Welcome to the PawPrint

2009 alumni attidute survey asks for more communication
We heard you! Thank you for your outstanding response to our recent alumni attitude survey. The survey was distributed by Performance Enhancement Group of Houston, Texas, and was sponsored by your alumni office and your alumni board. We received an above average response with just fewer than 39 percent of you participating. Survey responses included:

• You would like more communication via electronic and e-mail venues as well as an improved website. (The PawPrint is a step to supplement the print magazine, the Chronicle. In addition, our web page is currently being revamped.)
  
• Topics of interest to you were the equity and value of your degree, C-SC traditions, and the accomplishments of students, faculty and alumni as well as community outreach. The majority of you ranked academics and relationships with faculty and staff as important to the student experience. You also indicated that C-SC met your expectations regarding personal development and helping your understand the meaning of community and service. You said you felt prepared for your careers, new opportunities, service and continuous learning.

The results of the study will help drive our initiatives to meet your expectations. We will focus on career-related activities and positive student experiences. Our new curriculum, EXP@CSC, is the perfect forum to engage students with more career opportunities and networking. Call me if you wish to host an internship, mentor a student or join in volunteer activities for C-SC. Thank you for your valued input. If you would like a complete copy of the results, contact me at kcapps@culver.edu.




Mark your calendars now to be on campus September 24-27 for Homecoming 2009! Theme for the festivities is "Wild with Pride."  Homecoming will feature reunions of C-SC graduates who are ministers and those from C-SC baseball and volleyball. Special reunions are scheduled for the classes of 1949, 1959, 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004 and 2007. Call the Alumni Office at 800-755-2287 with any questions you may have about Homecoming and be sure to check out the Alumni and Friends webpage for updates and information at www.culver.edu. See you on the Hill for a Wild good time!

Culver-Stockton names new athletic director
Joel J. Dant '70 of Oak Park, IL became the C-SC Athletic Director on June 1, replacing Rod Walton who returned to the classroom as a fulltime psychology professor last January. Dant, returns to his alma mater after an extensive career with major U.S. corporations. Read the full story online.

C-SC grad followed family footsteps to college
It is often hard for a graduating high school senior to choose where they would like to attend college, but for 2009 Culver-Stockton graduate Grant Stephenson that choice was easy. Stephenson, from Canton, Ill., has many family members who have attended Culver-Stockton College, so he naturally had an early interest in the college. Not only did both of Stephenson's, parents attend C-SC, his grandfather, two uncles, four aunts, and one of his cousins also attended C-SC. Stephenson's younger brother, Blake, is currently a freshman at C-SC. Stephenson gained a bigger interest in the college when he was invited to play football for the Wildcats and later came to find out that the small college atmosphere is what made him feel at home. Read the full story online.

Wells Fargo executive earns C-SC degree online
Tyson Pyles, a Texas native and currently senior vice president of community banking measurement and reporting at Wells Fargo in Gold River, Calif., began as a traditional Culver-Stockton College student in, when he signed to play football. Pyles completed two years of study at C-SC and then moved on to take classes at various other schools. In the end, Pyles came back to C-SC almost 20 years later to complete his degree through C-SC's Connected Campus Program. Read the full story online.

Carolee Cutright receives honorary degree 
In recognition of her lifelong commitment to excellence in music and music education, Culver-Stockton College honored Carolee R. Curtright '56 with the degree, Honorary Doctorate of Music, during the 2009 Commencement. Read the full story online. 

Classmates travel Egypt and honor Dr. Sperry
It has been more than 40 years since we were in Dr. John Sperry's archeology class. The vivid descriptions, detailed accounts, and love of Egypt were forever etched in our memory. In November 2008, we decided to make the trip ourselves to experience firsthand the culture and ancient remains of Cairo, Luxor, and Abu Simbel. Our trip began on an Egypt Air flight to Cairo; and once we were through customs, we were taken to the Mena House, a refurbished palace at the base of the pyramids of Giza. The next day we visited the pyramids and took the traditional camel ride in the desert. We were entranced by all of the sights, sounds, and smells of a country Dr. Sperry brought to life in his class many, many years ago. We climbed through temples, ruins, and pyramids, drove through the countryside, observed Egyptian farming, and sailed down the Nile just like Cleopatra. Getting a picture of the pyramids with the C-SC pennant was not easy. We were chased and threatened several times by the police and security guards. As you can see, nothing could stop two former Alpha Xis. One of the highlights of the trip was Abu Simbel, the temple dedicated to Ramses. This temple was moved to higher ground when a dam was built on the Nile creating Lake Nassar, the largest manmade lake in the world. Another highlight was visiting the Valley of the Kings and meeting Dr. Kent Weeks, an American, who is one of the most renowned experts in Egyptology in the world. As we remember Dr. Sperry's excitement in making a discovery, we were proud to walk in his footsteps. We honor his memory and thank him for inspiring us to continue learning about Egypt. A Fulbright scholar, Dr. Sperry mesmerized us with his vivid descriptions, stories, and experiences. It was a fantastic trip!
   Karen Ely Sterling '66
   Claudia Lempera Newman '66

