The Magazine of St. Ambrose University | Fall 2014

Catholicity at St. Ambrose: Faith, Learning, JusticeALSO INSIDE: The Grotto’s Heisman Connection

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2 Under the OaksShe’s the boss of Fighting Bees men’s volleyball;

our grotto has a Heisman Trophy connection;

a McCarthy Hall community makes friends

through faith; for 25 years, she has prayed while

she cleans; and a theology professor’s eclectic

path led to St. Ambrose.

SceneThe Magazine of St. Ambrose University

Fall 2014 | Volume XLII | Number 3

Managing Editor

Linda Hirsch

Editor

Craig DeVrieze

Staff Writer

Jane Kettering

Staff Assistant

Darcy Duncalf ’12

Contributing Writers

Steven Lillybeck

Emilee Renwick ’14

Dustin Renwick ’10

Ted Stephens III ’01, ’04

Designer

Sally Paustian ’94

www.sau.edu/scene

scene@sau.edu

Photo and illustration credits: Greg Boll: page 2;

Dan Videtich: page 3, 10–13, 15–17; John Mohr

Photography: page 4–5, 9, 14, 21, 27.

Scene is published by the Communications

and Marketing office for the alumni, students,

parents, friends, faculty and staff of St. Ambrose

University. Its purpose is to inform and inspire

through stories highlighting the many quality

people and programs that are the essence

of St. Ambrose’s distinguished heritage of

Catholic, values-based education.

Circulation is approximately 30,000.

St. Ambrose University—independent, diocesan,

and Catholic—enables its students to develop

intellectually, spiritually, ethically, socially,

artistically and physically to enrich their own lives

and the lives of others.

St. Ambrose University, 518 W. Locust St.,

Davenport, Iowa 52803.

Features12 Catholicity: Faith, Learning, Justice

Neither dogma nor dogmatic, our core value of

Catholicity blends the critical inquiry inherent to the

Catholic Intellectual Tradition with an engaged faith

community to transform belief into action.

14 ‘It Is In Them’Through Campus Ministry programming, St. Ambrose

helps students learn, find and grow their faith

convictions, and shows them how to forge a lifetime

of “learning the good, pursuing the good and sharing

the good.”

20 ‘Call’ WaitingNot every St. Ambrose seminarian moved immediately,

or even ultimately, to the priesthood, but many are

serving today as disciples of the Church in unexpected

and incredibly fruitful ways.

22 Heavenly Life Began at Davis HallFrom a chance meeting on the steps of Davis Hall,

Leo ’76 and Patricia (Simmons) Rowe ’78 went on to

build a marriage “made in heaven.” An invitation to a

Mass in memory of his recently deceased wife brought

Leo back to campus in August.

Alumni Profile24 A Walk Along ‘The Way’

Les Pierce ’68 followed the least-traveled path and

experienced profound introspection as he walked

El Camino Primitivo to the purported burial site of

the Apostle St. James.

26 Alumni NewsAlums who answered to CFO and CEO in the course of

distinguished careers recently shared their knowledge with

College of Business students; friends of a deceased student

have teamed to fully endow a scholarship in his name; and

an MBA alumna has found her way back to her roots after

appearing in a reality TV show.

30 Class Notes

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Aunder the OAKS

As an all-conference setter for the St. Ambrose women’s

volleyball team, Catherine Wildner ’13 would see the

entire floor, pinpoint a weakness on the other side of

the net and feed a strength on her own side in hopes of

winning a point.

Call it a view to a kill. Or maybe just vision.

“The setter has to have a lot of leadership qualities,”

Wildner said in advance of her January debut as SAU’s

head men’s volleyball coach.

Yes. Men’s coach. When Bill Gleeson ’05, ’10 MBA

stepped down last spring after a seven-year run that

included a pair of runner-up finishes in the NAIA National

Tournament, it didn’t take long to determine Wildner was

the best person to lead the program.

Having served as an assistant both for the men’s and

women’s teams in 2013–14, as well as head coach for the

men’s junior varsity squad,

Wildner brings an established

presence and reputation.

“She has a good feel for

the game, a good competitive

drive, and she is really

organized,” said Bruce

Billingsley, the assistant

athletic director, men’s

volleyball program founder

and women’s volleyball head

coach who recruited Wildner

to St. Ambrose. “She is a good

leader.”

Wildner will be the third active female head coach

among the 20 teams that currently compete in NAIA

men’s volleyball, but that is unusual across the collegiate

sports landscape. A 2012 study by the Office of Post

Secondary Education’s Equity in Athletics Commission

found just 3 percent of all men’s collegiate athletic teams

were led by women. Conversely, men coached 60 percent

of all women’s collegiate teams.

Wildner said the returning men’s players have

welcomed her as their new coach.

“It’s definitely something different for them,” she said.

“But these are really good kids and they will work hard for

anybody. They want to succeed as a team and they trust

the process. Whoever they are coached by, they will have

success.”

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Changing the Face of Men’s Volleyball

3

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Grotto Has a Heisman ConnectionIn the midst of a collegiate career that culminated with the 1947 Heisman Trophy as the nation’s top college football player, Johnny Lujack often visited the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.

“Most every student made a daily visit to the grotto,” he recently recalled.

While a member of the St. Ambrose University Board of Trustees several years ago, Lujack saw to it that SAU students would have a grotto of their own at which to stop and reflect and pray.

Although the shrine to Mother Mary located behind Ambrose Hall was described as a gift from an anonymous donor when it was dedicated in 1987, Rev. Charles Adam said it has long been known that Lujack, a longtime owner of the Quad Cities’ largest auto dealership, was the benefactor.

Today, the grotto serves as a site for a weekly Mass when weather allows and as that quiet place where students, faculty and sta� of all faiths can spend a contemplative moment in the midst of a hectic day.

“From everything I have heard, it is used and appreciated,” Lujack said. “I was happy to finance the project, and if every St. Ambrose student has enjoyed the grotto as I did the one at Notre Dame, I would be extremely pleased.”

Iranian Gender Author MEI Visiting ScholarRaised in Iran and college-educated in America, Hamideh Sedghi, PhD, is a consultant to the United Nations and ranks among the leading scholars on the topic of gender politics in Iran.

She will serve as the inaugural visiting scholar for the St. Ambrose Middle East Institute in March and April of 2015.

“In many ways, Dr. Sedghi is the ideal first visiting scholar for the Middle East Institute,” said Ryan Dye, PhD, the institute’s director. “She will bring her immense prestige and important connections to the MEI. Furthermore, her research on gender dovetails nicely with this year’s Exploring Gender academic project theme.”

In 2007, Sedghi authored Women and

Politics in Iran: Veiling, Unveiling and

Reveiling. She will deliver a public lecture titled “Engendering Politics in the Middle East” on April 6 and will host a half-day symposium on April 25.

Sedghi’s previous teaching posts have included Harvard University, Villanova and Vassar College. She is a past winner of an Endowment for the Humanities award.

Learn more about the Middle East Institute at sau.edu/scene

homecoming 2014

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A BOLD, Beautiful WeekendBeautiful early autumn weather greeted Ambrosians who came home to

Homecoming 2014 in September. In addition to Taste of Ambrose, the Killer Bee

and many other celebrated traditions, the inaugural Bees of the Last Decade

reunion party was a buzzing success.

online extra: photo galleries at sau.edu/scene

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Nearly five decades of commitment to St. Ambrose and its athletes will be honored every time Fighting Bees teams take the court at the PE Center.

Leo Kilfoy Court was dedicated on Nov. 15 to honor the 1951 alumnus who spent 48 years as a coach, administrator and educator at his alma mater before retiring in 2002.

Kilfoy was athletic director, chairman of the Physical Education Department, director of recreation and intramurals, a classroom instructor and a head coach in four di�erent sports during his tenure. That includes 11 seasons at the men’s basketball helm. As a student, Kilfoy played football for four seasons.

“We believe Leo Kilfoy’s long career at St. Ambrose embodies the loyalty, dedication and determination we hope all of our athletes will strive to emulate,” said Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD, the university president. “This is an honor richly deserved.”

Conference Call: Bees Join Chicagoland LeagueMany St. Ambrose athletes and alumni call the

Chicago area home, and most SAU athletic teams will

make “Chicagoland” home themselves beginning in

the fall of 2015.

St. Ambrose was accepted this fall as the 15th

and newest member of the Chicagoland Collegiate

Athletic Conference, a National Association of

Intercollegiate Athletics-affiliated league that features

teams from Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and now Iowa.

The Fighting Bees are leaving the Midwest

Collegiate Conference, an NAIA Division II conference

that was losing two of its six remaining member

schools at the close of the school year.

“This is a move we needed to make and one that

will benefit our programs and athletes in a big way,”

said Ray Shovlain ’79, ’82 MBA, the SAU athletic

director and men’s basketball coach. “A large number

of our athletes come from the Chicago area, and this

will also help our coaches recruit.”

Junior women’s volleyball player Lindsey Simon

is among those excited by the change. The Chicago

native will finish her St. Ambrose career next year,

playing friends and rivals she knew in high school.

“Playing high school and club, you tend to know

everyone who plays the sport,” she said. “It will be

really fun to play against some old teammates and be

able to have my family come watch and support us.”

Learn more about the CCAC at sau.edu/scene

Basketball Court Named in Honor of Coach Kilfoy

The blue letters cut out of construction paper and arranged to greet visitors as they step o� the third-floor elevator in McCarthy Hall are not merely decorative. They announce a mission to grow in faith and spirituality developed by the students who call the floor home.

“We asked everyone on the floor what their definition of spirituality was,” said Sharice Clough, an ambassador for the Spiritual Floor, the newest of several themed residence communities o�ered at St. Ambrose. “And from that, we combined it to make one floor-wide definition.”

The statement the 30 residents developed reads: Spirituality is a journey of self discovery seeking

balance through inner peace connections, through

nature and others, and belief in something bigger

than you.

