzas to worthycauses.“We love SIU,” Peggy says.“We’vealways had season basketball tickets andthis year we got football.”

“It’s been quite a journey,”Walt says,“from a little old pizza place to what wehave now.” For more information on thisbusiness, go to www.waltspizza.com. ■

Walt and Peggy Nieds in their Marion restaurant, Walt’s Pizza, where customers can seeplenty of Saluki memorabilia on the walls, accented in SIU colors.

immediately appealed to her because she had been an aviddancer since the age of 2. The May 2011 public relations graduatehad performed and competed for a state champion dance team inhigh school and aspired to continue doing the same for Southern.

Cheves, who graduated in May with a degree in public rela-tions, didn’t miss a beat in the classroom and received her shareof academic honors. In April, she was honored as one of SIU’s 25Most Distinguished Seniors at an honors banquet hosted by theStudent Alumni Council, SIU Alumni Association, and SIUCarbondale Chancellor Rita Cheng. SIU’s 25 Most DistinguishedSeniors are individuals who have “enriched the University withtheir active involvement in various facets of campus life.”

While attending Harry D. Jacobs High School inAlgonquin, Ill., Brittany Cheves was in the processof making the important decision of where to pur-

sue her college education. After attending an orientation programat Southern Illinois University Carbondale with her parents, hermind was made up.

“I fell in love with SIU. Everyone was so friendly and wantedto help me any way they could,” she says.“There is a special‘Southern hospitality’ here. I visited others colleges and didn’treceive that treatment.”

Another reason Cheves chose Southern was the opportunity toserve as a “University Ambassador” for the Saluki Shakers. It

by Greg Scott

Brittany Cheves, flanked by her parents,Gary and JoAnn Cheves, displays her 25Most Distinguished Senior Award.

21Southern Alumni

Managing Her TimeBeing a good student is all

about time management, Chevessays. She was an officer for theSaluki Shakers as a senior andnotes that being a team memberrequires an extensive time commit-ment that includes practices, week-ly weightlifting sessions, perform-ing at Saluki games, and competingin national competition.

“We all do it for the same reason– a love for dancing, and support-ing and representing our Universityboth locally and nationally,” shesays.“We are the PR face of SIU inso many ways.”

Cheves epitomizes the necessarytraits it takes to be a Saluki Shaker,according to her coach, TawmiConley.“The time commitment tobe a Saluki Shaker is extensive,” she says.“It takes dedication,strong work commitment, and organizational skills. Brittanyhas done each of these three things with 100 percent effort. Shefills her plate with many extracurricular activities and alwaysmanages to accomplish everything. These attributes reallyframe the woman she is today.”

Cheves assumed a leadership role in myriad activities on theSIU campus and in the Carbondale community. “Students whorefrain from participating in extracurricular campus and com-munity programs are not receiving skills essential to being suc-cessful after graduation,” she says.“The networking opportuni-ties and time-management skills you receive, in addition to theability to work with others toward a common goal, are invalu-able. It can be stressful at times, but it truly enhances your col-lege experience.”

Top 25 HonorsCheves says attending the MDS Banquet with her parents,

Gary and JoAnn Cheves, was a fitting culmination of her careerat Southern.“It made me feel as if all of my hard work paid off,”she explains.“My parents were the first ones I told about theaward, and my mother immediately started crying. Thisimpacts my parents, too, because they have been such an influ-ence on me.

“The banquet presented me with an opportunity to meetfellow students who are involved in University life and variouscommunity projects, along with administrators and staff ofSIU. It was truly an honor.”

Her contributions went beyondthe Saluki Shakers. Perhapsinspired by her father, a Sigma ChiFraternity member, Chevespledged with the Delta ZetaSorority on campus. She hasserved in several roles, includingvice president of programming,Theta Xi Show chair, and publicrelations chair. Cheves says she hasmade lifelong friends through thesorority and has connected withnumerous alumni. Along the way,Cheves planned the popular Greekbarbecue, as well as communityservice projects such as food andblood drives, and an entertain-ment program for St. Jude

Research Hospital.In 2009, she was elected as spe-

cial events chair of InterGreekCouncil, governing body of 700 fraternity and sorority mem-bers. Cheves organized the 73rd Annual Greek Sing duringSaluki Family Weekend, assuming a leadership role for allresponsibilities related to the event.

Andy Morgan, coordinator of fraternity and sorority life,says Cheves is an inspiration to fellow students.“I wasBrittany’s UNIV 101 instructor her first semester of college. I’vewatched her grow up and become a strong student leader,” hesays.“What impressed me the most was that she motivated somany students to become involved in these events and to joinher committees.”

In addition, Cheves was an active member in the PublicRelations Student Society of America (PRSSA) the last two years.She has held roles such as special events chair, community ser-vice chair, and led fundraising efforts supporting causes such asRelay for Life. Cheves was also a fitness instructor at the SIURecreation Center and a homecoming queen candidate last fall.

Cheves graduated in May with a public relations degree.She plans to pursue a career in PR and/or event planning,with a preference to remain in either the Chicagoland orCarbondale areas.

“While listening to alumni speak at special ceremonies, Irealized my bond with this University goes beyond just attend-ing as a student,” she says.“When a student is active andinvolved, you’re interwoven into the University’s fabric now andwell into the future.

“I love SIU and can’t wait to come back as an alumna andcontinue cheering on my Salukis!” ■

Cheves says being a Saluki Shaker was one of her most enjoy-able experiences as an undergraduate.

Front row, from left: Brittany Cheves, Allison Arvanis, Krystal Saulsberry, Gloria Hernandez, Alexa Chamberlin, Nicole Lence, Julia Sheffler, EmilyBoyer, Kelsey Jarrett, and Ashton Decker. Back row: Jamie Pfister, Lindsey Miller, Joe Allaria, Conner James, Calen Kirkland, Wade Morrison, LucasPulley, Jordan Kabat, Gavin Murphy, Bradley Bauer, LaCharles Ward, Kelsey Graber, Paige Drone, and Arielle Thibodeaux. Inset: Phyllis Allen.

Joe Allaria, Edwardsville, Ill.College of Business

Phyllis Allen, Jerseyville, Ill.College of Liberal Arts

Allison Arvanis, Davenport, IowaCollege of Liberal Arts

Bradley Bauer, Gillespie, Ill.College of Liberal Arts

Emily Boyer, Decatur, Ill.College of Liberal Arts

Alexa Chamberlin, Marion, Ill.College of Education & Human Services

Brittany Cheves, Algonquin, Ill.College of Liberal Arts

Ashton Decker, Paxton, Ill.College of Applied Sciences & Arts

Paige Drone, Ridgway, Ill.College of Liberal Arts

Gavin Murphy, Herrin, Ill.College of Liberal ArtsCollege of Mass Communication & Media Arts

Jamie Pfister, Roanoke, Ill.College of Education & Human Services

Lucas Pulley, Gibson City, Ill.College of Science

Krystal Saulsberry, Oak Park, Ill.College of Mass Communication & Media Arts

Julia Sheffler, Warsaw, Ill.College of Liberal Arts

Arielle Thibodeaux, East Moline, Ill.College of Education & Human Services

LaCharles Ward, Chicago, Ill.College of Liberal Arts

Kelsey Graber, Heyworth, Ill.College of Agricultural Sciences

Gloria Hernandez, Des Plaines, Ill.College of Business

Connor James, Mattoon, Ill.College of Education & Human Services

Kelsey Jarrett, Coulterville, Ill.College of Science

Jordan Kabat, Waltonville, Ill.College of Engineering

Calen Kirkland, Stonefort, Ill.College of Education & Human Services

Nicole Lence, Carbondale, Ill.College of Agricultural Sciences

Lindsey Miller, Steeleville, Ill.College of Business

Wade Morrison, Springfield, Ill.College of Mass Communication & Media Arts

25 MOST DISTINGUISHED SENIORS/SUPER STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

SUPER STUDENTS

MOST DISTINGUISHED SENIORS

Darlyshia Cherry, Belleville, Ill.College of Liberal Arts

Ari Weiss, Chicago, Ill.College of Liberal Arts

Southern Alumni 23

Darlyshia Cherry, a junior from Belleville, Ill., studying speech com-munication, and Ari Weiss, a junior from Chicago studying political

science and economics, were honored as the institution’s “SuperStudents” and awarded with scholarships in April.

For Cherry, having her accomplishments and efforts recognized –and awarded – was rewarding and humbling.

“Being one of two students to receive this recognition was major,”Cherry says.“Just to be called a ‘Super Student’ at any university is hugeand I don’t take that lightly. I love this institution and have learned somuch from being an active member at it.”

Cherry says the scholarship will assist her in paying for books, andshe someday plans to attend graduate school – most likely at SIU – inthe speech communication program.

“I am grateful for this honor and plan to be one of the 25 MostDistinguished Seniors next year!”

Weiss says the scholarship is recognition of how much progress hehas made, a both a student and a human being since coming toSouthern.

“Before I came to SIU, I was undisciplined, a poor student, and hadfailed at a community college,” he says.“But now I am a straight-A stu-dent who participates in a variety of activities both on and off campus.

“I’m currently in the process of applying for a Fulbright Scholarshipto study at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa for a year,and I believe the Super Student recognition will help boost my creden-tials in competing for that award.”

“This program is one of our most prominent student awards andillustrates high standards of accomplishment,” says Tuesday Ashner, theAssociation’s director of student, college, and constituent relations.“The recipients are considered to be some of SIU’s brightest juniors,and competition is difficult, making for an arduous task for the selec-tion committee.”

For more information regarding the Super Student Scholarship pro-gram please contact the SIU Alumni Association at 618-453-2408 or goto www.siualumni.com/ss. ■

About The Awards …Each year, the SIU Alumni Association, the SIUC Chancellor’s Office, and the Student Alumni Council (SAC) honor 25 seniors at a spring

semester ceremony as part of the institution’s “25 Most Distinguished Seniors” program. Two juniors are also commended for theircontributions to SIU through the Association’s Super Student Scholarship program.

The 25 Most Distinguished Seniors program and the Super Student scholarship were initiated by the Association and SAC to recognizestudents who have played an active role in the SIU community. The group was honored at the ceremony, which coincided with ChancellorRita Cheng’s inauguration week of activities. Each distinguished senior received a complimentary one-year membership to the SIU AlumniAssociation from SIU Vice Chancellor Rickey McCurry, and a plaque of recognition.

Seniors applying for their respective programs must have at least a 3.0 grade point average and submit transcripts, a complete appli-cation, and two short essays. Also included should be a minimum of one letter of recommendation supporting their application, and anyother supporting documents. After the application process, 25 students are chosen by a committee of various representatives from theUniversity.

Eligibility requirements for the Super Student Scholarship include three criteria that applicants must meet. All juniors applying mustbe full-time students with at least 70 completed credit hours, actively involved in two registered student organizations, and must hold aminimum 3.5 grade point average.

For more information regarding the 25 Most Distinguished Senior award, please contact the SIU Alumni Association at 618-453-2408or go to www.siualumni.com/25mds. ■

Cherry, Weiss Are Super Students

24

Saluki Sports

Five Salukis Qualify For NCAA Track And Field Finals

At press time, several members of theSIU track and field teams had quali-

fied for the NCAA Outdoor Finals hostedby Drake University. On the women’steam, junior Jeneva McCall and seniorGwen Berry both qualified for nationalsin the shotput and hammer throw.McCall qualified by placing second in thehammer throw and third in the shotputat the NCAA West Regional, while Berrytook fourth in the hammer throw andninth in the shotput. Berry holds thenation’s longest mark in the hammerthrow this season at 231-04, while McCallhold’s the fourth-longest mark at 223-04.

For the men, senior Jeff Schirmerqualified with a seventh-place finish inthe 10,000-meter run at the WestRegional, while junior Jake Deiters

earned a slot in the discus with aneighth-place mark, and junior J.C.Lambert qualified with a ninth-place fin-ish in the hammer throw. Schirmerentered the national finals ninth in thenation in the 10K, Deiters wasranked 15th in the discus,and Lambert was16thin the hammerthrow.

“We are really looking forward to thislevel of competition,” says head coachConnie Price-Smith. To have five individ-uals qualify, and three of them beingseniors, is a really great ending to a suc-cessful season.”

To find out how the Salukis did in theoutdoor championships, go towww.siusalukis.com. ■

Southern Alumni

Above, Gwen Berry competes in the ham-mer throw. At left, Jeff Schirmer leads thepack at a race earlier this season.

Football Intro Video Finalist For National Award The 2010 Saluki football pregame introduction video, which

was produced under the direction of Chris Hagstrom ’07, wasa finalist for a national award to be presented by the SportsVideo Group.

Hagstrom, who last summer became Saluki Athletics’ firstdirector of video services, produced the 75-second piece called“Ladies and Gentlemen, Saluki Football,” that debuted before asold-out crowd in the inaugural game at Saluki Stadium onSept. 2, 2010.

“That video marked the beginning of our department,”Hagstrom says.“We spent last summer laying the foundation,

learning the new equipment, training students, and it was agreat team effort to produce the video.”

The video was a finalist in the category of OutstandingPromotion and Marketing Award.

