smsu_focus_fall07
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C ELEBRATING 40 YEARS ! REC construction alumni achievement southwest news from iraq dean sinclair A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF SOUTHWEST MIINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITYTRANSCRIPT
Southwest ’s h is tor y i s ce lebrated with a new mura l in the Alumni Her i tage Gal ler y, locatedon the second f loor of the Student Center. Revis i t your Southwest and ce lebrate 40 years .
Published by SMSU Alumni Office1501 State Street • Marshall, MN 56258
Non-profitOrganizationU.S. Postage
PAIDPermit No. 97 Happy Birthday, SMSU!
CELEBRATING 40 YEARS!
A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF SOUTHWEST MIINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY
REC constructionalumni achievementsouthwest news from iraq dean sinclair
Fall07 Focus Cover:Layout 1 12/3/07 1:54 PM Page 1
WRESTLINGJan. 5 Dana Open, Blair, Neb., 9 a.m.Jan. 8 Jamestown (N.D.), Jamestown, N.D., 6 p.m.Jan. 11 Augustana (S.D.), Sioux Falls, S.D., 7 p.m.Jan. 16 St. John’s, MARSHALL, 7 p.m.Jan. 19 Mary *, MARSHALL, 2 p.m.Jan. 26 Central Missouri State Dual, Warrensburg, Mo., 10 a.m.Feb. 2 St. Cloud State, St. Cloud, Minn., 7 p.m.Feb. 3 Concordia-Moorhead, Moorhead, Minn., 2 p.m.Feb. 7 Minnesota State Moorhead *, Moorhead, Minn., 7 p.m.Feb. 9 North Country Open, Collegeville, Minn., 9 a.mFeb. 13 Northern State *, MARSHALL, 7 p.m.Feb. 16 Minnesota State, Mankato, MARSHALL, 7 p.m.Feb. 22 Upper Iowa *, Fayette, Iowa, 7 p.m.Mar. 2 NCAA North Regional, Mankato, Minn., 12 p.m.
MEN’S BASKETBALL Dec. 13 Augustana (S.D.), MARSHALL, 7 p.m.Dec. 16 Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, Minn., 3 p.m.Dec. 20 St. Cloud State, MARSHALL, 7 p.m.Dec. 29 Lynn (Fla.), Boca Raton, Fla., 6 p.m. CSTJan. 4 Winona State *, Winona, Minn., 8 p.m.Jan. 5 Upper Iowa *, Fayette, Iowa, 8 p.m.Jan. 12 Wayne State *, Wayne, Neb., 8 p.m.Jan. 18 MSU Moorhead *, MARSHALL, 8 p.m.Jan. 19 Concordia *, MARSHALL, 8 p.m.Jan. 22 Minnesota State, Mankato, Mankato, Minn., 7 p.m.Jan. 25 Minnesota, Crookston *, MARSHALL, 8 p.m.Jan. 26 Bemidji State *, MARSHALL, 8 p.m.Feb. 1 Mary * , Bismarck, N.D., 8 p.m.Feb. 2 Northern State *, Aberdeen, S.D., 8 p.m.Feb. 8 Upper Iowa *, MARSHALL, 8 p.m.Feb. 9 Winona State *, MARSHALL, 8 p.m.Feb. 16 Wayne State *, MARSHALL, 8 p.m.Feb. 22 Concordia *, St. Paul, Minn., 8 p.m.Feb. 23 MSU Moorhead *, Moorhead, Minn., 8 p.m.Mar. 1 NSIC Tournament, TBAMar. 7-8 NSIC Tournament, TBAMar. 15-18 NCAA Regional, TBAMar. 26-29 NCAA Elite Eight, Springfield, Mass., TBA
WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALLJan. 18 Illinois (women) , Edinboro, Pa. 9 a.m.Jan. 18 Illinois (men) Edinboro, Pa. 12:30 p.m.Jan. 18 Wisconsin-Whitewater Edinboro, Pa. 4 p.m.Jan. 19 Edinboro (Pa.) Edinboro, Pa. 9 a.m.Feb. 1 Alabama Columbia, Mo. TBAFeb. 1 Arizona Columbia, Mo. TBAFeb. 1 Oklahoma State Columbia, Mo. TBAFeb. 2 Texas-Arlington Columbia, Mo. TBAFeb. 2 Missouri Columbia, Mo. TBAFeb. 15 Illinois (women) Champaign, Ill. TBAFeb. 15 Illinois (men) Champaign, Ill. TBAFeb. 16 Edinboro (Pa.) Champaign, Ill. TBAFeb. 16 Wisconsin-Whitewater Champagin, Ill. TBAMar. 13-16 NIWB Tournament Stillwater, Okla. TBA
WOMEN’S BASKETBALLDec. 15 South Dakota Vermillion, S.D. 4 p.m.Dec. 18 Iowa Wesleyan MARSHALL 6 p.m.Dec. 20 Minnesota State, Mankato Mankato, Minn. 6 p.m.Dec. 31 Augustana (S.D.) MARSHALL 3 p.m.Jan. 4 Winona State * Winona, Minn. 6 p.m.Jan. 5 Upper Iowa * Fayette, Iowa 6 p.m.Jan. 12 Wayne State * Wayne, Neb. 6 p.m.Jan. 18 MSU Moorhead * MARSHALL 6 p.m.Jan. 19 Concordia * MARSHALL 6 p.m.Jan. 25 Minnesota, Crookston * MARSHALL 6 p.m.Jan. 26 Bemidji State * MARSHALL 6 p.m.Feb. 1 Mary * Bismarck, N.D. 6 p.m.Feb. 2 Northern State * Aberdeen, S.D. 6 p.m.Feb. 8 Upper Iowa * MARSHALL 6 p.m.Feb. 9 Winona State * MARSHALL 6 p.m.Feb. 16 Wayne State * MARSHALL 6 p.m.Feb. 19 North Central (Minn.) MARSHALL 6 p.m.Feb. 22 Concordia * St. Paul, Minn. 6 p.m.Feb. 23 MSU Moorhead* Moorhead, Minn. 6 p.m.Mar. 1 NSIC Tournament TBA TBAMar. 8 NSIC Tournament TBA TBAMar. 9 NSIC Tournament TBA TBA
* NSIC matchup
Winter Sport SCHEDULES
GOBrown
and Gold!
Fall07 Focus Cover:Layout 1 12/3/07 1:55 PM Page 2
FOCUS MAGAZINE FALL/WINTER 2007 1
A magazine for alumni & friends of Southwest Minnesota State University
Fall/Winter 2007
volume 27 number 1
C O N T E N T S
3 southwest news
5 get to know us
6 an alumnus in iraq
9 campaign for southwest
10 alumni spotlight
11 alumni connections
14 athletics
15 class notes
President Dr. David C. Danahar
Vice President for AdvancementDr. Vincent M. Pellegrino
Executive Director of FoundationBill Mulso ʼ93
Director of Alumni Relations andFocus EditorTyler Bowen ʼ95
DesignerMarcy D. Olson, ʼ93/MBAʼ05
Senior Writer and PhotographerJim Tate
ContributorsStacy Frost ʼ93Sara Granheim ʼ02/MBA ʼ04 Crystal KrugerKelly Loft ʼ97Andy Schlichting ʼ06Front Cover PhotographGreg Devereaux, Devereaux PhotographyInside Back Cover PhotographMenʼs Basketball, courtesy of the MarshallIndependent
Digital graphics courtesy of CottageArts.net
Focus (USPS 565-770) is published twice each year for alumni and friends of SouthwestMinnesota State University by the Alumni Office.
Opinions expressed in Focus do not necessarily reflect official University policy. Sendcorrespondence, name changes and address corrections to: Focus, Alumni Office, SouthwestMinnesota State University, 1501 State Street, Marshall, MN 56258 or call (507) 537-6266.
Focus is not copyrighted. Unless otherwise noted, articles may be reprinted without permission ifcredit is given to Southwest Minnesota State University.
Southwest Minnesota State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action educator andemployer. Southwest Minnesota State University is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges andUniversities system.
This document can be made available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities. Pleasemake your request by calling 507-537-6266, 1-800-260-0970, or through the Minnesota RelayService at 1-800-627-3529.
from the provost
2 FALL/WINTER 2007 FOCUS MAGAZINE
2 0 0 7 - 2 0 0 8 Alumni Board of DirectorsYourPresident
Bruce Bossuyt ’96
Sioux Falls, SD
Vice President
Amanda Romaine ’03
St. Cloud, MN
Secretary/Treasurer
Deb Mitlyng ’85
Marshall, MN
Karen VanKeulen ’87
Ghent, MN
G. David Peterson ’75
West Des Moines, IA
Paula Wolter ’91/’00
Windom, MN
Sedric McClure ’94
Brooklyn Park, MN
Chuck Larsen ’75
Minneapolis, MN
Jason Mortvedt ’78
Blue Earth, MN
Carole Toft-Ness ’80
Hendricks, MN
Dr. Jim Walters ’89
Rochester, MN
Michelle Anderson ’88
Rochester, MN
Jan Nelson ’73
Redwood Falls, MN
Robert Walker ’98/MBA’04
Marshall, MN
Jason Hoffman ’99
Faribault, MN
Executive Director
Tyler Bowen ’95
Marshall, MN
Dear Alumni and Friends,
As you will see in this issue of FOCUS, the SMSUstory continues with a year-long celebration of ourforty years of educating students. This semesteralone, the celebration has encompassed musicaltributes, gallery exhibits, our first-ever Ag Bowl,alumni gatherings, and the publication of FarmingWords: The Harvest of Literature at a PrairieCollege.
