Celebrating Father Biondi's Anniversary - Saint Louis University
Celebrating Father Biondi's Anniversary - Saint Louis University
Celebrating Father Biondi's Anniversary - Saint Louis University
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<strong>Celebrating</strong><br />
<strong>Father</strong><br />
Biondi’s<br />
<strong>Anniversary</strong><br />
{ page 8 }<br />
InsIde<br />
A DuBourg<br />
Hall Makeover<br />
{ page 14 }<br />
Library Treasures<br />
{ page 16 }<br />
Student on a Mission<br />
{ page 20 }
Volume 34, Issue 1<br />
Editor<br />
Laura Geiser (A&S ’90, Grad ’92)<br />
Contributors<br />
Allison Babka<br />
Marie Dilg (SW ’94)<br />
Lauren Olson (Intern)<br />
Nick Sargent<br />
“on Campus” nEws storiEs<br />
<strong>University</strong> Communications<br />
Medical Center Communications<br />
Billiken Media Relations<br />
dEsign<br />
Art Direction: Matthew Krob<br />
Universitas is published by <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong>. Opinions<br />
expressed in Universitas are those of the individual<br />
authors and not necessarily those of the <strong>University</strong> administration.<br />
Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs<br />
are welcome but will be returned only if accompanied<br />
by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Letters to the<br />
editor must be signed, and letters not intended for publication<br />
should indicate that fact. The editor reserves the<br />
right to edit all items. Address all mail to Universitas,<br />
DuBourg Hall 39, 221 N. Grand, St. <strong>Louis</strong>, Mo. 63103.<br />
We accept e-mail at utas@slu.edu and fax submissions<br />
at (314) 977-2249. Address fax submissions to Editor,<br />
Universitas.<br />
Postmaster: Send address changes to<br />
Universitas, <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong>,<br />
221 N. Grand Blvd., St. <strong>Louis</strong>, MO 63103.<br />
World Wide Web address:<br />
www.slu.edu/pr/universitas.html<br />
Universitas is printed by Universal Printing Co.<br />
and mailed by Specialty Mailing.<br />
Worldwide circulation: 121,408<br />
© 2007, <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
All rights reserved.<br />
Cover photo by James Visser<br />
EDITOR’S MESSAgE FEATURES<br />
Because <strong>University</strong> President<br />
Lawrence Biondi, S.J., is<br />
sharing his thoughts in a<br />
Q&A that appears on pages<br />
8-13 of this issue, he begged<br />
off his usual president’s<br />
message and asked me to write<br />
an editor’s message instead.<br />
From 1900-1908 <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
was led by William Banks Rogers, S.J., a<br />
visionary who is said to have transformed<br />
SLU. In just eight years as president, he Americanized<br />
and modernized SLU’s academic structure,<br />
re-established the School of Medicine, expanded<br />
the campus, rebuilt the athletic program<br />
and made plans to open a School of Law.<br />
Rogers had a brief but groundbreaking tenure<br />
marked by his prophetic grasp of future<br />
trends, including his early understanding of<br />
the importance of public relations, his emphasis<br />
on alumni development<br />
and his commitment to the St.<br />
<strong>Louis</strong> community.<br />
In Better the Dream, a history<br />
of <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> by<br />
William Barnaby Faherty, S.J.,<br />
Rogers is dubbed the “Second<br />
Founder of <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong>.”<br />
Clearly he was a fascinating,<br />
driven man.<br />
I have been intrigued by<br />
Rogers’ story since stumbling<br />
across his achievements many<br />
years ago. But there are probably<br />
very few other people on campus (except<br />
maybe our archivists) who even know his name.<br />
You see, his legacy is not widely known at SLU<br />
today. Yes, SLU once had a Rogers Hall, but<br />
that building is now known as Jesuit Hall. And,<br />
yes, Rogers’ portrait does hang on the second<br />
floor of DuBourg Hall, but it is just one of 30<br />
paintings of past SLU presidents that adorns<br />
the long hallway.<br />
Someday a portrait of our current president,<br />
Lawrence Biondi, S.J., will hang there, too<br />
— his legacy for time and history to decide.<br />
Perhaps one day, Biondi will be known as the<br />
“Founder of the Modern <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong>.”<br />
It’s certainly possible.<br />
Like Rogers before him, Biondi has done his<br />
share of transforming <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
during his 20 years here. Of course, his efforts<br />
to improve SLU’s physical campus come<br />
to mind first. But there’s more to his tenure<br />
than that. Just as Rogers did, Biondi has em-<br />
WiLLiAM bAnkS rOgerS, S.J.<br />
phasized academics, established new schools,<br />
re-energized the athletic program and made<br />
SLU a force in the community. (Read about<br />
his reflections on his years at SLU beginning<br />
on page 8.)<br />
Of course, Biondi would be quick to tell you<br />
that he didn’t do it alone. And as I speculate<br />
Rogers would agree, Biondi knows his legacy<br />
is not about him — it is about leaving an outstanding<br />
university for his successor to lead.<br />
The concept of “legacies” brings to mind a<br />
story I heard from <strong>Father</strong> Biondi’s former assistant,<br />
Mike Isaacson (A&S ’86, Grad Cook<br />
’96), a Broadway producer whom I interviewed<br />
for the summer issue of Universitas.<br />
“You know, the interesting thing about working<br />
for a university is that universities are living<br />
in a weird world,” Isaacson said. “They’re<br />
about today, and they’re about 200 years from<br />
today at the same time. And, when you think<br />
about the legions of people who have worked<br />
for <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> U., and you<br />
walk through those halls, you<br />
can kind of feel history.<br />
“I remember once, early on<br />
with Biondi, we were leaving a<br />
meeting, and it had gone horribly.<br />
He was so frustrated.<br />
“We were quietly walking<br />
in DuBourg Hall through the<br />
second-floor hallway that has<br />
all the paintings of past SLU<br />
presidents. We get two-thirds<br />
down the hall, and Biondi just<br />
stops, and he points at one of<br />
them and says, ‘Who’s that?’<br />
And I say, ‘I don’t know.’ And he says, ‘My<br />
point exactly, so let’s just keep going.’<br />
“It was that sense of even though you may<br />
be heading an institution, the institution is far<br />
bigger than you will ever be, and time leaves<br />
your name in the dust. Your obligation to here<br />
and now is to leave the lights on when your<br />
time is through.”<br />
Maybe that portrait they stopped at was of<br />
<strong>Father</strong> Rogers; maybe it wasn’t. In any case, I<br />
do know the lights are on at <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
— both literally and figuratively — illuminating<br />
the good works, scholarly achievements<br />
and personal successes of our 12,309<br />
students, our 5,436 faculty and staff members<br />
and our 108,110 alumni around the world. For<br />
that light, we can thank Biondi, Rogers and 29<br />
other Jesuits who have served as SLU presidents<br />
and understood the real meaning of legacy.<br />
– Laura Geiser, Editor<br />
Fall leaves frame O’Donnell Hall, home of the <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> Museum of Art.<br />
UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007 1<br />
Photo by Kevin Lowder<br />
Photo by James Visser<br />
14<br />
Grand onCe more<br />
DuBourg Hall’s fourth<br />
floor is restored to its<br />
turn-of-the-century glory.<br />
By Allison Babka<br />
16<br />
Treasures To Behold<br />
… and To Be held<br />
A look inside the<br />
<strong>University</strong>’s rare book and<br />
manuscript collection.<br />
By Marie Dilg<br />
20 Years and<br />
Counting<br />
A Q&A with <strong>University</strong><br />
President Lawrence<br />
Biondi, S.J., as he<br />
marks a milestone<br />
anniversary at SLU.<br />
By Laura Geiser<br />
20<br />
a Woman for oThers<br />
Student Rachel<br />
McCullagh is living<br />
SLU’s Jesuit mission.<br />
By Lauren Olson<br />
DEPARTMENTS<br />
2 on Campus<br />
Sword of Loyola honors artist Grant explores<br />
children’s health New blogs offer inside<br />
view of SLU New mall at Medical Center<br />
Portrait of DuBourg Kranz back on campus<br />
6 billiken news<br />
Billiken broadcasts online Basketball<br />
schedules Billiken mascot ranked No. 1<br />
7 Campaign update<br />
A conversation with David Nolda,<br />
director of annual giving programs<br />
22 off the shelf<br />
Eight books from the SLU community<br />
23 Class notes<br />
Catch up with classmates<br />
29 in memoriam<br />
Remembering those members of the SLU<br />
community who recently died<br />
3 0 alumni Events<br />
Find SLU alumni activities wherever you live<br />
32 perspective<br />
A SLU soccer player learns a lot<br />
from those she is teaching<br />
33 The Last word<br />
Letters to the editor
SLU makeS<br />
two nationaL<br />
rankingS<br />
<strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> is one of the<br />
top schools in the country for undergraduate<br />
education, say two of the<br />
nation’s leading college guides. In August,<br />
SLU received honors from both U.S.News &<br />
World Report and The Princeton Review.<br />
The 2008 edition of U.S. News’ “America’s<br />
Best Colleges” ranked SLU No. 82 among<br />
262 national universities. According to the<br />
magazine, SLU is ranked as one of the top<br />
five Jesuit universities in the United States.<br />
U.S. News ranked SLU’s undergraduate<br />
engineering programs No. 31 and undergraduate<br />
business programs in the top 100.<br />
The undergraduate entrepreneurship program<br />
ranked No. 21.<br />
In addition, SLU was listed in the 2008<br />
edition of The Princeton Review’s “Best 366<br />
Colleges” guidebook, published by Random<br />
House. Only about 15 percent of the fouryear<br />
colleges in America and two Canadian<br />
colleges were chosen for the book. SLU also<br />
was named to The Princeton Review’s “Best<br />
in the Midwest” list.<br />
SLU ALert SySteM in pLAce<br />
<strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> now has a new<br />
emergency communication tool<br />
designed to quickly alert the entire<br />
SLU community about an imminent public<br />
danger, campus disaster or other major crisis.<br />
SLU recently signed an agreement with St.<br />
<strong>Louis</strong>-based GroupCast to provide a message<br />
broadcast system that can notify all<br />
students, faculty and staff by office, home<br />
and cell phones within minutes of an emergency<br />
situation. It also sends text messages.<br />
Co-founded by a SLU alumnus and located<br />
in Fenton, Mo., GroupCast provides similar<br />
services to other colleges and universities.<br />
Of <strong>Father</strong> Biondi’s 20<br />
years as SLU president<br />
MAjor grAnt wiLL iMprove chiLdren’S heALth<br />
The National Institutes of Health selected the city of St. <strong>Louis</strong> and Macoupin County, Ill.,<br />
as sites for the National Children’s Study, the largest study of child and human health ever<br />
conducted in the United States. The extensive population-based study looks at the health<br />
and development of children by following them from before birth to adulthood.<br />
<strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> School of Public Health is partnering<br />
on the project with <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> School<br />
of Medicine, Southern Illinois <strong>University</strong> Edwardsville<br />
School of Nursing, Southern Illinois <strong>University</strong><br />
School of Medicine in Springfield, Washington<br />
<strong>University</strong> School of Medicine in St. <strong>Louis</strong><br />
and St. <strong>Louis</strong> Battelle Memorial Institute.<br />
As the lead institution, SLU School of<br />
Public Health has received a $26 million,<br />
five-year contract from the National Institute<br />
of Child Health and Human Development<br />
and a consortium of federal agencies including<br />
the National Institute of Environmental<br />
Health Sciences, the Centers for Disease<br />
Control and Prevention and the U.S. Environmental<br />
Protection Agency.<br />
<strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> is one of 22<br />
new study centers added to the National<br />
Children’s Study, which will<br />
follow a representative sample of<br />
100,000 children from before birth<br />
to age 21. The study seeks information<br />
to prevent and treat some of<br />
the nation’s most pressing health<br />
problems, including autism, birth<br />
defects, diabetes, heart disease and<br />
obesity.<br />
Sword of Ignatius awarded<br />
to Project Compassion artist<br />
<strong>Saint</strong> LouiS univerSity preSented its highest honor – the<br />
Sword of ignatius Loyola – to Kaziah Hancock, founding artist and<br />
president of project Compassion, at the duBourg Society dinner,<br />
nov. 3. during the last four years, Hancock has painted hundreds<br />
of portraits of american servicemen and servicewomen who have<br />
been killed in the wars in iraq and afghanistan. the paintings<br />
are given to the families of the fallen soldiers free of charge. to<br />
date, Hancock and four other project Compassion artists have<br />
completed more than 750 paintings.<br />
the Sword of ignatius Loyola is named for the founder of<br />
the Society of Jesus, inigo Lopez de Loyola. Symbolic of<br />
the ignatian vision of service, the sword is awarded to<br />
those who have given themselves to humankind for the<br />
greater glory of God.<br />
past recipients include Harry truman,<br />
Jacques Cousteau and Jackie Joyner-<br />
Kersee.<br />
SLU ScientiStS condUct<br />
groUndBreAking<br />
reSeArch — LiterALLy<br />
This summer, a <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
team was part of a group of scientists<br />
drilling deep into the San Andreas<br />
Fault in California to better understand<br />
what causes earthquakes. It’s research that<br />
could have implications back at SLU, which<br />
is near the New Madrid Fault.<br />
As part of the project known as San Andreas<br />
Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD), a team<br />
of scientists has drilled a 3-kilometer, or nearly<br />
2-mile, hole directly into the fault midway between<br />
San Francisco and Los Angeles.<br />
SLU geology professor Dr. David Kirschner,<br />
senior Tim Keenan and recent graduate<br />
Eric Sandusky (Pub Ser, A&S ’07) were part<br />
of a scientific team that studied the unearthed<br />
rock material as part of the SAFOD project.<br />
Kirschner has been involved in the massive<br />
undertaking for several years and has received<br />
three grants from the National Science Foundation<br />
for research related to the project.<br />
coLLege of pUBLic Service reconfigUred, renAMed<br />
During the summer, the College of<br />
Public Service was restructured in<br />
an effort to lead to new efficiencies<br />
and synergies. Educational studies, educational<br />
leadership and higher education, social<br />
work, counseling and family therapy,<br />
and public policy studies have joined to create<br />
a new academic unit: the College of Education<br />
and Public Service.<br />
Formerly independent units, RegionWise,<br />
the Stupp Geographic Information Systems<br />
Laboratory and Center for Organizational<br />
Leadership and Renewal are now part of the<br />
public policy studies department and remain<br />
in the college. The Counseling and Family<br />
Therapy Clinic also remains with the college,<br />
and <strong>University</strong> officials hope to create more<br />
Portrait of<br />
DuBourg<br />
returns home<br />
in June, <strong>Saint</strong> LouiS<br />
univerSity welcomed<br />
William page dame iii<br />
and his wife, Beverly,<br />
to campus to mark<br />
the dames’ gift of<br />
a portrait of Bishop<br />
<strong>Louis</strong>-Guilliamevalentine<br />
duBourg,<br />
founder of SLu.<br />
the portrait was<br />
painted not long after duBourg was consecrated a<br />
bishop. the oil painting is thought to date to 1815<br />
and is believed to have been painted in rome,<br />
where duBourg had journeyed to be consecrated<br />
by pope pius vii as the Bishop of <strong>Louis</strong>iana and<br />
the Floridas.<br />
in 1817, Bishop duBourg moved to St. <strong>Louis</strong>. He<br />
established the St. <strong>Louis</strong> Latin academy (now<br />
<strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> university) in 1818, initially run by<br />
the diocese. in 1826, duBourg invited the Jesuits<br />
who resided in Florissant, Mo., to take over the<br />
administration of the college. in 1829, peter<br />
verhaegen, S.J., became the first Jesuit president<br />
of St. <strong>Louis</strong> College. in 1832, the college received<br />
its charter from the state of Missouri.<br />
the portrait has been installed in the père<br />
Marquette Gallery of duBourg Hall.<br />
collaborations between the clinic’s researchers<br />
and social work faculty.<br />
Dr. Marla Berg-Weger, senior associate<br />
provost for academic affairs, continues to<br />
serve as interim dean of the college as a national<br />
search is conducted for a permanent<br />
replacement.<br />
The communication sciences and disorders<br />
department and its associated clinics<br />
have moved into the College of Arts and Sciences.<br />
Research methodology is now part of<br />
the Graduate School.<br />
The School for Professional Studies, which<br />
joined the college in 2004, has again become<br />
a separate unit under the leadership of Berg-<br />
Weger. She will continue to direct the school<br />
long term.<br />
CheCk oUt ‘trUe SLU’<br />
via new bLogS<br />
wAnt the trUe Story about <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong>? read the true SLU blogs.<br />
Blogger Alyssa, a sophomore studying<br />
abroad at SLU’s Madrid campus, will tell you<br />
her story. So will jennifer, a nutrition and dietetics<br />
instructor who bikes 6 miles to work<br />
every day, and jared, a member of Legion<br />
1818 who paints his face and puts on a kilt<br />
to support the men’s soccer team (when<br />
he’s not reading history books or playing<br />
trumpet in the pep band).<br />
the blogs are just one part of the <strong>University</strong>’s<br />
comprehensive student recruitment<br />
effort. Aimed at prospective undergraduates<br />
and their parents, the true SLU blogs give an<br />
accurate, authentic depiction of what life is<br />
like for <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> students, faculty<br />
and staff.<br />
each blogger posts at least once a week,<br />
and new bloggers will join them during the<br />
year. to read the blogs, visit www.slu.edu<br />
and click the “true SLU Blogs” box in the<br />
lower left-hand corner.<br />
62 SLU-owned buildings in 1987; 127 in 2007 0 Annual full scholarships awarded in 1987; 30 in 2007 113 SLU-owned acres in Midtown St. <strong>Louis</strong> in 1987; 234 in 2007 »<br />
2 UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007 3
gass receives<br />
Literary Award<br />
The <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> Library Associates presented the<br />
2007 <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> Literary Award to noted writer, critic and<br />
philosophy professor William H. Gass on Oct. 24.<br />
Gass joined an impressive list of writers who have been recognized<br />
for their legendary contributions as novelists, essayists, poets and<br />
playwrights. Recipients of the <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> Literary Award include<br />
Saul Bellow, Eudora Welty, John Updike and Joan Didion.<br />
During a writing career that spans nearly five decades, Gass has<br />
been recognized for his works of fiction and nonfiction as well as stories<br />
and essays. He has received many awards and honors, including<br />
the American Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award<br />
for Criticism and the Mark Twain Award for Distinguished Contributions<br />
to Literature in the Midwest. As the David May Distinguished<br />
Professor in Humanities at Washington <strong>University</strong> in St. <strong>Louis</strong>, he<br />
taught philosophy for more than 30 years and founded the university’s<br />
International Writers Center.<br />
ForMer naSa MiSSion ControL commander<br />
Gene Kranz (parks ’54) returned to SLu for a special<br />
ribbon-cutting ceremony at Mcdonnell douglas<br />
Hall during Homecoming Weekend in September.<br />
Kranz was on hand as officials unveiled a wall<br />
display honoring the 80th anniversary of SLu’s parks<br />
College of engineering, aviation and technology.<br />
Photo by Steve Dolan<br />
Kranz helps unveil parks timeline<br />
Of <strong>Father</strong> Biondi’s 20<br />
years as SLU president<br />
4 UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu<br />
divided into three sections, the colorful, threedimensional,<br />
illustrated timeline of parks’ history<br />
runs the full length of Mcdonnell douglas Hall’s<br />
main corridor. Stretching 370 feet wide and<br />
towering 11 feet high, the display features a<br />
stainless steel timeline that connects all three<br />
sections.<br />
kranz The Parks TImelIne<br />
Photo by Kevin Lowder<br />
Photo by Kevin Lowder<br />
new MALL enhAnceS MedicAL center<br />
<strong>Saint</strong> LouiS univerSity has increased the beauty, safety and accessibility of<br />
the Medical Center with a new pedestrian mall.<br />
the area along vista avenue between Grand Boulevard and Carr Lane avenue<br />