Prior to accepting the position at SIU, Hagstrom was thedirector of production, entertainment, and promotions for theSouthern Illinois Miners beginning in 2007. While working forthe Miners, he was also the sports engineer for Saluki SportsProperties and was responsible for the production and engi-neering of all Saluki football and basketball games for the radionetwork. ■

Southern Alumni 25

Saluki Sports

Taylor Orsburn, Jayna Spivey, andMallory Duran earned first team all-

conference honors as six Salukis wonawards for their play in the 2011 MissouriValley Conference softball season. SIU,which finished the year 36-17 overall andin third-place in league with a 16-7 mark,also placed Danielle Glosson, HaleyGorman, and Morgan Barchan on the sec-ond team all-conference list.

Duran was impressive in the outfield,starting in 52 of the Salukis 53 games,while leading the team and the MissouriValley Conference in batting average at.398. The junior from Windsor, Colo.,broke the single season record for runsscored with 54.

Orsburn drove in a league leading 49RBIs, utilizing the second best battingaverage on the team at .345. The fresh-man from Alto Pass, Ill., started in 50games this season at designated playerand first base, including all conference

Americans. Trapani was named to thefirst team with her 4.0 GPA in financewhile Duran, who also carries a 4.0 inEnglish education, was named to thesecond team. This is the first time since2007 that the Salukis have had twoAcademic All-American selections andthe first time since 2004 that a student-athlete has been named to the first team.

SIU was also the only MVC school tohave multiple selections and the onlyschool to have a first team winner thisseason.

“I’m really proud of Cristina andMallory and it’s a huge honor and to havetwo kids selected is just tremendous and Icannot say enough positive things abouttheir commitment to academics,”says headcoach Kerri Blaylock, who earned her 450thcareer victory as a head coach this year.“They are great students and great athletesand I’m pleased they have been noted astwo of the best in the country.” ■

Softball Places Six On All-Conference Teams games at first base. Spivey was also spe-cial in her freshman campaign, leadingthe team in home runs with 11 whilebatting .287 with 33 RBI.

Glosson had a 2.21 ERA with a 24-10record. The senior from Winston-Salem,N.C., also threw her second career no-hitter against Evansville and ended theseason with 206 strikeouts in 240.2innings pitched.

Gorman, a junior from Arcadia, Calif.,played in all 53 games at shortstop for theSalukis, recording a .292 batting averagewith 28 RBIs. Barchan compiled a .333batting average with 48 hits, tying thesingle game record for hits when she hada perfect 5-for-5 performance againstIndiana State during the regular season.

For complete final statistics andresults, go to www.siusalukis.com.

Southern also did well in the class-room, as Duran and Cristina Trapaniwere named Capital One Academic All-

Ken Henderson

Lefthanded pitcher Cody Forsythe andoutfielder Jordan Sivertsen of the

Southern Illinois baseball team were

without its closer (Lee Weld) and top hitter(Chris Serritella), who were both out withinjury. SIU went 1-2 in the league tourna-ment, before being eliminated by confer-ence champion and host CreightonUniversity. (For complete final statistics andresults, go to www.siusalukis.com.)

“This is a great group of young menwho played through some adversity anddid everything we asked of them,” says SIUHead Baseball Coach Ken Henderson.“Theyshould only get better in the years ahead,and I feel really good about where thisgroup of players can take us.”

At press time, sources at the SIUAthletics Department indicate Hendersonwill soon officially be named to the topposition after serving as the interim headcoach in 2011 following the death of DanCallahan. A veteran NCAA Division I coachwith 28 years of experience, this wasHenderson’s 21st season at the University.He came to Southern in the fall of 1990 asan assistant coach and had held the title ofassociate head coach from 1993-2010. ■

named to the 2011 All-Missouri ValleyConference baseball teams.

Forsythe, a sophomore, was voted firstteam All-MVC while Sivertsen, a junior, wasselected to the second team. Forsythe went8-4 in the regular season with a league-leading 2.08 ERA and 99.1 innings pitched.His six wins in conference play led theleague and he only walked 10 batters allseason. The Calvert City, Ken., nativebecame SIU’s first starting pitcher since P.J.Finigan, Southern’s current pitching coach,in 2005 to be named first team All-Conference.

Sivertsen’s second team nod was his firstall-conference selection in his career. It cameafter a breakout season for the 6-2, 203-pound product out of Richmond, Ill. He ledSIU with 48 RBIs and nine home runs whilehis .297 batting average was up 67 pointsfrom his career average entering the year.

Despite 19 players on the roster beingfreshmen or sophomores, the Salukisended the year 11-10 in the MVC and 23-34overall. Southern also played the season

Forsythe, Sivertsen Earn All-MVC Baseball Honors

Southern Alumni26

Football Clinic

by Bonnie Marx

Football iswhat my

cousins playedin my aunt’syard everyThanksgiving,or so theyclaimed. Itseemed to methat they justliked to beat upon each other –as usual – andwrestle aroundin the dirt, usingfootball as theexcuse.

In highschool I spentfour years with adrum strappedto my leg, twirling my streamer-fes-tooned drumsticks at every parade, peprally, and athletic event. Technically, Iwas present at every home footballgame, but what I could make out fromthe bandstand just looked like mycousins, except with lights and uniforms.

I had managed quite successfully toshove football into the Siberia section ofmy brain for many years, until the fatefulday in April when SIU AlumniAssociation Executive Director MichelleSuarez turned up in my office clutching aflier for the 2011 Saluki Women’sFootball Clinic. She’d signed up a weekearlier, and this one literally had myname on it.

What to do? Admit that I’m missingthe football gene? Tell my boss no? (Yeahright. You first.) In the end I madelemonade, reasoning that the fundsraised were going to a good cause – pur-chasing tickets for underprivileged youth

– and it’s my job to “write stuff.”I just didn’t want to look “ignernt,” as

my grandpa used to say, not to be con-fused with “ignorant.” It loosely trans-lates from grandpa-speak into some-thing like “willfully, terminally stupidwith no hope of redemption.”

When I arrived at the BoydstonCenter, I expected to stick out as weirdlyas if I’d brought my softball mitt alongand maybe a hula hoop too, what withmy formidable and deliberate estrange-ment from the subject. But I felt securein the knowledge that among the 170participants (more than double from lastyear), at least a few would be in the sameboat.

When they asked for a show of handsfrom those who had been to past clinics,it looked to me like three-quarters of theroom responded. At our table, Michelle,Laura Taylor (the Association’s directorof member services), and I kept our

hands in ourlaps.

When ChrisLennon, wife ofSaluki HeadFootball CoachDale Lennon,spoke to thegroup, sheendeared her-self to everypotentially“ignernt” per-son in theroom when sheasked if wewere as baffledas she wasabout thingssuch as whyplayers wouldchoose to rundown the mid-

dle of the field if there was all that roomon the sides.

We divided into five groups to corre-spond with the five stations where wewere to learn about offense, defense,equipment, football skills, and from aplayer panel. My group began its run atthe Offense Station, where AssistantCoach Kalen DeBoer spoke of runningplays, passing plays, and the wristbandsworn by the running backs. It began todawn on me that, cousins aside, there isnothing random happening during afootball game.

Our group was particularly fascinatedby the laminated playbooks – containing255 plays – that the running backs use.DeBoer says the offensive team runsupwards of 75 plays each game, everyone detailed into cryptic jargon such as:King Rt Off BL Stab 26 Mo Ton. Try to saythat in a hurry – or memorize 255 ofthem.

Association Staffers Get A Little Gridiron Education

Saluki Head Football Coach Dale Lennon takes a moment to pose with three SIU AlumniAssociation staffers and football clinic attendees (from left): Michelle Suarez, executivedirector; Bonnie Marx, staff writer; and Laura Taylor, director of member services.

Football Clinic

Southern Alumni 27

In the equipment room, MikeValentine, coordinator of equipment andfacility, educated us about the specialgear players wear – pads for the knees,thighs, and shoulders, the different typesof pads depending on which position isplayed. Helmets are a serious subject,given their importance in protecting thehead. There are about five different kindsof helmets, which “should be able to go afull season,”Valentine says, but are nev-ertheless reconditioned twice each year.

They have amazingly thin turtleneckshirts that can withstand 20 degreeweather. Gloves used to be all leather, hesays, but now they’re covered with atacky substance to help catch the ball.For a reality check, Valentine informedus that they do 10 to 12 loads of wash aday in their industrial-capacity washers.

Defensive positions are another ani-mal entirely. Assistant Coach Jim Jacksonsays defense has its own sheet of plays,all designed to stop a run.“The key,” hesays,“is generating enough force to stopanother person.”

I thought about dragging out my soft-ball mitt when Jackson demonstratedhow to throw and catch a football, butinstead elbowed Michelle to the frontwhen he called for a volunteer to throwthe ball into a net. Either she had beenpracticing secretly or she’s got naturalflair, because her arm was good.

To catch a ball, Jackson advises hisplayers to “see the tip, catch the fat, andsqueeze.” He also spoke of pancakeblocks, outlawed chop blocks, and suchthings as “using your hands. He also toldus that holding happens every single playof every game, terming it a “little like aknife fight in a phone booth.” There arealso “naked plays,” which don’t involvenudity at all, but instead have somethingto do with pass percentages being up andrun percentages being down. I think.

Each of us took home with us a book-let, Football 101, that patiently detailseverything a non-expert like me couldever want to know: the rules and regula-tions, player positions, a glossary of foot-ball terms, booster information, andeven a sample scouting report from2010.

Going into the clinic, I describedmyself to others as a football agnostic.And while it wouldn’t be fair to call myknowledge of the sport encyclopedic, Inow know much more than I did twomonths ago.

And guess what, Grandpa? I don’teven feel ignernt. ■

A Special Touch When SIU Golfers Play In Arizona

The SIU women’s golf team has found a home away from home inArizona, as they once again played at the Rio Verde Country Club in itsannual women’s collegiate invitational in March. While the great weatherwas a huge plus, the personal touch the Salukis receive each year is alsosomething that makes it special. Salukis Bill and Maggie Mathias ’64, Ph.D.’72 turn over theirhome to the team dur-ing their stay and hostthe Southern contingentwhile they are in thePhoenix, Ariz., area.

“Bill and Maggiehave hosted the teamsince we first traveled tothe Phoenix tourna-ment more than 10years ago,” says headcoach Diane Daugherty.“They move out of their beautiful home and we move in – they have beenwonderful.” There were 17 teams in this year’s tournament, and like theMatthias, area residents housed players and coaches from all teams in theirown homes.

Daugherty notes that Rio Verde invites SIU alumni seniors (50 andolder) who are visiting the Phoenix area to stop by and play a free round ofgolf where the Salukis played. Contact Rio Verde Country Club at 480-471-7010 and mention that you want the Alumni Deal to book a tee time prior toApril of 2012. For more information, go to www.rioverdecc.com.

This season marked the last time Daugherty would be there as headcoach. Having just completed her 25th year in that role, she announced herretirement in April. The five-time conference coach of the year, who was fea-tured in the March issue of Southern Alumni as the 2011 Sturgis MemorialPublic Service Award, leaves behind a legacy of successful teams and people.

“I’ve looked at this as much more than just coaching golf,” she says.“Ihave mentored young ladies, who I treat as daughters, and my sport justhappened to be golf.” ■

The 2011 Saluki Women’s golf team enjoys anevening out at a cowboy restaurant with Bill andMaggie Matthias, their hosts at the tournament.

Southern Alumni28

Abe Martin Renovation

More than 120 SIU baseball alumnireturned to campus this spring to

show support for an initiative to refur-bish Abe Martin Field. Built almost 50years ago, the home of the Salukis ismore than ready for a facelift.

Abe Martin Field, built in 1964, is theoldest baseball facility in the MissouriValley Conference. Once one of the nicerballparks in the league, it now pales incomparison to where other conferenceschools call home. Creighton opened thepalatial TD Ameritrade Park this season;Indiana State introduced the new BobWarn Field at Sycamore Stadium last year;Wichita State’s grand Eck Stadiumreceived even more upgrades in 2009;Illinois State opened Duffy Bass Field in2008; Missouri State began playing atHammons Field in 2003; Bradley beganplaying at O’Brien Field in 2003; andEvansville opened Braun Stadium in 2002.

The alumni weekend began with afundraising golf scramble at CrabOrchard Golf Course on April 29. Thenext day alumni enjoyed a gathering on

The Hill sponsored by the SIU AlumniAssociation and Venegoni Distributing.Following the game between WichitaState and SIU, the group met withUniversity officials to discuss architec-tural drawings of proposed renovations.

The bottom line? To make renovationa reality, it will take cooperation andsupport from both dedicated alumni andSIU. That appears to be well on the wayto becoming a reality, as a campaignbrochure called “Continuing The Legacy– A Project Benefiting Abe Martin Field”

has already been produced and mailedto select baseball alumni.