Senior Theresa Diggs, the residential adviser, said the floor includes members of varied faiths, and students who are open to challenging longstanding convictions. “We want this floor to be a place where you can have those deep conversations,” she said.

This is the third year themed housing has been o�ered as a residence life opportunity. McCarthy Hall also features an International Floor and North Hall houses communities themed around academics. Eight university-owned, o�-campus houses are grouped by

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student-created community themes such as service, diversity, healthy living and women’s and children’s advocacy.

The Spiritual Floor fosters an environment where residents can better understand their commitment to faith through bonding, discussion and group interaction.

“I made it a goal for myself at the end of last year to grow in my spirituality—to figure out what I believe, where I want to go with it, and how it can help me in life,” junior Stephanie Burns said. “All of my suitemates kind of encourage me to go to bed early on Saturday nights so I can get up for church in the morning. Then, we all get ready together and have brunch afterwards. It’s nice to have people who want to do that with me.”

The themed floor o�ers more than a support system. It may be the starting point for lasting friendships built on faith.

“Just to have that one thing in common brings everyone together and gets people out of their rooms,” Diggs said. “The energy is unlike any floor I’ve lived on or been the RA for.”

Learn more about Residence Life and Housing at sau.edu/scene

Residence Hall Community Builds Friendships in Faith

I made it a goal for myself at the

end of last year to grow in my

spirituality—to figure out what I

believe, where I want to go with

it, and how it can help me in life.

Back to Africa

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time since 2004. He visited family and volunteered at a

school for children with disabilities, where he applied his

OT knowledge some 6,000 miles from his St. Ambrose

classrooms. “I’m already looking forward to going back

next summer,” he said.

Appah said his long-term goal is to split his time

between Ghana and the United States once he has

established himself professionally here. There were more

than 110,000 registered occupational therapists working

in the US in 2012. “Ghana doesn’t have a single one,”

Appah said.

When his family left Africa, Appah said his

grandmother told him to know where he was going and

remember where he came from. That advice has carried

him through college athletics, Campus Ministry service,

nearly two degrees, and a wealth of learning outside the

classroom.

“The whole concept of being an Ambrosian, I feel like

it’s engraved in me,” he said. “Put everyone first. Treat

everyone with respect. Be at your best every single time.

The sense of family. The sense of community. Those are

the things I will take from here.”

Learn more about the Master of Occupational Therapy program at sau.edu/scene

Joe Appah ’12 was an altar server in his native

Ghana, a country located on the coast of

western Africa, where he was born and raised.

After moving to the United States for high school,

Appah looked for a college that could support a range of

interests, including the faith that had been a foundation

of his life in Ghana.

“The simple fact that it was a Catholic school really

appealed to me,” he said of St. Ambrose. “I looked at it as

a chance to reconnect with my faith.”

Initial involvement in Campus Ministry programs

led Appah to try the Antioch Retreat, held once each

semester. “It was neat to take a weekend out of the busy

schedule of being a student, being an athlete, being a

resident adviser, and just focus on one aspect of your

life: your spirituality,” he said. “It was a very empowering

weekend for me.”

As an undergraduate, Appah ran track on a scholarship

that helped defray the expense of college for his parents,

who are a taxi driver and nurse’s aide in New York. He is

enrolled in the Master of Occupational Therapy program

and is scheduled to graduate in 2016.

He went back to Ghana this past summer for the first

With MOT Skills to Help Homeland

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facultyPROFILE

Who has cleaned Christ the King Chapel for 25 years? Elizabeth “Liz” Foley Swanson.

Caring for the university’s spiritual home is a pleasure for Foley Swanson, who calls it her second home. “I pray while I clean. It’s like talking to a good friend.”

Liz according to ‘Fr. Chuck’“It’s obvious that this is not just another building for Liz,” said

SAU Chaplain Rev. Chuck Adam ’82, DMin. “What I especially appreciate is the respect and kindness she displays on a daily basis for the people who work here and for the students, faculty and sta� members who come in and out of the chapel.”

A snapshot of a dedicated life> Began working at St. Ambrose in 1980> Starts her workday at 4 a.m.> Takes comfort in work that involves doing the same thing> Also cleans Hayes Hall o�ces, bathrooms, residence hall rooms;

lower Chapel o�ces, classroom and kitchen; and an o�-campus house

> Her grandmother lived near Locust and Harrison; she grew up on Brady Street; and lived on Ripley Street after she married—“This is my neighborhood.”

Chapel visitors throughout the years“A lot of campus members come here to pray—all ages—and

a lot of alumni come to see the renovated chapel,” said Foley Swanson. She’s also had many opportunities to talk with (and mostly listen to) students who stop in. “I ask them how they are and sometimes they talk about missing their parents, their dogs or cats—homesick.” With a multi-decade perspective, Foley Swanson maintains that students have remained essentially the same from the 1980s to now. And, “They keep me young, the energy when you’re around them.” With a little smile, Swanson admits that more students appear in the chapel during finals week. “I don’t

think it’s a coincidence.”

Final thought“It doesn’t get any better than the chapel. This is the way it

should be: The good, the best, of everything.”

Who is SAU? Elizabeth Foley Swanson

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by Steven Lillybeck

Walking the Spiritual WalkThis is a story about faith. And love. And paths. A lot of paths. And if it’s true that the moon looks the same from the mountaintop, regardless of which path you follow to get to the mountaintop, then Matthew J.M. Coomber, PhD, might be the guy to draw you a map.

Coomber’s eclectic path eventually led him back to the Episcopal Church—and the role of ordained minister—but more on that later. His path also led him to St. Ambrose University, where he is an assistant professor of theology and Biblical studies.

Starting out as a Lutheran in Fargo, ND, Coomber switched as a teenager to the Episcopal Church, and went to college to pursue a theatre and music degree with the intent of becoming an opera singer.

“Which would have been fun because I’m 6-foot-9,” Coomber said. “I could have sung bass and been a villain.”

But no basso profondos for Coomber. His restless intellect soon diverged to master’s studies in Buddhism and Sanskrit.

“I became a Buddhist,” Coomber said. “I loved studying it. But I realized that I was running away from things that I didn’t like in my Christian faith, rather than running toward something.”

So Coomber bowed out of the program and renewed his spiritual walk toward a better understanding of his faith. He took a job as a caretaker for a developmentally disabled adult in Boulder, Colo., spent some time among the Untouchables Caste in India, taught English as a second language in Japan, served as a frontline medic and human rights activist during the 2001 fair-trade demonstration in Quebec City, and finally came back to his faith.

Compare all of the above to SAU’s core principle of Catholicity through teaching, learning, scholarship and service; through openness to those of other faith traditions; and through the pursuit of peace and social justice—you begin to see why this ordained Episcopalian minister has found a perfect home within a small, Catholic, Midwestern university community.

“I like to say that Jesus didn’t die so people could wear tweed and swill scotch,” Coomber said. “I wanted something that combined my passion for social justice, my passion for faith, and my enthusiasm for exploring ideas with students.”

Coomber found all of that at St. Ambrose.

“I wanted something that combined my passion for social justice, my passion for faith, and

my enthusiasm for exploring ideas with students.”

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facultyPROFILE

“Look, St. Ambrose ‘walks the walk,’” Coomber said. “It has the social justice aspect—our students are out there doing community service—and it brings the faith component in as well. I knew when I came here that I didn’t have to tiptoe around my faith.”

And, he said, “I want to reciprocate. I want to make sure I respect at all times the Catholic nature of this institution. Quite often, I go to one of my colleagues and explain that I am approaching something from this direction, and how does that pan out within the Catholic framework. People here are so helpful.”

And speaking of “walking the walk,” Coomber teaches theology. He doesn’t sell religion.

“I don’t evangelize,” Coomber said. “As St. Francis said, the best way to preach the gospel is to only use words if it’s absolutely necessary. I don’t see it as my job to convert, but if that’s the path the student comes down, I won’t put a wall in front of it.”

Learn more about the Theology Department at sau.edu/scene

Scene magazine will examine the Core Values that

define St. Ambrose University. In this edition, we investigate

Catholicity.

Catholicity We treasure and build on our strong Catholic identity in relationship with the Diocese of Davenport. As an independent institution of higher learning, St. Ambrose University embodies our faith tradition through teaching, learning, scholarship, and service, through openness to those of other faith traditions, and through the pursuit of justice and peace.

Integrity We believe that as individuals we are capable of living in the fullest measure when our lives are freely based on values that acknowledge a loving God and a life-a�rming moral code. Therefore, we teach, learn, and work in a climate of mutual respect, honesty, and integrity where excellence and academic freedom are cherished.

The Liberal Arts We are committed to the richness of the liberal arts tradition through quality instruction that fosters development of a broad awareness of humanity in all its dimensions. Ambrosians use their knowledge, talents, and career skills in service to others.

Life-long Learning We believe that people at all stages of life need educational opportunities. Therefore, we o�er learning programs with student-centered teaching that lead to baccalaureate and professional graduate degrees in curricula through the doctoral level as well as non-degree o�erings at the undergraduate and graduate levels. To meet the needs of our diverse student body, we use a variety of delivery systems and formats in the Diocese of Davenport, the State of Iowa, and other authorized locations. We collaborate with other organizations to o�er further opportunities around the world.

Diversity We believe in the inherent God-given dignity and worth of every person. Therefore, we strive to develop an understanding of human cultures, achievements, capabilities, and limitations to promote justice and peace and use our talents in service to others and the world. We welcome people from other countries and cultures to study, learn, and work at St. Ambrose. Likewise, we encourage Ambrosians to teach, learn, engage in scholarship, and serve abroad.

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Catholicity

It Is Who We Strive to Be

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Core

Mis

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Val

ues a

nd G

uidi

ng P

rinci

ples

As a proper noun, Catholicity is defined as “the beliefs of the Catholic Church.” Definitions for the word as a common noun, meanwhile, include “broad-mindedness,” “universality” and “general inclusiveness.”

At St. Ambrose University, our core mission value of Catholicity is a living word that defines itself as all of the above, and reveals itself as so very much more.

