Universitas - Issue 32.3 (Summer 2006)
Summer 2006 issue of Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University
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sluoai_alumni-100 Universitas - Issue 32.3 (Summer 2006) Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University St. Louis University St. Louis University -- Periodicals; Universities and colleges -- Missouri -- Saint Louis -- Periodicals; Summer 2006 issue of Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University 2006 2006 PDF utas_summer_06 universitas 2000 LD4817 .S52 U5 Copyright Saint Louis University. All rights reserved. Saint Louis University Libraries Digitization Center text eng Saint Louis University Marketing and Communications S i n g i n g g roup wo r k s i n h a r mo n y pg. 9 B i o l o gy fac ult y m a k e t he ir m a r k pg. 12 A l um n i c h a n g e c hil d r e n’s l i v e s pg. 18 B a s e b a l l t e a m p l ay s i n n c a a t our n a me n t pg. 6 F E AT U R E S DE PA R TMEN T S E d i t o r Laura Geiser (A&S ’90, Grad ’92) C o n t r i b u t o r s Allison Babka Burney Marie Dilg (SW ’94) Shannon McGuire (Student Assistant) Rachel Otto “ O n C a m p u s ” n e w s s t o r i e s University Communications Medical Center Media Relations Billiken Media Relations D e s i g n Art Direction: Matthew Krob Universitas is published by Saint Louis University. Opin-ions expressed in Universitas are those of the individual authors and not necessarily those of the University admin-istration. Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs are welcome but will be returned only if accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Letters to the editor must be signed, and letters not intended for publication should indicate that fact. The editor reserves the right to edit all items. Address all mail to Universitas, DuBourg Hall 39, 221 N. Grand, St. Louis, Mo. 63103. We accept e-mail at utas@slu.edu and fax submissions at (314) 977-2249. Address fax submissions to Editor, Universitas. Postmaster: Send address changes to Universitas, Saint Louis University, 221 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103. World Wide Web address: www.slu.edu/pr/universitas.html Universitas is printed by Universal Printing Co. and mailed by Specialty Mailing. Worldwide circulation: 111,720 © 2006, Saint Louis University All rights reserved. Volume 3 2 , I ssue 3 In April, I had the privilege of speaking to a group of outstanding local citizens to accept St. Louis’ 2005 “Citizen of the Year” award, which is presented by a committee of former recip-ients and sponsored by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It was truly an honor. The humbling experience gave me the oppor-tunity to reflect on my early days in my adopt-ed hometown and how much I have seen things change here during the last 19 years. Although I had a very brief visit to St. Louis in 1967 on my way to Mexico to hone my Span-ish skills, I didn’t spend any time in the city until I was named to Saint Louis University’s board of trustees in 1983. On my first trip to SLU for a board meeting, I extended my stay so I could see the city. After taking the Lindell Boulevard bus downtown on a Saturday after-noon, I found so little to do that I caught an earlier flight back to Chicago. For four more years, I came to St. Louis for the trustees’ quarterly meetings — and I came only for the meetings. Then, in 1987, when I was elected president of SLU, I decided that I had to get to know the city. One Sunday morning shortly after my arrival, I took former SLU President Tom Fitzgerald’s old, green-colored Oldsmobile and drove around downtown, trying to memorize the street names. I saw progress. In four years, some things had certainly changed for the better. But as I drove back to campus, I saw that there was still much to do. Right in Midtown, in my own new back yard, there were dilapidated buildings, plots of asphalt and rundown city blocks. In my early days at SLU, I was like a new homeowner. I wanted the best for my neighborhood, and I was willing to make the effort to improve it. When I came to this city to live and work, I quickly adopted it as my home. But I still needed a shot of hometown pride. I found that pride away from buildings and ball clubs. I love St. Louis for more than its Arch, toasted ravioli and Ted Drewes frozen custard. I love it for the people who are trying to make a dif-ference — visionaries such as Joe Edwards and Richard Baron and many others. And while I did use my “Citizen of the Year” acceptance speech as an opportunity to challenge my fellow St. Louisans to aspire to make our city greater, I also know that I — and our University — have enjoyed unprec-edented cooperation from city officials and local business leaders. I can remember being here for just a few months and working with then-mayor Vince Schoemehl (Grad ’86) to get trees — substantial trees — planted along Grand and Lindell. In Chicago, I would have never had as much direct access to the Board of Aldermen or to the mayor himself. Today, we continue to receive tremendous support from Mayor Francis Slay (Law ’80) and from the Board of Aldermen. I am truly grateful for the trust that city officials have always placed in SLU. And it’s not just the civic leaders who have given us their trust. You, our alumni, friends and do-nors, have shown how you believe in us, too. Through your gifts of time, talent and treasure, you’ve been instrumental in building the reputation and stature of Saint Louis University. We’ve come a long way together. And the city of St. Louis has, too. I am so thankful for your commitment to Saint Louis University and hope that — no matter where you live now — SLU and St. Louis will always feel like home. Lawrence Biondi , S. J . photo by Steve Dolan President’s Message etrolink On the Map A special insert gives you an up-close look at SLU’s campus. Map Illustration by Robert North Jr. U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6 Fr. Biondi with Dr. Donald Suggs, publisher of the St. Louis American and the 2004 Citizen of the Year. 2 On Campus Arena plans taking shape Research Building gets a name Commencement U.S. News ranks SLU high again Social justice magazine debuts 6 Billiken News Baseball team goes to the NCAA Tournament Walker is now a coach 7 Campaign Update Meet Anna and Jesse, students doing their part for annual giving 22 Class Notes Catch up with classmates 28 In Memoriam Remembering those members of the SLU community who recently died 29 Off the Shelf Seven books from the SLU community 30 Alumni Events Find SLU alumni activities wherever you live 32 Perspective An alumnus turns from music fan into record label owner 33 The Last Word Letters to the editor 9 Brothers in Song An introduction to the Bare Naked Statues, SLU’s all-male a cappella group. By Allison Babka Burney Bio-Diversity The biology department faculty are studying everything from fish to wasps to liver cancer. By Marie Dilg A Haven of Hope Two alumni have created a home where abused and neglected children thrive. By Marie Dilg 12 18 Students congregate around a fountain at the Medical Center on a hot June aftternoon. Photo by Kevin Lowder U N I V E R S I TA S w w w. s l u . e d u U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6 Groundbreaking is less than three months away for the new $80.5 mil-lion Saint Louis University Arena. At its May meeting, the University’s board of trustees gave the authority for groundbreak-ing to take place by September for the on-campus, multipurpose Arena. Also in May, SLU announced that St. Louis-based Clayco has been chosen to build the Are-na on the eastern end of campus. Clayco will oversee construction of a 10,600-seat basketball Arena, a practice facility and athletic depart-ment offices and support facilities. The Arena will be home to Billiken men’s and women’s basketball as well as concerts, family shows, trade shows, commencements and many other events. Philadelphia-based Global Spectrum has been selected to manage the Arena and as-sist in pre-opening activities. The Arena will be funded through fund raising, $8 million in TIF funding and bonds, which will be paid off with revenues from the Arena. Fund raising continues toward the $39 million goal for the Arena project. Alumni and benefactors who would like to contribute to the Arena project can get information about the project online at arena.slu.edu, or by calling (314) 977-2499. Site preparation will begin this summer, with a groundbreaking date in late August or early September. Construction is expected to take approximately 19 months and be completed in March 2008. At 10,600 seats, the Saint Louis University Arena will have the second largest capacity in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The University anticipates hosting more that 90 events in the Arena in its first year of operation, with roughly half being non-University events. Arena plans move forward; groundbreaking soon Commencement 2006 Saint Louis University celebrated commencement for more than 1,700 graduates May 20 at Savvis Center. Chris Lowney, author of Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company that Changed the World, delivered the com-mencement address. The book takes the pil-lars of Ignatian teachings and applies them to today’s business environment. In addition to Lowney, other honorary degree recipients were Maurice B. McNamee, S.J. (A&S ’33, Grad ’34, ’45), professor emeritus of Eng-lish, professor emeritus of art and art history and director emeritus of Samuel Cupples House; and Frank Stroble (Cook ’52, Grad ’60) and Ruth Stroble, longtime supporters of Catholic higher education and commu-nity volunteers. Throughout five decades as a professor at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Dr. Edward A. Doisy was renowned worldwide for his pioneering work in the field of biochemistry, including win-ning the 1943 Nobel Prize for discovering the chemical nature of vitamin K. To honor his lifetime of work, SLU’s new biomedical research tower, a $67 million fa-cility, will be named the Edward A. Doisy Research Center. The Doisy family has com-mitted $30 million for construction. The announcement was made during a special topping-out ceremony June 9, dur-ing which the building’s final steel beam was secured in place. Faculty, staff and students were invited to sign the beam before it was lifted to the top of the structure. The ceremony also featured the announce-ment of several other major gifts to support both the research building and research at the School of Medicine: • $2 million to establish the James B. and Joan C. Peter Endowed Chair in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Dr. James B. Peter (Med ’58) is founder and former chief execu-tive officer of Specialty Laboratories, a hospi-tal- focused clinical reference laboratory. • $2 million to establish the Badeeh A. and Catherine V. Bander Endowed Chair in Ne-phrology. Dr. Steven J. Bander (A&S ’75), adjunct faculty member in nephrology, and his wife, Patricia, are endowing the chair in honor of his parents. • $1.5 million in a challenge grant from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation to sup-port construction of the research building. The building is expected to open in fall 2007. For more details, visit researchbuild-ing. slu.edu. Research building gets name and $30 million gift For the third consecutive year, U.S.News & World Report has named the Saint Louis University School of Law’s health law program the best in the na-tion. Since the rankings for the health law specialty began a decade ago, Saint Louis University’s Center for Health Law Studies never has been out of the top three. Overall, the magazine’s “Best Graduate Schools 2007” issue ranked the law school among the nation’s 180 accredited law schools. The School of Medicine was ranked No. 62 among the nation’s 144 research-intensive medical schools surveyed by U.S. News. The school’s geriatrics program was ranked 12th in the United States. In addition, the part-time MBA program in the John Cook School of Business was ranked No. 25 in the nation out of 347 part-time MBA programs accredited by the As-sociation to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Graduate programs honored by U.S. News again Annual Atlas Week recognizes the University’s world view Through more than 50 special events, including discussions, open houses and student presentations, Atlas Week 2006 gave the Saint Louis University community the opportunity to ex-plore the international dimension of SLU’s academic programs and celebrate the University’s role in international education and service. The theme of this year’s Atlas Week, held in April, was “Political and Social Justice in a Global World.” The Signature Symposium featured Nobel Peace laureate Jody Williams, who led the passage of the international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines. Another highlight was a panel discussion commemorating the first anniver-sary of the death of Pope John Paul II. The Billiken World Festival, which featured a Parade of Nations, international cuisine, music, games and informational booths in the quadrangle, wrapped up the week. In SLU’s residence halls Students living on campus during the 2005-06 school year On-campus rooms Residence halls: Clemens, DeMattias, Fusz, Griesedieck, Marguerite, Notre Dame, Reinert and Walsh Apartment complexes: Grand Forest, the Language Houses, Marchetti East and West, and the Village Apartments 3,346 1,785 84 Severson wins teaching award Dr. John G. Severson Jr., professor of biology, received the 41st an-nual Nancy McNeir Ring Award from Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit honor society. It is SLU’s oldest student-initi-ated teaching award and is named for the University’s first dean of women. Severson joined the faculty in 1971, has served as associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and led the Academic Services Center from 1993-2001. He played an in-tegral role in the development of the Pre- Law and Pre-Med Scholars programs, as well as SLU 101 and SLU 301 programs for new students. A view of the Arena facing northwest. A student shows her pride during the Parade of Nations. From left: The Strobles, McNamee and Lowney. Signing the beam before it is raised (from left): Alderman Michael McMillan; AT&T-Missouri vice president Debra Hollingsworth; U.S. Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond; Clayco president and SLU trustee Bob Clark; University President Lawrence Biondi, S.J.; SLU trustee Charles Drury and Shirley Drury, donors to the project. Photo by Kevin Lowder Photo by Clayton Berry Photo by Allison Babka Burney Photo by Allison Babka Burney Lincoln Legacy exhibit coming to SLUMA From Aug. 25-Dec. 17, Samuel Cupples House, in partnership with the Saint Louis University Museum of Art, will present “The Lincoln Legacy: Presidential Years.” The exhibit, which will be in the Judith and Adam Aronson Gallery at SLUMA, showcases the Dr. Bernard Hall Abraham Lincoln Collection of the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kan. It will feature manuscripts and autographed documents, as well as sig-nificant historical artifacts relating to Lincoln’s presidency. The exhibit is free and open to the public. In conjunction with “The Lincoln Legacy,” the University will be the site of a Civil War re-enactment, the “Camp Jackson Historic Encampment,” during Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1-3. For other programming and updates, visit http://lincoln.slu.edu or call (314) 977-2666. t h e A R T S a t S L U Hand-tinted woodcut of Lincoln (1863). MOCRA welcomes back ‘Silver Clouds’ They’re back! SLU’s Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA) announces a final show-ing of its most popular show ever, Andy Warhol’s “Silver Clouds.” First shown at MOCRA in 2001 and 2002, the largest-ever U.S. “Clouds” instal-lation features dozens of silver mylar balloons riding the air currents around MOCRA’s capa-cious nave gallery. Visitors are invited to enter into a childlike world of wonder and experience one of Warhol’s groundbreaking experiments with creating unique, non-traditional environ-ments. MOCRA also will be showing a number of Warhol’s “Sunset” prints. The “Clouds” open in mid-September and continue through the fall semester. Call MOCRA at (314) 977-7170 or visit mocra.slu.edu for more information. “Silver Clouds” fill the gallery during the 2002 MOCRA showing. New administrators join SLU As of July 1, Dr. Kent Porterfield is Saint Louis University’s new vice president for student development. Porterfield comes to SLU from Northwest Missouri State Univer-sity, where he was vice president for student affairs — a role he held for nearly a decade. At SLU, Porterfield fosters student formation through non-academic areas, including residence life, student life, student health and counseling, campus recreation and community outreach. He also oversees contracted services such as the bookstore and dining services. At Northwest, Porterfield led many of these same areas and worked to enhance students’ lives. Dr. Connie Evashwick, previously an endowed chair and director of the Center for Health Care In-novation at California State University, Long Beach, joined SLU as dean of the Saint Louis University School of Public Health on July 1. Over the years, she has combined her academic career with consulting and direct operations management. Evashwick has served as vice president of long-term care for two major health care systems and is a national consultant to health systems, hospitals and long-term care organizations. She is the author or editor of 12 books and more than 100 other publications. News Briefs Saint Louis University again opened its doors to the area’s homeless population to provide a hot meal and clothing. During SLU’s annual “Open Doors” event March 23, hundreds of homeless individuals also received free employment and housing assistance, legal services and opportunities to pursue literacy education. SLU President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., and Dr. Ellen Harshman (Grad ’78, Law ’92), dean of the John Cook School of Business, were named to the St. Louis Business Journal’s “Influentials” list this spring. The list recognizes area business and community leaders who make a difference to the region. Biondi was honored as one of 10 “legends” — individuals “who have gone beyond being influential to become legends in our region and beyond.” Dr. Bruce R. Bacon, professor of internal medicine and director of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the School of Medicine, has been appointed to the National Commission on Digestive Diseases, an institute of the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Diseases. The commission, comprising 16 people, is charged with conducting an overview of research in digestive diseases and developing a strategic plan for the next 10 years of NIH digestive disease research. Saint Louis University Provost Dr. Joe Weixlmann was named “Distinguished Editor of the Year” by the Council of Editors of Learned Journals. The award recognizes Weixlmann’s dedication and excellence in his work with African American Review, the official publication of the Modern Language Association’s Division on Black American Literature and Culture. He was editor in chief from 1976-2004. The St. Louis Jesuits, sometimes called “the fathers of contemporary American liturgical music,” received an honorary doctorate of music from Creighton University this spring. Roc O’Connor S.J. (A&S ’73), Bob Dufford S.J. (A&S ’67, Grad ’72, ’75), John Foley S.J. (A&S ’68, Grad ’68, ’74), and Dan Schutte (A&S ’72), who were featured in the fall 2005 Universitas, were recognized for their 30 years of ministry to the Church. U N I V E R S I TA S w w w. s l u . e d u U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6 Community service tops 750,000 hours Members of the Saint Louis University community continue to live the institution’s mission as 14,602 students, faculty and staff contributed 753,808 hours of com-munity service and outreach during 2005, according to a recently released University report. This is the second year in a row that members of the University have performed more than 750,000 hours of service. According to the report, more than 1,270 organizations and events benefited from SLU faculty and staff volunteerism, up from 1,110 in 2004. Faculty and staff spent 71,903 hours performing community service in 2005, a drastic jump from 41,533 hours previously. Student service also is intensive. Through academic courses, internships and campus organizations, students committed more than 76,768 hours to outreach. SLU students spend spring break in service During spring break in March more than 50 Saint Louis Uni-versity students participated in rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. Of the group, 39 SLU students assisted Ser-vice International with the demolition of buildings that were flooded or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. After demolition, the students helped with power washing, sanitizing and rebuilding efforts. Another 15 SLU students worked with Operation Helping Hands, where they helped remove debris in neighborhoods and assisted with light carpentry, as well as construction and restoration of homes and buildings. This year, about 150 SLU students partic-ipated in spring break mission trips not only to New Orleans, but other U.S. locations as well as sites in Mexico and El Salvador. Social justice magazine debuts on campus Current SLU students from various cross-cultural and social justice groups on campus have collaborated to produce a student-led, student-run magazine that aims to raise aware-ness about international social justice issues. Based upon the Jesuit mission, One World focuses attention on men and women around the world who are in dire need of help. Whether it’s poverty and starvation in the developing world or genocide in Sudan, SLU stu-dent writers explore humanitarian issues in an effort to make read-ers realize that they have capacity and responsibility to get involved. To view the magazine online, visit www.sluoneworld.com. Or to order a copy of the 40-page magazine, send your request and $5 contri-bution to: One World c/o Donna Bess; Busch Student Center, Suite 237; 20 N. Grand Blvd.; St. Louis, MO 63103. Make checks payable to Saint Louis University. AHarvard University team recently won the Urban Land Institute Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition, which was held March 31 at Saint Louis Univer-sity. The development challenge for the graduate students was to propose a master plan for an eco-nomically sustainable, mixed-use development that would connect the 100-acre former industrial site that runs between both ends of the SLU campus, adding at least 1,000 units of affordable, workforce and market-rate housing. The winning redevelop-ment plan unites the campus around an area where academics, biotechnology, transit, recreation, com-mercial and residential activities come together. A jury of real estate development, urban plan-ning and design experts chose the winning Har-vard entry over plans submitted by 81 teams rep-resenting 30 universities in the United States and Canada. The competition is designed as an exer-cise; there is no guarantee that the students’ plans will be implemented as part of any revitalization of the site. Photo by Jim Visser Boileau Hall dedicated Saint Louis University recently dedi-cated a newly renovated space in honor of board of trustees member Oliver C. Boileau and his wife, Nan Eleze. The Boileaus have been supporters of Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Tech-nology as well as the arts at SLU. Thanks to their generosity, the University completely renovated the former Bruton Studios at 38 N. Vandeventer Ave. In January 2000, SLU purchased the building and had used it for storage purposes. Today, the renovated Boi-leau Hall showcases some of the University’s art collection and is used for meetings, re-ceptions and other events. Urban design contest tackles SLU’s neighborhood A rendering of the winning development plan. Former Billiken point guard Jamall Walker (Pub Ser ’00) has been named assistant coach of the Saint Louis University men’s basketball team. Walker joined the Billikens’ staff after two years at Ball State University. During his 123-game SLU career that spanned 1996-1999, he started 73 games. Walker was a member of the Billikens 1996 NIT team and 1998 NCAA Tournament squad. Longtime readers of Universitas might remember Walker as one of six freshmen first profiled in the magazine in 1995. During the next four years, the magazine continued to run stories on Walker and the other students, keeping up with their progress all the way through graduation. Saint Louis Billikens’ two-time national Player of the Year Al Trost (A&S ’71) has been elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame. He was also one of the premier American players in the North American Soccer League (NASL) and was captain of the U.S. National Team in the early 1970s, playing 10 times as an Olympian. Trost was elected in his fifth year on the veteran’s ballot. He is the boys’ and girls’ soccer coach at Parkway South High School in St. Louis. Trost was in-ducted into the SLU Billiken Hall of Fame in 1994. Head softball coach Jim Molloy retired June 30. A national search for his successor has begun. The 60-year old Molloy retired as the winningest coach in program history. He had been the Billikens’ softball coach since 1997 and posted 142 wins during his 10-year tenure. This past season, the Billikens finished with a 19-33 record and tied for sixth in the A-10 at 8-12. In 2003, he guided the Billikens to their first winning season in 14 years. Academically, the Billikens were one of the best teams in the country under Molloy. During the past four seasons, SLU was ranked in the top 10 academically by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Both the 2004 and 2005 squads had the second-best team GPA in the nation. In its first season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, the Saint Louis University men’s basketball team (16-13 overall, 10-6 A-10) finished tied for third with La Salle, but was the No. 4 seed in the 2006 A-10 Tournament as a result of a regular-season loss to the Explorers. The Billikens were arguably the most surprising team in the A-10 after league coaches picked SLU to finish 13th in their annual preseason poll. Billiken Beat photo by Bill Musselman Sr. Baseball Billikens reach the NCAA Tournament photo by Bill Barrett You may not be in touch with many Saint Louis University stu-dents these days, but you’ve probably met Anna and Jesse. If their names are familiar, it’s because during the last few months they’ve come into your homes — via your mailbox. It began in March with Anna Petcu, a May graduate, whose photo-graph and letter appeared on a mailing asking for support of the Univer-sity’s annual fund. The series continued in June, when Jesse Novotney’s letter was mailed to alumni and donors. “After years of sending letters from deans and administrators, we realized our best ambassadors are the students themselves,” said Thom-as W. Keefe, vice president for development and university relations. “They are at the heart of what we do. They are the reason we encourage alumni to give. And they are the beneficiaries of the generosity of our alumni. It just seemed like a natural fit to share their stories and enthusiasm with our supporters.” So who are Anna and Jesse? And how did they end up profiled in letters mailed to tens of thousands of SLU alumni? For Anna Petcu, whose freshman campus job was phoning alumni for donations, it was a bigger way to deliver the message she’d been telling alumni over the phone for years. “SLU has been so wonderful to me,” she said. “And now I’m joining the ranks of the alumni, so I wanted to do it for my university. I thought it was important to start giving back right now.” The Nashville, Tenn., native reminds alumni that the amount of the gift does not matter. “Just the act of giving, no matter what the amount is, says a lot about how you feel about the institution that has given you so much,” Petcu said. Now back working in her hometown, Petcu has every intention of being an alumna donor. “SLU provides a wonderful education, but the SLU community is also so wonderful,” she said. “After you graduate, one of the things you can do for that community is give back.” Jesse Novotney (A&S ’05) agrees. But his path to participating in the project was a bit more indirect. “I got an e-mail — my first one as an alum — asking for a donation. I responded and said something like, ‘I’m a grad student, I’m broke as joke, I live on hotdogs and ramen noodles. $10 might not seem like a lot, but it’s all I’ve got. And I believe in giving back, so here you go.’” David Nolda, director of annual giving, received that e-mail and was impressed by Novotney’s honesty and commitment. “That’s exactly the kind of re-sponse we love,” Nolda said. “So I asked Jesse if he’d write a letter to our alumni.” Novotney, who majored in philosophy and is now pursuing an MBA full time at SLU, said he was excited to help. “I had a great experience here at SLU, and it made me who I am,” he said. “As young adults, a majority of how we are shaped and molded happens at college. So I would rather have that happen at a great college. And I want everybody else to be able to come here and have a great college experience.” He, too, emphasized that the size of the gift does not matter. “Financially, I’m probably in the poorest of the poor categories,” Novotney said. “But I feel like every-body can spare $10.” To make a gift to Saint Louis University, visit http://giftform. slu.edu or use the reply en-velope in-cluded in this issue. The Saint Louis University baseball team finished its 2006 season with a school-record 32 wins and the pro-gram’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1966. The Billikens entered their first Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament as the fifth seed and stormed through to the cham-pionship with four wins in five games, earn-ing a spot in the NCAA Tournament Fuller-ton Regional. Despite the momentum from the A- 10 championship, SLU wrapped up its 2006 campaign with a pair of losses in the NCAA Tournament. The Billikens fell to No. 2 Cal State Fullerton 6-1 on June 2, then saw a furious rally fall short in a 19-12 loss to San Diego in an elimination game on June 3. “I am so proud of this team and what it accomplished this season,” said Billiken head coach Bob Hughes. “These play-ers have worked so hard, not just this year, but over the last three or four years. To finally see them re-warded for that dedi-cation is extremely gratifying. This has been the most satisfy-ing year for me as a coach, and it’s really just the starting point for what our