“The early response has been over-whelming,” says SIU Athletics DirectorMario Moccia.“It was impressive to seealumni return to support and learn moreabout this project, and I feel confidentthings are headed in the right direction.The alumni group has some tremendousleadership in place, including formerhead coach and Saluki Hall of FamerItchy Jones. They are all working hard tohelp us make this happen.” ■

Baseball Alumni Return To Show Support

At left, former Major League All-StarSteve Finley listens intently as Itchy Jonestalks to him at the alumni event. Theweekend marked the first time Finley hadreturned to campus in more than 20years. Below, several members of the1990 MVC Champion Salukis were onhand to show support, including, fromleft, Bob Geary, Tim Davis, BradHollenkamp, Doug Shields, Jeff Nelson,and Tom Strabavy.

Want To Help?If you are interested in this project and want to support it with a tax-deductible donation, please contact Casey Haleat the SIU Athletics Department at 618-453-5625 orchale@siu.edu for more information.

“We enjoy attending the complimentary Saluki Row fooWe can bring our kids, and it’s a great advantage of our

by Laura Taylor

So…you’ve recently graduated, or

maybe you’ve been out of school

for quite some time. No matter your

class year, Saluki Pride resonates

throughout all 235,000 living gradu-

ates of Southern Illinois University.

And it’s about time you start to take

advantage of it.

Saluki Pride causes people to do crazy

things, like drive hundreds of miles to

watch Southern’s football team beat

Northern Iowa at the dome, or cram

into a tiny car with fellow Greeks dur-

ing Greek Week, or even succumb to

Campus Lake to try and stay afloat at

the Great Cardboard Boat Regatta.

How do you make the most of your

Saluki Pride? By taking advantage of

your SIU Alumni Association.

We’re Here To Serve“The SIU Alumni Association is here to

serve our valued members and prized

graduates. Being a part of the Saluki

family doesn’t stop at graduation,” says

SIU Alumni Association President Ray

Serati, ‘59. Programs like AlumniGrams

are designed to get you back in touch

with that old college roommate or for-

mer professor. Or perhaps you’d like to

plan a reunion on campus for your for-

mer student group or residence hall

floor – let us know and we will be

happy to help.

Attend An EventEach year, the

Association hosts

thousands of

Salukis at events

all across the

United States. Get

to know fellow

graduates in your

area by attending

a scholarship

awards banquet,

alumni family pic-

nic, or a pregame

football tailgate.

New events are

announced each

week on www.siualumni.com …we’re

just waiting for you!

‘Take Advantage Of…Us’

31

tball tailgates.life membership!”

–Terri Harfst, ‘89, Life Member

Join A Chapter Or ClubThe SIU Alumni Association coordi-

nates more than 30 nationwide alumni

chapters and clubs. Check out beer

brewing in Orange County, Calif.,

swing by the Austin-San Antonio fami-

ly picnic, or cheer on the Salukis dur-

ing a Las Vegas watch party.

“I founded the Minnesota Alumni Club

in 2009 and it has exceeded all of my

expectations, says Minnesota Club

President Max Orenstein ’07.“The

group is filled with fantastic people

who love connecting with fellow

alumni and sharing memories from

their time at Southern. Outside of

deciding to attend SIU, creating this

group has been one of the best deci-

sions I have ever made.”

With hundreds of thousands of Salukis

worldwide, we’re around every corner.

Read Up!The SIU Alumni Association exists to

provide our alumni and members with

a lifelong connection to Southern. Stay

up-to-date with the latest SIU and

alumni news, events, and more with

our monthly e-newsletter. We deliver it

straight to your inbox every month.

Southern Alumni magazine provides

you with a quarterly in-depth look at

alumni accomplishments, student

achievements, class note updates, and

upcoming events, and is supplement-

ed twice per year with our Saluki Pride

electronic newsletter. There’s no better

way to stay connected to Southern.

Update yourinformation! Making sure the SIUAlumni Associationhas your updated infolike email address,mailing address, andphone number helpto ensure that youreceive all the latestand greatest inSouthern happenings.

SIU Alumni Association

618-453-2408

alumni@siu.edu

www.siualumni.com

Help Our Family GrowYou already know the great advan-

tages of being an Association mem-

ber. You get a subscription to Southern

Alumni, invitations to members-only

events, access to members-only dis-

counts, and even your own members-

only area online. Hopefully you’ve felt

pride in knowing that you were a part

of the $50,000 in textbook scholar-

ships in 2010-11, a $25,000 gift to

Saluki Way, and $1 million ear-

marked for a new alumni cen-

ter. You can make an even bigger dif-

ference by helping our family grow

through membership. Refer a friend,

purchase a gift membership, or even

forward your e-newsletter to a fellow

Saluki.

You Are Just A Click Away!Not sure how you can help from

Chicago? Wish you could do more

from Florida? You can make a differ-

ence in just a few clicks. Log onto

www.SalukiInteractive.com and fill out

the volunteer profile. Select and per-

sonalize your preferences by college,

event, geographical location, or even

career field. A volunteer coordinator

will contact you when an opportunity

arises. Be sure to check out the 3D

globe of Saluki alumni all across the

world!

“My husband and I joined the Association because we were eager

to give back the support and loyalty we experienced at SIU from

1957-61. It soon became a question of whether we were going to be

“merely involved” or deeply committed. We made our commitment

in the form of a life membership. Our commitment has grown and

deepened during the past fifty years. We truly believe that once you

are an active Saluki alum, you will always want to remain that way.”

-Dede Ittner, ‘61, Life Member

Keeping A Promise

Southern Alumni 33

by Pete Rosenbery

Awave of emotions hit Mauro ArellanoJr. when he received his bachelor’s

degree in Electronic SystemsTechnologies in May from Southern.

Arellano, a 31-year-old U.S. Army IraqiWar veteran from Sterling, Ill., is a first-gen-eration college student whose parentscame from Mexico in the 1970s to bettertheir lives. For Arellano, the accomplish-ment carries an even deeper meaning: ful-filling a promise he made in the wake of atragic accident nearly two decades earlierthat killed a paternal uncle.

The new Southern graduate was 11years old when his Uncle Robert died in atraffic crash. His uncle was one of eightpeople killed in the January 1992 crash ofa van carrying workers returning homefrom their jobs at a meat processing plantin Joslin, an unincorporated community inRock Island County, about 40 miles westof Sterling.

Arellano recalls vowing at his uncle’sfuneral to heed the advice of his parents,Mauro and Carmen Arellano, and his lateuncle, to study harder. While neither hisparents nor his uncle completed schoolbeyond the fourth grade, each stressed theimportance of not throwing away theopportunity to learn.

After earning his degree, he is taking aclass this summer to earn a Committee onNational Security Systems certificate. Heplans to return to Sterling and hopes towork for the government in the securitysystems field. He also wants to be involvedwith a community service group thatassists children with academics.

The degree means “a new life, a newera,” Arellano says.“It’s a day like no other.Everything I have worked for is a journeythat has come to an end. But that doesn’tmean what I’ve done here has to end.”

After graduating from high school,Arellano served eight years in the U.S.Army, including two in the Army Reserve.He initially worked as an operator andmaintainer with patriot missiles, and lateras an information systems analyst. Afterfour years in the military, Arellano, who ini-tially attended Western Illinois Universityfor one semester, transferred to SIU in 2003while with the reserves. While in school, he

was also preparing for the Army’s SignalCorps School.

Southern’s electronic systems technolo-gy program and the cost were attractive tohim. But he left school after one semesterdue to the demands of preparing for bothSignal Corps School and his Universityclasses. Arellano returned to Sterling andopened a computer repair business thatinitially flourished, but was later hurt by theeconomy. Arellano then returned to activeduty to serve in Iraq with the 301 AreaSupport Group at Logistics Support AreaAnaconda, now Joint Base Balad, one of thelargest U.S. military bases in Iraq.

After serving in Iraq, Arellano returnedto SIU in fall 2008 to resume his education.With the experience that he gained ininformation systems technologies while inthe military, pursuing an electronic systemstechnologies degree enabled him to “covera weakness I had and thought this wouldmake me more competitive,” he says.

Arellano notes the struggles that his ownfather, who operates a landscaping business,has gone through since his family arrived inthe United States. Being the first college grad-uate in his family carries special meaning, he

says. His parents believed in the promise oftheir new country and became U.S. citizensshortly before he was born in 1980.

“Through the tough times, my fatherwould say to me that I was his strength; hecould go through whatever he was goingthrough because he could look at me andsee what he has accomplished throughme,” Arellano says with teary eyes.“Hecame to America with a dream, andthrough me, it seems like he has won it.”

Ralph Tate, interim director and associ-ate professor of SIU’s School ofInformation Systems and AppliedTechnologies, says he is impressed withArellano’s desire to succeed in the face ofobstacles that include being a nontradi-tional student. He says Arellano is oftenthe last person to leave the room when itcomes to finishing exams because hebelieves in maximizing his time by thor-oughly reviewing his tests.

Tate, a military veteran and also a first-generation college graduate, knows thefeelings that Arellano and his family have.“Itear up every time I see these kids walkacross the stage, and you know their fami-lies are out there also experiencing this.” ■

First-Generation Graduate Fulfills Promise To Family

Mauro Arellano fulfilled the promises to his family and a late uncle when he receivedhis bachelor’s degree in Electronic Systems Technologies at Southern. The U.S. ArmyIraqi War veteran is a first-generation college student whose parents came fromMexico in the 1970s.

Southern Alumni34

Serving Others

by Codell Rodriguez

When Lucas Pulley ’11helped build a playground

for an orphanage in Romania, hedidn’t quite understand why thechildren played on it all day andwith so much enthusiasm. Thenhe learned that it was the firsttime they had been allowed toplay on a playground completelyfree of persecution and prejudice.

Pulley, a Gibson City, Ill., nativewho earned his degree in mathe-matics, was in the SIU UniversityHonors Program. One of theSouthern’s 2011 Most DistinguishedSeniors, he has spent most of hisbreaks from academia doing chari-ty work overseas.“I feel taking a tripoutside the country during youracademic years is essential for per-sonal growth,”he says.“There is truejoy in forgetting about yourself andserving other people.”

Pulley is a member of EastviewChristian Church in Bloomingtonand does work overseas as part ofFuel, a program based out of thechurch for college students. He also visitedHaiti alone after the 2010 earthquake,working with a missionary in a mobilemedical office in tent cities.

The recent Southern graduate has alsospent time speaking at churches in Quito,Ecuador, also building a bench for one of

the churches, painting another, and regular-ly visits Mexico to help build houses. Hesays having a Chancellor’s Scholarshiphelped keep him financially healthy so hecan do the work.

Pulley says the skills he has learned atSouthern have been a great help in his

work.“I was actual-

ly an engineeringmajor for morethan two years,so I used a lot ofthose skillseverywhere Iwent,”heexplains.The SIUAlumniAssociationmember says hechose SIUbecause both ofhis siblings wentto larger universi-ties and alwayscame home withstories about theexperience beingimpersonal.

“I liked the student/teacher aspect atSIU, and it just felt more personal,” Pulleynotes.“I feel like coming here is one of thebest decisions I’ve ever made.”

His teachers are pleased with his deci-sion as well. Mathematics professorKathleen Pericak-Spector says she workedwith Pulley on a project on differentialequations with predator and prey andsays he is a self-motivated student whoneeds just a little bit of guidance to findhis way.

“He is the type of student teachersdream of,” Pericak-Spector says,“and just areally nice guy.”

Pulley lauds Pericak-Spector, UniversityHonors Program Director Lori Merrill-Fink,and former assistant director Laurie Bell ashis biggest influences. Pulley now plans towork full time with the IntervarsityChristian Fellowship so that he can helpyounger students get as much out of theireducation as he did.

“I feel like my time here really shapedme in a way I don’t think anywhere elsecould have.” ■

—Rodriguez is a reporter for The SouthernIllinoisan, in which this story first appeared.

Going The Extra Mile To Help Others

Lucas Pulley plays with orphaned children at a handicapped orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haitiafter the earthquake devastated the area.

Children swing for the first time on the swing set Pulley helpedbuild in Romania.

Flying High

Southern Alumni 35

Southern Illinois UniversityCarbondale’s Flying Salukis

wrote a new chapter in the pro-gram’s proud history on May 21by capturing the 2011 NationalIntercollegiate FlyingAssociation championship.

With 10 team membersscoring 414 points, the FlyingSalukis won the title by ninepoints over two-time defendingchampion University of NorthDakota in competition at theOhio State University Airport.Embry-Riddle AeronauticalUniversity-Prescott was a dis-tant third with 271 points, fol-lowed by Western MichiganUniversity, 212, and Ohio StateUniversity, 197 points.

The Saluki squad returnedto SIU with an eighth nationaltitle, the first since 1985.

“What a historic moment forour team, the flight programs,and our University,” ChancellorRita Cheng says.“I’m sure allSalukis are inspired by the talentand dedication of the teammembers and coaches.”

Earning the national title was emotionalfor Nathan Lincoln, the Flying Salukis’coachand a 1997 and 1998 team member.“I knewwe had an extremely talented group of teammembers and I knew that they had thepotential to place extremely high in thenational competition,”he says.“They per-formed well in all of the events that they werecompeting in.”The Flying Salukis’assistantcoaches were senior lecturer Bryan Harrison,assistant instructors Jeffrey Jaynes, KevinKrongos, Sabrina Zwego, and Kim Carter, asenior lecturer and academic adviser.

