Winter 2009 - Wayne State College

Wayne State 

College 

Magazine for alumni and friends 

Winter 2009 

You voted for them. Student senators, 

presidents, vice presidents. 

The question is: 

• Winter Commencement 2008 

• WSC Faculty Examine the Economy 

• Frye, Teach to Retire 

Published twice annually for alumni and friends of Wayne State College • Winter 2009 - No. 1 • 

Wayne State Foundation • 1111 Main Street • Wayne, NE 68787

Winter Commencement 

Page 5 

Frank Teach Reflects on Career 

Page 14 

Wildcats Fall Sports 

Page 15 

Alumni Reunions 

Page 23 

Table of Contents 

Message from President Richard Collings..........3 

Wayne State Foundation Launches 

Public Phase of Centennial Campaign................4 

Faculty Notes................................................... 6-7 

WSC Professors Provide 

U.S. Economy Insight...................................... 8-9 

Managing Your Business 

in an Economic Downturn.................................10 

A Special Bike for Jess......................................11 

Curt Frye to Retire....................................... 12-13 

Wildcat Athletics...............................................15 

Alumni Notes............................................... 16-23 

Ron Hunter ‘53...........................................17 

Charlie Janssen ‘97.....................................19 

Joe Wall ‘04................................................21 

Okoboji and Dakota Dunes 

Golf Events.................................................18 

Omaha Wildcat Golf Classic......................20 

Wayne State Phonathon.....................................24 

On the cover: 

Dr. Richard Collings, president of Wayne State, 

George ‘56 and Susan ‘55 Menking, and Phyllis 

Conner, vice president for development, pose in 

front of the mural in the newly renovated Rice 

Auditorium basement. The Menkings received the 

Alumni Achievement Award at the winter 2008 

commencement ceremony. 

Your alumni newsletter is on the web at 

http://www.wsc.edu/alumni/news_publications/newsletter/ 

The eNewsletter is full of the latest on-campus and alumni happenings. If 

you’re not already receiving our eNewsletter, be sure to sign up at the Web site. 

The eNewsletter replaces the printed Wayne State College Newsletter. Archived 

versions of the print newsletter can be found on the Web site. 

Wayne State Magazine is published 

semiannually for alumni and friends of 

Wayne State College. The magazine is 

funded by the Wayne State Foundation. 

Comments and letters should be mailed to: 

Wayne State Foundation, 

Wayne State College, 1111 Main Street, 

Wayne, Nebraska 68787 

Administration 

Dr. Richard Collings 

President 

Dr. Robert McCue 

Vice President for Academic Affairs 

Beth Kroger 

Vice President for Administration 

and Finance 

Curt Frye 

Vice President and Dean 

of Student Life 

Phyllis Conner - 402-375-7543 

Vice President for Development 

and Executive Director of the 

Wayne State Foundation 

Wayne State Foundation Staff 

Deb Lundahl - 402-375-7209 

Director of Development 

and Alumni Relations 

Kevin Armstrong - 402-375-7534 

Director of Planned Giving 

Brian Lentz - 402-375-7559 

Accountant and Assistant Director 

Carol Stephens - 402-375-7510 

Foundation Office Assistant 

Cathleen Hansen - 402-375-7526 

Alumni Office Assistant 

Lori Bebee 

Office Assistant 

Editorial Staff 

Jay Collier 

Director of College Relations 

Trudy Muir 

Graphic Design Artist 

Angie Nordhues 

Writer, Photographer 

Katie Jensen 

Graphic Design Intern 

Lois Brunnert 

Media Assistant 

2

President’s Message 

Dr. Richard J. Collings 

Former presidents 

Dr. Donald Mash and 

Dr. Sheila Stearns 

visited Wayne State for 

Homecoming in October. 

Many colleges are defined by the personnel that make up their faculty and staff. Wayne State is no exception. In fact, 

one of the many benefits of enrolling at a regional public college is the opportunity to connect with professors, staff and 

administrators. Such connections ensure attraction and retention of quality students and provide the bases for long-term 

relationships with the college that go beyond graduation. 

Wayne State will lose several excellent connections at the end of the spring semester. Janet Gilligan, professor of 

English, Kent Blaser, professor of history, Chris Bonds, professor of music, Jim Curtiss, professor of education and Vic 

Reynolds, professor of art and design, are retiring after well more than a century of combined service to the college. The 

college is grateful to each of them for their commitment to ensuring Wayne State College maintains its traditional level of 

excellence. The college will be chronicling your memories of your experiences with them on our Web site and in a future 

print publication and asks you to submit your thoughts on their contributions to jacolli1@wsc.edu. 

Included in this issue of your alumni magazine is a look back at the careers of Frank Teach and Curt Frye as they 

prepare to retire on June 30. Frank was involved with student activities at the college for nearly 40 years and in many 

ways led the creation of the system students rely upon today for activities outside the classroom. As the article notes, 

“Involvement makes you feel like more of a part of the campus,” and Frank instilled this notion in generations of Wayne 

State students, many of whom fondly recall his commitment to his job. 

Curt Frye also left his mark on student affairs and activities. Curt has worked with Wayne State students for 24 years, 

helping them get through trying times, supporting student government and dealing with student wrongdoing, all the while 

letting the best interests of the college and its students guide his actions. His influence reaches back through the tenure of 

several WSC presidents, all of whom point to Curt’s steady hand and wisdom as integral to the success of the college. 

As usual, this issue of your alumni magazine includes news of faculty achievements. Wayne State’s educators continue 

to distinguish themselves among their peers at academic conferences, art exhibits, and publications. The magazine also 

features contributions from business and economics professors regarding the state of the U.S. economy. Professors Chuck 

Parker, Meenakshi Dalal and Jeryl Nelson each provide their insight on what it will take for our economy to recover. 

While the budget picture still remains cloudy for the college, I can proudly point to the overall health of the college’s 

enrollment and retention rates. Students from all over our region remain confident that Wayne State will provide them with 

the opportunities and education needed to be successful in whatever they set out to do. 

Take a few minutes to read up on what else is happening at the college, from Service-Learning projects to capital 

campaign events around the country and, of course, successful athletes and athletic programs. I’m sure you’ll find it’s great 

to be a Wildcat. 

Wayne State Magazine 3

Campus Notes 

Wayne State Foundation Launches 

Public Phase of Centennial Campaign 

DENVER 

Wayne State College alumni and friends gathered Sept. 13 at the Brown 

Palace Hotel in Denver to celebrate the public launch of the campaign. 

Dr. Richard Collings, president of Wayne State, stands with Darold 

Bobier ‘46, and Jeff Ingrum ‘80, regional campaign presidents for 

Denver. Jeff and Terri Ingrum, at left, underwrote the costs of the Denver 

campaign event. 

MINNEAPOLIS 

The campaign launch 

event held Oct. 18 in 

Minneapolis included 

presentations by Dr. 

Dwain ‘55 and Carole 

‘54 Tuttle Petersen, 

Dr. Collings, and Vicki 

‘76 Root Engelen. 

Dwain, Carole and Vicki 

are regional presidents 

for Minnesota. 

Wayne State College launched the public phase 

of the Centennial Campaign Remembering the Past - 

Investing in the Future, a $20-million comprehensive 

capital campaign, on Aug. 28. Phyllis Conner, vice 

president for development and executive director of 

the Wayne State Foundation, explained that capital 

campaigns go through a silent, or advanced gift 

phase, to raise 50 percent to 60 percent of the goal 

before going public. The campaign is conducted 

in this manner to gain a sense of the support for 

the campaign initiatives and an indication of the 

potential for reaching the goal successfully. 

Campaign co-chairs Jeanne Gardner and Leslie 

Bebee announced that the campaign had successfully 

reached 75 percent of the goal, or $15 million, at the 

time of the launch of the public phase. 

Campaign 

co-chairs 

Leslie 

Bebee and 

Jeanne 

Gardner 

4 

GOODYEAR 

Regional presidents for Arizona, 

George ‘56 and Susan ‘55 Reeh 

Menking presented at the Goodyear. 

Ariz., campaign event held 

Jan. 18. 

OMAHA 

Regional president Adrian Johnson Minks 

‘68 presented at the Omaha campaign 

event held Sept. 19. Terry McClain ‘70 is 

also a regional president for Nebraska and 

actively supporting the campaign. 

The foundation’s campaign initiatives include 

the renovation of the Carhart Science Building, 

the campus commons project, the Greatest Needs 

fund, annual scholarships, endowed scholarships, 

academic endowments, and other endowments and 

restricted gifts. These initiatives give the college, 

through the efforts of the Wayne State Foundation, 

the flexibility and creativity it needs to provide 

students with a unique, hands-on education. Students 

must have the opportunity to conduct biomedical 

and environmental research, travel to conferences, 

study abroad, gain valuable teaching experience 

and prepare for careers in a variety of medical 

professions. The Centennial Campaign recognizes 

the traditions that have made the college what it is 

today and aims to ensure that the college provides 

students with the education they need for tomorrow. 

To view a video made for the Centennial 

Campaign, please visit: http://www.wsc.edu/alumni/ 

news/archive/081125_centennial.php

Winter 2008 

Commencement 

Susan and George Menking Receive Alumni Achievement Award 

Susan and George Menking received the Alumni 

Achievement Award at Wayne State’s winter commencement 

ceremony. A total of 214 degrees - 53 masters and 161 bachelors 

- were conferred by Wayne State President Richard J. Collings. 

Susan graduated from Wayne State College in 1955 with a 

major in English and minors in art and music. George received 

his B.A. from Wayne State College in 1956 with majors in math 

and science. 

Susan taught for three years after graduation. In the years 

that followed, she stayed at home to raise five children and 

served as a volunteer in their schools and community. In 1966, 

Susan was awarded a Fellowship in Educational Research 

and Statistics at Southern Connecticut College, which led to 

her receiving a M.S. degree in 1967. She taught statistics for 

University of Nebraska-Omaha in the late 1960s. In the 1970s, 

Susan worked as a psychologist in the Lewisville, Texas, schools. 

After completing her Ph.D. at Texas Woman’s University, 

she became the first full time psychologist for the Lewisville 

schools. Later, she became the psychologist for the Santa Fe, 

N.Mex., schools. When her husband, George, transferred to New 

York City, she served as a psychologist in a mental health clinic 

and taught at Pace University in New York. 

Throughout the years, Susan served as a school board 

member, a Child Welfare Board member, a religious education 

teacher and a 4-H horsemanship leader. Currently, she is a docent 

at St. Francis Cathedral/Basilica in Santa Fe, N.Mex., and a 

member of the Marriage Preparation Ministry at St. Thomas 

Aquinas Church in Avondale, Ariz. Susan is a member of the Board 

of Trustees for the Wayne State Foundation. 

Susan and George are the parents of five children, grandparents 

of 10 and great-grandparents of seven. 

George entered the Army after graduation and served his 

tour of duty in the Counter Intelligence Corps. In 1959, he joined 

the actuarial department of the Aetna Life Insurance Company to 

pursue a career as an actuary. After six years of employment and 

study, George completed the 10 examinations required to become a 

Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. 

During his career, he served as the managing partner of 

the PricewaterhouseCoopers Actuarial and Benefits Consulting 

Practices in New York City and Dallas. He also served as the firm’s 

chief actuary. George is a member of the Society of Actuaries and 

the American Academy of Actuaries. For several years, he was 

a member of the Board of Directors of the Southwest Pension 

Conference and was elected president of the conference in 1980. 

He retired as a partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1992. 