has been transformed into an urban oasis that mimics green space near the<br />
doisy College of Health Sciences building as well as parts of campus north of<br />
i-64/Hwy. 40. the section is bordered by the School of Medicine complex on<br />
the north and the building that now houses the department of neurology and<br />
psychiatry on the south.<br />
pedestrians are welcomed to the mall by one of SLu’s signature red<br />
brick monuments, and landscaping, trees and flowers provide a parklike<br />
atmosphere. Safety also has been enhanced, as city streetlights were replaced<br />
by upgraded lighting that shines brightly on the mall.<br />
Black and white photographs and other images<br />
representing the key people, news and technology<br />
from parks’ history are displayed above the timeline.<br />
Below, aerial shots fade into each other, illustrating<br />
the changes to parks’ former campus in Cahokia,<br />
leading to the SLu campus, where parks has been<br />
located since 1997.<br />
Photo by Sara Savat<br />
Photo by Kevin Lowder<br />
Body donors<br />
remembered at service<br />
The deputy surgeon general of the U.S.<br />
Air Force hosted guests from England’s<br />
Royal Air Force at <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong>’s<br />
Center for Sustainment of Trauma and<br />
Readiness Skills (C-STARS) on Oct. 6.<br />
During the visit, dignitaries had the opportunity<br />
to observe a simulation, in which students<br />
treated an artificial, computerized patient in a<br />
lab designed to look like a real field hospital.<br />
More tHan 1,000 StudentS, faculty, family and friends<br />
gathered at the Medical Center on oct. 12 to remember and<br />
give thanks to the several hundred individuals who donated their<br />
bodies this year to <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> university School of Medicine’s Gift<br />
Body program.<br />
First-year medical students planned the memorial service, which<br />
included reflections, prayers, songs and words of appreciation to<br />
the donors’ family members and friends in attendance.<br />
“the ceremony is a sign of our thanks for those who have donated<br />
their bodies so we could learn. it also provides an opportunity for<br />
their family and friends to understand why they made this decision,”<br />
said tom Heffner, a first-year medical student. “For me personally,<br />
the ceremony is an opportunity to give thanks to my first patient for<br />
the opportunity to work on him and learn from him.”<br />
★★ C-STARS pRogRAm ATTRACTS miliTARy leAdeRS ★★<br />
The two-week C-STARS program at <strong>Saint</strong><br />
<strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> is one of only three of its kind<br />
in the country that provides Air Force medical<br />
personnel with real-life, hands-on trauma experience.<br />
Through clinical rotations with SLU<br />
trauma doctors and nurses and weekly simulation<br />
exercises, students have the opportunity<br />
to sharpen and refresh their trauma care skills<br />
prior to deployment.<br />
arena uPdaTe: Work continues on Chaifetz Arena, the <strong>University</strong>’s new multipurpose event facility.<br />
More than 75,000 cubic yards of earth and more than 1,000 tons of steel have been used to form the shell<br />
of Chaifetz Arena and the adjacent practice facility and office building. The project is on schedule to be<br />
watertight in november, allowing crews to finish the interior during the winter. There are about 200 people<br />
working on the site to reach the scheduled construction completion date by April 2008. Dedication of<br />
Chaifetz Arena is scheduled for Saturday, May 3, 2008.<br />
neWS brieFS<br />
dr. Boyd a. Bradshaw (grad ’05) was<br />
recently hired as SLU’s vice provost for<br />
enrollment management. He oversees<br />
undergraduate admission, student financial<br />
services, the registrar’s office, student<br />
academic services and the international<br />
center. From 1997 to 1999 bradshaw was<br />
program coordinator and assistant director<br />
of admissions at SLU. Most recently he was<br />
assistant university provost for enrollment<br />
management at the <strong>University</strong> of <strong>Louis</strong>ville.<br />
dr. raul artal, chairman of obstetrics,<br />
gynecology and women’s health at the<br />
School of Medicine, has received a<br />
“Preggie” award for his pioneering work that<br />
supports exercise for pregnant women. The<br />
award, given by FitPregnancy magazine,<br />
recognizes those who have improved the<br />
welfare of pregnant women, new mothers<br />
and young children.<br />
dr. Govindaswamy Chinnadurai, professor<br />
at SLU’s institute of Molecular Virology, has<br />
been as selected as a member of a study<br />
section of the Center for Scientific review,<br />
which reviews applications for grants from<br />
the national institutes of Health.<br />
in October, dr. Patricia monteleone (Med<br />
’61, Pub Hlth, grad Cook ’91), dean of the<br />
School of Medicine, received an award from<br />
the St. <strong>Louis</strong> Business Journal for her lifetime<br />
achievement as a “Health Care Hero.”<br />
in April, <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong>’s student-run<br />
relay for life event to raise money for the<br />
American Cancer Society saw more than<br />
1,700 members of the SLU community raise<br />
$193,000. it was the fourth-highest amount<br />
raised among universities in the nation, per<br />
capita. This year’s event raised $60,000<br />
more than the previous year.<br />
dr. donald stump is now associate provost<br />
for undergraduate affairs. Director of the<br />
nationally recognized Micah Program,<br />
Stump is focused on advising, retention,<br />
learning communities, early intervention for<br />
students having academic problems, and<br />
fostering connections between faculty and<br />
students outside the classroom.<br />
9 <strong>University</strong>-sponsored sports teams in 1987; 18 in 2007 0 faculty/staff mission-related programs in 1987; 24 in 2007 53 SLU public safety officers in 1987; 103 in 2007 94 doctorates awarded in 1987; 157 in 2007<br />
UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007<br />
5
iLLiken beAT<br />
<strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> led all league schools with<br />
123 student-athletes named to the Atlantic<br />
10 Conference Commissioner’s Honor roll for<br />
the spring 2007 semester. Student-athletes<br />
named to the A-10 Commissioner’s Honor roll<br />
completed the spring semester with a 3.5<br />
grade point average or better. in all, 1,118<br />
student-athletes in the A-10 were named to the<br />
Commissioner’s Honor roll.<br />
VOUyOUkAS<br />
Photos by Bill Barrett<br />
MCiLWrAiTH<br />
Former <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> men’s basketball<br />
center Ian Vouyoukas has signed a threeyear<br />
contract with Olympiakos bC in the A1<br />
greek basketball League. Olympiakos finished<br />
21-5 last season and reached the league’s<br />
championship game. And former SLU women’s<br />
basketball standout Tyler mcIlwraith has<br />
signed with AutoCAD Amazone in Holland for the<br />
2007-08 season.<br />
Senior associate director of athletics doug<br />
mcIlhagga is overseeing the operations of the<br />
department of athletics until a new athletic<br />
director is named. Former athletic director<br />
Cheryl L. Levick resigned this summer to take a<br />
position at the <strong>University</strong> of Maryland.<br />
The saint louis university women’s basketball<br />
team posted the 17th-best gPA among nCAA<br />
Division i programs in 2006-07, according to<br />
the Women’s basketball Coaches Association<br />
(WbCA). The billikens’ 3.336 gPA put them on<br />
the list.<br />
foLLow the BiLLikenS wherever yoU Live<br />
Billiken fans everywhere can now keep up with <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong>’s athletic teams<br />
online with the All-Access pass available at www.slubillikens.com through CSTV.<br />
The SLU All-Access pass costs $9.95 per month or $79.95 for the entire year.<br />
Billiken athletic events to be broadcast online include a minimum of 15 fall events in<br />
addition to select men’s and women’s basketball games. Programming also will include press<br />
conferences, men’s basketball features, video blogs from student-athletes and coaches as well<br />
as other special features.<br />
“The All-Access pass allows more of our student-athletes and coaches to showcase their<br />
talents and personalities across a broader spectrum,” said Kosha Irby, associate athletics<br />
director.<br />
The SLU All-Access pass is compatible with both PC and Macintosh platforms. However,<br />
Mac users must use the Safari Web browser to receive the feed. Pay-per-view programming<br />
will be available to annual subscribers for free, while monthly subscribers will be<br />
required to pay an additional fee.<br />
Season ticket holders and alumni may qualify for a discounted annual price. Call the<br />
Billiken ticket office at (314) 977-4758 for coupon information.<br />
BiLLiken nAMed BeSt MAScot in the ncAA<br />
The <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> Billiken was selected as the No.<br />
1 college mascot by the Web site SPMsportspage.com.<br />
The site listed the Top 100 College Nicknames/Mascots<br />
among NCAA Division I schools. The column, written<br />
by Larry Nauss, stated: “A nickname or mascot must be<br />
fairly unique, captivating and somewhat imaginative, and/<br />
or have some particular significance to the geographic location<br />
of a school. He [the Billiken] was a rock star before there even were<br />
rock stars, in the early 1900s. The rest is history, and it’s still the<br />
premier nickname/mascot in all of college sports.”<br />
Billiken Men’s BasketBall 2007-2008 schedule Billiken woMen’s BasketBall 2007-2008 schedule<br />
Date OppOnent Site time<br />
Fri., nOv. 2 UMSL (exh) St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7:30 p.m.<br />
HiSpanic cOllege FunD cHallenge - univ. OF pittSBurgH<br />
Fri., Nov. 9 vs. North Carolina A&T Pittsburgh 3:30 p.m.<br />
Sat., Nov. 10 vs. Houston Baptist Pittsburgh 5:30 p.m.<br />
SuN., Nov. 11 at Pittsburgh Pittsburgh 5 p.m.<br />
WeD., nOv. 14 Detroit St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7 p.m.<br />
Sat., nOv. 17 Furman St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7 p.m.<br />
Wed., Nov. 21 at Missouri State Springfield, Mo. 7:05 p.m.<br />
Sat., nOv. 24 Pacific St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7 p.m.<br />
Wed., Nov. 28 at Kent State Kent, Ohio 6 p.m.<br />
Sat., Dec. 1 Long Beach State St. <strong>Louis</strong> 1 p.m.<br />
tueS., dec. 4 at Boston College Chestnut Hill, Mass. 6 p.m.<br />
Sat., Dec. 8 Sam houston State St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7 p.m.<br />
Sat., Dec. 15 Southern Illinois St. <strong>Louis</strong> 6:30 p.m.<br />
WeD., Dec. 19 Loyola (Chicago) St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7 p.m.<br />
Sat., Dec. 29 IUPUI St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7 p.m.<br />
thur., jaN. 10 at George Washington* Washington, D.C. 7 p.m.<br />
Sat., jan. 12 Dayton* St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7 p.m.<br />
tHur., jan. 17 Rhode Island* St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7 p.m.<br />
Sun., jan. 20 Temple* St. <strong>Louis</strong> 1 p.m.<br />
Sat., jaN. 26 at La Salle* Philadelphia 1 p.m.<br />
Wed., jaN. 30 at Dayton* Dayton, Ohio 6 p.m.<br />
Sat., FeB. 2 Massachusetts* St. <strong>Louis</strong> Noon<br />
tHur., FeB. 7 xavier* St. <strong>Louis</strong> 8 p.m.<br />
SuN., Feb. 10 at Richmond* Richmond, Va. 1 p.m.<br />
WeD., FeB. 13 George Washington* St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7 p.m.<br />
SuN., Feb. 17 at Massachusetts* Amherst, Mass. 1 p.m.<br />
WeD., FeB. 20 Fordham* St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7 p.m.<br />
Sat., Feb. 23 at Charlotte* Charlotte, N.C. 6 p.m.<br />
thur., Feb. 28 at <strong>Saint</strong> Joseph’s* Philadelphia 6 p.m.<br />
Sat., mar. 1 St. Bonaventure* St. <strong>Louis</strong> 1 p.m.<br />
Sat. mar. 8 at Duquesne* Pittsburgh 6 p.m.<br />
mar. 12-15 at A-10 Championship* Atlantic City, N.J. TBA<br />
Date OppOnent Site time<br />
Fri., nOv. 2 UMSL (exh at Scottrade) St. <strong>Louis</strong> 5 p.m.<br />
WeD., nOv. 7 Missouri-Baptist (exh) St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7 p.m.<br />
Sun., nOv. 11 hampton <strong>University</strong> St. <strong>Louis</strong> 2 p.m.<br />
Wed., Nov. 14 at Akron Akron, Ohio 6 p.m.<br />
Sun., nOv. 18 Wyoming St. <strong>Louis</strong> 2 p.m.<br />
tueS., Nov. 20 at Tennessee State Nashville, Tenn. 7 p.m.<br />
Sat., Nov. 24 Morehead State St. <strong>Louis</strong> 2 p.m.<br />
tueS., nOv. 27 at Tennessee – Martin Martin, Tenn. 6 p.m.<br />
tHurS., nOv. 29 at UMKC Kansas City, Mo. 7 p.m.<br />
SuN., dec. 2 at Kansas Lawrence, Kan. 4 p.m.<br />
Fri., dec. 7 at Missouri State Springfield, Mo. 7 p.m.<br />
Sat., dec. 15 at Arkansas Fayetteville, Ark. 2 p.m.<br />
WeD., Dec. 19 Canisius College St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7 p.m.<br />
Sat., dec. 22 at Florida Gainesville, Fla. Noon<br />
Battle at tHe BOrDer tOurnament - univ. OF tX-pan american<br />
Fri., dec. 28 Lafayette vs. UTPA edinburg, Texas 6 p.m.<br />
<strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> vs. Lamar 8 p.m.<br />
Sat., dec. 29 Consolation Game 5 p.m.<br />
Championship Game 7 p.m.<br />
Wed., jaN. 2 at Chicago State Chicago 7 p.m.<br />
Sat., jaN. 12 at Fordham* Bronx, N.Y. Noon<br />
WeD., jan. 16 Duquesne* St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7 p.m.<br />
Sat., jaN. 19 at Charlotte* Charlotte, N.C. 6 p.m.<br />
WeD., jan. 23 Rhode Island* St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7 p.m.<br />
Sat., jan. 26 Richmond* St. <strong>Louis</strong> 2 p.m.<br />
jaN., jaN. 30 at Xavier Cincinnati 11 a.m.<br />
Sat., FeB. 2 Charlotte* St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7 p.m.<br />
Wed., Feb. 6 at <strong>Saint</strong> Joseph’s* Philadelphia 6 p.m.<br />
Sun., FeB. 10 La Salle* St. <strong>Louis</strong> 2 p.m.<br />
Sat., FeB. 16 Massachusetts* St. <strong>Louis</strong> 2 p.m.<br />
Wed., Feb. 20 at George Washington* Washington, D.C. 6 p.m.<br />
SuN., Feb. 24 at St. Bonaventure* Olean, N.Y. Noon<br />
WeD., FeB. 27 Temple* St. <strong>Louis</strong> 7 p.m.<br />
Sat., mar. 1 at Dayton* Dayton, Ohio TBA<br />
mar. 7-10 at A-10 Championship* Philadelphia TBA<br />
Who are the student callers?<br />
it’s important to know that the students making<br />
the calls are current <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
students. We have 26 calling stations and hire<br />
approximately 80 federal work-study students to<br />
fill those spots. We have a diverse range of years,<br />
majors and states represented by our student<br />
callers. They work on campus for the convenience,<br />
but as they quickly find out, calling alumni to ask<br />
for support is not always easy. They have to want<br />
to work here. We’ve had many former callers tell<br />
us that their job as a student caller was a great<br />
résumé builder and that many potential employers<br />
focused on that experience during the interview<br />
process.<br />
Why do students make the best phoners?<br />
There is a natural relationship between current<br />
SLU students and our alumni. On any given<br />
night, i can walk around the call center and hear<br />
conversations with a 1947 School of Law alumnus<br />
or a 2006 graduate of the psychology department.<br />
Who knows the SLU experience better than the<br />
students currently living it? Sure, the campus and<br />
faculty may have changed, but the mission of SLU<br />
— to educate women and men for others — has<br />
remained constant since 1818. Our student callers<br />
also seem to possess an important quality that is<br />
you’ve probably received a phone call from a <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> student eager to<br />
talk to you and to encourage you to make a gift to SLU. David Nolda (A&S ’95),<br />
director of annual giving programs, sheds some light on those callers and on the<br />
importance of giving.<br />
essential to this job: They have no fear. They are<br />
not afraid to have a genuine conversation, make<br />
the ask or face rejection. if 25 percent of their<br />
calls each night result in a gift, they are masters<br />
of their craft.<br />
does your office solicit anyone besides alumni?<br />
Obviously, alumni are our most natural prospective<br />
donors. We also contact parents of current<br />
and former students as well as faculty, staff<br />
and friends of the <strong>University</strong>. We even have a<br />
Student Class gift Program aimed at current SLU<br />
students, which educates our students about the<br />
importance of giving back. Without the generosity<br />
of our donors, our students would not be able to<br />
enjoy the SLU experience offered today.<br />
alumni received an e-mail solicitation from slu<br />
this summer. Is that something you’ll be doing<br />
more of?<br />
e-mail communication saves the <strong>University</strong> a<br />
great deal of money. it’s not only the easiest<br />
and most cost-effective way to ask for support,<br />
it also provides the easiest method for donors<br />
to make gifts. Those gifts go to work benefiting<br />
our students right away. in the past year,<br />
we’ve used more graphics and technology in<br />
our e-mails than ever before. We were able to<br />
convey a lot more in a 45-second video e-mail<br />
last December than any direct-mail piece. The<br />
commencement-themed video e-mail we sent<br />
in May elicited the most emotional responses<br />
that i’ve seen in my 13 years at <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong>. Obviously we hope that those e-mails<br />
result in gifts for our students and programs,<br />
but they’re also a way for us to keep our alumni<br />
connected to their alma mater. For so many<br />
of our alumni who do not live in St. <strong>Louis</strong>, it’s<br />
a great way for them to “see” the growth and<br />
changes to the campus.<br />
alumnus richard Chaifetz just gave slu $12<br />
million. how does a gift of $50 compare?<br />
Think about this: Last year, SLU received 15,608<br />
gifts of $100 or less totaling $760,125. Three<br />
quarters of a million dollars — that’s a huge<br />
sum of money from many people who probably<br />
asked themselves, “Does my $10, $25 or $50<br />
really make a difference?” To our students, it<br />
makes a world of difference. As for gifts such<br />
as Dr. Chaifetz’s, those donors didn’t just make<br />
million-dollar gifts out of the blue one day. Many<br />
of the five-, six- or seven-figure donors began with<br />
modest gifts of $25 or $100 in support of their<br />
school or team 25 or 30 years ago.<br />
Why is participation important?<br />
Participation at all levels is vital to the SLU<br />
experience. U.S.News & World Report measures<br />
alumni giving for national rankings, and<br />
corporations also evaluate alumni participation<br />
before deciding to make gifts to SLU. We need to<br />
be able to show that more of our alumni support<br />
SLU each year. not only is the funding necessary,<br />
but alumni giving helps boost SLU’s reputation in<br />
national rankings and, ultimately, enhances the<br />
value of our degrees.<br />
To make a gift online, visit<br />
giftform.slu.edu. Make a gift by<br />
phone by calling (314) 977-3781, or use<br />
the envelope enclosed in this issue of<br />
Universitas to make a gift via mail.<br />
6 UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007 7
Photo by James Visser<br />
biOnDi in HiS OFFiCe WiTH HiS DOgS gAnCiA (LeFT) AnD iggy.<br />
<strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> President<br />
Lawrence Biondi, S.J., and I have<br />
just walked back into his office<br />
after a hurried lunchtime interview,<br />
and in no time at all, three<br />
members of his staff have gathered<br />
around his desk.<br />
I’m still trying to ask some questions for this story<br />
celebrating his 20-year anniversary as president,<br />
but there is immediate business that demands his<br />
attention — letters to sign, meeting agendas to adjust<br />
and a stack of phone messages to return. Still,<br />
I keep firing questions at him, hanging onto the<br />
few minutes I supposedly have left. But it’s hard<br />
to get a word in. He wants to answer me (I think).<br />
But he is back in his world now, busy and focused,<br />
and I know that the interview is over.<br />
It really comes as no surprise. Biondi is very<br />
much in demand. He routinely speaks to groups<br />
on and off campus, he travels to visit donors and<br />
alumni clubs across the country, and he averages<br />
25 meetings a week. Because most of his meals are<br />
really meetings spent discussing the <strong>University</strong>, it’s<br />
no exaggeration to say he eats and breathes SLU.<br />
This interview was no different. We met at a new<br />
Mexican restaurant on campus named for one of<br />
Biondi’s dogs, Iggy. We both ordered the “Biondi<br />
Burrito.” (How could he resist? And, frankly, how<br />
could I?) It didn’t take long before we were interrupted<br />
several times. First by students who wanted<br />
to know if he came up with the recipe for the burrito.<br />
(No.) Then by the restaurant owner. Then by<br />
some SLU staff members dining nearby. When we<br />
finally got up to head back to DuBourg Hall, Biondi<br />
noticed the owners of the nearby Coronado<br />
apartments across the room, so he promptly went<br />
over to say hello.<br />
Because he can’t talk to everyone personally<br />
(though he sure tries), here’s a candid conversation<br />