Earning a national title is “an amazingfeeling,” says Michael Carroll, one of threeteam captains.“It feels so good to be part ofan organization that has such a history, andit’s a better feeling to contribute to anothernational championship for SIU.” Carroll, whoscored 121 of his team’s points, was the top-scoring pilot in the nation and finished sec-ond for the national top pilot award.

In addition to Carroll’s overall perfor-mance, the squad won three individualtitles. Taylor Breum, won the short-field

approach and landing, Ryan Veldmanwonthe power-off landing event and co-captainDaniel Harringtonwon the SCAN title.

David NewMyer, department chair, saysthe national title provides the University’salready nationally recognized aviation pro-grams with visible evidence that they areamong the nation’s leading aviation degreeprograms. In addition to some nationalchampionship bragging rights, it alsoallows the University to celebrate its avia-tion students.

There were seven ground events andfour flight events. Ground events were com-puter accuracy, aircraft preflight inspection,simulator, aircraft recognition, simulatedcomprehensive area navigation (SCAN),crew resource management, and IFR (instru-ment flight rules) simulator. Flight eventsare power-off landing, short-field approachand landing, navigation, and message drop.

“Just like with athletic team competi-tion that relies on the meshing of perfor-mances from a group of teammates, theFlying Salukis had to be running on allcylinders last week to make this happen,

NewMyer says.“No one person won it – itwas won by the fact that 10 different teammembers scored points. Had any of themnot scored, we would have been second,third, or worse. This was an amazing feat.”

The competition, May 16-21, marked the41st time in 42 years the Flying Salukisqualified for the nationals. Recent historyincludes fourth-place finishes in 2005 and2010, and fifth-place finishes in 2006 and2008. The only time the national appear-ance string was broken, in 2007, was ashock, and remains a significant reminder,Lincoln explains.

“It’s something that I take personally,and I strive to put into the team membersthe importance of what we do, and thepride we have in our aviation program,” hesays.“I try to remember the lessons learnedfrom that year and make sure that wehopefully never make the mistakes again toshow the aviation community how greatour aviation program is.”

More information on the University’saviation programs is available at www.avia-tion.siuc.edu. ■

Flying Salukis Capture National Championship

Front row, from left: John Voges (chief flight instructor), Jeff Jaynes (assistant coach), Mike Carroll,Courtney Copping, Ryan Buttney, Daniel McMahon, Kevin Krongos (assistant coach), SabrinaZwego (assistant coach), and Bryan Harrison (assistant coach). Middle row: Samuel Oas, JoshuaMech, Daniel Harrington, Justin Lopez, Rusty Whorten, and Nathan Lincoln (head coach). Backrow: Michael Gomm (from Cessna Aircraft, the sponsor of the national championship trophy),Taylor Breum, Ryan Veldman, David Brown, Scott Blair, Kevin Hayes, and David NewMyer (depart-ment chair). Not pictured: Kim Carter (assistant coach).

Southern Alumni36

Association News

Broadcast Communi-cations Radio Hall ofFame, he officially set theGuinness World Recordin October 2009 for “hav-ing the longest career bya deejay in radio history.”

Registration fees forthe reunion support theBlack UndergraduateEducation Scholarship(SBUE). The recipients ofthis award will be recog-nized throughout thereunion. If you would liketo learn more about the BAG Reunion please call the SIU AlumniAssociation at 618-453-2417 or visit BAG’s website atwww.siublackalumni.org.

Cinco De Mayo Happy HourThe Chicago Chapter of the SIU Alumni Association hosted

65 alumni and friends for a Cinco de Mayo Social at the SalukiBar. This Mexican themed celebration featured substantiallydiscounted drink specials and complimentary appetizers for allto enjoy. Before wrapping up the night, the Chicago Chapter raf-

BAG Reunion Set July 7-10The Black Alumni Group (BAG), a constituent society of the

SIU Alumni Association, will welcome members and respectedguests from all over the country next month to participate in“Southern Nights,” the theme of BAG’s 12th Biennial Reunion.

BAG has been a part of Southern Illinois UniversityCarbondale since 1988, when a group of alumni came togetherto maintain professional, social, and educational relationshipswithin Southern’s African-American community. The organiza-tion is also a philanthropic provider of scholarships for SIU’sstudents, and assists with books for children attending ThomasElementary School in Carbondale.

The reunion will kickoff Thursday, July 7, with a meet andgreet at the Hampton Inn east of Carbondale. Friday eventsinclude a service project, financial workshops, a fish fry, and toursof local wineries and the SIU campus. Nominations for officerswill be accepted on Friday, and those elected will be installed at abrunch on Sunday just before the reunion comes to a close.

Saturday’s festivities include a cookout and health fair in theafternoon, followed by a semiformal banquet that evening.After the banquet, the group will gather at the Stadium Clubinside Saluki Stadium for one final toast at the “Grand Finale”party. That evening will also feature an appearance by the leg-endary Herb Kent (also known as “The Mayor of Bronzeville”)from Chicago’s V-103 FM. A inductee into the Museum of

SIU Concert Choir And Wind EnsemblePerformances

In honor of Rita Hartung Cheng’s recent appoint-ment as Chancellor of Southern Illinois University,the SIU School of Music, in conjunction with the SIUAlumni Association and the SIU Foundation, con-ducted two concert choir and wind ensemble perfor-mances.

They were held at the Hoogland Center for the Artsin Springfield, Ill., and the historic Chicago SymphonyOrchestra Hall. Receptions were held before both per-formances for alumni to meet Chancellor Cheng.

At the Springfield reception, Joe Crane ’88, ABClocal affiliate meteorologist, emceed the event. Morethan 500 alumni, friends, and staff attended the per-formances, and special thanks to Don Magee and thePrairie Capital Chapter who helped coordinate theSpringfield performance.

Herb Kent

Local meteorologist Joe Crane emceed the Springfield event.

Southern Alumni

Association News

fled off several pairs of Cubs tickets and a plethora of SIU t-shirts. Vanessa Matheny, Chris Stemler, Jim Buczynski, and KenMantel coordinated the event.

2nd Annual Austin/San Antonio Spring Picnic

The Austin/San Antonio Chapter of the SIU AlumniAssociation hosted 41 alumni and friends to a picnic at LandaPark in New Braunfels, Texas. After lunch, SIU Alumni

Association Board Member Bill Szelag spoke about currentevents on campus. Later an SIU-themed trivia game and bal-loon toss were enjoyed by all. Claudia Ogrin, Tara Janssen, TyBall, and Sara Weiskopf coordinated this event.

Hantak Wins Outstanding Thesis Award

The 2010 SIU Alumni Association’s Outstanding Master’sThesis Award was recently presented to Alison Hantak. TheBolingbrook, Ill., native is studying physiology and is a teaching

assistant at Southern. Her thesis was chosen by a 10-memberfaculty committee. In the photo, from left, are SIU AlumniAssociation President Ray Serati, Hantak, and her advisor,Laura Murphy.

SIU Student Day At Wrigley Field

The SIU Alumni Association hosted 65 students and friendsto a Friday afternoon game at Wrigley Field to watch theChicago Cubs take on the San Francisco Giants. Fans were notdisappointed as the Chicago Cubs won the game 11-4.

Class Of 1961 – Save The Date!As a special treat for the Class of 1961, who will celebrate

their 50th anniversary during the October Homecoming festivi-ties, the 1961 Obelisk has been digitized and is a link is nowavailable on the Association’s website.

But that’s not all! We’ve also scanned all six of the alumninewsletters printed that year. Go to www.siualumni.com/1961,where you can also register for that weekend’s many HalfCentury Club activities.

SIU Day At Wrigley Field Tickets Still AvailableGet your tickets now for the 34th annual SIU Day at WrigleyField baseball game on August 21. Come out and watch as theChicago Cubs host the St. Louis Cardinals. Please join us for ourtraditional pregame gathering at the Cubby Bear Lounge tosocialize and network with other Salukis. A special thanks toGeorge Loukas ‘73 for helping secure this Cards-Cubs game forour alumni group. You may purchase tickets online atwww.siualumni.com.

SIU Alumni Association Seeks Award Nominations

The SIU Alumni Association presents an Alumni AchievementAward for Service each year at its Board of Directors Homecomingluncheon. This award is given for outstanding service to theAssociation and, therefore, the University. Nominees may be gradu-ates, former students, or friends of the University who have demon-strated their commitment to alumni by their service. The currentpresident or current board members may not receive the recognitionwhile serving on the board.

A five-member committee studies the information given for allnominations and determines the recipient. Members of theAssociation are asked to submit names with resumes and back-ground material of those whom they feel qualify for this honor.Send the material to SIU Alumni Association, c/o Tina Shingleton,Colyer Hall, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901.Nominations must be received by Aug. 15.

Southern Alumni38

Association News

CASA Wins ‘Salukis Rock The Colleges’ Tour

The SIU Alumni Association has announced that the College of Applied Sciences and Arts (CASA) is the winner of the 2011“Salukis Rock the Colleges Tour,” a contest in which the winning college received $10,000 to be used for scholarships or stu-

dent programming.The contest took place from March 21 through May 13 with

a different college showcased each week in posts featured onthe Association’s Facebook page. The college with the most likeson their related posts was deemed the winner, making CASAthe most rockin’ college on campus with a total of 2,303 likes.

According to Interim CASA Dean Terry Owens, the $10,000will go directly to the college’s student support fund. Owenssays the money will be distributed to help students attend pro-fessional development activities, conferences, and workshops.SIU’s national flying champions – The Flying Salukis, the CyberDefense Team, and other student groups could also benefitfrom the award.

“We are grateful for this award, and excited that the fundswill benefit a broad range of our students,” Owens notes.“I alsohave to give credit to Associate Dean Wil Devenport, who reallytook a leadership role in this event for us.”

Devenport calls the influx of money “a real blessing. We willbe able to help some worthy students who otherwise would not be able to be supported in some worthwhile activities.”

Featured in the Association’s posts was the construction of CASA’s new state-of-the-art Transportation Education Center, athree building complex that will centralize Southern’s automotive and aviation programs at the Southern Illinois Airport.

CASA’s extensive registered student organizations were also put on display, showcasing GaMeRS (Game Mechanics ResearchStudio). GaMeRS is one of the newest student organizations in ISAT and also assisted in the development of SIU Campus LifePinball, a virtual computer based pinball game. The game features everything from a replica SIU Arena to the official publicaddress voice of the Salukis, Steve Falat, and can be downloaded at www.siucampuslife.com.

Individuals participating in the contest were also randomly selected each week to receive prizes such as iPods, gift cards, aniPad and even an Xbox Kinect through the Association. The “Salukis Rock the Colleges Tour” helps illustrate the Association’s com-mitment to Southern’s students and the need to spread awareness about various programs and initiatives at SIU.

For more information regarding the SIU Alumni Association’s student programs, please call 618-453-2408 or visit www.siualumni.com.

From left, CASA Dean Terry Owens and Associate Dean WillDevenport receive the $10,000 award from SIU AlumniAssociation Executive Director Michelle Suarez.

Alumni DeathsJan. 28-May 18, 2011

SKINNER, Imogene C., ’2912/27/2010, Bradenton, Fla.

HUGHES, Arleen H., ex ’3003/12/2011, Carbondale, Ill.

HARSHA, Barbara M., ’3102/08/2011, Murphysboro, Ill.

HAYS, Pearl M., ’3102/22/2011, Sparta, Ill.

BYARS, Alva A., ’37, M.S.Ed.’511/30/2011, Kansas City, Mo.

CASPER, George E., ’372/14/2011, Anna, Ill.

OYLER, Ruth C., ’3903/04/2011, Woodland, Pa.

HILL, Richard G., ex ’401/06/2011, Camano Island, Wash.

O’BRIEN, Merna K., ’41, M.S.Ed. ’713/10/2011, Anna, Ill.

PULLEY, Winona W., ’41, ’44, M.S. ’592/12/2011, Driggs, Idaho

TIPPY, Paul H., ’41, M.S. ’514/27/2011, Albion, Ill.

HASLAUER, Margaret H., ex ’424/27/2011, Cairo, Ill.

MARBERRY, James W., ’421/28/2011, Calistoga, Calif.

MOODY, Dorothy E., ex ’424/03/2011, Arcola, Ill.

BROWN, M.D., James G., ex ’434/30/2011, Bloomington, Ill.

LATHAM, D.V.M., Robert, ex ’444/12/2011, Erie, Ill.

WILLIAMS, Thomas F., ’445/07/2011, Lake of the Woods, Va.

BUSSE, Dwane E., ex ’473/18/2011, Chesterfield, Mo.

HALPIN, Anna M., ex ’475/09/2011, Oklahoma City, Okla.

HANSON, Rosalee, ’474/21/2011, Punta Gorda, Fla.

LOGUE, Helen F., ex ’473/23/2011, Carbondale, Ill.

SCOTT, Leland L., ’4711/10/2010, Fairfax, Va.

MATHIEU, Charles C., ’48, M.S.Ed. ’525/10/2011, Evansville, Ind.

SHAFTER, Lynette R., ex ’484/10/2011, Harrisburg, Ill.

CRAIG, Calvert J., ’493/15/2011, De Soto, Ill.

