UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FALL 2019 Seeds of Health U alumni, researchers, and Native groups work to improve nutrition and fght chronic disease in American Indian communities through traditional foods. Plus: 2019 HOMECOMING GUIDE, featuring former NASA fight director and Grand Marshal Michele Brekke (Pg. 24) MN Alumni Fall 2019.pdf 1 6/24/19 8:11 AM HELPING FAMILIES FOR OVER 25 YEARS. Accra provides support to families that need help in their homes for a loved one with a disability. We’ll help you navigate the different services available to you. PCA Choice is one of our services that allows you to choose a family member or friend to be your paid caregiver. Non-Profit Home Care Agency We accept major insurance plans; Medicaid and private pay. Call us and ask about the possibilities! 866-935-3515 • Metro 952-935-3515 SERVING PEOPLE STATEWIDE www.accracare.org Made possible by members of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association since 1901 | Volume 119, Number 1 Fall 2019 4 Editor's Note 5 Letters 6 About Campus The Carlson School celebrates 100 years; statue research at the Capitol 13 Discoveries Alumnus Cavan Reilly fghts Ebola. By Elizabeth Foy Larsen Plus: U forms Rare Disease Advisory Council By Lynette Lamb 20 Coaching Generation Z Student athletes respond better to nurture 20 than negativity. By Dan Emerson Focusing on Food 26 U alumni, researchers, and Native communities work to improve nutrition for American Indian people. By Kelly O’Hara Dyer 34 Alumnus Andrew Rescorla turned a basement into a farm. By J. Trout Lowen 36 Alumni Steve and Deb Zeller create award-winning wine. By Joel Hoekstra 38 Senior Fellow Brenda Langton on why what we eat makes us who we are. By Cathy Madison 40 Arts: The Art of Craf Alumna Sarah Schultz helms the American 26 Craf Council. By Elizabeth Foy Larsen 42 History: The Hand of the Potter Professor Warren MacKenzie shaped both clay and students. By Tim Brady 44 Of the Shelf: Our quarterly books roundup Tales from the city and Somali stories By Lynette Lamb 46 Alumni Stories Film pro Scott Burns, Tutu Fellowship winner Marcia Ashong, and Deputy Attorney General John Keller 51 Stay Connected Thank you, Alumni Leadership Circle! 60 The Last Word 49 A look back at “U High” By Thomas Jones Cover art by Jessica Gokey. See page 32 for more information. This page image credits, from top: James Olstein, Kristina Barker, Erica Loeks Sutherland McNamara Alumni Center University of Minnesota BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Laura Moret, ’76, ’81 Chair-Elect Mark Jessen, ’85 Past Chair Douglas Huebsch, ’85 200 Oak Street S.E., Suite 100 • Minneapolis, MN 55455 Treasurer Scott Wallace, ’80 Secretary Roshini Rajkumar, ’97 President and CEO Lisa Lewis Eric Brotten, ’03, ‘03 Joshua Clancy, ‘20 “Having our wedding at Michael Clausman, ‘02 Carol Johnson Dean, ’80, ’97 McNamara was such a dream!” Patrick Duncanson, ’83 Joan T. A. Gabel Chad Haldeman, ‘08 Alumni Association Nadia Hasan, ‘02, ‘06 Mina Kian, ‘20 Life Members receive Maureen Kostial, ‘71 Matt Kramer, ‘84 $100-$300 off their Colleen Flaherty Manchester wedding package. Peter Martin, ’00 Akira Nakamura, ’92 Emilia Ndely, ’11 Call today for a tour Peyton N. Owens, III or visit our website to Roger Reinert, ‘18 Jason Rohlof, ’94 check available dates, Kathy Schmidlkofer, ‘97 Ann Sheldon, ’88, ’04 view photos, and Betsy Vohs, ‘04 sample floorplans. Anthony (Tony) Wagner, ’96 UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA 20: GOVERNANCE 20 President Joan T.A. Gabel in le Board of Regents ilab 9 va ay Kendall J. Powell, chair A , M . 10 Steven Sviggum, vice chair w ay Oct No rd + Thomas Anderson, ’80 atu t. 5 S ep Richard Beeson, ’76 y, S rda Mary Davenport tu Kao Ly llean Her, ’94 Sa Michael Hsu, ’88 Mike Kenyanya Janie Mayeron, ’73, ’76 David McMillan, ’83, ’87 Darrin Rosha, ’90, ’91, ’93, ’96 Randy Simonson, ‘81 To join or renew, change your address, or get information about membership, go to UMNAlumni.org or contact us at: McNamara Alumni Center “The University of Minnesota has been such an integral 200 Oak St. SE, Suite 200 Minneapolis, MN 55455-2040 part of our lives and our relationship that it felt like such Photos by Grace V. Photography 800-862-5867 a natural fit to get married at McNamara. We couldn’t 612-624-2323 have been happier with how the day turned out.” [email protected] — RACHEL & ALEX SCHWEGMAN, U OF M ALUMNI The University of Minnesota Alumni Association is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employ ment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, handicap, age, veteran status, or sexual orientation. 