Students can comfortably find and share their faith at daily Masses, as well as through the many programs and the caring counsel of the Campus Ministry staff.

One senior enriches lives through song during Masses in Christ the King Chapel. Another is very proud to have independently forged a faith of his own choosing through deep reflection at student-led retreats, and through academic study and open discussion.

Indeed, St. Ambrose students can explore and challenge their faith or beliefs in classrooms, through lectures, readings, or even over a cup of coffee on a campus where the Catholic Intellectual Tradition readily welcomes inquiry and deeply encourages critical thinking.

Catholicity is neither dogma nor dogmatic. Certainly not at St. Ambrose, where you need only to look to the president’s office for proof of our steadfast commitment to the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD, is as faithful to her role as an educator as she is to her ministry for the Church. In a sense, these roles are intertwined, considering her order’s history in Catholic education. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet founded and sponsor five universities and numerous high schools and academies across the US.

As for “universality” and “general inclusiveness,” a university that calls itself “independent,” “diocesan” and “Catholic” proves it can be all of those things by warmly embracing people of non-Catholic faiths, as well as those without religious affiliations or beliefs.

As St. Ambrose students, a southern-bred Missionary Baptist and a Chinese Buddhist came to believe more deeply in the likelihood of a universal God and the certainty of the universal good. An ordained Episcopalian minister and a retired minister of the African Methodist Church, meanwhile, both teach at St. Ambrose with a deep and abiding respect for Catholicity, a comfort and confidence in their freedom of expression, and a sense of awe and ownership in the Ambrosian commitment to transform Catholicity from noun to verb.

History is rich with examples of St. Ambrose clergy and lay faculty and staff—as well as students and alumni energized by the above examples—taking leadership roles in the movements for civil rights and for work equality.

“Nobody in history has done more for those with less than the Catholic Church,” said Thomas Carpenter, PhD, the retired AME minister and the director of SAU’s School of Education. “That’s why I came here. We really do believe in peace and justice.”

We believe in service, too, that most Catholic of actions. Almost daily, our students and alumni serve their communities and its less fortunate citizens in ways big and small. To that end, Rev. Robert “Bud” Grant, PhD, would tweak the last few words of the official university mission statement to read: “Our lives will be enriched precisely to the degree that we enrich the lives of others.”

This is Catholicity at St. Ambrose — a way of acting much more than a way of thinking. It is what we do. It is how we teach. It is who we strive to be.

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by Craig DeVrieze

St. Ambrose seniors Luke Staudt, Rachel Pasker and Christine Mattern join Rev. Charles Adam in the Christ the King gathering space.

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Luke Greene ’14 is helping impoverished Cincinnati neighborhoods by applying the lessons he learned through a St. Ambrose double major in industrial engineering and theology to the firm grounding in Catholicity he gained through Campus Ministry.

The money’s not much. The days are long. And Greene gets where he is going by city bus.

This, though, is a start to his working life very much in keeping with the vision Greene was hoping to bring into focus when he found St. Ambrose.

“I had studied for three years at a larger university and I had questions about ethics,” he said. “It felt like what I was learning was very utilitarian, very self-serving.”

His search for a di�erent kind of school started and ended with a visit to Davenport and longtime family friend, Rev. Edmund Dunn ’58. An SAU professor emeritus, Fr. Dunn suggested Greene might learn more about service to others at St. Ambrose.

That, he did, said Greene, who stressed that his decision to spend his initial year after graduation in “an immersion experience” working for the Society of St. Vincent DePaul’s in southwest Ohio is owed in no small part to his exposure to the Catholic Intellectual Tradition at St. Ambrose.

“I’ve always known through the things I learned at St. Ambrose that in order to work with the poor, you need to know the poor,” Greene said, while expressing reservations about sharing his story.

“I would hate to have what I am doing sound romanticized or even sacrificial,” he stressed. “I am pursuing a life of voluntary simplicity because St. Ambrose taught me that peace and justice requires action; that hope requires dignity. Graduating from St. Ambrose got me a degree. Being Ambrosian means you learn the good, you pursue the good and you share the good.”

Rev. Charles Adam ’82, DMin, campus chaplain, said that is the essential message of Catholicity shared by Campus Ministry, the Theology Department and the entire St. Ambrose community.

Through the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and opportunities to put faith into action, St. Ambrose does teach students to embrace the concepts inherent within the core value of Catholicity. But, perhaps more importantly, Fr. Adam said, it helps them discover those values within themselves.

“I think in many ways what we are doing is drawing the faith out of them,” he said. “It is in them. They have those convictions. It is just helping them find their path.”

Fr. Adam said the main mission of Campus Ministry is “building a community of faith, learning and justice. The three go together.”

CampusMinistry

Building a Community of Faith

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Routinely referred to on campus as “Fr. Chuck,” Fr. Adam was a seminarian at St. Ambrose and was ordained into the Diocese of Davenport in 1986. He returned to Hayes Hall as the diocesan vocation director in 1996. Four years later, he became campus chaplain, joining Sheila Deluhery, who retired in June after 22 do-it-all years with Campus Ministry.

Today, the Campus Ministry sta� of four includes Chris Clow, director of music ministry and liturgy, Tammy Norcross-Reitzler, director of faith formation, and Kaitlyn Depuydt, director of co-curricular service and justice ministry.

Campus Ministry is the most visible representation of Catholicity on campus, and, as chaplain, “Fr. Chuck’’ embodies the university’s dedication to advancing that core value.

“Fr. Chuck is a beloved member of this institution and a wonderful advocate of Catholic values and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition,” said Sr. Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD, president of the university. “Our Campus Ministry department is our truest link to the great and lasting Catholic education Bishop John McMullen, our founder, foresaw here more than 130 years ago.”

Yet, while its mission is to remain faithful to the essential teachings of the Church, Fr. Adam said that

It is a sense of community, he said, that best helps students find their path to a lifetime of faith and service beyond their college years.

“I think students often will consider their spiritual lives inconsequential,” Fr. Adam said. “We encourage them not to think of it as an add-on, but a real important part of why they are here.”

Senior Luke Staudt believes that finding and growing his faith has been easier to do at St. Ambrose than it might have been in a secular college setting.

“It’s not too forward, but it definitely is warm and welcoming if you want to take part,” he said of Campus Ministry’s role in the campus culture. “In this community, it is widely accepted, and just knowing you’re not going to stick out like a sore thumb, and that you’re not going to be judged, makes it something people really embrace.”

Campus Ministry creates this community by providing multiple opportunities for students to engage with one another in exploring and sharing their faith.

“Fundamentally, it hasn’t changed—the Eucharist is still primary; we still have daily Mass and Sunday Mass,” Fr. Adam said, but he said programming has evolved. “One of the things we have learned about the millennial generation is they have an eclectic sense of spirituality and interests. Mostly, it is a matter of allowing them to lead us.”

“In many ways what we are doing is drawing the faith out of the students. It is in them. They have those convictions. It is just helping them find their path.”

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The Bible is the ultimate source, of course, but today’s students particularly appreciate hearing its messages applied to the busy lives they are leading and building.

“If I’m away for the weekend, I make sure I can get back to 6 p.m. Mass with Fr. Chuck on Sunday because his homilies are so directed toward college students,” said second-year DPT student Mark Brauweiler ’12. “He knows what we’re going through, that our minds are racing all the time. He really directs the Gospel to your life as a college student. It’s really, really applicable.”

Learn more about Campus Ministry and its programs at sau.edu/scene

to fully provide an e�ective education steeped in the values of Catholicity, St. Ambrose must also be ready to “read the times” and “adapt the message of the Gospel to meet the needs of the academic community.”

Students say relevance and a real understanding of their lives and needs are two vital strengths of Campus Ministry.

“Fr. Chuck has been on campus for a while now,” said senior Mitchell Godfrey. “I have had talks with him about struggles I may have had staying active in my relationship with God while in college. He has dealt with more situations than I could ever bring to him. He knows what we go through day-to-day, week-to-week, every semester. He is a good source of advice.”

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ANTIOCH RETREAT

‘Something to Create as My Own’Antioch Retreats are held each semester, taking as many as

50 students of all faiths away from campus for a weekend

spent in quiet prayer, reflection and discussion about faith

and values. Senior Luke Staudt was a co-leader of the most

recent retreat this fall.

“Growing up, my faith life was pretty much contained

to going to church on Sunday with the folks and to

CCD classes during the week. When it came to college,

I needed to find a way to make my faith my own. And

Antioch was my way of doing that.

“It is a pretty limited time. You get there Friday night

and you’re gone by lunchtime Sunday, but it is fairly

intensive for those 36 hours you are there. It’s fellowship,

if I have to sum it up—sharing our thoughts and

experiences to grow deeper in the faith we choose.

“For me, there is a sense of independence with my

faith, something I create as my own. It was my choice that

I went on the retreat my second semester here. College is

a time of finding your own identity and your own niche.

I realized my faith was going to be important as I moved

forward at St. Ambrose.”

BREWED AWAKENING

‘That Concept of Community’Brewed Awakening is a weekly gathering where students

discuss pertinent topics with guest experts over coffee.

Luke Greene ’14 was student director from January 2013

through last May.

“Brewed Awakening is one of the reasons I loved

St. Ambrose so much when I was visiting. I liked that

concept of community. For me, it was a way to participate

in personal and intellectual growth.

“In one memorable discussion, I was pushed into

recognizing the spirituality of Mary. Sometimes, I think

the Church takes Mary a little too seriously, but when I

saw people’s emotions toward Mary and learned why they

devote so much of their prayer life to Mary, I got a deeper

sense of why that spirituality exists.

“Brewed Awakening has attendees of all faiths. In

one, we had a speaker who was Catholic and converted

to Islam. That was powerful because it pushed us as

Christians to consider why people turn away, as well as

learning similarities between the two faiths.”

CANDLELIGHT MASS

‘This is Why We Came Here’Students, faculty and staff annually gather for Candlelight

Mass on the Tuesday of first semester finals week.