Underpinning all of this is the realization that wehave changed… and changed, and changed. Forty,whether for an institution or an individual, denotes acertain stage of maturation. In fact, author WillaCather said that she didn’t think her works could beunderstood by anyone under forty. What are SMSU’snew understandings about itself and our mission,now that we are coming of age?
For one, a number of us have been noting lately thatwe have now built a critical mass of alumni andfriends. It seems that wherever we go, we meetpeople with connections to SMSU. In a store inMinneapolis recently, a woman asked me where I wasfrom. Marshall. Her son, she said, had graduatedfrom SMSU. I recognized his name and realizedwhen she showed me his picture that he had been inone of my classes. This mother glowed, telling mehow SMSU transformed her son’s life. Thiscommunity understands that transformation is whatwe are about.
On campus, we are continually engaged intransforming our university to meet the needs of ourever-changing environment. Faculty are carefullycrafting a new liberal arts core to continue tostrengthen the overall impact of an SMSU education,answering the call to graduate students who, in thewords of Carol Schneider, president of the AmericanAssociation of Colleges and Universities, “developbig-picture understanding and sophisticatedintellectual capacities, as well as the practical acumento get things done in the real world.” As I write this,faculty are preparing students to present their workat the second annual Undergraduate ResearchConference. Our business and education faculty, inaddition to serving large numbers of majors on-campus, travel either physically or via technology toserve educational needs around the entire state ofMinnesota. We are proud, as well, to offer newprograms in Agronomy, Culinology, and ProfessionalWriting.
We appreciate your eagerness to continue to be a partof our story. Your energy, ideas, and generosity tell usthat the work of our university community is notonly valuable, but essential. Write to us. Call. Tell ushow we transformed your life.
Best wishes, as always,
Beth Weatherby
MESSAGE FROM THE PROVOST
southwest news
When Jon Wefald returned to Southwest onMay 12 to deliver the 2007commencement address, it was like
coming home. He also received an honorarydoctorate from the University during theceremonies.
Wefald served as the third president at SouthwestMinnesota State University and is the man creditedwith saving the university when things got tough inthose early years.
Wefald was honored with a reception upon hisarrival on May 11, where a street sign bearing hisname was unveiled. “Wefald Drive” is now the nameof the street that runs in front of Founders Hall.
He was president from 1977-1982, and iscurrently the president of Kansas State University.
“When I arrived at SSU, I saw a place ofpotential and upside,” he said. “I am somebody thatbelieves one person can make a difference,” he said,echoing the First Year Experience theme thisacademic year. “America was built by those whothought they could make a difference. I thought if Icould go (to SSU) and unite the faculty andadministration, and then the campus andcommunity, that it could galvanize southwestMinnesota.”
Wefald is best remembered as the president whogot to know every back road in the area. Hepersonally visited each high school within a 90-mileradius of Marshall, talking to potential students andspreading the word about the university while hebuilt bridges with the community and region.
Where there was an audience that would listen,Wefald was there. After talking at high schoolsduring the day, he would speak to civic groups in theevenings — area chambers of commerce, Rotary
clubs, farmers’unions. He was awalking, talkingbillboard for theuniversity, and histireless effortssoon paiddividends.
Freshmanenrollmentincreased at SSU40 percent afterhis first year. “Wegot momentum,” he said. “We reunitedadministration and faculty, got the image changed.We had all new relationships, and we restoredhope.”
He left SSU to become chancellor of theMinnesota State University System, as it was knownbefore technical and community colleges and sevenfour-year institutions combined under the MinnesotaState Colleges and Universities umbrella. Prior tocoming to SSU, Wefald was the state’s agriculturecommissioner and before that, a history professor atGustavus Adolphus.
Wefald now heads an institution that leads thenation’s public universities in the total number ofRhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater and Udallscholarship winners. Its enrollment has increasedsteadily each year, and it has become a Big 12Conference athletic power.
He thoroughly enjoyed his visit back to theuniversity he helped build. “I have many goodfriends at SMSU,” he said. “I love Minnesota withall my heart.”
Wefald Returns to Southwest in May
Senior Travis Berg and Dr. Steve Kramer travel to Oxford
Jon Wefald, right, reunites withfaculty members Jack Hickerson,left, and Ed Carberry, center.
Dr. Steve Kramer
FOCUS MAGAZINE FALL/WINTER 2007 3
Some professors never have the honor ofpresenting a paper at prestigious OxfordUniversity in England.
SMSU senior Philosophy and History majorTravis Berg has done it already.
The Clarkfield native presented a paper at theOxford Symposium on Food and Cookery on Sept.8-9. He was accompanied by Philosophy ProfessorDr. Steve Kramer, who also presented a paper.
Berg’s paper was entitled “From Rules toPrinciples: The Transformation of a JewishAgricultural Ethic.” Kramer’s paper was entitled“How Clean is Your Plate?”
It was Kramer who mentioned the Oxfordsymposium to Berg. Berg submitted his paper forconsideration, and it was accepted.
Berg plans on attending Concordia TheologicalSeminary in Fort Wayne, Ind., next year. He is aspiritual young man who would like to eventually geta doctorate in either philosophic theology or historictheology.
Berg describes Oxford as “very cosmopolitan. Youhear many languages there. It’s a very worldly townwith a deep history that you can just feel. You readabout places like that, but you don’t get the fullexperience unless you go.”
And while the enormity of Berg’s accomplishmentmay not hit him for a while, it is not lost on Kramer.
“For a student at SMSU to deliver a paper atOxford is huge,” Kramer said. “Most professors seekout this opportunity and rarely get it, and here wehave a student who was selected.”
Travis Berg in England
F-Hall Residence Hall is beingdemolished to make way for anew residence hall on campus.Construction crews began takingdown F-Hall in October.Desiderata, Vivarium and CasaFutura houses made up F-Hall.A three-story, 250-bed residencehall will take its place, accordingto Cyndi Holm, FacilitiesDirector at SMSU.
4 FALL/WINTER 2007 FOCUS MAGAZINE
southwest news
A familiar face has been named provost atSouthwest Minnesota State University.
Dr. Beth Weatherby, former dean of the Collegeof Arts, Letters & Sciences, was named provost bySMSU President Dr. David Danahar. She beganher duties July 1.
Weatherby replaces Dr. Ray Lou, who retired atthe end of the 2006-2007 academic year.
The provost is the chief academic officer atSMSU and the number two administrator at theuniversity. The provost is in charge of Academicand Student Affairs.
Weatherby had been the dean of the College ofArts, Letters & Sciences since March 2004. Shewas interim dean from July 2002 - Feb. 2004.
She came to SMSU in 1992 as an assistantprofessor of English. She was the Creative Writingdirector from 1992 through 2000.
She received her Doctor of Arts in English andCreative Writing from the University of New Yorkat Albany in 1992. She has a B.S. in Journalismfrom Northwestern University’s Medill School of
Journalism, Evanston, Ill.Weatherby won the President’s Exceptional
Performance Award in 2005 and 2006, and was aMinnesota Book Award winner for Short Fiction in1998 for her work, Small Invasions. She was aSalzburg Seminar Fellow in 1998, and in 1997received a Loft-McKnight Artist Fellowship inCreative Prose.
She is a co-founder of the Women’s StudiesProgram and the New Works Faculty Forum atSMSU, and is on numerous campus andcommunity boards and committees.
“I’m very honored to be named the provost atSMSU,” said Weatherby. “The university isheading in a positive direction under the guidanceof President Danahar, and I look forward to thisnew challenge.”
Dr. Betsy Desy has been named the interimDean of the College of Arts, Letters and Sciences.Dr. Gerry Toland has been named interim Dean ofDistance Learning. He replaces Dr. John Bowden,who retired.
Four hundred high school juniors from acrossthe state of Minnesota made SMSU their home fora week this past June when the university hostedthe annual Boys State event.
SMSU was awarded the annual gathering for fiveyears through a bidding process and according toMike Bredeck, one of the event coordinators, theuniversity was a tremendous host.
“SMSU really went out of its way to make surethat things went smoothly,” said Bredeck.“Everything about Boys State went well, and wehave Southwest to thank for that. It proved to be a
great host, and we’re looking forward to havingboys state the next four years.”
Boys State is an exercise in democracy. Each boyis assigned to a city, and the boys may then run forany number of offices, from mayor to governor.
The week-long event includes hands-ongovernment, from the endorsing process to acandidates’ convention. Boys learn about thedemocratic process in a fun setting that keeps thembusy from sun-up to sun-down.
There is a Boys State choir and band, a dailynewspaper, athletic contests, and an impressive listof speakers who kept the participants informed andentertained during the week. Former Gov. Al Quiemade an appearance, a Boys State first, saidBredeck.
The boys represented various American Legionposts from across the state. While at SMSU, theynot only learned about how a democraticgovernment works, they were also exposed to whatSMSU has to offer. The SMSU Foundation willaward scholarships to any Boys State participantwho chooses to attend SMSU.
“It’s a real win-win for the university,” said MartySeifert, House minority leader and an SMSUadmissions counselor. “We have the best and thebrightest on our campus, and we want to make agood impression on them.”