with Biondi about his 20 years at <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong>.<br />
– By Laura Geiser<br />
8 UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007 9
UtaS: Did you ever imagine you’d be doing<br />
this for 20 years?<br />
bionDi: No, the years have flown by since<br />
1987. This may sound bad, but I never<br />
thought that I’d be here this long because,<br />
frankly, I’m usually only good for seven or<br />
eight years before I get antsy. But there’s<br />
such variety to this job — every day is a<br />
new experience, and I don’t think any day<br />
has been the same. So I’ve never been bored.<br />
So much of what I have to do every day<br />
is actually exciting and, most of the time,<br />
rewarding.<br />
Sure there are days when it feels like<br />
two decades, but most days it does not.<br />
There is still more that needs to be done,<br />
contributions that I can make before<br />
moving on.<br />
U: Has the job changed much in 20 years?<br />
b: The issues are different, but the problems<br />
are often similar.<br />
I really like the book Good to Great [by<br />
Jim Collins]. In it there is an analogy of<br />
an organization being like a bus, and the<br />
president is the bus driver. It’s the driver’s<br />
job to get the right person in the right seat<br />
so everybody can do his or her job and get<br />
the bus moving in the right direction. You<br />
may not know the direction for the first few<br />
miles, but eventually you’ll figure it out as<br />
everybody starts to collaborate, contribute<br />
and determine the direction. SLU’s like<br />
that. The bus hasn’t changed. My job of<br />
getting the right passengers hasn’t changed.<br />
But sometimes our routes do vary.<br />
U: How have you personally changed?<br />
b: Well, my physical changes are evident —<br />
I’ve got less hair, more wrinkles and a few<br />
extra pounds. I have less energy, and I can’t<br />
work 15-hour days without having some<br />
time on some weekends to relax, reflect and<br />
recoup.<br />
But that’s just surface stuff. How I’ve<br />
really changed is that — believe it or not —<br />
I’ve grown more patient with people. I don’t<br />
get excited about small problems anymore. I<br />
like to have them solved, of course, but in the<br />
past I would disproportionately spend a lot<br />
time on them. Now I’m trying to concentrate<br />
on bigger issues — the bigger picture for<br />
SLU to become the best. I can’t say honestly<br />
that the small things don’t bother me, but<br />
I’m less focused on them. I think I’ve learned<br />
that only through experience.<br />
Biondi at his inauguration on sept. 30, 1987.<br />
U: How has SLU changed?<br />
b: There’s a greater openness to creativity,<br />
to new ideas and to thinking outside the<br />
box. I also think the quality of our faculty<br />
and their commitment to teaching and<br />
research has improved and that the quality<br />
of our students is fantastic. They’re much<br />
more giving, invested and competitive than<br />
ever before, which is a hallmark of a Jesuit<br />
education. In fact our whole <strong>University</strong><br />
community is more dedicated to service,<br />
volunteering 780,000 hours last year — and<br />
that wasn’t always the case.<br />
I think the changes here are due to a<br />
combination of several things, including<br />
a greater awareness of SLU’s mission<br />
and vision, plus a greater articulation of<br />
what we expect from faculty, staff and<br />
students. I think that expectations have<br />
been articulated in a way that good-hearted<br />
people want to collaborate and to help reach<br />
our goal of becoming the finest Catholic<br />
university in our country.<br />
U: How has the mission and the vision that<br />
SLU become the finest Catholic university<br />
in the nation changed this place?<br />
b: When the North Central evaluation team<br />
[a national educational accrediting group]<br />
came here in 2002, they said the vision of<br />
the <strong>University</strong> is not only articulated well,<br />
but embraced by the students, staff and<br />
faculty. More importantly, the evaluators<br />
were surprised to find that our faculty and<br />
staff know our mission and our vision by<br />
heart and talk about it. They hadn’t seen<br />
that anywhere else.<br />
Here our mission and our vision have<br />
vibrancy — they’re not just words. And the<br />
vision is becoming a reality.<br />
In fact, I know our vision is ingrained<br />
because when students want something<br />
significant — for example, when they<br />
wanted the expansion of the Simon<br />
Recreation Center — they say to me, “In<br />
order to be the best Catholic university,<br />
you’ve got to do this.” They said the<br />
same thing about the renovation of<br />
Busch Student Center. So they have<br />
adopted our vision, they’re aware of it,<br />
and they’re pushing the staff, faculty and<br />
administrators to get there too.<br />
I certainly hope our alums and supporters<br />
agree that <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> has<br />
changed for the better. Of course, the<br />
physical campus has seen the most visible<br />
changes. I inherited a weak infrastructure,<br />
but the financial resources have improved<br />
significantly. I’ll always be grateful to<br />
[former SLU president] <strong>Father</strong> Tom<br />
Fitzgerald, S.J., for making the hard<br />
decisions that left SLU financially sound<br />
and positioned us to move forward<br />
positively and definitively.<br />
But, as I’ve said before, I am most proud<br />
of what is not as visible: the quality of our<br />
academic programs, the quality and depth<br />
of the research being conducted, the care<br />
that we offer our patients, the quality and<br />
contributions of our students and alumni,<br />
the loyalty and commitment of our faculty<br />
and staff, and especially the fact that our<br />
Jesuit, Catholic mission continues to be our<br />
guiding and driving force.<br />
SLU has undergone a remarkable<br />
transformation, moving ever closer to that<br />
vision of being the country’s finest Catholic<br />
university. I am very proud of this, but I<br />
know that it took many, many <strong>University</strong><br />
people working together for years to build<br />
the SLU of 2007.<br />
U: What have been your biggest successes?<br />
b: I’m proud of many things. In particular,<br />
I’m pleased with our higher academic<br />
standards and reputation, our $970 million<br />
endowment as well as the impressive<br />
credentials of our faculty and staff. Our<br />
Madrid campus is one of the premier<br />
programs in Europe. And overall campus<br />
beautification — though I hesitate to focus<br />
on it — has really transformed our campus<br />
life for our students.<br />
I think the Edward A. Doisy Research<br />
Center and the growth in our funded<br />
research efforts are setting an excellent<br />
standard for even greater success. And the<br />
sale of the hospital to secure the future of<br />
our School of Medicine is something I look<br />
back on and view as a success story.<br />
Of course, I’m proud of our great<br />
leadership teams over the years — the vice<br />
presidents, provosts and deans — who<br />
helped me achieve my goals for SLU.<br />
Also I’m pleased that in the business<br />
community locally, and to a certain<br />
extent nationally, we’ve enhanced our<br />
image. Business leaders have recognized<br />
and acknowledged SLU’s growth and<br />
accomplishments. We also have a<br />
cooperative, strong relationship with the<br />
civic leaders in St. <strong>Louis</strong>. One of the biggest<br />
tests that we’ve passed is a credibility gap<br />
for the <strong>University</strong> at all levels. In terms of<br />
financing, Standard and Poor’s, Moody’s and<br />
others have acknowledged that we have a<br />
very good debt ratio to our endowment.<br />
We set goals, and we accomplish them. For<br />
example, we said we were going to raise the<br />
funds we needed for the Doisy Research<br />
Center and Chaifetz Arena, and we did.<br />
We’re very credible.<br />
U: What, if anything, do you wish you<br />
could redo?<br />
b: I don’t think in those terms. You take<br />
10 steps forward and fall back three, but<br />
you’re still ahead. I make decisions with<br />
information and counsel and advice from<br />
others. If 80 percent are good decisions,<br />
then I believe that I have succeeded.<br />
Although not a redo, I am disappointed<br />
that being president prevents me from<br />
having more contact with students. I miss<br />
those relationships. But there are only<br />
so many hours in a day, and I have to<br />
devote my time to what will bring about<br />
the greatest change. I simply have to<br />
make choices. It’s hard for our students to<br />
understand this.<br />
Students come and go in four years.<br />
What I try to do is invest in their future, in<br />
the long-term strategic plan, so that when<br />
I leave and when they leave, something is<br />
left that will continue to attract quality<br />
students. I look at this as an investment.<br />
All this building we’re going through<br />
right now — that’s an investment for the<br />
year 2010 and beyond. You can’t think<br />
about just the here and now. It’s a strategic<br />
investment in the <strong>University</strong> to maintain it<br />
and to strengthen it for the future.<br />
So growing the endowment also is very<br />
important. Building up our SLU tradition<br />
and culture of values and ethical behavior<br />
is also important, as is continuing to attract<br />
highly qualified and committed people to<br />
teach and learn — and transforming the<br />
right kind of leaders to become dynamic<br />
champions for social justice.<br />
U: When you took this job 20 years ago,<br />
were you apprehensive? If so, how did you<br />
overcome that fear?<br />
b: In a way, I was intimidated by the<br />
knowledge that I had full responsibility for<br />
SLU and was accountable for it to the trustees,<br />
the Jesuits, almost 100,000 living alumni,<br />
Lawrence Biondi,<br />
S.J., has been<br />
president of <strong>Saint</strong><br />
<strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
longer than SLU’s<br />
current freshmen<br />
have been alive.<br />
While he’s been at SLU, four<br />
U.S. presidents have served<br />
the nation, five governors<br />
have served Missouri and four<br />
mayors have served St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
During those 20 years, <strong>Saint</strong><br />
<strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> has undergone<br />
many changes. Most obviously,<br />
the physical campus has grown<br />
and greened. But it’s the<br />
improvements you can’t show<br />
on a map that really show the<br />
impact of Biondi’s presidency.<br />
1987 2007<br />
Average ACT<br />
score of<br />
entering<br />
freshmen 22.7 26.4<br />
Student-to-<br />
teacher ratio 16-1 13-1<br />
endowed<br />
chairs and<br />
professorships 16 51<br />
Full-time<br />
ranked faculty 718 1,297<br />
Total student<br />
enrollment 9,869 12,309<br />
number of<br />
freshmen 1,077 1,604<br />
residence hall<br />
occupancy 1,992 3,446<br />
Annual<br />
donations<br />
to SLU $15.6 million $66 million<br />
grant, contract<br />
and research<br />
revenue $8.96 million $65.8 million<br />
<strong>University</strong><br />
endowment $93 million $970 million<br />
net assets $504.3 million $1.4 billion<br />
10 UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007 11
We didn’t ask his favorite color, but we did<br />
want to know what makes <strong>University</strong> President<br />
Lawrence Biondi, S.J., tick. So here’s a revealing<br />
glimpse of the man behind the collar.<br />
For one day I’d like to trade places with: Pope Benedict XVI If I couldn’t have my present job, I’d love to be the: Owner of a Tuscan, Lucchese cuisine restaurant in Midtown St. <strong>Louis</strong><br />
My dream vacation: Three weeks on a deserted island in the Bahamas I’d like to meet: The Dalai Lama The best advice my mother ever gave me: Don’t talk so much, and eat your food!<br />
My proudest moments: Training my dog Iggy not to do his business in the house. Seriously, making people happy whenever I can do so reasonably. Guilty pleasure: Cigars (occasionally!)<br />
Pet peeves: People who drive slowly in the left lane and talk on their cell phones Favorite food: Maryland steamed crabs A book I’d recommend: Good to Great by Jim Collins<br />
Favorite TV show: The Sopranos A quote to live by: “Holding resentment in is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. It doesn’t work.”<br />
4,000 or so faculty and staff and more than<br />
10,000 students. I had been a SLU trustee<br />
for three years, so I knew there were some<br />
significant challenges, but I also believed that<br />
there was great potential for SLU.<br />
But, I was never trained to be a president<br />
of a major university. And I had to start<br />
somewhere. I jumped right into this job<br />
from being the dean of the large College<br />
of Arts and Sciences at Loyola Chicago,<br />
where we had more than 400 faculty.<br />
Traditionally, a person is at least an<br />
academic vice president before becoming a<br />
president, but I skipped that step.<br />
Also, there was a definite learning curve<br />
to understand SLU’s culture because I was<br />
not from St. <strong>Louis</strong> or a graduate of <strong>Saint</strong><br />
<strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong>. I had only been a SLU<br />
trustee for three years, which really gave<br />
me a limited amount of knowledge and<br />
experience — attending quarterly board<br />
meetings did not amount to a lot of time<br />
spent on SLU’s campus.<br />
Eventually I got over my apprehension<br />
by listening: I listened to a wide variety of<br />
people and their problems. At that time,<br />
there were some people who were jockeying<br />
for me to confide in them. I needed to<br />
listen, to distinguish facts from fiction,<br />
so I decided to give myself more time to<br />
understand what motivated them. I listened<br />
to distinguish an individual’s legitimate<br />
concern for SLU from a self-serving one.<br />
Taking on the presidency at SLU was a<br />
big challenge. But I had good mentors and<br />
role models: <strong>Father</strong> Tom Fitzgerald, Dan<br />
Schlafly, Bucky Bush, Joe Adorjan, Mike<br />
Shanahan, Barry Beracha and other SLU<br />
trustees and friends whom I learned to trust<br />
and in whom I confided.<br />
U: After 20 years in St. <strong>Louis</strong>, you’re now<br />
something of a celebrity here — a very<br />
recognizable face. How does that affect you?<br />
b: I don’t consider myself a celebrity, but I<br />
know some people watch carefully what I<br />
do and say. So I’m more careful.<br />
Of course, I try to be as natural as<br />
possible. But I think I’m much more<br />
on guard with the business community<br />
and with people I meet for the first time<br />
because they’re evaluating me on what<br />
they’ve heard about me as a person or<br />
about my role as president of SLU.<br />
But I’m more like myself with students.<br />
I like to joke around with them, which<br />
sometimes surprises them.<br />
U: What are the differences between your<br />
public persona and the “real” you?<br />
b: I have a reputation for being direct,<br />
tough and outspoken with a “take no<br />
prisoners” approach to business situations.<br />
But those who know me well would<br />
probably describe me as quiet, somewhat<br />
introverted. I really enjoy time alone with<br />
my two golden retrievers [Gancia and<br />
Iggy], especially at the end of the day. So<br />
believe it or not, I’m actually a bit shy; I<br />
have to work at making small talk.<br />
And it would probably surprise people<br />
to know that I am very casual and prefer<br />
informal to formal. At home, I am most<br />
comfortable in a T-shirt, walking shorts and<br />
Birkenstocks. I’d rather eat dinner with my<br />
Jesuit brothers at Jesuit Hall than in a fivestar<br />
restaurant.<br />
Oh, and, yes, I’m told I have a weird<br />
sense of humor.<br />
U: What in your childhood indicated that<br />
this is what you’d be doing?<br />
b: Nothing. I flunked first grade because<br />
I grew up speaking Italian and wasn’t as<br />
fluent in English as I needed to be as a<br />
first-grade school kid growing up in the<br />
northwest side of Chicago. I was one of<br />
those kids in the shadows.<br />
My leadership qualities really came about<br />
when I became chairman of the department<br />
of modern languages at Loyola Chicago.<br />
Prior to that, I just had my values, of<br />
course, and the honesty and directness that<br />
have gotten me into trouble my whole life.<br />
U: How did your parents prepare you for this<br />
job? And what did they think when you got it?<br />
b: My parents certainly didn’t cut me any<br />
slack. They certainly kept me in my place.<br />
Once I got this job, my mother would<br />
often say, “You’re the president of the<br />
university. You can do what you want<br />
because you are not teaching anymore.<br />
So you can come up to Chicago and visit<br />
me more often. You have no teaching<br />
commitments.” She was happy for my<br />
success, but I don’t know if she ever<br />
fully understood my obligations and the<br />
challenges of the job.<br />
I know that both of my parents were very<br />
proud of me for my commitment to my<br />
priestly life. And I’m sure that if my mother<br />
were still alive today, she would continue to<br />
chastise me and say that it’s inappropriate<br />
for a Jesuit priest to go around without<br />
wearing socks during the summer!<br />
U: Is it possible to separate yourself from<br />
your work? Do you even try?<br />
b: It is difficult to separate myself from<br />
work because I am, for many in the external<br />
community, the face of SLU. And since<br />
I live on campus, students, alumni and<br />
faculty, all of whom expect different things,<br />
often stop me when I walk on campus.<br />
And I notice everything — so when I’m<br />
out, even walking my dogs or driving them<br />
around campus in my golf cart, I make<br />
Clockwise from top left:<br />
SLu men’s basketball<br />
coach rick Majerus<br />
with Biondi in april<br />
2007; nasrallah Peter<br />
Cardinal sfeir, patriarch<br />
of antioch and all the<br />
east, with Biondi in June<br />
2006; biondi with his<br />
late mother, Albertina, at<br />
the ceremony recognizing<br />
biondi as St. <strong>Louis</strong>’ Citizen<br />
of the year in April 2006;<br />
Women’s basketball<br />
coach shimmy Graymiller<br />
and Biondi at<br />
the groundbreaking of<br />
Chaifetz arena in august<br />
2006; biondi talking with<br />
students at sophomore<br />
dinner in September<br />
2005; honorory degree<br />
recipient Yogi Berra<br />
with Biondi at the<br />
2007 commencement;<br />
biondi greeting a family<br />
following the 2007<br />
baccalaureate Mass.<br />
mental notes of things around campus that<br />
need attention.<br />
U: What do alumni mean to SLU? What<br />
can they still do for SLU?<br />
b: I hope our alumni are proud of their<br />
alma mater and rely upon their <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong> education in their personal and<br />
professional lives. I hope they value the<br />
relationships, the friendships, that helped<br />
them become informed and transformed<br />
into better individuals.<br />
I also want them to remember that there<br />
is still more to be done and that SLU needs<br />
their support and involvement.<br />
U: You’ve had a successful career. Do you<br />
have any personal goals left?<br />
b: I am always trying to find ways to have<br />
balance in my life so I can continue to<br />
direct my energies to my work. I want to<br />
renew and strengthen my own spirituality,<br />
which will help me discern my future. I also<br />
need to exercise more and eat less.<br />
When I am tired I fantasize about<br />
traveling to places I’ve only seen and read<br />
about in National Geographic. But, honestly,<br />
traveling to distant places would only<br />
give me two or three weeks of enjoyment,<br />
because then I’d get antsy.<br />
U: You are SLU’s second-longest tenured<br />
president: to what do you attribute your<br />
longevity? What’s the secret?<br />
b: Italian, Tuscan genetic DNA.<br />
Seriously, I was 48 years old when I<br />
became president, a bit younger than many<br />
of my recent predecessors — so youthful<br />
energy may have something to do with my<br />
longevity. God has given me good health,<br />
abundant energy and a good team of<br />
administrators and deans to help me.<br />
U: Do you have a timeline for retirement or<br />
perhaps a career change?<br />
b: Retirement is not in my vocabulary! I<br />
guess a career change is always a possibility.<br />
As I remind my staff, Charles de Gaulle<br />
once said: “Cemeteries are filled with<br />
indispensable people.”<br />
Sure, I think about the future. There<br />
certainly are days when being a parish priest<br />
or teaching high school Spanish are very<br />
appealing. But, frankly, I don’t have much<br />
time to ponder my personal future while I<br />
am still so focused on SLU’s future.<br />
U: When you finally do retire or change<br />
careers, what do you hope is your legacy?<br />
b: That I leave my successor with a<br />
university that is recognized across the<br />
nation as the finest Catholic university in<br />
the United States. That is my vision for<br />
SLU and, I hope, my legacy.<br />
12 UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007 13
Photo by Steve Dolan<br />
Left: The unIVersITY museum, CIrCa The 1890s.<br />
Above: The resTored Grand hall TodaY.<br />
Grand<br />
Once More<br />