Alumni Newsmakers

Alumni receives appointment
Amy Ward '01 has been appointed by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty to serve as the executive director of Serve DC – The Mayor's Office on Volunteerism. Amy previously worked as chief of staff for the D.C. Fire & EMS Department. Before the fire department, Amy began her career in Washington, D.C., government as the director of the Citizen Corps at Serve DC where she managed more than 3,000 volunteers. She previously served as a St. Louis County police officer in St. Louis, Mo. Amy received her law degree from the University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clark School of Law. She resides in Washington, D.C., and is the daughter of Frank and Kay (Leftwich) Ward '68.

Honorary alum, Paul Harvey, dies
Paul Harvey passed away on Feb. 27, 2009, at the age of 90.
He received an honorary doctorate degree from Culver-Stockon College in 1952,
and was initiated as an honorary member of Lamda Chi Alpha in May 1952.

EXP@CSC - Funding the Sudent Experience 
The EXP@CSC spring 3-week courses offered travel experiences to students that ranged from Canton, to roaming through historic sites in the British Isles. Here are few photos from some of the trips. Enjoy learning about all of the experiences offered this spring by reading the C-SC Blogs - Student and faculty experiences on the web! EXPect, EXPlore, EXPerience! If you're interested in hosting a group of students or providing financial assistance for EXP@CSC programs please contact Kellie Capps at kc@culver.edu. 

Alumni Board Spotlight

Where has your C-SC gear/pennant been? Claudia (Lempera) Newman '66 and Karen (Ely) Sterling '66 standing at the steps of the Pyramids. Dale Zschoche, chief facilities and community development officer of Culver-Stockton College shows his C-SC pride while visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. We want to know! Where you have shown off your BLUE-AND-WHITE PRIDE? Have you proudly waved your C-SC flag in an exotic place? Did you and your family take your C-SC gear on vacation? Where in the world has your C-SC gear been? E-mail a photo that shows you in Wildcat gear or with a C-SC pennant to ealumninews@culver.edu (maximum 4 MB per e-mail), and we'll use it in the e-newsletter and online. You can also "snail mail" photos to Jennifer Hiller, C-SC Alumni Office, One College Hill, Canton, MO. 63435

Class Notes

'50s

• Charles D. Fischer '54 has retired and moved to Divide, Colo.

'60s

• W. Fred '63 and Gidget (Scott) '64 Denton are both retired and live in McGehee, Ark.
• Carol (Johnson) Dayton '64 is a retired teacher and lives in Cambridge, Minn., with her husband James.
• Michal (Van Blair) Campbell '64 is a retired legal secretary. She lives with her husband, David, in Bethel Park, Pa. They have two children and two grandsons.
• V. Alice (Parry) Gracek '66 has retired from 35 years of teaching. She has three grandchildren, Annalie, Hayden, and Raymond. She spends most of the summer at their cabin on Cedar Lake in Northern Minnesota. She has connected with one of her good friends from C-SC, Jo Ann (Little) Jennings '66, through information published on-line. Alice lives in St Paul, Minn. 
• Vic Thompson '66 and his wife, Elaine, have two grandchildren, Molly and Madeline. Vic retired Feb. 29, 2009. They reside in Kirkwood, Mo.
• Tom Bean '68 and his wife, Lia, live in Casa Grande, Ariz. Tom is retired.
• E. Glenn Wedding, Jr. '68 is retired and lives in Lexington, SC. 