HENSON, Mary L., ’494/08/2011, West Frankfort, Ill.

HOPKINS, Kenneth W., ex ’4912/19/2010, Naples, Fla.

McCLINTOCK, Dr. N. Eugene, ’49, M.S.Ed. ’511/05/2011, Colorado Springs, Colo

MOORE, Ben E., ’4

5/12/2011, Energy, Ill.

BOATMAN, Pauline S., ex ’504/06/2011, Decatur, Ill.

BONNETTE JR., Earl M., ’504/03/2011, Cherokee County, N.C.

LEDBETTER, John A., ’50, M.S.Ed. ’544/25/2011, Marion, Ill.

REEDY, Maurice, ex ’502/13/2011, The Villages, Fla.

ROBERSON, Helen S., ex ’501/29/2011, Bonnie, Ill.

STEWART, Jack L., ex ’502/24/2010, Lake City, Fla.

SUNDERLAND, Isabel K., ’503/07/2011, Porterville, Calif.

BELL, Harold G., ’513/18/2011, Ann Arbor, Mich.

MUFFLER, Eugene R., ’512/15/2011, Elgin, Ill.

RUSH, Florence H., ex ’512/21/2011, Jacksonville, Ill.

STOOKEY, Charles D., ex ’523/01/2011, Madison, Ind.

STOUDT, Christina M., ’524/05/2011, Pekin, Ill.

THORNTON, Betty M., ’52, M.S. ’663/03/2011, Du Quoin, Ill.

BLAIR, Prentice R., ’534/01/2011, Bloomington, Ill.

GRAY, Kenneth W., ex ’533/26/2011, Wayne City, Ill.

JONES, Dr. Oma D., ’53, M.S. ’75, Ph.D. ’843/15/2011, Mt. Vernon, Ill.

QUALLS, Dorothy G., ’533/09/2011, Murphysboro, Ill.

VONBEHREN, Barbara A., ’535/09/2011, Springfield, Ill.

DOUGHTY JR., Dr. Earl, ’53, M.S. ’54, Ph.D. ’6512/30/2010, Alton, Ill.

GURLEY, Claudette J., ’542/03/2011, Buncombe, Ill.

ZRIMC, Ph.D., Marie U., M.S. ’546/07/2010, Los Angeles, Calif.

EVERS, John L., M.S.Ed. ’553/10/2011, Carmi, Ill.

PLASTERS, Joseph E., ’554/01/2011, Springfield, Ill.

BIGGS, Robert D., ’563/03/2011, Royalton, Ill.

HAMILTON SR., Lowell H., ’56, M.S.Ed. ’5912/29/2010, Marion, Ill.

JONES, Billy R., ’561/27/2011, Houston, Texas

KELLER, Kenneth P., ’563/23/2011, Southington, Conn.

SIMS JR., Eugene T., ’562/19/2011, Murphysboro, Ill.

SUMNER, Lowell H., ’563/1/2011, Perryville, Mo.

WEFFENSTETTE, Walter E., M.S.Ed. ’56, Ph.D. ’653/11/2011, Farmersville, Ill.

HAMMANN, Robert E., ’571/15/2011, Florissant, Mo.

HARGAN, Robert T., ’572/22/2011, Nashville, Ill.

HART, Gerald L., ’57, M.S.Ed. ’584/27/2011, West Frankfort, Ill.

BELLAMY, David L., ’583/20/2011, Vienna, Ill.

CHAMBERLAIN, William P., ex ’5812/09/2010, Muskogee, Okla.

FELDMAN, John A., ’584/19/2011, Algonquin, Ill.

MOORE, Patricia Sue, ’585/04/2011, Saint Petersburg, Fla.

BUSCH, Morris A., ’593/09/2011, Portsmouth, Ohio

CLAUSSEN, E. Neal, M.A. ’59, Ph.D. ’632/06/2011, Peoria, Ill.

DIAMOND, Glen E., M.S.Ed. ’593/23/2011, Greenville, Ill.

HALL, Jerry D., ’594/28/2011, Carterville, Ill.

SHERIDAN III, Philip H., ’591/30/2011, Lowell, Mass.

SIVILLE, Fred C., ’592/12/2011, Hoopeston, Ill.

CLEARY, Richard P., ’604/07/2011, Chicago, Ill.

FAIRFIELD, Herbert L., M.S.Ed. ’604/17/2011, Bloomington, Ind.

HYLAND, Clark D., ’603/10/2011, Carmel, Ind.

JACKSON, Dr., Jerry F., ’60, M.A. ’614/02/2011, Shelby, N.C.

VINSON, Mary L., ’603/24/2011, Creal Springs, Ill.

ADAMS, Richard B., ’611/26/2011, Belleville, Ill.

BRITTON, Larry W., ’61, M.F.A. ’643/15/2011, Cobden, Ill.

BROWN, Kenneth L. USAF (Ret.), ex ’612/09/2011, Tacoma, Wash.

CHANEY, Helen M., ’61, M.S. ’6703/25/2011, Mt. Vernon, Ill.

DALE, Janice Elaine, ’613/27/2011, Cobden, Ill.

DAMRON, Vida T., ex ’612/12/2011, Carterville, Ill.

HAYER III, William T., ex ’614/25/2010, Los Olivos, Calif.

MacNEIL, Hugh M., ’612/28/2011, Pekin, Ill.

RANDOLPH, Donna J., M.S. ’615/07/2011, Marion, Ill.

LASH, Jerry E., ’632/07/2011, Edwardsville, Ill.

MARSHALL, Gertrude B., ’632/05/2011, Chester, Ill.

MOORE, George E., ’633/08/2011, Benton, Ill.

SHOOK, Rosemary M., ’639/22/2010, Centralia, Ill.

WARD, Richard L., ’638/28/2010, Fargo, N.D.

DICKSON, Lee R., ’642/07/2011, Marion, Ill.

FORTNER, David L., ’643/03/2011, San Francisco, Calif.

LANNON, William E., ’641/28/2011, Pontiac, Ill.

DOMBROW, William H., ’6511/14/2010, Racine, Wis.

HULL, William E., ’654/04/2011, Harrisburg, Ill.

KETZEL, Kenneth J., ’654/10/2011 Chandler, Ariz.

MUNDAY, John J., ’652/28/2011, Darien, Ill.

KILLOREN, Timothy J., ’664/30/2011, Sarasota, Fla.

VIOLETT, Alice M., ’665/03/2011, Marion, Ill.

ZUMPANO, Mary S., M.S.Ed. ’6611/01/2010, Bloomingdale, Ill.

DANNER, Thomas W., ’67, M.S. ’725/09/2011, Cobden, Ill.

KOSTUKOVICH, Richard J., M.S. ’673/07/2010, Mechanicsburg, Pa.

PEIRICK JR., John T., ’676/14/2010, Crown Point, Ind.

STRIPLING, James V., ’677/15/2010, Baldwin, Ala.

THOMAS, Stanley, ’675/03/2011, Springfield, Ill.

WILLIAMS, Orline, ’674/09/2011, Marion, Ill.

MOORE, William K., ’683/04/2011, Greensburg, Ind.

MUNSELL, Malinda G., ’683/14/2011, McLeansboro, Ill.

SANDERS, William D., ’682/18/2011, Carbondale, Ill.

TICK, Marianne, ’683/20/2011, Springfield, Ill.

BIERBAUM, Cabrini A. ’694/04/2011, Mount City, Ill.

EVANS, Robert H., ’694/14/2011, Champaign, Ill.

GIBSON, Ella F., ’694/30/2011, Colorado Springs, Colo.

GLASSHAGEL, Glenn E., ’691/20/2011, Lakewood, N.Y.

HUYEAR, Gerald E., ’702/15/2011, Springfield, Ill.

PHILLIPS, Dr. Ronald W., Ph.D. ’703/26/2011, Tahlequah, Okla.

TRUESDALE, Ann E., M.A. ’703/02/2011, Springfield, Ill.

PAUL, Fred A., ’714/21/2011, Springfield, Ill.

SIEFKER, Marvin L., ’712/07/2011, Monee, Ill.

FREEMAN, Gary D., ’723/11/2011, Lincoln, Ill.

HARPER, Ralph G., ’72, M.A. ’779/09/2010, Guy, Texas

RANSOM, Albert P., ’722/05/2011, East St. Louis, Ill.

SEAY, Malcolm A. (Mac), ’724/17/2011, Woodridge, Ill.

VICK, Jerry D., ’722/04/2011, Belleville, Ill.

BEAN, John B., M.S. ’735/06/2011, Quincy, Ill.

BECHERER, Thomas L., ’733/26/2011, Shiloh, Ill.

DREAS, Clara E., ’7311/09/2010, Walnut Hill, Ill.

BARR, John C., ’744/12/2011, Nashville, Ill.

BEAUMONT, John H., ’742/05/2011, Antrim, N.H.

KOTNER, Vivian B., ’741/27/2011, Harrisburg, Ill.

WINFIELD, Earl F., ’74, M.S.Ed. ’765/16/2011, Carbondale, Ill.

JACKSON, Arthur L., ’75, M.S. ’784/16/2011, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

KELLY SR., Kevin R., ’752/16/2011, Cedar Falls, Iowa

MEYER, Mark T., ’751/17/2011, Park Ridge, Ill.

MILLER, Johnny M., ’755/06/2011, Houston, Texas

BLACKWOOD, Mary M., ’763/08/2011, Murphysboro, Ill.

SCHACKMANN, Patricia S., M.S.Ed. ’7612/25/2010, Danville, Ill.

WASSON, Alexander W., ’766/30/2010, Roscoe, Ill.

DOWNARD, James A., ’771/21/2011, Topeka, Kan.

GOGUEN, Ph.D., Timothy P., Ph.D. ’773/29/2011, Plymouth, Mass.

SCHULTZ, Carol G., M.S.Ed. ’771/18/2011, Charleston, S.C.

DOBROTKA, Michael J., ’784/23/2011, Carmel, Ind.

MINTON, Chris D., ’822/01/2011, Danville, Ind.

GUESTON JR., Thomas J., ’792/17/2011, San Bernadino, Calif.

BUFFORD, John E., ’802/09/2011, Macon, Ga.

FLECK, Bruce M., ’804/08/2011, Tucson, Ariz.

GROB, Christy L., ’803/07/2011, Carbondale, Ill.

McPHAIL, Raymond E., J.D. ’803/03/2011, Hillsboro, Ill.

STEGMAN, Therese D., ’80 M.A. ’843/25/2011, Evansville, Ind.

GRIFFIN, Robert G., M.S. ’81 4/04/2010, Rising Sun, Ind.

MOLLA, David G., ’814/15/2011, Herrin, Ill.

TAYLOR, Dr. Patricia M., Ph.D. ’814/19/2011, Oakland, Ky.

TREASTER, Donald M., ’8112/26/2010, Lewistown, Pa.

In Memoriam

Southern Alumni 39

continued on page 46

Lynda Lee Kaid,Former DistinguishedAlumni Honoree

Lynda Lee Kaid, University of FloridaResearch Foundation Professor andProfessor of Telecommunication in theCollege of Journalism and Communications,unexpectedly passed away on April 13 at theage of 62. She was a 2007 recipient of theSIU Distinguished Alumni Award, and a

three-degree graduate of the University. Kaid had joined theUF faculty in 2001, was a three-time Senior Fulbright Scholar,and served as the national coordinator for UVote, a consor-tium of national and international scholars who are workingto increase political participation among young citizens inthe United States and Europe.

Class Notes

1940sFranklin Hamilton M.A.

’49 has published an anthologyof Christmas poetry, A BasketFull of Christmas Poetry, writtenover the last 50 years andincluded in yearly familyChristmas letters. Hamilton,who taught in Kansas, Illinois,and Michigan, is the author ofLeaf Scar, Love Cry, and a criticalstudy of Thoreau.

1950sTwenty

years afterbeginningher teach-ing career,BerthaCarson’59received

her degree at Southern. InMarch she celebrated her100th birthday inPinckneyville with family andfriends. Bertha LouiseKellerman grew up north ofPinckneyville, where she livedon a farm, and taught at six

different country schools formore than 12 years. She laterwent to work as a second-grade teacher atPinckneyville Grade School,spending 22 years in theposition. The same yearCarson retired fromPinckneyville Grade School,her granddaughter, CindyBarge ’72, M.S. Ed. ’78 washired as an English teacher.

1960sClifford Knapp M.S. Ed. ’63,

Ph.D. ’73 co-edited a new pub-lication, Sourcebook ofExperiential Education: Key

Southern Alumni40

Thinkers andTheirContributions,published byRoutledge,Taylor &Francis Group.Knapp taught

at SIU from 1964 to 1972.Carbondale optometrist

Jerry Levelsmier ’65, a memberof the Carbondale Lions Club for55 years, received the MonarchMilestone Chevron Award fromthat organization for his lengthof service to the club.

Dale Ritzel ’65, M.S. Ed.’66, Ph.D. ’70, health educationprofessor emeritus and long-

Alumni listed in maroonare SIU Alumni

Association members.