After his retirement, George and Susan started a small 

record company, Menking Productions, to produce and distribute 

Latin and rock music. Currently he is a member of the Marriage 

Preparation Ministry at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Avondale, 

Ariz. George is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Wayne 

State Foundation. 

The Alumni Achievement Award was presented by President 

Collings with assistance from Phyllis Conner, vice president for 

development and executive director of the Wayne State Foundation. 


Faculty Notes 

Joe Blankenau, professor in political science and 

board member for the Center for Rural Affairs, 

is working with other professionals across the 

state in researching rural health issues. He 

recently completed reports regarding insurance 

and health behavior issues in rural America. 

These and other reports will be disseminated 

across the country to inform rural citizens, 

activists and policy makers regarding the 

unique characteristics of rural health. 

Doug Christensen, professor of biology, had a paper accepted for 

publication in BIOSCENE. The peer reviewed national journal is 

published by ACUBE-American College and University Biology 

Educators. The paper is titled “A Simulation of DNA Sequencing 

Utilizing 3M Post-it® Notes.” 

Linda Christensen, associate professor of piano and music 

technology, presented a session to the Lincoln 

Music Teachers Association titled “Software 

to Aid in Composition and Improvisation” 

on Nov. 19. She had an article published 

in Keyboard Companion, Winter issue, 

titled “Describe Your Sight-reading Library 

Contents and Organization.” She also taught 

Group Piano for Adults on the cruise ship 

Crystal Serenity through the Yamaha Passport 

to Music program in January 2008. 

Gerald Conway, associate professor of business, was re-elected 

to serve a second four-year term on the Nebraska Economic 

Forecasting Board. The governor and the legislature use the 

board’s forecasts as a basis for setting the state’s budget. Conway 

led 29 Nebraska students on an 11-week semester abroad study 

program that included visiting five Central and Eastern European 

countries. The program is sponsored by the Nebraska International 

Consortium and had students from Wayne State College, 

University of Nebraska-Kearney, and University of Nebraska- 

Omaha. The program is based at Palacky University in Olomouc, 

Czech Republic. The group traveled to Austria, Slovakia, Poland 

and Hungary during the semester and returned to Nebraska May 

30. 

Meenakshi Dalal, professor of economics, presented the paper, 

“The Rise of Chinese Multinationals,” at the Eastern Economic 

Association Annual Conference, March 7-9, 2008, in Boston. The 

paper was co-authored with Maria N. DaCosta of University of 

Wisconsin - Eau Claire. 

Jan Dinsmore, assistant professor in education, participated as a 

member of the English Language Learners Leadership Institute in 

Nebraska. The Institute met for five two-day sessions beginning 

in December 2007 and ending in December 2008. The institute 

was composed of teams from communities that have significant 

numbers of English Language Learners in their public schools, 

a representative from UNL, Doane and Wayne State along with 

Nebraska State Department of Education and the Mid-continent 

Research for Education and Learning (McREL). The institute 

focused on a framework for balanced leadership and how to 

implement the best strategies based on research to assist English 

Language Learners in our schools. 

Todd Farmer, assistant professor of physical education/health, made 

two presentations, “Six Key Components 

to a Quality P.E. Program” and “Teaching 

Responsible Behavior in the P.E. Classroom,” 

at the annual Nebraska Alliance of Health 

Physical Education Recreation and Dance 

conference Oct. 17-18. Farmer took students 

Jeff Schweiger and Ryan Lennerton from his 

K-12 PE/Health majors to help present the “Six 

Key Components to a Quality P.E. Program.” 

Barbara Hayford, assistant professor of life 

sciences, directed a Service-learning project for her biomonitoring 

class in which her students and those of Dr. Mark Hammer’s flora 

of Nebraska class, hosted a biological monitoring event for the 

Randy Bertolas, professor of geography, and Jean Karlen, 

professor of sociology, took eight students to Atlanta 

on Oct. 22-26 to attend the Pi Gamma Mu international 

student convention. Pi Gamma Mu is the international 

honor society in social sciences. Karlen is international Past 

President of Pi Gamma Mu and Bertolas is North/Northwest 

Regional Chancellor. Both are co-advisors of the Nebraska 

Delta chapter of Pi Gamma Mu at Wayne State College. En 

route to the convention the students were treated to stops 

at the St. Louis Arch, Lookout Mountain in Tennessee, and 

Stone Mountain outside Atlanta (pictured at Stone Mountain 

in the first row l-r, Professor Randy Bertolas, Jennifer 

Johnson, Mary Beth Peters, Cassie McCutcheon, and 

Eric Knutson. Second row l-r, Aric Butterfield, Michaela 

Dolphin, Becky Hafer, and Heather Hegi). While at the 

convention, four of the WSC students gave presentations on 

their research. In addition, Bertolas gave a presentation on 

the new Pi Gamma Mu Web site he helped design, and he 

also received the Award of Excellence from Pi Gamma Mu 

international. 

6

Wayne Elementary School third grade class. Sixty third-graders 

collected water quality and macroinvertebrate data from the 

Wayne Isaak Walton League Lake (IKES Lake) on Sept. 18, 

World Water Monitoring Day. Participants shared their data 

with the World Water Monitoring Day organizers and the Wayne 

Isaak Walton League. The event was covered by the Sioux City 

Fox Affiliate television station and the story aired in Sioux City 

the evening and night of the event. Hayford also submitted a 

proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) titled: “An 

Ecological Guild-Based Biodiversity Inventory and Survey of the 

Aquatic Non-biting Midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) of the Altai 

and Hangai Mountain Drainages, Mongolia,” which was funded 

for $110,476 over a three-year duration beginning in August. The 

NSF funding covers undergraduate research expenses to travel to 

Mongolia, collect and analyze data, and publish results. 

Don Hickey, professor of history, is celebrating his 30th year at 

Wayne State College. Hickey delivered a public lecture on the 

mythology of the War of 1812 at Monroe County Community 

College in Michigan in March 2008, and has 

been invited to deliver the annual Thompson 

Lecture at the Royal Military College of 

Canada in 2009. An award-winning author, 

Hickey has been named general editor of a 

new series of books on the War of 1812 that 

will be published by Johns Hopkins University 

Press to commemorate the bicentennial of the 

conflict. Don and his wife, Connie Clark, are 

working on a coffee table book for the series 

that will be titled The Rockets’ Red Glare: An Illustrated History 

of the War of 1812. 

Richard Keenan, associate professor of communication, had 

his paper, “Images of Men in Working Women’s Magazines,” 

accepted for presentation in the Spring 2009 Popular Culture 

Association convention to be held in New Orleans. 

Communication arts faculty members Michael Marek and 

Deb Whitt, along with students Lucas Christensen and Tony 

Miller, visited Taiwan for two weeks in March 2008. Marek 

and Whitt spoke at Providence University, Chin-Yi University, 

and at the 2008 Conference on English Teaching and Global 

Communication, Chienkuo Technology University, Changhua 

City, Taiwan. 

Michael Marek, professor of mass communication, presented a 

paper in July titled “Enhancing Learner Motivation to Study 

English” via videoconferencing with a native speaker at the 

World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia 

& Telecommunications, Association for the Advancement of 

Computing in Education, Vienna, Austria. Marek also had 

two papers accepted by the U.S. Department of Education’s 

Educational Resources Information Center’s collection (ERIC), 

“Applying Constructivism to Improve Public Relations for 

Education” and “Internet Videoconferencing to Improve EFL 

Learning.” 

Marlene Mueller, professor of art, had her first solo exhibition at 

the Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) from Oct. 18 to Jan. 4. 

The exhibit was the first full-scale showing of her complete fire 

drawing series. As a volunteer for the Wayne Fire Department, 

Mueller has been investigating minute detail within fire and the 

sense of order that it holds even in the midst of its destructive 

Steve Elliott, 

associate professor 

of art and chair of 

the Department of 

Art and Design, had 

a solo exhibition, 

Fractures, at GAR 

Gallery / Yankton 

Area Arts, Yankton, 

South Dakota, which 

was curated by Jan 

Garrity, Yankton 

Area arts director. 

Elliott’s work was 

featured in several 

national juried 

group exhibitions 

in 2008, including 

the 22nd Biennial 

Sculpture Exhibition, 

at Mitchell Museum, Mt. Vernon, Ill., curated by Cedarhurst 

Center for the Arts ; Speak Out: Art and Design Politics, 516 

ARTS, Albuquerque, N. Mex., curated by Abby Goldstein, 

Visual Arts Program director at Fordham, New York; Grounds 

for Art Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, Cedar Rapids, Iowa ; 

Think Tank, Murray State University Art Gallery, Murray, 

Ky., curated by Becky Atkinson, director of Murray State 

University Galleries; and the 4th Annual Downtown Sculpture 

Exhibit, Olathe, Kan., juried by James Woodfill, Kansas City 

Art Institute. 

nature. The black and white drawings are realist in approach 

yet, through their careful dissection of form, they can, in 

part, carry a sense of abstraction through the artist’s use of 

line, composition and value. The MONA: Nebraska Now 

series features work by established and emerging artists from 

Nebraska in the museum’s Skylight Gallery. 

Kerry Curtiss Williams, an adjunct professor in education and 

counseling, had a book published by Sage titled Elementary 

Classroom Management: A Student Centered Approach 

to Leading and Learning in November. Williams had three 

Learning Community (Fremont 2) students publish articles in 

three journals this year. They include Steve Shannon, Wahoo 

Public Schools High School Science teacher, who published 

an article titled “Using Metacognitive Strategies and Learning 

Styles to Create Self-Directed Learners,” Lisa Olnes, former 

Papillion La Vista Special Education teacher now teaching 

in Washington, published an article, “Special Projects for 

Special People: Students with Disabilities Serve Others through 

Service-Learning in Teaching Exceptional Children Plus,” 

and Sheli Hensley, Fremont Public Schools high school social 

studies teacher, published an article, “Daily Review Helps 

Students Own Their Learning Journey.” 

Keith Willis, professor of counseling, gave a presentation, 

“Enhancing Appreciation of Diversity with Service-Learning” 

at the fifth annual conference of the Midwest Consortium for 

Service-Learning in Higher Education. The conference was 

held Sept. 24-26 in Brookings, S.D. 


Campus Notes 

Since last fall the big national news has been the U.S. economy. To date, two measures have been 

enacted by Congress to try to stimulate the economy. The question many are asking is “What is 

it going to take to turn things around” We tapped three Wayne State professors to provide some 

insight into solutions for the recession. This is what they had to say. 

Federal Spending 

Will Stimulate 

U.S. Economy 

Dr. Meenakshi Dalal 

Professor of Economics 

8 

Federal spending is the only hope to bring 

the economy out of this recessionary spiral. 

Controversy is brewing among lawmakers 

regarding the form of fiscal policy. In general, 

Republicans support tax cuts for households 

and small businesses and prefer the private 

sector spend to stimulate the economy. 

However, tax cuts, particularly a lump sum tax 

cut, only give a transitory increase in income, 

which lacks expansionary power. If families 

receiving the tax cut simply pay off their 

debt, it will not expand economic activities. 

In this gloomy recessionary environment, 

very few will use the tax cut of $1,000 as a 

down payment for a car, or go on vacation. 

Furthermore, if the money is spent on 

imported goods, very little expansionary effect 

will be felt in the U.S. In 2007, President 

Bush used $350 billion tax cut to stimulate the 

economy, but could not avoid deepening the 

recession. 