Mark Brauweiler ’12, who is scheduled to earn his DPT

degree in the spring, will attend his sixth Candlelight Mass in

December.

“It gets crazy here that time of year, and the only

reminder you get of Christmas is if some of the dorm

windows have Christmas lights. Outside of that, you’re

so caught up with papers, projects, presentations, tests.

It just sneaks up on you. Candlelight Mass is a really nice

way to take a step back from all that craziness.

“You show up in your sweat pants, your hoodies,

whatever it is you’re wearing, and you share the Eucharist

with everybody, from freshmen to grad students. You take

a step back and remember this is why we came here.”

INTERFAITH COUNCIL

‘You Find Peace and You Worship’The Interfaith Council fulfills a crucial aspect of the

Catholicity core value, “openness to other faiths.” Xidan

“Cindy” Xiao ’14 MFIN is a practicing Buddhist and Taoist

from China who found an opportunity to grow in faith at

St. Ambrose.

“People there respected my faith. Even though I am not

Catholic, they invited me to the Antioch Retreat and that

was a great experience.”

“In the Interfaith Council, you meet a lot of people.

They are Muslim. They are Hindu. Some are Christians. It

doesn’t matter the religion if you have the feeling you are

with God. You find peace and you worship.”

ACTIVITIES TESTIMONIALS IMPACT

19

MASS IN THE GROTTO

‘The Power of Continual Prayer’As the weather allows, outdoor mass is celebrated in the

Grotto behind Ambrose Hall. Senior Mitchell Godfrey is

among 15 to 25 students who regularly take advantage of this

midweek spiritual break, and he participated in a Prayer Vigil

for Syria that was held on Sept. 11, 2013, following Mass in

the Grotto.

“I love whenever I can go to Mass in the Grotto. It’s a

good place to get out of the norm. It is a bit of a break

from the routine of church, too. A new place brings more

to the front of your mind what it is you’re doing through

Mass. It’s just beautiful to be outside and have Mass.

“The prayer vigil for Syria obviously didn’t bring peace,

but it just comes down to your belief in the power of

continual prayer. Each and every day, people need our

prayers around the world.”

MUSIC MINISTRY

‘Another Form of Prayer’Senior Christine Mattern majors in biology not music, but

under the leadership of Chris Clow, director of music ministry

and liturgy, she has grown her faith through song.

“I would say music is another form of prayer. It speaks

to others more strongly than words or meditation. I really

enjoy singing and that’s my favorite way to share my faith

with others.

“As a freshman I was nervous to sing in front of others.

I still get nervous, but it is a good nervous. It’s a way to

share a gift that God has given me.”

PEACE AND JUSTICE

‘Something That Marks Us’Senior and first-year DPT student Kristin Upah said

St. Ambrose’s long history of peace and social justice activism

continues to inspire members of the Ambrosians for Peace

and Justice group she is serving this year as president.

“I’m aware of the role St. Ambrose played in the Civil

Rights Movement and the Labor Movement. That is

something that means a lot to me about our school. That

sets a high standard we have to continue to try and meet.

I like that as something that marks us as a school.

“We do service activities to meet short-term needs,

working at the Café on Vine and with the L’arche

Community in Clinton, Iowa, and by being part of Bee the

Difference Day.

“The justice component is trying to cause long-term

change. Last year, we tried to get a law passed saying

Iowa prisons shouldn’t be able to handcuff female

prisoners even as they are giving birth. We did not have

success, but Quad Cities Interfaith will pick it up again.”

SPRING SERVICE TRIPS

‘An Eye-Opening Experience’Service is among the most essential learning activities

Campus Ministry organizes. Fall, winter and spring break

service trips to impoverished urban and rural settings are

staple offerings. Senior Rachel Pasker is involved in service

and has joined multiple service trips.

“When I was a sophomore, I went to East St. Louis,

Ill., where we worked in an after-school program. We

cleaned out different schools. Toured the city. It made me

thankful for what we have and more conscious of people

in poverty.

“In 2014, we went to Detroit and that was the same. We

worked in a soup kitchen and ate there with the clients.

I listened to stories of people who were struggling, to

those who had dreams and who believed homelessness

was just temporary. It was definitely an eye-opening

experience.

“I want to teach English and I would be OK going

back to East St. Louis and teaching there, because

those kids need so much help. They just want hope and

encouragement, and I feel like I can give that to them.”

Learn more about Campus Ministry activities at sau.edu/scene

20

When Steve Witt ’71 answered the phone one evening several years ago,

“it wasn’t the Holy Spirit on the other end of the line.”

It was Rev. Brian Miclot ’70, PhD, at the time a pastor at Prince of Peace Catholic

Church in Clinton, Iowa. “You need to come talk to me,” Fr. Miclot told Witt,

who had recently married after leaving the St. Ambrose College seminary.

“You are going to be a deacon,” Fr. Miclot said as he hung up the phone.

ALL IN GOD’S TIMEFormer Seminarians Find Ways to Serve

by Ted Stephens III ’01, ’04

Rev. Kevin Emge ’81, DO came to St. Ambrose with two passions in life—his faith and his desire to help others. “I knew I either wanted to be a priest or go into medicine. Those were the only two things I ever wanted to be.”

He entered the seminary at St. Ambrose in 1977, but soon met the woman who became his wife—Mary Rice ’81.

“But the Church never left me,” he said. The Emges have sent two daughters to St. Ambrose, so their love for the school also clearly remains. Kevin never has forgotten the iconic Catholic priests who educated him during his years in the seminary and who have remained great friends long after.

Emge went on to become an obstetrician/gynecologist in private practice in Des Moines, and about six years ago, became the section chief of anesthesiology at Grinnell Regional Medical Center in Grinnell, Iowa.

“This was a time in my life that everything was changing—and my desire to be of service was growing stronger, so I went to seminary to become an Episcopalian deacon. I get to balance my responsibilities as an anesthesiologist and a chaplain at the medical center,” he said.

“Liturgically, the Catholic and Episcopalian churches have much in

Answering a call to serve the Church was anything but typical for former St. Ambrose seminarians and alumni, particularly in the 1970s when the Davenport campus was a hotbed for issues of social concern, peace and justice.

It definitely wasn’t as easy as picking up the phone. Yet many such Ambrosians are living today as disciples of God

in unexpected, but incredibly fruitful ways. “When I was a seminarian, the campus was full of guys and

professors spreading the good news about God on the streets,” Witt recalled. “It was an exciting time to be a student.”

But he soon met a woman named Patty and fell in love. And while the life of a priest was no longer an option, saying ‘yes’ to Fr. Miclot’s suggestion he become a deacon certainly was.

Witt was ordained a deacon for the Diocese of Davenport in 1982, serving parishes in both Clinton and Grinnell, Iowa, for decades. He and his wife had three children. In 2001, Patty passed away—and for the first time, Witt felt as if he was simply “meandering through life.”

“I knew I wanted to do more than I was doing in the Church, so this time I made the call,” he said. It was to Rev. Marty Goetz ’88, former director of vocations for the Diocese of Davenport.

“Marty, I have a guy for you,” Witt said over the phone. “Who?” Fr. Goetz asked, excited to welcome a young student

into the religious life. “Well, he’s a bit old, and you might not like this—but it’s me,”

Witt replied. In 2010, Witt began his studies and formation for the priesthood

and was ordained in 2013. Today, Fr. Witt serves as a parochial vicar and campus minister at the Newman Center in Iowa City, Iowa, and also is a father and grandfather. Upon his ordination, he joined a very rare group of “second-career” priests among the nearly 40,000 Catholic clergy in the United States.

21

common. Today I can have the family and career life I desired. I also get to work in recovery ministry and for women’s rights, which have always been important to me, and be in service to God. It is truly an honor to do His work. And St. Ambrose played an important role decades ago in guiding me in this direction.”

The same can be said for Rev. Ross Parker ’91 MOL. As o�ensive line coach for the Fighting Bees football team while earning his master’s, he spent many mornings in quiet contemplation at Christ the King Chapel—not praying for a football win, but rather for guidance as he considered a life in the priesthood.

“This was the first time I had an opportunity to attend a Catholic school,” Fr. Parker said from the rectory of Corpus Christi Parish in Council Blu�s, Iowa. “Had I not gotten the coaching job at St. Ambrose, I might not be a priest today.”

As a teacher and chaplain at St. Albert, the Catholic high school in Council Blu�s, Fr. Parker is finding new ways to introduce the idea of a vocation to the Catholic

Church to the students he works with each day.

“A lot of the kids here are involved in sports, music and theater,” he said, “and just as I found at St. Ambrose, there are connections that can be made between these interests and faith today. My students know my history as a football player and coach. It helps them to see that ‘Father’ is just a normal person who happens to be a priest. They see that God calls all people, and he does so at times we don’t always expect.”

That is also true for former seminarians like Kenan Bresnan ’71, who came to St. Ambrose in 1965 but left the seminary after one year to pursue a degree in English literature after (and yes, you guessed it) he met the woman he eventually married. After a long career in sales, he became the parish outreach liaison for Catholic Charities across the Diocese of Des Moines four years ago. He travels to more than 80 parishes across the western side of the state.

“I was in seminary for one year, so I

knew about four or five years’ worth of seminarians at the time,” he said. “There were a lot of guys like me who didn’t go on to become priests, and many of us are still good friends today. Most of them are involved—in many di�erent ways—with the Church today.”

For Bresnan, that means representing Catholic Charities’ various programs, including refugee settlements, food pantries and homeless centers, among others. “We reach out to the poor everyday. It is completeness. I wouldn’t say it fills a void that I had after leaving the seminary, but it is a natural next step.”

Fr. Witt said work like Bresnan’s is critical for the Church.

“A vocation today is more than just being a deacon or a priest,” he said. “There are disciples that walk among us every single day—men and women who are extending our ministries, opening up new doors, and spreading the word of God in ways that make the Catholic Church a believable institution in our world.”

