FOR UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ALUMNI AND FRIENDS WINTER 2015 Extended Family UW scientists explore an astonishing find. Page 24 Vision UW men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan shares a secret with referee Gene Steratore during a game against the University of Iowa in January 2015. The winningest coach in UW history (357– 125 at the end of last season), Ryan announced that he plans to retire at the end of 2015–16. Photo by Bryce Richter On Wisconsin 3 Jeff Miller/University of Wisconsin–Madison Big Ten Reason #1 to stay at Fluno: Steps away from Kohl Center action Modern accommodations Brews and views at Smitty’s Pub Your Home in the Heart of Campus NEW! Accommodations open to parents and families of students, and business and industry visitors to campus, in addition to University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni, donors, and guests of the university. Make your reservation today 1-877-773-5866 | fluno.com 4 On Wisconsin 601 University Ave. Madison, WI 53715 facebook.com/flunocenter WINTER 2015 Contents Winter 2015, Volume 116, Number 4 UW professor John Hawks, who is studying the find of a lifetime. See page 22. JEFF MILLER JEFF DEPARTMENTS 2 Vision 7 Communications 9 Observation OnCampus 11 News 13 Bygone Many Happy (and Chilly) Returns 14 Calculation The Job Equation 17 Conversation Shawn Peters FEATURES 18 Exhibition Chazen Mural- in-Progress 22 Chamber of Discovery 20 Contender Olive Sagapolu It captured the world’s attention when researchers 21 Sports — including UW scientists — revealed that they had found the remains of very early humans who had de- liberately been laid to rest. By Terry Devitt ’78, MA’85 30 The Good Guy OnAlumni Troy Vincent x’92 made his name in Badger football and the pros, but now with the NFL front office, he’s BRIGGS PHILIP 52 News tackling something altogether different. 53 Tradition Bascom Hill By Jenny Price ’96 Snowball Fights 54 Class Notes 34 Hunters No More 60 Diversions Two UW alumni are working closely with African 66 Destination Greenbush tribal warriors, teaching them how to protect — rather Bakery than kill — the majestic lions that roam their lands. By Meghan Lepisto ’03, MS’04 42 Chasing Abloh You’d be hard to pin down, too, if, like Virgil Abloh ’03, you were Kanye West’s creative director, had your own clothing line, had a career as a DJ, and were launching a restaurant. By Chelsea Schlecht ’13 44 Born to Swim Four decades and two hip replacements after his UW swimming career, the author joins fellow alumni for a Cover If the shoe fits: UW students call upon challenging channel race in Hawaii. The skeletal foot of their research skills to analyze a ledger By Andy Moore ’86 an ancient human recording 1750s wares, offering a ancestor is part of glimpse into early American life. See 50 All In on All Ways Forward a remarkable find page 19. In October, UW-Madison publicly kicked off a com- deep below the prehensive campaign aimed at meeting Chancellor ground in South Rebecca Blank’s challenge to remain a top-ranked, Africa. Photo by world-class university. By John Allen John Hawks. On Wisconsin 5 WHEN CIVIL ENGINEERING AND CIVIL SERVICE WORK TOGETHER, WE ARE BOUNDLESS. WISC.EDU | #BOUNDLESSTOGETHER WISC_141-40d_Currents_MECH_v2.indd 1 10/9/15 4:39 PM Communications TERRACE HIATUS Most of the Memorial Union Nice Work on Redesign tournament games dominated by Terrace closed on September 1, Just wanted to say that the teams with flashy talents. It not allowing the UW’s lakefront redesign of On Wisconsin looks only reaffirms the validity of living room to have its first fantastic. Nice work on photog- Ryan’s approach, once consid- significant upgrade in more raphy, story selection, fonts, new ered nonviable in the prevailing than two decades. The beloved pages, the use of on in headings, era of one and done. It enthralls hangout is scheduled to reopen and unspeakably delights Wis- and more. Congrats. next summer. Carla Blakeman ’05 consin alums everywhere watch- Sammamish, Washington ing Badgers competing in such high-profile collegiate playoffs. Let Bygones Be Gone Henry Tse ’76, MA’77, MS’79 Great article about the Red Rosemead, California Gym pool [Bygone, Fall 2015]. 