Weatherby takes the lead as Provost
Southwest hosts its first Boys State event in June
B
F-HallGoodbye
Xavier Pastrano
David Pichaske
Wanda Paluch
As far as Wanda Paluch is concerned, it’s thestudents who make her job so enjoyable.
Paluch is the cashier in the Business Servicesoffice, a position she has held since February 1999.She is the person who students see when they paytheir bills.
“The day-to-day contact I have with the studentsis my favorite part of the job,” she said. “Somestudents will come in and just chat. I love thoseopportunities. I enjoy getting to know the students,watching them progress during their time here.”
Wanda and her husband Mark live in Ivanhoeand are the parents of five children ranging in agefrom 15 to 25. She is a Clarkfield native whoattended the University of Minnesota-Morris.
Prior to coming to SMSU, she was a grain
elevator bookkeeper in Hendricks.“I wanted to get back into a campus atmosphere.
I really missed that,” she said.She strives to give students the personal attention
that sets SMSU apart. “I try to read the students. Isthis the question they are asking, or are they askingsomething else? Are they worried about somethingthat I can help with? It’s all part of the job.”
She enjoys being a problem-solver. “Studentsoften have questions. They want someone to talkto, answer their questions. They know they cancome and ask us. We tell them not to worry, wedon’t bite.”
Away from the job, she enjoys Norwegianhardanger embroidery. “It’s a fairly formal andtraditional form of embroidery,” she said.
Xavier Pastrano on being an individual at SMSU
Wanda Paluch enjoys the contact with students
Xavier Pastrano is happiest when he is writingmusic.
“It’s therapy for me,” he said. “I try to find a wayof putting what’s happened in my life into song.”
The senior Creative Writing major from SiouxFalls, S.D. has released one album already, entitled“Out of the Shadows Into the Light.” He plans ongetting into the studio during Christmas break andrecording a second, including eight songs he’swritten recently.
He is musically talented, but admits to not beingable to read music very well. “I play the guitar, bass,drums, do vocals and dabble in piano,” he said.“I’m not that good at the technical aspect of music,but I do enjoy it.”
He plays coffeehouses in the Sioux Falls area,and has performed in Marshall, as well.
Pastrano came to SMSU due to a couple offriends who told him about the university. “Itsounded like a good fit for me, and it has been,” hesaid.
He’s involved with Drama Club and theatreproductions, and has enjoyed his time at SMSU. “Ilike the small-town atmosphere,” he said. “I camefrom a smaller high school (Sioux Falls O’Gorman)and I like being known as an individual as far as theprofessors go. I’ve made a ton of new friends, and Iwould not trade it for anything. It’s been a blast.”
After graduating in May, he plans on getting hismaster’s and doctorate in Creative Writing so hecan teach fiction writing and screen writing at thecollege level.
He is the son of Radmon and Judith Pastrano ofSioux Falls.
SMSU was ahead of its time from thebeginning. That’s what drew the Englishprofessor Dave Pichaske to Marshall in 1981.
“It was ahead of the curve in two areas — ruralstudies and women’s athletics,” said Pichaske. “Wewere doing 30 years ago what everyone is interestedin today.”
Pichaske is a man of the ’60s and considershimself something of a Bob Dylan aficionado. Hedescribes his personality as a bit irreverent,“something we need more of today,” he said. Heowns a publishing company, Ellis Press and SpoonRiver Poetry Press, and has authored, edited,collaborated and assisted with many books over theyears.
Pichaske is a Buffalo, N.Y. native who grew upnear Philadelphia. He made his way to the Midwestwhen he earned his master’s and Ph.D. at OhioUniversity. “I like the Midwest. I like open spaces
and the values of the people here.”Learning about other places and people intrigues
Pichaske, who loves to travel and write about theplaces he’s seen. His favorite place is Mongolia, butGermany, Poland and Latvia are not far behind.
Pichaske’s latest publishing effort is acollaboration with English professor Bill Holm on abook entitled “Farming Words: The Harvest ofLiterature at a Prairie College.” It includes fiction,poetry, essays, memoir, “anything that qualifies asliterature,” said Pichaske.
The book is split into three sections and includeswritings by mentors, former faculty and students atSMSU, and friends of the University. “This is Bill’sbook, I did the technical stuff,” said Pichaske.
The book is available with a donation to theSMSU Foundation, which will go towardscholarships for SMSU students. It is available bycalling 507-537-6266.
David Pichaske teaching and telling the stories of Midwest
get to know us
FOCUS MAGAZINE FALL/WINTER 2007 5
6 FALL/WINTER 2007 FOCUS MAGAZINE
You’ve heard of the movie “An American
in Paris.” If a movie were made about
Dean Sinclair—and it could be—it would
be entitled “An Alumnus in Baghdad.”
Sinclair has been in Iraq since March of 2004, working for the Iraqi companyALMCO Group as a project director. He’s not a member of the U.S. military,though it is the military that ALMCO Group does the majority of its business.
“The last two years I’ve been bringing new projects in. I do the businessdevelopment. I smooth the deal,” he said.
As one of the few Americans working for the company, it’s his job to make surethe ALMCO Group bids make sense to the American eyes that read the proposals.
“I write proposals for new work, and our client is always either the U.S.government or a U.S. contractor. ALMCO Group provides the best life support tothe U.S. military in Iraq. That is not bragging.”
ALMCO provides about 15,000 meals per day to Iraqi prisoners. The companyalso builds life support camps for the U.S. and Iraqi military.
“All of this work is started with a contract and to get to that point, the U.S. JointContracting Command reviews our proposal and selects it in a competitive process.Depending on the size of the project, these proposals can get pretty big — severalvolumes. I help make sure our written descriptions are understandable to Americanminds. I also look for new business, and right now, business is rolling in fast.”
One recent project has resulted in the employment of 1,500 Iraqis. “It involvestemporary professional service people right here in the International Zone.” Thinkof it as a Kelly service project. “Accounting, housekeeping, facilities management,but also logistics, whatever the client wants, we do,” he said.
He travels all over Iraq as part of his job. “It feels like my residence is either theInternational Zone or the Baghdad airport. I’ll take military helicopters to manyplaces.”
Top photo: Dean Sinclair is shown at Abraham's home area, called Ur, two hours south of Baghdad.Bottom photo: Sinclair is shown with the first U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte.
Dean Sinclair
The International Zone is a military guardedarea in Baghdad. It used to be referred to asthe Green Zone.
ALMCO projects run the gamut, from sewerand septic and electric installation to thebuilding and operation of entire camps.
“We built an Iraqi training camp for 1,700Iraqi military not long ago, a gift from the U.S.government to Iraq,” said Sinclair.
The camp consists of a community oftrailers. “There’s no such thing as nice streets.The roads are gravel,” he explained. “Thetrailers aren’t palaces, they are trailers. Baghdadis a city of trailers.”
ALMCO Group has grown by leaps andbounds since its beginning in 2003. Itwas started by an Iraqi who left thecountry with his family when he wasyoung. He grew up in Kuwait and laterEngland and became a businessman. Hereturned to Iraq in 2003 to start thecompany, and it has grown from sixpeople and a $500 job hauling water to a$200 million company and over 4,400employees. Ninety-seven percent of theemployees are Iraqi. “I think there areonly three or four Americans,” saidSinclair.
Most of Sinclair’s career has been as agovernment service contractor. “I’m proudof what I have done,” he said. “Themilitary has never functioned very wellwithout the hands of contractors.”
He jokes with a friend that if the war in Iraqwas left to contractors, “it would be overalready at one-tenth of the cost.”
He has helped start and coordinate servicecontracts all over the U.S., and projects haveincluded facilities maintenance,transportation, security, ground maintenanceand housekeeping.
“Contractors are called on to do a numberof interesting things,” he said, mentioning amaintenance contract he oversaw at theFederal Law Enforcement Training Center
in New Mexico. “We maintained two indoorfiring ranges the size of a football field, threepassenger jets used to train Air Marshals, a lawenforcement driving courses, field ranges,shoot houses and a barn that used to getassaulted about once a week,” he said.
Life in Iraq is drastically different from thefarm he grew up on north of Wabasso.
His closest friends are Iraqi citizens. “The
Iraqis are very hospitable,” he said. “Thatprobably seems funny, being in the middle of awar and everything.” It’s the generosity of thepeople that strikes a visitor, he said. “If you sitdown in their home, I guarantee they’ll put thenicest cup of tea they have in front of you, andthey are going to make sure you get the bestfood or snack they have in the house, andthey’ll insist you stay for dinner.”
Most Iraqis, he feels, consider America a“great liberator, a big brother,” he said. “I havemany Iraqi friends and it is common in thisculture for men and women to expressaffection by saying ‘habibi’ or ‘I love you.’ It isnot just men and women but everybody whouses the phrase. When men or women say‘habibi’ to you, it brings joy and delight. I getthat all the time. The work we do isappreciated by the Iraqis. Under Saddam,everything was controlled.”
The International Zone where Sinclair livesin Baghdad is safe, he said. “The greatestdanger is from rocket attacks, and they areineffective,” he said. “Most living areas in theinternational zone are honeycombed withconcrete ‘T-wall’ barriers that really limit theblast range of a rocket. I would have more realfear riding a bicycle along a busy roadway inAmerica.
“People handle it in many ways. Most peopledon’t live with a high sense of impendingdoom over here.”
The violence he sees has affected himpersonally. “Yes, I’ve lost friends here,” he said.