'70s

• Shirley May Byrnes '70 retired as executive director of the DuPage Library System in February 2008, where she worked for eight years. Previously, she had worked 24 years in the South Central Library System in Madison, Wis., and six years at Rolling Prairie Libraries in Decatur, Ill. Her son, Trevor, lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., and works at Fort Carson leading outdoor adventure programs. Her daughter, Briana, lives in Elgin, Ill., and works for Barnes & Noble. Shirley lives in Elgin, Ill.
• Cheryl (Sullivan) Fox '72 has been a guidance counselor for 32 years and still loves her job! Cheryl's daughter, Heather, married Paul R. Stoetzel on April 4, 2008.Cheryl lives in Hackettstown, N.J.
• Gary Luebbers '74 was appointed city manager of Sunnyvale, Calif., in December. Sunnyvale is located in the heart of Silicon Valley; has a population of 140,000, and is home to Yahoo, NetAPP, and Palm.
• Diane Graham '76 received a master of arts in psychology with an emphasis in media-psychology from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, Calif. One of her companies, ECOPATH, which serves the Modified Asphalt Industry, has sold blending equipment to Russia, Spain, China, and numerous states. The company is a leading engineering and equipment design company that provides equipment and technology for any of kind of asphalt, including asphalt rubber. She has two grandchildren,Tommy and Rylee Georgia, both of whom were born in 2007. Marilee (McReynolds) Kay '76, Libby (Gutierrez) Tallarico '76, Kim (Sanders) Uhlig '76, Sue (Jeffries) Dallam '76 and Diane all get together constantly and appreciate their Alpha Xi Delta sisterhood that began in 1972!
• Miles Turner '76 teaches for Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School in Bradley, Ill. He and his wife, Susan, have two children, Marc and Kathleen.They reside in Manteno, Ill.
• Debbie (Taylor) Gillam '77 is a teacher in the West Central School District in Media, Ill.
• Valarie (Richmond) Bordenkircher '77 lives in Quincy, Ill. Her son, Brian, is on his second deployment to Iraq. Her daughter, Jennifer '82, is a fifth-grade teacher.
• Heidi (Gross) Kalakoc '79 has been retired for almost a decade, living on a small farm in Tennessee with her husband, Steve. Now they are moving back to the city, to an older subdivision near a lake. She wants to be closer to people, bookstores, coffee shops, etc. Heidi has three grown children and four grandchildren. Heidi enjoys traveling to Germany, Spain, and France.
• Susie (Moore) DeVault '79 is a speech/English teacher at Killeen High School in Killeen, Texas. She and her husband, Rick, adopted their daughters, Hannah and Elizabeth, from China. They reside in Temple, Texas.

'80s

• Dennis Ruth '83 was sworn in as a circuit court judge for the Third Judicial Circuit of Illinois. His chambers and courtroom are located in the courthouse in Edwardsville, Ill. He coninues to reside in Collinsville, Ill.
• Sheli (Beck) Silveria '86 works as a marketing assistant for Easton Pond Chiropractic and owns Sheli Weddings. She and her husband, Tom, live with their children, Charlotte and Thomas, in Portsmouth, R.I.
• Doug Woods '86 has a collection of M&M items. They fill an entire room. Doug and his family live in Des Moines, Iowa.
• Jeff Weiss '86 is the assistant manager of customer relations at Laclede Gas Company in St. Louis, Mo.He resides in Maryland Heights, Mo., with his wife, Marla, and their three children, Ashley, Zachary and Devin.
• Jeann (Menke) Morrison '87 is the director at Bright Start Mom's Day Out. She and her husband, Ricky, have three boys, Nathan, Connor, and Jacob. They reside in Fowler, Ill.
• Timothy Bruns '87 was recently appointed excutive creative director for Cheil Worldwide, one of the largest advertising agencies in the world.
• Susan Fox '88 and her children, Kenleigh, 15, and Evan, 10, reside in Siler City, N.C. Susan is the assistant director of services for Carolina Adoption Services where she has worked since 1995.
• Sandra Gier '89 recently accepted a position as an accountant for the Missouri Bar. She resides in Jefferson City, Mo.
• Stephen Patrick '89 is a commercial loan officer for First State Bank of Illinois in Macomb, Ill. Stephen and his wife, Kelly (Dunn) '91, and their children, Nathan and Mackenzie, live in Avon, Ill.

