FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY • SUMMERSUMMER 20172017 PAY WITH SPARTAN PRIDE Show your Spartan pride and help MSUFCU support MSU programs with an MSUFCU Spartan Platinum Plus Visa Credit Card. 1% cash back on all purchases¹ Introductory APR on balance transfers for 0% the first six months² $ 0 No annual fee, application fee, or balance transfer fee Free gift with new Spartan Visa Apply today! Visit an MSUFCU branch • 517-333-2424 or 800-678-4968 • msufcu.org ¹ Members will earn 1% cash back on all purchases. Cash back is not earned on tax payments, any unauthorized charges or transactions, cash advances, convenience checks, balance transfers, or fees of any kind. Visit msufcu.org/rewards for full terms and conditions. ² Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of 0% is valid for the first 6 months from the date the Visa Credit Card account is opened and applies only to balance transfers from another financial institution’s credit card. After 6 months, rate will revert to your standard rate, between 12.9% and 17.9%. Accounts 60 days late revert to the penalty rate of 17.9%. Introductory APR does not apply to purchases, cash advances, or delinquent loans. Federally insured by NCUA. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY • SUMMER 2017 • VOL. 34, NO. 4 DEPARTMENTS President’s Message 3 Director’s Message 4 Letters to the Editor 5 News and Current Events 6 Arts and Culture 8 SSpartanpartan PProfirofi lleses 20 GGreenreen aandnd WWhitehite 30 MSU Archives 36 CClasslass NNotesotes 38 In Memoriam 44 Lasting Impressions 52 The MSU Alumni Magazine is published quarterly and distributed to alumni, donors, and friends who annually give $100 or more to Michigan State University. 14 Can’tCan’t getget enoughenough ofof allall thingsthings Spartan?Spartan? THE PEACE CORP: FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY • SUMMER 2017 GET CONNECTED! A FORCE FOR GOOD Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Spartanpodcast.com, Alumni refl ect on their and Alumni.msu.edu volunteer service Contact the editor at [email protected] About the cover Alumna Emily Weiss wears a matching head wrap and dress from her host nation, Guinea. Weiss Change of address: chose to model the clothing as a sign of respect and Alumni Magazine appreciation for the West African nation where she 535 Chestnut Rd, Room 300 served as a Peace Corps volunteer. East Lansing, MI 48824 Photo: Thomas Gennara © 2017 alumni.msu.edu MAGAZINE STAFF Executive Editor Stephanie Motschenbacher, ’85, ’92 Editor Paula M. Davenport [email protected] Contributing Editor Nancy Nilles Publication Design Coordinator Dave Giordan Copy Editor Linda Dunn, ’13 Advertising Manager Peter DeLong, ’85 Advertising (517) 355-8314 [email protected] Assistant Catherine Ferland, ’17 ADVISORY BOARD Mark Fellows, ’80 John Foren, ’83 Hillary Gatlin Susan Holloway Nicole Hordos, ’11 Val Osowski, ’81, ’86 Jim Peck Dee Prosi, ’85, ’90 Christopher D. Smith, ’96, ’16 CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Alumni Magazine 535 Chestnut Rd, Room 300 East Lansing, MI 48824 alumni.msu.edu COPYRIGHT 2017 MSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION University Advancement MSU Alumni Association Spartan Way 535 Chestnut Rd., Room 300 A photo by artist Gideon Mendel is installed in the Red Cedar East Lansing, MI 48824 River asElizabeth part of the Brabbs, university’s a 1977 Water graduate Moves fr Usom initiative.the College of (517) 355-8314 / alumni.msu.edu Th e photoAgriculture series, hosted and Natural by the BroadResources, Art taughtMuseum, agriculture is meant MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. to makeduring passers-by her Peace consider Corps the Service impacts in of Sierra climate Leone change. in 1978. 2 SUMMER 2017 | alumni.msu.edu Photo Photoby G.L. courtesy Kohuth of the Peace Corps WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW—SPARTANS Whenever I have the opportunity to travel internationally for MSU, I return with an even deeper appreciation for the value of Michigan State’s global infl uence and impact. MSU’s global engagement roots are deep. As an early leader in scientifi c agriculture, we enrolled our fi rst international student in the 1870s. Over the years, we promoted international understanding and grew our global presence in research, scholarship, and service, adding international scholars to the faculty, opening the International Center, and forming the offi ce of International Programs (now International Studies and Programs)—the fi rst such offi ce at a major U.S. university. Today, Michigan State is recognized as a top-100 global research university, a top-10 provider of Peace Corps volunteers, and a top institution for study abroad and interna- tional student enrollment. Last year MSU enrolled more than 7,000 international students from more than 130 countries. And each year nearly 3,000 of our students study in locations spanning 70 countries and every continent—including Antarctica. In addition to providing