alumni

Kalamazoo College Guilds Reach 1,833rd Member

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At tonight’s Major League Baseball all-star game, players from the National and American Leagues will contend to make their team number 1. But it takes someone really special–like Gail Raiman–to be number 1,833. Today (July 16) Raiman became 1,833rd member of the global professional network known as the Guilds of Kalamazoo College. The special number corresponds to the year 1833, when Kalamazoo College was founded.

A graduate of the Class of 1973, Raiman majored in philosophy, studied abroad in Strasbourg, France, and completed a career service internship for then house minority leader Gerald Ford. After graduation she worked in the Ford Administration and later held executive positions for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the American Textile Manufacturers Institute, and the national trade association Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. She serves on the College’s Board of Trustees and the Alumni Association Executive Board. And now she’s joined the Guilds LinkedIn group, becoming the 1833rd member of the extended K community to do so since the Guilds launched their LinkedIn network in June 2010.

Other new Guild members admitted along with Raiman this week include Jeff Outslay ’06, an MBA Associate at Delta Airlines in Atlanta, Georgia; Leslie Knox ’01, a case management professional at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York; Riley Lundquist ’16, a rising sophomore and summer engineering intern at Eaton Corporation outside Kalamazoo; and Elinor Epperson ’13, an aspiring video editor and public historian who just graduated in June.

The Guilds of Kalamazoo College launched in January 2008 as part of a strategic initiative to engage alumni professionals in current students’ career development. In January 2013, five Guilds became seven when the Arts & Media Guild and the Education Guild joined the Business Guild, the Health Guild, the Law Guild, the Nonprofit & Public Service Guild, and the Science & Technology Guild.

Reaching the 1833rd member mark is the result of sustained outreach and growth on the LinkedIn professional networking platform, according to Joan Hawxhurst, director of the Center for Career and Professional Development. Overall membership in the College’s Guilds is up 40 percent compared to last year. Guild members seek and offer mentorship, career advice, summer and entry-level positions, insight into industry trends, and networking opportunities.

Habitat Home Honors Alumnus’ Memory

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A new Habitat for Humanity home will be built in the Roosevelt Park neighborhood of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the name of the late Andy Angelo ’78, editor of the Grand Rapids Press. Construction will begin in July and complete in November, requiring an estimated  45 volunteer days to make “The House That Andy Built”.

Roosevelt Park was an important neighborhood to Andy and his wife, Mary. The house is down the street from the Cooks Arts Center, to which Andy and Mary devoted their fundraising and administrative talents. They also worked on behalf of a bilingual lending library.

Many gifts have been received toward the $125,000 required to begin construction. More are needed.

Andy died in 2012 from a respiratory ailment. He spent 26 years in news positions, working for the Associated Press and newspapers throughout Michigan and Illinois. Andy served as a board member and president of Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities.

Habitat for Humanity of Kent County seeks to identify corporations, schools, or churches who would be willing to field a team of volunteers; find building and landscaping supplies; donate, prepare and deliver food to feed the volunteers; or host a fundraiser and donate the proceeds. If you would like to sign up for volunteer opportunities, contact Mary Angelo or Joni Jessup.

Finland-Bound Football Force Features K’s Okey

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Cover of 2012 Chicago Force calendarCall it “Study Abroad, The Sequel.” Liz Okey ’07 is returning to Europe, this time to Vantaa, Finland, as a member of “Team USA.” She won’t be playing volleyball, her sport of choice at K. Instead, she’ll be playing on Team USA’s offensive line in the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Women’s World Championship tournament. Okey plays on the offensive line for the Chicago Force, the Windy City’s women’s tackle football team. She and eight of her Force teammates were selected to play for Team USA, led by Force head coach John Konecki.

The first tournament for women’s American-style football was held in 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden. Team USA returned with first-place honors, a championship Okey and teammates seek to defend. The tournament is held every three years.

Okey graduated from Kalamazoo College with a degree in Human Development and Social Relations. She studied abroad in Germany and was captain of the Hornet volleyball team. Shortly after graduation she moved to Chicago and joined the Force. She was one of 45 women to make the cut for Team USA. Training camp takes place in Chicago from June 23 through June 27.

Six countries will be participating in the 2013 tournament: Canada, the United States, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and Finland. The tournament takes place from June 28 through July 6. Team USA plays Sweden on June 30 and Germany on July 4. Gold and Bronze medal games are scheduled for July 6.

If you need to fire up for this tournament, give a listen to the official song of the 2013 Women′s World Championship:”Straight Up Crazy Amazon“. Written and produced by the Finnish band “Embassy of Silence,”  think of the song as a K “Rikkety-Rak” with a heavy shot of metal and rock.

K professor talks about complex Bonaparte

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Book cover of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte: An American Aristocrat in the Early RepublicK Professor of History Charlene Boyer Lewis ′87 is the author of the 2012 biography, Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte: An American Aristocrat in the Early Republic. Boyer Lewis is quoted in a recent Baltimore Sun article about a new historical exhibit in Baltimore on its famous 19-year-old citizen who married Napoleon Bonaparte′s younger brother. Read more about Elizabeth′s long, colorful, and controversial life and view photos and a video about the new exhibit at http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/arts/bs-ae-betsy-bonaparte-20130608,0,1051008.story#ixzz2VqTTxKXU.