program can accomplish.” The NCAA Tournament appearance was the capper to an already memorable year. SLU won 15 A-10 games this season, the most for the Billikens in any league. Addi-tionally, the 2006 Billikens posted a winning conference record for the first time since the 1977 team posted a 5-4 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. “When you’re in the heart of the season, especially the postseason tournaments, you aren’t really thinking about what milestones you are achieving,” Hughes said. “You es-pecially don’t want your players focused on those things. You’re just trying to figure out how to win the next game. But, looking back now, it has been a wonderful experience for everyone associated with our program. I still have trouble explaining how I felt in the ninth inning of the Atlantic 10 champion-ship game. This team will always have a spe-cial place in my coaching career.” Billiken team members tallied several in-dividual honors and records. Most notably, junior pitcher Ryan Bird finished the season with 100 strikeouts, second-most in school history. His total was highlighted by back-to-back double-digit strikeout games at Xavier and Saint Joseph’s. He also earned a spot on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All- America Team. A finance major, Bird earned his second-straight first-team Academic All- District selection earlier this season and was named the A-10 Tournament Most Out-standing Player. Junior outfielder Ryan Crespi played in 60 games, second most in school his-tory, starting a school-record 59. He set the school record with 238 at-bats. Crespi also led the team and tied for fourth in the A-10 with five triples, sixth-most in school history. In addition, se-nior outfielder Johnny Sweeney was named second-team All-Con-ference, Academic All-Conference and Aca-demic All-District. He led the team with 17 doubles, second-most in school history and sixth in the A-10. He holds the school record with 207 career games played and ranks among the program’s career top 10 in doubles, hits, total bases, at-bats and games started. Junior catcher Bill Musselman and soph-omore designated hitter Greg Rodgers were named first-team All-Conference as well. “Everything we achieved this season we did as a team,” Hughes said. “A number of players had standout years, but game after game, it seemed it was a different player who stepped up to help us get to where we are. That is what is so special about this group of players.” U N I V E R S I TA S w w w. s l u . e d u U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6 Students at the heart of latest fund -raising apeal The team celebrates the Atlantic 10 championship victory at Fordham University. photo by Bill Musselman Sr. photos by Jim Visser U N I V E R S I TA S w w w. s l u . e d u When I have the pleasure of meeting Universitas readers, particularly those who live out of town, our conversation always turns to campus. Alumni want to know what’s changed, what’s new and where exactly the Arena will be built. Since I don’t have the opportunity to chat with all of you in person, and since many of you haven’t been back to campus in many years, we’ve included the latest version of the Saint Louis University campus map as a special pull-out insert in this issue. In addition to the Arena, the map also includes the Edward A. Doisy Research Center, now under construction at the Medical Center, and the expanded Busch Student Center. Remove it, unfold it and explore campus all over again. — Laura Geiser Map Illustration by Robert North Jr. SLU’s all-male a cappella group has brought a new beat to campus. – By Allison Babka Burney photo by Jay Fram photos by Steve Dolan U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6 their sudden horde of groupies and still maintain-ing academic excellence can take its toll. But the Statues take it all in stride. “Singers are crazy-dramatic, particularly when auditioning within the group for a solo,” Heran said. “But despite the bit of competition, the audience response ends up the same. We all know that everyone who auditions for solos has good, strong voices, so no matter what, you put on a good show.” There’s plenty to do as a big concert ap-proaches. The Bare Naked Statues have to decide about advertising, merchandising, choreography and special theatrical options — and that’s after selecting and arranging the music. “When gearing up for a show, we discuss songs we might enjoy doing. Then we work with a computer program and arrange the harmonies. It’s a real group effort,” said Funke, who also leads the group during rehearsals. And conflicting schedules often make for odd-hour rehearsals. “Most of us have jobs, extra classes and other clubs,” said Harris, who works at Simon Recre-ation Center. “Because of that, we might have practice 6-8 p.m. Sundays, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. Mon-days and 9-11 p.m. Wednesdays.” BNS concerts always are hits, though, and the group sees more campus support and excitement with each show. “We thought it was pretty amazing when we packed the theater in Xavier Hall for the first time,” Hwang said. “We were running around screaming like excited little kids. I mean, how did this happen?” And, of course, with this newfound campus notoriety come the screams and flashbulbs. “We sang at a Washington University func-tion during the 2002-2003 season and were in-vited to a party afterward,” Heran said. “So we were walking through University City when a car stopped and rolled down the window. An elderly woman, part of a couple, leaned out the window and asked if we were the Bare Naked Statues. We replied that we were, and she said, ‘You boys did such a great job!’ We couldn’t believe we were rec-ognized, but we loved it.” Not every member craves the spotlight, however. “I shy away from the ‘star experience,’” Harris said. “It’s cool, but I try to remember that it’s only a college a cappella group. It’s not like we’re huge rock stars. We have to forget it and try to get our heads back on straight.” Something for Your CD Library As the talent and popularity of the Bare Naked Statues grew, the group decided to record a CD. Please Don’t Feed the Statues, fea-turing tracks such as U2’s “Running to Stand Still,” Coldplay’s “Clocks” and Billy Joel’s “The Longest Time,” went on sale in 2003 and has been so well-liked that the group or-dered several reprints. Hwang said that recording the CD was one of the high points of his Bare Naked Statues career. “When we finally came out with our first real CD, it was a big achievement because it was es-sentially the original Statues, which made it all the more special,” Hwang said. For Brinker, the CD pushed the group to step up even more. “Watching them learn about working in a re-cording studio, fine-tuning their voices, mixing and producing, and now seeing how they carry that on stage,” Brinker marveled. “As they have gone along, they really have fine-tuned the mu-sical aspect, and the recordings probably have played a role in that.” Finding time to record a CD is no easy task, as the latest generation of Statues knows. BNS is working on a follow-up disc that Funke said may have a bit of a different sound. The group hopes to release it during the 2006-2007 academic year. “It’s amazing to work on the new CD with 11 other guys. It’s more work than I thought, though,” Harris said. “In the end, it will be worth it. In the studio, there’s pain, temper and singing lines over and over until they’re right, but you re-alize that once it’s done, it will be amazing.” Reflecting on Past and Future What does the future hold for the Bare Naked Statues? For starters, they inspired the forma-tion of Beyond All Reason, SLU’s all-female a cap-pella group. Additionally, one BNS alum is trying to form an a cappella group at the University of Mis-souri- Columbia, where he attends medical school. The Statues also are submitting their songs for contests and CDs featuring collegiate a cap-pella groups. And there’s always the hope that schedules will come together and the group will mount a tour. They’ve already performed at the University of Chicago and Washington Univer-sity. Next, they’re thinking about possibly visiting high schools to aid SLU recruitment. The men reflect that their time in the Bare Naked Statues is one of the things that made their SLU experiences so memorable. “I’ve had the privilege of being at SLU for about nine years,” Hwang said. “Looking back, I’m proudest of graduating from the School of Medi-cine as well as establishing the Bare Naked Statues and the relationships with these great guys.” Brinker sees how that ever-present familial bond has sustained the group. “It speaks to camaraderie of brotherhood and that support, but looking at the bigger picture, it’s the sense of continuity,” Brinker said. “We’ll have to wait 10-20 years to see how the group contin-ues, but even now, because of that connection, former Statues keep coming back. They haven’t lost touch with the wisdom and sense of fun that helped get the group started.” Harris, the junior, is looking even further ahead. “If I have kids, I can’t wait to tell them all about my time with the Statues,” he said. “They’ll be like ‘Dad, you’re a dork.’ But it’s really been one of the best times of my life.” U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6 11 For more information about upcom-ing concerts or to purchase Bare Naked Statues merchandise — including the CD Please Don’t Feed the Statues — visit www. barenakedstat-ues. com. They play practical jokes. They argue with a spirit the Survivor cast would be proud to possess. They sing through the wee hours of the morning. No, they’re not family, but close enough. They’re the Bare Naked Statues, SLU’s only all-male student a cappella singing group. Formed by a handful of determined students, the Bare Naked Statues could be called SLU’s version of the 1990s R&B group Boys II Men. The singing is there, along with the requisite “All together now!” choreography and coordinating stage attire, but that’s where the similarities end. The Statues exhibit their own brand of energy, originality and purpose, filling a need they no-ticed on campus. And they do it all with no in-struments except their voices. The Founding Fathers When Lawrence Hwang (A&S ’01) was a SLU senior in 2000, he began singing for the University Chorale, his first foray into the campus music scene. As pleasant as it was, though, the chorale just didn’t supply the type of experience Hwang thought he needed. “Though chorale was enjoyable, the music we sang wasn’t exactly young and hip,” Hwang said. He thought about his friends in college a cap-pella groups around the nation and decided to try to form a group at SLU. “At chorale practice, I pretty much turned to my right and asked if that guy would be inter-ested, then turned to my left and asked if that guy would be interested,” Hwang said. “The first per-son I asked, Rob Turner, said that he was think-ing the same thing.” Hwang and Turner (A&S ’04) soon gener-ated enough interest to form a small band of seven singers, which eventually evolved into a group of 12, later known as the “Founding Fa-thers” of the Bare Naked Statues. The group’s name was inspired by the outdoor art through-out SLU’s campus. The group began rehearsing popular radio songs in barbershop style, practicing in dorm lobbies, cafeterias and patios. Eventually, the men received support from the University, becoming a chartered campus organization and getting an adviser in David Brinker (A&S ’94), a musician and assistant director of SLU’s Museum of Con-temporary Religious Art. “Father Terry Dempsey (MOCRA director) heard them practicing in Xavier Hall and invited them to sing in MOCRA sometime,” Brinker said. “That led to their first spring concert, which was held in the museum.” The concert was a hit and became a tradition for both fall and spring. “When we started the group, we didn’t really have any expectations. We were just praying that enough of our family and friends would come and fill MOCRA,” said Hwang, who graduated from SLU’s School of Medicine in May. “It was really cool, though, as our audience grew each time.” The concerts became more and more elabo-rate, with the Statues gradually adding special lighting, video screens and better choreography to their shows. “Watching their first show at MOCRA and comparing it to what they’re doing now with theater and video — and they’re famous now for videos — the Bare Naked Statues offer a whole entertainment package,” Brinker said. The Brotherhood After that first year, the Bare Naked Statues began holding annual auditions to fill spots left by departing seniors. As the roster changed, so did the talent and the emotional makeup of the group. Something that remained, however, was the sense of family among group members. That was especially true for Will Heran, who hails from Florida. When Heran came to SLU in 2002, he realized he had to start making friends from scratch because he knew no one. “I was in musical theater, played guitar, tuba and electric bass in the high school band. Music was just part of my life,” Heran said. “When I came here, I had severe culture shock and was concerned I wouldn’t find a niche in which to perform. “I don’t know what I would have done had I not been part of Bare Naked Statues,” Heran continued. “The group played such a strong role in my development as a person.” Heran, who served as the group’s president before graduating in May with a degree in avia-tion management, said that the Bare Naked Stat-ues’ main purpose is to bring the excitement and uniqueness of a cappella music to campus. And united in that purpose, the members just try to have fun. “When it comes down to preparing for a spring concert, there’s so much stress — finals, making a CD, long rehearsals. But in the end, it’s about having a good time singing together,” Heran said. Colin Harris, who will be a junior this fall and serves as the group’s on-campus business manager, echoed Heran. “We love hanging out with each other,” Harris said. “We like to joke that it’s a fraternity. During one of the concerts a few years ago, we even wore the letters ‘BNS’ and were ‘Beta Nu Sigma.’” It’s important to the group that they continue to sustain that familial bond. They believe that when their personalities are in harmony, their music will be, too. That sense of family continues even after group members graduate. BNS alumni attend concerts when they can, cheering for “the new guys,” offering continuing support and some-times even singing a few bars on stage for old times’ sake. “Our alums really support the group,” said Brian Funke, the group’s music director who graduated in May with a degree in aviation sci-ence. “If they’re in town, they come to our small-er gigs, and many try hard to be here for our big spring show.” “We’ve had very happy times and dysfunc-tional times, so we’ll always be like a family,” Heran said. “I think graduating from the Statues might be difficult. What will I do with all my free time? I was talking with last year’s BNS president who said that everything’s easy enough at first, but come fall, it hits you like a ton of bricks.” “Once a Statue, always a Statue,” Harris said. Life as Rock Stars Because they spend so much time together, BNS members can feel a bit of stress. Vying for featured parts, deciding what to wear, wooing 10 U N I V E R S I TA S w w w. s l u . e d u The Bare Naked Statues today: back row, from left: Eric Wilson, colin Harris, Tom