143people favorited this Instagram @madi- On the memorable day [in 1973, Before MadHatters sondotcom post of a Wisconsin State mentioned in the article], I was Came Mixed Nuts Journal editorial cartoon by Phil Hands ’07. in the pool sans suit doing the I enjoyed reading the article on backstroke when I noticed a a cappella groups [Traditions, person with a very large suit Summer 2015]. I must, however, swimming in the next lane. take issue with the statement When I finished that length, I that a cappella singing “has was greeted by another woman been a campus staple since the (in a suit) with a friendly smile 1990s.” Law professor John and wave. I stopped and exited Kidwell founded the a cappella the pool shortly thereafter. As group Mixed Nuts, which soon you noted, the pool was soon changed its name to Sui Generis opened officially to (suited) [“of its own kind,” or, as we women and men. preferred, “peculiar”] in the Martin Dooley MS’74, PhD’77 early 1980s. I sang with them Dundas, Ontario, Canada during my law school days from 1983 to 1986. Bygone implies that the Natatori- Benbow Cheesman JD’86 um was coed when it was built West Allis, Wisconsin $ in 1961. I don’t know when the 5 Natatorium actually became Defending Atticus What the real Top Gun coed, but it was not until some Finch school fines staff time after 1969. I was a graduate In regard to “Rethinking Atticus members if they quote student in physical chemistry Finch” (On Campus, Fall 2015), from 1965 to 1969. During that I’d like to suggest that there’s no the movie, which was the entire time, the Natatorium was need to rethink this finely drawn final film that Lakeside open to women only on Friday character at all. Cinema showed the night evenings. Things have changed Yes, Harper Lee’s novel Go a great deal since then, but it Set a Watchman takes place before renovation work would be good to let readers twenty years after To Kill a began. know just how much access to Mockingbird, and in the new- athletic facilities was restricted ly published novel, Finch is for women during the 1960s. presented as an aging racist. But Mary Ruskai MA’69, PhD’69 Lee wrote Watchman first. It 2017 Arlington, Massachusetts was what Anne Lamott would When work — inside and out — call her “crappy first draft.” She on the lengthy Memorial Union Enthralling Badgers didn’t yet have the skills to move Reinvestment project is expect- beyond stereotypes. Everywhere ed to be done. [In response to the tweets about In the coming years, her Bo Ryan’s retirement, Communi- insights and vision matured. In cations, Fall 2015]: The impres- the end, she gave us an Atticus sive postseason performance of Finch who is one of the most Badger basketball the last two remarkable, and most admirable, years, under the disciplined, fun- characters in modern fiction. damentals-driven style of coach Margaret Savides Benbow ’73 Bo Ryan, really jolted NCAA Madison On Wisconsin 7 8 On Wisconsin WINTER 2015 Observation Winter 2015 JEFF MILLER JEFF PUBLISHER Wisconsin Alumni Association 650 North Lake Street, Madison, WI 53706 Voice: 608-262-2551 Toll-free: 888-WIS-ALUM Email: [email protected] Web: onwisconsin.uwalumni.com CO-EDITORS Niki Denison, Wisconsin Alumni Association Cindy Foss, University Communications SENIOR EDITOR John Allen, Wisconsin Alumni Association SENIOR WRITER Jenny Price ’96, University Communications ART DIRECTOR Nancy Rinehart, University Marketing PRODUCTION EDITOR Eileen Fitzgerald ’79, University Marketing I was editor of my sixth-grade class newsletter. If Words and memory serves, we produced copies for our par- pictures make DESIGN, LAYOUT, AND PRODUCTION ents using a mimeograph machine and pink paper. powerful partners, Toni Good ’76, MA ’89, Kent Hamele ’78, We were very proud. and publishing Christine Knorr ’99, Danielle Lawry, photographs So my love of words printed on paper goes Preston Schmitt ’14, University Marketing — such as this way back. That infatuation has continued, because one captured by SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER words allow the creation of stories that educate us, Jeff Miller, University Communications my colleague Jeff enlighten us, humor us, touch us, and, ultimately, Miller — has giv- CLASS NOTES/DIVERSIONS EDITOR remind us that as much as we are different, we are en me great joy. Paula Apfelbach ’83, Wisconsin Alumni the same. Association When I came to the UW twenty-four years ago, I was swept into EDITORIAL INTERN an unimaginable bounty of stories. We could write about students or Daniel McKay x’16 their professors. We could write about literature or sports. We could write about politics or science. We could choose. And we could weave ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES those words with my second love: photographs that enhanced what we Madison Magazine: 608-270-3600 wrote. ALUMNI ADDRESS CHANGES AND I confess that I’ve edited so many stories for On Wisconsin over DEATH NOTICES time that I don’t remember them all. But I do have favorites ranging Madison area: 608-262-9648 from admissions policies to psychopaths, from beet research to the Toll-free: 888-947-2586 Email: [email protected] power of forgiveness, and from the democratic process to fudge-bot- tom pie. In truth, though, as fascinated as I’ve been by the subject mat- Quarterly production of On Wisconsin is ter and the craft of writing, these stories were special because of the supported by financial gifts from alumni people who brought them to life through interviews and photographs and friends.