612-624-9831 www.mac-events.org [D] Park Dental W . it ay h U e w every smile of th Over 45 convenient Twin Cities, greater Minnesota and western Wisconsin locations. Visit us online to Early morning and evening appointments. fnd your dentist Preferred provider for most insurance companies. and schedule an Locally owned by dentists who care.* appointment today. *107 of our 126 dentists are University of Minnesota alumni. parkdental.com Trusted dentist for the A EDITOR'S NOTE Back at the U EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING President and CEO Lisa Lewis MY FIRST BRUSH WITH THE U—although I certainly Editor didn’t know it at the time—was as a child growing up Kelly O’Hara Dyer on a farm in far southwestern Minnesota. I was in 4-H, Senior Editor a program ably run by the U of M Extension service Elizabeth Foy Larsen to provide sometimes-isolated farm kids with both a Copy Editor social outlet and a way to learn contemporary ag tech- Susan Maas niques. I’m proud to report that despite a particularly Contributing Writers obstinate young heifer calf named Daisy, who dragged Tim Brady me willy-nilly about the show ring at my local county Dan Emerson fair, I still possess a sympathy blue ribbon for my program eforts. Joel Hoekstra The second time I encountered the U and the frst time I stepped foot Thomas Jones Lynette Lamb on the Twin Cities campus was during the summer of 1980, just prior to my J. Trout Lowen senior year of high school. I had been invited to attend a journalism boot Susan Maas camp designed for incoming editors of high school newspapers. The camp Cathy Madison ofered me and my fellow editors-in-training a chance to stay in the U dorms for a few days while we traipsed around campus goggling at both the build- Art Director Kristi Anderson ings and “the city.” It also gave us an opportunity to hear from a variety of Two Spruce Design journalism school professors about how we might best wield a pen in service Senior Director of Marketing of our respective audiences. Lisa Huber Some of my memories of that stay are absolutely crystalline: We visited Advertising the old James Ford Bell Museum near University and Church to poke Send inquiries to around among the dioramas, then stayed to watch the terrible but cult clas- [email protected] sic movie Plan 9 from Outer Space. I also remember walking in a laughing, or call 612-626-1417 hungry horde over to Sammy D’s restaurant to meet the legendary Mama D for a little coddling and red-sauce-rich spaghetti. Perhaps my most vivid WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU recollection is hopping onto the back of a cute boy’s motorcycle in a parking Minnesota Alumni lot behind my dorm and pressing the inside of my shorts-clad leg frmly McNamara Alumni Center 200 Oak St. SE, Suite 200 against the screaming-hot mufer. (That particular move is, unfortunately, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455-2040 burned into my memory.) 612-624-2323 As a sort of shy, bookish, longing-to-be writer, the few days I spent here umnalumni.org at the U many years ago gave me my frst chance to meet others who also Send letters and comments to hoped to someday make a living telling stories. [email protected] In both subtle and not so subtle ways, the U has played a unique role in shaping who I became as an adult, as it has for so many people, even those Minnesota Alumni (ISSN 2473-5086) is published four times yearly—in who are not part of the traditional student experience. September, December, March, and And now, I’m grateful to be here, sitting in the editor’s chair, looking June—by the University of Minnesota forward to sharing meaningful, important stories with you. Alumni Association, 200 Oak St SE, Suite 200, Minneapolis, MN 55455-2040. It’s good to be back. a Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, Minnesota, and additional mailing ofces. Kelly O’Hara Dyer can be reached at [email protected]. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Minnesota Alumni, McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak St SE, Suite 200, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455-2040 © 2019 University of Minnesota Alumni Association Scott Streble 4 MINNESOTA ALUMNI Fall 2019 LETTERS Attention ’09, ’14 Alumni Career Survey Are you an alumnus/a who graduated in 2009 or 2014? The U of M has partnered with the Career Leader- ship Collective to conduct a national online survey of career choices at fve and 10 years post-graduation. The National Alumni Career Mobil- “Was I the First?” ing in 2009 at age 75. Now, at 86, I con- ity Survey (NACM) is open through In “Everybody Wants to Live Some- tinue to be involved with my profession November 2019.