Iraqi citizens at times feel helpless, he said.“They feel, in a way, there is no way to stop theviolence that exists at so many different levels.There is also a tremendous amount of violencefrom Syria, Iran, even Jordan, Saudi Arabia,Egypt and Palestine. All of those differentcountries in this part of the world are sendingterrorist insurgents here. I’ve personally seensome of the ways they are smuggled into thecountry. It’s not really smuggling. The U.S.borders with Canada and Mexico are moreclosed and secure than what the Iraq bordershave ever been. These are hired guns, well-armed and well trained from other countries,and they are knowledgeable about how to moveabout here.”
When he first arrived in Baghdad, he livedoutside of the International Zone. “I think it’sironic that right after I arrived, you could liveout there,” he said. “But after Saddam fell, it
FOCUS MAGAZINE FALL/WINTER 2007 7
8 FALL/WINTER 2007 FOCUS MAGAZINE
Dean Sinclair
switched from a conventional war — one withbombs, airplanes, tanks — to a guerilla war, sofor security reasons, I moved into theInternational Zone.”
Iraqis are an educated people, said Sinclair,which has helped him communicate. “I speakwoefully little Arabic considering I have beenhere over three years. I can greet people andsurprise them with an occasional phrase, but Icould not function out on the street with myknowledge of Arabic. A very high percentageof local people speak English well enough toget business done and hold simpleconversations.”
The food he eats in Iraq has grown on himover the years. “I really like kabobs and sabuli. Ilove the Iraqi/Middle Eastern rice. And theyhave great tea, but it is too sweet for my taste; itis much like the sweet tea in the South in theU.S. Nothing beats grandma’s Minnesotahotdish followed by a piece of rhubarb pie.”
He ended up in Iraq after a friend he hadworked with on several U.S. projects gave hima call. “I trusted him, so I looked into it,” hesaid.
It’s been a real education ever since.“The culture is different, it’s a very liberal
culture, a secular Muslim culture,” he said. “Iwould say the majority of the people are notreligiously tied to being Muslims. It’s sort oflike their heritage, what they’ve known forever.You don’t find a lot of people going tomosques, for instance. In some ways, I see theirculture, religiously, a lot like ours – we could beconsidered a Christian nation but the majorityof people don’t go to church.”
He had to learn the customs of the people. “Iwas taught before I came over there not to sitwith your legs crossed with the bottom of yourfoot facing someone, that’s a social no-no,” hesaid. He would on occasion forget. “I’d catchmyself and sit up and apologize. If I did notbring it up, they would not think much of it.Some of those things that might have beenimportant in the past aren’t so much today.”
Sinclair is a Presbyterian and a music leaderduring weekly religious services. “I can’t go to aPresbyterian church to worship, but I have tosay the chaplain corps is very dedicated toserving the spiritual needs of our soldiers. Ihave been very impressed,” he said.
Although he’s come to know the country andits people, he does miss the U.S. “I miss thefreedom to move about. The InternationalZone is a fairly small place,” he said.
As for the Americanization of Baghdad,he sees some of that. “We have what has tobe the biggest Starbucks in the world here,”he said with a chuckle.
He also misses his family and keeps themapprised of life in Iraq with e-mails.
His parents are Dean and the late PatriciaSinclair. “My dad was Dean N. I am DeanW.,” he said.
The farm he grew up on is still in thefamily. He has three brothers and two sisters,and there have close family ties to SMSU.Brothers Mike and Kevin and sister, SandraFuhr — the SMSU Librarian — all attendedSMSU.
“It was a good educational experience forme. I’m convinced a person can get a goodeducation if they are willing to put forththe effort.”
Sinclair attended SSU for three yearsbefore taking three years off to join thearmy. He returned for his senior year,graduating in 1980 with a degree inHealth.
Upon graduation, he started ingovernment service contracting inWashington state. Other stops haveincluded Arizona, California (twice),Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota and New Mexicobefore taking the job with ALMCO Group.“Most of my jobs in the U.S. wereenvironmental safety and health related,” hesaid.
He has four children and likes to say heordered them from a catalog. “They areperfect,” he said about Jessica Bevis,Tallahassee, Fla.; Luke, Granite, Okla.;Nathanael, San Diego, Calif.; and Adria,Knoxville, Tenn.
His advice to the people back home? “Witheverything that’s going on here, there is stillroom for optimism for the future of Iraq. Youlook back at its history, there has always beenupheaval here. I have met some lovely,wonderful people, some of the finest you’ll everwant to meet. Circumstances have put thecountry where it is today.”
9 FALL/WINTER 2007 FOCUS MAGAZINE
campaign for southwest
The Habstritt sisters grew up in a home that valued education.“My grandfather had a country school on his property, and my parents
insisted that all of us girls go to college” said Marilyn (Habstritt)McLaughlin.
It was that love of education that led the Habstritt sisters — BarbaraHabstritt, Eileen (Habstritt) Jones and Marilyn (Habstritt) McLaughlin —to create the Habstritt Family Endowed Scholarship through the SMSUFoundation.
“My grandparents, Frank and Caroline Habstritt, homesteaded nearMaynard in the late 1880s,” said Marilyn, a member of the SMSUFoundation Board of Directors. “There was no high school in Maynard atthat time, so his children went to Granite Falls on the train to school.”
Her parents, Clayton and Martha Habstritt, knew the value of aneducation. “They were very pro-education. My parents had four girls, andthey insisted on a college education. They didn’t ask what we wanted tobe, just told us ‘You are going to college,’ so we did.”
Three sisters ended up in education. Eileen taught English inRochester, Barbara taught home economics in Oshkosh, Wis., andMarilyn taught third grade in Marshall.
A fourth sister, Shirley (Habstritt) Scheef, was a dental hygienist anddied in 1983. She was the only one of the sisters who had children. Oneof her daughters, Patti Scheef, is an SSU graduate.
“Education was important to my parents and grandparents, so thisscholarship was created to honor them,” said Marilyn.
The scholarship is for a full-time student, with preference given to astudent from MACCRAY High School majoring in Education. All theHabstritt sisters graduated from Raymond High School in the 1950s.Raymond is now a part of the MACCRAY consolidation. If no studentfrom MACCRAY High School is eligible, preference goes to a student-athlete majoring in Education.
Marilyn and her husband Ron are big Mustang fans, and know howimportant scholarships are to students attending SMSU. “It’s hard forstudents today to juggle school work, a job, and activities they areinvolved with,” said Marilyn. “We wanted to help in some way. Since theHabstritt family has been involved with education so deeply over theyears, this was a good way.”
Habstritt Sisters leave their Legacy
The Campaign for Southwest, a $17.2 million dollar fund-raisingcampaign to build support for Southwest Minnesota State University, isgaining momentum.
With the generosity of our alumni and friends, this campaign willprovide additional resources essential to the continued success of ourgifted and talented students. Additional resources will assist theUniversity in continuing to build distinctive, signature programs suitedto students’ talents and aligned with the workforce needs of a diverseand knowledge-based society. While supporting student and facultyopportunities for research, networking, and interactive learning, thecampaign will also focus on modernizing facilities to enhance all of theUniversity’s learning environments.
The Southwest Minnesota State University Foundation is proudlycommitted to raising funds in support of SMSU. With the help ofcountless alumni, friends, faculty and staff we can continue to achievegreat things at Southwest. Your gift is vital to Southwest and now youcan have an impact on your favorite program or activity.
For more information on how you can make a contribution to TheCampaign for Southwest, contact the SMSU Foundation at 1-800-260-0970 or via the web at www.smsufoundation.org
Campaign for Southwest
From left, Habstritt Sisters: Barbara, Eileen, and Marilyn.
Goal: $17.2
$16.9
$1.8$2.2
$12.9
When the credits role at the end of amovie such as “Pirates of the Caribbean,”“Austin Powers: The Spy Who ShaggedMe” or “Spiderman,” many people don’tpay attention. But it is there you’ll find thename of 1972 SMSC Theatre graduateDavid Schmalz.
The Windom, Minn., native works in Hollywood, where he rubs elbowswith some of Tinseltown’s biggest names as a video assistant operator.
A video assistant operator works behind the scenes digitally recordingwhat the movie cameras shoot each day on the set.
“There is a little video camera inside the film camera, and we record on acomputer what each camera films. We do video and audio,” he said.
That allows people to see immediately what has been shot. “They don’thave to wait for film to be developed. It’s digital, and they see what eachshot looks like. We create a little mobile studio for each location.”
That helps producers, directors, wardrobe, hair and makeup people seewhat each scene looks like.
He said there are usually between one to three sets of monitors during amovie shoot. “During the course of a movie, we create a library ofeverything that’s shot. Often we might shoot another part of the movie amonth earlier, so we have to keep track of the scene numbers.”
He’s worked with names like Robert Redford, Rob Reiner, MorganFreeman and Jack Nicholson, to name just a few. Recent projects include a
Redford movie about the Iraq war entitled “Lions for Lambs” and the latestIndiana Jones film.
Each director is different in how they structure work days. “Some go sixto eight hours, others go 14 hours a day. It can be hectic and chaotic.”
He looks back at his time at SMSC with fondness. “It was a newcollege, I thought it would be an interesting place to go.”
Being a theatre major was the farthest thing from his mind at the start ofhis college career. “I was in one high school play,” he said. “I didn’t have amajor, I took a couple of years to figure out what it was that I had the mostfun at in college. I was in two plays at that point, enjoyed it, and I thought Imight try Theatre.”