A Saluki Centenarian For Helen Rendleman Sirles ’33, Easter Sunday dawned as a centennial event: her 100th birthday and the beginning of her 11th decade

as an inhabitant of the planet. She lives on her own in a house on Rendleman family land in Alto Pass – Rendleman Orchards – a fami-ly-owned concern since its 1873 inception.

While times in her life may have seemed the proverbial tough row to hoe, Sirles says her bachelor’s degree in mathematics fromSINU “saved my life.” Math was a decidedly unconven-tional choice for a woman in those days, but it was incalculus class where there were only two other femalesthat she met her husband-to-be, Wayne.

Sirles taught for a few years in Union County whileWayne finished medical school in Chicago. They mar-ried in 1936, Helen quit her job, and they set up house-keeping and a medical practice in Herrin. When Waynedied unexpectedly in 1946, they were raising three chil-dren of their own and Sirles’ niece, whose mother, LulaRendleman Neilson ’35, had died 14 months after herdaughter was born.

She packed up her family of four (ages 14 monthsto 7 years), moved back to the farm, and resumed herteaching career while working at the orchards week-ends and summers. She also found the time to spenddecades in community service and as a foundingmember of the Alto Pass Congregational Church.

In mid-May, the number of cards Sirles had receivedwas at 400 and counting – from four decades worth ofstudents, seven coaches of her favorite college basket-ball teams, and her beloved St. Louis Cardinals, as wellas from fellow Democrats Sheila Simon, Jerry Costello,Dick Durbin, and yes, even Michelle Obama.

Two years ago, when Sirles was honored as an Inspiring Woman, her children presented a namesake scholarship that is award-ed each year to an “exemplary” young woman.

Sirles’ children are Judy (Sirles) Mittendorf ’60; Wayne R.“Ren” Sirles ’63 (wife, Betty ’64); Sharon (Neilson) Williamson ’61(husband, Charles ’60); and Jan (Sirles) Henry ’68, Ph.D. ’87. Her grandchildren are Suzanne (Schoen) Harju ’95; Cheryl(Williamson) Lakin M.A. ’95 (husband, Daniel ’87); James Massey ’85; Amy (Sirles) Remsey ’91, M.S. ’94 (husband, John ’90,M.B.A. ’94); Wayne D. Sirles ’89 (wife, Michelle ’89); Diane (Massey) Weitekamper; and Leslie Williamson-Lyons ’89, M.B.A. ’92(husband, Philip ’87, M.S. Ed. ’91).

Helen Rendleman Sirles celebrates her 100th birthday. Inset:Rendleman as a student at SINU in 1932, her junior year.

Southern Alumni 41

Class Notes

time director of the SIU SafetyCenter, received the AmericanDriver and Traffic SafetyEducation Association’s highesthonor in 2010. The RichardKaywood Memorial Award,

given annu-ally since1985, recog-nizes sus-tained andsubstantialcontribu-tions to thefield, profes-

sion, and association. Since his2006 retirement, Ritzel hastwice won the National SafetyCouncil’s top research award.

John Gunter ’66, dean andprofessor emeritus in theCollege of Forest Resources atMississippi State University andcurrent vice president of the

IllinoisForestryAssociation,has beennamedOutstandingAlumni ofthe Year bythe College

of Agricultural Sciences. Gunterworked in private industry andfor the federal government atthe U.S.D.A.’s Forest Service.

Jerry Kunkel M.F.A. ’68 is anemeritus professor at theUniversity of Colorado at Boulder,where he also chaired the finearts department. Now relocatedto Kansas, Kunkel’s work has beenwidely exhibited.Visit www.jer-rykunkel.wordpress.com for moreabout his work.

Kathy Schimpf ’68, M.S.Ed. ’91, the first and onlydirector of the WilliamsonCounty Child Advocacy Centersince it opened in 1992,retired last October. The center

serves sexu-ally andphysicallyabused chil-dren.Schimpf’saccomplish-ments havebeen many,

including twice being namedAdvocate of the Year.

McLeansboro native andformer professional footballplayer and coach Carl Mauck’69 got some recognition in hishometown with the naming ofthe local high school’s footballfield in his honor. Mauckexcelled in football, basketball,and track at McLeansboro HighSchool and then went on to

play at Southern. After graduat-ing, he played 13 seasons in theNational Football League and

then spent24 seasonsas an offen-sive linecoach forseven differ-ent NFLteams. Aftervolunteer-

ing on the SIU staff a few yearsago, he now spends time as avolunteer coach with the highschool team in Argyle, Texas,where he lives.

1970sAfter two decades of

research and collaboration,Richard Gibson ’70 hasreleased a book, Celebration

Southern Alumni 41

Burris Donates Papers To Special Collections

Roland Burris ’59, the first African-American elected to statewide public office inIllinois in 1979 and who ended his political career as a U.S. senator in 2010, has donat-

ed his senatorial and other political papers to the Special Collections Research Center inMorris Library.

The papers document two decades in Illinois history and politics, as well as the first twoyears of the Obama administration. Library officials say the Burris collection “augments a grow-ing body of political papers held in Morris Library that make SIU an important center for thestudy of Illinois and regional political history.”

Among those attending the formal contribution in February were SIUC ChancellorRita Cheng; SIU President Glenn Poshard ’70, M.S. ’75, Ph.D. ’84; and Bill Norwood ’59,the first African-American captain at United Airlines and former member of the SIU Boardof Trustees.

David Carlson, dean of library affairs, says,“Senator Burris’ length of public service is a tes-tament to the strong relationships he forged throughout his public career. We are pleased heentrusted his papers to Morris Library and are proud to make his papers available toresearchers. Serving scholars and Illinois citizens in this way is consistent with our longstand-ing mission to provide information to the academic community and beyond.”

From left, Burlean and Roland Burris talk with Dean of Library Affairs David Carlson at thedisplay in Morris Library.

Class Notes

of State Capitols. Gibson col-laborated with historians,curators, and archivists fromevery state for the book. Hiswebsite is www.capitolcele-brations.com.

Dan Evans M.S. ’72, Ph.D.’76, professor of biological sci-

ences andcurator ofthe herbari-um, hasbeen select-ed asMarshallUniversity’s2010-2011

Drinko Academy Fellow. Evanssays he plans to use the reas-signed time and graduate-stu-dent assistance to produceimages of the herbarium collec-tions, particularly the ethnob-otany of Ecuador and Nepal.

Bob Livingston ’73, M.A.’76, retired in June after morethan 30 years as a sports editorand photographer for severaldaily newspapers. He began his

journalismcareer in1978 at hishometownpaper, theFlora DailyNews-Record, andthen went

to the Sidney Telegraph (Neb.) in1980, and joined the staff at theMt. Carmel Daily RepublicanRegister in 1982, the publicationwhere he finished his career.

Livingston sharpened hisskills as a photographer in themilitary, serving in the U.S. Navyon the USS Leahy for 37months while handling dutiesas the ship’s photographer.

Bruce DeVantier ’75,M.S. ’77, SIU associate pro-fessor of engineering, has

beennamed adiplomat inwaterresourceengineer-ing by theAmericanAcademy of

Southern Alumni42

Water Resources Engineers.The certification recognizesDeVantier for his work inbroadening the body ofknowledge for practicingengineers. His work concen-trates on soil remediation,drinking water quality,numerical modeling, andfinite-element modeling.

The governor of Texas hasappointed Jeffrey Baker Ed.Spec. ’76, Ph.D. ’82 to theTexas State Board of Examinersof Psychologists, which regu-lates the practice of psychologyin the state. Baker is professorand chief psychologist for theUniversity of Texas MedicalBranch in Galveston.

Steve Ellis ’76 has beenappointed the Idaho statedirector for the Bureau of LandManagement. Ellis mostrecently served as a forest

supervisorwith theU.S. ForestService fortheFremont-WinemaNationalForest and

the Wallowa-WhitmanNational Forest.

Dennis Jarvis M.A. ’76,Ph.D. ’78 is the newest mem-ber of the executive manage-ment team at ZELTIQ, a globalmedical device company thatdeveloped a procedure toselectively reduce exercise-resistant fat bulges. Jarvis, whowill serve as chief marketingofficer, has a background inboth medical devices and con-sumer marketing.

Cindy Elliott ’77, assistantprovost for strategic partner-

ships anddean of dis-tance learn-ing at FortHays StateUniversityin Hays,Kan., hasbeen the

lead figure in FHSU’s forayinto mainland China. Elliott

Looking Back At ‘Days Of Dissent’

Student unrest and dissent at Southern in the late1960s and the early 1970s will always be a defining

moment to those it affected by it. While much has beenwritten about that time, veteran journalist Allan KeithM.S. ’71 offers a different perspective in his 2007 book,SIUC’s Days of Dissent: A Memoir of Student Protest.

Instead of focusing on the street actions of the protestmovement, Keith delves into the workings of student gov-ernment, the conflicts between liberals and radicals, mediacoverage, and other neglected angles. The book is avail-able at www.amazon.com.

“There’s never been anything like the late 1960s andearly 1970s on American college campuses before it orafter it,” Keith says. And he believes that today’s studentshave much more influence on campus than before, whichis one of the many reasons the protests occurred.

Much of Keith’s experience at the center of the actionin Carbondale came about while he was working as apart-time reporter for the Southern Illinoisan. He nowlives in Mattoon and is a freelance journalist who spent45 years reporting for newspapers in central and south-ern Illinois.

He’s not sure that today’s students, who seem less ide-alistic to him, would turn out by the thousands to protest.“But there’s still an encouraging amount of environmentalactivism among students,” he says.

Allan Keith has written a book about his experienceson Southern Illinois University campus in the turbulentera of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Southern Alumni 43

Class Notes

took charge of the effort aftermoving to Hays in 1998 andthe university became thefirst in the U.S. to offer a bach-elor’s degree in mainlandChina. Elliott, a native ofCarmi, Ill., is a daughter of thelate Ivan A. Elliott Jr., whoserved on the SIU Board ofTrustees for 25 years.

David Eubank ’77, a cam-era assistant on movies andtelevision shows for 33 years,won an engineering plaque foroutstanding achievement inengineering developmentfrom the Academy ofTelevision Arts & Sciences atthe 62nd primetime EmmyAwards in August 2010.

Tom Russo ’77, M.S. ’79,emergency preparedness direc-tor of the South CarolinaDepartment of Health andEnvironmental Control Region6 has completed a master’sdegree in security studies atthe Naval Postgraduate SchoolCenter for Homeland Defenseand Security.

Mary Frauenhoff Ex ’79has been elected state presi-dent of the Arkansas HospitalAuxiliary Association, a coali-tion of all volunteer hospitalauxiliaries in the state. She hasmore than 20 years experiencein the field.

Paul McGraw A.A.S. ’79,’80, managing director of air-space management at the AirTransport Association inWashington, D.C., is the winnerof the ATA’s 2010 NancyCunningham Award, given forloyalty and dedication to theATA and its members. McGrawhas been with the ATA foralmost 25 years.

Jim Ness M.S. ’79, Ph.D.’89, former SIU professor of lawenforcement, has beenappointed dean of the Collegeof Criminal Justice and Securityat the University of Phoenix.Ness, an expert in ethics, publicpolicy and criminal justice, willteach criminal justice and gen-eral studies courses for the uni-versity at its Phoenix campus.

1980sCheryl Toles ’80 has two of

her works of art on exhibit atthe Museum of Science andIndustry in Chicago as part ofits 2011 Black CreativityExhibit.“Waters Rush In”depicts the power of water,music, and the human spirit.“Flamingo Energy” depicts thepower of dance and celebratesLatin culture.

Brad Kleindl ’81, M.B.A.’82 has been named dean ofthe business school at Park

University inParkville,Mo. He wasformerlydean of theRobert W.PlasterSchool ofBusiness

Administration at MissouriSouthern State University inJoplin.

Paul Mascitti ’81 is thenew regional president forHarris Bank in the Hinsdale,Ill., region. His responsibilitiesinclude managing, develop-ing, and executing retailbanking strategies and ser-vices at 14 branches in andaround Hinsdale.

Lynn Andersen Lindberg’82, M.B.A. ’84, director ofbusiness innovation andresearch at SIU’s Small BusinessDevelopment Center, is now acertified technology counselor,a title given in recognition ofher expertise in five core com-petency areas: technologytransfer and commercializa-tion; research and develop-ment funding; intellectualproperty issues; technologynetworking/resource identifi-cation; and alternative financ-ing (equity).

Glenn Black ’83, M. Acc. ’84has been appointed vice presi-dent and leader of the compa-ny’s tax department at SymetraFinancial Corp., a diversifiedfinancial services company.

Darrel Dexter ’84, ’86, histo-ry teacher, genealogist, and

author, undertook a major task:reading and transcribing everysurviving issue of Cairo, Ill., news-papers published between 1841and 1873. All the transcribedarticles are now posted on theWeb site of the GenealogySociety of Southern Illinois, to beused free of charge. Dexter, whohas published 28 books on his-tory and genealogy, spent about600 hours on the Cairo newspa-per project.

Jeff Cutchin ’85 has beenpromoted to the role of assis-tant dean of student servicesat Frontier Community Collegein Fairfield, Ill. He will beresponsible for overseeing stu-

dent ser-vices staff,providingstudentsupport inthe studentservicesarea, andwill work

closely with the dean of thecollege and the president.