I personally think federal government 

spending is the sure way to stimulate the 

economy. However, government deficit 

spending as a fiscal stimulus suffers from two 

problems. First, it often takes a much longer 

time to debate the size and specifics of the 

spending, and second, it takes a long time 

from appropriation to implementation, when 

funds start to actually circulate through the 

economy. There is also a danger of throwing 

money towards skilled politicians’ pet projects 

without much improving the overall economic 

situation. 

I do support President Obama’s overall 

stimulus efforts. The Keynesian prescription 

of large government spending (budget deficit) 

can bring the economy out of recession. I 

think the tax cut portions could be eliminated. 

Some people are concerned about the size 

of the package and worried about the size 

of the budget deficit and national debt. This 

is not the time to think of deficit or debt, it 

is the time to regain the confidence of the 

private sector, consumers, businesses and 

investors. The fiscal stimulus package must 

be big and quick to have a desired effect. 

During the Great Depression, with various 

public works projects and different regulatory 

measures undertaken by President Franklin 

D. Roosevelt, the economy could not reach 

full employment until the massive spending 

(deficit) of the Second World War. 

This large stimulus package will also 

give a chance to pursue structural change in 

the economy. If the funds can be properly 

channeled toward developing clean, 

renewable energy sources, developing green 

technologies, infrastructure development, and 

investing in education and health, particularly 

for those who are underprivileged, this 

stimulus package will not only take us out of 

this current recession but launch us on a longterm 

growth path. Such structural shift cannot 

be accomplished overnight. So, the recovery 

will be slow. 

One other aspect, which few economists 

talk about, I believe deserves attention. 

Concentration of income and wealth often 

leads to asset bubbles. The years leading 

to the current downturn saw extreme 

concentration of income and wealth in the 

United States, which last happened before the 

Great Depression. 

A New York Times editorial (April 4, 

2007) noted that, “Not since the Roaring 

Twenties have the rich been so much richer 

than everyone else. In 2005, the latest year 

for which figures are available, the top 1 

percent of Americans — whose average 

income was $1.1 million a year — received 

21.8 percent of the nation’s income, their 

largest share since 1929. Over all, the top 

10 percent of Americans — those making 

more than about $100,000 a year — collected 

48.5 percent, also a share last seen before the 

Great Depression.” 

I hope the Obama administration will 

be mindful in its fiscal policy to provide 

opportunity for those who were left behind 

during the years of prosperity. In the long 

run, however, we cannot sustain the current 

level of budget deficit, national debt and 

current account deficit. As a nation we need 

to save more in the long run, but in the short 

run government will have to spend more 

to improve the confidence of the economic 

actors and hopefully adjust the economy 

structurally to pave the way for sustainable 

economic growth.

Dr. Charles Parker 

Professor of Business and Chair of the 

Department of Business and Economics 

The recent financial crisis is very similar 

to what happened during the Savings and Loan 

crisis during the 1980s. We had some banks 

making risky loans based upon an assumption 

that real estate prices would continue to 

increase. The solution to the problem may 

also be similar. The treasury could consider a 

remedy similar to the Resolution Trust Corporation: 

Get the bad loans off the bank balance 

sheets and to another entity, hold them for a 

while until the market comes back, and then 

begin making workout arrangements with the 

borrowers. Some assessment to the problem 

banks would be necessary to fund the program 

The key to getting the economy moving 

forward again is to get capital invested in 

businesses with good entrepreneurial ideas. 

Banks will need to lend money to firms that 

will provide products and services that are 

in demand in a world market. Banks need a 

mechanism to get the bad loans off their books 

so that they can begin making good loans 

again to spur productivity. The legislation 

requiring mark-to-market on assets should 

also be reexamined. While this idea is good in 

theory, in practice many of the assets held by 

banks are not in particularly efficient markets. 

This causes wide fluctuations in the value of 

Cut Taxes and Lower Interest Rates 

Invest in Good Ideas 

Our current economic crisis is that the 

U.S. economy will fall short of producing 

about $17 trillion worth of goods and services 

and unemployment will be higher than the 4 

percent or 5 percent level that naturally seems 

to occur. (It takes time to match people to jobs 

– did you take your first job offer) 

While the oil price gyrations and the 

resulting fluctuations in the price of petroleum 

based products played a part in the current 

crisis, our ability to produce goods and services 

has not been significantly affected. So, the solution 

to the problem is less a supply issue and 

more of a demand issue in the aggregate. On 

the demand side the major players are households, 

businesses, governments and the rest of 

the world. With the rest of the world having 

problems similar to our own, it is not likely 

they can buy more of our goods and services. 

Twice in the last decade the federal government 

mailed tax rebate checks to households, 

but only the checks mailed in 2002 

stimulated the economy because they were part 

the assets and the bank balance sheets, causing 

added risk. Requiring banks to recapitalize 

during a recession will prove difficult and 

may, in turn, cause additional failures. 

Deregulation of the banking sector also 

played a role in the credit crunch. Some 

consideration of reregulation of certain 

activities should be examined. Citigroup was 

considered the example of future financial 

institutions becoming a one-stop shop for all 

of your financial needs. If they engaged in 

inappropriate activities, the market would 

serve as their regulator. Unfortunately, 

Citigroup’s stock price has fallen from more 

than $50 two years ago, to less than $4 today. 

There is not much room left for the market to 

penalize Citigroup for their activities. 

Most of the banks in Nebraska avoided 

making the risky loans. This will be good for 

Nebraska because we should be well situated 

to invest in good businesses. Most of the 

bankers I talk to are making good loans to 

good credit risks. Their lending standards 

have not changed substantially. We avoided 

much of the real estate boom, and hopefully 

we will avoid the bust. This means our 

banks should have sufficient capital to make 

good investments. 

of a larger tax cut plan. I would be in favor 

of a similar permanent change in disposable 

income, as opposed to the one shot deal. 

While bailing out the Big Three automakers 

will have a symbolic impact on the 

morale of the country, having a more favorable 

environment for business formation and 

expansion will have the more lasting impact. 

The Federal Reserve is taking the correct path 

in keeping interest rates low and providing 

liquidity to the business community. This 

will encourage business expansion sooner 

than would otherwise occur. 

A great deal is currently being said about 

the government undertaking infrastructure 

projects. While desirable, the time lag for 

implementation is too long and, when you 

consider what the government already has on 

its plate, the projects may wipe out any gains 

obtained from what I have suggested above. 

So, the fiscal policy tax cut and the favorable 

monetary policy of low interest rates are the 

way to go to get us out of the current crisis. 

Dr. Jeryl Nelson 

Professor of Business and 

Director of Graduate Studies 


Campus Notes 

Managing Your 

Business in an 

Economic 

Downturn 

Loren Kucera, Director 

Nebraska Business Development 

Center at Wayne State College 

A business owner has two key 

responsibilities: time and money. 

Business owners must manage 

their time and the time of their 

employees and the owner’s money. 

An economic downturn puts 

critical focus on managing money, 

or better stated, managing cash. 

Some actions a business 

owner can take: 

Monitor cash flow. Develop 

monthly financial reports that 

provide accurate information. 

This will enable the business 

owner to monitor the financial 

position of the business and catch 

deteriorating trends before they 

threaten the business. Be able to 

project the budget six months into 

the future and be sure to compare 

actual versus projections. 

Watch inventory carefully. 

When a slowdown happens 

declining sales can create 

excessive inventories, which may 

tie up cash. The business owner 

must convert excessive inventory 

into cash by carefully reducing 

slow moving products. 

Build up cash reserves. The 

owner should take a look at the 

current debt structure making sure 

that funding sources match uses. 

If possible, renegotiate the term of 

existing debt. Take advantage of 

supplier discounts but don’t pay 

early if discounts are not offered. 

Talk to your lender. A lender 

is a critical partner and needs to 

be kept informed and updated on 

what’s happening in the business: 

the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

With a good relationship, the 

owner is in a much better position 

to negotiate in advance rather than 

needing funds to make payroll 

today. 

As a sidebar, the banking 

sector has gotten a lot of bad 

press, some of it justified. 

However the banks in the region 

continue to lend money for sound 

businesses and, for the most part, 

its business as usual. 

Another aspect to consider: 

Cut advertising Often when 

the economy and sales slow, the 

typical business owner looks 

for expenses to cut and the first 

thing considered is advertising 

and marketing. Many business 

owners feel this is an unnecessary 

expense but during an economic 

downturn it is more important 

than ever. Advertising is one of 

the easiest ways to stay even with 

or get ahead of the competition 

and this may be an opportune 

time to modestly increase 

advertising, especially if the 

competition is cutting back. 

Based on my experience 

one fact is clear, the longer a 

business owner takes to recognize 

the situation and take corrective 

action, the harder it will be to 

survive these times. There is also 

one other fact, we have gone 

through economic downturns in 

the past and have always emerged 

from them. 

Some of the above was 

provided by the U.S. Small 

Business Administration. 

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800.228.9972 ext. 7587 

Wayne, Nebraska • Member, Nebraska State College System 

10

WSC Professor and Student Team Up to Build a Bike for Local Boy 

A bicycle can be built for two, as the song says. Although built 

for two, a bicycle project completed at Wayne State College this 

summer affected an entire family in Wayne by helping restore a 

sense of independence and togetherness. 

“Seeing the smile on Jess Gibson’s face when he first went for 

a ride was the most rewarding part of the project,’’ said Dr. John 

Renzelman of the Technology and Applied Science Department of 

the School of Business and Technology. 

Gibson, 8, was awarded a custom-designed bicycle through the 

“Bike for Jess’’ project at Wayne State College. Renzelman and a 

student, Mark Evetovich of Wayne, designed and completed the 

bicycle with funds from a WSC Service-Learning grant. 

Jess Gibson and his mother, Shannon, took the bicycle home 

after a final test ride July 17. 

“My family loves the new bicycle!” Shannon Gibson said of her 

son’s new wheels. “The reason I say ‘my family’ is because we are 

all enjoying the bike. Due to the fact that Jess had outgrown the pull 

behind trailer, we were not able to go for family bike rides together. 

Now, because of the awesome people at WSC, we are now able to do 

something as simple as a family bike ride.” 

The new bicycle helped Jess Gibson have a better view during 

bicycle rides and provided extra stability for his upper body with a 

custom-adjusted strap system. Jess Gibson is the son of Brian and 

Shannon Gibson of Wayne. He was born with cerebral palsy. 

“It was amazing how fast things came together,’’ Shannon 

Gibson recalled. One week she was sad over not being able to do 

some outdoor activities together as a family. The next week she was 

answering a call from Renzelman, who was offering to build a bike 

as a class project. 

“Jess was really excited when he heard the plans for a bike. The 

only thing that I requested was to make sure the seat for Jess was up 

front and center. There are so many situations in his life that he can’t 

control, I wanted him to be in the captain’s chair for once,’’ Shannon 

Gibson said. 

“It’s really fun driving the bike around town. I love watching 

people’s reactions. They look, and then take a second look,’’ she 

said. “Others are pointing or smiling. It’s a riot. This is one time I 

don’t mind the stares. Friends ask Jess how he drives it. One of his 

friends told him that he was jealous because Jess didn’t need training 

wheels and he did. Although his favorite color is green, Jess chose 

red for the bike because he wanted it to match his helmet.” 

Renzelman had experience in building recumbent bicycles 

and teamed up with Evetovich, a bicycle enthusiast who became 

interested in the project. Together they applied for Service-Learning 

funds and built the bike. 

“I was pleased to see them successfully ride the bike and that 

it was going to work for them. Mark also felt that it was not only a 

very rewarding project for the family, but also contributed to his own 

sense of accomplishment,’’ Renzelman said. 