He probably wouldn’t be where he is today had he gotten the job as thefirst executive director of the Southwest Minnesota Arts and HumanitiesCouncil. “I was one of the ones who helped get it started. I applied to bethe first executive director but didn’t get it,” he said.
Schmalz left Marshall and attended the California Institute of the Artsand, later, the American Film Institute. As it is often the case inHollywood, he broke into the business through friendships he developedwhile attending those two institutions.
Hollywood is a long way from his hometown of Windom, but he neverloses sight of the fact he’s a Midwest boy with Midwest values. “Everyonethinks it’s so glamorous. It’s not. You work in terrible locations so manytimes, long days, lots of travel, and a hectic work environment. People getin awe when they hear you work in Hollywood. But it’s a job. I am part ofthe dream machine, but it’s a job, like anyone else’s. It just happens to be inHollywood.”
His travel takes him away from his wife Pat and two children. “We’vebeen married 26 years; that’s an eternity by Hollywood standards,” he said.
Kris Taylor knew when she was inmiddle school that she wanted to go intobusiness.
“In some shape or form, I knew at anearly age growing up,” she said.
The Conde, S.D. native graduated at thetop of her high school senior class of 11and received a scholarship to SSU, whereshe graduated in 1987 with a Business Administration degree. She is thedirector of community and public relations for Ecolab, the world’s leadingprovider of cleaning, food safety and health protection products andservices for the hospitality, foodservice, healthcare and industrialmarkets.“The chief financial officer teases me that I have the best job atEcolab. I think that I do,” said Taylor.
Making connections with the community is part of her job. In manyways she is the face of the publicly traded company. She is also vicepresident of the Ecolab Foundation. “In 2006, Ecolab gave $6 million inproducts and dollars back to the community,” she said. “We’ve had somefabulous projects we’ve worked on since I’ve been here.”
One of those was to coordinate Ecolab relief efforts to tsunami victims.“We worked with our associates, customers and our community partnersin South East Asia to deliver cleaning supplies. It was a tragic situation,but a rewarding experience. It was a positive way for us to get involved.”
She was also at the forefront for Ecolab in the aftermath of theHurricane Katrina disaster.
Ecolab is located in St. Paul and was founded in 1926 as Economics
Laboratory. Its name was changed in 1986. It has more than 23,000employees worldwide, and has been issued more than 4,000 patents. Ithas operations in nearly 70 countries, and an additional 100 countries arereached through distributors, licensees and export operations.
“We donate annually 1.2 percent of domestic pre-tax dollars,” she saidof Ecolab, a company that is very supportive of the communities where ithas a large business presence and where its associates live. “Ecolab is awonderful company. We work with approximately 150 non-profits, in oneway or another across the country,” she said.
Taylor has challenged herself on every rung of the career ladder. “Mygoal has been if I’m going to change careers, I’m going to work in anindustry that I’m not necessarily familiar with so I can learn and bechallenged at each step along the way. I’ve always been put in a positionwhere I’ve been able to learn more. I’ve done that using the baseknowledge gained at SSU. The great thing about my current role atEcolab is that it has allowed me to use my degree in a unique way. I have aminor in finance which normally would not fit with a community andpublic relations position,” she chuckled.
Taylor has fond memories of SSU. “I put myself through college,” shesaid. “I worked several jobs, and I was active with the Student ActivitiesCommittee (SAC). I also worked in the athletic department for threeyears, and that was a fabulous experience. I got to work with GlennMattke, Pierre du Charme, Mike Sterner, Deb Denbeck, CarmenDeKoster — just fabulous people.”
Her first job after college was with Cattoor Oil in Marshall and creditsTom Cattoor for being an early mentor and friend. Influential SSUprofessors include Randy Abbott and Jim Babcock.
“SSU was a wonderful experience for me. I had so many opportunitiesand learned so much that has served me well,” she said.
Kris has two children: Shelby, 13, and Kelsie, 11.
Kris TaylorBusiness Administration, 1987
David SchmalzTheatre Arts, 1972
10 FALL/WINTER 2007 FOCUS MAGAZINE
Alumni Spotlight SMSU alumni shine brightly in their chosen fields.
alumni connections
FOCUS MAGAZINE FALL/WINTER 2007 11
The Alumni Heritage Gallery was dedicatedat Homecoming this year with a ribbon-cuttingceremony.
A large crowd was on hand to view thespace, which is located on the second floor ofStudent Center, near the President’s DiningRoom.
Director of Annual Giving Stacy Frostcoordinated the Alumni Heritage Gallery,which is a treasure trove of history andartifacts of the University’s first 40 years.
SMSU celebrated its 40th anniversary onSept. 14 with a Founder’s Day celebration.
“It really was a labor of love and I can’t tellyou how much I learned from this project,”said Frost of the Alumni Heritage Gallery.
The gallery is split into the erasencompassing the three different names of theuniversity: Southwest Minnesota State College,1963-1975; Southwest State University, 1975-2003; and Southwest Minnesota StateUniversity, 2003-present.
There are many interesting items to be
found including the button collection and theblanket for the university’s first mascot, Simba.There’s a swimming warm-up robe from whenthe university was a national swimming power,and an original gold SMSC band uniform.There’s also one of the kegs that studentsrolled — first 619 miles in 1970, then 650miles in 1980 — on their way to establishingworld records in that obscure category.
Past Alumni Award winners will be featuredon a new display. There are also a number offramed playbills, sports schedules andHomecoming posters. All sorts of photos arealso displayed, as is a residence hall room thatshows what students brought with them tocollege ‘then’ and ‘now.’
The original cap from the old dome —SMSU’s most distinguishable architecturalfeature until the January 2, 2002 fire — hangsnear the entrance to the gallery.
Frost has many ideas she’d like to seeincorporated into the gallery in the future. “It’sstill a work in progress,” she said.
Alumni Association Opens Heritage Gallery
The many faces of the
Alumni at the Twins Game
Alumni at Homecoming 07
Upcoming 2008Alumni Events
January 26Hawaiian Night Post-Game LuauFebruary 24SMSU Alumni Skatewith Minnesota WildApril 5Jersey Boys at theOrpheum TheaterApril 5-13Paris HighlightsAlumni TripApril 6High School Musical at the State TheaterJune 9SMSU Golf ClassicVisitwww.SouthwestAlumni.com for more details.
Alumni at Valleyfair
1972 European Choir Tour Reunion
Alumni Alaska Cruise
alumni connections2007Alumni Association AwardsAlumni Achievement Awards
Honorary Lifetime Membership Awards
Dr. Alan Radke ‘73Dr. Alan Radke's medical career has taken him
all over the globe. Yet it's the educationalfoundation he received at SMSU that playedperhaps the largest role in his career.
“The liberal arts education was so flexible,” saidRadke, who has been a medical practitioner,researcher, business executive and, since 2005, theMinnesota Department of Human ServicesMedical Director for Behavioral Health and ChiefMedical Officer for State Operated Services.
Radke was raised on a farm and graduated fromTracy High School in 1969. He graduated fromSouthwest in 1973 with degrees in Biology andChemistry.
He was admitted to medical school at theUniversity of Minnesota and circumstances - manyof them financial - led him into the Army and aninternship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
in Washington, D.C. He took a psychiatryinternship, with no intention of staying in thatline of medicine. He also received an MBA fromthe American College of Physician Executives toget himself ready for his current position.
Alan and his wife, Kim, have two grownchildren.
Carol Heen ‘71Carol Heen graduated from SMSU with a
degree in Music. She went on to receive a master'sin Music and Music Education and a Ph.D. inMusicology and Music History from theUniversity of Minnesota.
Her career has taken her down many interestingpaths. She was a college professor at Metro Stateand Normandale before becoming a programannotator for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, aswell as many freelance clients. She then becamethe executive director of the Minnesota NewspaperFoundation, and is currently the vice chairpersonfor the American Composers Forum, a nationalorganization that supports music in communitiesand the careers of promising composers.
Carol met her husband, radio personalityCharlie Boone, while doing a radio interview onWCCO-Radio. “Our first words to each otherwere on the air,” said Heen, a Charter Class
member.She grew up on a farm near Maynard and
graduated from Hanley Falls High School. Sheattended St. Cloud State for a year beforetransferring to SMSU because of its artsopportunities.
Dr. Tom Jackson ‘85Dr. Thomas Jackson isn't afraid to take a
chance. Back before the Internet was a way oflooking for colleges, Jackson - who was attending acommunity college outside of his hometown ofSeattle, Wash. - sent away for course catalogs fromthree universities across the country. One of thosewas to Southwest Minnesota State University. APhi Theta Kappa convention in the Twin Citiestook him to Minneapolis in 1982, so he hopped abus to Marshall for a visit. It was then he fell inlove “with the majesty of the corn fields,” he said.
He earned a Business degree in 1985. He iscurrently the Vice President for Student Affairsfor the University of Louisville, Louisville, Ky.
He earned his Ed.D. in EducationalManagement from the University of La Verne inCalifornia, and his master's in Counseling fromShippensburg University in Pennsylvania.
Thomas and his wife, Mona, have two children:T.J. and Chandi.
Joyce PersoonJoyce Persoon likes nothing more than the
interaction she has each day with students.“You get to know them and form friendships. I
keep in touch with them and watch as they havefamilies and such.” Persoon is a senior officeadministrative assistant in the EducationDepartment, and a popular figure on campus forthe professionalism she brings to her job.
She began her career at SMSU in 1967 andworked through 1975. She took some time off toraise her children, and returned in 1986. She hasworked for a vice president and in the Researchand Institutional Grants area before moving overto Education.