DuBourg Hall’s long-Dormant fourtH floor<br />
Has unDergone a transformation.<br />
Covered in boxes and dust for years, one of the oldest and grandest<br />
locations on the <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> campus was restored to its<br />
former luster this fall.<br />
Used as storage for many decades, the fourth floor of Dubourg Hall, which<br />
was the entire <strong>University</strong> when the building opened in 1888, received a<br />
multimillion-dollar makeover this year. SLU’s growth and demand for office<br />
space caused the administration to take the space out of moth balls. And<br />
the results are stunning.<br />
Since fall 2006, SLU’s design and construction team has been renovating<br />
the uninhabited space into offices and hallways resembling — and even<br />
improving on — their glory days. Though replaced and updated, the tall,<br />
arched windows remain, and new plaster and wood improve the structure<br />
and safety of the space.<br />
The biggest change, though, can be seen in the grand Hall. Located at the<br />
southern end of the grand wing, the cavernous hall is filled with the solid<br />
craftsmanship of the 1800s. Architectural detailing abounds throughout<br />
the windows and floor, and the wooden vaulted ceiling gives the illusion of<br />
being in a cathedral. During the storage years, the hall grew dim with grime.<br />
now, though, wood that’s more than 100 years old is taking center stage as<br />
the room hosts important events and meetings.<br />
The hall was once home to SLU’s museum, which contained oil paintings<br />
brought from europe, native American relics, geological specimens and<br />
mementos from the history of the <strong>University</strong>, among other items. At its<br />
peak in the late 1800s, the museum was considered a must-see for anyone<br />
visiting St. <strong>Louis</strong>. it closed in the 1930s, and the space then housed<br />
physics labs. Later it was was used for storage, its majesty long forgotten.<br />
“We’re going back to the natural wood look, rehabbing the existing<br />
conditions to match what was originally intact in the 1800s,” said project<br />
manager Dave Florek. “everyone is excited about what’s going on up there.”<br />
Florek also said that as crews continued renovating Dubourg Hall, they<br />
realized that they were witnessing something special.<br />
“The renovation consisted of a vast uncovering of incredibly detailed<br />
architecture that would not be economical today,” Florek said. “The<br />
materials that were uncovered would be considered high-end materials,<br />
even in this age of construction.”<br />
now that the craftsmanship on the fourth floor is shining through, the new<br />
occupants are appreciating the beauty of wood from a bygone era.<br />
“The grand Hall is magnificent! The amount of work that went into redoing<br />
the wood is hard to imagine,” said Mary Ann Fox, staff assistant in the<br />
provost’s office.<br />
in addition to the grand Hall and new offices, the fourth floor now boasts<br />
men’s and women’s restrooms, conference rooms and a kitchen prep area.<br />
A new elevator on the western end of the Lindell wing allows easy access.<br />
— Allison Babka<br />
14 UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007 15
Photos by James Visser<br />
TreASUreS TO BeHOLD AnD TO Be HeLD<br />
– By Marie Dilg<br />
Those who believe you cannot judge<br />
a book by its cover could learn a little<br />
something from Dr. Gregory A. Pass.<br />
He is in the basement vault of Pius XII Memorial Library carefully holding a small book with a<br />
well-worn cover. The volume, a New Testament in Syriac bound together with a lexicon of Syriac<br />
and critical notes, is a rare and important early printed edition in the history of the Bible.<br />
“These books were printed between 1664 and 1667, and bound together in 1686, as indicated<br />
by the date stamped in gold on the cover. The top, bottom and front edges of the pages<br />
have been elaborately gilded, and the entire volume is bound in vellum. Vellum generally is<br />
less expensive than leather, but the gold-stamped designs on the cover and the elegant details<br />
suggest this volume did not belong to a starving Syriac scholar. The gauffered (tooled) edges of<br />
the pages also indicate that someone with considerable means would have owned this.”<br />
Pass slides the book back onto a shelf in the vault that is filled with thousands of ancient<br />
volumes. To Pass, however, these are not just old books. They are artifacts. His mission as head<br />
of Special Collections is not only to preserve these artifacts and their texts but also to make<br />
them accessible to SLU students and to scholars worldwide who are interested in exploring how<br />
the written word was produced, consumed and understood over the centuries.<br />
Page Turner<br />
Evidence indicates SLU began a separate collection for its rare books around the time of the<br />
Civil War. Some of the books were purchased. Some were donated. Many came to the <strong>University</strong><br />
from monasteries and mission houses when they closed. In all, the <strong>University</strong> has collected<br />
approximately 12,000 volumes printed before 1820 and 15,000 after 1820.<br />
Librarians use 1820 as the dividing line because books were printed on hand presses until<br />
around 1820 and then increasingly on steam-driven presses at a higher volume and with<br />
greater uniformity after 1820.<br />
SLU’s rare book collection is strong in Catholic theology, history and philosophy, including<br />
various editions of works by St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine. It contains numerous<br />
titles by members of the Society of Jesus, including Ignatius Loyola, Francis Xavier and<br />
Francisco Suárez. Nearly half of the collection is in Latin. The collection also has strengths in<br />
American history, the Civil War, St. <strong>Louis</strong> area history, American Catholic Church history and<br />
Jesuit missionary activities in the Americas.<br />
Books not kept in the vault are in closed<br />
stacks like those in the St. <strong>Louis</strong> Room on<br />
the third floor of Pius, where Pass is displaying<br />
several of the collection’s treasures. He<br />
places them on soft gray book rests to protect<br />
their bindings.<br />
From the shelf he has pulled:<br />
Several volumes by Athanasius Kircher, a<br />
17th-century German Jesuit scholar who<br />
published broadly, most notably on China,<br />
Egypt, geology, science and medicine.<br />
SLU has a rare 1667 copy of Kircher’s<br />
China Monumentis — complete with foldout<br />
maps and rich illustrations of Chinese<br />
dress. This book provided the West with<br />
some of its earliest images of China. Also<br />
in SLU’s collection is Kircher’s Sphinx<br />
Mystigoga, an early attempt at deciphering<br />
hieroglyphics that remained the standard<br />
work on the subject until the 19th century.<br />
Five manuscript leaves from the famous<br />
15th-century Llangattock Breviary (a liturgical<br />
book of prayers and hymns) illuminated<br />
in Italy. SLU has one of the largest concentrations<br />
of leaves from this book.<br />
A second edition of Oliver Twist printed in<br />
1839 in three volumes (known as a triple<br />
decker) with original illustrations.<br />
First edition copies of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry<br />
Finn and Life on the Mississippi with<br />
original illustrations and publishers’ decorative<br />
bindings.<br />
Pass believes these books are important to<br />
preserve in their original form, not only for<br />
the texts they contain but also because of the<br />
physical attributes of the objects themselves —<br />
the binding, paper, typography and illustrations.<br />
Together these elements influence how<br />
the texts originally were read and circulated.<br />
“You can go into any bookstore and buy a<br />
copy of Huckleberry Finn,” Pass said. “It’s a<br />
very common text. But if you’re an English<br />
professor trying to help your students understand<br />
how the novel was read and how it fit<br />
into society, it’s much more effective to show<br />
them a first edition copy with original illustrations<br />
and binding.<br />
“You’re holding history.”<br />
Dr. Phillip R. Gavitt, associate professor<br />
of history, agrees that the artifacts have<br />
educational impact. Gavitt joined SLU 15<br />
years ago in part because of the holdings in<br />
Special Collections. Access to them greatly<br />
benefits his research into medieval and early<br />
modern Italian history.<br />
16 UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007 17<br />
Dr. gregOry PASS
MiCrOFiLM reADerS in SLU’S VATiCAn FiLM LibrAry<br />
SCHolARly SCRAmble<br />
When the Vatican Library in rome<br />
announced during the summer that it<br />
was closing for a three-year renovation,<br />
scholars panicked at the prospect of being cut<br />
off from their crucial research sources.<br />
The Vatican apologized for the short notice, but<br />
it said the decision was unavoidable. The wing<br />
of the 16th-century building where the library<br />
and reading rooms are located is sagging due<br />
to age and the sheer weight of the books and<br />
manuscripts.<br />
Luckily for scholars and for <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong>, about half of the Vatican Library’s<br />
collection is on microfilm in the <strong>University</strong>’s<br />
Vatican Film Library (VFL). Ambrogio Piazzoni,<br />
vice prefect of the Vatican Library in rome, said<br />
he is referring scholars to <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
to pursue their research during the shutdown.<br />
“A lot of people plan their research agenda<br />
several years in advance,” said Dr. Thomas<br />
Madden, director of SLU’s Center for Medieval<br />
and renaissance Studies. “if they’re applying<br />
for grants or students are writing dissertations<br />
that require documents found in rome and the<br />
materials are no longer available to them, the<br />
only other place in the world where they are<br />
available is here at SLU.”<br />
Dr. gregory Pass, director of the VFL, said he<br />
already has had a number of inquiries from<br />
researchers who had planned to study at the<br />
Vatican and needed to rearrange their plans.<br />
He said applications for VFL fellowships are<br />
up noticeably, and efforts are under way to<br />
increase the number of fellowships offered to<br />
accommodate additional scholars. Pass and the<br />
staff of the VFL are preparing for the anticipated<br />
influx of scholars by making the collection more<br />
accessible and by expanding its Web site.<br />
“This is a wonderful opportunity for us to draw<br />
greater attention to our collection and to seek<br />
outside funding that could help us add to our<br />
already significant holdings,” Pass said.<br />
{captions}<br />
Gavitt said he soon realized that Special Collections could be a wonderful teaching tool as<br />
well. He regularly brings his students to the library for tours and lectures to help them appreciate<br />
the importance of using primary sources in research.<br />
“It amazes students to have these books at their fingertips,” he said. “When they touch a<br />
piece of animal skin that someone wrote on more than 600 years ago, there’s a sense of awe. It<br />
awakens them from their dogmatic slumber and inspires fresh thought.<br />
“I also believe that it’s one thing for students to read what historians have said about a<br />
particular work, but to see that original work and to interpret it for themselves teaches critical<br />
thinking in a way nothing else can.”<br />
Treasures in Microfilm<br />
Rare books and manuscripts are only one part of Special Collections. The department also<br />
includes the <strong>University</strong> Archives, which serves as SLU’s memory — documenting its history<br />
from before its founding in 1818 to the present with a wide variety of materials including official<br />
records, photographs, publications and personal papers (notably the archives of the late<br />
<strong>University</strong> Professor Walter J. Ong, S.J.).<br />
Also under the Special Collections umbrella is the Knights of Columbus Vatican Film Library<br />
(VFL), an unparalleled resource for scholars in the United States.<br />
The roots of the VFL go back to the early 1950s, when Lowrie J. Daly, S.J., then a 37-yearold<br />
associate professor of medieval history, proposed the <strong>University</strong> seek permission to make<br />
microfilm copies of rare and ancient manuscripts in the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (Vatican<br />
Library) in Rome to facilitate research by scholars in the Western hemisphere.<br />
The Vatican Library possesses one of the most important collections of Medieval and Renaissance<br />
manuscripts in the world — containing some 75,000 codices representing just about<br />
every aspect of the Western European intellectual and artistic experience.<br />
Pope Pius XII granted permission for the project. And, with generous financial support from<br />
the Knights of Columbus, Daly headed to Rome. He oversaw a team of Italian technicians as<br />
they captured thousands of high-quality images of the manuscripts.<br />
Nearly every month from 1951 to 1957, the team sent back to SLU microfilm reels containing<br />
roughly 1,000 manuscripts.<br />
“It was a remarkable project,” Pass said. “Before this time, microfilm was limited largely to<br />
military or industrial purposes. The impact of using microfilm on such a large scale for this<br />
project, capturing 12 million manuscript pages, was in some ways comparable to the application<br />
of computing technology to the humanities over the past 10 to 15 years.”<br />
Big Draw<br />
{on page 16} Llangattock Breviary (Ferrara, 1441–48), St. <strong>Louis</strong>, <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong> Library, MS 2e<br />
{a} {B} {C}<br />
When the VFL opened in 1953 in DuBourg Hall, scholars traveled from throughout the world<br />
to see the microfilmed treasures. They still do.<br />
“We often have European scholars visiting, even some from Italy, who find it easier to work<br />
with our resources than with the originals in the Vatican Library. This is partly because of the<br />
high demand on the Vatican Library’s limited reading space, but also because of the limited<br />
{a} Aegidius gutbier, Novum domini nostri Jesu Christi Testamentum Syriacè<br />
(Hamburg, 1664), bound with Lexicon Syriacum (Hamburg, 1667) and<br />
Notae criticae in Novum Testamentum (Hamburg, 1667)<br />
number of manuscripts that scholars are allowed to consult in a single day,” Pass said. “We’re<br />
preparing for an even greater influx of scholars with the temporary closing of the Vatican Library<br />
in Rome.” (See sidebar on page 18.)<br />
The VFL is unique to SLU and was the catalyst for construction of Pius XII Memorial Library.<br />
Although the initial microfilming project ended in 1957, the VFL did not stop acquiring<br />
material. It continues to assemble a comprehensive reference collection of books, serials, microforms,<br />
electronic materials and other media in all areas of manuscript studies — illumination,<br />
paleography, codicology, book production, library history, etc. It now has more than 37,000<br />
manuscripts on microfilm — slightly better than half of the Vatican’s collection.<br />
Among the most significant holdings are:<br />
Codex Vaticanus, one of the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Bible written in Greek sometime<br />
during the middle of the 4th century.<br />
Vergilius Romanus (The Roman Virgil), produced between the 5th and 6th centuries. It is<br />
one of the oldest surviving copies of the works of Virgil and one of few surviving examples<br />
of Roman miniature painting.<br />
Commentaries written in the hand of St. Thomas Aquinas.<br />
Poetry written in the hand of Petrarch, the famous Italian scholar, poet and Renaissance<br />
humanist.<br />
Sunspot observations by Galileo.<br />
Greater Access<br />
The VFL hosts a fellowship program (another is offered by SLU’s Center for Medieval and Renaissance<br />
Studies) and an annual manuscripts conference to help achieve its mission of making<br />
its abundant resources available to scholars. For the past 50 years, it has edited and published<br />
Manuscripta, a scholarly journal devoted to research on medieval and Renaissance manuscripts.<br />
It is the only journal of its kind in North America.<br />
Two years ago, Special Collections hired its first rare book cataloguer to make the collections<br />
more accessible through rare book records input as part of the <strong>University</strong> libraries’ online catalogue.<br />
As a result, the number of rare book queries from researchers worldwide has increased<br />
substantially. The recent addition of a rare books librarian will further expand knowledge of<br />
the collections and the ability to assist patrons.<br />
All of this activity fits with the <strong>University</strong> libraries’ ambitious five-year strategic plan,<br />
which includes for Special Collections expanding its reading room, creating climate-controlled<br />
storage areas, increasing acquisitions budgets and providing digital access to its<br />
materials. But while digitization allows wider access, <strong>University</strong> Archivist John Waide believes<br />
that nothing beats the real thing.<br />
“Vision is just one of our senses,” said Waide, as he holds a journal handwritten in the 1850s<br />
by Pierre-Jean DeSmet, S.J. “We also have touch and smell. Holding this book is a total sensory<br />
experience. I’m not the first reader. I’m sharing it with someone who lived 100 years before me.<br />
You can’t fully appreciate that unless you hold the book in your hands. These are true treasures<br />
on our campus.”<br />
meSSAge fRom HiS HolineSS pope piuS Xii<br />
January 2, 1953<br />
To Our beloved Son<br />
Paul C. reinert, S. J.<br />
President of <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
it is with sincere pleasure that We reply to<br />
your letter, beloved son, thanking Us for the<br />
extraordinary permission granted to <strong>Saint</strong><br />
<strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong>, of which you are the worthy<br />
President, to make microfilm copies of extensive<br />
portions of the Vatican Library. With pleasure,<br />
We say, because We are gratified to learn<br />
from your letter of your further plan that these<br />
priceless treasures, the wealth of centuries of<br />
scholarship and learning, are to find a fitting<br />
home in a new and ample university library,<br />
which will thus become a center for scholars<br />
throughout your vast land. Such a plan strikes<br />
a sympathetic chord in Our own heart, intent as<br />
We are, and as the Church has always been, on<br />
fostering knowledge and wisdom.<br />
Heartily then do We approve your plan,<br />
beloved son, with the hope that you and<br />
your colleagues will find many who are ready<br />
and eager to co-operate in an enterprise<br />
so advantageous to the cause of Catholic<br />
culture in America. We are happy to note that<br />
Our beloved sons, the knights of Columbus,<br />
have generously made possible an important<br />
step towards the realization of your plan, by<br />
defraying the expenses of the microfilming. May<br />
this be a bright omen of the final and happy<br />
consummation of your dream, a university<br />
library which will be a spacious temple of<br />
learning, a storehouse of the good, the true, the<br />
beautiful. Willingly then do We accede to your<br />
filial request that this new library be designated<br />
the “Pius Xii Memorial Library.”<br />
As an earnest of abundant heavenly blessings<br />
on this important work, We impart to you,<br />
beloved son, to your benefactors, your faculty<br />
and your students, the Apostolic benediction.<br />
{B} Athanasius kircher, China Monumentis (Antwerp, 1667), frontispiece {C} Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (new york: Charles L. Webster<br />
and Company, 1885)<br />
18 UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007 19
SLU student Rachel McCullagh<br />
plans to change the world.<br />
– By Lauren Olson<br />
20 UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu<br />
Photo by Steve Dolan<br />
As Rachel McCullagh<br />
watched a group of<br />
children rummage<br />
through mounds of trash<br />
filling a city dump in<br />
Nicaragua, she came to an<br />
eye-opening realization:<br />
These kids weren’t just<br />
looking for used toys, they<br />
were living in this landfill.<br />
Standing in that Nicaraguan dump, Mc-<br />
Cullagh vowed to change things for the<br />
homeless boys and girls in front of her.<br />
“No one deserves to live like this,” Mc-<br />
Cullagh said. “No one.”<br />
Wandering through garbage in Nicaragua<br />
on a <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> theology summer<br />
immersion program is just one way McCullagh<br />
has opened her eyes to the importance<br />
of social justice and diversity. Growing up<br />
with a father of Irish descent and a mother<br />
from the Philippines, McCullagh’s childhood<br />
overflowed with cultural distinction. To add<br />
to her worldliness, she was born in Malaysia<br />
and has lived in seven different countries —<br />
mostly Third World — before her family<br />
settled in the United States when she was 12.<br />
McCullagh, a senior from Sugar Land,<br />
Texas, is putting her diverse upbringing to<br />
work with her three majors: international<br />
business, international studies and Spanish,<br />
plus a minor in theology.<br />
“My friends always make fun of me because<br />
I’m so all over the place,” McCullagh said.<br />