Service-Learning grants at WSC are part of a grant from the 

Midwest Consortium for Service-Learning in Higher Education 

(MCSLHE) made possible through the Corporation for National 

Service under the Learn and Serve America: Higher Education grant 

program. 

“Jess was really excited when he heard the 

plans for a bike. The only thing that I requested 

was to make sure the seat for Jess was up front 

and center. There are so many situations in his 

life that he can’t control, I wanted him to be in 

the captain’s chair for once.’’ 

Jess Gibson of Wayne was awarded a custom-designed bicycle 

through the “Bike for Jess” project at Wayne State College. Dr. 

John Renzelman (back) of the Technology and Applied Science 

Department of the School of Business and Technology and Mark 

Evetovich (not pictured) of Wayne, designed and completed the 

bicycle with funds from a WSC service-learning grant. Jess Gibson 

and his mother, Shannon (left), received the bicycle on July 17. 


Campus Notes 

When a Few Years Turn into a Lifetime 

Vice President and Dean of Students Curt Frye to Retire 

“My proudest 

moments occur 

twice a year when 

I have the privilege 

of seeing our 

students graduate. 

I have witnessed 

them put forth the 

effort and realize 

their potential. 

That is still a 

thrill for me.” 

by Deb Harm 

When Curt Frye came to campus in 

1985 as the associate dean of students, 

Christa McAuliffe had just been named to 

be the first civilian to ride the Space Shuttle, 

the movie “Back to the Future” starring 

Michael J. Fox, was a box office hit and 

tuition at Wayne State College was $27.50 

per credit hour for a Nebraska student. 

“When I made the move to Wayne 

State College, I really didn’t know where 

it would lead,” Vice President and Dean of 

Students Frye said. “I certainly didn’t think 

it would be a 24-year journey.” 

Prior to his arrival on campus, Frye had 

been a high school counselor for 16 years, 

working the last nine at Wayne Community 

High School. 

“I was interested in looking at a move 

and a new challenge when I heard the 

position for associate dean of students was 

coming open at Wayne State,” Frye said. “I 

applied and the rest is history, so to speak.” 

After 24 years of serving in various 

capacities on campus, Frye has announced 

he will retire June 30. 

12 

Frye served as associate dean until 

1988, when he accepted the position of dean 

of students. In 1992 he was named vice 

president, in addition to his dean of students 

position. 

“The longer I stayed, the more I realized 

that Wayne State College was a good place 

to work and I really liked working with our 

students,” he said. 

More than 13,600 students have 

graduated from Wayne State during Frye’s 

tenure. 

“My proudest moments occur twice 

a year when I have the privilege of seeing 

our students graduate,” he said. “I have 

witnessed them put forth the effort and 

realize their potential. That is still a thrill for 

me.” 

“Curt is a legend to the thousands of 

alumni who have graduated from WSC 

during his long tenure,” Dr. Richard 

Collings, Wayne State College president, 

said. 

“When I visit our graduates, many 

of them ask about him. They have fond 

memories of his caring and productive years 

here. Whether he was helping students get 

through trying times, supporting student 

government initiatives or dealing with 

student wrongdoing, he always had the 

best interests of the college and its students 

guiding his actions.” 

Previous presidents of WSC share 

similar sentiments of the man who brought 

an immense knowledge of the history of the 

college to the administrative table. 

“Curt was a tremendous asset during 

my 10 years at Wayne State. I discovered 

immediately that his institutional memory 

and clear, concise analysis of current issues 

we were dealing with was invaluable,” Dr. 

Donald J. Mash said. “WSC is fortunate 

to have had Curt for all of these years. His 

positive impact simply can’t be overstated. 

He has been the consummate professional.” 

Mash served as the ninth president 

of Wayne State from 1988 through 1998. 

He recently retired as the University of 

Wisconsin System executive senior vice 

president and now holds the office of liaison 

to new presidents in the University of 

Wisconsin System.

“When I visit our graduates, many of them ask about him. They have 

fond memories of his caring and productive years here. Whether he was 

helping students get through trying times, supporting student government 

initiatives or dealing with student wrongdoing, he always had the best 

interests of the college and its students guiding his actions.” 

- Dr. Richard Collings, President 

Wayne State College 

Dr. Sheila Stearns, Wayne State’s 

tenth president, steered the college from 

1999 through 2003. Stearns serves as the 

Commissioner of Higher Education for the 

Montana University System. 

“His whole career, Curt has been 

focused first and foremost on students,” 

Stearns said. “On top of that, he brought 

a big heart, wisdom about young people, 

deceptive toughness, and a sense of 

humor. What a combination.” 

While two decades have provided an 

array of fond memories for Frye, there have 

been moments that tried his spirit. 

“Budget cuts and downsizing were 

very stressful times on campus,” he said. 

“The absolute toughest moment, though, 

involved the death of a student. Student 

deaths are always difficult regardless of 

the circumstances. Young people are not 

supposed to die.” 

Frye has seen many changes in the 

WSC campus during the past two decades. 

The strongest draw, however, has remained 

the same. 

“The strongest selling point about WSC 

is that you can go anywhere from here,” 

Frye said. 

Reflecting on the year from 2003 to 

2004 he served as the college’s interim 

president, Frye said, “In meeting with many 

alumni, invariably the question was ‘Is 

Wayne State College still the friendly place 

I remember’ I delighted in telling them that 

it is. That is because of the dedicated staff 

and faculty who work here as well as the 

kind of students we attract,” he said. 

Lynette Lentz, registrar at Wayne State, 

also has turned a few years into a lifetime 

at the college. Her tenure has run 43 years, 

beginning in the spring of 1966. 

“When I think about all the years Curt 

has been here, I think of his quick wit, his 

ability to remember everything, the respect 

the students have for him, his support of 

all the WSC activities, and his ever cool, 

calm disposition,” Lentz said. “He is such 

an important figure at WSC, and an integral 

part of the students’ WSC experience.” 

When days turn into months and 

months turn into years, memories of 

a lifetime happen. Jeremy Lamprecht, 

who graduated in 1996, is part of those 

memories. 

“Curt made sure I knew my way 

around campus before classes started as 

a freshman,” Lamprecht said. “He made 

certain my weekly needs were met and that 

I could gain access to campus services. 

Most importantly, he was my friend.” 

Lamprecht was one of the initial 

participants in the WSC STRIDE program, 

designed to assist in the successful 

completion of college for first-generation 

students, low-income students and students 

with physical disabilities. STRIDE, along 

with 10 other student services departments, 

are supervised by Frye. 

“I had the pleasure of getting to know 

Curt well when I became a Student Senate 

representative and a residential assistant in 

1993. He became an invaluable mentor to 

me from that time on,” Troy Strom, class of 

1992, said. “Almost everywhere you went 

on campus, more than likely you would 

see him. I used to think Curt permanently 

resided on campus, because he was so 

visible at different hours of the day. He 

was very accessible to the student body 

and served as a close liaison between the 

students and administration of the college. 

“Curt was the advisor to the Student 

Senate when I became president,” Strom 

continued. “What I appreciated most about 

Curt is that he always took time to listen 

to any concerns that you had, and as a 

gifted counselor he usually had many of the 

answers.” 

Over the years, Frye’s involvement 

and leadership style has extended into the 

community of Wayne. 

“In the mid 1980s Curt and I were 

part of a Wayne group that began meeting 

with area communities to look for a 

pathway through the farm crisis, which is 

known today as the Northeast Nebraska 

Development Network,” Lowell Johnson, 

Wayne City Administrator, said. 

“His leadership in this group and Wayne 

Industries, his sense of humor in the face of 

grim loss and his ingrained expectation of 

success also helped in the Wayne S.T.A.R.T 

Program, which accomplished major 

community projects in the past 15 years,” 

Johnson said. “His professional, positive 

approach is the same every day and serves as 

a dependable and predictable bridge between 

education, community and business.” 

Throughout his lifetime of service, Frye 

has demonstrated the same values he has 

labored to instill in others. 

“I have had the honor of seeing others 

grow and in turn I have grown as well,” he 

said. “I have been blessed with a terrific staff 

and extremely helpful supervisors to all of 

whom I am greatly indebted. Hopefully I am 

wiser, more understanding and tolerant.” 

As his next journey begins, Frye 

ponders what the years ahead will hold for 

him and his wife of 40 years, Dianne. 

“I really don’t have the long term 

completely figured out for now,” Frye said. 

“In the short term, there is a good deal of 

lake time in my future as well as following 

my grandchildren in their endeavors.” 

Deb is a WSC journalism student and 

employee of the athletic department. 


Campus Notes 

Teaching Involvement 

Longtime student activities director 

looks back on a nearly 40-year career 

As the saying goes, ‘the world is run by those who show up’ 

by Lois Brunnert 

Frank Teach, director of 

student activities, likes to think 

his efforts to bring entertainment 

to campus gives students a 

reason to stay. 

“[Involvement] makes 

you feel like more a part of the 

campus,” he said. “It shows you 

did some things in class, but you 

had the ambition to carry what 

you’ve learned in class to an 

organization and showed some 

leadership.” 

“As the saying goes, ‘the 

world is run by those who show 

up,’ and if you’ve been in a 

position for a time, you’ve seen a 

lot of evolution,” Teach said. 

Retiring in May, Teach has 

spent nearly 40 years adapting to 

changing times and introducing 

new activities at Wayne State. 

He earned physical 

education and history degrees 

and an endorsement in safety 

from WSC. While pursuing a 

master’s in education, he became 

a graduate assistant for baseball 

coach Fred Pierce in the thennewly 

developed intramural 

program. 

“Essentially, I had the 

program because Fred was 

involved with baseball and 

teaching, so I more or less ran 

the program that year,” Teach 

said. 

After completing his 

master’s program, Teach and 

his wife, Linda, who was a 

teacher in South Dakota, moved 

to Beatrice where they taught 

at a private college. Two years 

later, Frank received a letter 

from Wayne State President 

William Brandenburg asking 

him to return and take over the 

intramural program for at least 

a year while Pierce went on 

sabbatical leave. 

“I immediately said yes 

and came back here,” Teach 

said. “When I came in, I think I 

took a very good program and 

expanded on it.” 

All the activities were 

physical and none were co-ed. 

Today, the program, which 

functions through a state-funded 

budget, offers individual and 

league physical sports and other 

activities such as card playing 

tournaments. 

Along with intramurals, 

Teach developed the Student 

Activities program. When 

the student activity fee was 

introduced to help pay for 

entertainment brought to 

campus, only a few students 

from the Student Union Board 

(now the Student Activities 

Board) were involved in the 

decision-making process. 

“It really wasn’t student 

administered, and they felt that 

it would be better if it was and if 

there was more student input,” 

Teach said. 

The college asked him to 

organize a Student Activities 

program. He started out 

contacting entertainers and 

booking acts. He later received 

funding to hire others to 

coordinate activities, including 

adding a student programmer 

who could “see a whole 

other side of what goes on to 

prepare.” Beth Borkowski has 

served as the current student 

programmer for two years and 

said Teach’s influence goes 

beyond this campus. 

“He knows SAB inside 

and out, and that goes for 

the campus as well,” she 

said. “Frank hasn’t just made 

an impact in Wayne, if you call 

any agent that Wayne works 

with every one of them always 

ask about Frank and how he is 

doing.” 

Frank and Linda recall that 

early on in his career between 

August and May, even on 

weekends, Frank was frequently 

pulled away from family. 

“He enjoyed his work so 

much and I felt it was important 

to him, so I just took care of 

our family,” Linda said. “It 

was worth the effort. To take a 

program from nothing to what 

it is now is probably one of the 

best accomplishments he’s had.” 