She was with the University when its doorsopened and has seen SMSU mature.
Joyce and her husband, Richard, have twogrown children, Scott Persoon and Stacy James.They are proud grandparents to four.
Mary Jane StriegelMary Jane Striegel retired from SMSU at the
end of June, ending a distinguished 38-year careerin the SMSU Library. She was head of referenceand interlibrary loans at the library, but she'sperhaps best known as the person who kept theuniversity archives.
That room on the fifth floor of the Universitywas named the Striegel Archives when she retired,and she's proud of the work that is containedthere. “It's a very interesting area,” she said. “It'smy hope that people will know that it exists andthat items and files will continue to be given to theuniversity archives.”
The archives contain institutional history:course catalogs and course schedules from the startof the university, bound issues of the studentnewspaper, clippings from the Marshallnewspapers, files from the Chamber of Commercewhen that group was involved with trying to bringSMSU to Marshall in the '60s.
Butch and Linnea RaymondButch and Linnea Raymond now live in Eagan,
Minn., but they miss their time in Marshall.Butch was the Director of Athletics at SMSU
from 1997 to 2004, when he accepted the positionof commissioner of the Northern SunIntercollegiate Conference. He has also been thenational chairman for Division II basketball,coached men's basketball at his alma mater,Augsburg, along with Minnesota State Mankatoand St. Cloud State before coming to SMSU. Hewas also Associate Vice President forAdvancement while at SMSU. Linnea is thecontroller for LarsonAllen LLP, a national CPAfirm with headquarters in Minneapolis. She's beena constant, consistent supporter of Butch's and theUniversity over the years.
Butch is from Jasper, and Linnea, NorthMinneapolis. They met when Butch was coachingat St. Cloud State and Linnea was a non-traditional student at Mankato. Together they havefive children, and 12 grandchildren.
Together they contributed greatly to theuniversity and built many bridges between SMSU,the community and region.
12 FALL/WINTER 2007 FOCUS MAGAZINE
alumni connections
The SMSU Alumni Association does notsell or distribute alumni books, unless
otherwise noted. Please visit the providedWeb Sites for ordering information. To
have your book considered for our nextissue, please send a complimentary copyand description of its contents to: SMSUAlumni Association, Attn: Alumni Books,1501 State Street, Marshall, MN 56258
Author!Author!
Farming Words: The Harvest ofLiterature at a Prairie College waspublished by the SMSUFoundation, and includes fiction,poetry, essays and memoirs. Theanthology was edited by Bill Holmwith assistance from DavidPichaske and includes work bySMSU faculty members and formerstudents, mentors and familiarfriends of the university. The bookcan be obtained with a charitablecontribution to the SMSUFoundation in support of theCreative Writing Program at SMSU.Contact the Foundation at 1-800-260-0970 to obtain a copy.
Least Resistance is the second bookof poetry by Larry Gavin ‘81. Thebook is available online atwww.reddragonflypress.org.
FOCUS MAGAZINE FALL/WINTER 2007 13
edited by Bill Holm
FarmingWordsThe Harvest of Literatureat a Prairie College
Paxtons Honored with Special Award
The SMSU Alumni
Association is dedicated
to serving the University
and its diverse alumni,
students, and friends.
What better way to honor two of our mostdedicated alumni, John and Kathy Paxton,than to name a special award after them?
The two SMSU alumni were honored overHomecoming weekend with the first John andKathy Paxton Alumni Service Award. It waspresented during the Alumni Association awardsluncheon, and came as a surprise to the couple thathas been called “Mr. and Mrs. Alumni.”John and Kathy are avid followers and supporters ofthe university, and lend their talents to SMSU anyway they can. They have served on variousuniversity boards in the past, and are the first to stepforward to volunteer when the need arises. Theirdedication and service to Southwest MinnesotaState University was recognized by the AlumniAssociation with an award that will in the future
bear their name.John and Kathy are charter class members, Marshallcommunity leaders and business owners (PaxtonSigns). They have been role models to the faculty,staff and students of this institution for over 40years.Their spirit, work ethic and integrity also servesSamuel Lutheran School, Christ Lutheran Church,Marshall High School and the Pursuit of Excellencemarching band competition.When there is a job to be done, a vision to becarried out or an idea to be investigated further,John and Kathy are at the front of the line.“It’s only appropriate that the award be named intheir honor,” said Tyler Bowen, Alumni Director.“John and Kathy exemplify the best qualities of ouralumni.”
These are real SMSU students.They call alumni and friends of the university –people likeyou– to ask for your support to the SMSU Annual Fund,which provides for student scholarships. With your help,we can increase financial aid, help bridge the financial gapbetween tuition and education costs, and help SMSU tocontinue moving forward as a University of choice.
So don’t be afraid to take the call. The students are real.The need for the SMSU Annual Fund is real too.
www.SouthwestAlumni.com/gift
Mustang Athletics
The Southwest Minnesota State athleticsdepartment saw a pair of long time headcoaches step down to pursue other
endeavors out of the coaching profession.John Sterner, who spent nine seasons as thehead wrestling coach at SMSU resigned in Julyto accept a position in SMSU LearningResources Department and also teach arteducation courses. During his tenure Sternerled SMSU to a dual record of 49-104-5, whichincluded a Northern Sun IntercollegiateConference team championship in 2001. Hetwice was named NSIC Coach of the Year(2001 & 2003) and was named the NCAA IIMidwest Region Coach of the Year in 2003.He coached 19 NCAA II national qualifiersincluding five who became NCAA All-Americas. He also coached 13 first team and10 second team all-conference honorees,including two NSIC wrestlers of the year andone NSIC newcomer of the year.
Taking over the wrestling is Jesse Nelson,who comes to SMSU after five successfulseasons at Ridgewater College. At RidgewaterNelson’s teams finished in the top fivenationally all five seasons, including a nationalchampionship in 2005. A five-time MinnesotaCommunity College Conference Coach of theYear, Nelson coached 13 All-Americas, hadfour national finalists and one nationalchampion. He was also twice named NJCAARegion XII Coach of the Year.
Jill McCartney,who spent 10seasons as theSMSU women’ssoccer head coach,resigned to acceptthe assistantathletics director forcompliance andacademic services atMetro State Collegeof Denver, Colo.McCartney wasnamed head coachprior to the start ofthe 1998 seasonand compiled anoverall record of 69-113-14 in 10seasons. In NSICplay McCartney ledSMSU to a recordof 42-39-8, whichincluded a top halffinish in theconferencestandings in six different seasons. In 1999,McCartney was named NSIC Coach of theYear after leading SMSU to a school record 11victories.
A national search to replace McCartney willbegin in December.
Coaching Changes in Mustang Athletics at SMSU
14 FALL/WINTER 2007 FOCUS MAGAZINE
Jesse Nelson
Jill McCartney
UPDATE • UPDATE • UPDATE • UPDATE • UPDATE • UPDATE • UPDATE
CONGRATS TO ERIN CONTONS & TERRY CULHANE, NSIC PLAYER & COACH OF THE YEAR!
Senior linebacker Tyler Fischer(Gettysburg, S.D.) continues to pull in honorsafter earning the Dr. William Britton Awardas the NSIC’s top male scholar-athlete lastspring. This fall, Fischer earned the GlenGalligan Award as the top senior footballscholar-athlete, second team academic all-district and honorable mention All-NSIC.He was among 12 players to earn honors fromthe conference for their play on the field.Junior safety Tyler Reed (Ottumwa, Iowa)was named to the first team, while BillNoethlich (Doland, S.D.), Willie Sutton(Harvey, Ill.) and Scott Talcott (Sioux Falls,S.D.) were all named to the second team.Josh Shudlick (Tomah, Wis.) finished theyear strong with five consecutive 300+ passingyard games, becoming the first to do so since
1992. SMSU finished 2-9 overall and 2-7 inthe NSIC.
The women’s soccer team finished on ahigh note, advancing to the semifinals of theNSIC Tournament after a shootout win overNo. 10 and top-seeded Winona State.Sophomore Jessica Curl (Bismarck, N.D.)and freshman Ellen Diekemper (Lincoln,Neb.) were both named honorable mentionAll-NSIC. Senior Joelle Dean (MapleGrove, Minn.) broke the school record forgoals scored with her 28th of her career in thefinal regular season game. The Mustangsfinished the year 3-13-4 overall and 2-5-2 inthe NSIC.
The volleyball has had a very successful fall
and has a record of 25-7 overall (heading intothe regional tournament) and finished secondin the NSIC with a mark of 15-3. TheMustangs have been ranked as high as third inthe national rankings before finishing theregular season No. 11. Senior ErinContons (Apple Valley, Minn.) was namedNSIC Player of the Year and head coachTerry Culhane was named NSIC Coach ofthe Year. Contons led a list of five player toearn postseason honors from the conference.Tricia Ingvalson (Caledonia, Minn.), whoalso was named first team All-NSIC, wasnamed second team all-region, while Contonswas named to the all-region first team.Contons wraps up her career ranked first atSMSU in career kills, kills per game, andattacks and is second in digs.
Recent views from the
class notes
FOCUS MAGAZINE FALL/WINTER 2007 15
1972 MURIEL(ODDEN) COULTER is ateacher at Tracy PublicSchool in Tracy, Minn. Herhusband John (’71) is aretired teacher and enjoysmarketing artwork for hisfriend Josh Spies ofWatertown, S.D.MICHAEL STONE is aconductor for BurlingtonNorthern Santa Fe Railroad inHudson, Wis. “Bob White wasthe real deal,” he writes.