“I’m just so passionate about so many things!”<br />
Another passion of McCullagh’s can be<br />
found outside of the classroom, between the<br />
lines of the tennis court. As a member of the<br />
Billiken tennis team, she ranks 13th on the<br />
SLU singles career win list and 16th on the<br />
doubles win list.<br />
Still, it’s service, not serves, that gets Mc-<br />
Cullagh most excited.<br />
As a theology minor, McCullagh stumbled<br />
upon an opportunity that transformed her<br />
life: the Mev Puleo Scholarship. Puleo (A&S<br />
’85) brought awareness to the dignity of the<br />
poor by living in solidarity among the people<br />
of Latin America. At the age of 32, Puleo’s<br />
voice for the underprivileged was silenced by<br />
a malignant brain tumor. In her honor, Puleo’s<br />
parents established a scholarship that<br />
would send SLU students to Nicaragua in<br />
hopes that recipients would become advocates for social justice.<br />
With the scholarship and her acquired classroom knowledge about<br />
what it means to be a woman for others, McCullagh was prepared to<br />
fulfill the hopes of the Puleo family.<br />
Summer in Nicaragua<br />
Voluntarily leaving behind the comforts of the United States, Mc-<br />
Cullagh immersed herself in the Nicaraguan culture for two months<br />
this summer. She lived with a family of eight in a small house that<br />
had no air conditioning or running water. Every morning she woke<br />
up, sweat dripping down her back and bugs crawling on the floor.<br />
Every day she ate a bowl of rice and beans for breakfast, lunch and<br />
dinner.<br />
“You learn the most by living someone else’s life — by putting<br />
yourself in someone else’s shoes,” McCullagh said.<br />
Lacing up a pair of her own shoes every morning at 5:30 a.m., McCullagh<br />
began her daily routine with a jog along a dirt path through the city.<br />
By 7:30 a.m. she was taking a 15-cent bus ride to work in one of the most<br />
dangerous neighborhoods outside of Managua, the capital of Nicaragua.<br />
McCullagh spent her mornings working with a group of children,<br />
ages 2 through 10, at a tutoring program. In addition to teaching<br />
basic letters and numbers, she was in charge of feeding the children,<br />
most of whom were malnourished. She was often handed a 10-pound<br />
bag of rice with the task of removing anything that moved.<br />
“I picked out animals, anything from small mice to one-inch ants,”<br />
McCullagh said. “I thought, ‘I can’t cook this food for these kids.’ But<br />
they don’t have anything else. They have to eat it.”<br />
McCullagh was experiencing everything a Third World country<br />
had to offer, both the good and bad, when her Nicaraguan routine<br />
was drastically interrupted.<br />
After treating her host family to dinner at a restaurant with a $20<br />
bill, which would have been enough to feed that family for a week, a<br />
queasiness came over McCullagh. Things took a turn for the worse<br />
the following morning, as she passed out at church and awoke in<br />
the hospital. Diagnosed with an intestinal and urinary tract infection<br />
caused by parasites in the food or water, she was given antibiotics and<br />
sent back to her host family.<br />
“I realized how lucky I was that I had enough money to go to the<br />
hospital,” she said. “If I were a Nicaraguan, I couldn’t have done that.”<br />
Through her illness, McCullagh learned the true meaning of dependence.<br />
“I’ve never been in a state where I couldn’t take care of myself,” Mc-<br />
Cullagh recalled. “I would sit up in bed and get sick all over the floor,<br />
MCCULLAgH’S PHOTOS FrOM Her SUMMer in niCArAgUA.<br />
and my host mother would clean it up. This lady had nothing. She<br />
stood over me, held me and fanned me with a piece of paper just to<br />
make me feel a little bit better.<br />
“They don’t have much to give, but everything they have, they’re<br />
just so happy to give to you.”<br />
Out of concern, McCullagh’s father flew to Nicaragua with the<br />
intent of returning to America with his only daughter. With three<br />
weeks of the trip left, McCullagh was faced with a difficult decision:<br />
return to the States for a proper recovery or struggle through her illness<br />
and complete her mission to help Nicaraguans in need.<br />
“I really wanted to finish my experience. My parents really wanted<br />
me to come home,” McCullagh said.<br />
“I decided to stay.”<br />
A New Perspective<br />
In the end, McCullagh’s decision to finish what she started gave her<br />
a new perspective.<br />
After two months in a Third World country, McCullagh still describes<br />
herself as passionate, but now, she said, with a healthy dose of<br />
practicality. Some advocates of social justice strive to make a difference<br />
through protests, grassroots organizations or the Peace Corps.<br />
McCullagh has a different path in mind. She hopes to use her SLU<br />
John Cook School of Business degree to initiate economic change<br />
across the globe.<br />
“The problem with Nicaragua is that they have no way to make<br />
money, except sweatshops,” she said. “They have no oil, poor leadership<br />
and few exports.”<br />
Inspired by her SLU education and her summer abroad, McCullagh<br />
feels a newfound obligation to solve that problem.<br />
“If you want to actually make change, you need a profession,” she<br />
said. “Volunteering is great, but having the tools to make a difference<br />
is key.”<br />
By working to support initiatives such as NAFTA (North American<br />
Free Trade Agreement) or CAFTA (Central American Free Trade<br />
Agreement), McCullagh believes she can pioneer policy change and<br />
improve the standard of living in Third World countries.<br />
Walking along the dirt roads and through the city dump of Nicaragua,<br />
McCullagh made a promise to herself and to humanity that just<br />
might change the future:<br />
“No one should live without running water or electricity,” she said.<br />
“That should be a standard.<br />
“No one should live in a trash dump. That should be a standard.”<br />
If McCullagh has anything to say about it, it will.<br />
UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007<br />
21
Holy Paws<br />
By Jeannine C. Fox (Cook ’64) | Royal Works<br />
Publishing<br />
Avictim of childhood abuse, Fox writes how her<br />
dog, baby, who was abused as a puppy, gave<br />
her the courage to face her past. Fox presents<br />
her own story while hoping to inspire the reader<br />
to discover a personal account of god’s love and<br />
healing presence in his or her own life.<br />
The New York Postcard<br />
Sonnets<br />
By Philip Dacey (A&S ’61) | Rain Mountain Press<br />
in his series of sonnets, Dacey relates his<br />
experiences as a man from the Midwest living<br />
in new york. Making his way through the city, he<br />
notes bits of dialogue and integrates these with<br />
his own interpretations and thoughts to create<br />
poetry.<br />
Wretched Sisters<br />
By Mary Welek Atwell (Grad ’69, ’74) | Peter Lang<br />
Publishing<br />
in offering analysis of the circumstances that<br />
determine why a small number of women are<br />
sentenced to the death penalty, Atwell focuses<br />
on 11 women who have been put to death for<br />
murder. She takes up each case individually,<br />
involving their personal stories and unique<br />
elements.<br />
Diamond Quality<br />
Leadership<br />
By Mark Hinderliter (Cook ’81) | iUniverse<br />
This book tells the story of a manager who has<br />
trouble leading effectively and balancing his<br />
work and home life. As he works with an executive<br />
coach, he learns six qualities of leadership that<br />
help him improve his work performance and<br />
reclaim his life.<br />
Book of Beginnings<br />
By David A. Stuckey (Grad ’95) | Robertson<br />
Publishing<br />
in this autobiographical collection of essays,<br />
Stuckey gives us a portrait of himself as<br />
a young man coming into adulthood. in the<br />
wide-ranging stories, he describes his childhood<br />
adventures and misadventures, triumphs,<br />
failures, first loves and most painful losses.<br />
Spelling Love with an X<br />
By Clare Dunsford (A&S ’74) | Beacon Press<br />
Dunsford chronicles her experience as a<br />
carrier of the fragile X permutation and as<br />
mother to her 21-year-old son, J.P., whose full<br />
mutation of fragile X has resulted in his mental<br />
retardation. Throughout her story, she draws<br />
from classic poetry to reflect on love, parenting,<br />
disappointment and persistence.<br />
How Big Is Your God?<br />
By Paul Coutinho, S.J. (Grad ’90, ’96) | Loyola Press<br />
in this collection of short essays, Coutinho<br />
challenges readers to grow deeper and stronger<br />
in faith by embracing a god whose love knows<br />
no bounds. His writings are drawn from his own<br />
Catholic faith blended with the eastern religious<br />
traditions he learned while living in india.<br />
In a Fly’s Eye<br />
By C.S. Callahan (Grad ’73) | Bezalel Books<br />
Jay C.’s last wish is to know what people really<br />
think about his life, so he hires barney, a<br />
lackluster writer, to delve into his past. Along the<br />
way, they discover their own truths in a story that<br />
will make the reader ask, “Who do people say<br />
that i am?”<br />
This summary of books is meant for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement of any work. Following this issue, Universitas will no longer include self-published books.<br />
howard schlossman<br />
(Med) teaches medical<br />
’39dr.<br />
students and residents in<br />
psychiatry at Hackensack <strong>University</strong>.<br />
He lives in Englewood, N.J., and has a<br />
part-time practice.<br />
Gunther (A&S) has<br />
been inducted into the<br />
’40keith<br />
St. <strong>Louis</strong> Media Hall of<br />
Fame for his contributions to St. <strong>Louis</strong><br />
television.<br />
(Baumler) Janitell<br />
(Nurs) is retired and lives<br />
’45leona<br />
in Littleton, Colo.<br />
harold haley (Med)<br />
and his wife live in Roa-<br />
’46dr.<br />
noke, Va. They have five<br />
children.<br />
dr. elias neuren (Dent) is retired from an<br />
oral surgery specialty practice in Columbus,<br />
Ga., and lives in Boca Raton, Fla.<br />
keck (Parks) is retired<br />
in Coarsegold, Calif.<br />
’51George<br />
He previously worked in<br />
McDonnell Ram Jet lab testing, Boeing<br />
Flight Test Center Operations,<br />
Pacific Plastics marine division management,<br />
the U.S. Air Force and spent<br />
28 years in Lockheed’s marine and<br />
aerospace program management.<br />
richard rapp (IT) lives in Lakeside, Calif.,<br />
and has eight children.<br />
lawrence Blazina (Med)<br />
got remarried in May<br />
’52dr.<br />
2005 and lives in Merced,<br />
Calif.<br />
Boyd fellows (A&S) won the Olympus<br />
“Capture It All” photo contest. He<br />
lives in Sturgeon Bay, Wis.<br />
John simanella (A&S) was elected to the<br />
Ohio State Bowling Hall of Fame and<br />
bowled in the U.S. Bowling Congress<br />
Tournament. He lives in Cleveland.<br />
mark zimmer (IT) lives in Miami and<br />
is retired from the National Hurricane<br />
Center. He is now involved in hurricane<br />
and tropical storm consulting for<br />
national corporations.<br />
saunders (IT) retired<br />
as the associate di-<br />
’53Barry<br />
rector of the Utah Division<br />
of Water Resources and lives in<br />
Salt Lake City.<br />
roland Wegmann (Law) marked the<br />
43rd year of his general practice, the<br />
Wegmann Law Firm in Hillsboro, Mo.<br />
(sullivan) Cambria<br />
(Doisy) lives in Staten<br />
’54anne<br />
Island, N.Y., and works<br />
part time as a gerontology nurse.<br />
hubert miller (Grad Pub Ser) recently<br />
toured Peru and visited Inca sites in<br />
Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu. He<br />
lives in Austin, Texas.<br />
sanders (Cook) is<br />
retired from a manage-<br />
’55Joseph<br />
ment position with AstraZeneca<br />
Pharmaceuticals and owns<br />
a general insurance agency with his<br />
son. He lives in Elgin, Ill., and has five<br />
children and 21 grandchildren.<br />
William G. schneider Jr. (Parks) retired<br />
in 1990 as a senior base manager for<br />
Boeing at Edwards Air Force Base. He<br />
spent 35 years in their flight test organization.<br />
He enjoys golf, travel and<br />
working with his Rancho Bernardo<br />
(Calif.) homeowner’s association.<br />
hummel (Parks) retired<br />
from the Kennedy<br />
’56Gene<br />
Space Center in Florida<br />
after 42 years. He lives in Murphy,<br />
N.C., with his wife, Jean.<br />
fox (Parks) lives in<br />
Williamsburg, Va., and<br />
’57david<br />
is a retired marine piping<br />
designer from the Coast Guard’s English<br />
headquarters.<br />
dr. William s. sly (Med) received an<br />
honorary degree from Washington<br />
<strong>University</strong> in St. <strong>Louis</strong>. He is the Alice<br />
A. Doisy Professor, chairman of the<br />
Edward A. Doisy Department of Biochemistry<br />
and Molecular Biology and<br />
a professor of pediatrics at SLU.<br />
rev. leo f. stelten (Pub Ser ’57, Grad<br />
’70) is a volunteer in the library at Cardinal<br />
Muench Seminary in Fargo, N.D.<br />
The Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin,<br />
which he edited, is in its seventh printing,<br />
and his translation of the Epitoma<br />
Rei Militaris of Flavius Vegetius Renatus<br />
was dedicated to Dr. Chauncey E.<br />
Finch, a former SLU professor.<br />
m. “Jack” rielley (IT)<br />
retired from Smurfit-<br />
’58John<br />
Stone after 48 years in<br />
the corrugated packaging industry.<br />
He lives in St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
leo V. ryan, C.s.V. (Grad Cook) received<br />
a Medal of Merit from the Polish<br />
government for his civic and educational<br />
contribution to greater Poland.<br />
Also, Adam Mickiewicz <strong>University</strong><br />
in Poznan, Poland, declared May 12<br />
“Professor Brother Leo V. Ryan Day”<br />
to honor his 80th birthday.<br />
dr. kate (deClue) schejbal (Nurs ’58,<br />
Grad ’70, ’81) teaches BSN programs<br />
at Maryville <strong>University</strong> and lives in<br />
Ballwin, Mo.<br />
Braun, o.m.I.<br />
(Grad) has been a priest<br />
’59robert<br />
for 56 years. He is the<br />
chaplain and spiritual adviser to the<br />
Poor Clare Nuns in Belleville, Ill.<br />
david spitznagel (Cook ’59, Law ’65) obtained<br />
his alligator trappers license and<br />
caught two alligators on Lake Hipochee,<br />
Fla. He lives in Key Largo, Fla.<br />
hickey (Parks)<br />
retired from Wright-Pat-<br />
’60herbert<br />
terson Air Force Base in<br />
1999 and is now an aerospace consultant.<br />
He lives in Dayton, Ohio.<br />
mary ann (Connors) larkin (Grad Pub<br />
Ser) has published two chapter books<br />
of poetry, most recently Gods and<br />
Flesh. She lives in Washington, D.C.<br />
Charles Turner (IT ’60, ’64) is the girls’ soccer<br />
coach at Waterloo (Ill.) High School.<br />
arndt (Parks) is<br />
president of PEI Midwest.<br />
’61donald<br />
He lives in St. Charles,<br />
Ill., is married and has five children<br />
and 12 grandchildren.<br />
albert hoffman (Grad Cook) lives in<br />
Chicago.<br />
merle Gibson (Med)<br />
is a physician in fam-<br />
’62dr.<br />
ily practice in Vandalia,<br />
Ohio. His grandson, Jonathan Gibson,<br />
attends SLU’s School of Medicine and<br />
plans to take over his solo practice.<br />
Barbara (martin) matte (A&S) has had<br />
her work published in a college literary<br />
magazine and is writing a novel on the<br />
Vietnam era. She lives in Paso Robles,<br />
Calif.<br />
richard range (Cook) lives in Chesterfield,<br />
Mo., and retired after 38 years in<br />
the insurance business. He winters in<br />
Naples, Fla., and enjoys golfing, singing<br />
in the church choir and spending<br />
time with his four grandchildren.<br />
dr. Gerald schiffhorst (A&S ’62, Grad<br />
’63), professor emeritus of English at<br />
the <strong>University</strong> of Central Florida, coauthored<br />
the textbook, Grammar, Etc.:<br />
The Handbook For Writers, which can<br />
be downloaded free from freeloadpress.<br />
com. He lives in Winter Park, Fla.<br />
mal Brewer (Med) is<br />
retired from ophthal-<br />
’64dr.<br />
mology practice. He and<br />
his wife, Peggy, live in Portland, Ore.<br />
John Corkery (A&S) is dean of the<br />
John Marshall Law School in Chicago,<br />
which is Illinois’ largest law school.<br />
Biondo (IT)<br />
lives in Rockford, Ill.,<br />
’65Theodore<br />
and is chairman of the<br />
board of trustees of Rock Valley College.<br />
He and his wife, Pat, have been<br />
married for 43 years and have two<br />
children and five grandchildren.<br />
dr. George m. Bohigian (Med), professor<br />
of clinical ophthalmology at Washington<br />
<strong>University</strong> School of Medicine in<br />
St. <strong>Louis</strong>, spoke at the second International<br />
Medical Congress in Armenia in<br />
June. His lectures were part of an eye<br />
medical/surgical mission to Armenia.<br />
michael hudyma (Parks) is a flight engineer<br />
for Federal Express. He is retired<br />
from the U.S. Air Force and lives in<br />
Rocky Mount, N.C.<br />
William C. Gaylord<br />
(Grad) served in the<br />
’66dr.<br />
U.S. Air Force Dental<br />
Corps, attaining the rank of captain.<br />
He is president of the American Association<br />
of Orthodontists and has a<br />
private orthodontic practice in Flagstaff,<br />
Ariz.<br />
John Jordan moore (A&S) is a columnist<br />
for the Grand Prairie Union News and<br />
has published a collection of essays,<br />
Millennial Outrages To the Tender Sensibilities<br />
of Decent, Right-Thinking People.<br />
He and his wife, Linda, live in Bloomington,<br />
Ill., and have a grandson.<br />
kenneth Weindel (A&S ’66, Grad ’71)<br />
is a reference librarian at the St. <strong>Louis</strong><br />
Public Library and is president of the<br />
Greater St. <strong>Louis</strong> Chapter of the Catholic<br />
Library Association.<br />
Bill Wuest (IT) retired from AT&T in<br />
1998. He and his wife, Peggy, live on<br />
a golf course in San Antonio, where<br />
they enjoy golfing, traveling and visiting<br />
with their children and grandson.<br />
lynn Beckwith (Grad<br />
’67, ’83) serves on the<br />
’67dr.<br />
board of directors of the<br />
St. <strong>Louis</strong> County Library.<br />
Joseph P. Conran (A&S, Law ’70) is a<br />
commercial litigation attorney with<br />
Husch & Eppenberger in St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
He was named in the 2008 edition of<br />
The Best Lawyers in America.<br />
Jim Godsil (A&S, Grad ’69) has written a<br />
booklet of poetry titled My Milwaukee.<br />
sarwar a. kashmeri (Parks, IT ’71)<br />
wrote the book America & Europe<br />
after 9/11 and Iraq: The Great Divide.<br />
He is the host of “Road to the White<br />
House,” a series of conversations with<br />
the 2008 New Hampshire presidential<br />
primary candidates for the Eagle<br />
Times of Claremont, N.H. He also is<br />
a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association<br />
and lives with his wife, Deborah<br />
Ellis, on a farm in Reading, Vt.<br />
22 UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007 23
classnotes<br />
Photos by Steve Dolan<br />
John schweitzer (A&S) is the CEO of<br />
SkyDev Technologies in St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
martin (Parks) is<br />
a chief test pilot for<br />
’68marvin<br />
Northrop Gumman Integrated<br />
Systems, west region, in Palmdale,<br />
Calif.<br />
robb scoular (Law) was listed in the Los<br />
Angeles Business Journal’s “Who’s Who in<br />
L.A. Law.” He was named one of Southern<br />
California’s “Super Lawyers” by Los<br />
Angeles Magazine and Law & Politics<br />
Management and is a member of the “Billionaire’s<br />
Club,” according to California<br />
Law Business. He is the founding managing<br />
partner of the Los Angeles office of<br />
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. He<br />
also is president and chair of the board of<br />
directors of the Los Angeles Area Council<br />
of the Boy Scouts of America.<br />
robert Telfer (A&S) is a partner in a law<br />
firm Cianfrogna, Telfer, Reda, Faherty,<br />
and Anderson in Titusville, Fla.<br />
Joe robustelli (A&S),<br />
director of the educa-<br />
’69dr.<br />
tional opportunity program<br />
at SUNY-Cobleskill, received<br />
the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence<br />
in Professional Service in May. He has<br />
worked there since 1984.<br />
Chaplin (A&S) is<br />
the president of the North<br />
’70kenneth<br />
Jefferson County Catholic<br />
Credit Union, a Quickbooks pro adviser<br />
and a certified management accountant.<br />
He lives in Arnold, Mo.<br />
Janet folkl, C.d.P. (A&S, Grad ’75) is<br />
general superior of the Sisters of Divine<br />
Providence, an international congregation<br />
of women religious. She lives<br />
in St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
William hall (Cook) and his wife of 37<br />
years, rose (failoni) hall (A&S), live in<br />
Fort Worth, Texas. They have three sons<br />
and four grandchildren. William previously<br />
was the director of accounting at<br />
Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth.<br />
mary (higgins) klein (SW) practices<br />
psychotherapy in Costa Mesa, Calif.<br />
She is married to dr. david klein (Med<br />
’71), who practices oncology and hematology<br />
in Newport Beach, Calif.<br />
dr. richard koesterer (A&S ’70, Grad<br />
’75) retired from the biology department<br />
at Coastal Carolina <strong>University</strong> after 28<br />
years of service. He lives in Conway, S.C.,<br />
but plans to move to Trinidad.<br />
dr. Theresa (nangle) obermeyer (Grad ’70,<br />
’76) and her husband, Thomas s. obermeyer<br />
(Grad Cook ’76), live in Anchorage,<br />