The Student Activities 

Board is responsible for 

bringing a variety of performers, 

the latest movies and other acts 

to campus. 

“It grew with my time 

here, and we’ve just added to 

it,” Teach said. “Over the years 

students evidently thought it 

was a good thing we were doing 

because they have to vote as a 

student body to keep the activity 

fee.” 

That fee is the heart and soul 

of campus student programming, 

Teach said. It makes any SABsponsored 

event free and in a 

small community like Wayne 

where there are limited activity 

options for college students, it 

makes the availability all the 

more appealing. 

As a Wayne State student, 

Teach remembers getting 

involved in hall council, 

intramurals and being an RA, 

among other activities, and after 

that, he “never went home.” 

And Teach remains eager 

to pass on that involvement. 

Working with him for about 24 

years now, Dean of Students Curt 

Frye recognizes Frank’s efforts to 

motivate and “provide students 

with outlets” to become involved 

in new areas on campus. 

“He is Mr. Student 

Activities, it seems to me. He’s 

a three-in-one guy,” Frye said. 

“Frank had the knack of selecting 

students who were well-suited 

for positions, and that’s the key – 

having student involvement.” 

14

Luke Hoffman 

Nate Preston 

Logan Masters 

Jennifer Hefner 

Adam Fields 

Troy Pribnow 

Wildcat Athletics 

‘Cats Fall Sports: Success In and Out of the Classroom 

Wayne State had 25 student athletes named to the Northern Sun Conference All-Academic 

Team this fall. Athletes have to be prominent contributors on the field and maintain at least a 3.2 

GPA in the classroom. Football had eight selections followed by volleyball and women’s cross 

country with six each. 

The Wayne State College men’s golf team finished the 2008 fall season with a strong third 

place finish out of 20 teams at the Hastings College Fall Invitational played Oct. 9-10 in Hastings. 

Men’s golf started the first week of the season by edging Nebraska-Kearney by one shot to win 

the All Nebraska Collegiate Invitational played Sept. 7-8 at Wild Horse Golf Club in Gothenburg. 

Senior football player Luke Hoffman was First Team Academic All-American. He was the 

second leading tackler on the team and had a 3.87 GPA majoring in elementary education. He 

was First Team All-NSIC and First Team Super Region #3 linebacker for WSC. 

Sophomore volleyball player Jennifer Hefner was Second Team Academic All-Region. 

Jennifer had a 3.92 GPA majoring in biology while amassing impressive numbers on the court. 

The WSC volleyball team has earned the AVCA Team Academic Award three straight years and 

four of the last six seasons. 

Hefner Named to All-Central Region Team 

Jennifer Hefner of Wayne State College was named to the 2008 Daktronics All-Central 

Region Volleyball Team as voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of 

America (CoSIDA), earning Second Team All-Central Region honors as a middle hitter. The 6-1 

sophomore from Archer, Neb., led WSC this season in kills (386), hitting percentage (.332) and 

blocks (109). 

Wayne State College finished the 2008 season with a 23-10 record, advancing to the NCAA 

National Tournament for the fourth straight season. 

The Wayne State College volleyball team was ranked 25th in the final Bison/American 

Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll released Dec. 15. It also 

marks the second time in the last three seasons that WSC ended the season ranked in the Top 25. 

Nate Preston Earns All-American Honors 

Nate Preston earned All-American honors with a 27th place finish out of 184 runners Nov. 

22 at the NCAA Division II National Cross Country Championships in Slippery Rock, Pa. The 

top 30 finishers earn NCAA Division II All-American honors. Preston covered the 10,000-meter 

course in a time of 32:00 to become the second-ever NCAA All-American cross country runner at 

Wayne State College, joining James McGown who earned All-American honors in 1997. 

“It was a great performance by Nate on a challenging course considering the conditions,” 

said WSC head cross country coach Marlon Brink. “He ran a solid race and got off to a good 

start, maintaining his position around the Top 30 the entire race. His time was only six seconds 

slower than his regional time so it was a great way to cap off his cross country career by finishing 

as an All-American.” 

Pribnow Named Defensive Lineman of the Year 

Troy Pribnow of Wayne State College has been named the NCAA Division II Defensive 

Lineman of the Year by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette, headlining a talented All-American 

Team. Pribnow was also selected today to the D2Football.com All-America Team while Wildcat 

junior wide receiver Logan Masters was named honorable mention All-American. 

Pribnow, a senior defensive end from Scribner, Neb., led the Northern Sun Conference this 

season in sacks (14), tackles for loss (22), fumbles forced (5) and fumbles recovered (4). 

Masters, a junior wide receiver from Storm Lake, Iowa, led Wayne State in receiving this 

season with 80 catches for 1,179 yards and six touchdowns. He led the NSIC in receiving yards 

per game (98.2) and total receptions (80) while ranking second in the league in receptions per 

game. 

Wayne State College finished the 2008 season with a 9-3 record, ranked 19th in NCAA 

Division II. The Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time in school 

history. The nine wins tied a school record for most wins in a single season, matching the 1949 

(9-0) and 1993 (9-1) teams. 


Alumni Notes 

(Towns and cities listed on these 

pages are in Nebraska unless 

noted or generally understood. 

Efforts are made to keep our 

news current.) 

1936 

Marie (Rockholm) Bunch, 

Torrance, Calif., celebrated her 

100 th birthday on Dec 25. She is 

a mother, grandmother, farmer 

and teacher. 

She began 

her teaching 

career in 

a rural 

Nebraska 

school and 

retired from 

the Los 

Angeles 

Unified School District in 1973. 

1943 

Shirley (Wilkerson) Weihing 

resides in Gering. She has retired 

from teaching but is still an active 

volunteer in her community. She 

volunteers at 

the restored 

Midwest 

Theatre doing 

concessions 

and at the 

theater at 

Nebraska 

Western 

College. 

1949 

Sylvia (Steeves) Owens 

resides in Fresno, Calif. She 

earned a bachelor in education 

degree from the University of 

Northern Colorado in 1953. She 

subsequently taught for 27 years 

in Nebraska, Wyoming, Virginia 

and California, retiring in 1992. 

Sylvia spent two years in Japan 

and while a resident she attained 

a Master’s title in Japanese flower 

arrangement. She teaches a class 

in ikebana and she continually 

maintains a fresh arrangement in 

the Fresno Art Museum. 

1958 

Norm and Jan (Nordman) Ellis 

celebrated their 50 th wedding 

anniversary Aug. 30 with their 

four children, family and friends. 

They reside in Santa Monica, 

Calif. Norm volunteers in the 

library at Grand Elementary 

School where the students fondly 

refer to him as “Grandpa.” Jan 

stays busy quilting professionally 

and personally. 

1961 

Angie (Dowling) Neuharth hosted the eighth meeting of Wayne 

State Gals at the Wisner Yacht Club on July 18. Many of those in 

attendance were Pile Hall residents while at WSC. Pictured front 

row, Joan Schweers, Barbara (Danze) Peters, Pat (Shoemaker) 

Wollenhaupt ‘59, Lucille (Rehbein) Wattermann ‘60, Jeanette 

(Jaeger) Vahle ‘65, Jean (Dalton) Lutt ‘63. Back row, Angie 

(Dowling) Neuharth ‘61, Judy (Bartak) Eggerling ‘60, Emogene 

(Isom) Andrews ‘59, Lonnie (Schmid) Dinslage ‘60, Kathleen 

(Ott) Haber ‘61, Carol (Dibbert) Whipple ‘62, Doris (Leiding) 

Kuester ‘59, Theola (Sadler) Peck ‘94. A cream can dinner 

was served by the hosts. Entertainment was a sing along, which 

concluded with the singing of the Wayne State Alma Mater. 

1962 

Dr. James Budde retired from 

the University of Kansas on June 

30. He founded the Research and 

Training Center on Independent 

Living in 1980, serving as 

director until 2003 when he 

began phased retirement. He 

retired with the rank of Senior 

Scientist Emeritus. 

1967 

Dawn (Lerch) Hawk retired in 

May after teaching reading and 

English for 41 years. She taught 

teenagers in Nebraska, Iowa 

and Arizona. The past 22 years 

she taught at San Manuel Jr/Sr 

High School located in a small 

community north of Tucson. 

16 

Send us your news 

& photos, too! 

We encourage you to send photos with your alumni notes 

- wedding, new baby, promotion, informal gathering with 

other alumni, etc. 

Be sure to identify people in the photos. 

Digital photos with fewer than five megapixels cannot be 

accepted. Please remember to update your address! 

Send to: 

Deb Lundahl, Alumni Office, Wayne State College, 

1111 Main St., Wayne, NE 68787 or delunda1@wsc.edu 

1971 

The Phi Sigma Epsilon Alumni Golf Outing was held for the 25 th 

consecutive year. The event was held July 26 at Spring Brook Golf 

Course in South Sioux City. Pictured left to right, Chris Nielsen 

‘71, Shenandoah, Iowa, Denny Galloway ‘70, Royal, Iowa, Connie 

Smith ‘71, Lake View, Iowa, Deb Oleson ‘72, Laurens, Iowa, Sandy 

‘76 and Vince Hammerl ‘76, Emporia, Kan., Dave Wilson ‘70, 

Omaha, John Smith, Lake View, Iowa, Bob ‘71 and Nancy Berg 

‘72, O’Neill, Ron ‘73 and Richelle Larson ‘74, Mallard, Iowa, 

Dean Oleson ‘72, Laurens, Iowa, Carol Nielsen ‘73, Shenandoah, 

Iowa, Pat and Diane Driscoll ‘71, Sioux City, Iowa, Diane and Ed 

Hansler ‘74, Ralston.

Dawn has completed graduate 

study at Harvard, Vanderbilt, 

Duquesne and the University of 

Arizona through the winning of 

four National Endowment for the 

Humanities grants. In September, 

the Arizona Reading Association 

awarded her the Celebrate 

Literacy Award for the teacher 

who had contributed the most to 

literacy at the state level. 

1975 

Larry 

Beeson, 

North 

Sioux City, 

S.D., plans 

to retire in 

May after 

34 years of 

teaching 

and coaching. He began his 

career in South Sioux City and 

Crofton. The past 24 years he 

has taught at North High School, 

Western Iowa Tech Community 

College and St. Luke’s College. 

1979 

Sally (Schwede) Shively resides 

in Osmond and is employed at 

Osmond Community Schools 

as the K-12 physical education 

teacher and assistant girls 

basketball coach. She has two 

sons enrolled at Wayne State: 

Drew, a senior, and Brett, a 

sophomore. 

1982 

Crystal Bach, Sioux Falls, 

S.D., began working for the 

State of South Dakota in 1999 

and is a senior claims examiner. 

Alumni in the News: Ron Hunter ‘53 

Ronald “Ron” W. Hunter, an Omaha attorney and a 1953 

graduate of WSC, was featured in an Omaha World-Herald 

column for his role in saving Omaha’s Union Station from 

destruction. Hunter was credited with seeing in the 1970s what 

the run-down former train station could become. The Union 

Pacific Corporation donated Union 

Station to the City of Omaha in 

1973. In 1975 the Western Heritage 

Museum opened and operated in the 

existing facility until 1995. Hunter, 

the columnist noted, helped the 

museum blossom from a dilapidated 

station into “one of the city’s 

gems.” 

He was elected president of the 

Western Heritage Society in Omaha 

in 1975, a position which he held 

for nine terms. Hunter received the Alumni Achievement Award 

at the 2005 Spring Commencement ceremony held in the Wayne 

State College Willow Bowl. 