1973 ROBERT PEDERSEN is aMerchant Marine wheelsman for theLiberty Steamship Co. in Superior,Wis.
1974 BOB NORBIE was recentlyelected to serve on the SpecialOlympics International Board ofDirectors, the ultimate governingauthority for the Special Olympicsmovement. He is also thePresident/CEO of Special OlympicsMontana.
1975 BRIAN LUKE is the girls’swim team coach at Stillwater, Minn.,and has won the state championshipand true team state title the last twoyears. He teaches 9th grade physicalscience. His wife Jane (Theis, ’75) is adaycare provider.
1976 MIKE RITTER is currentlysenior direct sales manager at theMinneapolis Star Tribune. Throughouthis 28 years at the Star Tribune he hasheld a variety of positions: district salesmanager, regional sales manager, homedelivery manager and single copycategory manager. Mike is married andliving in Apple Valley, Minn. with twostep children. He often talks to alumniJoe Pancotto and occasionally seesSteve Moore.
1978 LINDA (DAVIS) SCHEID isthe executive director of the Food Bankof Siouxland in Sioux City, Iowa. Sheis married to husband Bruce.
1979 CRAIG PETERSON is acommercial real estate broker and livesin Chanhassen, Minn. He was electedto the city council in 2000 and 2004.He is chairperson of the SouthwestTransit Commission and has served onthe Chanhassen Planning Commission.He is a board member for Wilderness
Inquiryand volunteers his time to non-
profit organizations. Craig and his wifehave three children. He welcomes e-mail from friends:[email protected].
1980 MARK AND CHERYL(LONDGREN) NOOK moved toStevens Point, Wis., in July after Markwas named provost at the University ofWisconsin-Stevens Point. He waspreviously dean of undergraduatestudies at St. Cloud State University.Mark and Cheryl have 3 children.
1981 Former student SANDRA(NEECHMELAR) HINDERMANNmanages the Kwik Trip in Buffalo,Minn. and works part-time for theMonticello Community Center.
1983 MARK CROSSWAIT worksfor L&L Insulation in Rapid City, S.D.SHERRI (QUADE) TEIG and herhusband, Roger, a former SMSUstudent, established Teig’s Lawn Care26 years ago in Marshall. Their son,Shawn, manages the Brookings, S.D.,office. They have a daughter. Theybecame proud grandparents to Shawn’stwins in January.
1986 DAVID BORNUS is amanagement analyst for the MinnesotaDepartment of Corrections Policy &Legal Services division and lives inShoreview, Minn. David is pursuinghis master’s in criminal justice studiesthrough the University of Cincinnati.MICHALLE (RUESINK) DAVIESowns a western home décor store inCuster, S.D., after having moved fromColorado Springs, Colo. Her husbandBill is a BNSF conductor.
1988 GARY SCHLEPER has been asporting goods salesman for over 18years. Gary and his wife, Kelly, weremarried in Nov. 2004 and live in
Jordan, Minn. They movedinto a new home in 2006. Heenjoys playing basketball andbaseball.
1989 DAVID DVORAKlives in Madison, Minn.David’s son, Adam, startedat SMSU in the fall. “It’stradition,” he writes.
1991 CARMEN(WEELDREYER) HOWARD
moved to Arizona and is a master leveltherapist for the Arizona Children’sAssociation. She earned a master’s incounseling and has three children.JOHN AND ANN (MCGUIGGAN,’92) KELLEN live in Waconia, Minn.
1992 ERIC HANSON is anindustrial sales specialist in LakeOswego, Ore. He is married and hasone child.THARAN LEOPOLD is thecoordinator of annual giving andspecial projects at Shattuck-St. Mary’sSchool in Faribault, Minn. Tharan andhis wife, Ruth, have three children.KAREN (HELSINGER) RINGSVENworks for Strategic Technologies, Inc.and lives in Plymouth, Minn.AARON SCHULTZ works for theSouth Dakota Army National Guard.He lives in Sioux Falls with his wife,Danelle, and three sons.
1993 ELIZABETH (LIBBY LEE)BREIDENBACH is a regionalmarketing specialist for UlteigEngineers and lives in Sioux Falls, S.D.JANE (KROGMAN) HARMON isthe principal of Moffat County HighSchool in Craig, Colo. She marriedMatthew Harmon on July 13, 2007.Matt is an investigator for the districtattorney’s office.AMY (SCHACHTNER) BRODY isan associate with R’ US Co. inPittsburgh, Pa. Amy and her husband,Rich, recently moved to Pittsburgh, Pa.,from Chicago, Ill.JEFF VIERKANT AND NANCY(WAGENER), his wife, moved to SpiritLake, Iowa two years ago. Jeff is VicePresident of Manufacturing for PureFishing. Nancy enjoys staying at homewith their three daughters.
1994 STACY (BAUER) JONES isthe media relations coordinator forSanford Health in Sioux Falls, S.D.Prior to that she was a news anchor for
KELO-TV in Sioux Falls. Stacy and herhusband, Dave, welcomed a daughter inFebruary 2007. SCOT BOWMAN is aquality assurance representative for TheSchwan Food Co. in Marshall, Minn.Scot and his wife, Cheryl, are expectingtheir first child.
1995 LEAH DOOM works withsecurity operations at Citibank in SiouxFalls, S.D. Leah and her husband,Patrick, have two children. “I wouldlove to hear from the Charisma Hallgirls,” she writes.MISSY (FISCHER) LIVINGSTONteaches first grade at AdrianElementary School in Adrian, Minn.Missy and her husband, Stuart, havethree children and live in Brandon,S.D.
1996 KHIA BRUSE is an educationmanager for the Roseville Area Schoolsand lives in Cottage Grove, Minn.STACY (SWAN) BARSTAD is theCFO and director of operations atSanford Tracy Medical Center in Tracy,Minn. She is married with threechildren and enjoys living on LakeShetek.PAULA DUDGEON is a teacher atHoly Redeemer School in Marshall,Minn. She also teaches natural familyplanning.PATTY (KIRCHNER) GRUBE is aCPA and lives in Benson, Minn., withher husband, Brent. They had theirthird child recently.CHRIS HELVIG is a chain accountmanager for McCain Foods. Chris andhis wife, Katie, have two children andlive in Rosemount, Minn.SANDI (KRAL) KOOP is a familyfacilitator for Brown County FamilyServices. Sandi and her husband,Corey, were married in May 2006.They welcomed a son in April 2007.
1997 ROSS FEY is an insurancesalesman in Luverne, Minn. His wife,Nicole (Koenen) is an elementaryschool teacher. They have threechildren.KARLA LINDBLAD-PERKINS liveswith her husband, Jerrad, on the familyfarm near Dawson, Minn. Theywelcomed twin boys when Jerrad wasserving in Iraq.
1999 SARA HIERSTEIN is themarketing director for MidWestOneBank in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Harv Angel shared a photo of his recent trip to the
States from his home Guam. The reunion included
(L to R): Gary Rychley ʻ72, John DeGroff ʻ72, John
Burton ʻ72, Harv Angel ʻ73, Steve Otto ʻ73 and
Richard Bents ʻ71.
class notes
Known as the “City of Lights”,
Paris is perhaps one of the most
romantic destinations in the world
and also one of the most exciting
and diverse. Vibrantly alive both day
and night—there is so much to
experience in this cosmopolitan city!
People return time and time again to
explore its famous landmarks,
cultural treasures, chic boutiques
and world-renown restaurants.
INCLUDED FEATURES:• Round-trip transatlantic air transportation to
Paris, France
• Seven nights superior first-class accommodationsin Paris
• Continental buffet breakfast daily
• Round-trip transfers between the airport and hotel via deluxe motor coach
For more information visit SouthwestAlumni.com or call 1-800-260-0970
April 5-12, 2008
LEANNIA JERRELL owns The Rub,a massage therapy business, in Fallon,Nev., where she lives with her son.PATRICK RUNNING is a transferspecialist for Alexandria TechnicalCollege in Alexandria, Minn. RYAN ZIEMANN is a buyer withCitigroup Financial in St. Paul, Minn.Ryan and his wife, Alexandra, have twodaughters.
2000 JENNIE (DOPHEIDE)HASSE married Joe Hasse in Sept.2006. She is a purchasing coordinatorat The Schwan Food Co. in Marshall,Minn.AMANDA (SCHLAAK) INDRA is aSpanish teacher at Lewiston-AlturaHigh School and lives in Winona withher husband, Casey. They had adaughter in April.AMANDA (CORBIN) PERSINGERis an accounting policy manager at USBancorp. Amanda and her husband,Kevin, enjoy traveling and golfing.They live in Eagan, Minn.TRENT REDFIELD had a trio ofpoems published in “In the Shadow ofthe Bear Lodge: Writings from theBlack Hills” anthology published byMary Kites Press. He lives in WestYellowstone, Mont.
2001 SARAH (BAUMANN)HILPIPRE and her husband, Tom,welcomed a son in March 2007. Theyhave two children.JOLENE (COOLEY) VANDEVEIREmarried Brian VanDeVeire in June2006. She teaches at Westbrook-Walnut
Grove MiddleSchool.SOONGUANGOH is apurchasingexecutive forthe PalamGardenGolf Club,101 ResortinMalaysia.