Benoist, louie reinoso, charlie barrale and David shirley front Row: sean riley, brian funke, Will heran and nick radloff (not pictured: Tommy Sheridan and Patrick Turner) 12 U N I V E R S I TA S w w w. s l u . e d u U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6 13 – By Marie Dilg During the past six years, enrollment in all of the depart-ment’s courses has climbed steadily. While overall University enrollment increased by approximately 4 percent last year, in-troductory biology courses saw an increase of more than 15 per-cent. The department now has the largest enrollment of any un-dergraduate program on campus. To accommodate the growing number of students, SLU has allocated funds for renovation of Macelwane Hall to create additional lab space. The department’s research funding also has experienced a growth spurt. In fiscal-year 2004, the department’s grant dol-lars totaled $192,000. In 2005, the department brought in more than $1.5 million. This figure includes first-year funding on a $3-million grant to study the evolution and biodiversity of freshwater fish from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) “Assembling the Tree of Life” program. The grant is a collabor-ative effort of biologists throughout the world to provide infor-mation about the diversity of organisms on Earth. It is the first grant in the extremely competitive NSF program to be funded at a Catholic university. “Successful funding of this SLU-originated research is a di-rect reflection of the prestigious nature of our work and the quality of our faculty,” Mayden said. All but three of the department’s 22 faculty members have extramural research funding. All but two have published yearly in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and five faculty members have published books during the last year. Mayden credits several factors for the department’s boom. Developments in agriculture, medicine and technology have reduced human mortality rates, causing a human population explosion. This has driven accelerating demands for basic and applied biological knowledge — particularly in cellular and molecular biology with implications for medicine, agriculture, genetic engineering and forensic science — and in evolution and ecology with implications for the conservation of natural resources and restoration of ecosystems disturbed by human activities. Mayden also said the presence of such institutions as the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the Monsanto Co., Sigma-Aldrich, the Missouri Botanical Garden and the St. Louis Zoo, make St. Louis an ideal place to study and work. The biology department is ranked by U.S. News & World Re-port as 110 in the country for its graduate programs and is one of only three Jesuit universities on the list. Mayden also believes his philosophy of unification rather than fragmentation of knowledge is an attraction. Many biolo-gy departments place emphasis either on the organismal/ecolo-gy/ evolution or the cellular/molecular aspects of biology. SLU’s biology department places equal emphasis on both. “Unification provides for the development of a more com-prehensive and integrated education,” Mayden said. “It makes our graduates more attractive for top-notch careers and our fac-ulty more competitive for grants and publications.” Here are examples of the work in which they are engaged. photos by Steve Dolan Scientists believe the 21st century will be known as the “Century of Biology,” and if you ask Dr. Richard L. Mayden, chairman of Saint Louis University’s depart-ment of biology, it began with a bang. Students who take a summer course with Dr. Nevin Aspinwall, professor of biol-ogy, will not find him in a classroom. They will find him about 100 miles southwest of St. Louis in the Mark Twain Na-tional Forest, home to the department’s Reis Biological Station (RBS). The station sits on 225 acres of upland oak-hickory forest along the Huzzah Creek, a major tributary of the Meramec River. Students live at the station for three weeks while taking a variety of courses in upper-level biology. The course offerings this summer include “Aquatic Biology,” “Cave Biology,” “Spring Flora of the Ozarks” and “Natural History of Vertebrates.” “You can’t find a better environment for teaching or ex-ploring the diversity of ecosystems,” said Aspinwall, director of the station and its programs. “This is stuff you can’t get out of a book.” One of the station’s many resources is a 17-acre experimental prairie with five different species of prairie grass and 100 species of prairie wildflowers. Aspinwall’s area of interest is a genus of North American orchid known as Cypripedium, or slipper orchids. Aspinwall and his students are studying germination habits of the orchids, which are endangered in some areas of the country. When Aspinwall became director of the station in 1981, the RBS consisted of a couple of trailers and a fresh-water well. The station now has nine buildings — six air-conditioned ce-dar cabins; a shower house; the Rainbow Darter Lodge; and a research lab equipped with computers, dissecting microscopes and a herbarium cabinet. Most of the buildings were built by faculty and students. SLU students, however, are not the only ones who can ap-preciate the station’s short-leaf pine forests, calcareous fens, glades and ponds. In 1986, 15 colleges and universities in Mis-souri and Illinois formed a consortium that entitles members to use station facilities and equipment for field trips. “Of the 4,000 or so universities in the United States, only 150 have field stations,” Aspinwall said. “It is a tremendous point of pride and an asset for our students.” Associate professor Dr. Barrie P. Bode be-lieves that reining in an overzealous nutri-ent transporter could be the key to curing liver cancer — one of the most rapidly rising forms of cancer in the United States. Among its many functions, the liver filters blood, stores vi-tamins and produces substances that break down fats. The liver also helps the body detoxify ammonia and maintain a proper level of glucose in the blood with the help of nutrient trans-porters that take up the amino acid glutamine from the blood-stream. In cancerous human liver cells, however, Bode said a different transporter takes up glutamine at a substantially faster rate than normal liver cells. “The cancer cells are using the transporter to fuel their growth,” said Bode, recipient of SLU’s 2006 Grantwinners Award for superior grant activity and a member of the Saint Louis University Liver Center. “It’s an energy source for them, and we’re trying to understand the mechanism behind the can-cer’s reliance on this transporter in particaular.” The nutrient transporter responsible for the accelerated glutamine uptake is known as ASCT2. Experiments in Bode’s lab have demonstrated that selectively knocking out ASCT2 within cancerous cells results in cell death. “That’s what makes ASCT2 a nice target for potential drug therapies,” said Bode, who receives research funding from the NSF and the National Cancer Institute. Bode’s lab is internationally recognized for its work with glutamine transport biology. His lab was the first to show glu-tamine transporters could conceivably be used as liver cancer targets, and Bode has filed for a patent on ASCT2 as a thera-peutic target. Bode and his colleagues also theorize that ASCT2 may have a partner in crime — another amino acid transporter known as LAT1. Studies have found that the two transporters associate and somehow work together to fuel cancer cell growth, not only in liver cancer but in several others as well, including breast, lung and colon cancers. “Tumors may heavily rely on this integrated system for growth,” Bode said. “Our studies are still in their infancy, but we hope that silencing these transporters, either alone or in com-bination, will result in effective cancer treatment in the future.” Diabetes is a disease of lifestyle. If you eat too much and exercise too little, you are a candidate. But assistant professor Dr. Jonathan S. Fisher ac-cepts that it is hard to get some people to change their lifestyles and that others may be unable to exercise. These are the people who stand to gain the most from his research. Fisher is part of a small group of scientists studying what he describes as the “synergistic effect of insulin and exercise.” Exercise burns off fat and makes muscle cells better able to clear glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream. A buildup of glu-cose in the bloodstream is what leads to diabetes. Exercise also helps muscles develop more glucose transporters, which allow greater uptake. Fisher said there is another far more important benefit of exercise that is the focus of his work. Immediately after physi-cal activity, and up to two days afterward, muscle is much more sensitive to insulin, a natural hormone that promotes glucose uptake. Almost 90 percent of the glucose cleared from the blood in response to insulin is stored in muscle. “After a single run or swim, for example, your muscle is twice as sensitive to insulin,” said Fisher, 2006 recipient of SLU’s William V. Stauder, S.J., Award for Excellence in Teach-ing in the Natural Sciences. “Exercise makes insulin action quite robust. We’re trying to understand the molecular mecha-nism behind this.” By deciphering the mechanism, Fisher said researchers may be able to advise pharmaceutical drug companies a hint as to potential targets within muscle cells. “A drug that could double your insulin-stimulated glucose uptake would represent tremendous progress against a disease that’s running rampant in the United States,” said Fisher, who receives research funding from SLU and the National Institutes of Health. 14 U N I V E R S I TA S w w w. s l u . e d u U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6 15 The eyes may be the window to a hu-man’s soul, but with fruit flies, the eyes may be the window to a cure for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s. Assistant professor Dr. Susan A. Spencer has been studying fruit fly retinas to identify what proteins are involved in mak-ing a cell decide whether to become a neuron or another type of cell. She uses the fruit fly model because the fly’s compound eye is very well characterized: Scientists know every single neuron within the tissue, which makes it easier to detect mutations that change how the retina develops. “Our goal is to figure out how to make more cells become neurons. If we can do this, we might be able to replace some of the neuronal cells being lost in patients with retinal degenera-tion or other nervous system diseases.” Spencer’s research focuses primarily on two proteins: Ed (echinoid) and Fred (friend of echinoid). Ed and Fred are adhe-sive proteins responsible for linking cells together. “Scientists are just beginning to understand the role cell adhesion proteins play in regulating neuronal differentiation,” Spencer said. “Normally, only certain cells in the retina become neurons. When Ed and Fred are absent, every cell becomes a neuron. This means the contacts Ed and Fred make may be preventing most cells from turning into neurons.” Spencer’s ability to capture images of developing retinas was greatly enhanced last year when her lab received a grant from the NSF to purchase a $300,000 confocal microscope. The mi-croscope uses laser scanning to produce 3-D images of cells. “The confocal microscope is cutting-edge technology, and it gives us the ability to see cells clearly at all stages of development.” T h e E y e s H a v e i t O u t i n L e f t F i e l d L i v e r c a n c e r ’ s s h u to f f v a l v e p u t s o m e m u s c l e i n to i t Spencer Aspinwall Bode Fisher I IInside his laboratory in Macelwane Hall, entomologist Joseph C. Fortier, S.J., has dozens of drawers full of what he believes to be one of the most misunderstood crea-tures in the insect world — the parasitic wasp. Unlike their better known brethren, parasitic wasps do not sting. Instead, they lay their eggs in or on the bodies of other insects. After hatching, the wasp larvae feed on the host and eventually kill it. Parasitic wasps are beneficial, Fortier said, because many species modulate the population densities of nu-merous pests, including cutworms, corn earworm, white grubs and other crop-eating caterpillars. “Parasitic wasps are worth billions of dollars a year just in terms of eliminating the need for chemical controls,” said For-tier, an assistant professor of biology. Fortier is especially interested in a family of parasitic wasps known as the Aleiodes pilosus species-group. When he began studying the wasps three years ago, he and other entomologists assumed there were a half dozen or so species within the family. Fortier has since discovered 75 species, and he expects to find more. “This is significant because each of these species attacks a specific type of inch worm caterpillar, such as the cabbage looper and various other kinds of inch worm caterpillars that defoliate forest plants,” Fortier said. “If we can better under-stand their role in the food web, we can make more enlightened decisions about farming and forest management.” Fortier is considered the world’s leading expert on these parasitic wasps, which he is describing and categorizing for a monograph and an online key for non-specialists. His work, which is funded by the NSF, will contribute to development of the “Tree of Life” program. Fortier also is gaining recognition for a course he devel-oped titled “Evolution and Christian Theology.” Fortier said the course gives students a chance to develop a position that integrates Christian faith and spirituality with biological evolu-tion, and thus be in a position to maintain a credible faith while being o I pen to scientific truth. t’s blazing hot in the extremely rugged Sierras of western Mexico, and Dr. Richard L. Mayden still has several hours to hike to his destination. His pack is heavy, and so are the pests. They, however, are not the only things he has to worry about. Bandits and drug traffickers have been known to reside in and cut through this mountainous terrain. “Can you believe I get paid for this?” marveled Mayden, the University’s W.S. Barnickel Endowed Chair of Natural Sciences. Mayden is an ichtyhyologist (someone who studies fish), and for the past 10 years he has made annual trips to the mountains of Mexico where he discovered and continues to discover new spe-cies of trout. One of the species Mayden and his colleagues dis-covered is extremely endangered — fewer than 300 still exist. These are hardly his first finds. Mayden has discovered and de-scribed 10 previously unknown fish species from rivers in North America, and he is working on another 30 descriptions of new species previously unknown to science. Most recently, he and his colleagues discovered the colorful Chickasaw darter in the waters of western Tennessee. “Current predictions of biodiversity are grossly underesti-mated,” Mayden said. “There is so much yet to be found in this country. Even peo-ple in inner cities are living among fish species that haven’t been described or discovered.” Mayden’s work recently gained wider exposure through a new coffee table book, Fishes of Alabama, that contains 700 color images of freshwater fishes by world-renowned artist Joseph R. Tomelleri. Mayden also is overseeing the $3 million grant from the NSF’s “Tree of Life” program. Mayden and fellow researchers through-out the world are focusing on reconstructing the evolutionary, biological