Johnny Miller ’86 hasbeen promoted to the rank ofbrigadier general in theIllinois Army National Guard.He has assumed his duties atthe joint force headquartersand will be responsible foroverall readiness operation,training, maintenance, andlogistical support.

Richard Reznick M.S. Ed.’86, dean of the faculty ofhealth sciences at Queen’sUniversity at Kingston,Ontario, Canada, has won the2010 Karolinska Institute Prizefor Research in MedicalEducation. Reznick receivedthe award for his work in sur-gical education.

Carlos “Charlie” Garza’88, retired navy chief who isnow assistant principal atHorizon High School in ElPaso, Texas, has been electedto the Texas State Board ofEducation. Garza’s districtcomprises more than 1.5 mil-lion people in the largest geo-graphical district in the con-tiguous 48 states.

Henry Wong Ph.D. ’89 isdirector of equal opportunityand diversity programs atWestern Carolina University,Cullowhee, N.C. He has 30 yearsof experience working withpeople with disabilities

Timothy Hood ’88, M.S.’91 is the new vice presidentof academic services atHighland Community College.He has served as professor andadministrator at three institu-tions of higher education andhas been an academic vicepresident for the past threeyears in the Illinois CommunityCollege System.

1990sJeni Dees ’90 is an actor,

director, and producer who hasbegun teaching for the Geneva(Ill.) Underground Playhouse, anot-for-profit community the-ater that has begun a newendeavor: a series of classes,workshops, and plays gearedtoward children and youngadults.

Mike Hudson ’90 is thenew president and CEO of theBank of Herrin. A banker since1991, Hudson has been withthe bank since 1999 and hadworked in Fairview Heights,Cobden, and Marion beforejoining the Herrin bank.

Larry West ’90, M.S. ’92 isthe new chief financial officerfor McHenry County College inCrystal Lake, Ill. He will beresponsible for MCC’s finances,including budgeting, statereporting, investments, andworking cash.

Anthony Moreland ’91has been named vice presi-dent-Americas at SikorskyAircraft Corp. He will haveresponsibility for the compa-ny’s commercial and foreignmilitary sales in his region,along with all related strategicactivities.

David Tanner M.P. Ad. ’99has been named director forthe Center for the Arts atAlbright College in Reading, Pa.

Southern Alumni 43

Class Notes

Tanner willbe responsi-ble for thecoordina-tion andoversight ofthe day-to-day opera-

tions of the Center for the Arts,which houses the art, music,and theater departments andthe Freedman Art Gallery. Healso coordinates and teachesin the arts administration pro-gram.

Daniel Lampe ’92 hasjoined Wells Fargo AdvisorsLLC, St. Louis major market, asan associate manager. Hejoined the company (formerlyWachovia Securities) in 2008and first worked in thenational sales group as anadvisory consultant.

Rich Backstrom ’93 is thefounder and CEO of RADAR

Eco-CulinaryConsultancyInc., arestaurantconsultantbusiness forsoutheastAsia, whichis based in

Makati, Philippines.Jenna Miley ’93, associate

professor of computer science atBainbridge (Ga.) College,received the 2010 Gold Award inthe Chancellor’s CustomerService Excellence Awards forthe University System of Georgia.

Karrie Redeker ’93 is in herfourth year as head coach forwomen’s basketball at ParklandCollege in Champaign, Ill.Heading into postseason playin 2011, the Lady Cobras have a23-2 record. Redeker, who was astandout while playing for theSIU women’s team, is a fifth-grade teacher at Unity WestElementary School in Tolono.

Neil Schroeder J.D. ’93 haswon the Prosecutor Award, anew honor awarded by theSouthwestern Illinois LawEnforcement Commission andthe Southwestern IllinoisAssociation of Chiefs of Police.

The recognition is given toprosecutors who best displayloyalty, dependability, and highmoral and ethical standards.

Todd Wiegand ’94, a per-sonal financial analyst inOntario, Calgary, Canada, hascompiled a book of his poetry,Observational Reflections, pub-

lished byXlibris.Wiegand,who servedwith theU.S. AirForce inmedical andaeromedical

evaluation and nursing, saysthe book is themed with storiesof hope:“Even though there areproblems, one still has hope.”

Erin Higginson ’95 is thenew account director for

CustomStaffingServices inEvansville,Ind., one ofthe largesttemporaryemploymentservices in

the tri-state area.Sean Lusk ’95 is a regis-

tered commodity broker at PFGBest in Chicago. He began inthe business as a runner on thetrading floor during summerbreaks from college in 1993and became a floor broker andmember in 2003.

Shelly Brown Dobek ’96,M.S. Ed. ’98, associate direc-tor of Greek life and directorof chapter services at North

CarolinaStateUniversity,receivedthe 2010Sue KraftFussell

Distinguished Service Awardfrom the Association ofFraternity/Sorority Advisers,which recognizes profession-alism and achievement in fra-ternity/sorority advising, as

well as outstanding achieve-ment in various other areas.Dobek also has been namedpresident-elect of the associa-tion and will be installed aspresident in December.

Jason Ervin ’96, a C.P.A.and owner of J.C. Ervin andAssociates, was elected inFebruary as 28th ward alder-

man for the50-memberChicago CityCouncil.Ervin, whowasappointedto the postin January, is

a longtime aide to formeralderman Ed Smith and is theformer manager of the villageof Maywood.

Jason Pargin ’97 is senioreditor at the leading nationalhumor website www.cracked.com, based in Los Angeles. Oneof Pargin’s personal articles,which will be included in anupcoming compilation book ofarticles from the site, was titled,“Five Scientific Reasons aZombie Apocalypse CouldActually Happen” and detailsthe real science behind variouscultural phenomena such asmovies and video games.

Laurel Tinsley ’97 hasjoined McCormack BaronSalazar as vice president offinance, director of new mar-kets. McCormack is dedicatedto rebuilding urban neighbor-hoods in central cities acrossthe U.S. that have deterioratedthrough decades of neglectand disinvestment.

Don Barnett ’98, M.F.A.’01, an award-winning play-wright, song writer and musi-

cian, actorand direc-tor, addsnovelist tohis list ofaccomplish-ments withthe publica-tion of They

Shall Take Up Serpents. Thenovel is based on his Christian

Southern Alumni44

H. Moe Award-winning play, ToHandle the Serpent. The book ispublished by Tate Publishing.

Toby Brooks ’98, assistantprofessor of athletic training atTexas Tech University inLubbock, is the author of anew book, Season of Change,which will be published by the

SIU Press.The bookconcerns aleague ofbaseballplayersacrosssouthernIllinois in

the first half of the 20th centu-ry, including a team based inWest Frankfort that was affili-ated with the St. LouisCardinals.

Marcy Christiansen-Heepke ’98, M.S. ’00,founder and owner ofTriangle H Farm LLC inEdwardsville, Ill., has beennamed the 2011 Outstanding

YoungAlumni bythe CollegeofAgriculturalSciences.She is a rid-ing instruc-tor, horse

trainer, and clinician who hasearned the highest safety cer-tification level attainablefrom the American RidingInstructors Association.

Andy Sabens ’99, aCarbondale police officer, andSam Burns, a corrections officerin Pinckneyville, have opened anew martial arts academy,Arsenal Martial Arts, inCarbondale. It’s housed inSports Blast, just south ofUniversity Mall, and offers chil-dren and adults classes in strik-ing and ground techniques.

2000sJason Licon ’00 is the

newly hired manager at theFort Collins/Loveland (Colo.)Municipal Airport. He previous-

Southern Alumni 45

Class Notes

ly served for 10 years as man-ager of Kankakee Valley AirportAuthority. He’s also an FAA-licensed private pilot.

Innkeepers Brian and LynnMcCreery ’00, M.P.Ad. ’06, pro-prietors of The Irish Inn, acharming bed and breakfast inOzark, Ill., have had their estab-lishment named “MostInternational B&B in NorthAmerica” by a popular guide.Readers of Pamela Lanier’s printand online bed and breakfastdirectories voted on the dis-tinction and also named TheIrish Inn as the “No. 1 place toelope in Illinois” (34 couples didit last year).

Jason Tanner ’00, M.S. Ed.’02, Ph.D. ’08, a business pro-fessor at John A. Logan College,was named the outstandingnew career and technical edu-cation teacher for 2010 by theIllinois Association for Careerand Technical Education.

Robert Peterson ’01,M.P.Ad. ’07 is the new assistantairport manager at Yakima(Wash.) Air Terminal. He was for-merly airport operations/main-tenance supervisor at Dayton(Ohio) International Airport andan aviation operations repre-sentative for the DenverInternational Airport.

Greg Goro ’02, majoraccount executive for theTribune Media Group, receiveda 2010 Achievement Award, thesecond highest advertisinghonor awarded companywide.

Argus Tong ’02, M.B.A.’04, assistant director of pro-grams and events for alumnirelations at California StateUniversity-Fullerton, has won abronze award from the Councilfor the Advancement andSupport of Education (CASE)District VII. The award, given inthe category of “Alumni rela-tions – revenue-generatingprograms,” was for a 2010 winetasting event.

William Snyder M.F.A. ’03is the new curator of theEisenhower Presidential Libraryand Museum in Abilene, Texas.While at SIU, Snyder served as

curator of exhibits at theUniversity Museum.

Physician assistant KaylaFunkhouser ’04 joined HorizonHealthcare, an affiliate ofFairfield Memorial Hospital, inFebruary. She joins Horizon withsix years of clinical practice.

Rachael Keehn ’05, J.D.’10 took over as Carbondalecity clerk in February, replacingJanet Vaught ’74, M.S. Ed. ’84,who was the longest-servingcity clerk in Carbondale history(since 1979). Vaught and herhusband, Chuck ’72, M.B.A.’80, who worked in the city’sfinance department, retiredthis year.

LaToya Locke ’05, a seniorauditor with Ernst & Young inChicago, has been chosen asone of the first group of MaryT. Washington Wylie Fellows.The program was developed toincrease the number of African

Americansand otherunderrepre-sentedminoritiesin theaccountingprofession

by providing educational, pro-fessional, and leadershipopportunities.

Daniel Booth ’06, M.S. Ed.’10, assistant principal atCarbondale Community HighSchool, will take over as princi-pal at the school on July 1. Hewas previously dean of stu-dents and a health teacher. Hereplaces Steve Murphy M.S.Ed. ’06, who will transition intothe superintendent’s slot.

David Goodberg M.S. Ed.’06 has written a book, Selected

Shorts andOtherMethods ofTime Travel,publishedby BlueWorld Publi-cations. Thepainter,

photographer, filmmaker, andwriter says the book is a collec-tion of “37 illustrated, twisted

science fiction short storiesabout commercial time traveland the grave misfortune it willbring.”

If you’re looking for a newway to demonstrate supportfor the Salukis, Abraham Bain’07 has an answer. He’s invent-ed Dawg Earz — fuzzy, droopyears attached to either a ballcap or a sock cap — andthey’re available for purchaseat 710 Bookstore. Adult sizes go

for $29.99, while children’s are$19.99. Bain is currently a stu-dent at SIU working on a sec-ond bachelor’s degree.

Amy Campbell J.D. ’08.M.B.A. ’10 is an attorney withthe law firm of Blake & Allen, P.C.,which has offices in Belleville,Collinsville, Edwardsville, andWaterloo, Ill.The firm concen-trates in the areas of real estate,business law, estate planning,trusts and estates, divorce, andfamily matters.

Anthony Souffle ’08 is astaff photographer/videogra-pher for the Standard Examinernewspaper in Ogden, Utah.Souffle got his first professionalassignment as a photographerwhen he was 15 in his home-town of Collinsville, Ill.

Alyse Cunniff ’09, a first-year medical student at the SIUSchool of Medicine, receivedthe Dr. Eli and Claire BorkonScholarship at the school, givenfor financial need. The award isnamed for Borkon, who beganhis SIU career as an adjunctprofessor of physiology andended it in 1976 as assistantdean and clinical professor atthe med school.

Jordan Engelhardt ’09 isautomotive teacher at Lyons

Township High School inLaGrange, Ill. Engelhardt, who hasbeen with the school since lastJuly, is revamping the programto emphasize more hands-onopportunities for the students.

2010sA business conceived by SIU

students and launched withhelp from the University’s Officeof Economic and RegionalDevelopment is the only down-state company selected as oneof 11 new participants in theChicagoland EntrepreneurialCenter’s Cap 20 program. RoverEnterprises LLC, a mobile mar-keting company based inCarbondale and founded in2009, is the brainchild ofJoshua Freeman ’10, BradMiller ’10, and Mike Philip, acurrent student in informationtechnologies. It offers a uniquebusiness discount card aimedprimarily at students.

A one-act play written byKiri Palm ’10 was presented fornational honors at the presti-gious Kennedy Center AmericanCollege Theater Festival RegionIII Festival at Michigan StateUniversity in Lansing. Palm’s play,Unser Zuverlässiges Haus (OurReliable House), tells the story ofa young woman and her strug-gles with a university housingoffice in an effort to alter her liv-ing arrangements.