Alaska. They have four children: Thomas<br />
Jr. and Jimmy are pursuing careers as<br />
medical doctors, and twins Margaret<br />
and Matt are at Rockhurst <strong>University</strong>.<br />
Warren sazama, s.J. (A&S ’70, Grad<br />
’73) has completed his first year as president<br />
of Marquette <strong>University</strong> High<br />
School in Milwaukee.<br />
sharen selleck rice (Nurs) is a clinical<br />
nurse specialist at the VA outpatient clinic<br />
in Columbus, Ohio, where she works<br />
with veterans who have post-traumatic<br />
stress disorder. She and her husband have<br />
four children and two grandchildren.<br />
ron simmons (A&S) is retired after<br />
36 years in the information technology<br />
field, the last 25 with TTX Co. in<br />
Chicago. He and his wife, Mary Ellyn,<br />
spend their time hiking, biking, traveling<br />
and seeing their four children and<br />
six grandchildren.<br />
forgue (Grad) retired<br />
this year after 12<br />
’71Joseph<br />
years as a chaplain at the<br />
federal correctional institution in El<br />
Reno, Okla.<br />
michael W. forster (A&S ’71, Law ’74)<br />
is the managing partner of the firm<br />
Sandberg, Phoenix & von Gontard in<br />
St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
2007 hoMecoMing highLightS<br />
G. Tracy mehan III (A&S ’71, Law ’74), a<br />
principal of the Cadmus Group Inc. and<br />
former assistant administrator for water<br />
at the U.S. Environmental Protection<br />
Agency, has been appointed to the Water<br />
Science and Technology Board of the<br />
National Academies’ National Research<br />
Council in Washington, D.C.<br />
dr. daysi mejia (Grad SW) is chair of<br />
the Catholic Charities board of directors<br />
in the Diocese of Venice, Fla. She<br />
is on the faculty of Florida Gulf Coast<br />
<strong>University</strong>.<br />
Cheatham (Pub<br />
Ser) wrote a book titled<br />
’72Gwendolyn<br />
Give Your Teacher This<br />
Note – Parents Say the Funniest Things.<br />
She lives in Fayetteville, Ga.<br />
ruth (onsum) kraushaar (Nurs) was<br />
a nursing educator and developer of<br />
new community programs. She lives<br />
in Springfield, Ore., near her two children<br />
and two grandchildren.<br />
lou mcCabe, s.J. (Grad) is the assistant<br />
to the provincial for vocations for the<br />
Jesuits of the Missouri Province. He is<br />
happy to be back in St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
otis miller (Grad) has been retired for<br />
nine years and works part time. He<br />
lives in Belleville, Ill.<br />
dr. Janet I. Pisaneschi (Grad) is the provost<br />
and vice president for academic<br />
affairs at Western Michigan <strong>University</strong><br />
and received the 2007 Distinguished<br />
Woman in Higher Education Leadership<br />
Award. She was dean of WMU’s<br />
College of Health and Human Services<br />
for 17 years prior to her current<br />
position.<br />
david Podeschi (A&S) is Blockbuster’s<br />
senior vice president for merchandising,<br />
distribution and logistics. He lives<br />
in Dallas.<br />
Ted r. anderson (Grad)<br />
wrote Biology of the Ubi-<br />
’73dr.<br />
quitous House Sparrow:<br />
From Genes to Populations. He is emeritus<br />
professor of biology at McKendree<br />
<strong>University</strong> and lives in Kingston, Wash.<br />
Bob Johnson (A&S) retired from the<br />
EEOC in St. <strong>Louis</strong> this spring after 28<br />
years. He is now of counsel to Sedey-<br />
Harper. In April, SLU’s School of Law<br />
gave him the Clarence Darrow Public Interest<br />
Advocate Award. He also is a fellow<br />
of the College of Labor and Employment<br />
Lawyers. He and his wife, sandy Johnson<br />
(A&S), are enjoying being grandparents.<br />
elbert luh (Cook ’73, Law ’88) lives in<br />
De Soto, Mo., and works with church<br />
youth groups.<br />
raymond f. Wacker (A&S), the Emerson<br />
Electric/Charles Groennert Teaching<br />
Excellence Professor at Southern Illinois<br />
<strong>University</strong> Carbondale, received<br />
the 2007 Outstanding Educator Award<br />
from the Illinois CPA Society in May.<br />
stephen h. daniel (A&S<br />
’74, Grad ’78) has been<br />
’74dr.<br />
appointed to the Murray<br />
and Celeste Fasken Chair in Distinguished<br />
Teaching in the Liberal Arts.<br />
He is a professor of philosophy at Texas<br />
A&M <strong>University</strong> and a scholar in the<br />
field of modern philosophy.<br />
dr. david f. dinges (Grad) is the chief of<br />
the division of sleep and chronobiology<br />
and director of the unit for experimental<br />
psychiatry in the department of<br />
psychiatry at the <strong>University</strong> of Pennsylvania<br />
School of Medicine. He received<br />
the 2007 Distinguished Public Service<br />
Medal from NASA, the agency’s highest<br />
award for nongovernment personnel.<br />
Patricia (Turk) horvath (Nurs) is the<br />
director of health and wellness, health<br />
care solutions and analytics for UnitedHealthcare’s<br />
central region and lives<br />
in Kirtland, Ohio.<br />
don’t miss homecoming 2008, scheduled for Sept. 26-28.<br />
Mark your calendar now and make plans to be there.<br />
david reiser (Parks) is in diaconate formation<br />
for the diocese of Charlotte, N.C.<br />
Boenker (Parks)<br />
is an aerospace engineer<br />
’75matthew<br />
working for Avion Inc.<br />
as a support contractor to the U.S.<br />
Army. He lives in Huntsville, Ala.,<br />
and is trying to start his own vineyard<br />
and winery in St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
dr. dorothy Corrigan (A&S ’75, Nurs ’03,<br />
Grad ’07) is a board-certified gerontological<br />
nurse practitioner and is a clinical<br />
researcher for the Alzheimer’s Disease<br />
Research Center of the Washington <strong>University</strong><br />
School of Medicine in St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
Barbara feldman Geffen (Law) is<br />
the managing director of Campus-<br />
CURES, a division of the Agos Group<br />
dedicated to risk management strategies<br />
for higher education.<br />
Janet (newman) hodel (Doisy) moved<br />
from Oregon to Anchorage, Alaska,<br />
in 2005 with her husband, Ron, and<br />
daughter, Heather. She is a physical<br />
therapist at Alaska Regional Hospital.<br />
William schmidt (Cook ’75, Grad ’77)<br />
is executive vice president and regional<br />
director for Momentum and<br />
is responsible for the firm’s St. <strong>Louis</strong>,<br />
Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee offices.<br />
He lives in St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
harter (Parks) is a<br />
flight captain for Ameri-<br />
’76mark<br />
can Airlines and lives in<br />
Belleville, Ill.<br />
Cecilia stodd (A&S) is a financial specialist<br />
in the department of population<br />
health sciences at the <strong>University</strong><br />
of Wisconsin School of Medicine.<br />
(Beasley) Brown<br />
(SW ’77, ’78) earned her<br />
’77debra<br />
doctorate in ministry<br />
from the Assemblies of God Theological<br />
Seminary in Springfield, Mo. She<br />
lives in Kansas City, Mo.<br />
david eschmann (Cook) is an I.T. data<br />
warehouse specialist for Thermadyne<br />
Corp. in St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
ann (angie) sellenriek (Grad) lives in<br />
Palm Harbor, Fla., and is a residential<br />
supervisor for a shelter that serves<br />
clients who are 10-17 years old. She<br />
plans to move to Memphis, Tenn.<br />
Pete stabnick (A&S) received the Exemplary<br />
Advocate Award from the<br />
Council for Exceptional Children Division<br />
on Visual Impairments for his<br />
support of teachers and professionals<br />
in the field of blindness. He has been<br />
involved in the printing and distribution<br />
of the Division on Visual Impairment<br />
Quarterly for 17 years. He lives<br />
in Little Rock, Ark.<br />
denise Wondolowski (Parks ’77, Grad<br />
Cook ’80) is a senior portfolio manager<br />
for U.S. Bank private asset management<br />
in St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
Valene (Parks) lives<br />
outside of Memphis, Tenn.,<br />
’78larry<br />
and is an MD-11 captain<br />
with FedEx as a line check airman.<br />
Bobrowski (A&S)<br />
is a music specialist at<br />
’79leonard<br />
St. Charles Borromeo<br />
School in St. Charles, Mo., and director<br />
of music at Blessed Teresa of Calcutta<br />
Church in Ferguson, Mo. He<br />
will also have two choral pieces published<br />
by World Library Publications.<br />
When crisis struck the crew<br />
of Space Shuttle Atlantis on<br />
a mission to the international<br />
Space Station, it was kelly (bond) beck (Parks ’88)<br />
— feet planted firmly on the ground, as usual — who<br />
helped to bring order to the seven-person crew<br />
millions of miles away from home.<br />
When news broke that Atlantis had a torn heat-shield<br />
blanket, space observers could not help but think of<br />
the tragedy that struck Space Shuttle Columbia on<br />
re-entry four years earlier.<br />
it was on the mind of beck — the mission commander<br />
— and the rest of the nASA staff,<br />
as well. Since the Columbia<br />
tragedy, no one takes chances<br />
at Mission Control — every<br />
precaution is implemented,<br />
beck said. Whenever an<br />
anomaly arises, there is a team<br />
led by its own flight director<br />
that begins looking at solutions<br />
from every conceivable angle,<br />
and those possible solutions<br />
are then tested on the ground.<br />
The tests concluded that<br />
sewing the blanket with stainless-steel wire was the<br />
best option over other choices, such as duct tape<br />
that didn’t hold up to the vacuum of space. After a<br />
successful space walk under the guidance of beck,<br />
Atlantis returned safely to earth on June 22.<br />
even as the eyes of the world focused on Atlantis and<br />
Mission Control in Houston, beck and the crew kept<br />
their calm and resolve.<br />
“We’re so well trained we’re not under pressure or<br />
stress. it’s how our training programs have geared us<br />
to respond,” beck said in a telephone interview. “i think<br />
it’s similar to an air traffic controller: you just do it.”<br />
dr. George dolson (Med) is on the faculty<br />
of Baylor College of Medicine<br />
and is chief of the renal section of the<br />
VA Medical Center in Houston.<br />
dixon (Law) is a<br />
deputy district attorney<br />
’80ronnie<br />
in the Fulton County district<br />
attorney’s office and the head of the<br />
trial division. He lives in Lithonia, Ga.<br />
Joseph T. eckelkamp (Cook ’80, Grad<br />
Cook ’93), owner of Eckelkamp &<br />
Associates CPAs in St. <strong>Louis</strong>, has received<br />
the Personal Financial Specialist<br />
credential from the American Institute<br />
of Certified Public Accountants.<br />
He also has been interviewed several<br />
times on St. <strong>Louis</strong>’ KTVI-TV.<br />
KELLy BECK<br />
dr. nancy lindo-drusch (Med) has a<br />
two-person family practice and is the<br />
director of the ThedaCare Hospice.<br />
She lives in Appleton, Wis.<br />
marjorie soffer-Wood (PS) and her husband,<br />
Charles, are retired and live in<br />
St. <strong>Louis</strong>. Marjorie was an army journalist.<br />
She has one son, Charlee.<br />
mcGarrahan (A&S)<br />
and his wife, Holly, have<br />
’81kenneth<br />
two daughters and live in<br />
Fenton, Mo. Kenneth has worked at<br />
AT&T for 25 years.<br />
Charlann Winking (A&S) has retired<br />
after 20 years as a public defender in<br />
Minnesota and has moved to Victoria,<br />
B.C., Canada, with her husband.<br />
beck’s journey to nASA seemed<br />
destined to make a pit stop at<br />
<strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong>. When<br />
she was growing up in Cahokia, ill., her grandmother<br />
worked in the cafeteria at Parks College of<br />
engineering, Aviation and Technology, and beck was<br />
always drawn to the science and math classes she<br />
would eventually need to be a successful engineer.<br />
“i think it’s the purity of mathematics and being able<br />
to solve the problems and move to a higher level that<br />
i like about math,” beck said. “And a lot of my math<br />
and science teachers would get you interested. i also<br />
can think of my biology and physics teachers that<br />
made it interesting — same with<br />
my chemistry teachers.”<br />
in those classes, as in her<br />
career, beck was one of the<br />
few women in the room. but it’s<br />
something that’s never really<br />
mattered to her.<br />
“i never perceived it to be a<br />
problem or a hindrance,” she<br />
said. “i know i have to go do<br />
my job very well no matter what.<br />
Maybe it was just that i wasn’t<br />
paying attention to feel intimidated because i was<br />
woman.”<br />
Her recent work as mission commander is not the final<br />
frontier for beck. She sees her career continuing up<br />
the ladder at nASA. She already is the deputy chief of<br />
flight directors and thinks an opportunity for chief of<br />
flight directors might be in her future. but there is one<br />
goal she thinks is out of her reach.<br />
“i’d love to see a manned mission to Mars,” she said.<br />
“i really think that eventually we will be like Star Trek,<br />
with easy access to space. it’s just a matter of when,<br />
but probably not in my lifetime.” — Nick Sargent<br />
24 UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007 25<br />
photo courtesy of NASA
The freshmen and their alumni relatives.<br />
For almost 20 percent of the<br />
freshman class, <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong> is all in the family.<br />
That’s because 291 first-year students<br />
have a parent, grandparent, sibling,<br />
aunt or uncle who graduated from<br />
SLU. Each year the alumni relations<br />
office holds a luncheon in honor of<br />
these “legacy” students during Welcome<br />
Week. On Aug. 23, the students<br />
and their alumni family members<br />
met in the Shanahan Atrium of<br />
John and Lucy Cook Hall to take a<br />
break from move-in and meet their<br />
new SLU family.<br />
michelle hasan and her dad asif<br />
(grad Cook ’76) of Laguna Hills,<br />
Calif. “i got a really good scholarship<br />
here,” Michelle said. “i’m looking into<br />
studying psychology and premed.”<br />
daniel mcCulley (grad Cook ’86) and<br />
his daughter kathryn of Columbia,<br />
Tenn. “it’s great she came to SLU,”<br />
Daniel said. “We lived here for seven<br />
years, and i really enjoyed my time<br />
at SLU.”<br />
nick Boxdorfer and his dad Jim (Cook<br />
’80) of St. <strong>Louis</strong>. “i’m so proud of<br />
him,” Jim said. “And i told him when<br />
we were walking up here that i still<br />
marvel at the changes to campus.”<br />
fred sackbauer (Cook ’40) of St.<br />
<strong>Louis</strong> and his granddaughter amelia<br />
Blanton of Lubbock, Texas. “SLU is<br />
wonderful,” Amelia said. “Plus, it’s<br />
nice to know that he’s nearby in case i<br />
need anything.”<br />
megan Gibbons and her dad Patrick<br />
(Cook ’73) of St. <strong>Louis</strong>. “i have wanted<br />
to come to SLU since the eighth grade<br />
to study nursing,” Megan said. “Dad<br />
had nothing to do with it.”<br />
Photos by Steve Dolan<br />
dr. dan zabrowski (A&S) is the global<br />
head of Roche Pharma Partnering,<br />
overseeing Roche’s network of alliances<br />
with biotech companies and creating<br />
new alliances. He lives in Montclair,<br />
N.J.<br />
fox (Doisy) and<br />
her husband of 21 years,<br />
’82karen<br />
Don, have three boys.<br />
She is a home health physical therapist<br />
in the western suburbs of Chicago.<br />
stephen J. stapleton (Nurs) is an assistant<br />
professor of nursing at the West<br />
Suburban College of Nursing in Oak<br />
Park, Ill.<br />
sabio (a&s) is<br />
president of Sabio Fi-<br />
daniel<br />
’83J.<br />
nancial and Insurance<br />
Services and serves on the Midwest<br />
BankCentre South County Regional<br />
Board. He lives in St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
d’agrosa (A&S ’84,<br />
Law ’89) was named<br />
’84Paul<br />
“Best Lawyer” by the Riverfront<br />
Times, was featured in St. <strong>Louis</strong><br />
Magazine and has been a legal expert<br />
for KMOV-TV. His office is in Clayton,<br />
Mo.<br />
Brian kinsey (Parks) is the airport assistant<br />
director for marketing and business<br />
development at Lambert-St. <strong>Louis</strong><br />
International Airport. He is in charge<br />
of expanding the number of air carriers<br />
and air service.<br />
margaret kitzmiller (Grad) is the relationship<br />
manager and principal of<br />
Commerce Bank of Oregon. She has<br />
been in financial services for more<br />
than 20 years. She enjoys volunteering<br />
her time tutoring students in reading<br />
and writing.<br />
fallon (Parks) is<br />
a regional manager for<br />
’85Patrick<br />
corporate real estate with<br />
U.S. Airways in Philadelphia.<br />
kathleen hardesty (Nurs ’85, Pub Hlth<br />
’97) is director of patient services for<br />
QHR Consulting Services. She lives in<br />
St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
John harmon (Grad Cook) is the executive<br />
vice president and chief operating<br />
officer of Abraxis Pharmaceutical<br />
Products. He and his wife, Jean Ann,<br />
live in Barrington Hills, Ill., and have<br />
two children.<br />
dr. Wayne V. Polek (Med) was re-elected<br />
to the Illinois State Medical Society<br />
board of trustees. He is a boardcertified<br />
anesthesiologist affiliated<br />
with Kane Anesthesia Associates in<br />
Geneva, Ill.<br />
Thomas e. rutledge (A&S), an attorney<br />
with Stoll Keenon Ogden in<br />
<strong>Louis</strong>ville, Ky., received the National<br />
Association of Secretaries of State<br />
Medal in recognition for his work<br />
in modernizing Kentucky’s business<br />
entity laws.<br />
Teresa Tolle (Law) is a Dallas County<br />
criminal court judge.<br />
mark Wilhelm (Grad Cook) is presidentelect<br />
and chief underwriting officer at<br />
Safety National Casualty Corp. in St.<br />
<strong>Louis</strong>. He also is vice chairman of the<br />
board of trustees at <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
High School.<br />
Birsinger (A&S) is<br />
the president of M.A.<br />
’86mark<br />
Birsinger & Co., a small<br />
business consulting firm in Wildwood,<br />
Mo., where he and his wife,<br />
Lynn, live.<br />
Beckemeyer<br />
(Cook) earned a certifi-<br />
Colleen<br />
’87m.<br />
cate in retirement plan-<br />
ning from the Wharton School of the<br />
<strong>University</strong> of Pennsylvania. She is a<br />
retirement planning specialist at AXA<br />
Advisors in St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
daniel davis (Cook) and his partners<br />
have formed Level One Bank<br />
in Farmington Hills, Mich. He and<br />
his wife, maureen (Blubaugh) davis<br />
(A&S ’88) live in Novi, Mich., with<br />
their three children, Rylie, Joe and<br />
Cameron.<br />
mary dorsey (Law) is a member of the<br />
firm Ahlheim & Dorsey and a chair of<br />
the St. <strong>Louis</strong> County Board of Equalization.<br />
karen kirk-schlorff (Cook) has been<br />
in health care since graduation and<br />
has worked in California and Kenya,<br />
among other places. She lives in Lock<br />
Haven, Pa.<br />
John novelli (Parks) is director of operations<br />
engineering at American Airlines<br />
in Fort Worth, Texas.<br />
a. Castellano<br />
(Grad Cook) is chief ex-<br />
’88michael<br />
ecutive officer of Esse<br />
Health, St. <strong>Louis</strong>’ largest independent<br />
physicians group.<br />
dr. Gregory oetting (Med) is a neurosurgeon<br />
in Augusta, Ga.<br />
Grisanti (Hosp) is<br />
an assistant clinical pro-<br />
’89michael<br />
fessor of medicine at SU-<br />
NY-Buffalo. He is also the president of<br />
Buffalo Rheumatology, chairman of<br />
the institutional review board of Mercy<br />
Hospital and medical director of the<br />
Buffalo Osteoporosis Center.<br />
kendra (Boll) lynn (Cook) is vice president<br />
and chief administrative officer at<br />
UTG Inc. in Springfield, Ill. She and<br />
her husband, Brian, have two daughters,<br />
Gabrielle and Isabelle.<br />
dr. Gregory saboeiro (Med) has been<br />
named one of New York City’s best<br />
doctors by New York Magazine. He is<br />
the chief of the division of interventional<br />
radiology and CT at the Hospital<br />
for Special Surgery.<br />
a. Bottini (A&S)<br />
formed his own law firm,<br />
’90frank<br />
Johnson Bottini, in February<br />
and married Nina Kramps of<br />
Dusseldorf, Germany, in May. They<br />
live in San Diego.<br />
elizabeth Campbell<br />
(Law, Pub Hlth) has relo-<br />
’91sarah<br />
cated to Dallas, where she<br />
is the director of policy management<br />
in the ethics and compliance department<br />
at Tenet Healthcare Corp.<br />
Tammy Gummersheimer (A&S) is an associate<br />
professor in the mathematics,<br />
science and technology department<br />
at Schenectady (N.Y.) County Community<br />
College and received the 2007<br />
Foundation Award for Excellence<br />
in Faculty Service. She also has been<br />
recognized by the American Chemical<br />
Society for her service to the college<br />
and to the field of chemistry.<br />
Jennifer Quinn Williams (A&S), owner<br />
and founder of <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> Closet Co.,<br />
was named one of the Top Influential<br />
Business Women in St. <strong>Louis</strong> for 2007<br />
by the St. <strong>Louis</strong> Business Journal. She<br />
also was featured in the August issue of<br />
CEO magazine for her next entrepreneurial<br />
venture, <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> Cellars.<br />
albrecht (Cook<br />
’92, Law ’96) is the di-<br />
’92michael<br />
rector of operations for<br />
HDS Group, a Beverly Hills, Calif.based<br />