2002 SARAH (SETNES) DALEearned a master’s in English from IowaState University in May 2006. She liveswith her husband, Rob, in West DesMoines, Iowa.RYAN WALTER is a news reporter forthe Sioux Empire News in Sioux Falls,S.D. Ryan welcomed a new son intothe home in May 2007.
2003 DR. MARC AND AMANDA(SMITH, ’02) FRITZ live in Garner,Iowa, where Marc is a chiropractor.Amanda is an engineer for a MasonCity, Iowa, cement company.
2004 LARRY EVERS, JR., wasrecently promoted to Tax andInsurance Manager for WinnebagoIndustries in Forest City, Iowa. Hereceived his MBA from SMSU. Larryand his wife, Dena, live in Algona withtheir son.KATE FISHER is the marketingdirector for Salem Communication inMinneapolis, Minn. She would love to
hear from her SMSUfriends:[email protected](PICKERING) CARLENmarried Corey Carlen inOctober 2005. Jenniferworks for Russell Associatesin LeSueur, Minn.JANELL (POWERS)KASSEL MARRIEDTYSON KASSEL (’02) inJuly 2006. Janell is attendingPacific University in Forest
Grove, Ore., in its optometry program.Tyson is a food technologist forAjinonmoto Frozen Foods, Inc.JENNIFER SEXTON recentlycompleted her master’s in chemistry atNotre Dame and is employed atChemical Abstract Services, a divisionof the American Chemical Society,where she is a market developmentrepresentative. She lives in Columbus,Ohio.JULIE (SELLNER) WILSON marriedhusband Cory in May 2006. She worksat SouthPoint Federal Credit Union inNew Ulm, Minn. They live on a dairyfarm north of New Ulm.
2005 AMLAN DAS is a businessanalyst for Lockheed Martin and livesin Baltimore, Md. “I miss SMSU a lot,”he writes.SCOTT HERRICK married TamaraUhde in September 2006. He is agraphic designer in St. Paul, Minn.
2006 SETH BOERBOOM is aninsurance agent for SouthwestInsurance Services in Marshall, Minn.APRIL (DEVOS) THOMPSONworks for Associated Bank in Byron,Minn.
I N M E M O R I A M JON K LILLEMOE ’71, formerly ofLas Vegas, Nev.ELSIE P SEYMOUR ’76, formerly ofMinneapolis, Minn.ROSS ZIRKLE ’78, a master printerand faculty member at the University ofKentucky, died March 12 after a battlewith cancer.KURT GIGSTAD ’79, formerly ofMoorhead, Minn.RUBY L. SORENSEN ’79.LORI FEHRMAN ’82, formerly ofLake Benton, Minn.DAVID L. ROSE ’88, formerly ofWhitehall, Mont.PATRICIA HAY ’91, formerly ofWalnut Grove, Minn.JENNIFER LYNN NELSON, ’94,formerly of St. Cloud, Minn.DONNA M. RATHJE ’00, formerlyof Balaton, Minn.REV. WILLIAM GREEN, ananthropology professor for 27 years atSMSU, passed away March 16, 2007 atthe age of 79. He lived in St. Paul,Minn.RICHARD WOLLIN, the firstchairperson of the EducationDepartment at Southwest MinnesotaState College, passed away on Nov. 3,2007. He was 82.
Welcome New Mustangs! Let usknow about the new addition toyour family and receive a freeBaby Mustang T-Shirt. Visitwww.SouthwestAlumni.com
WRESTLINGJan. 5 Dana Open, Blair, Neb., 9 a.m.Jan. 8 Jamestown (N.D.), Jamestown, N.D., 6 p.m.Jan. 11 Augustana (S.D.), Sioux Falls, S.D., 7 p.m.Jan. 16 St. John’s, MARSHALL, 7 p.m.Jan. 19 Mary *, MARSHALL, 2 p.m.Jan. 26 Central Missouri State Dual, Warrensburg, Mo., 10 a.m.Feb. 2 St. Cloud State, St. Cloud, Minn., 7 p.m.Feb. 3 Concordia-Moorhead, Moorhead, Minn., 2 p.m.Feb. 7 Minnesota State Moorhead *, Moorhead, Minn., 7 p.m.Feb. 9 North Country Open, Collegeville, Minn., 9 a.mFeb. 13 Northern State *, MARSHALL, 7 p.m.Feb. 16 Minnesota State, Mankato, MARSHALL, 7 p.m.Feb. 22 Upper Iowa *, Fayette, Iowa, 7 p.m.Mar. 2 NCAA North Regional, Mankato, Minn., 12 p.m.
MEN’S BASKETBALL Dec. 13 Augustana (S.D.), MARSHALL, 7 p.m.Dec. 16 Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, Minn., 3 p.m.Dec. 20 St. Cloud State, MARSHALL, 7 p.m.Dec. 29 Lynn (Fla.), Boca Raton, Fla., 6 p.m. CSTJan. 4 Winona State *, Winona, Minn., 8 p.m.Jan. 5 Upper Iowa *, Fayette, Iowa, 8 p.m.Jan. 12 Wayne State *, Wayne, Neb., 8 p.m.Jan. 18 MSU Moorhead *, MARSHALL, 8 p.m.Jan. 19 Concordia *, MARSHALL, 8 p.m.Jan. 22 Minnesota State, Mankato, Mankato, Minn., 7 p.m.Jan. 25 Minnesota, Crookston *, MARSHALL, 8 p.m.Jan. 26 Bemidji State *, MARSHALL, 8 p.m.Feb. 1 Mary * , Bismarck, N.D., 8 p.m.Feb. 2 Northern State *, Aberdeen, S.D., 8 p.m.Feb. 8 Upper Iowa *, MARSHALL, 8 p.m.Feb. 9 Winona State *, MARSHALL, 8 p.m.Feb. 16 Wayne State *, MARSHALL, 8 p.m.Feb. 22 Concordia *, St. Paul, Minn., 8 p.m.Feb. 23 MSU Moorhead *, Moorhead, Minn., 8 p.m.Mar. 1 NSIC Tournament, TBAMar. 7-8 NSIC Tournament, TBAMar. 15-18 NCAA Regional, TBAMar. 26-29 NCAA Elite Eight, Springfield, Mass., TBA
WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALLJan. 18 Illinois (women) , Edinboro, Pa. 9 a.m.Jan. 18 Illinois (men) Edinboro, Pa. 12:30 p.m.Jan. 18 Wisconsin-Whitewater Edinboro, Pa. 4 p.m.Jan. 19 Edinboro (Pa.) Edinboro, Pa. 9 a.m.Feb. 1 Alabama Columbia, Mo. TBAFeb. 1 Arizona Columbia, Mo. TBAFeb. 1 Oklahoma State Columbia, Mo. TBAFeb. 2 Texas-Arlington Columbia, Mo. TBAFeb. 2 Missouri Columbia, Mo. TBAFeb. 15 Illinois (women) Champaign, Ill. TBAFeb. 15 Illinois (men) Champaign, Ill. TBAFeb. 16 Edinboro (Pa.) Champaign, Ill. TBAFeb. 16 Wisconsin-Whitewater Champagin, Ill. TBAMar. 13-16 NIWB Tournament Stillwater, Okla. TBA
WOMEN’S BASKETBALLDec. 15 South Dakota Vermillion, S.D. 4 p.m.Dec. 18 Iowa Wesleyan MARSHALL 6 p.m.Dec. 20 Minnesota State, Mankato Mankato, Minn. 6 p.m.Dec. 31 Augustana (S.D.) MARSHALL 3 p.m.Jan. 4 Winona State * Winona, Minn. 6 p.m.Jan. 5 Upper Iowa * Fayette, Iowa 6 p.m.Jan. 12 Wayne State * Wayne, Neb. 6 p.m.Jan. 18 MSU Moorhead * MARSHALL 6 p.m.Jan. 19 Concordia * MARSHALL 6 p.m.Jan. 25 Minnesota, Crookston * MARSHALL 6 p.m.Jan. 26 Bemidji State * MARSHALL 6 p.m.Feb. 1 Mary * Bismarck, N.D. 6 p.m.Feb. 2 Northern State * Aberdeen, S.D. 6 p.m.Feb. 8 Upper Iowa * MARSHALL 6 p.m.Feb. 9 Winona State * MARSHALL 6 p.m.Feb. 16 Wayne State * MARSHALL 6 p.m.Feb. 19 North Central (Minn.) MARSHALL 6 p.m.Feb. 22 Concordia * St. Paul, Minn. 6 p.m.Feb. 23 MSU Moorhead* Moorhead, Minn. 6 p.m.Mar. 1 NSIC Tournament TBA TBAMar. 8 NSIC Tournament TBA TBAMar. 9 NSIC Tournament TBA TBA
* NSIC matchup
Winter Sport SCHEDULES
GOBrown
and Gold!
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Southwest ’s h is tor y i s ce lebrated with a new mura l in the Alumni Her i tage Gal ler y, locatedon the second f loor of the Student Center. Revis i t your Southwest and ce lebrate 40 years .
Published by SMSU Alumni Office1501 State Street • Marshall, MN 56258
Non-profitOrganizationU.S. Postage
PAIDPermit No. 97 Happy Birthday, SMSU!
CELEBRATING 40 YEARS!
A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF SOUTHWEST MIINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY
REC constructionalumni achievementsouthwest news from iraq dean sinclair
Fall07 Focus Cover:Layout 1 12/3/07 1:54 PM Page 1