He attended the University of Nebraska College of Law after 

graduation from WSC. Among the highlights of his law school 

years was when the Nebraska law school team, of which Ron was 

a member, defeated heavily-favored Georgetown University in 

the finals of the National Moot Court Championship in New York 

City in 1953. His team was the only Nebraska team to win the 

national championship in the past 50 years. 

Hunter served as a special agent in the Counter Intelligence 

Corps. He worked counterespionage cases and became chief of 

control of top-secret clearance investigations by about 100 agents 

in Northern California. He wrote a book about the American 

Communist Party that was used to train agents and for which he 

received the Army commendation award. 

She is serving a three-year term 

on the executive board for the 

South Dakota State Employees 

Organization. She is the 

president-elect for 2009-2010 for 

the South Dakota Association of 

Disability Examiners (SoDADE). 

Crystal has been a member of 

SoDADE for more than five 

years, serving various terms 

as the chapter’s treasurer and 

secretary. She is the Professional 

Development Chair for the Great 

Plains Region of the National 

Association of Disability 

Examiners. Crystal is an active 

volunteer in her community 

serving with numerous 

organizations. 

1984 

Doug Janousek, is owner of a 

personal chef business located in 

Union Point, Ga., and is one of 

several personal chefs featured 

in a how-to book for cooks and 

chefs wanting to open their own 

personal chef business. There is 

a feature section in which Chef 

Doug discusses his experiences in 

starting a personal chef business. 

Through his business, Home 

Cookin’, he provides in-home 

meal preparations for daily, 

weekly and weekend meals, as 

well as dinner parties and special 

events. Chef Doug’s illustrated 

book provides examples of 

his customized cooking and is 

something that can be for the 

coffee table in the living room 

as well as practical for use in the 

kitchen. These publications are 

available from a number of online 

book sites. 

Kellie Welsh was united in 

marriage to Dave Reynolds. 

The couple plans to reside 

in Huntington Beach, Calif. 

James J. Larsen is assigned 

and working in southeastern 

Yemen as the Deputy Manager 

on a LNG refinery construction 

project. His spouse, Susan 

(Blatchford-Thompson ‘88), 

is a retired major from the 

Army and resides in Laramie, 

Wyo. 

1987 

Brenda (Kowalke) Russell 

has been residing in Nashville, 

Tenn., for the past 21 years. 

She is a professional singer/ 

songwriter/performer. She has 

produced and independently 

recorded two CDs. She has an 

ensemble, Brenda Russell and 

Rock and Roll Royalty, that is 

composed of Rock and Roll 

Legendary Musicians. She 

states that her music resonates 

Americana music at its best. 

Mike Nissen (’07) and 

his wife, Kathy Mohlfeld, 

announce the birth of second 

daughter, Mackenzie Mae on 

Dec. 3. She is welcomed to 

their home in Wayne by sister 

Brianna (3). Mike is employed 

at Nissen Farms and Kathy is a 

counselor and advisor at Wayne 

State. 

1989 

Janet (Hofpar) Timoney and 

her husband, Larry, reside near 

Ulysses with daughter, Alison 

(15) and their adopted sons, 

Brandon (9) and Jackson (3). 

Janet is in her ninth year of 

teaching at Aquinas Catholic 

Schools in David City. She 

completed a Master’s degree 

at the University of Nebraska, 

Lincoln, through the Math in 

the Middle group. 

David Whitt, Lincoln, has 

taught at Nebraska Wesleyan, 

Lincoln since 1991. He was 

granted tenure and promoted 

to associate professor of 

communication. 


Alumni Notes 

1990 

WSC communication arts 

graduates gathered at the Wayne 

Country Club in late July for an 

afternoon of golf. Pictured from 

left to right, Craig Dahlen ‘90, 

Iowa City, Iowa; Chad Francis 

‘90, Sioux Falls S.D.; Tom 

Skinner ‘91, Lincoln; Mike 

Duarte ‘91, Onawa, Iowa; 

Gregg Moeller ‘91, Wisner. 

1991 

Michelle (Mellick) and Greg 

Moeller reside in Wisner. 

Michelle is a para-professional 

Okoboji Golf 

for the Wisner-Pilger Schools. 

Gregg teaches English and 

speech communication at Wisner- 

Pilger High School. He has 

directed the speech and drama 

programs since 2000. They are 

parents of two daughters, Liz (13) 

and Paige (10). 

1993 

William (MSE ‘08) and 

Jennifer (Schuele ‘90, MSE ‘06) 

Trenhaile announce the birth 

of daughter Madeline Christine, 

on June 

20. She 

joins sisters 

Heather 

(17), 

Emily (13), 

Sidney 

(11) and 

brothers 

Eathan (15) 

and Noah 

Wayne State alumni and friends enjoyed a great day at Emerald 

Hills Golf Course on Aug. 2 in Arnolds Park, Iowa. Front: Shana, 

Brooklyn and Bart Emanuel; Bart and Terri Gotch; Mary Miller; 

Mardelle Wiseman; Linda Boles; Gene Willmott; Phyllis Conner, 

vice president for development; Sharon and Dale Judson; Cheryl 

Herndon; Bruce Lundahl; and Brett Gotch. Back: Bruce Boles; 

Dean deBuhr; Ed Humpal; Randy and Molly Rohlfsen; Sharon 

and Ron Sadler; Richard and Marilyn Collings; Sam Utecht; 

John Carrington; Lori Utecht; Tom Whittington; Margi deBuhr; 

Jack Conner; Reggie Yates; Woody Ferry; Deb Lundahl, director 

of alumni relations; and Lyle Koenig. Not pictured: Jenny Gotch, 

Mike Holderness, Paul Cassens. 

(9). They reside in Emerson. 

Jennifer is the PreK-2 music 

teacher and 5-12 band director at 

Emerson-Hubbard Community 

Schools. Bill is the band director 

at Wakefield Community Schools. 

Bruce and Sarah (Flood ‘97) 

Wieseler, Lincoln, announce 

the birth of son, Jack Ryan, 

on May 16. Bruce is assistant 

vice president at I-Tech Corp. 

Sarah is in sales at Information 

Technology, Inc. Jack is 

welcomed home by two sisters, 

Katherine and Caroline. 

1994 

Angel (Baumert) Gaspers, 

and her husband, Bill, 

announce the birth of their 

first child, 

Isabella 

Therese, 

on Feb. 

8. Angel 

is in her 

eleventh 

year of 

teaching. 

She is 

instructing 

third-graders at Schuyler 

Community Schools. They 

reside on a farm near Lindsay. 

1996 

Stacy (Carlson) McKain and 

her husband, Mark, reside in 

Gretna. Stacy is a department 

supervisor for Rain and Hail 

Dakota Dunes Golf 

18 

Wayne State College alumni and friends got together Aug. 25 at Dakota Dunes 

Country Club in Dakota Dunes, S.D. Attendees at this year’s event: Joel Ankeny, 

Kevin Armstrong, Morris Bates, Mike Becker, Russ Benson, Eric Bertness, 

Ron Boner, Bob Brand, Tom Brune, Marilyn Carhart, Dale Clayton, Richard 

Collings, Rick Colwell, Phyllis Conner, Mic Daehnke, Casey Daehnke, Bill 

Dickey, Tami Diediker, Jim Dryden, John Ege, Bart Emanuel, Nancy Endicott, 

Dave Fiedli, Todd Fitch, Jim Fletcher, John Fulmer, Kevin Gade, Russ Gade, 

Bart Gotch, Phil Griess, Bob Hahn, Eldon Hutchinson, Patrick Jennings, Ed 

Jochum, Alex Kazos, Bill Koeber, Craig Koehler, Craig Ladwig, Bill Lambrecht, 

Karl Laursen, Vince Leighty, Terry Lessmann, Jim Lindau, Nick Litel, Gary 

Lubberstedt, Roger Lueth, Bruce Lundahl, Deb Lundahl, Mac McKown, Earl 

Miller, Pam Miller, Brad Moore, Steve Muir, Ron Nelson, Ray Nelson, Marta 

Nelson, Lonnie Nixon, Tyler Nixon, Dave Noyes, Michael Patrick, Randy 

Pedersen, Dave Perry, Kevin Peterson, Vicki Pick, Mike Riedmann, Doug Rose, 

Pat Salerno, Jay Sandy, Eric Schoh, John Schulte, Bill Shaner, Shane Slaughter, 

Ron Smith, Doug Smith, Jerry Spethman, Dennis Timmerman, Dean Troester, 

Phil Ubben, Roger Uecker, Steve VanGinkel, Tim Wacker, Fred Williams, Gene 

Willmott, Reggie Yates, Tom Wilson and Tom Zaroban.

LLC, 

Omaha. 

They are the 

parents of 

a daughter, 

Emily Rose, 

born July 24. 

1997 

Don Hand and his wife, Ann, 

Papillion, are happy to announce 

the birth of triplets on Jan. 3. 

They are the proud parents of 

Kara Elizabeth, Julianna Kay 

and Alex Thomas. 

Sheri (Nelson) Cunningham 

and her husband, Robert, are 

proud to 

announce 

the birth 

of their 

daughter, 

Lola Faith, 

April. 14. 

They live in 

Urbandale, 

Iowa, 

where Sheri is a senior sales 

professional with Sanofiaventis 

Pharmaceuticals in the 

company’s specialty therapeutics 

division. 

1997 

Stuart and Jennifer 

(Schilmoeller ’92) Rethwisch 

reside in Waterloo, Ill. Stuart 

is the pastor of Holy Cross 

Lutheran Church at Wartburg in 

Waterloo. Jennifer is the director 

of the after-school program at 

the church. They are the parents 

of: Lydia (8), Elizabeth (5), 

Logan (2) and Elijah Joseph 

(born Aug. 18). 

Justy Weston and Pete Bernardy 

were united in marriage Aug. 16. 

They reside in Tiffin, Iowa. 

Maria 

(Eaton) 

Michaelis 

and her 

husband, 

Mark, 

announce 

the birth of 

daughter, 

Alaina 

“Laini” Brett on June 11. They 

reside in Omaha. Maria works 

as an anesthesiologist at the 

Nebraska Medical Center. 

1999 

Brent and Adrienne (Frank) 

Essink announce the birth of 

Isabelle Roscinda on June 19. 

She is welcomed to their Beatrice 

home by sisters, Hannah and 

Gracee. 

Jacob Back and Jennifer 

Briese ‘96 were united in 

marriage. They reside in Plano, 

Texas. Jacob is employed 

with JP Morgan Chase, Dallas. 

Jennifer works in the compliance 

department at Metro Medical 

Credit Union, Dallas, while 

working toward a Master’s 

degree in urban and regional 

planning. 

2000 

Michaela Clifford and Andrew 

Comstock 

were united 

in marriage 

Sept. 6. 

They reside 

in Prairie 

Village, 

Kan. 

Colby and Nichole (Siebrandt) 

Vesely announce the birth of 

Soren Amira on Oct. 8, 2007. 

Soren is joined in their Lincoln 

home by siblings Dade (9), 

Brody (5) and Evelyn (3). Colby 

is the human resource manager at 

Farmland Foods, Crete. Nichole 

is a stay-at-home mom. 

Eric and Angela (Schaeffer) 

Dwight announce the birth of 

daughter Janika Lee, on May 

21. She joins her parents and 

big sister Lenka (2) at their home 

in Omaha. 

Eric is a 

process 

analyst at 

PayPal and 

Angela is 

a business 

analyst at 

Hewlett 

Packard. 