real estate developer and homebuilder.<br />
He and wife, Lauren, have two<br />
children, Alexander and Maggie.<br />
Julian eckles (A&S) is a social studies<br />
teacher in the Riverside Ohio School<br />
District and was recently named<br />
Teacher of the Year. He also is a varsity<br />
football coach, and his team reached<br />
the Ohio state playoffs in 2006. He<br />
and his wife, katie (english) eckles<br />
(A&S) have three children, Emily, Sarah<br />
and Charles.<br />
stefan hussenoeder (A&S) has welcomed<br />
a new daughter, Megan Angela.<br />
He is the technical research lead at<br />
Exxon Mobil Upstream Research Co.<br />
in Houston.<br />
(Tillotson) evans<br />
(SW) is a coordinator<br />
’93dinah<br />
for Family Partnership<br />
Center Mental Health and provides<br />
services for kinship families. She lives<br />
in Hilmar, Calif.<br />
Brian ricardo (Parks) has been an American<br />
Airlines pilot for 10 years. He and<br />
his wife, Beth, live in Corinth, Texas,<br />
with their children, Jacob, Nicholas<br />
and Brianna.<br />
heidi scheuermann (Pub Ser) is a<br />
state representative in the Vermont<br />
House of Representatives. She is also<br />
the coordinator at the James M. Jeffords<br />
Institute at the <strong>University</strong> of<br />
Vermont.<br />
kevin spenner (A&S) was married in<br />
July. He has been teaching fifth grade<br />
for 13 years in Meridian, Idaho.<br />
Bowden (Parks) has<br />
been the chief engineer at<br />
’94Terry<br />
RAM Aircraft for three<br />
years. He has six children and lives<br />
in Moody, Texas. He enjoys flying his<br />
1946 Taylorcraft and researching early<br />
Parks College history.<br />
michael fell (A&S) lives in Colby,<br />
Kan., and is the vice president and<br />
director of operations for Rocking M<br />
Radio.<br />
John headrick (Law) is the inspector<br />
general for the office of the Illinois<br />
Auditor General. He lives in Springfield,<br />
Ill.<br />
Traci (halverson) nolan (A&S) and her<br />
husband Bruce nolan (Cook ’93) had<br />
their first child, Brennan Raymond, in<br />
April. They live in Maryville, Ill.<br />
david Piltz (Parks) is a managing partner<br />
with the Learning Key Inc. in<br />
Washington Crossing, Pa. He and his<br />
wife, Jessa, live in Bristol, Pa.<br />
franklin (Law) has<br />
joined the patent firm<br />
’95david<br />
Amin, Turocy & Calvin<br />
and works from Cincinnati with a focus<br />
on patents in the software, electrical<br />
and medical device arts.<br />
randy Gori (A&S ’95, Law ’98) is a<br />
partner in the law firm of Goldenberg,<br />
Heller, Antaguoli, Rowland, Short and<br />
Gori in Edwardsville, Ill.<br />
John h. lamming (Grad) is the corporate<br />
counsel for patents for E.I. du Pont de<br />
Nemours and Co. in Wilmington, Del.<br />
He lives in Hockessin, Del.<br />
dr. Chad Voges (A&S) has joined St.<br />
John’s Mercy Physician Group at the<br />
Piper Hill Family Medicine clinic in<br />
St. Peters, Mo.<br />
Craig Boyd (Grad) attended<br />
the first Open<br />
’96dr.<br />
Theology and Science<br />
Seminar hosted by Eastern Nazarene<br />
College in Quincy, Mass. He is a professor<br />
of philosophy and the director of<br />
faith integration at Azusa Pacific <strong>University</strong><br />
in Azusa, Calif.<br />
Cindy (diel) modrosic (Pub Ser) and<br />
her husband Bill modrosic (Cook ’97)<br />
welcomed a son, Liam Joseph, on May<br />
26. Bill is a captain with the Springdale<br />
Fire Protection District in Fenton,<br />
Mo., and Cindy is an audiologist<br />
at Metro Ear, Nose and Throat in St.<br />
<strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
david morera (Parks) and ana ruiz de<br />
apodaca (Cook) have a son, Daniel.<br />
David leads the IT services division<br />
of Siemens in Bilbao, Spain, and Ana<br />
is a bank trader at Barclays Bank in<br />
Bilbao.<br />
Blevins (Doisy<br />
’97, Law, Pub Hlth ’03)<br />
’97matthew<br />
is the director of business<br />
development for St. John’s Hospital in<br />
Springfield, Ill.<br />
elizabeth herbst-Collins (Doisy) is the<br />
director of the cardiovascular disease<br />
reversal program at Providence St. Joseph<br />
Medical Center in Burbank, Calif.<br />
anderson (Doisy)<br />
married Adrian De’Ath<br />
’98erin<br />
in May in Antigua, West<br />
Indies. She owns a pediatric therapy<br />
company in Chicago.<br />
Courtney Boettcher (SW ’98, Grad SW<br />
’99) is the field practicum associate at<br />
the School of Social Work at Wichita<br />
State <strong>University</strong>. She also practices<br />
medical social work.<br />
kevin G. daniel (A&S) and Cynthia T.<br />
Curry-daniel (A&S ’98, Grad Cook ’00)<br />
are relocating from St. <strong>Louis</strong> to Washington,<br />
D.C., where Cynthia will work<br />
with the board of governors of the Federal<br />
Reserve System.<br />
sean Goding (Parks) received the 2007<br />
Leadership Award from the National<br />
Business Advisory Council and is a<br />
property and licensing specialist with<br />
Drury Inns Inc., where he also is an<br />
apprentice to the president. He is also<br />
a member of the advisory board of<br />
Martin Aviation Group and president<br />
of Pangea Development, a real estate<br />
company. He lives with his wife of 10<br />
years, Lori, in Mascoutah, Ill.<br />
michelle (dover) hass (Pub Ser) and her<br />
husband, Aaron, welcomed their second<br />
child, Jenna Clare, in May. They<br />
live in Olathe, Kan., with their son,<br />
Drew. Michelle is a speech language<br />
pathologist in private practice working<br />
primarily with autistic children.<br />
26 UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007 27<br />
classnotes
Brett honerkamp (Cook), his wife, Maggie,<br />
and daughter, Isabel, welcomed<br />
son, Wyatt Robert, on Aug. 23. They<br />
live in Ballwin, Mo.<br />
roger mitch nasser (A&S) is director of<br />
residence life at McKendree <strong>University</strong>.<br />
He lives in O’Fallon, Ill.<br />
abilleira (Parks)<br />
and his wife, sarah hub-<br />
’99fernando<br />
bard abilleira (Doisy ’02,<br />
’04), welcomed son, Owen Michael, on<br />
May 14. Fernando is a mission engineer<br />
in the Mars Exploration Program<br />
Office at the NASA Jet Propulsion<br />
Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Sarah is<br />
a physical therapist at Genesis PT in<br />
Simi Valley, Calif.<br />
Courtney Graf-Jones (Pub Ser) and her<br />
husband, Jason, welcomed a daughter,<br />
Emerson Ann Marie, in June. They<br />
also have a son, Jack, and live in Tremont,<br />
Ill. Courtney is a financial analyst<br />
for Caterpillar Inc.<br />
emily hathcoat (Grad Cook) and her<br />
husband, Carl, welcomed a son, Nicholas<br />
Robert, in June. The family lives<br />
in Chicago, where Emily is the marketing<br />
director for CNA Financial Corp.<br />
sarah Collins hill (Doisy) and her husband,<br />
Charlie, have welcomed a son,<br />
Owen Charles. Sarah is the assistant<br />
administrator of health information<br />
in the ENT department at Washington<br />
<strong>University</strong> School of Medicine in<br />
St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
Making<br />
a good<br />
impression?<br />
dr. Tonya (Buckner) long (A&S) graduated<br />
from Southern Illinois <strong>University</strong><br />
Edwardsville School of Dental<br />
Medicine and practices in southeastern<br />
Missouri. She is married to Rev.<br />
Henry Long.<br />
michelle Pouso (Parks) is a dispatcher<br />
for Southwest Airlines in Dallas.<br />
Jason P. Vest (A&S) runs his own recording<br />
studio, Antelope Studios, and<br />
lives in Boulder, Colo.<br />
(steger) muller<br />
(A&S, Cook) married<br />
’00Carla<br />
Patrick Muller in St.<br />
<strong>Louis</strong> in July 2006. They live in Boston,<br />
where Carla works in benefits for<br />
Liberty Mutual Insurance Co.<br />
Cox (A&S)<br />
taught high school in<br />
’01katherine<br />
Oakland, Calif., for two<br />
years and received her master’s in theology<br />
in May. She is attending law school.<br />
Gregory halvachs (Cook) married<br />
Anne Siebe in 2006, and they live<br />
in Columbia, Ill. He is a derivatives<br />
trade analyst at NISA Investment<br />
Advisors and is pursuing an MBA at<br />
SLU.<br />
rodney kutz (Parks) earned his<br />
MBA from Washington <strong>University</strong><br />
and lives with his wife, Jacqueline<br />
ruhmann (Cook ’03), in Maryland<br />
Heights, Mo. He is an engineer at<br />
Boeing.<br />
Tell Class noTes<br />
UniVerSiTAS Class notes<br />
<strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
Dubourg Hall 39<br />
221 north grand blvd.<br />
St. <strong>Louis</strong>, MO 63103<br />
fax: (314) 977-2249<br />
e-mail: utas@slu.edu<br />
dr. Jason skyles (A&S ’01, Med ’05)<br />
married Kristin Payton at St. Francis<br />
Xavier College Church in July. They<br />
live in Winston-Salem, N.C., where<br />
Jason is a radiology resident.<br />
Bratcher (A&S) was<br />
named to the Alaska Jour-<br />
’02emily<br />
nal of Commerce’s 2006<br />
“Top 40 Under 40.” She works in real<br />
estate development and management<br />
for JL Properties Inc. in Fairbanks.<br />
dr. Bryan mcIntosh (Med) graduated from<br />
a general surgery residency at the Hospital<br />
of St. Raphael in New Haven, Conn.,<br />
in June. He is now in a three-year plastic<br />
surgery residency at Nassau <strong>University</strong><br />
Medical Center in East Meadow, N.Y.<br />
dr. Terrence Wandtke (Grad) is an associate<br />
professor of literature and film at Judson<br />
<strong>University</strong> and is also the founder and<br />
director of the Imago Film Festival. The<br />
Amazing Transforming Superhero! is his<br />
first book. He lives in Belvidere, Ill., with<br />
his wife, anna (Warning) Wandtke (Grad<br />
’00), and their children, Bella and Ripley.<br />
Castello (A&S) and<br />
her new husband, David<br />
’03kati<br />
Johnson, live in South St.<br />
<strong>Louis</strong> County. She is a personal banker<br />
for Arsenal Credit Union and is active<br />
in the theater community.<br />
Brenda rhoads herivel (Grad SW) has<br />
been an officer with The Salvation<br />
Army for 23 years and is serving a threeyear<br />
appointment to Eastern Europe as<br />
the divisional secretary for Russia. She<br />
and her husband, Rich, live in Moscow.<br />
dr. owaise m.Y. mansuri (A&S) graduated<br />
from Southern Illinois <strong>University</strong><br />
School of Medicine in Springfield and<br />
has a fellowship at Bascom Palmer Eye<br />
Institute in Miami.<br />
dr. lynn m. seidenstricker (A&S) graduated<br />
from Southern Illinois <strong>University</strong><br />
School of Medicine in Springfield and<br />
has a pediatrics residency at the <strong>University</strong><br />
of Tennessee College of Medicine<br />
in Memphis.<br />
Blume (Nurs)<br />
and her husband Chris<br />
’04stephanie<br />
Blume (Cook ’02) welcomed<br />
daughter Taryn in July. Chris<br />
works for Medtronic Spinal and Biologics<br />
in Huntsville, Ala. Stephanie<br />
is on maternity leave from her job as<br />
a recovery room nurse at the Surgery<br />
Center of Huntsville.<br />
david hoban (Parks) and his wife, Laura,<br />
live in Kiel, Wis. He is an engineer<br />
at Manitowoc Cranes.<br />
deborah meyer (Cook) is a financial<br />
consultant for Financial Management<br />
Partners in Clayton, Mo., and lives in<br />
St. <strong>Louis</strong> with her new husband, Bryan.<br />
michelle Vaughan (A&S) earned a master’s<br />
degree in media communications<br />
management and lives in Wentzville,<br />
Mo.<br />
amy Cathleen Wodarek-o’reilly (A&S)<br />
earned a master’s degree from Ohio<br />
State <strong>University</strong> in June. She works<br />
for Mathematica Policy Research<br />
Inc. in New Jersey. In June she married<br />
Joseph Michael O’Reilly in<br />
Clayton, Mo.<br />
Barrale (Grad) is<br />
the principal of Sullivan<br />
’05andrea<br />
(Mo.) Middle School.<br />
Tiffany Bentley (Cook) has joined Burns<br />
& McDonnell as a security consultant.<br />
She lives in St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
lindsay Chapman (Law) is an associate<br />
in labor and employment law at<br />
Whyte, Hirschboeck, Dudek in Milwaukee.<br />
nicholas Gillies (A&S) and katherine<br />
novotny (Pub Ser) were married in<br />
July 2006 at St. Francis Xavier College<br />
Church and live in Chicago. Nick<br />
works in human resources for Deloitte<br />
Services, and Katie is a high school<br />
English teacher at Niles North in<br />
Skokie, Ill. She is beginning her graduate<br />
degree at the <strong>University</strong> of Illinois-<br />
Chicago.<br />
rose newport (A&S) is the director of<br />
selection and kristin kelley (A&S ’05,<br />
Grad ’07) is the director of marketing<br />
and communications, both with<br />
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network,<br />
the Hempstead Group, of Clayton,<br />
Mo.<br />
Burton st. John (Grad) is an assistant<br />
professor of communications at Old<br />
Dominion <strong>University</strong> in Norfolk, Va.<br />
In 2006, he was named a Page Legacy<br />
Scholar through the Arthur W.<br />
Page Center at Pennsylvania State<br />
<strong>University</strong>.<br />
John Van osch (Parks) is a flight systems<br />
test engineer (F-18) for Boeing<br />
at the U.S. Naval Base in Patuxent<br />
River, Md.<br />
eller (SW) is<br />
the development director<br />
’06Constance<br />
at Our Lady’s Inn and<br />
also is chair of Missouri Right to Life-<br />
Eastern Region. She lives in St. <strong>Louis</strong>.<br />
david hunt (A&S) has begun a five-year<br />
doctoral program in clinical psychology<br />
at the Chicago School of Professional<br />
Psychology.<br />
mcmahon (A&S)<br />
received a Fulbright U.S.<br />
’07michael<br />
Student scholarship to<br />
Spain to teach English as a foreign<br />
language.<br />
Mr. A. Hamilton Strong (Law ’31)<br />
Mr. Lawrence Schwartz (Cook ’32)<br />
Mr. John Hammet (Parks ’35)<br />
Mr. Clifford Karvinen (Parks ’36)<br />
Mr. August Griesedieck (Law ’37)<br />
Dr. Wilson West (Med ’37)<br />
Dr. Edward Hellwig (Med ’38)<br />
Mr. Bernard Winkeler (Cook ’38)<br />
Mr. Robert Mudd (A&S ’39)<br />
Dr. M. Cecelia (Reichert)<br />
Paszkiewicz (Doisy ’39)<br />
Dr. Gustaf Sweet (Med ’39)<br />
Mr. Adrian Callier (Cook ’40)<br />
Dr. Walker Turner (Med ’40)<br />
Mr. Walter Lerch (Cook ’41)<br />
Mr. Robert Manchesky (Parks ’41)<br />
Mr. Frank Cusumano (Cook ’42)<br />
Mr. Edward Godar (A&S ’42)<br />
Bro. Paul Prendergast (A&S ’42)<br />
Rev. Anthony Rochel (A&S ’42)<br />
Mrs. Catherine (Belyung)<br />
Depietto (Nurs ’43)<br />
Dr. Charles Walder (Dent ’43)<br />
Mr. Vernon Kofron (A&S ’44)<br />
Dr. Henry Mueller (Dent ’44)<br />
Dr. Norio Higano (Med ’45)<br />
Mr. Gerard Faust (Cook ’46)<br />
Dr. John Isaacs (Med ’46)<br />
Ms. Eileen Mathews (A&S ’46)<br />
Mrs. Marcella (Penzenstadler)<br />
Stapleton (Doisy ’46)<br />
Sr. Joyce Brandl (Doisy ’47)<br />
Mr. Francis Broeder (Cook ’47)<br />
Sr. Ann Devereux (A&S ’47)<br />
Mr. Randall Robertson (Law ’47)<br />
Rabbi Mordecai Simon (A&S ’47)<br />
Mr. Julian Young (Parks ’47)<br />
Hon. Charles Sheehan (A&S ’48)<br />
Mr. Dan Demmas (Cook ’49)<br />
Mr. James Dolan (A&S ’49)<br />
Mrs. Georgine (Wright) Eveld (Nurs ’49)<br />
Mr. Henry Krueger (Cook ’49)<br />
Mr. Edward Nestor (Cook ’49)<br />
Rev. Roger Andrus (A&S ’50)<br />
Mr. Robert Bierman (Cook ’50)<br />
Mr. Joseph Bredeck (A&S ’50)<br />
Mr. George Dolson (Parks ’50)<br />
Mr. Paul Graham (A&S ’50)<br />
Sr. Cecilia Hock (Nurs ’50)<br />
Miss Dorothy Koch (Nurs ’50)<br />
Dr. Carroll LaVielle (Med ’50)<br />
Mr. Aloysius Pero (Cook ’50)<br />
Miss Clara (McKinney)<br />
Williams (Nurs ’50)<br />
Mr. Gerard Hemkens (A&S ’51)<br />
Mr. Paul Henderson (Law ’51)<br />
Mr. Marvin Leibach (Cook ’51)<br />
Sr. Mary Mangan (A&S ’51)<br />
Bro. Victor Naegele (Pub Ser ’51)<br />
Dr. G. Edward Philips (A&S ’51)<br />
Mr. Edward Rohde (Cook ’51)<br />
Dr. William Sammis (Med ’51)<br />
Mr. Valentine Sobota (IT ’51)<br />
Rev. Gerald Borer (A&S ’52)<br />
Dr. Bernadette (Bocklage)<br />
Bourne (A&S ’52)<br />
Mr. Reynold Burkard (Cook ’52)<br />
Mr. Joseph Cilano (A&S ’52)<br />
Mr. Eugene Doerr (A&S ’52)<br />
Rev. Dr. James Ruddick (A&S ’52)<br />
Mr. Thomas Davin (A&S ’53)<br />
Mr. Donald Fraser (Law ’53)<br />
Sr. Cunegunda Mueller (Doisy ’53)<br />
Dr. Carl Pfeifer (A&S ’53)<br />
Mrs. Helen (Kelly) Pogorzelski<br />
(Pub Ser ’53)<br />
Bro. Leo Rothermich (Pub Ser ’53)<br />
Sr. Mary Schuster (A&S ’53)<br />
Dr. John Keller (A&S ’54)<br />
Sr. Mary Kostelnik, S.S.N.D. (A&S ’54)<br />
Mr. Paul Malloy (Cook ’54)<br />
Mrs. Clementine (Wiener)<br />
Smith (Pub Ser ’54)<br />
Mr. Marvin Weseman (Cook ’54)<br />
Mr. Joseph Wiskirchen (Parks ’54)<br />
Sr. Grace Davis (Doisy ’55)<br />
Sr. Timothy Flaherty (Pub Hlth ’55)<br />
Mr. Robert Hofmann (Pub Hlth ’55)<br />
Miss Margaret Horan (Pub Ser ’55)<br />
Dr. Hugo Pribor (Med ’55)<br />
Mr. Luis Recurt (Parks ’55)<br />
Dr. Glennon Schaefer (Med ’55)<br />
Dr. William Biven (A&S ’56)<br />
Dr. Robert Colarusso (Dent ’56)<br />
Mr. William Hannegan (Cook ’56)<br />
Mr. William O’Toole (Cook ’56)<br />
Dr. Peter Soto (Med ’56)<br />
Mr. Morton Titelbaum (IT ’56)<br />
Mr. Gene Arras (Law ’57)<br />
Mr. Marvin Hesterberg (Parks ’57)<br />
Mr. Rollin Moerschel (Law ’57)<br />
Ms. Martha Rini (Nurs ’57)<br />
Miss Lucina Ruiz (SW ’57)<br />
Mr. Robert Atkins (Parks ’58)<br />
Mr. Gerard Hoerr (Cook ’58)<br />
Mr. Edward Juenke (A&S ’58)<br />
Mr. John Motschall (Parks ’58)<br />
Dr. Francis Carey (Med ’59)<br />
Dr. Peter Diemer (Med ’59)<br />
Mr. James Meinert (IT ’59)<br />
Mrs. Mary (Bich) Pavinich (Nurs ’59)<br />
Mr. Virgil Pilliod (Cook ’59)<br />
Dr. Dagmar Brodt (Nurs ’60)<br />
Dr. Douglas Wood (Dent ’60)<br />
Mr. Donald Tielke (SW ’61)<br />
Mr. Alfred Langer (A&S ’62)<br />
Mr. Charles McLaughlin (SW ’62)<br />
Mr. Rodger Miller (Cook ’62)<br />
Mr. Ronald Ortyl (Cook ’62)<br />
Dr. James Broerman (A&S ’63)<br />
Mr. Robert Eagleton (IT ’63)<br />
Col. Charles Kaysing (Cook ’63)<br />
Rev. Merlin Mulvihill (A&S ’63)<br />
Mrs. Martha (Duncan)<br />
Biedenstein (Pub Ser ‘640<br />
Mr. Daniel Hurley (Cook ’64)<br />
Mr. Alwyn Lloyd (Parks ’64)<br />
Mr. Alan Greenberg (Cook ’66)<br />
Mr. Gerald Kleinberg (Parks ’66)<br />
Dr. Andrew Lonigro (Med ’66)<br />
Mr. Kenneth Raschke (A&S ’66)<br />
Mr. Michael Gallina (Cook ’67)<br />
Mr. Robert Gierer (Pub Ser ’67)<br />
Mrs. Eileen (Krings) Golden (A&S ’67)<br />
Sr. Mary Gust (Pub Hlth ’67)<br />
Sr. Mary Rohlfer (Pub Ser ’67)<br />
Mr. Thomas Agnew (A&S ’68)<br />
Mr. Dennis Aubuchon (A&S ’68)<br />
Mrs. Olga (Herrera) MacBryde (A&S ’68)<br />
Mrs. Patricia (Daniel) Recinella (A&S ’68)<br />
Mr. Edward Slawin (A&S ’68)<br />
Dr. John Vieth (A&S ’68)<br />
Dr. Melbourne Sheehan (Pub Ser ’69)<br />
Mrs. Alice (Epplin) Chase (A&S ’70)<br />
Sr. Ida Gaffney, S.S.N.D. (Pub Ser ’70)<br />
Dr. Janet (Bell) Nazeri (Pub Ser ’70)<br />
Rev. Michael Palmer (Pub Ser ’70)<br />
Dr. Warren Bell (Pub Ser ’71)<br />
Sr. John King S.S.N.D. (Pub Ser ’71)<br />
Sr. Margaret Kopish (A&S ’71)<br />
Mr. John Bahnak (Law ’72)<br />
Mr. Irven Karsten (Cook ’72)<br />
Dr. Paul Andereck (Pub Ser ’73)<br />
Mr. Robert Hellmann (Law ’73)<br />
Mr. Robert Kranz (Cook ’73)<br />
Mrs. Virginia Constantz (Law ’75)<br />
Dr. Robert Pepin (A&S ’75)<br />
Mr. Michael Schrappen (Cook ’75)<br />
Mr. Peter Robey (A&S ’76)<br />
Mr. Kelly Carbery (A&S ’79)<br />
Dr. Christine (Pashoff)<br />
Saigh (Pub Ser ’79)<br />
Mrs. Marilyn (Deck) Vocker (SW ’80)<br />
Mr. William Walker (Cook ’81)<br />
Mr. David McFall (Cook ’82)<br />
Mrs. Kathleen (Kickham)<br />
Hoover (A&S ’84)<br />
Sr. Susan Reeves (Pub Ser ’86)<br />
Mr. Douglas Stuckenschneider (A&S ’87)<br />
Mr. George Odman (Cook ’88)<br />
Mr. Ryan Clark (Parks ’89)<br />
Mr. Christopher Allgaier (Parks ’95)<br />
Mr. Jeffrey McGarry (SW ’98)<br />
Mr. Daniel Horkheimer (A&S ’01)<br />
Miss Michelle Traube (Pub Ser ’03)<br />
Dr. Bill Briggs, former chairman of the<br />
biomedical communications department at<br />
the School of Medicine, died June 4. He was<br />
82. Dr. Briggs was also a medical illustrator<br />
for the department of surgery. He retired from<br />
SLU in 1992 after 40 years at the <strong>University</strong>.<br />
Mr. Jerry Hurley, instructor of English<br />
as a second language and of English at the<br />
Madrid campus, died Sept. 17. He was<br />
54. He had been at SLU Madrid since<br />
1988 and taught hundreds of non-native<br />
English speakers to master the language.<br />
Dr. Kenneth C. Marshall, who founded<br />
what became the Center for Advanced Dental<br />
Education and helped build it into one of the<br />
most renowned graduate dental programs in<br />
the world, died Oct. 2. He was 90. He came<br />
to SLU in 1947 and retired as chairman of<br />
SLU’s graduate orthodontic program in 1976,<br />
but he continued as a professor for more than a decade, eventually<br />
retiring in 1988. Since 1998, CADE has been housed in state-ofthe-art<br />
Dreiling-Marshall Hall, named in part after Marshall.<br />
Dr. Theodore (Ted) Smorodin, former<br />
associate professor of education, died April<br />
26. He was 70. While at SLU from 1974 to<br />
1983, he headed a partnership with the St.<br />
<strong>Louis</strong> Public Schools to bring <strong>University</strong><br />
resources into the then-new magnet schools.<br />
Mr. Thomas N. Toner, artist and former<br />
chairman of the art and art history department,<br />
died May 23. He was 66. He joined the<br />
faculty in 1964 and taught at SLU until<br />
1995. His paintings have appeared at many<br />
universities and galleries as well as in the<br />
Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.<br />
THiS LiST OF DeCeASeD ALUMni WAS COMPiLeD by SLU’S OFFiCe OF reSeArCH AnD<br />
DeVeLOPMenT SerViCeS. iF yOU HAVe A qUeSTiOn Or WOULD Like MOre inFOrMATiOn<br />