and geographic history of Cypriniformes, the planet’s largest family of freshwater fishes. These fishes include minnows, goldfish, carps and the zebrafish, and they can be found on all continents except Central and South America, and Australia. “Not only will this study have a profound impact on our un-derstanding of the history and origins of freshwater ecosystems,” Mayden said, “it will have a profound impact on developing aqua-culture practices and provide an underlying scientific platform for research scientists working with the zebrafish as a model organism providing insight into human medicine. It’s an honor to be a part of the project.” Assistant professor Dr. Shawn E. Nordell is literally rewriting the book on the in-troduction to biology. “Historically, freshman biology courses are content based,” said Nordell, course coordinator. “The professor presents the information; the student memorizes it and gives it back. This process does absolutely nothing to build critical thinking skills, and we decided to change that.” Nordell has spent the last three years reworking the depart-ment’s two introductory classes. The most significant change is that students begin research projects and learn about scientific design and analysis during their first weeks of class. In the past, students did not tackle this content until later in their academic careers, if at all. “Science is a process we use to find out about the world around us, from a molecular level, a cellular level, a genetic level, and an organismal or ecological level. Our goal is to make sure our students come out with a full appreciation of that pro-cess and engage in and understand science. The sooner they start doing this in the lab the better.” Nordell and her colleagues have rewritten the introductory labs, transforming them from cookbook experiments in which students follow recipes to interactive, self-directed labs. A par-ticularly popular one is a developmental biology lab where stu-dents study environmental impacts on zebrafish embryos over a four-day period. “For some students this meant coming in over the weekend to visit their fish. We worried there would be grumbling, but we haven’t had one complaint. In fact, it’s been just the opposite. Students love it.” Nordell and her colleagues also reworked the introductory courses to take advantage of two of the best biodiversity labs in the world — the St. Louis Zoo and the Missouri Botanical Garden. “You can say, ‘Here’s some stuff in jars, and here are some slides,’ or you can show students the diversity of life and talk about conservation where it’s really happening.” In addition, Nordell is one of the first in the country to de-velop training courses for biology teaching assistants. Working with SLU’s Center for Teaching Excellence, teaching assistants are trained to facilitate learning rather than direct it. 16 U N I V E R S I TA S w w w. s l u . e d u U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6 17 a f i s h t a l e t a k e t h e s t i n g o u t o f i t a c l a s s b y i t s e l f Mayden Fortier Nordell 18 U N I V E R S I TA S w w w. s l u . e d u U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6 19 For a man who says he doesn’t know one end of the hammer from the other, P. Scott Hummel (Grad SW ’88) is prone to construction metaphors. “When we’re born, each of us is encoded with a blueprint that lays out who we could be,” he said. “During our formative years, we’re building a foundation based upon that blueprint. If those years are full of anger and pain, the foundation is weak. Building on top of that guarantees you’ll have problems later on. “We give children the chance to build their foundations strong so they can support the most positive lives possible.” Early intervention is the cornerstone of Our Little Haven, an organization founded 14 years ago by Hummel and his wife, Kathleen Hum-mel (Grad SW ’88), as a healing environment for children and their families. Although the organization offers several therapeutic programs today, the Hummels began with a single notion: to create a home for children — birth to age 7 — abandoned or removed from their homes by the judicial system for a variety of reasons. Some of the children have special medi-cal needs, possibly due to lack of prenatal care. Others have profound developmental delays, perhaps from prenatal drug exposure. Some were severely physically and/or sexually abused. “We provide a safe haven for abused and wounded children while our treatment team works on a permanent solution,” Scott said. “These are kids who are hurting. They’re angry and destructive as a result of what they’ve been through. Our doors are open to the children no one else wants. We’re often their last hope.” Kathleen (left) and Scott Hummel seated on Our Little Haven’s front porch, greeting residents of the home. For more than a decade, SLU alumni have been opening their hearts and a home to abused and neglected children. – By Marie Dilg photos by Steve Dolan enting skills/nurturing classes for parents at risk of losing their children, as well as in-home and case management services for families as risk. “We like to think of it as preventive medicine,” Scott said. And, in fall 2005, the agency opened Our Little Academy, a thera-peutic preschool. “We’re taking the early intervention model and applying it in non-tradi-tional settings,” Scott said. “By doing so we’ve been able to reach hundreds of children who otherwise would not have felt the Our Little Haven touch.” The Hummels, who were only in their 20s when they opened Our Little Haven, have received accolades and awards for their advocacy on be-half of children. They received the Heroes Award presented by the AIDS Foundation of St. Louis, the Community Service Award from Commerce Bank and the William T. Kemper Foundation and the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Advocacy Award. The Hummels received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree at SLU’s 2004 commencement. In 2005, Traditional Home magazine named Kathleen as one of the nation’s six “Classic Women” for her exemplary philanthropic life. Also in 2005, the Hummels received the Jack and Julie Lally Distinguished Alumni Merit Award from SLU’s School of Social Work. “They’re the first couple to win this award, and it seemed so ap-propriate,” said Dr. Susan C. Tebb, professor and director of the School of Social Work. “Scott and Kathleen’s partnership is what makes Our Little Haven a success. They opened their doors to HIV-infected babies at a time when others were too fearful to touch them, and their outreach continues to positively affect so many lives. They exemplify what our graduates can and are doing to meet the needs in our city.” For more information about Our Little Haven, go to ourlittlehaven.org. SCOTT: I remember sitting through Dr. (John J.) Stretch’s “Budgeting, Planning and Programming” class thinking, “I’ll never use this stuff.” Then we get this idea to start Our Little Haven, and I was like, “Hey, we need to budget, plan and program.” I can’t tell you how many times we’ve called Dr. Stretch and many of our professors at SLU to get their advice. Dr. (John) Goeke’s daughter was our first nurse, and Dr. (William) Brennan’s daughter worked here, too. Several of our professors had daughters who worked here, and we love our volunteers and practicum students from SLU. KATHLEEN: When we brought our idea to our friends at SLU, their encouragement was entirely genuine. We didn’t ask them for specific funding. We didn’t even know what we were asking for, but what we got was this spirit of, “Let’s go!” S: Both Kathleen and I went to Rockhurst University for our undergraduate degrees, and Father (Robert F.) Weiss, the president there, introduced us to Father (Lawrence) Biondi. That really opened doors. We were meeting with people we had no business meeting with, and it was strictly because SLU and Rockhurst were calling them. K: It proved to be more valuable then a check. S: They gave us this sphere of influence, this ball of good people. Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation gave us our first grant. We didn’t even apply for it. The president of the foundation called us and said he heard about us through the grapevine. K: We still call SLU when we need help. S: We’re trying to get accreditation for one of our programs, and we called SLU just the other day to see if any faculty member would be interested in being a consultant. They never say no. It’s a wonderful relationship. 20 U N I V E R S I TA S w w w. s l u . e d u U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6 21 Frustration Leads to Inspiration ONE TO GROW ON Kathleen: I think trust is the most important thing we give our children. SCOTT: Security. K: As infants, we learn how to trust. When an infant is hungry, we feed them — every single time. That builds trust. Some of our newer children hide food because they came out of environments where food wasn’t a given; three meals a day didn’t happen. We give them plenty to eat. That builds trust. If one of our 3-year-olds destroys a television set in a fit of anger, which has happened, they need to trust that we’re not going to beat them. S: Our kids learn to trust that the person examining them is not going to hurt them. K: Some of the kids are so fearful and so full of distrust it can take a while to reach them, but we do. SCOTT: If God’s not in the picture, you’re not going to help anybody. The state system is based on finances, and when finances get cut, the first things to go are the little ones and the older people. When that happens, you lose a generation — an entire generation just like that. Ten years from now when that 4-year-old turns 14 and is burning down your house, don’t ask what happened to little Johnny. You know what happened to little Johnny. Some things you just have to give up to God. You just work on the child in front of you. One of the main things we learned at SLU and Rockhurst was to look at the whole person and focus on the spiritual side of things. KATHLEEN: We don’t dare think we’re bringing God to this situation. These kids are here because they’re bringing God to us. S: It may sound ridiculous, but we’ve been living on that for many years. SCOTT: You want to get attached. These kids need that attachment. Of course, there are professional boundaries to maintain, but there’s nothing wrong with crying when one of our kids graduates from preschool or leaves the home. It’s a big deal. KATHLEEN: If you don’t have that attachment, there wouldn’t be trust. It validates the child. They need to know we’re happy for them or we’re going to miss them and they mean something to us. We’ve had several staff members and volunteers adopt children from Our Little Haven because they developed an attachment. After graduating from Saint Louis University in 1988, Kathleen got a job working with sexually abused teens at Evangelical Children’s Home in St. Lou-is while Scott helped homeless families through the American Red Cross in East St. Louis, Ill. Over dinner they discussed their days. “I had children on my caseload who were 10 or 11 years old working on issues that began way before they reached that age,” Kathleen said. “Scott and I would talk about the cycle of abuse and neglect, and how frustrating it was trying to repair damage done during those lost years. Our conversations always ended with one of us saying, ‘If only we could have gotten to this child sooner.’” Unable to find programs that offered help to children before the age of 7, the Hummels decided to create Our Little Haven for chil-dren waiting while the child welfare system decided to either reunite them with family or place them with foster or pre-adoptive parents. With seed money from major corporations and the support of family and friends, the Hummels purchased and rehabbed a three-sto-ry building on Lindell Boulevard, just three blocks west of the Saint Louis University campus, with enough beds to sleep 12 children. “I remember the night we took in our first child,” Scott said. “Sam was this tiny, drug-exposed baby. Everyone was so excited we were there to help. Our friends showed up. The board of directors showed up. Then they all left. I was a little numb. I looked down at Sam and said, ‘OK. Now what do we do?’” What they did was put more than a roof over Sam’s head. Using a faith-based, team approach, each child is given an indi-vidualized treatment plan that covers his or her medical, social, emo-tional and physical needs. Every milestone is documented, from first steps to first lost tooth. Every birthday is celebrated, and every achieve-ment applauded. Someone waits on the porch to greet the school-aged children when they get off the bus, and volunteers help the children with their homework. Every child is tucked in at night. Basically, the children get whatever it takes to make them “fat and happy.” “We see these kids as our kids,” said Kathleen, who has three children of her own. “There is nothing about us that says ‘insti-tution.’ Our community of supporters has created a warm, homey environment where children can finally find safety and peace.” Once a child leaves Our Little Haven, the agency offers a five-year follow-up program. Half of the more than 700 children who have lived at the home since 1993 have participated in the program. According to the organization, more than 90 percent of those chil-dren are living in “positive, stable environments.” While residential care is still a vital part of Our Little Ha-ven’s mission, the organization has expanded significantly in size and scope. In 1993, Our Little Haven had one building, three em-ployees, 300 volunteers, an operating budget of $50,000. Today, the organization has four buildings, 40 staff members, more than 350 volunteers and an operating budget of $2 million. The residential facility has enough space for 20 children and provides care for ap-proximately 125 children a year. The average stay is eight months. The organization also has added several new programs to meet the needs of children and families. Staff members are licensed to train fos-ter parents and people looking to adopt. Our Little Haven offers par- On SLU’s Influence On Trust On Faith On Get ting At tached Below: Charles Cogshell (PS ’96), coordinator of residential services, visits with home resident. 