Nicki Raufer ’10 is a region-al sales specialist atAstraZeneca. She was formerlyassistant research executive inthe client service department at

MillwardBrown.During hertime at SIU,Raufer wasinvolvedwith thecampuschapter of

the American MarketingAssociation and held intern-ships at United Airlines, RockstarEnergy Drink, andGlaxoSmithKline.

Southern Alumni 45

Southern Alumni46

Returns To Southern

by Bonnie Marx

A2010 Snickers Super Bowl commercialwith Betty White catapulted Bert

Belasco ’05 into the collective conscious-ness, but he’s now in his second season asone of the stars of “Let’s Stay Together,” thefirst original scripted comedy for the BETnetwork.

The goal, Belasco says, is to be an “A-liststar, not a celebrity.” And it was the journeysince graduating SIU that he came to dis-cuss with Southern students last January.“Ifyou’re good at the work, the work will begood to you,” he told the students.

Belasco, who grew up in Naperville, Ill.,came to Southern for the pioneeringAchieve Program, which has helped thou-sands with learning disabilities achievetheir goals. But it was the theater depart-ment that “became a brand new family tome,” he says.

“They let me make my mistakes, fall flaton my face, and pick myself back up. Theytook care of me.”

While living and working in LosAngeles for the last six years, Belasco has

faced his share of hardship. There weretimes he slept in his car and sometimescame up short of funds for food andother necessities. But he told the SIUstudents that “the work in college is thesame work you do out there. That’swhere the big lessons come in. Whatyou learn in college saves your careerout there.”

Belasco describes his televisionseries as “traditional sitcom format witha universal theme. It’s not about blacklove or black marriage. It’s about findingreasons to stay together.” His character,Charles Whitmore, is a contractorengaged to Stacy, and the two find vari-ous difficulties on their way to the altar.

The show is produced by QueenLatifah and her Flavor UnitEntertainment production company,and written and produced by JacqueEdmonds Cofer.

Sometimes parents of aspiringactors worry that their child’s ambitionsare misguided. That’s not so withBelasco.“My dad wouldn’t support me inanything else.” ■

Belasco Comes Back To Talk To SIU Students

Belasco’s commercial with Betty Whitebecame one of the top TV ads of 2010.To see the video, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Sv_z9jm8A.

WOODROME, John E., ’811/25/2011, Encinitas, Calif.

WOODWORTH, Dr. Ralph L., M.A. ’81, Ph.D. ’836/11/2010, Lima, Ohio

HARTMAN, Eric J., ’821/28/2011, Sidney, Ill.

VINEYARD, Scott E., ’82, M.S. ’983/17/2011, Carbondale, Ill.

BERKHEIMER, Timothy D., ’835/08/2011, Rockford, Ill.

KELLY, John C., ’835/08/2010, Glenview, Ill.

ROGERS, Willie E., ex ’834/19/2011, Waukegan, Ill.

WILLIAMS, Rebecca J., ’831/01/2011, Indianola, Ill.

McCONVILLE, Theresa M., ’842/25/2011, Suprise, Ariz.

SUBKA, Paulette L., ’842/19/2011, Carbondale, Ill.

VAUGHN, David V., ’852/07/2011, Carbondale, Ill.

ASHLINE, Wesley G., ’879/16/2010, Olympia, Wash.

COBLE, Gene R., ’871/27/2011, Alma, Ill.

EMKEN, Lawrence L., ’872/21/2011, Lockport, Ill.

EPPINGER, Mary L., ’872/14/2011, Columbia, Ill.

HOWARD, Rev. Jill M., ex ’875/01/2011, Chicago, Ill.

SCHREIBER, Scott R., J.D. ’874/10/2010, Las Vegas, Nev.

SEIP, Rebecca L., ’872/07/2011, Crystal Lake, Ill.

HUMPHREYS, William B., ’884/30/2011, Urbana, Ill.

PETRAS, George T., ’8810/07/2010, Las Vegas, Nev.

COILEY, Sherri D., ’891/30/2011, Metropolis, Ill.

STEPP, Dr. Sidney L., Ph.D. ’903/16/2011, Clinton, Tenn.

YOUNG, Karen A., ’903/20/2011, Carbondale, Ill.

HUNTER, Rebecca E., M.S. ’913/17/2011, Antioch, Ill.

McKENNA, CMSgt. Frederick J., ’914/21/2011, Marietta, Ga.

MOTE, Martha P., J.D. ’914/13/2011, Springfield, Ill.

STROHMEIER, Kelly J., ’912/21/2011, Edwardsville, Ill.

BLACK, Dr. Jill M., Ph.D. ’924/29/2011, Cleveland, Ohio

HAWES, Scott E., ’922/13/2011, Roscoe, Ill.

LAMB, Donald E., ’922/19/2011, Ashford, Conn.

WILLIAMS, David W., ’933/30/2011, Taylorville, Ill.

GUEBERT, Sarah J., ’944/01/2011, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

BOWERSOCK, John M., ’9510/25/2010, Brandy Station, Va.

SAPINSKI, Russell W., ex ’968/17/2010, Christopher, Ill.

GANNON, Dr. Bernard A., Ph.D. ’973/02/2011, Murray, Ky.

KUTKA, Brandon J., ’974/06/2011, Chicago, Ill.

STIEGMAN, Susan L., ’974/30/2011, Nashville, Ill.

THOMPSON, Dr. Meda K., Ph.D. ’983/04/2011, Mt. Vernon, Ill.

HARRISON, Steven L., ’012/12/2011, Mt. Vernon, Ill.

ELMIR, Carla E., ’0611/04/2010, Chapel Hill, N.C.

HOGUE, James D., ’063/21/2011, Johnston City, Ill.

POWE JR., Samuel L., ’072/08/2011, Salem, Ill.

COLLUM, Maya N., ’09

1/25/2011, Ava, Ill.

Faculty/Staff

BOWDEN, Billie D., ’75Emeritus Kitchen Laborer4/08/2011, Borrego Spring, Calif.

CHRISTENSEN SR., Raymond L., M.S.Ed. ’65Biochemistry4/13/2011, Natchitoches, La.

CLARK, Robert H.Education & Curriculum5/07/2011, Pleasant Plains, Ill.

HAVING, Terry L.Technical/ParaprofessionalEducation & Curriculum4/12/2011, Murphysboro, Ill.

HAYS, Rita R.EmeritusAnimal Science Food & Nutrition1/30/2011, Carbondale, Ill.

JENNINGS, Betty J.Cooks HelperBrush Towers Food Service1/28/2011, Marion, Ill.

LINDSEY, James L., ex ’50Emeritus Security4/04/2011, Carbondale, Ill.

MOTSINGER, Virgil H., ex ’55Assistant Basketball CoachIntercollegiate Athletics3/02/2011, Harrisburg, Ill.

OYATHELEMI, Emmanuel O., M.S.Ed. ’10Emeritus MEDPREP4/12/2011, Carbondale, Ill.

RENZAGLIA, Guy A.Emeritus DirectorTouch of Nature11/04/2010, Mahomet, Ill.

WARREN, Dr. John T., M.S. ’97, Ph.D. ’01Associate ProfessorSpeech & Communication4/02/2011, 2011, Murphysboro, Ill.

YOUNG, Kenneth L., Ph.D. ’71International Services Division3/27/2011, Blackfoot, Idaho

continued from page 39

Alumni Calendar Of EventsJuly 7-10 Black Alumni Group Reunion

9 10th Annual SIU Saluki Family Day, Chicago White Sox vs.Minnesota Twins, 3:10 p.m. (subject to change)

30 12th Annual Detroit Area SIU Alumni Picnic – Kensington Metro Park, Brighton, Mich.

August21 34th Annual SIU Day at Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs vs. the

St. Louis Cardinals. Pregame at Cubby Bear Lounge two hours prior to first pitch. Game time TBA.

September3 Saluki Football at Southeast Missouri State, Cape

Girardeau, Mo., 6 p.m.

10 Saluki Football at University of Mississippi, Oxford, Miss.,game time TBA

23-25 Saluki Family Weekend

24 Saluki Football hosts Missouri State, 6 p.m.

Upcoming EventsOctober 15 Homecoming

October 30 2nd Annual SIU Day with the St. Louis Rams

December 3 “A Saluki Christmas” in Austin

Board Appointments

Southern Alumni 47

Gov. Pat Quinn has named SouthernIllinois University Carbondale’s

Allan Karnes to a five-year term on theIllinois Board of Higher Education. Theassociate dean of the College of Business

joined SIU’saccountingfaculty asan instruc-tor in 1981,became anassistantprofessor in1986,earned pro-motion toassociateprofessor in1990, and toprofessor in

1997. He served as director of the Schoolof Accountancy from 1995 to 2005.

For the past 10 years, Karnes hasbeen SIUC’s representative to theIBHE’s Faculty Advisory Council, whichmeets monthly to discuss issues andprovide input to the IBHE. The council

includes representatives of 12 publicinstitutions, 12 community collegesand 12 private institutions.

Quinn selected Karnes, who earnedhis law degree from Southern in 1986,from among four nominees submittedby the advisory council.

“Allan is a dedicated member of ourfaculty. He is highly respected through-out the higher education community forhis knowledge of issues and for his pas-sion, particularly when it comes toensuring student access,” SIUCChancellor Rita Cheng says.“He will bean outstanding addition to the IBHE.”

Promoting greater discussion aboutaccess is high on Karnes’ list of priorities.

“In the past, if your parents were typi-cal lower middle class, making enoughmoney to get by, you could get financialaid,” he says.“That’s not true anymore.Weneed to look at the financial aid system,because a lot of families just don’t have themoney to send their children to school.We’re missing a great opportunity.”

He also is anxious to help shape thedebate on performance funding of high-

er education. That model, which willsoon be in place in Illinois, bases stateappropriations on outputs – such ascourse completion and degrees awarded– rather than on enrollments.

“This isn’t something to be afraid of,it’s an opportunity we all have and it alldepends on how the metrics are struc-tured,” Karnes notes.“We have to look ateach school as a unique place, with aunique student body, so we then candetermine how well each school does.” ■

Gov. Quinn Names SIU’s Karnes To IBHE

Allan Karnes

Carlson Elected ToState Library Board

David Carlson, dean of Library Affairs atSIU, recently was elected to a three-year termon the board of directors of the Illinois LibraryAssociation. He says the organization repre-sents the interests and perspectives of libraries.

“In this difficult and challenging economicclimate, it is vital to ensure that the needs andinterests of libraries have a strong voice ofadvocacy,” Carlson says.“The services thatlibraries provide are often of greatest need intimes of economic stress.”

Election to the board is the latest in a longline of awards and accomplishments forCarlson, who came to SIU in 2001. Chosen asthe 2010 Illinois Academic Librarian of the Yearby the Illinois Association of College andResearch Libraries (IACRL), a division of theIllinois Library Association, He has also beenactive in a number of library organizations. ■

50 Years Ago…SIU’s “Watermelon Fest” began more thansix decades ago when former UniversityPresident Delyte Morris started the event(shown at left in 1961) to help welcomestudents at the beginning of a new schoolyear. Last summer, Chancellor Rita Cheng(inset) resurrected this tradition and volun-teered to help serve watermelon and colddrinks as she chatted with the new Salukis.Cheng plans to host the event again thisyear, which is tentatively planned Aug. 21from 2-4 p.m. at Morris Library.

Philosophy Stays The Same At Arnold’s Market

or almost a quarter-century, Rodney Kroenlein’s world has revolved around aCarbondale institution, Arnold’s Market, in business since 1972.Kroenlein ’91 began working at the market in 1987, sandwiching his hours around his stu-

dent schedule while working on his degree in marketing.In 1999, Kroenlein became the store’s second owner ever, buying it from Dick ’68 and Roxanne EX

’85 Conley, who had shepherded the store from a fruit stand with a garage door to the unique entity ithas become today (with seven additions to the building), specializing in fresh meats and local pro-duce.

Kroenlein,who grew upnearEffingham, hadsome groceryexperiencebefore his moveto Carbondale.But when hetook overArnold’s, hewasn’t interest-ed in changingit.“If it’s notbroke, don’t fixit,” he says.“Ididn’t want tochange theoverall philoso-phy.”

His signifi-cant other offour years, SarahWilsonKroenlein ’04,M.S. Ed. ’07, joined him in the business and a year ago, the two opened Arnie’s Sandwiches, which is aquick stroll north from Arnold’s Market. The tasty concoctions that once kept noontime customerslining up in the aisles at the market now have their own home.

In its original incarnation, Arnold’s was an outlet for the peaches and apples grown at Arnold’sOrchards, which was operated by brothers Clyde Arnold ’36 and George Arnold ’39. Conley says hecontinued to sell produce from Arnold’s Orchards and remembers sometimes dashing over to Clyde’sgarden from the store to get tomatoes and green peppers for the shelves.

Becoming a life member of the SIU Alumni Association was a natural progression for Rodney. “Ilove it in Carbondale,” he says.“I’ve grown roots here, so it just seemed to make sense.”

“We support the University in many ways,” adds Sarah.“SIU is not only our customer base, but it’salso our community too.”

F

Sarah and Rodney Kroenlein stand in front of Arnie’s Sandwiches, located a shortwalk north of Arnold’s Market.

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