AbOUT An “in MeMOriAM” LiSTing, PLeASe SenD An e-MAiL MeSSAge TO TVInCen2@slu.edu.<br />
28 UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007 29
Club City News<br />
BOSTON<br />
men’S baSketbaLL vS. boSton CoLLege<br />
Tuesday, Dec. 4; 7 p.m. tip-off; Conte Forum<br />
Cost is $25 per person and includes the<br />
pregame party and game ticket.<br />
CHICAgO<br />
The admissions committee of the Chicago<br />
Alumni Cub is looking for more volunteers to<br />
help recruit the next generation of Chicago<br />
Billikens. To learn more about how you can<br />
help, please contact president Joe Havel.<br />
wiCkeD<br />
Wednesday, Jan. 23; Oriental Theater<br />
Cost is $65 per person, including preshow reception.<br />
JerSeY boYS<br />
Thursday, Feb. 21; LaSalle Bank Theatre<br />
Cost is $85 per person, including preshow reception.<br />
CINCINNATI<br />
men’S baSketbaLL vS. DaYton<br />
Wednesday, Jan. 30; 7 p.m.<br />
tip-off; UD Arena<br />
Cost is $20 per person<br />
and includes the pregame<br />
party and game ticket.<br />
LOS ANgELES<br />
wiCkeD<br />
Sunday, Feb. 17; Pantages Theater<br />
Cost is $75 per person and<br />
includes a preshow reception.<br />
NEw yORK<br />
CYrano De bergeraC<br />
Wednesday, Dec. 5; 8 p.m. performance;<br />
Richard Rodgers Theatre<br />
Come see this hit revival starring Kevin Kline<br />
and Jennifer Garner. Cost is $80 per person.<br />
biLLiken baSketbaLL<br />
game-watChing partY<br />
thUrSDaY, Feb. 7 vs. Xavier<br />
DiSneY’S the LittLe mermaiD<br />
Sunday, Jan. 6; 2 p.m. matinee; Lunt-Fontanne Theatre<br />
Cost is $90 per person and includes a preshow<br />
lunch at Juniors and orchestra-level seats.<br />
PHILADELPHIA<br />
men’S baSketbaLL vS. LaSaLLe<br />
Saturday, Jan. 26; 2 p.m. tip-off; Tom Golla Arena<br />
Cost is $10 per person and includes the<br />
pregame party and game ticket.<br />
men’S baSketbaLL vS. <strong>Saint</strong> JoSeph’S<br />
Thursday, Feb. 28; 7 p.m. tip-off;<br />
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse<br />
Cost is $10 per person and includes the<br />
pregame party and game ticket.<br />
springFieLD, iLL.<br />
hoLiDaY partY<br />
Sunday, Dec. 2; Tuscany<br />
Meet with fellow SLU alumni for dinner<br />
to usher in the holiday season.<br />
Cost is $35 per person.<br />
If the Billikens aren’t headed to<br />
your city, join the Billiken fun<br />
at a game-watching party.<br />
From the East to the West Coast,<br />
Billiken fans are gathering to<br />
root on their team. For details<br />
on cities and locations, visit<br />
www.slu.edu/alumni.<br />
taMpa, FLa.<br />
JerSeY boYS<br />
Wednesday, March 5; 6 p.m.<br />
dinner and show; Tampa Bay<br />
Performing Arts Center<br />
Cost is $95 per person and<br />
includes a preshow dinner.<br />
Washington, D.c.<br />
hoLiDaY partY<br />
Sunday, Dec. 9, 4 p.m.; Joe Theismann’s Restaurant<br />
Meet fellow SLU alumni for this annual dinner to<br />
usher in the holiday season. Cost is $40 per person.<br />
men’S baSketbaLL vS. george waShington<br />
Thursday, Jan. 10; 8 p.m. tip-off; Charles E. Smith Center<br />
Cost is $25 per person and includes the pregame<br />
party at McFadden’s and game ticket.<br />
foR moRe infoRmATion AbouT Any of THe Club CiTy oR loCAl evenTS, oR To RegiSTeR foR<br />
THeSe evenTS online, pleASe viSiT WWW.slu.eDu/alumni THen CliCK on “CalenDar.”<br />
Alumni<br />
Associations<br />
College of Arts and Sciences<br />
night at SLU theatre:<br />
YoU’re a gooD man CharLie brown<br />
Saturday, March 1; 6 p.m. preshow<br />
dinner, Bannister House; performance,<br />
Xavier Hall Theatre<br />
Hear a faculty member discuss the show at<br />
dinner, then enjoy the performance. Tickets are<br />
$15 per person.<br />
Lenten retreat<br />
Thursday, March 6; 6 p.m.;<br />
DuBourg Hall, fourth floor<br />
The retreat (including dinner) is $10 per person.<br />
John Cook School<br />
of Business<br />
president: jamie jabouri (’99)<br />
trivia night<br />
Saturday, Jan. 19; 6 p.m.;<br />
Shanahan Atrium, Cook Hall<br />
Join alumni and friends for the annual trivia night.<br />
Doisy College of<br />
Health Sciences<br />
president: Scott huston (’05)<br />
wine taSting<br />
Friday, Jan. 18; 7-9 p.m.; Multipurpose<br />
Room, Allied Health Building<br />
Catch up with fellow alumni and enjoy some<br />
great wine for $30 per person.<br />
Parks College of Engineering,<br />
Aviation and Technology<br />
president: Andy thurmond (’75)<br />
7th annUaL Santa FLY-in<br />
Saturday, Dec. 1; 9 a.m. refreshments;<br />
11 a.m. Santa arrives; Parks College<br />
hangar, St. <strong>Louis</strong> Downtown Airport<br />
Santa will arrive by helicopter to listen to<br />
the wishes of the children. There will be<br />
refreshments, activities for the kids, and Santa<br />
will stay until noon. bring your own camera to<br />
capture the moment. This is a free event.<br />
School of Medicine<br />
president: dr. thomas j. olsen (’79)<br />
aLUmni reCeption: ameriCan<br />
aCaDemY oF DermatoLogY<br />
February 1-5; San Antonio<br />
aLUmni reCeption: ameriCan aCaDemY<br />
oF orthopaeDiC SUrgeonS<br />
March 5-9; San Francisco<br />
young Alumni Association<br />
president: Sarah kelce (cook ’04, grad cook ’06)<br />
Senior happY hoUr<br />
Thursday, Nov. 29; 6-8 p.m.; Schlafly<br />
Bottleworks, Crown Room<br />
Welcome the December grads at a beer tasting.<br />
avenUe Q<br />
Friday, Feb. 22; 8 p.m.; Fox Theatre<br />
See broadway’s hit 2004 Tony Award winner for<br />
best Musical, best Score and best book.<br />
Jan. 31- feB. 11 Panama Canal Cruise<br />
feB. 21-28 Alumni Campus<br />
Abroad: Peru<br />
aPrIl 7-19 Treasures of China<br />
and the yangtze<br />
river Cruise<br />
aPrIl 17-26 essence of india<br />
maY 4-12 Jewels of the Danube<br />
maY 16-29 Treasures of<br />
Southern Africa<br />
biLLiken traveL<br />
program 2008 toUrS<br />
Being a Billiken traveler puts the world at<br />
your feet. This is your chance to see it all.<br />
Here is the schedule of trips for 2008:<br />
June 22-JulY 1 Alumni Campus<br />
Abroad: Scotland<br />
JulY 7-19 Passage of Peter<br />
the great<br />
sePT. 12-20 Spectacular Swiss<br />
Alps and Salzburg<br />
sePT. 20-28 enchanting ireland<br />
oCT. 3-13 Alumni Campus<br />
Abroad: greece<br />
oCT. 4-12 best of Tuscany and<br />
the italian riviera<br />
oCT. 8-16 Alumni Campus<br />
Abroad: Tuscany<br />
For more details about these trips and how to reserve your space,<br />
visit the travel program Web site at www.slu.edu/alumni/travel<br />
or call (314) 977-2250 and ask to be placed on the travel mailing list.<br />
foX THeATRe evenTS in ST. louiS<br />
wiCkeD<br />
Sunday, Dec. 16; preshow reception at 5 p.m.;<br />
curtain time at 7:30 p.m.<br />
The sold-out hit returns to St. <strong>Louis</strong>, and there<br />
isn’t a better way to spend the holiday season.<br />
Start the evening by learning about the magic<br />
of theater with <strong>University</strong> Theatre professor Jim<br />
Burwinkle. Cost is $80 or $70 per person.<br />
DiSneY’S high SChooL mUSiCaL<br />
Saturday, Jan. 12; preshow reception at 6 p.m.;<br />
curtain time at 8 p.m.<br />
Calling all Wildcats! What time is it? Time for<br />
a high-energy Wildcat and Billiken pep rally<br />
where your children will be able to participate<br />
in their favorite High School Musical songs<br />
and dances. Cost is $50 per person.<br />
the weDDing Singer<br />
Sunday, March 16; preshow reception at 5:30 p.m.;<br />
curtain time at 7:30 p.m.<br />
It’s 1985 and you’re invited to The Wedding<br />
Singer, where every night is a totally rad reception<br />
for Robbie Hart and friends until he’s left at<br />
the altar. Celebrate with a wedding-receptionthemed<br />
preshow event. Cost is $70 per person.<br />
JerSeY boYS<br />
Sunday, May 4; preshow reception at 5:30 p.m.;<br />
curtain time at 7:30 p.m.<br />
Jersey Boys is the 2006 Tony Award-winning Best<br />
Musical about Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The<br />
Four Seasons. Start your special night with a<br />
lecture from the SLU theater department discussing<br />
this era in music. Cost is $80 per person.<br />
ST. louiS-AReA Alumni, don’T miSS …<br />
breakFaSt with Santa<br />
Sunday, Dec. 2; 9:30-11:30 a.m.; Busch Student Center<br />
There’s no place like SLU for the holidays! Come<br />
back and celebrate the holiday season with<br />
your family, friends and Santa while enjoying<br />
music, games, gifts and a fun breakfast for<br />
all ages. Cost: $13 for adults, $6 for children<br />
ages 5-12, free for children under 5<br />
mightY DUCkS oF anaheim vS. St. LoUiS bLUeS<br />
Friday, Feb. 1; 6:30 p.m.; Scottrade Center<br />
Cost is $40 for the pregame party and game ticket.<br />
foR moRe infoRmATion oR ReSeRvATionS foR Any of THeSe evenTS, ConTACT:<br />
offiCe of alumni relations<br />
(314) 977-2250 | Alumni@Slu.edu | www.Slu.edu/Alumni<br />
men’S baSketbaLL vS. Xavier<br />
Thursday, Feb. 7; 6 p.m. pregame party<br />
at Scottrade Center; 7 p.m. tip-off<br />
Join us for the biggest basketball party<br />
of the year. The cost is $20 per person<br />
for a game ticket and the reception.<br />
It is $10 per person for the reception only.<br />
aLL-aLUmni trivia night<br />
Saturday, Feb. 9<br />
Graduates of which school or college at SLU are<br />
the smartest? Here is your chance to find out. In<br />
addition to prizes for the top three teams, funds<br />
raised by the event will be donated to scholarships.<br />
The cost is $150 per 10-person table.<br />
ATLANTA<br />
alane Lintner (Cook ’94)<br />
(678) 461-3543<br />
alanelintner@hotmail.com<br />
BOSTON<br />
Chris Espelin (A&S ’91)<br />
(617) 484-3868 Espelin@mit.edu<br />
CHICAgO<br />
Joe Havel (Cook ’91)<br />
(312) 397-4141<br />
SLUchicago@earthlink.net<br />
CINCINNATI<br />
John Lange iV (Cook ’93)<br />
(859) 341-9603 lange4@lqplaw.com<br />
CLEvELAND<br />
mark Carrabine (Cook ’75)<br />
(404) 349-2925 mcarrab@ameritech.net<br />
DALLAS<br />
Jamar Johnson (Cook ’00)<br />
(214) 334-4904 jamarlj@yahoo.com<br />
DENvER<br />
david sapienza (A&S ’96)<br />
(303) 683-5730 dvsapienza@yahoo.com<br />
HOUSTON<br />
Josh Howard (Cook ’98)<br />
(281) 885-8677 josh.howard@dhl.com<br />
KANSAS CITy<br />
to be announced<br />
LOS ANgELES<br />
brian merriman (A&S ’95)<br />
(310) 244-6761<br />
Brian_Merriman@spe.sony.com<br />
<strong>Louis</strong>viLLe, KY.<br />
Lee Hyman (Pub Hlth ’95)<br />
(502) 459-4707 leeihyman@yahoo.com<br />
30 UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007 31<br />
MILwAUKEE<br />
to be announced<br />
MinneapoLis / st. pauL<br />
Justin Fletcher (Cook ’00)<br />
(952) 949-1120<br />
justin.fletcher@gmail.com<br />
NEw yORK<br />
John J. shanahan<br />
(Cook ’83, Law ’87, Grad Cook ’89)<br />
(212) 320-6985 jshanaha@lehman.com<br />
oMaha, neb.<br />
brad burwell (A&S ’72)<br />
(402) 896-1923<br />
Brburwell@mpsomaha.org<br />
PHILADELPHIA<br />
donald richardson (Grad ’76)<br />
(610) 539-9398<br />
Donald.Richardson@med.va.gov<br />
SAN FRANCISCO<br />
mark olson (A&S ’77)<br />
(925) 691-8628<br />
markaolson@mindspring.com<br />
seattLe / tacoMa, Wash.<br />
mark Flynn (A&S ’67, Grad ’72)<br />
(360) 439-7265<br />
markflynn45@comcast.net<br />
SPRINgFIELD /<br />
Decatur, iLL.<br />
Judy redick (A&S ’62)<br />
(217) 622-5621 j.redick@insightbb.com<br />
TAMPA / st.<br />
petersburg, FLa.<br />
to be announced<br />
Washington, D.c.<br />
to be announced<br />
TAIwAN<br />
Larry Chang (Pub Hlth ’88, Grad ’00)<br />
changslu@mail.ndmctsgh.edu.tw<br />
THAILAND<br />
praemrudee switachata (Grad ’75)<br />
praemrudee@bfit.co.th
“eLviS” anD oLSon<br />
It’s 7:30 a.m., and my<br />
alarm clock is blaring in<br />
my ear. I softly groan and<br />
hit the snooze button. I start<br />
to turn over for five more minutes<br />
of precious sleep, but then<br />
remember why I’m waking up<br />
so early on a Saturday morning:<br />
SPENSA. As I struggle<br />
to get out of bed after a long<br />
week of classes, practices and<br />
a late Friday night game, I<br />
think, “It will be worth it. It<br />
always is.”<br />
As a member of the <strong>Saint</strong><br />
<strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> women’s soccer<br />
team, my teammates and I volunteer<br />
with the Special Needs<br />
Soccer Association (SPENSA).<br />
We spend our Saturday mornings<br />
giving back to the community<br />
by sharing our love for soccer with<br />
the physically challenged children<br />
who experience the benefits of teamwork<br />
and self-esteem that soccer brings.<br />
For me, SPENSA is more than a community-service project.<br />
As I teach the kids how to make a pass, dribble around a<br />
cone or shoot the ball into the back of the net, they teach me<br />
more important life lessons.<br />
i have LearneD the vaLUe oF DeDiCation.<br />
Kristin is a 22-year-old SPENSA veteran. Rain or shine, she<br />
is always on the field waiting to greet you with a warm smile,<br />
eager to learn all that she can. When Kristin began attending<br />
SPENSA, she struggled to transition her walk into a simple<br />
jog. Today, she is one of the most skilled participants in the<br />
advanced group. With her always positive attitude, Kristin’s<br />
soccer abilities improve with each practice.<br />
To me, Kristin brings new life to the tired old saying,<br />
“Never give up.” Although I may not excel at some endeavors,<br />
whether it be running sprints at soccer practice or writing a<br />
research paper, I am reminded that perseverance yields more<br />
success than initially envisioned.<br />
i have LearneD to Dream.<br />
Brad, a 26-year-old man who has been attending SPENSA<br />
for 10 years, insists that everyone call him “Elvis.” By imitating<br />
the smooth smile, swagger and sass of his favorite rock<br />
star, Brad is always the center of attention.<br />
Brad prompts me to ask myself: “Why not approach each<br />
new day as if we are someone different, with a new personality<br />
and new mindset?” As a college student, I have a tendency<br />
to see the future through the confines of my academic major.<br />
But as I think of Brad, I ask, “Why limit myself to journalism<br />
or a future law degree?” Who knows where my <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong> education will take me in life? I can be whomever<br />
I want to be. Imagine the possibilities. Brad reminds me to<br />
dream often and dream big.<br />
— By Lauren Olson<br />
i have LearneD to LaUgh.<br />
At SPENSA, Jack does not want to learn how to pass. Jack<br />
does not want to learn how to head a soccer ball. All Jack really<br />
wants to do is laugh — and for you to laugh with him. With<br />
the cutest giggle that can be heard from one end of the field to<br />
the other, Jack quickly became everyone’s favorite player.<br />
Maybe life is as simple as Jack sees it. As the stress from<br />
school and soccer starts to build, I think of Jack, and I remember<br />
to take time to see each new day as a gift and to<br />
enjoy the people around me. Life is too short not to laugh.<br />
i have LearneD to Love.<br />
One morning, another SPENSA veteran of six years named<br />
Matt unexpectedly ran up behind me, clutched my face and<br />
planted a friendly kiss on my cheek. At the time, it caught me<br />
off guard. Looking back, it was one of the most memorable<br />
wake-up calls I have had in years.<br />
If only we could all love as freely, openly and energetically<br />
as Matt does. Without realizing it, I am often blinded by my<br />
own busy routine and insignificant worries. As a result, I am<br />
unable to recognize when others around me need a helping<br />
hand, a listening ear or a compassionate heart. With his heartfelt,<br />
friendly kisses, Matt demonstrates what it means to love<br />
your neighbor, whether stranger or friend, as yourself.<br />
be DeDiCateD. Dream. LaUgh. Love.<br />
Although I cannot physically take Kristin, Brad, Jack, Matt<br />
and the other SPENSA participants with me as I venture beyond<br />
SLU into the future, I can, and will, take their inspiring<br />
life lessons.<br />
I volunteered with SPENSA expecting to teach the game of<br />
soccer. I had no idea how much I’d learn about the game of life.<br />
Lauren Olson is a junior majoring in communication from Plano, Texas.<br />
She is also a starting back on the Billiken women’s soccer team.<br />
Photo by kevin Lowder<br />
Photo by Kevin Lowder<br />
Plate Class<br />
in our last issue, we asked readers to send us<br />
photos of their <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> university-inspired<br />
license plates. Here is what we’ve received so far.<br />
we wAnt to heAr froM yoU<br />
1<br />
BY sTandard maIl:<br />
Universitas<br />
<strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
221 N. Grand Blvd.<br />
St. <strong>Louis</strong>, MO 63103<br />
The fall 1967 Issue of UniversitAs feaTured a sTorY<br />
on The fIrsT meeTInG of saInT louIs unIVersITY’s neWlY<br />
reorGanIzed Board of TrusTees. in 1967 SLU became the<br />
nation’s first Catholic institution to vest full legal authority in a<br />
board composed of both lay people and clergy.<br />
in addition, the issue announced the opening of busch Memorial<br />
Center, which at the time was the largest single addition to the<br />
campus east of grand boulevard. The student center included<br />
eight bowling alleys, a three-chair barbershop, the<br />
bookstore, a cafeteria and a chapel. busch<br />
Center was also home to numerous lounge areas, spacious<br />
meeting rooms, offices and comfortable study and music rooms.<br />
in other news, <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> announced its installation of a chapter<br />
of Phi beta kappa, the oldest, most respected honorary society in the<br />
United States.<br />
The magazine also reported on the destructive Detroit and newark,<br />
n.J., riots of July 1967. During a span of two weeks, 66 lives were<br />
lost as violence, looting and fires raged. From the local perspective,<br />
Dr. Thomas neill, a SLU professor of history, addressed the<br />
causes of increasing violence in America during the ’60s,<br />
including poverty, unemployment, racism and police brutality.<br />
Quotable UTAS<br />
“while the past needn’t ‘come<br />
alive’ to be learned, it should<br />
at least be decently preserved.”<br />
— From the story “Author, Author,” which recognized William Faherty, S.J.,<br />
an associate professor of history, for the publication of his first novel, A<br />
Wall for San Sebastian. The novel also was made into a major motion picture.<br />
Please send us your letters, class notes and<br />
address changes. There are three easy ways<br />
to reach us.<br />
2<br />
BY fax:<br />
(314) 977-2249<br />
sign<br />
of the<br />
Times<br />
“If we continue to spend<br />
$66 million a day trying to<br />
‘save’ the 16 million people of<br />
South Vietnam, while leaving<br />
the plight of the 20 million<br />
urban poor in our own<br />
country unresolved, then I<br />
think we have our priorities<br />
terribly confused.”<br />
— Senator Charles Percy’s<br />
comments on the Vietnam<br />
War in the article, “The<br />
riots in Perspective.”<br />
3<br />
BY e-maIl:<br />
utas@slu.edu<br />
32 UNIVERSITAS www.slu.edu UNIVERSITAS FALL 2007 33<br />
floRidA<br />
Tommye Fleming (A&S ’69) and Patrick Arnall (A&S<br />
’66, Law ’69) winter in bonita Springs, Fla., but their<br />
plates can be seen around St. <strong>Louis</strong> every summer.<br />
illinoiS<br />
John J. Van Zeyl (A&S ’58) of river Forest, ill., has<br />
had his SLU plates since 1985.<br />
oHio<br />
Lissa Thier (Doisy ’03, ’05) of Cincinnati got the<br />
only spelling of billiken available. She writes: “no<br />
one here knows mine is spelled wrong!” She also<br />
got creative with her old SLU-themed license<br />
plates, making a birdhouse out of them.<br />
viRginiA<br />
Stephanie (Meyer) Heeran (A&S ’06) shows her<br />
SLU pride when driving around Ashburn, Va.<br />
miSSouRi<br />
Patti raymond Swope (Doisy ’60) of St. <strong>Louis</strong> was<br />
captain of SLU’s cheerleading squad for 1959-60<br />
and captures that experience on her license plate.<br />
We’d love to hear from even more alumni who share<br />
their SLu pride on their plates. if you have a SLuinspired<br />
license plate, please send us a photo at<br />
one of the addresses on this page.
neW TAX breAk:<br />
The irA Charitable rollover<br />
221 N. Grand Blvd.<br />
St. <strong>Louis</strong>, MO 63103<br />
ADDRESS SERVICE<br />
REQUESTED<br />
The Pension Protection Act of 2006 allows<br />
assets from an Individual Retirement<br />
Account to be directly transferred<br />
to a qualified charitable organization<br />
such as <strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong>. Some<br />
specifics and benefits of the legislation:<br />
irA charitable rollovers must be<br />
made by Dec. 31, 2007.<br />
Donors must be at least age 70½<br />
at the time of transfer.<br />
Up to $100,000 in 2007 may be excluded<br />
from taxable income by the donor.<br />
The rollover may be applied to the required<br />
minimum distribution from the retirement account.<br />
<strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong> does not render tax, legal, accounting, insurance or<br />
investment advice. Please consult with your own professional advisers in<br />
these matters.<br />
FOr MOre inFOrMATiOn<br />
On THe irA CHAriTAbLe<br />
rOLLOVer, PLeASe COnTACT:<br />
kent LeVan<br />
executive Director of<br />
Planned giving<br />
<strong>Saint</strong> <strong>Louis</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
221 north grand blvd.,<br />
room 304<br />
St. <strong>Louis</strong>, MO 63103<br />
PHOne: (800) 758-3678 or<br />
(314) 977-2357<br />
e-mail: plannedgiving@slu.edu<br />
internet: plannedgiving.slu.edu<br />
Non-profit Org.<br />
U.S. Postage<br />
PAID<br />
St. <strong>Louis</strong>, MO<br />
Permit No. 134