22 U N I V E R S I TA S w w w. s l u . e d u U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6 23 ’34Georganne L. Conrad (Nurs) lives in Colum-bia, Ill., and enjoys reading, playing cards and spending time with family. Cyril Echele (A&S ’34, Grad ’62) is 95 and lives in St. Charles, Mo. He taught philosophy and history at Catholic colleges and was active in the Catholic Worker movement. ’35Willard Staley (Parks) lives in Plano, Texas. He retired from General Dynamics in 1972 as chief of quality control for the lightweight fighter pro-gram- F16 Fighter aircraft. He enjoys fishing, traveling and gardening. ’40Walter O. Novelly (A&S) is retired and lives on Lake Conroe in Mont-gomery, Texas. ’42Dr. George J. Schejbal (A&S ’42, Med ’45) re-tired at age 75 and has been married to Claire Barron Schejbal (Nurs ’45) for 60 years. George was chief of the outpatient department at the Veterans Hospital in Lyons, N.J., and then spent 30 years in general prac-tice. They live in Califon, N.J., and their two sons are both SLU alumni. ’45Dr. Edward H. Baker (Med) and his wife, Jane, live in Borrego Springs, Calif., and have three children and six grandchildren. He enjoys golf, travel-ing and games. Dr. Albert J. Ceravolo (Med) lives in Grosse Pointe, Mich., with his wife, Norma. They have six children and nine grandchildren. He is Rotary Club president. Dr. George N. Corti (Med) is still in active practice in Milwaukie, Ore. He enjoys family, gardening, clamming and crabbing in the Pacific Ocean. He and his wife, Marie Carita, have four children and three grandchildren. Dr. Henry Drake (Med) and his wife, Ruth, live in Toledo, Ohio, and have six children and 17 grandchildren. Dr. William A. Fitzpatrick (Med) has six children and 17 grandchildren. He and his wife, Marion, live in Danville, Calif. Inge Hynes (Grad SW) is a group ther-apist with the Wellness Community of Greater St. Louis. Dr. John W. Marchildon (Med) is re-tired from forensic psychiatry and cor-rectional work. He lives in Raymond, Ariz., has two children, travels and collects coins and postcards. Dr. Richard L. Miller (Med) lives in Naples, Fla., and has five children. He enjoys golf, reading and tennis. Dr. John Richard Mullins (Med) lives in Seattle with his wife, Virginia. He has two children and enjoys traveling, fishing and sailing. Dr. Edward O’Shaughnessy (Med) was a U.S. Army flight surgeon and com-manded a station hospital in Vietnam. He then specialized in spinal cord re-habilitation at the University of Wash-ington. He now is retired in Honolulu. He and his wife, Virginia, had four children, and have nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He en-joys traveling and lawn bowling. Dr. William J. Stapleton (Med) is re-tired after a career in anesthesiology and lives in Seattle. He’s been married to Marcella “Shorty” (Penzenstadler) Stapleton (Doisy ’46) for 58 years, and they have eight children. He enjoys spending time with his grandchildren, playing golf, reading and traveling. ’46Dr. Maurice A. Siegel (Dent) lives in Cranston, R.I., and was on the den-tal staff of the Miriam Hospital and Joseph Samuels Clinic of the Rhode Island Hospital. He had a practice for 50 years. He and his wife, Jean, have four children and six grandchildren. ’47Dr. Rudolph M. Jarvi (Med) is a retired pediatrician liv-ing in Saginaw, Mich. Frank L. Kovarick (Parks) fully retired at age 78. He lives in his hometown of Stroudsburg, Pa. ’48Peggy Johnston Crump (A&S) is a retired special education teacher, serves on the development board of St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, Ill., and chairs their “Healthy Beginnings” program. ’49James Williams (Cook) and his wife, Betty, have celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary. They live in Ocala, Fla. ’50Dr. Matthias Backer (Med) is a staff consultant at Naval Medial Center in San Diego and part-time faculty at SLU, where he is professor and chair-man emeritus of the department of obstetrics and gynecology. He and his wife, Georgia, have homes in St. Louis and San Diego. He has 13 children. Cleon L. Burt (Law) is “of counsel” with Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin in St. Louis. Dr. Frank Clarke (Med) lives in Wood-lake, Calif., with his wife, Pearl. He has six children. He was a founding member of the Association of Ameri-can Physicians and served as the orga-nization’s third president. Dr. Robert J. Fleming (Med) has 10 chil-dren and lives in St. Charles, Mo., with his wife, Genevieve. He is retired. Dr. Sylvester Flotte (Med) has three children and lives in St. Louis his wife, Patricia. Dr. Edward P. Flynn (Med) has five children and lives in St. Louis with his wife, Edna Flynn (Nurs ’52). Dr. Paul M. Fumich (Med) is retired and lives in Rocky River, Ohio, with his wife, Alice. He has six children. Dr. Cesar A. Gomez (Med) lives in Chesterfield, Mo. He is married to Ma-rie and has five children. He was presi-dent of the medical staff at Missouri Baptist Medical Center and pioneered bariatric surgery for morbid obesity. Dr. Edward M. Johnson (Med) lives in Dauphin Island, Ala., with his wife, Eileen. They have four children. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. George J. Kovacich (Parks) is retired from aviation and splits the year be-tween living in St. Louis and Phoenix. Dr. Henry L. Malench (Med) lives in Edwardsville, Ill., with his wife, Shir-ley. He has five children. Dr. James D. Michael (Dent) retired in 1999. He has three children, five grand-children and has been married to Edna for 59 years. He lives in Ithaca, N.Y. Dr. Richard J. Schneider (Med) lives in Greenbrae, Calif. He has five children. Dr. Joseph R. Stevens (Med) is retired and lives in Sylvania, Ohio, with his wife Marion. They have seven children. He was chief of staff of Mercy Hospi-tal and has gone on six medial mission trips to the Dominican Republic. Wallace Wannlund (Parks) lives in Hemet, Calif. He enjoys golfing. He reports that Parks prepared him for a successful career in aerospace. Dr. Russell L. Welsh (Med) lives in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla., and has seven children and 13 grandchildren. He was chief of staff at Bert Fish Med-ical Center and received the Volusia County Medical Service Alliance Ser-vice Award in 1994. ’51Bette J. Miller (Nurs) is a volunteer at Adams Me-morial Hospital, St. Vin-cent de Paul Next-to-New Store and Adams County Community Founda-tion in Decatur, Ind. ’52Dr. Joseph P. Connolly (Med) is a retired from teaching at the Univer-sity of Minnesota-Minneapolis Medi-cal School. He is married to Louise M. (Boyle) Connolly (Nurs ’49), and they have five children and eight grand-children. They both are active church and civic volunteers. William J. Novick (Law) maintained a law office for more than 50 years in Marion, Ill. John Simanella (A&S) lives in Cleve-land with his wife, Shirley. He teaches bowling at Cuyahoga County Col-lege and was elected to the Ohio State Bowling Hall of Fame. Lawrence Sumner (A&S ’52, Law ’54) practices law in St. Louis, where he lives with his wife, Marilyn. They re-cently visited with Nicholas Piccione (Cook) and his wife, Joan, in Naples, Fla. Nick is a retired vice president of New York Life Insurance and lives in Grosse Pointe, Mich. ’53James J. Amelung (Law) is “of counsel” at Am-elung Wulff and Wil-lenbrock in St. Louis. He is enjoying retirement with his wife of 55 years, Olive, and their six children, 11 grandchildren and two great-grand-children. Dr. Richard J. Menke (Med) is a retired after 35 years as an orthopedic surgeon. He lives in New Richmond, Ohio. Dr. Richard Strassburger (Med) prac-ticed neurosurgery in Milwaukee for 32 years and now is retired. ’54Callista Basta (Grad SW) is retired as direc-tor of the social work department at Noyes Memorial Hos-pital in Dansville, N.Y. She is active on advisory committees and coordi-nates a local food pantry. Dorothy A. Koziatek (Nurs ’54, Grad Nurs ’68) is retired and lives in Mary-land Heights, Mo. Dr. Leo T. Neu Jr. (Med) is retired and lives in Springfield, Mo. ’55Robert H. LaBarge (Cook) is retired and has four children and nine grandchildren. He lives in St. Louis. Dr. C. John Stechschulte (Med) was inducted into the Lima (Ohio) Cen-tral Catholic High School Hall of Fame for Professional Achievement. ’56Joanne M. Daniels (Grad Nurs) is the co-author of the fifth edition of Clin-ical Calculations a Unified Approach. She lies in Hornell, N.Y. Dr. William Mullin (A&S) is a profes-sor emeritus of physics at the Univer-sity of Massachusetts in Amherst. ’57James Grumich (A&S) is retired after 43 years of teaching English and drama in St. Louis archdiocesan high schools Corpus Christi, Mercy and Aquinas Mercy. ’59Dr. Mary P. Edgington (Grad ’59, ’61) is retired from Wichita State Uni-versity’s computer science department. She volunteers and teaches math to ac-celerated seventh and eighth graders. Dr. Leo J. Fleckenstein (Dent) is the volunteer dental director for the Eb-enezer Outreach Dental Clinic in Huntington, W.Va. Eugene Rossel (IT) is a vice president of marketing and government con-tracts at Unitek Technology Inc. in Ontario, Calif. Dr. Robert L. Westerheide (Med) is a retired general surgeon and oncologist. He lives in Mount Vernon, Ohio. ’60Paul F. Bocklage (Cook) works at Bocklage & Associates as a real es-tate appraiser and broker. He lives in Washington, Mo. J. Pat Britt (Cook ’60, Grad Cook ’69) is retired after 30 years in the life insurance business. He lives in St. Louis and volunteers for several local children’s charities and for St. Gerard Majella Parish. He plays golf and ran in his 34th marathon in April 2005. Dr. Vincent E. Eilers (Med) has five chil-dren and lives in Stillwater, Minn., with his wife, Carol. He is chief of staff at Midway Hospital in St. Paul, Minn. Dr. Roger Ewald (Med) is a weekly volunteer ophthalmologist at Frances Nelson Health Center in Champaign, Ill. He lives in Monticello, Ill., with his wife, Edy, and has five sons. Dr. William M. Forgarty (Med) lives in St. Louis with his wife, Joanne. They have five children. He volunteers with La Clinica and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Milton T. Fujita (Med) is a child psychiatrist. He and his wife, Virginia, have five children and live in St. Louis. Carmel R. Gioglio (Nurs) is a part-time administrative supervisor with Abrazo Health Care in Phoenix. Dr. Andrew J. Gregowicz (Med) lives in Belleville, Ill., with his wife, Virginia. He has four children. Dr. James L. Grisez (Med) is a plastic, reconstructive and hand surgeon liv-ing in Arroyo Grande, Calif., with his wife, Diane. He has four children. Jane Hassett, C.S.J. (Grad ’60, ’67) is a part-time institutional archivist at Fontbonne University in St. Louis. Dr. Paul A. Holdener (Med) is retired and lives in Belleville, Ill., with his wife, Loretta. They have five children. Carol Iverson (Nurs) has retired as a state school nurse consultant in Ne-braska. She lives in Omaha. The way his life turned out was a coin toss, ad-mits Dr. Gus Sotiropoulos (Dent ’50, Grad ’52). The path not taken would have made more sense: taking a job as a busboy and moving through the ranks at the restaurant that his father owned in his hometown of Springfield, Ill. As a high-schooler with a penchant for roman-tic poetry — he still writes almost a poem a day — Sotiropoulos spent the last gasps of his teenage years stationed in the South Pacific during World War II and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. By the time he came back to America, his brother, Dr. Peter Sotiropoulos (Dent ’48, Grad ’50), had opened an orthodontics practice in Bel-leville, Ill., and wanted nothing more than for Gus to join him. “It was a whirlwind,” says Sotiropoulos, now 80. “I hadn’t thought the first thing about being (an orthodontist). But I thought, ‘Let’s give it a chance.’ I haven’t looked back since then.” After receiving his doctorate of dental surgery at Saint Louis University and his master’s in or-thodontics two years later, Soti-ropoulos became known as Dr. Gus — and arguably one of the most beloved faculty members in SLU history. Now the clinical director of SLU’s world-re-nowned Center for Advanced Dental Education, Dr. Gus has dedicated the last half of a century to fixing more than just crooked teeth. “There isn’t anything more satisfying than building up a child’s self-esteem and making them smile,” he says. He says in the more than 50 years since he’s been an orthodontist, parents have made straight teeth for their children more of a priority. But there will always be children whose families must choose between putting food on the table and visits to the orthodontist. With pride flickering in his eyes, Dr. Gus tells of some of the countless kids whom he treated for free with brother Peter, execu-tive director of CADE from1996-98 and clinical professor emeritus, at their practice until 2001. That generosity extended to kids with cleft pal-ates, a cause close to Dr. Gus’ heart. In 1956, he joined the newly created cleft palate program at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Cen-ter and has been an active participant since. “From day one, they’re under the hot light of a team of specialists: speech pathologists, social workers, audiologists, surgeons,” he says. “They just want to be normal. They look so snazzy when we’re done, and it warms my heart to see them smile genuinely for the first time.” Since he began teaching, he’s filled up bookshelves with glittery trinkets from all corners of the earth, gifts from students and pa-tients trying to express their grati-tude for changing their lives. With wife Jane, who passed away in 2001, and children Rich-ard and Lisa by his side — along with five “wild as hell” grandkids — Dr. Gus has enjoyed the sort of existence he used to write sonnets about in high school. But does he ever think about scaling back his workload? “Retire? I just quit having pimples two years ago,” he jokes. Dr. Gus says he thinks he’d have that same attitude no matter where his life would have taken him. “If I had ended up working for the restaurant, I would have worked my tail off,” he says. “But I don’t know of any profession that can be more satisfying than orthodontics. When you love what you’re doing, you never work a day in your life.” – Rachel Otto Dr. Gus Sotiropoulos photo by Kevin Lowder Dr. Thomas N. Markham (Med) is a consultant with Markham Occupa-tional Health Services living in Bay Village, Ohio, with his wife, Barbara. They have three children. Anne Montfort (A&S) owns a tax con-sulting business in Cheshire, Conn. Dr. Richard A. Plessala (Med) is presi-dent of American Medical Resources Inc. in Houston. He has five children and lives in Sugar Land, Texas, with his wife, Jody. Marcia Pratte (Nurs) is an advanced practice nurse certified in adult psy-chiatric nursing in Haverhill, Mass. Dr. Morris A. Richardson (Med) is re-tired and lives in Muldrow, Okla. He has four children. Dr. Charles T. Smallwoood Jr. (Med) is retired and lives in South Easton, Mass., with his wife, Mary. They have two children. He was the Plymouth County Physician of the Year in 2002. Dr. J. Allen Thiel (Med) lives in St. Louis and is a physician with St. Louis Allergy Consultants. He and his wife, Marjorie, have two children. Dr. Henry N. Wellman (Med) is retired and lives in Indianapolis with his wife, Evelyn. They have six children. ’61James R. Francoeur (IT) lives in Nowalk, Conn., with his wife, Claudia. He enjoys spending time with their two grandchildren. Colleen C. Hensel (A&S) is a retired teacher and is active in historical pres-ervation and civic groups in the Bel-leville/ Millstadt, Ill., area. Ann Mahoney Huntsman (Nurs) is the director of education at the Regional Medical Center of San Jose, Calif. Karl Jordan (A&S) is a retired teacher living in Pekin, Ill. Barbara Maynard (Nurs) is a school nurse in Marion, Ohio. Betty J. Price (A&S) is retired and lives in Southfield, Mich. She enjoys travel-ing, reading and following sports. ’62Dr. Jerome Deck (Med) is retired from internal medicine. He lives in Santa Cruz, Calif. William Kamper (A&S) is the director of marketing for BT Fuze Products and is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel. He lives in York, Pa. Barbara (Kuehne) Madaras (A&S) lives in Eureka, Calif., where she writes and consults. Charles R. Robinson (A&S) is the direc-tor of federal government marketing for Quanteq Inc. He lives in Fenton, Mo. Dr. Algiman Shimkunas (A&S ’62, Grad ’64, ’67) is associate director of operations for the Central New York Psychiatric Center of the New York State Office of Mental Health, su-pervising treatment programs in four