Alumni in the News: 

Charlie Janssen ‘97 

2001 

Regina (Kallhoff) Finch and 

husband, Jason, announce the 

birth of 

daughter, 

Alayna 

Joy Ann, 

on June 

17. They 

reside in 

Tecumseh. 

Charlie Janssen of Fremont defeated Fremont attorney 

Richard Register in Dodge County’s District 15 state senate race 

in November. Janssen owns RTG Medical in Fremont. 

Janssen was born in Fremont, grew up in Nickerson, and 

graduated from Logan View High School. He joined the Navy 

after high school, serving in the 

Persian Gulf War as a search and 

rescue swimmer from 1989 to 1993. 

Janssen came back to Nebraska 

and graduated from Wayne State 

College with a Bachelor of Science 

degree after his honorable discharge 

from the Navy. 

Janssen is a member of VFW 

Post 854, American Legion Post 20, 

past president of Fremont Veterans 

Club, Fremont Veterans Honor 

Guard Unit, Fremont Masonic 

Lodge, Scottish Rite and Tangier 

Shriners. 

Janssen serves as a board member of Northeast Nebraska 

Economic Development District, Northeast Nebraska Housing 

Board, Fremont Area United Way, Fremont Area Chamber of 

Commerce, an advisory member of Fremont National Bank, 

Fremont Area Medical Center Foundation and is the Greater 

Fremont Development Council Director. 

Janssen serves on the state legislature’s Government, 

Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, which is responsible 

for processing legislation involving: county government 

and officers; counties, townships; elections; other political 

subdivisions; special districts; political campaigns and finance; 

Nebraska Political Accountability and Disclosure Act; lobbying; 

political contributions; corrections; jails; Department of 

Correctional Services; law enforcement and the State Patrol 

He also serves on the state legislature’s Transportation 

and Telecommunications Committee, which oversees: motor 

vehicles; driver licensing; motor vehicle registration and titles; 

rules of the road; size and weight; equipment; Department of 

Motor Vehicles; highways and bridges; roads; Department 

of Roads; State Highway Commission; and other aspects of 

transportation and communication. 


Alumni Notes 

Scott Peters has been promoted 

to assistant principal of 

Northwest High School within 

Omaha Public Schools. Scott 

has been with the Omaha district 

for six years. Scott resides in 

Omaha with his wife, Abby 

(Corcoran ‘02) and children, 

Gwen (6) and AJ (2). 

2002 

Ryan Larsen and his wife, 

Kristin, announce the birth of 

son, Brody 

Lee, on 

Sept. 30. 

They reside 

in Omaha. 

Ryan is a 

senior loan 

officer with Regent Financial 

Group, Omaha. 

Amanda Elofson and Matt 

Robinson 

were united 

in marriage 

on July 19. 

The couple 

resides in 

Fremont. 

She is a 

quotations 

specialist for Valmont Industries, 

Omaha. 

2003 

Mark and Crystal (Toman 

‘07) Ernst announce the birth 

of son, Briggs Joseph, on June 

19. Mark is a secondary social 

science teacher and coach at 

Clarkson 

Public 

Schools. 

Crystal is 

substitute 

teaching in 

the Clarkson 

area. They 

reside in Clarkson. 

Kari (Brown) and Joseph “JJ” 

Schueth announce the birth of 

daughter, 

Jacy Lynn, 

on Dec. 6. 

They reside 

in Blair. Kari 

works as a 

high school 

art teacher 

for Blair Community Schools. JJ 

works for Valley Corp., Valley, as 

a project manager. 

Tiffany 

(Crom) 

Olson and 

her husband, 

Mark, 

announce 

the birth of 

daughter, 

Justice Jean, 

on June 13. She is welcomed 

to their home in Concord by 

brothers Dillon (4) 

and Tyler (2). 

Becky (Woelfel) McClanathan 

and her husband Jason, are proud 

to announce 

the birth of 

daughter, 

Jaycelyn 

Marie on 

June 29. 

They reside 

in Omaha. 

2004 

Catrina Korth and Chris 

Winkelbauer were united in 

marriage 

July 26. 

They reside 

in Randolph. 

She teaches 

kindergarten 

at Jefferson 

Elementary 

School, 

Norfolk. 

Gregra Williamson and Nick 

Derby were 

united in 

marriage 

May 23. 

They reside 

in Omaha. 

Gregra is an 

advertising 

coordinator 

at TheKnot. 

com, Omaha. 

Karen (Schroeder) Rodriguez 

and her husband, Rudy, 

announce the birth of son, Ethan 

James, on Dec. 8. They reside 

in Omaha. Karen is employed 

at the Nebraska Department of 

Health and Human Services. 

2005 

Angela Semerad was united in 

marriage 

to Josh 

Rystrom. 

The couple 

resides in 

Pensacola, 

Fla. She is 

a contract 

physical 

therapist. 

Marie 

Raffety 

and Warren 

Kurcera 

were united 

in marriage 

May 24. 

They reside 

in Lincoln. 

Marie is a 

manager at 

Sign Now, 

Lincoln. 

Rob Runion 

(MSE ‘07) 

and Tonya 

Boss (‘07) 

were united 

in marriage 

April 5. 

They reside 

in Columbus. 

Rob is a 

therapist at 

Omaha Wildcat Golf Classic 

Winners of this year’s classic were, from left, Eric Olson, 

Shane Hansen ‘86, Grady Hansen ‘83, and Rod Hansen. 

20 

Wayne State College alumni and friends gathered for the 20th Annual Omaha 

Wildcat Golf Classic on July 19 at Shoreline Golf Course in Carter Lake, Iowa. 

Front: Paige Barry, Megan Finke, Kelsee Katsampes, Megan Mardensen, Troy 

Harder, and Heidi Armstrong. Back: Deb Lundahl, director of alumni relations, 

Phyllis Conner, vice president for development, Kevin Armstrong, Blake 

Thompson, Jerry Vogel, Tyler DeJong, and Jake Hirz.

Alumni Achievement Award 

The Alumni Achievement Award recognizes Wayne State alumni 

who have outstanding achievements in their career and/or civic 

involvement, and have provided support to WSC. Please use the 

form to nominate someone you think deserves this award. 

Alumni Service Award 

The Alumni Service Award recognizes Wayne State alumni who 

have enhanced the college through dedicated service, promotion 

and financial support. Please use the form to nominate someone 

you think deserves this award. 

Send nomination and supporting information to: 

Deb Lundahl, Alumni Office, Wayne State College, 

1111 Main St., Wayne, NE 68787, 

or e-mail delunda1@wsc.edu. Thank you. 

Meadows Behavioral Health 

Inc. Tonya is the buyout tech at 

Behlen Mfg. Co. 

2006 

Kristin (Rice) Beaty and her 

husband, Mike, announce the 

birth of son, 

Quintin 

Allen, on 

Sept. 3. He 

is welcomed 

to their home 

in Wakefield 

by sister, 

Michaela (3). 

Kristin is employed by USDA/ 

FSIS as an egg products inspector 

at Michael Foods, Wakefield. 

Jennifer Beer announces the 

birth of son, Caden James, on 

July 29. She is enjoying being a 

mom and working part-time as a 

server at Applebee’s in Omaha. 

2008 

Rita Guenther and Charlie 

Pleskac were united in marriage 

on Aug. 23. They reside in Dell 

Rapids, S.D., where the couple 

owns and operates the local 

Dairy 

Queen. 

Rita is 

employed 

as a 

personal 

banker 

at First 

Dakota 

National 

Bank, 

Sioux Falls, S.D. 

Nomination Form 

Circle one: Achievement Award Service Award 

Please print 

Nominee’s Name__________________________Grad Year_ ________ 

Nominee’s Occupation______________________________________ 

Nominee’s Mailing Address___________________________________ 

City/State/Zip____________________________________________ 

Nominee’s Phone 

Business_ _______________________________ 

Home__________________________________ 

On a separate sheet of paper please state the nominee’s career 

accomplishments (cite specific achievements) and civic 

contributions (community, charitable organizations, schools, etc.). 

Nominated by 

Name__________________________________ Grad Year_ _______ 

Mailing Address_ _________________________________________ 

City/State/Zip____________________________________________ 

Phone: 

Business_ _______________________________________ 

Home__________________________________________ 

Alumni in the News: Joe Wall ‘04 

The Independent Insurance Agents 

& Brokers of America (the Big ‘I’) 

announced that Joe Wall has joined 

the team as senior director of Federal 

Government Affairs. 

“Joe brings a wealth of government 

and political experience to the Big 

‘I’,” said Charles E. Symington, 

Jr., Big “I” senior vice president for 

government affairs. “The Big ‘I’ 

is pleased to welcome him to our 

federal government affairs team on 

Capitol Hill.” 

Wall previously served as deputy assistant for legislative affairs 

to Vice President Dick Cheney. He also worked on the Romney for 

President Campaign as assistant national field director and as a floor 

assistant for Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) in the Office of the Majority 

Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives. 

“With so many issues coming before Congress that are 

important to our members, we are glad to complete our team with a 

professional with such pertinent executive, legislative and campaign 

experience,” said Robert Rusbuldt, Big “I” president and CEO. 

Wall, a native of Omaha, Neb., graduated magna cum laude 

and received a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from 

Wayne State College. Wall joins a bipartisan lobbying team. 

Founded in 1896, the Big “I” is the nation’s oldest and largest 

national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, 

representing a network of more than 300,000 agents, brokers 

and their employees nationally. Its members are businesses that 

offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance 

companies. Independent agents and brokers offer all lines of 

insurance—property, casualty, life, health, employee benefit plans 

and retirement products. 


Alumni Notes 

In Memory Of 

Rhea (Schmiedeskamp) Rossiter 

‘33, (94), Hartington; Nov. 14. 

Caroline (Spangler) Miner ‘34, 

(94), Wisner; Oct. 21. 

Althea G. (Gillilan) Olson ‘36, 

(97), Wausa; Oct. 25. 

Violet (Casper) Johnson ‘37, (92), 

Oakland; Nov. 12. 

Ethel M. Sweet ‘37, (95), Clarks; 

Nov. 19. 

Rachel M. (Klanderud) Schnieder 

‘38, (90), Sun City West, Ariz.; 

Sept. 18. 

Dorothy M. (Hines) Hartung ‘40, 

(88), Coleridge; Sept. 16. 

Bonnie (Farner) Evans ‘40, (87), 

Joplin, Mo.; Nov. 22. 

William H. “Bill” Hull ‘41, (92), 

Urbana, Ill.; Oct. 18. 

Marjorie (Hook) Whitmore ‘42, 

(88), Media, Pa.; Aug. 30. 

Carol M. (Heide) Dunn ‘42, 

Walthill; Nov. 18. 

Frances E. Pennington ‘45, (92), 

Hastings; Nov. 17. 

Gleva A. (Binger) Kronlokken 

‘45, Renville, Minn.; May 19. 

Myrtle Izola (Schwab) Stovall 

‘47, (90), Midland, Texas; July 

19. 

Marie (Graham) Moyer ‘48, 

Boone, Iowa, June 14. 

Richard J. Peterson ‘48, El 

Centro, Calif. 

Francis S. “Frank” Devine ‘49, 

(84), O’Neill; Dec. 26. 

Laddie J. Bicak ‘50, (84), 

Kearney; Dec. 24. 

John B. Dallen, Jr. ‘50, Federal 

Way, Wash.; July 7. 

Duane Dion ‘50, (86), Fort 

Morgan, Colo.; Dec. 23. 

Arlene (Speck) Young ‘50, (81), 

Whittier, Calif.; Sept. 25. 

Jack W. Dale ‘50, (82), Fort 

Collins, Colo.; Oct. 4. 