He paused. “It is not about answering a call. It

is about living your life in a genuine, Christian way. That, too, is a vocation to the Church.”

Mary Theresa ’81, Holly, Lauren

and Rev. Kevin Emge, ’81, DO

22

A replica charcoal portrait of the Alvin Ailey Dance Troupe hangs in the living room of the quaint Alabama farm house where Leo ’76 and Patricia (Simmons) Rowe ’78 made their home for the third chapter of a truly Ambrosian love story.

Patricia was a wife, mother of three, a childcare worker and an ordained deaconess in the Missionary Baptist Church.

She was an artist, as well. Watercolors. Lithographs. Charcoal. Calligraphy. Patricia dabbled in all of the mediums she learned under the demanding instruction of Rev. Edward Catich, the legendary artist and St. Ambrose professor of art who she called “The Catman.”

Making art was her private passion, however, and Patricia shared her work only with family. Among Leo’s most treasured possessions is that dramatic charcoal recreation of a well-known, black-and-white photo depicting members of the famed American dance troupe seemingly about to take flight.

It is a precious and perfect reminder of a remarkable relationship that soared following a chance meeting on the steps of Davis Hall on a September afternoon in 1974.

m

Back on the St. Ambrose campus nearly 40 years beyond that fateful encounter, Leo Rowe painted a beautiful picture himself—a word picture that eloquently framed four decades of friendship and devotion, including 32 loving years of marital partnership.

“We had a beautiful marriage,” he said. “I know people go through ups and downs, but we didn’t. I couldn’t have chosen a person I was more compatible with. Truly God put our marriage together. I don’t have any words to describe it other than it was a marriage made in heaven and manifested on earth.”

The story was told in past tense, because Patricia Rowe’s life on earth ended in late April, two months after she was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. She was 58.

Himself a deacon of Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Lisman, Ala., Leo said his faith kept him strong during his wife’s illness, and it gave him comfort afterward, during what he referred to as Patricia’s home going.

“I felt like I stood as a rock,” he said. “I knew God, and I knew that nothing happens without God’s approval. So I just trusted

Him. And He got me through.”Leo said he also felt the hand of God on an afternoon in late

July. It was pointing him in a familiar direction.“I was on my way home, and as had happened many times as I

was thanking God for having my wife, there were tears involved,” he said. “And then just out of the blue, I saw myself standing at St. Ambrose University, and God telling me what I was about to say to honor her life as a strong Christian. And that I would be establishing a scholarship in her name.

“When I got home, I looked in the mailbox and there was an invitation from St. Ambrose for a memorial Mass they were going to say for my wife. And I said, ‘Lord, you are too good to me.”’

Rev. Charles Adam ’82, DMin, the campus chaplain, said Campus Ministry typically dedicates four Masses each week at Christ the King Chapel to recently deceased alumni. Family members of the deceased are contacted well in advance with a notice that includes a prayer composed by the university’s namesake saint:

We have loved them in this life. Let us not abandon them until

we have conducted them by our prayers into the house of the

Lord.—Saint Ambrose of Milan.

“That is a really nice quotation,” Fr. Adam said. “And that is basically our belief, that we still remain united even after death, and that we can assist one another with our prayers.”

The memorial Masses frequently are attended by families of the deceased. But the longtime SAU chaplain was particularly moved when Leo Rowe called to say he intended to drive to Davenport from Alabama, and be joined by two of his now adult children, when prayers were said for their wife and mother at 4:30 p.m. Mass on Aug. 21.

“I was touched that he wanted to share the story of his marriage to Patricia,” Fr. Adam said.

m

A few months after moving to Davenport following his high school graduation in 1971, Leo Rowe found himself jogging across a placid college campus in the city’s center. “I said I think I’ll come visit that place on Monday,” he recalled.

When he did, longtime St. Ambrose registrar Juanita

by Craig DeVriezeA Heaven-sent Marriage, Made at St. Ambrose

23

Leo, of course, also found his soulmate at St. Ambrose.

A three-sport standout at Davenport Central High School, Patricia was touring the campus with Clarence Simmons ’71, one of her 15 siblings, when they encountered two young men seated on the stairs outside Davis Hall.

Her brother kiddingly warned her she didn’t want to talk to “those two,” but Leo and the budding artist Fr. Catich soon would nickname “Patty Doll” would talk plenty at St. Ambrose.

The couple married on Valentine’s Day 1982 and moved to Columbus, Ohio, where Leo worked 10 years at Ohio State University before continuing a 35-year career in real estate. Patricia worked with children with mental disabilities after their two sons and a daughter became of school age.

The Rowes were ordained as a deacon and deaconess in the Missionary Baptist

Church in 1990, and continued as church leaders when they returned to Leo’s roots in 2008, moving back to Alabama to live on the farm on which he was born.

While Leo worked for the Department of Commerce, Patricia volunteered at their church. “She taught newly converted children what it meant to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior,” he said. “The latter part of her life, that was one of the things I noticed. As God was preparing her, she saw all these children. Those, I think, were angels that God had placed in her midst.”

Leo’s intent is to establish a St. Ambrose scholarship in the name of Patricia (Simmons) Rowe. It will be for minority females who “exemplify excellence, purity and commitment in their lives.”

Although he doesn’t have the funding right now, Leo said with confidence and abundant faith, “God will provide a way.”

Monholland accepted him “on the spot,” Leo said.“When I finished five years later, she told me I had one of the

best-rounded educations of anyone she had seen,” he noted. “I took some of everything—dance, piano. I really ended up with more of a business background and a degree in PE. I became like a sponge, learning the di�erent philosophies, religions and liberal arts.”

One of fewer than 10 African-American students on campus when he enrolled at St. Ambrose in January of 1972, Rowe said he never felt ostracized nor apart. Raised in the south as a Missionary Baptist, he also was able to grow in his faith at the private, Catholic school.

“I felt that I was welcomed,” he said. “I attended Mass. Although the services were di�erent, there is only one Lord. There is only one heaven. After being in the St. Ambrose community, understanding and studying religion and philosophy, I was able to find my place.”

Leo Rowe

24

“We wanted to take the most di�cult route, the oldest route and the route with the fewest people,” Pierce said of his 15-day journey, which included nights spent in government-sponsored hostels along the way. “It’s a challenging route, but on a more personal level, it allowed me to reflect on my life; what is has been, where it is now, and where I want it to go.”

And while people walk El Camino paths for many di�erent reasons, Pierce’s walk was a deep personal experience. “I was able to disconnect from almost everything,” he said. “I had a lot of time to reflect and do a lot of thinking. It was very introspective.”

Pierce graduated from St. Ambrose with his degree in political science and

There are many paths to Santiago De Compostela, across the coastal mountains of northern Spain. Les Pierce ’68 took the oldest and most di�cult route.

In 2013, Pierce and two Dutch friends walked 200 miles along The El Camino, which translates to “The Way. “ It is an ancient pilgrimage that leads to the purported burial site of the Apostle St. James in Santiago.

There are at least nine El Camino routes originating from points all over Europe, but Pierce and his fellow pilgrims (peregrinos) took the less-traveled path, El Camino Primitivo (The Primitive, or Original, Way.)

Starting out in Oveido, near the north central coast of Spain, the El Camino Primitivo follows the original path of King Alfonso II of Asturias, who made his pilgrimage in the ninth century in order to visit the recently proclaimed burial site of St. James.

Today, 1,200 years after Alfonso II made his pilgrimage, more than 200,000 people annually walk one of routes that lead to Santiago, which is near the eastern coast. Fewer than 2 percent of these peregrinos follow El Camino Primitivo.

alumniPROFILE

by Steven Lillybeck

Finding Faith Along“The Way”

25

history. He credits the SAU curriculum and philosophy for providing an intellectual and spiritual foundation upon which rests his world view.

“One of the professors at St. Ambrose, Matthew McMahon, had a profound impact on how I think, not what I think,” Pierce said. “He opened up to me a world of discovery I had never seen before.”

After St. Ambrose, Pierce went on to the University of Chicago and a Masters of Liberal Arts degree. Today, after a successful career in the oil and gas pipeline industry, Pierce considers his St. Ambrose experience fundamental to who he is and how he conducted his business and his life.

“My world view is that we are part of a family on this planet,” Pierce said. “One

of my philosophies is that business is not conducted solely between businesses. It is conducted between people with a common goal and an ethical approach to meet their needs.”

Pierce’s devotion to St. Ambrose was passed along to two of his children—Matthew Pierce ’97, ’99 MBA and Sarah (Pierce) Muntz ’00. “With the help of my wife, we are already prepping the grandchildren for St. Ambrose,” he said.

His devotion to “The Way” is reflected in his plans to repeat an El Camino pilgrimage in 2016, in the company of Matthew and his son-in-law Je�rey Muntz ’00.

Read Les Pierce’s personal reflections on his El Camino pilgrimage at sau.edu/scene

W

26

alumniNEWS

hen Philip Doherty ’78 was a student at St. Ambrose

College, accounting was never his favorite subject.

Yet, there he was, standing in front of an Introduction

to Accounting class in Ambrose Hall nearly four decades

later, talking with business students about what it takes

not just to climb to the top in their chosen career, but

how to do so with integrity, ingenuity and a lot of hard

work.

Recently retired as chief financial officer of the Chicago

Tribune Media Group and a new member of St. Ambrose

University’s Board of Trustees, Doherty visited with

College of Business students this past spring to kick off a

new series of discussions between successful St. Ambrose

alumni and students who are preparing to pursue similar

careers.

Doherty told students that an appetite for discovery

and growth opened doors at Tribune Publishing Company,

which he joined in 1985 as manager of financial reporting.

He became CFO of Chicago Tribune Media Group in 2001,

a period of time that saw a massive evolution of the print

and electronic media industry.

“One of the biggest lessons I learned early in my career

was the harsh reality that what you have been successful

at in the past will bring less success going forward,” he

said. “You’ve got to let go because companies will evolve,

and business will change. The challenge for students

today is the pace at which change occurs all over this

world.”

by Ted Stephens III ’01, ’04

Successful Alums Share

Business Knowledge

“The challenge for students today is the pace at which change occurs all over this world.”