maximum-security state prisons. Janet Strong (A&S) is retired, lives in McCleary, Wash., and is active in a lo-cal land trust, Audubon chapter and river council. She enjoys gardening, hiking, dancing, traveling and spend-ing time with her grandchildren. ’63Eileen Brady (Grad) works with the Mary-knoll Group in Aileu, East Timor, and is editing and trans-lating a book on child development for trainers and parents there. She also speaks to groups about mental health. Michael Eisenmenger (Parks) is an en-gineering manager at Vishay Electron-ics. He lives in Yankston, S.D. Mary Patricia Rives, R.S.C.J. (Pub Ser) is a full-time nurse at Villa Duchesne/ Oak Hill School in St. Louis. ’64Sr. Marian Attig (Grad) is retired and lives at Sis-ters of the Good Shep-herd- Immaculate Heart Convent in St. Louis. James Eickhorst (IT) lives in Hunts-ville, Ala., and works for the U.S. Army on the Kiowa Warrior Helicop-ter Program. Chris Fleagle (Nurs) has worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner in St. Lou-is for 34 years. Dr. Howard Kainz (Grad) is retired from 35 years of teaching at Marquette Uni-versity in Milwaukee. He gave the 2006 annual Aquinas Lecture on Feb. 26. Dr. Kenneth R. Lisi (Med) is a partner with a cardiology group in southern Con-necticut. He lives in Trumbull, Conn. Betty Pfaff (Grad) is retired as the the-ater director at Parkway Central High School after 28 years. She received the Maryville University School of Educa-tion’s “Dean’s Award” for excellence. ’65Judith Murphy (A&S) is retired and lives in Sac-ramento, Calif. Judith M. Porrata-Doria (SW) is retired after working more than 30 years for the Department of Social Service in Puerto Rico. She lives in San Juan, P.R. ’66John Hummel (IT ’66, ‘68) retired from Shell Oil Co. in May 2005 and lives with his wife, Donna, in Metairie, La. Raymond Kubiak (Parks) is a locomo-tive inspector for the National Railroad Passenger Corp./Amtrak in Chicago. Franklin H. Kung (Grad Cook) is vice president of investments at Western International Securities Inc. in Walnut Creek, Calif. John L. Lundblad (Parks) is a retired Eastern Air Lines/Airborne Express pilot. He lives in Wilmington, Ohio, and has a seasonal floatplane job in Ketchikan, Alaska. ’67John Boehler (Parks) lives in Sterling Heights, Mich., and is the lead structures engineer in the front-wheel-drive plat-form team at DaimlerChrysler. Dr. Mary Lynn Broe (A&S), a professor in the College of Liberal Arts at the Rochester Institute of Technology and is the institute’s next Caroline Werner Gannett Professor of the Humanities. She also has written several books. Dr. Robert J. Cook (Grad) was appointed by the Illinois governor to the Western Illinois University board of trustees. He is retired after 35 years as professor of education administration there. Nicholas Gasaway (Law) is retired from private practice of law after more than 36 years with the Wegmann Law Firm. He lives on a small family farm in Franklin County, Mo. Anna Mae Gazo (Doisy) is retired from teaching severely disabled students after 30 years. She lives in Gonzlaes, Calif., plans to travel in her RV, build a straw-bale house in New Mexico and quilt. Dr. Robert L. Hasenstab (Grad ’67, ’71) is retired and lives in Milwaukee. He enjoys spending time with his three grandchildren. Dr. Neil Katz (A&S ’67, Grad ’69) was named distinguished visiting professor of conflict resolution practice at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauder-dale, Fla. Ernestine R. McGlynn (Grad) practices law in Ann Arbor, Mich. Christopher Nevins (Parks) is retired from Delta Airlines and lives in Hampton, N.H. He runs a small business and en-joys spending time with his grandchild. Carole A. Purin (Nurs) lives in Sacra-mento, Calif., and is retired as pro-grams director for Healing Journeys. She formerly taught nursing at Sacra-mento City College. Carolyn Schilling, A.S.C. (A&S) works with the Illinois Department of Aging through Community Care Systems Inc. assisting the elderly. She lives in St. Louis. ’68Dr. Virginia Eades (A&S ’68, Grad ’76, ’96) con-tinues to enjoy her coun-seling practice, family and friends. She lives in St. Louis. Dr. Bernadette Gray-Little (Grad ’68, ’70) is executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She previous-ly was dean of UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences. A professor of psychol-ogy, she has earned fellowships from the National Research Council and the Fulbright program. Charlene A. Kogler (Pub Ser) is a re-tired Air Force major and retired speech pathologist. She enjoys travel-ing and relaxing in sunny Las Vegas. Peter Kram (A&S) is on the board of U.S. Tennis Association-Pacific Northwest section and the USTA ex-ecutive committee. He practices law in Tacoma, Wash. Michael Lawler (Parks) is director of contracts for Northrop Grumman In-tegrated Systems, Western Region, in El Segundo, Calif. John Thomas (Parks) retired in De-cember as a captain with American Airlines after 36 years. He is restoring a 1929 Parks P2A biplane and lives in Port Orange, Fla. Dr. John A. Wright (Grad ’68, ’78) is chairman of the Missouri Humani-ties Council. He is a Fulbright scholar, retired school administrator and an adjunct instructor at Fontbonne Uni-versity. He is the author of seven books on St. Louis African-American histo-ry. He and his wife, Sylvia, have three sons and seven grandchildren. ’69Cheryl Bordelon (A&S) has been the principal at Redlands (Calif.) Adult School for 17 years. Patricia Bruening (Nurs) is a nurse at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Neb. She has three daugh-ters, all of whom have or are currently attending SLU. Thomas J. Dix (Parks) is retired from Ford Motor Co. and the U.S. Air Force. He lives in Dover, Del. Dr. Edward A. Funk (Dent) is an asso-ciate professor of general dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. classnotes 24 U N I V E R S I TA S w w w. s l u . e d u U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6 25 Elizabeth Powell Holcomb (Nurs) is an associate professor of nursing at Mur-ray (Ky.) State University. She is on the board of directors of the local free clin-ic and was named Kentucky’s Nurse Practitioner of the Year for 2004. Fr. Gerald McCarthy (Grad SW) is a re-tired Catholic priest in Bisbee, N.D. Dennis Mulligan (Grad Cook) is in commercial real estate — buying, sell-ing and rehabbing shopping centers. He lives in Del Mar, Calif. Dr. Andrew T. Pickens (Med) has a pri-vate psychiatry practice in St. Louis. His son, Andrew IV, graduated from SLU’s School of Medicine in 2005. ’70Dr. Paul Convery (A&S) is chief medical officer for Baylor Health Care System in Dallas. He previously was chief medical officer of SSM Health Care-St. Louis. Barbara Ann Braveman Paster (A&S) is a historic role player, portraying a Russian Jewish immigrant mother at Strawberry Banke Museum in Portsmouth, N.H. She has two grandsons. Margaret Poniewaz (A&S) teaches at St. Norbert School in St. Louis. She received a master’s in computer science from Fontbonne University in May. Dr. Ronald L. Ruecker (Med) was re-elected to the Illinois State Medical Society’s board of trustees. He prac-tices at Internal Medicine Subspecialty Associates Ltd. in Decatur, Ill. Donald Schaan (Grad SW) sold his restaurant and is back doing artwork at his company, The Western Edge, in San Francisco. ’71Catherine M. Cronin (A&S) lives in Ft. Collins, Colo., and is a collection spe-cialist with Norlarco Credit Union. She also is on the finance council and stewardship committee at her parish. Robert P. Duffy (A&S ’71, Law ’76) is an administrative judge for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commis-sion in Atlanta. He also plays tennis and mentors law students and interns. Elvera Johnson (Grad SW) is a social worker at Plaza West Regional Health Center in Topeka, Kan. Mary Klekamp (Nurs) works in the stu-dent health center at the University of Virginia. Marianne Muellerleile (A&S) appears in the film Thank You for Smoking and also was seen in several recent episodes of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody on the Disney Channel Edgar Rodriguez (Parks) lives in Orlan-do, Fla., with his wife, Hedda. He is a quality manager at Transpo Electronics. ’72Dr. William K. Dunn (Grad ’72, ’82) is retired from teaching in the St. Louis Public Schools. He and his wife, Jane, live in St. Louis. Annora Koetting (Grad) is retired from teaching in the St. Louis Public Schools. Jules Miller (A&S ’72, Law ’75) has joined Hall & Foreman Inc. in Irvine, Calif., as general counsel. He lives with his wife, Sheila, in Dana Point, Calif., and enjoys running. Dr. Charles F. Poeschel (Cook) has re-ceived the Greater St. Louis Dental Soci-ety’s Gold Medal Award. A faculty mem-ber at SLU’s Center for Advanced Dental Education, he was president of the Mis-souri Dental Association in 2005. Margaret S. Wehrung (A&S ’72, Grad ’78) is the director of marriage, fam-ily and respect life ministries for the Diocese of Burlington, Vt. ’73Dr. Ravindra Amonker (A&S) is a professor of sociology at Missouri State University in Springfield. Karen Barney (SW) chairs the depart-ment of occupational science and oc-cupational therapy at SLU. Patrick Burke (A&S) is the recording secretary of the Missouri Association of Building Officials and Inspectors and the secretary of St. Margaret’s Credit Union. He lives in St. Louis. Terry Jobin (SW) is director of the fac-ulty/ staff assistance program at Uni-versity of Illinois-Urbana. Rev. Dr. Alfons M. Osiander (Grad) is on the faculty of Christ the King Seminary in East Auzora, N.Y., and is the administrator of two parishes: St. Jude in Sardinia, N.Y., and St. John the Baptist in West Valley, N.Y. ’74Dr. Clare Dunsford (A&S) is an associate dean in the College of Arts and Sci-ences at Boston College. She is writing a book about her experience as the mother of a boy with Fragile X Syndrome. David S. Reiser (Parks) is retired from the FBI and is the manager in charge of Vir-ginia and North Carolina for Guards-mark. He lives in Charlotte, N.C. Gary T. Soule (Law) is a partner at Carter Bauer Soule in St. Louis and is chairman of board of adjustment for the city of Clayton, Mo. ’75Janet Hodel (Doisy) has been a physical therapist for more than 30 years. She and her family are moving to An-chorage, Alaska. William J. Schmidt (Cook ’75, Grad Cook ’77) is the managing director at Momentum in St. Louis. Lisa Van Amburg (Law) is a circuit judge in the City of St. Louis Circuit Court. ’76Dr. Nader Entessar (Grad) is a professor and chair-man of political science and criminal justice at the University of South Alabama. Previously he was at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala. Dr. Thomas C. Flavin (Cook) re-ceived the Greater St. Louis Dental Society’s Award of Merit for his ser-vice to the society. He is board vice president of “Give Kids A Smile” and maintains a private dental prac-tice in South St. Louis. Eugenia Forbeck, S.S.N.D. (Grad) is director of religious education at St. Joseph Parish in Cabot, Pa. She’s been there since returning from Nigeria. Larry L. Hall (Pub Ser) is a retired schoolteacher who now farms the fam-ily homestead in Agra, Kan. Charles Weinfeld (A&S) is president of Weinfeld Development Corp. He lives in Old Tappan, N.J. ’77Deborah F. Callahan (Nurs) is the clinical manager of the kidney-pancreas-medical surgery unit at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. Beverly Dillard (Grad) lives in Bowling Green, Ky., where she is the principal at Warren East Middle School. Ellen Good (Grad SW) moved to Ken-nett Square, Pa., and has joined Rede-signing Retirement, a coaching and consulting firm. ’78Beverly Berry (Nurs) is a community health nurse for the South Dakota De-partment of Health. She covers two ru-ral counties and lives in Kadoka, S.D. Sr. Anne Denise Brennan (Grad ’78, ’86) is the formation/novice director for the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent DePaul of New York. She lives in Yonkers, N.Y. Erwin “Erv” O. Switzer III (A&S ’78, Law ’81) will join the St. Louis law firm Carmody MacDonald as a princi-pal in November. For the past 11 years, he has been special chief counsel in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. ’79Elisa Eilenstine Bick (Grad) lives in St. Louis and is a physical therapist for BJC Homecare. She and her husband, Al, have two children, Renée and Paul. Karen Choate (Law ’79, Grad ’80) wrote a villanelle included in a poetry anthology, Imagine a World: Poetry for Peacemakers, that is a fund-raising ef-fort for Pax Christi USA. She works in Saginaw, Mich. Michael J. Keating (Law) is the assis-tant general counsel for product liabil-ity, acquisitions and development at Emerson Electric Co. in St. Louis Hazel Kirk (SW) is a home health so-cial worker for Delmar Gardens Home Care in St. Louis. Dr. David Meese (Med) is a colon-rec-tal surgeon in Daytona Beach, Fla. He and his wife, Mary Jo, have three chil-dren, Richard, Carolyn and Brad. Donald G. Mueller Jr. (Cook ’79, Law, Pub Hlth ’83) has joined the St. Louis office of Polsinelli Shalton Welte Suelthaus. He has more than 20 years of experience in health law. Edith Schlegel (Nurs) works part time as a nurse at Mercy Hospice and Pal-liative Care. She and her husband live in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. Dr. Marilyn R. Smits (Grad) is retired from the Milwaukee Veterans Admin-istration Medical Center. She now works part-time evaluating veterans for psychiatric problems. Dr. Marlene K. Strader (Nurs ’79, Grad ’81, ’86) received an Innovation in Ed-ucation Award from Courtemanche & Associates Healthcare Synergists. She lives in St. Petersburg, Fla., and is a health care consultant. Previously, she was an associate professor of nursing at SIU-Edwardsville and UM-St. Louis. ’80Maria Lakey Childress (SW ’80, Grad SW ’89) is a social worker with the St. Louis Public Schools’ English Speakers of Other Languages Pro-gram. She is married to Richard Chil-dress (A&S ’76, Law ’81). Pamelia C. Howorth (Cook) is the chief administrative officer of GulfPak Corp.-Financial Solutions Software in Jackson, Miss. Marilyn Petzold (PS) is retired and is active fostering dogs for St. Louis Samoyed Rescue. 