'90s

• Laura Bradley '91 has accepted the position of territory manager for Higher Education for Rosetta Stone. She helps colleges and universities in the western United States and Canada implement Rosetta Stone Language Learning software in their language programs. Laura and her husband, Dewayne, and their four children live in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in Massanutten Village.
• Jeff Seyfarth '91 is a senior buyer for Sam's Club. He lives with his wife, Cherie '91, and their two sons, Coltin, 16 and Devin, 12, in Centerton, Ark.
• Tammy (Kuntz) Zerbonia '92 graduated from William Woods University with a masters of elementary administration in May 2008.Tammy and her husband, Mark, have two children, Pake and Peyton, and live in Hannibal, Mo. Tammy works for Bowling Green Elementary in Bowling Green, Mo.
• Eric '93 and Michelle (Souders) Copeland '95 are living in their hometown of Excelsior Springs, Mo., and encouraging their sons, Michael and Caleb, to look toward C-SC for college. Eric is managing editor of the local newspaper, and Michelle teaches eighth-grade science and communication arts at Antioch Middle School, in the nearby North Kansas City School District.
• Risa (Hach) Schoene '94 and her husband, Chuck '96, had a third child, Riley, on Oct. 14, 2008. They reside with their children in Creve Coeur, Mo.
• John '93 and Heather (Brooks) McGuire '95 welcomed their first child, Maryn Conlea May McGuire, on Oct. 21, 2008.
• Jim '96 and Tammy (Stone) Ellison '00 have a daughter, Elizabeth Caroline, born Nov. 25, 2008. She joins three brothers.
• Dennis Cunningham '97 is a U.S. postal inspector for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. He lives with his wife, Julianne in Lee's Summit, Mo.
• Tracey L. Frank '98 is an insurance agent for AAA. She resides in Yuma City, Calif.
• Patty Kristufek '98 married John Johnson on Oct. 18, 2008. John has two sons, Justin and Josh. Patty is a regulatory specialist for CIGNA Healthcare in Carmel, Ind. The couple resides in Fishers, Ind.
• Chris and Jill (Dingerson) Reffett '98 have a baby girl, RayLee Grace, born Feb. 12, 2009. They reside in Quincy, Ill.
• Jeff Schutz '98 and wife, Sara, have two boys, Nicholas and Ryan. Jeff is a physical education teacher for Waukegan Public Schools. They reside in Beach Park, Ill.
• Amber (Law) Campen '99 is a stay-at-home mom to Chase, Carter and Brady. Amber and her husband, John, reside near Monticello, Mo.
• Harry '99 and Danielle (Shea) Meyer '98 have a son, Logan Charles Meyer, born Oct. 9, 2008. They reside in Cortland, Ohio.
• Nate Zelinske '99 and his wife, Anna, live in University City, Mo., with their son, Isaac Rawlings Zelinske, born September 23, 2008.

'00s

• Amanda (Annegers) Bolte '00 received her master's of business administration degree with a dual emphasis in health care management and organizational psychology and development in February 2009. She is a child therapist and case manager for the Mohave Mental Health Clinic in Bullhead City, Ariz. She lives with her husband, Tony, in Fort Mohave, Ariz.
• Jennifer Nord '00 is employed by Crider Health Center in St. Charles, Mo. She has a son, Davin; and they reside in Florissant, Mo.
• Rev. David '00 and Elizabeth (Hammer) Yonker '01 are parents of a son, Samuel Joseph Yonker, born Feb. 28, 2009. David is the minister of the First Christian Church in Sterling, Ill. Sammy has a large heritage of Culver-Stockton graduates including grandmother, Ann (Stow) Hammer '72; great grandparents, John Yonker '33 and Robert Stow '44; and numerous aunts and uncles: Bob Stow '68, Nancy Stow Miluski '75, Joe Stow '79, Carol Kendrick Stow '86, Mary Yonker Belew '63, Dorothy Yonker Heltibrand and Bob Heltibrand '66 and Richard Yonker '71.
• Dr. Dennis Wagner '02 is a dentist at AA Dental Care in Quincy, Ill. Dennis and his wife, Lindsey, have three children, Alyvia, Haylee, and Emily.They reside in Quincy, Ill.
• Jessica (Achelpohl) '03 and Mark Snider announce the birth of their daughter, Amelia June, born April 28, 2009.
• Tieraney (Rains) Craig '04 owns C. Yellow Photography. She lives in Quincy, Ill., with her husband, Josh, and son, Brecken Olyver Craig, born April 7, 2008.
• Brian Gagnon '04 is a commercial loan officer for First National Bank of St. Louis, Mo. Brian and his wife, Erin, were married June 14, 2008, and reside in Maryland Heights, Mo.
• Brandon Craig '06 works for the Department of Corrections as a correctional officer in Lake City, Fla. He and his wife, Amber, and stepdaughter, Kiley, live in Lake City Fla.
• Jody Braun '07 is a special education teacher in the St. Louis Special School District in St. Louis, Mo., where she resides.
• Kaalan Klemme '07 received her master's of education in athletic administration from William Woods University in May 2009. Kaalan lives in Columbia, Mo.
• Michelle (Massey) '07 married Scotty Wolfskill '07 on July 11, 2008. They reside in Rogersville, Mo.