2727

Steve Roell ’71 knows that all too well. He served as

chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson Controls,

Inc., from 2007 until his recent retirement, capping

off a 30-plus year career that offered him professional

growth and the chance to help advance the one-time

United States-based company into a global, Fortune 100

business. This fall, he spoke to students about the global

market of today—predominantly about his experience

forging new partnerships, and new business, in China

more than 20 years ago.

“When I started at Johnson, our sales were about $1

billion a year,” said Roell. “But we had a culture that was

highly competitive and a team of really thoughtful people

who saw the possibilities in China and the Middle East,

and went after them.”

Last year, Johnson Controls reported nearly $43 billion

in revenue.

In roles as vice president, chief financial officer, and

eventually CEO, Roell had the chance to see young

employees blossom into thought leaders and global

citizens. “These were the women and men with the

natural curiosity, who stayed abreast of world events, who

had a solid foundation and broad understanding in all

areas of business, and who not only saw the big picture—

but knew what to do with it.”

Roell noted that those are tenets of a liberal arts

education—but also skills that require time and focus to

hone.

“It is truly wonderful to have alumni like Steve and

Philip—two successful businessmen who are willing to

take time to come to our campus and visit our students,”

said James Stangle ’82, vice president for advancement,

who developed the speaker series with William Lesch

PhD, the new dean of the College of Business. “Our

students have an opportunity to see that when they work

hard and apply themselves, they can reach the top of

their field.”

Stangle added that the university piloted this alumni

guest speaker series with the College of Business and

plans to expand it to include the College of Arts and

Sciences and the College of Health and Human Services.

Learn more about the College of Business at sau.edu/scene

Steve Roell Philip Doherty

28

alumniNEWS

The Dash 4 Drex started in 2009 in the weeks after Drexler’s death as a way to bring the St. Ambrose community together with Drexler’s family and high school friends.

The 2.1-mile race continues to pay tribute to the active, athletic student.

“A lot of di�erent people came together and thought about it, given the timing of his death, being his 21st birthday, him being active,” Milton said. “The money got the scholarship built, but the race was really to honor him. It still is.”

The other main funding source for the scholarship is the Derrek D. Drexler Memorial Golf Outing, held annually on courses in the area around his hometown of Dubuque, Iowa.

The event has moved several times due to scheduling conflicts, but Ann Drexler said that fits her son, who played on courses throughout the tri-state area and worked at one in Dubuque during high school. Drexler’s friends from Wahlert Catholic High School make up the organizing committee.

“Most of his friends, they were together from grade school on,” Ann said. “It’s a tremendous amount of work they put into it. They’re not in Dubuque anymore. They’re scattered all over.”

But they come together again each August. The 2014 event drew around 90 golfers. St. Ambrose Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Tim Phillips attended to make the o�cial announcement to the

participants about the scholarship’s endowment status. “Very emotional,” Ann said of the mood. “Tears.

Hugging. I gave Tim a huge hug.”

Read more about endowed scholarships at sau.edu.scene

The collective work of many culminated in a milestone this past summer that promises to keep alive the memory of one former St. Ambrose University student.

Derrek Drexler died in 2009, on his 21st birthday, as a result of a rare viral infection. A junior at the time, Drexler had earned a full academic scholarship to St. Ambrose and was pursuing degrees in finance and accounting.

In July, the Derrek Drexler Accounting Scholarship became fully endowed, which means that St. Ambrose will continue to award funding as long as the school exists and students want to major in accounting. At least $50,000 must be donated to any scholarship for it to reach endowment status.

“To do it in five years is pretty impressive,” said Andy Milton, director of Campus Recreation. “It goes back to who he touched in his life. It was very easy to find a connection with him. He was one of those students who was a friend first.”

At the time of his death, Drexler served as the student coordinator for Campus Recreation under Milton.

“He was hungry to learn, to be involved,” Milton said. “It wasn’t just come, show up, do your job, and leave. He had a zest for living.”

That enthusiasm has been taken up by Drexler’s family and friends, whose e�orts made the scholarship endowment possible. According to the Advancement O�ce, this scholarship holds the rare distinction of being fully-endowed without at least one large donation.

Instead, two events have raised money over the past five years.

The Gift of GivingRace, Golf Event Fund Scholarship, Honor ‘Drex’

29

alumniNEWS

The Roell Alumni Challenge

A $100,000 challenge that will match any new

gift from non-donor alumni.

The $100,000 Board of Trustee Challenge

Will match any increased or renewed giving

from any donor, and will match new gifts

from non-alumni donors.

www.sau.edu/give

Join Fr. Bud on an Italian AdventureEver been to Ostia: a vast archeological park on the

scale of Pompeii?  How about the tomb of St. Ambrose? 

If you’ve been to the Vatican Museum, did you get an

explanation of the sculptures and paintings from a

scholar? 

The SAU Alumni & Friends study tour of Italy will take

place May 18–28.

This trip is sponsored by SAU, and hosted by

Rev. Robert “Bud” Grant ’80, PhD, and the Academy for

the Study of Saint Ambrose of Milan. It will include two

days each in Milan, Florence, and Assisi, and five days in

Rome.

Cost is estimated at $3,000 per person, covering hotels,

some meals, ground transportation and museum fees.

Travelers will be expected to book their own flights to

Italy.

Interested Ambrosians should contact Anne Gannaway,

director of alumni engagement and special events, at

gannawayannem@sau.edu.

An Honor Steeped in Faith TraditionsEnriching the lives of others is not a mission restricted to St. Ambrose University nor the Catholic Church. It is inherent to the core value of Catholicity, however, and, as such, is a fundamental aspect of the SAU mission.

This is why the John McMullen Award—one of the highest honors bestowed by the university and given to nominees who epitomize the SAU mission in their actions—has been presented annually since 2006 in conjunction with the Feast of Saint Ambrose.

“These awards are intended to recognize those friends of our university who embody the core characteristics the Most Rev. John McMullen intended to encourage within students when he founded St. Ambrose more than 130 years ago,” said Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD, the university president. “Acting with a social conscious and tending to the emotional and spiritual needs of others are essential to leading a good Catholic life. Not coincidentally, they also are essential to serving the St. Ambrose mission.”

This year’s McMullen Award honorees are Joe ’72 and Joyce O’Rourke and Helen ’57 and John ’58 Morrissey. The presentation will be made following Feast of St. Ambrose Mass at 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 7.

Read about this year’s McMullen Award honorees and see a list of past winners at sau.edu/scene

Help Us Meet the Challenge!The backbone of the university’s fundraising efforts, the

Ambrose Annual Fund provides much-needed scholarships

for many who would otherwise not be able to attend college,

keeps us on the cutting edge of education and technology,

and prepares students for the job market of today and

tomorrow. In addition, the Ambrose Annual Fund greatly

enhances a St. Ambrose education by providing:

> Activities and resources for more than 40 student clubs

and organizations;

> Master classes for fine arts students taught by visiting

artists and musicians;

> The Taste of Ambrose, Bee the Difference Day, Midnight

Breakfast and other campus traditions;

> Cardio exercise equipment located in the residence halls;

> Support for Campus Ministry service trips to Detroit,

Chicago and East St. Louis.

30

classNOTES

50The Fifties

At the age of 85, Robert “Bob”

Bevenour ’51 published his first

novel, Road to Yasukuni, the story of

two young men, one American, one

Japanese, during World War II. Bob

and his wife, Peggy, are retired and

living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Walter Donovan ’52 recently

celebrated his 90th birthday and

64th wedding anniversary with

his wife, Barbara, and family in

Plymouth, Mass.

60The Sixties

Donald “Don” Brush ’64 was

named by dsm magazine as one of

the recipients of “Sages Over 70,”

an award that honors individuals

70 and older who have contributed

to the betterment of the greater

Des Moines area. Brush is a former

mayor of Urbandale, Iowa, and

retired vice president of Wells Fargo

Private Client Services.

70The Seventies

Joe Kennelly ’73 is an attorney at

law and resides in the Chicago area

with his wife, Loretta. They enjoy

their 13 grandchildren.

Stephen VanSpeybroeck ’73 retired

as fraternal director at Modern

Woodmen of America after 35 years

in the financial services industry.

Following a 36-year career working

in Illinois state government, Barb

(Tuerk) McDermott ’76, Springfield,

Ill., has joined CSG Government

Solutions as a senior consultant.

Russ Murphy ’77 is the building

envelope group leader for Shive-

Hattery Architects and Engineers

in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Russ and

his wife, Cindy, are the proud

grandparents of four grandchildren.

80The Eighties

Deere Employees Credit Union,

Moline, Ill., announced Kurt Lewin

’84, ’93 MAcc was promoted to

President and CEO of the credit

union after 19 years of service, most

recently serving as executive vice

president.

Lisa (Warnock) Crews ’86 is the

chief financial officer at the Putnam

Museum and Science Center in

Davenport.

The Diocese of Des Moines has

appointed Rev. David Fleming ’86

to be vicar general. Rev. Fleming will

continue in his role as pastor of St.

Pius X Parish in Urbandale, Iowa.

90The Nineties

Sharon Snawerdt ’90 of Blue Grass,

Iowa, has been named supervisor,

corporate communications, for

Modern Woodmen of America.

Des Plaines Office Equipment has

promoted Gerard Iannuzzelli ’92,

Palatine, Ill., to chief technology

officer. Iannuzzelli will be

responsible for overseeing all

technology for the company and its

three locations, and will oversee the

technology department.

Cory Tomasson ’92 has been named

interim athletic director at Illinois

Valley Community College in

Oglesby, Ill. Tomasson is in his 16th

year as the softball coach, has taught

speech at the college since 1994, and

has served as coordinator of student

activities since 1997.