Marilyn (Tomason) Creamer ‘52, 

Hartington; June 16. 

Paul H. Moeller ‘52, (77), 

Minneapolis, Minn.; Jan. 18. 

Gladys M. Laursen ‘54, Sioux 

Falls, S.D.; July 19. 

Mildred “Milly” (Foley) Schluter 

‘56, (73), Ida Grove, Iowa; Oct. 

21. 

Grace (Jochem) Heerten ‘56, (80), 

Burwell; Jan. 4. 

Frances E. (Zoucha) Maxwell ‘57, 

(98), Wisner; Nov. 1. 

Neal M. McDonald ‘57, (76), 

Omaha; Sept. 13. 

Allen F. Anderson ‘59, (71), Elk 

Grove, Calif.; Feb. 15. 

Shirley (Ludwig) Anderson ‘59, 

(70), Elk Grove, Calif.; March 9. 

Opal Kay (Sutton) Berg ‘59, (70), 

Omaha; Sept. 30. 

Robert “Bob” Simonin ‘59, MS 

‘63, (74), Clarion, Iowa; Oct. 26. 

Eleanor (Madison) Fuhrman ‘61 

(MAE ‘66), (91), Norfolk; Aug. 

20 

Richard D. Chochon ‘62, (67), 

Palmer; Aug. 4. 

Nellie Darlene (Brooks) Robinson 

‘62 (MSE ‘64), (87), Norfolk; 

Aug. 1. 

Louise (Hanson) Weber ‘69, (89), 

Oakdale; Aug. 14. 

Harlan Perske ‘69, (69), Norfolk; 

Jan. 29. 

Anita (Rabe) Tietjen ‘70, (67), 

South Sioux City; Nov. 4. 

William A. Goodwin ‘70, (61), 

Lawton, Iowa; Dec. 27. 

Mildred (Janssen) Schrieber ‘73, 

(84), Coleridge; Aug. 24. 

Susan K. (Krist) Sandahl ‘73, (57), 

Wakefield; Oct. 22. 

Ruth (Segebart) Brown ‘73, (87), 

Norfolk; Dec. 20. 

Jerome F. Thiele ‘70, (50), 

Jefferson City, Mo.; Dec. 30. 

Ernest “Mac” McMurtry ‘75, 

(77), Oakland; Oct. 1. 

Carole (Hill) Kohmetscher ‘75, 

(61), Lawrence; July 22. 

Anne Briese ‘76, (86), Portland, 

Ore.; July 10. 

Betty Farrar ‘78, (78), Newman 

Grove; Aug. 23. 

Janet (Phillips) Simpson ‘84, (46), 

Jefferson, Iowa; Dec. 26. 

Patricia (Crouch) Connealy ‘87, 

(61), Richmond, Mo.; Nov. 20. 

Susan (Reeves) Betten ‘89, (41), 

Fremont; July 20. 

Karen K. (Alter) Thompson ‘92, 

(63), Remsen, Iowa; Oct. 19. 

Pamela S. (Clements) Reiser ‘06 

MSE, (49), Butte; Jan. 2. 

Therese D. (Steffl) Schleppenbach 

‘98, (52), Norfolk; June 25. 

Friends We Will Miss 

Jean Lindau (80), Lincoln; 

Oct. 28; mother of Wayne State 

Foundation Executive Board 

member, Jim Lindau. 

Evelyn McClain (89), Osmond; 

Sept. 25; mother of Wayne 

State Foundation Executive 

Board member, Terry McClain. 

Charles H. Obye (86), Sun City, 

Ariz.; Oct. 29. Charles served 

as basketball coach and assistant 

football coach at WSC from 

1949-1957. 

Allen O’Donnell (77), Wayne; 

Sept. 29. Allen was an associate 

professor of political science at 

WSC from 1971 to 1994. 

Dr. Ray Kelton, Longtime Music Professor 

at Wayne State College, Dies Nov. 28 

Raymond H. Kelton died Nov. 28, 2008, at home in Austin, 

Texas, surrounded by his family. He was 88. 

Dr. Kelton was born Aug. 7, 1920, in Tucson, Ariz., to Frank 

and Eleanor (Harrison) Kelton. He graduated from Tucson High 

School and the University of Arizona with Bachelor of Music and 

Master of Music degrees. He received a Ph.D. in musicology from 

the University of North Texas. 

He married Barbara Kilburn on Jan. 4, 1944, in Tucson. They lived 

in San Diego while Dr. Kelton served in the United States Navy. 

He devoted his career to music education, teaching at Montana 

State University, Texas Wesleyan College, East Central University 

in Oklahoma, and Wayne State College in Nebraska. He was 

professor of music for 24 years at Wayne State and chairman of 

the Music Department and the Division of Fine Arts. He retired in 

1984. He was a member of the Nebraska Music Educator Hall of 

Fame, Kappa Kappa Psi, and various professional organizations. 

He worked extensively with high school music students in 

summer camps, contests and as a clinician, adjudicator and teacher. 

He taught for several years in the Dallas public schools while 

pursuing his doctorate. 

Dr. Kelton is remembered as an accomplished musician, 

conductor, performer and teacher. He specialized in brass 

instruments, music history, conducting concert and marching 

bands, and performing on the euphonium and trombone. His 

performances of classics such as the Carnival of Venice on the 

euphonium were a joy to hear. After retirement, he continued to 

play and solo with the Sioux City Municipal Band and the brass 

quintet A Touch of Brass. 

He especially enjoyed gardening, traveling, and attending 

concerts with Barbara and his grandchildren. He also loved candy 

and good jokes, according to friends. 

Dr. Kelton is survived by his two sons, R. Harrison (Elizabeth) 

Kelton Jr. of Newton, Mass., and Phillip (Karen) Kelton of Austin, 

Texas; and four grandchildren, Kevin Kelton, Erica Harris, 

Christina Kelton and Piper Kelton. 

He was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Barbara; his 

parents; two brothers, Kenneth and Frank Jr.; and an infant son, 

Gary. 

Memorials may be made to Providence Medical Center, 

Wayne, Neb., 68787; or the Ray Kelton Band Scholarship fund 

via the Wayne State Foundation, 1111 Main Street, Wayne, Neb., 

68787. Dr. Kelton’s family appreciates your thoughts and kindness. 

22

Alumni Reunions 

Wayne State alumni and friends gathered Sept. 30 in Cherokee, 

Iowa. Jack Foresman ‘53 assisted with the location. Front: 

Phyllis Conner, vice president for development, Mary (Hamman) 

McIntosh ‘55, Wayne President Richard Collings, Bob Tusha, John 

Lockin ‘55, Marjorie (Reed) Pritts ‘45, Deb Lundahl, director of 

development and alumni relations. Back: Eileen Meyer, Albert 

Larry Meyer ‘57, Jason Erickson ‘00, Chuck Clark ‘55, MSE ‘64, 

Dana (Arens) Erickson ‘02, Judy (King) Carlson ‘60, Patricia 

(Goodrich) Behrens ‘52, Jack Foresman, Sheryl (Reese) Hansen 

‘68, Nancy Rutter-Spriggs ‘68, Patricia Veencamp, Dana Evans 

‘75, Mary Jo (Barry) Carnine ‘57, Dianne (Dunn) Anderson ‘63, 

Bill McIntosh, Walter Pritts. Not pictured, Joanne Clark. 

Wayne State alumni and friends gathered Jan. 17 in 

Tucson, Ariz. Front: Fred Kjer ‘59, Greg Walker ‘72, 

Bill Holland. Back: Lorna (Sexton) Parsley ‘73, Phyllis 

Conner, vice president for development, Lynn Kjer, Becky 

Walker, Betty Becker, Marje (Stewart) Holland ‘82, MAE 

‘84, Lucy (Moseley) Kuhlman ‘43, and Deb Lundahl, 

director of development and alumni relations. 

Don ‘71 and Diane ‘71 Massman Soukup hosted Wayne State 

alumni and friends Dec. 12 at their home in Henderson, Nev. 

Front: Lila (Neary) Chambers ‘48, Wayne State President 

Richard Collings, Doug Coffey ‘80, Don Soukup ‘71. Back: 

Deb Lundahl, director of development and alumni relations, 

Phyllis Conner, vice president for development, Marilyn 

Collings, Phyllis (Oblander) Noblitt ‘53, Phyllis ‘62 (Vohs) 

and Bud ‘63 Billeter, Diane (Massman) Soukup ‘71. 

Wayne State alumni and friends gathered Jan. 18 in Goodyear, 

Ariz. George ‘56 and Susan ‘55 (Reeh) Menking assisted with the 

location for the event. Front: Ed and Ruth Barnet, Matt Carney 

‘78, Patrick Bush ‘06, Beth (Galloway) Leamer ‘71, MSE ‘83, Deb 

Lundahl, director of development and alumni relations. Row 2: 

Phyllis Conner, vice president for development, Phil Nelson ‘65, 

Faye (Sandahl) Purtzer ‘47, Marilyn (Throckmorton) Anson ‘55, Bob 

Nagel, Wayne State President Richard Collings. Row 3: Bill Steward 

‘40, Ruth Ellen (Herrill) Nelson ‘65, Ray ‘50 and Marilyn Leafstedt, 

George ‘56 and Susan ‘55 (Reeh) Menking, Jim Goodvin ‘66, 

Howard Schmidt, Jimmie Goodvin, Elwin Anson, Carole Schmidt, 

Nancy Fuelberth, Joanne Nagel, Horace Purtzer ‘42, Marilyn (Burtz) 

Estrada ‘58, Darrel Fuelberth ‘62, Marge (Gnuse) Krohn ‘43, Fern 

Obye, Ann (Thomas) Carter ‘66, Marilyn Carhart. Not pictured: Joel 

and Ruth Walters and Lenny Estrada. 


Calling all Wildcats! It’s Phonathon Time! 

What is the Wayne State Phonathon 

The Phonathon is an annual event that employs about 55 students. They call alumni, parents and friends 

of the college to update address and employment data, build relationships and raise money for Wayne 

State College. The Phonathon starts in January and runs through the first week of March. 

Why do students work for the Phonathon 

Because they care about WSC and realize how important the Phonathon funds are to maintaining the 

strength of the college. The money raised is spent on things important to the students – scholarships, 

faculty/staff grants and special campus projects in addition to operating funds. 

How successful is Phonathon 

The Phonathon is very successful! In 2008 WSC alumni and friends gave more than $183,000 through 

the Phonathon. 

Why do people give to Phonathon 

Alumni, parents and friends of WSC donate to help current students 

because they believe in our mission and they want to give back to the 

college that helped them achieve success. 

Do telemarketing laws apply to Phonathon 

No. WSC is exempt from the do-not-call registry because the federal 

government realizes private giving is essential for campuses to cover unmet 

tuition costs and other enhancements. 

If you did not receive a call from a student but would like to contribute 

to the Phonathon, you can make a gift online at www.wsc.edu/foundation. 

If you have any questions about Phonathon please call 

Deb Lundahl - 402-375-7209. 

2009 

Upcoming Events 

March 21 

Northern California 

Campaign Event 

April 21 

Black & Gold/ 

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet 

May 9 

Commencement 

June 5 

Catbacker Golf 

July 10-11 

Chicken Days 

July 18 

Omaha Golf 

August 24 

Dakota Dunes Golf 

WAYNE STATE FOUNDATION 

1111 MAIN STREET 

WAYNE NE 68787 

www.wsc.edu 

Non-Profit 

Organization 

U.S. Postage 

PAID 

Permit #227 

Sioux City, Iowa

Winter 2009 - Wayne State College

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