life-changing opportunities for students, the importance of our international awareness and our ethos of civic engagement extends further. It’s clear today that many of society’s greatest challenges are worldwide in scope, transcending both geographic barriers and national boundaries. Th ese problems are environmental, technological, fi nancial, social, and political. Th ey oft en knot together complex human and natural systems and require collaborative, interdisciplinary solu- tions to address them. Michigan State’s land-grant method of engaging our partners in knowledge discov- ery and application is as valuable to those living half a world away as it is for those in our own backyard. It’s part of what I call the “World-Grant” approach to the oppor- tunities and challenges of the 21st century, and no place is better suited for it than Michigan State. Our long-term experience and lasting commitments tell us that the stronger our inter- PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE national engagement, the more refi ned are our abilities to generate new scholarship and research, and the better equipped we are to meet both local and global challenges. We give society greater collective capacity by thinking and working together. Th e needs of the world demand more people with broad cultural understanding and competencies and the capacity to solve problems collaboratively. It’s a world that needs Spartans. LouLou AnnaAnna K.K. Simon,Simon, PhDPhD President, Michigan State University MSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE | 3 WONDER WOMEN I vividly remember sitting across from Spartan Geoff Let’s not forget others whose names you may not be Johns—whoJohns—who helmshelms DCDC Entertainment—atEntertainment—at anan L.A.L.A. familiar with. Th ey include dedicated teachers like restaurant as he talked about his wildly successful Ellen Closs-Sully and Terry Deniston. And Planned fi l mWonder Woman. “Women were born to be Parenthood’s dynamic Kelley Wall, Microsoft ’s Betsy superheroes,” he said. “Th eir stories inspire us all.” Weber, Airbnb sparkplug Megan Gebhart, and Jordyn He’s right. Th ere are hundreds of Spartan women Castor, who is enhancing accessibility at Apple. I think writing inspiring chapters in MSU’s encyclopedia of of my good friend, Traci Ruiz, who grew up in Lansing accomplishments. and protects its people today as a police offi cer. Katie Some are well-known on campus. Von Till has taken on the storied mantle as the voice of Two great women leaders helm the university. Disney’s Snow White in Hollywood. President Lou Anna K. Simon, the fi rst female Merri Jo Bales spent a career guiding the strategic to lead MSU, is a role model for generations of direction of Consumer’s Energy. Susi Elkins recently those who aspire to advance knowledge and help became head of broadcasting at WKAR radio and TV, unlock the secrets that lie at the end of the research as well as its interactive media channels. rainbow. MSU has made it possible for countless gift ed women We also celebrate Provost June Pierce Youatt, whose to create and leave legacies. passion is ensuring students receive high-quality, Paulette Granberry-Russell has spent nearly engaging, and inclusive learning experiences. two decades expanding MSU’s commitment to Take faculty member Terrie Taylor, who’s working inclusiveness as senior advisor to the president for to eradicate malaria in Africa. And alumna Susan diversity and director of the Offi ce for Inclusion and Packard, the force behind HGTV, now dedicated to Intercultural Initiatives. helping other women succeed. Add Susan Goldberg, In an issue dedicated to Spartan Peace Corps the fi rst woman to editNational Geographic. volunteers, we celebrate some of the wonder women I think about Spartan athletes like Pam Steckroat and super men who drank in classroom enlightenment, Treadway and Cheryl Gilliam. Th ey are among the put what they learned to work, and helped create a philanthropists ensuring future generations will be able better world for those who crossed their paths. to earn MSU degrees. Th ere is Debbie Stabenow, the fi rst woman in Michigan to be elected to the U.S. Senate. And MSUAA’s Sue Petrisin, the fi rst woman ever to lead W. Scott Westerman III Kiwanis International. Associate Vice President, Alumni Relations MSU Alumni Association National Board Members EXECUTIVE BOARD BOARD MEMBERS President Immediate Marissa Baty Geoffrey Ryskamp Bill Featherstone Past President Tom Duncan John Sierota Thomas Benner Vice President Brittanie Johnson Christy Thaxton Sarah Cantwell Executive Director Lynn Keller W. Scott Westerman III Secretary Kurt Rothhaar Merri Jo Bales As of July 1, 2017 DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE DIRECTOR’S 4 SUMMER 2017 | alumni.msu.edu DANNY LITWHILER, THE THOMAS EDISON OF BASEBALL FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY • SPRING 2017 It was a pleasure reading Richard Johnson’s article I just read through the spring on my former coach Danny Litwhiler. magazine and so enjoyed it.