26 U N I V E R S I TA S w w w. s l u . e d u U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6 27 classnotes Kathi Vosevich (A&S ’80, Grad ’83) is an award-winning strategist for Sprint Business, with several technical and academic publications. She lives in Colorado Springs, Colo. Patricia Wiesner (Doisy) provides physical therapy services to children from birth to 3 years and consults in Cahokia and Dupo, Ill., schools. She lives in O’Fallon, Ill. ’81Donna Ruzicka Altpeter (A&S ’81, Grad SW ’83) lives in Oshkosh, Wis., and has two children, Andy and Ma-ria. She is a social work teacher and ad-viser at UW-Oshkosh and also is a jazz vocalist working on her third CD. Dr. Arthur Daus (Med) is a staff neuro-surgeon at Freeman Hospital in Joplin, Mo., and his wife, Victoria L. (Schilla) Daus (Nurs ’82), is a nurse educator at Lester Cox Hospital in Springfield, Mo. They have two children, Arthur and Haley. Helen Rosenthal, R.S.C.J. (A&S ’81, Grad ’86) teaches an online program in spirituality studies through St. Thomas University in Miami. ’82Charlene Elliston (Cook) adopted 9-year-old, Lily-an (Lily) Jade, in Febru-ary. They live in Lawrenceville, Ga. Margaret Turk Wallach (Doisy) has five children and is re-entering the physi-cian assistant field after volunteering for her community and church. She lives in Hinsdale, Ill. ’83Dr. Rebeca Bent (Med) is a neonatologist in private practice in Eugene, Ore. Karen Kotner (Law) is retired from the human resources department at MetLife. She lives in St. Louis. Joan Okun (Law) practices civil rights and employment law in Orlando, Fla. Paul Vukelic (Cook) and Amy Vossen Vukelic (A&S) have four children, the oldest attending SLU. Paul is president of Try-it Distributing Co. Inc., and Amy is director of religious education for St. Joseph’s University Catholic Church. They live in Buffalo, N.Y. ’84Mary Honich Butler (Grad SW) is retired from BJC Home Care Services in St. Louis. She enjoys church, grand-children and music. John A. Lally (Cook ’84, Law ’87, Grad Cook ’88) is a member of Rhodes & Lally in St. Louis, where his practice focuses on plaintiffs’ personal injury litigation and workers compensation. Matt Perlow (Law) is a partner with Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin in St. Louis. Patricia Tyler (A&S) has been a re-search associate in the animal and dairy science department at Auburn University for 18 years. Allyson Vogt (Doisy) is a physical ther-apist and lives in Mayfield, Ky. She is on the board of her children’s Catholic elementary school. ’85Dr. David Abbott (Med) lives in Affton, Mo., with his two children and wife, Rita V. Abbott (Nurs ’76). He is with Abbott and Associates in Richmond Heights, Mo. Noreen Davis (Nurs) is the director of quality outcomes management at CMC-Union Hospital and lives with her husband, Donald, and three chil-dren in Matthews, N.C. Dr. David L. Griffith (Med) is a family physician in San Jose, Calif., where he lives with his wife, Jennifer, and four children. Dr. Janice E. Huff (Med) lives in Char-lotte, N.C., with her husband, Dr. Ste-phen Ezzo (Med). Dr. Jeffery S. Kanel (Med) practices with Pediatric Orthopedic Associates of Silicon Valley and lives in Los Ga-tos, Calif., with his wife, Renee. They have two children. Dr. David N. Krojanker (Med) lives in St. Louis with his wife, Daria Redel (Nurs ’84), and their two children. Dr. Jay A. Lednidxy (Med) lives in Kan-sas City, Mo., with his wife, Marlene, and their two children. David Long (Cook) is a principal with Ed-ward Jones’ holding company, the Jones Financial Cos. He lives in Phoenix. Dr. Roberta K. Olson (Pub Ser) is dean of College of Nursing at South Dakota University in Brookings. Dr. Elizabeth Pribor (Med) lives in St. Louis with her husband, Don Emery, and their daughter. Dr. James J. Schneider (Med) lives in Norfolk, Va., with his wife, Dede, and two children. He heads the surgery de-partment at the Naval Medical Center. Dr. Paula Termuhlen (A&S ’85, Med ’89) is an associate professor of surgery and the general surgery residency pro-gram director at Wright State Univer-sity. She lives in Dayton, Ohio, with her husband, Dave, and two children. ’86Dr. Steve Brock (A&S) received a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Nebraska. He is supervisor of international languages for the Omaha Public Schools and serves on several regional and national boards. Kathleen Downes Fotouhi (Cook) is a homemaker with two sons. She is married to Farid Fotouhi (A&S ’88), who works in information systems at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. They live in Kirkwood, Mo. ’87Dr. William O’Neil Jr. (Med) is a plastic sur-geon and hand surgeon with Bluegrass Orthopaedics in Lex-ington, Ky. Bart Sullivan (Law) is a new partner at Fox Galvin in St. Louis. ’88Richard Born (Cook) is the CEO of Quality Health Solutions and Critical Care Solutions in Wisconsin. Steven Jatho (Parks) is a Boeing 737 first officer for Alaska Airlines. He lives in Vancouver, Wash., with his wife, Gina, and three daughters. ’89Dr. John Haffner (Med) is the medical director of the pediatric intensive care unit at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, Fla. ’90Teryl Franklin (A&S) is city editor of the Wis-consin State Journal in Madison, Wis. She and her husband, Brian Mattmiller, and children, Claire and Anna, live in Oregon, Wis. Greg Reis (Doisy) owns Advance Physical Therapy in Quincy, Ill., and coaches varsity soccer at Quincy Notre Dame High School. Jan Shettle (Grad Cook) is a medical center representative for Glaxo Smith Kline Inc. in Baltimore, calling on Johns Hopkins University. ’91Spencer P. Desai (Law) is a shareholder with Capes, Sokol, Goodman & Sarachan of Clayton, Mo. He is the president of the board of directors of the University City Children’s Center and is a legal adviser to the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation. Anne (Brady) Feise (A&S), her hus-band, Chuck, and son, Jack, welcomed a second son, William August, in Au-gust. They live in St. Louis. Dr. Renee Colclough Hinson (Grad ’91, ’94) is a psychologist in private practice in Winston Salem, N.C., and the executive director of a non-profit organization devoted to build-ing relationships. She and her hus-band, Chuck, have two children, Olivia and Chase. Dr. Jeff Jordan (Grad) is an orthodon-tist and has four daughters. He lives in Atlanta. Leticia Steffen (A&S) is one of 20 journalism educators selected from across the nation to participate in the 2006 Institute for Journalism Excel-lence, sponsored by the American So-ciety of Newspaper Editors. She is an assistant professor at Colorado State University-Pueblo. ’92Kirk Bumber (Parks) and his wife, Melinda, welcomed their first child, Haley, in September 2004. Kirk is a manufacturing engineer at Unison Industries in Rockford, Ill. They are expecting their second child this summer. Dr. Gordon James (Med) is practicing nephrology at Renal Care Associates in Peoria, Ill. ’93Mary Gilbert (Nurs ’93, Grad Nurs ’95) is a senior clinical research associate at Novartis Pharmaceuticals. She lives in St. Louis Albert Meyer (Cook) is an embedded software engineer on the F/A 22 Pro-gram for Lockheed Martin. He and his wife, Esmeralda, welcomed their first child, Charlie Meyer, on Oct. 20. They live in Marietta, Ga. ’94John Nozka (Parks) works for Boeing Training Systems on the F-15K program, and his wife, Jenni (Kres-sin) Nozka (Parks ’93, Grad ’98), left Boeing Training Systems a few years ago to stay home and raise their twins. They live in Chester-field, Mo. Dr. Jill Prenger (Doisy) received a doctor-ate in physical therapy from Boston Uni-versity in January. She practices at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, Mo. ’95Dr. Robert T Dunn II (Grad) is a principal sci-entist for Amgen Inc. in southern California. He is part of the investigative toxicology group. He re-cently ran the Los Angeles marathon sporting SLU colors. ’96Gina Brickley Beredo (A&S), her husband, Cipriano, and daughter, Sophia, welcomed baby Ava in August 2005. Gina is an attorney at Baker & Hostetler in Cleveland. Karen Berg (A&S) is a district manager for Aegis Therapies and welcomed her daughter, Annah Victoria, in August. She lives in Bettendorf, Iowa. Bill Brasser (Cook), Erin (Carter) Brasser (Nurs) and daughter Cait-lin welcomed baby Emily Estelle on March 18. They live in Webster Groves, Mo. Bill is a founder of Cap-tiva Marketing, and Erin is a stay-at-home mom. Amelia “Amy” George (A&S) mar-ried Jeff Rush (Grad Cook ’02) in July 2005. They live in Webster Groves, Mo. Amy is a research fel-low with SLU’s department of com-munication, and Jeff is a mechanical engineer/project manager for Icon Mechanical. Kevin Gunn (Law) and Amy (Collignon) Gunn (Law) welcomed their second child, Nathan Carroll, in November. They live in St. Louis. Kimberly (McNeely) Murdzek (Nurs) and Michael Murdzek (Parks) wel-comed their first child, Gabriel Robert, Jan. 1. They live in Hunts-ville, Ala., where Michael is in the U.S. Army’s Aviation Engineering Directorate. Kimberly has taken time off from her family practice job to raise Gabriel. Marjorie Oliver (Nurs) received her CCRN certification last year and has moved to Peoria, Ill., with her hus-band, Mike, and three children, Cath-erine, Thomas and Meredith. Karyn Ann Thull (Doisy ’96, ’98) was a physical therapist for the Nordic ski-ers on the U.S. Olympic team at the Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. She works at the Howard Head Clinic in Keystone, Colo. Christy Maier Werner (Doisy), her hus-band, Joe, and daughter, Lauren, have welcomed baby Joseph Eli. They live in Louisville, Ky. ’97Megan R. Flaskamper (Law) has joined the St. Louis office of Polsinelli Shalton Welte Suelthaus in the firm’s health care law group. Glenna A. Schindler (Pub Hlth) is a risk management consultant for the Healthcare Services Group. She lives in Jefferson City, Mo. ’98Angela McClendon (SW) is a nephrology social worker with DaVita Di-alysis Center in Atlanta. ’99Louis Chang (Law) is on the compliance staff of the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Home-land Security. He lives in Houston with his wife and two children. Shawn Cullen (A&S ’99, Med ’03) is the chief resident in emergency medicine at OSF St. Francis in Peoria, Ill., and also is a captain in the U.S. Air Force. Dr. Lillian Curtis (Grad) is an assistant professor at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo. Michael E. Donelson (Law) is a senior attorney with Fox Galvin in St. Louis. He practices civil litigation. Dr. Bonnie Gelly (A&S ’99, Med ’03) is a physician resident in obstetrics and gynecology at SLU/St. Mary’s Health Center. Courtney (Jones) Graf (Pub Ser) and her husband, Jason, welcomed their first child, Jack Michael, in November. They live in Dunlap, Ill. Dr. Lori Roberts (A&S ’99, Med ’03) fin-ishes her pediatric residency at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in June. In July, she starts with Bard & Didriksen Pediatrics in Edwardsville, Ill. ’00David Brotherton (A&S ’00, PS ’02) is the general manager of Global Gran-ite & Marble’s Nixa, Mo., facility. Angela Green (Doisy ’00, ’02) lives in Chandler, Ariz., with her husband, Hugh, and sons, Frankie and Patrick. She is a part-time physical therapist. Suzanne (Holden) Greenwalt (Doisy ’00, ’02) is a physical therapist in Nashville, Tenn. She is married to Lance Greenwalt (Cook ’01), a finan-cial controller for the Smurfit-Stone Corp. They have one child, Jackson Lee, born July 24, 2005. Megan McCluskey (A&S) married Emiliano Gottig on Jan. 28. They live in New York City. Jay B. Nastav (A&S ’00, Grad ’03) is a student at A.T. Still University, Kirks-ville (Mo.) College of Osteopathic Medicine, graduating in 2008. Patrick Powers (A&S) married Kelli Hauser in September and is a writer/edi-tor for Webster University in St. Louis. Kelly (Wood) Woodard (Doisy), her husband, Tim, and daughter, Sarah Addison, welcomed baby Andrew Quinn Feb. 26. Kelly is taking a few years off from her occupational thera-py career to focus on her children. ’01Charles “Chuck” Galli (Cook) wed Corrine Moore this summer at St. Francis Xavier College Church. They live in Webster Groves, Mo. Tiffany Greer (SW ’01, Grad SW ’03) got married in May. She lives in the Sacramento, Calif., area and is a clini-cal social worker for a nonprofit men-tal health agency serving children in-volved with child protective services. Sarah Kelley (Doisy ’01, ’03) married Daniel Poulos (A&S ’00) May 21, 2005. They live in St. Joseph, Mich. Dan works in marketing for Whirl-pool Corp., and Sarah is a physical therapist. Andrew Purtell (Cook) is a financial products expert for Reuters in St. Lou-is. He also is a chapter adviser for Tau Kappa Epsilon at SLU. Debra Stephens (Pub Hlth) is the tu-berculosis nurse consultant for the Il-linois Department of Public Health. She is a colonel in the Air Force Re-serves. She lives in Sparta, Ill. Melissa Stephenson (A&S) and her husband, Jacob Burton (Parks ’03), live in Pullman, Wash., where Melissa has finished her second year in vet-erinarian school, and Jacob is playing with several bands. ’02Jennifer Boston (SW) is a public defender in Co-lumbia, Ga. She married Brandon Dunlap in March. Christina Troisi (Grad SW, Pub Hlth) is a social worker at Crawford Inte-grated Services Case Management. She lives in St. Louis. Nicole (Morton) Weston (Doisy), her husband, Ramy, and daughter, Emma, welcomed baby Ellie Grace on Jan. 23. They live in Fenton, Mo. Janice M. Whitfield (SW) is the direc-tor of field education at Western Illi-nois University in Macomb. ’03Daniel J. Body (Law) is the president/chief exec-utive officer of Palmetto Behavioral Health System and lives in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Felicia K. Hill (Pub Ser) and Dr. Kyle F. Ostrom (A&S ’01, Med ’05) were mar-ried in College Church March 25. Fe-licia teaches history at Kirkwood High School, and Kyle is a first-year resident at SLU Hospital. Kristen M. Klimek (Doisy ’03, ’05) is a physical therapist and athletic trainer for Athletico Sports Medi-cine & Physical Therapy in Chica-go. She is involved with the dance medicine program, working with the Joffery and Hubbard Street dance companies. Dr. Douglas Sexton (Grad) is an ad-junct professor at Chapman University in Orange, Calif. Frank Spreng (Law) is director of the MBA program at McKendree College. He has been a professor of economics there since 1987. ’04Dr. Jeff DeGraffenreid (Grad) is vice president of global crisis response for Heart to Heart International, a global humanitarian organization. He lives in Olathe, Kan. Dr.Theodore Huff (Pub Ser) is assistant principal at Fort Zumwalt West Mid-dle School and was named the 2006 Missouri Assistant Principal of the Year. He lives in O’Fallon, Mo. Emily Schuering Jones (Law) lives in Quincy, Ill., where she works as a law clerk to an appellate court judge. She and her husband, Joshua Jones (Law ’02), and son, Henry, welcomed baby Elena in October. Josh is an assistant state attorney. Rose Newport (A&S) has been pro-moted to premium seating coordi-nator for the St. Louis Rams. She is pursuing a master’s degree in commu-nication at SLU. Daniel T. Simpson Jr. (Law) has joined the civil practice group of Evans & Dixon in St. Louis. Bryan Trautwein (Cook) married Ruth Wimsatt (Cook ’03) on June 11, 2005. They live in Louisville, Ky. Bryan is pursing a master’s in college student personnel at the University of Louis-ville. Ruth is a finance research analyst for Stegner Investment Associates Inc. Linda Tucker (PS) has worked in the lab at Scott Air Force Base for more than two years. She lives in Shiloh, Ill. ’05Adam Birenbaum (Law) is associate general counsel and compliance officer for Buckingham Asset Management Inc. in St. Louis. Katherine M. Cuneo (Law) has joined the civil practice group of Evans & Dixon in St. Louis. Adam Hof (Cook) lives in St. Louis and is an accountant for CSI Leasing Inc. U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6 29 The St. Louis Jesuits: Thirty Years Edited by Mike Gale | Oregon Catholic Press Through photographs, letters, reproductions of original compositions and interviews, this book offers a history of the St. Louis Jesuits, the groundbreaking composers and musicians who revolutionized Church music during the last 30 years. All SLU alumni, the members, Bob Dufford S.J. (A&S ’67, Grad ’72, ’75), John Foley S.J. (A&S ’68, Grad ’68, ’74), Tim Manion (A&S ’76), Roc O’Connor S.J. (A&S ’73) and Dan Schutte (A&S ’72), share reflections and rare photos and tell the story of their collaboration and their careers. Thi St. Louis University (St. Louis, Mo.), http://www.geonames.org/4407081 http://cdm17321.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/alumni/id/100 |