Jeffrey Brodsky ’93 MBA of

Deerfield, Ill., is a senior service

delivery executive for SAP.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder

announced Douglas Datema ’93

MBA of Grand Rapids, Mich., has

been appointed to the state’s

Elevator Safety Board, which

is responsible for guidelines,

preparation of examinations and

issuance of elevator contractor

licenses.

Kylene (Aarhus) Dunham ’93 was

promoted to executive director

of human resources at Health

Enterprises of Iowa, which is based

in Cedar Rapids. Dunham is certified

as a professional in human resources

and has more than 21 years of

experience in Human Resources, 18

with Health Enterprises.

Brett Nelson ’94 MBA has joined

the board of directors of First

National Bank of Muscatine. Nelson

is employed as Musco Lighting

as general manager/director of

information services.

Brian Farrell ’95 earned his PhD in

International Human Rights Law

from the National University of

Ireland Galway.

Todd Rausch ’97 was inducted into

the Newton (Iowa) High School

Baseball Hall of Fame. Todd, his wife,

Renae, and their children Tristan,

Devon and Katie reside in Johnston,

Iowa.

The National Association of

Insurance and Financial Advisors-

Iowa has announced that Jarod

Powell ’98 is a recipients of a Four

Under Forty Award, given annually

to outstanding advisers in Iowa.

00The Zeros

Kate (DeVolder) Stamer ’03, ’08

completed her Master of Science in

Nursing degree from the University

of Illinois at Chicago while working

as a registered nurse in the surgical

intensive care unit at Trinity Medical

Center. Kate and her family have

felt the support of the St. Ambrose

community after the SAU Dance

Marathon adopted the Stamer

family following the death of their

daughter Zoe.

Southern Illinois University School

of Medicine hired Paul Cagle Jr.

’04, MD as an assistant professor in

the division of orthopaedic surgery.

Cagle completed his orthopaedic

surgery residency at the University

of Minnesota in Minneapolis and

earned his medical degree at Loyola

University Chicago Stritch School of

Medicine.

Doyle and Keenan, PC announced

the promotion of Laura Hoss ’04

MAcc to tax manager. Hoss is a

certified public accountant and has

earned the accredited-in-business-

valuation designation from the

American Institute of Certified

Public Accountants.

Meagan McClimon ’04 is a portrait

photographer for Little Steps

Photography in Eldridge, Iowa. She

is a natural light photographer,

working in the Quad Cities and Iowa

City areas.

Patrick Bleffer ’05 is a client

service consultant at TIAA-CREF in

Charlotte, NC. Bleffer will work in

the benefits office for universities

within the southeast region.

Jenny Garner ’06 MBA is the

University of Illinois extension

director for Henry, Mercer, Rock

Island and Stark Counties in western

Illinois.

JohnRyan “J.R.” Kuch ’06, ’12 MEA

is the principal for Clinton High

School, Clinton, Iowa.

Dan Hennigan ’07 is a special

education teacher for Shepard High

School in Palos Heights, Ill.

Ryan Lincoln ’07 serves as a

firefighter/paramedic for the Joliet

(Ill.) Fire Department. Ryan and his

wife, Alison (Gorbitz) ’07, reside

in Joliet, and have two daughters,

Katelynn and Kalli.

Mike Mills ’07 MSW, Morrison, Ill., is

a therapist for Cornerstone Wellness

in Clinton, Iowa.

31

classNOTES

Rev. Simon Taabu ’07, ’09 MEA , of

the Roman Catholic Churches of

Logan County, Ill., is celebrating his

silver jubilee anniversary this year,

marking 25 years in the priesthood.

Ashtin (Rice) Trimble ’07 is the

director of library services at Black

Hawk College, Moline, Ill.

Kelsey (Heaton) Amman ’08 is

employed at Wisdom Financial

Services in Geneseo, Ill.

Moria Rothert ’09 MSW is a social

worker at Montebello Healthcare

Center, in Hamilton, Ill.

The Geneseo (Ill.) Republic

announced the hiring of Chris

Steele ’09 as the newspaper’s sports

editor.

10The Teens

Texas Physical Therapy Specialists

has hired Jennifer Clark ’10, ’12

DPT as a physical therapist at the

Huebner Road Clinic in Stone Oak,

Texas.

Courtney Swisher ’12 is a graphic

designer/account manager for

Synergy Marketing Partners in

Naperville, Ill.

Derek Dixon ’13 teaches social

studies to students in grades 7-12

and is a head boys basketball coach

and assistant football coach at

English Valleys Community School

District, North English, Iowa.

The Kent Corporation of Muscatine,

Iowa, has promoted Dana Wilges ’13

to IT support specialist.

Mariel Buckrop ’14 works for the

University of Illinois Extension

in Collinsville, Ill., and is a SNAP-

Education Community Worker.

Abby Cassens ’14 is a sales and

marketing specialist for the HON

Company. She lives in Davenport.

Meghan Dillie ’14 is an account

executive for Fooda in Chicago, Ill.

Through a role on a reality TV show, Nicole Cusack ’06 MBA found a new reality.

And, possibly, a new use for that SAU master’s degree.

The 33-year-old attorney said she never could have imagined how her life would be changed by a return to her Alaskan roots last year to film a Discovery Network program built around her father’s life as a bear-hunting guide.

“I thought I was comfortable with my life and job in San Diego,” said Cusack. “I got out there and realized I wasn’t living enough. I was just working all the time.”

Spoiler alert: A new season of the program Kodiak, which is currently on hiatus, will reveal Cusack’s decision to abandon her fast-paced law practice to live year-round in Alaska for the first time since she was 5. She has even branched out to a di�erent show, Deadliest Hunts, on The Outdoor Network, where she could be seen hunting bear this fall.

Growing up, Cusack spent summers at the family fishing lodge in a remote region

of the Alaskan mainland. She earned her pilot’s license as a necessary means of traveling in the rugged 49th state. But, from the age of 5 on, she and her family lived most of the year near Seattle.

“Honestly, a year ago, if somebody had told me I would be living in Alaska, I wouldn’t have believed it,” she said. “But it’s funny, because it feels so much more authentic than what I was doing before.”

Cusack came to St. Ambrose to earn her post-graduate business degree prior to enrolling in law school. She joined two cousins from Peoria, Ill., here.

She said an MBA marketing project that required the use of focus groups proved extremely helpful while selecting juries in her law practice. That is a practice that included representing former professional football players and the family of the late All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau in a repetitive head trauma lawsuit against the National Football League.

Now, as she prepares to practice law in Alaska, Cusack also expects to put her MBA to maximum use as she considers taking ownership of the family fishing lodge when her parents retire.

“Isn’t that funny?” she said. “I always thought it would just be nice to

have some extra letters after my name, but now it is actually going to be quite helpful. Definitely, there is a confidence factor that comes with having it.”

View clips of Kodiak and Deadliest Hunts and learn more about the MBA program at St. Ambrose at

sau.edu/scene

Hun

tres

s Ba

gs a

New

Rea

lity

Photo courtesy of David Laurelle Miller Photography

32

The Geneseo Community School

District has hired two recent

St. Ambrose graduates. Jenna

Harshbarger ’14 is a teacher of

fourth grade science and reading at

Southwest Elementary School. Kristi

Stanfa ’14 is a fifth grade teacher at

Northside Elementary School.

James Yost ’14 is employed at

the Illinois Student Assistant

Commission as an ISA Corps

Member in the Black Hawk District,

which includes portions of the

Illinois Quad Cities.

�Marriages

Terrence Mischel ’68 and Bradley

Cameron, New York City

John Stender ’00 and Tom Custer,

Aug. 2, 2014, San Diego

Sara Newman ’01 and Brent

Pearson, Davenport

Amanda Ziegeweid ’01 and Gari

Vargas, Dallas

Julie Kammer ’05, ’11 MBA and Jason

Kratt ’05, Moline, Ill.

Jeff Amman ’06 and Kelsey Heaton

’08, Rock Island, Ill.

Matt Tranowski ’06 and Jessica

Bara, Riviera Cancun, Mexico

Natalie Sacco ’06 and Jon Kremer,

June 21, 2014, Dubuque, Iowa.

Kelcy McNamara ’07, ’08 MOT and

Nicolas Suydam, Peoria, Ill.

Emily Dean ’08 and Jacob Mowry,

St. Louis

Amy Tentinger ’08, ’10 MOT and

David Andreesen, Remsen, Iowa

Emily Chesser ’09, ’11 and Patrick

Hollis ’12, Rock Island, Ill.

Ashley Damato ’09 and Robert

Sullivan, Aurora, Ill.

Jonathan Dreasler ’09, ’11 MBA and

Meredith McAfoos ’12, Davenport

Kirsten Towne ’11 MSW and Adam

Olson, Fort Dodge, Iowa

Kelsey Rentfro ’11 and Daniel Cline,

Davenport

Emily Stafford ’11 and Justin

Weisbeck ’11, Buffalo, Minn.

Bonnie Sorensen ’12 MOL and Chris

Corwin, North Liberty, Iowa

Floyd Shumaker ’14 and Ashley

Buelt, Galesburg, Ill.

�Births

Amy Coulthard-Atwater ’99 and

her husband, Scott, are happy to

announce the birth of their son,

Rodney Michael, on June 24, 2014.

Karla (Barker) Hopper ’99 and her

husband, Jeff, celebrated the birth

of their daughter, Jaidyn, on June 3,

2014.

Brendan ’99 and Amanda (Proffit)

Gill ’01 welcomed son Liam Robert

on Aug. 18, 2013. Liam joined siblings

Declan and Maeve.

Elizabeth (Boardman) Hulsbrink

’00 and her husband, Jeff, are

pleased to announce the birth of

their daughter, Delilah Therese, on

Aug. 4, 2014. Delilah is a little sister

to Clare and Elouise.

Jeff ’00 and Melissa (Blum)

Luetkehans ’00 are proud to

announce the birth of their

daughter, Olivia, on May 15, 2014.

Olivia joins big brothers Tyler and

Nicholas.