DOGL Gets More Gracious

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Linda Jackson ’82

Kalamazoo College students typically celebrate the Day of Gracious Living (DOGL) at the beach. This year, many young alumni commemorated gracious living with gracious giving.

On Wednesday, May 15, alumni from the Classes of 2002 through 2012 contributed through the Kalamazoo College Fund as part of the first DOGL Challenge, a one-day giving opportunity just for K’s young alumni. Linda Jackson ’82 challenged K’s young alumni to make a gift on DOGL by pledging to match all gifts dollar-for-dollar, up to $2,500. The goal: raise $5,000 for K in a single day.

Then, something unexpected happened on the morning of DOGL: young alumni gave at a surprising rate. Before noon they had exceeded the $2,500 match. Jackson was so pleased with the response that she increased her challenge to $5,000.

By the end of the day, 178 young alumni had made a gift through the DOGL Challenge, contributing a total of $8,124. With Jackson’s $5,000 match, the DOGL Challenge generated more $13,000 for K in 24 hours.

Now that’s a day of gracious giving!

K Alumna Describes Her Whale Science in Video Submission

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Ellen Chenoweth ’08, a doctoral student and MESAS Fellow at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, has entered a video contest (National Science Foundation IGERT Video and Poster Competition).

Her entry explains her scientific work with humpback whales and salmon in Alaska and includes wonderful footage of both. It also features some humorous footage and metaphors to make the science accessible to lay audiences.

Humpback whales compete with the Alaska fishing industry for hatchery salmon. Chenoweth seeks to understand the energy expended by humpbacks to secure their other food sources. This information may eventually assist salmon hatchery release procedures in order to make food sources other than salmon more efficient for the whales, thus reducing whale-human competition for salmon fishing, which is vital to the economy of coastal Alaska.

Says Chenoweth: “Anyone can vote in the public choice category and you can vote for as many different videos as you want.”

If her submission wins the contest, she’ll use the prize to attend Marine Mammal Conference in December.

Kalamazoo College alumna Elizabeth Garlow ′07 honored by Crain′s Detroit Business

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Kalamazoo College alumna Elizabeth Garlow
Elizabeth Garlow ′07, award-winning Detroiter.

Elizabeth Garlow ′07 has received a shout-out by Crain′s Detroit Business as one of the newspaper′s annual ″Twenty in their 20s″ honorees that “honors success at a young age, from up-and-comer entrepreneurs to young professionals who make an impact in large organizations” in the Detroit area.

Elizabeth is executive director of Michigan Corps, a Detroit-based organization that launches and leads social change efforts aimed at bringing Michiganders together in imaginative ways.

Elizabeth,who attended Detroit Mercy High School and earned a B.A. in Spanish at K, launched Michigan Corps′ Pure Michigan Social Entrepreneurship Challenge, with funds from the Michigan Economic Development Corp., to fund the best social-minded business ideas. Congrats, Elizabeth!

K Alum Returns to Campus to Screen his Oscar-Nominated Documentary

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David France ’81, co-writer and director of the Oscar-nominated documentary How to Survive a Plague, will screen the film on campus Sunday, May 5, at 7 PM in Dalton Theatre (Light Fine Arts Building). France will participate in a discussion with the audience at the conclusion of the film. Everyone is invited, and the event is free. INDEX news editor Elaine Ezekiel posted an interview with France. ABC Studios has purchased the rights to France’s film with the idea of making it into a dramatic miniseries. France will prepare the adaptation, which will go broader and deeper into the subject of the documentary.

Special Day Marks Transition from Tuition to Donations

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Buzz the mascot celebrates Tuition Freedom DayOn Wednesday, April 10, more than 200 signs will dot Kalamazoo College’s pathways as part of the second annual Tuition Freedom Day.

Tuition Freedom Day marks the point in the school year when tuition stops paying for the cost of a K education and support from donors takes over. Students are encouraged to visit the Hicks Student Center between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to sign thank-you cards.

Tuition Freedom Day is about showing appreciation for the alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends who make a K education possible. Generous gifts through the Kalamazoo College Fund support scholarships, faculty excellence, and K’s greatest needs.

Alumni and others can also take part in Tuition Freedom Day. Let everyone know why you support K by donating your Facebook status on Wednesday, April 10. You can also make the Tuition Freedom Day Hornet (above) your profile picture for the day.

Kalamazoo College Will Soon Have First Female Board Chair

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Charlotte Hall shaking hands with Don Parfet
Charlotte Hall ′66 will take the gavel at the June 2013 meeting of the K board of trustees from current Board Chair Don Parfet. Hall becomes the College′s first female board chair in its 180-year history.

Charlotte Hall ′66 is slated to become the first woman to lead the Kalamazoo College Board of Trustees in the 180-year history of the College.
A K trustee since 1999, Hall will take over from current Board Chair Don Parfet, at the June board meeting. Parfet has been chair since 1999 and will remain on the board. He served a prior term as chair between 1988 and 1993.
Hall is a retired journalist who spent 40 years at newspapers in New Jersey, Boston, and Washington before landing at the award-winning Newsday in New York, where she served for 22 years. In 2004, she moved to the Orlando Sentinel in Florida, from which she retired in 2010 as editor and senior vice president.
Thank you, Don. Congrats, Charlotte.
Read more in the Spring 2013 issue of LuxEsto, the K magazine.