Jen (Inhelder) Meier ’00, ’04

MSITM and her husband, Paul,

welcomed their son, John, on Oct.

27, 2013. John was welcomed home

by Kyleigh.

Amanda Ziegeweid ’01 and her

husband, Gari Vargas, welcomed a

son, Aaron Xavier, born on Sept. 8,

2012.

Dawn (Magnuson) Maggi ’02,

’03 MOT and her husband, Chris,

Tom Prior ’14 anchored news and sports for Dateline SAU, was editor of The Buzz and played varsity baseball.

Of his many and varied undergraduate experiences at St. Ambrose, it was Campus Ministry that brought him back.

“I came to St. Ambrose just to play baseball. That was it. No other expectations. And then senior year, I ended up not even playing because I was so involved with everything else,” said Prior, who is working as a graduate assistant with Campus Ministry this year while pursuing his Master of Organizational Leadership degree.

Prior earned his undergraduate degree in journalism, radio/TV and theology in May. He is working with Kaitlin Depuyt, the director of service and social justice, to help plan and coordinate service trips during school breaks, and will use his communication experience to promote opportunities like Service Saturdays.

“It was hard as a student-athlete to really get involved with all the extra trips and projects when I was an undergrad,” Prior said. “So I’m really happy I get to be involved in planning those trips and projects now. And to help the new wave of lectors and Eucharistic ministers learn the ropes.”

He also serves as the main organizer for the Brewed Awakening discussion group and assists Ambrosians for Peace and Justice. Prior said he really has come full circle from his start as a lector in his first year at St. Ambrose, to now helping director of faith formation

Tammy Norcross-Reitzler train a whole new generation. “Yes, baseball is what led me here, but through

Campus Ministry and the Communication Department it really changed my whole scope of understanding what St. Ambrose is as an institution,” he said. “My goal is to see these programs grow by the time I leave in 2016.”

Grad Assistant Hopes to

Help Campus Ministry Grow

classNOTES

33

are the proud parents of son Ryan

Christopher born on Sept. 8, 2014.

Matthew ’03 and Jennifer

(Szarzynski) Papoccia ’03, ’04

MOT celebrated the birth of son

Oliver on Sept. 5, 2013. Oliver was

welcomed home by siblings Cecilia

and Brooklyn.

Nicole (Blazina) Brown ’04 and

David (DJ) ’05 celebrated the birth

of son Bennett John on July 14, 2014.

Bennett was welcomed home by

siblings Addison and Taylor.

Tim ’04 and Meagan (Hein)

McClimon ’04 are happy to

announce the birth of a daughter,

Grayson, on Dec. 4, 2012. She joins

Tayva in the McClimon household.

Jim Stephens ’04 and his wife, Erin,

are the proud parents of a son,

Camden James, born on July 2, 2014.

Alana (Kunz) Carroll ’05 and Matt

’06, ’11 MBA are the proud parents of

daughter Harper born on July 1, 2014.

Jason ’05 and Julie (Kammer) Kratt

’05, ’11 MBA welcomed a daughter,

Harper, born on May 7, 2014.

Amanda (Gagliani) Sandrick ’06

and her husband, Eddie, are pleased

to announce the birth of their son,

Edward John (EJ), on Oct. 6, 2014.

Matt Tranowski ’06 and his wife,

Jessica, are the proud parents of son

Evan born on April 10, 2014. Evan is

little brother to Mikayla.

Sarah (Dentlinger) Mohrfeld ’07

and her husband, Andy, are happy

to announce the birth of their

daughter, Chelsea, born on July 14,

2014.

Tara (Spaur) Driscol ’07 DPT and

Courtney Driscol welcomed son

Hudson on Aug. 26, 2014.

Skyler Dobernecker ’08 and Jose

Avila are pleased to announce the

arrival of daughter Aviana born on

Nov. 10, 2012.

Russel ’10 and Cassy (Schmalz)

Glass ’10 are the proud parents of

daughter Gwinnevere born on Jan.

29, 2014. Gwinnevere was welcomed

home by big brother Russel.

Rachel Breitbach ’11 and Jason

Cox welcomed their son, David

Alexander, on May 22, 2014.

Lauren (Waiflein) LaPietra ’11 and

her husband, Jeffrey, are the proud

parents of a son, Lucas, born on Aug.

20, 2014.

Justin ’11 and Emily (Stafford)

Weisbeck ’11 celebrated the birth

of their daughter, Evelyn, on June

13, 2014.

�Deaths

John “Jack” Hughes ’39, Santa Rosa,

Calif., Aug. 1, 2014

John Moran ’39, Rock Island, Ill.,

June 19, 2014

John Sheeler ’41, Marshalltown,

Iowa, March 13, 2013

Russell Brunner ’42, San Francisco,

Nov. 18, 2012

Jack Brown ’44, Dana Point, Calif.,

June 24, 2014

Rev. John Kloepfer ’49, Clarksville,

Va., Sept. 18, 2014

James McCabe Sr. ’49, Mt. Pleasant,

Iowa, Aug. 2, 2014

Claud Hathorn ’50, Memphis, Tenn.,

June 11, 2014

Dale Hughes ’50, Villa Park, Calif.,

April 4, 2012

Gilbert Sasek ’50, Rantoul, Ill., July

7, 2014

Barton Toohey ’50, Rock Island, Ill.,

July 7, 2014

Cletus Bergthold ’51, Davenport,

July 12, 2014

Donald Costello ’51, Davenport,

Sept. 20, 2014

William “Bill” Flavin ’51, Lake

Charles, La., Sept. 21, 2014

Michael Florescu ’51, Taylor, Mich.,

March 23, 2014

Rev. Msgr. Richard Fitzsimmons

’52, Batavia, Ill., June 16, 2014

William Hennigan ’52, Washington,

Iowa, Feb. 25, 2014

Gerald Hughes ’52, Peoria, Ariz., July

24, 2014

Edward Jeffords ’52, Centennial,

Colo., April 5, 2014

Lorraine (Thissen) Oberhaus ’54,

Davenport, April 19, 2014

Ronald Maertens ’55, Menahga,

Minn., July 15, 2014

M. Lawrence Shannon ’55, Smiths

Station, Ala., July 16, 2014

Michael Traughber ’55, Portland,

Tenn., Dec. 10, 2013

Thomas McGrath ’56, Joliet, Ill., June

18, 2014

Thomas Maushard ’57, Peoria, Ill.,

Aug. 20, 2014

James Mclntyre ’58, Colorado

Springs, Colo., Jan. 2, 2014

James “Bud” Barry ’59, Leawood,

Kan., May 12, 2014

Gale Vetter ’59, Milan, Ill., July 12,

2014

Warren Wells ’59, Sherrard, Ill., July

19, 2014

Thomas Bianco ’60, Marietta, Ga.,

Sept. 4, 2014

Edward Masterson ’60, Davenport,

June 6, 2014

Thomas Lingris ’61, East Moline, Ill.,

Sept. 15, 2014

Sr. Mary Sweeney BVM ’62,

Dubuque, Iowa, July 8, 2014

James Uniek ’64, Oak Forest, Ill., Jan.

14, 2014

William Stier Jr. ’65, Englewood, Fla.,

Sept. 12, 2014

Garvin Mayhew ’69, Davenport,

May 29, 2014

Rev. J. Kevin Zerull ’72, St.

Augustine, Fla., July 21, 2014

Margaret Waterstreet ’73, Chicago,

Feb. 25, 2013

Dennis Haas ’74, Maysville, Iowa,

July 22, 2014

Patricia (Kirkpatrick) Orcutt ’75,

Dubuque, Iowa, July 24, 2012

Daryl Mohr ’78, Rock Island, Ill., Nov.

26, 2013

William Ulin ’78, Manassas Park, Va.,

Aug. 6, 2014

Janis (Feldhahn) Vela ’89,

Carrollton, Texas, June 10, 2014

David Martin ’92, West Des Moines,

Iowa, July 15, 2014

Scott Eggers ’96 MBA, Farmington,

Minn., May 7, 2014

Leslie Griswold ’01, Rock Island, Ill.,

April 29, 2014

Michael McNellis ’01 MBA,

Gainesville, Fla., April 21, 2014

Kelly (VanderWerff) Bender ’03

MCJ, North Liberty, Iowa, Sept. 18,

2014

Chelsey Bildstein ’13, Anamosa,

Iowa, Aug. 11, 2014

Former Faculty/Staff

John Madsen, Rock Island, Ill., May

28, 2014

Help us keep you informed The St. Ambrose University Office

of Alumni Engagement is eager

to keep your contact information

current. If you have a seasonal

address in addition to the one we

currently have on record, or if you

have recently relocated, let us

know. Contact us at 800-SAU-

ALUM, alumni@sau.edu, or visit

sau.edu/scene/newaddress.

Non-Profit Organization

US Postage

PAID

Rock Island, ILPermit No. 85

518 West Locust Street

Davenport, Iowa 52803

What’s New? Let us know what

you’ve been up to. Drop us a note at

Alumni Engagement, St. Ambrose

University, 518 W. Locust St.,

Davenport, Iowa 52803, or go online

to share updates. Include your full

name, class year and phone number

or email where we can contact you

to verify your information.

online extra: tell us what’s new at

sau.edu/scene/keepintouch

The debut of a re-imagined version of a hymn written by Saint Ambrose of Milan in the fourth century and recreated by William Campbell, PhD, will be part of this festive campus weekend.

Saturday–Sunday, Dec. 6–7 CHILDREN’S PLAY The Cat in the Hat 3 p.m., Galvin Fine Arts Center

Saturday, Dec. 6 Alumni Family Christmas Party4–6 p.m., Rogalski Center

An Ambrosian Christmas7 p.m., Christ the King Chapel

Sunday, Dec. 7 Feast of Saint Ambrose Mass and

McMullen Awards presentation10:30 a.m., Christ the King Chapel

Academy for the Study of Saint Ambrose of Milan Lecture4 p.m., Christ the King Chapel

More information and tickets at sau.edu/scene