Class Notes

Zaid Abdul-Aziz* (’69 sociology) has written an autobiography, Darkness to Sunlight, which details a journey that begins in Brooklyn, enters America’s heartland, and winds into collegiate and NBA fame. Darkness to Sunlight is not a story just about basketball, but about a man who overcame daunting personal, racial, professional, and spiritual hardships. Zaid is an Iowa State University Athletics Hall of Fame inductee and lives in Seattle, Wash.

David Smith* (’60 forestry, ’68 MS, ’70 Ph.D.) of Blacksburg, Va., emeritus professor and former associate dean in the College of Natural Resources at Virginia Tech, was presented the Society of American Foresters’ (SAF) John A. Beale Memorial Award, which recognizes outstanding efforts over a sustained period in the promotion of forestry through voluntary service to the society.

Charles Stewart, Jr.* (’00 ag) is one of three recipients of The American Society of Plant biologists’ (ASPB) Pioneer Hi-Bred International Graduate Student Prize. This award recognizes and encourages pioneering graduate research in plant biology relating to key commodity crops. Charles lives in Ithaca, N.Y.

Carol Britson* (’89 fisheries & wildlife biol.) was recently invited by past students to receive Distinguished Membership in the National Society for Collegiate Scholars at the University of Mississippi, where Carol is an instructor in the department of biology. Carol lives in Oxford, Miss.

Steven E. Zumbach** (’73 ag., ’80 Ph.D. econ.) was inducted into the Iowa Business Hall of Fame at its annual Black Tie Dinner on Thursday, Dec. 7. Born and raised in Manchester, Iowa, Steven is now a partner in the Belin Lamson McCormick Zumbach Flynn law firm in Des Moines. He is a past chair of BRAVO Greater Des Moines (an arts and culture organization), the Greater Des Moines Committee, and the Greater Des Moines Partnership, and is a former member of the Board of Regents, State of Iowa. Steven has been involved in a leadership capacity in numerous other boards, commissions and economic development efforts. Steven lives in Des Moines, Iowa.

Ann E. Glime** (’74 elem. ed.) was awarded the Stephen Tsai award for excellence in Autism Education at the spring conference of the Autism Society of Iowa. Ann lives in Colesburg, Iowa.

Bill Cary** (’75 civil engr., ’77 MS) was elected chair of the board of trustees at Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, a 7,200-member organization in Decorah, Iowa. This organization is the oldest and most comprehensive museum in the United States dedicated to a single immigrant ethnic group. Bill lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Leann (Little) Willis** (’79 animal sci.) completed her master of science in nursing – family nurse practitioner in January 2005 with University of Phoenix. Leann started work as a family nurse practitioner at the Waterfall Clinic in North Bend, Ore., serving primarily the uninsured and under-insured residents of the surrounding communities. Coos County is one of the 200 poorest counties in the United States, so the needs are great and the resources are tight. Everyday, she says, is a new adventure in the medical economy. Leann lives in Coos Bay, Ore.

Jeff Plagge* (’78 ag bus.) is the 2006 Iowa Bankers Association (IBA) James A. Leach Leadership Award recipient. U.S. Rep. Jim Leach presented the award to Plagge during the opening ceremonies of the IBA Convention. Jeff is president and CEO of First National Bank and First Insurance Services, which are part of the First of Waverly Corporation—a community and employee-owned financial services holding company. Jeff lives in Waverly, Iowa.

Barb (Riedesel) Iverson** (’76 journalism) was recently named president of the North American Financial Services’ industry to practice group for Weber Shandwick, one of the world’s largest public relations firms. Barb continues to work from Weber Shandwick’s Minneapolis office, but she also spends considerable time at Weber Shandwick’s New York City headquarters. Barb lives in Minneapolis, Minn.

Stephen B. Veitch* has been named to the newly created position of regional director of administration at Bryan Cave LLP. Stephen will serve as liaison between the chief administrative office and other directors of administration. Stephen lives in Chandler, Ariz.

Steven Crawford** (’74 indus. admin.) has been promoted to the newly created position of senior vice president reinsurance/chief operating officer (COO) at Grinnell Mutual, where he has been employed for more than 30 years in the reinsurance and marketing departments. Steven lives in Grinnell, Iowa.

Randy Christoffersen** (’79 indus. engr.) has taken a new job, as of late 2005, as vice president of global sourcing for Imation Corporation, St. Paul, Minn. Randy lives in Shoreview, Minn.

Cheryl Wood* (’77 phys. ed.) will be returning to the classroom and will be teaching second grade this fall. Cheryl lives in Austin, Texas.

William I. Griffith* (’70 civil engr., ’72 MS engr. mech.) is the Democratic candidate for South Carolina’s 4th congressional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. William lives in Greenville, S.C.

Cynthia L. Nielsen** (’79 ed./hum. sci) is currently living in Houghton, Mich., and is now the K-5 Learning Disabilities elementary resource room teacher at Barkell Elementary School in Hancock, Mich. This fall Cynthia began her ninth year teaching special education students in Hancock, Mich.

Debra J. (Betz) Ciskey* (’79 English) received an M.A. degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix in July 2006. Debra lives in Normal, Ill.

Diana (Lanham) McElroy** (’77 home ec. ed.) received an MBA from the University of Iowa in December 2005. Diana is a consumer affairs manager for Tone’s Spices in Des Moines, Iowa, and lives in Johnston, Iowa.

Joan Waters** (’76 pol. sci.) recently accepted a position as the attorney for the Charter Schools Division of the New Mexico Public Education Department.

Jim C. Farrell** (’76 speech comm.) is currently living in Omaha, Neb., and has been with Farmers National Co. for 20 years working in the field as a manager in Minnesota. He later worked as vice president of marketing, and today he is president and CEO. Farmers National is a 20-state farm management and real estate company.

Joseph R. Marconi** (’72 dist. stds.) was recently named to the board of directors of the ALFA International global network of independent law firms. While an ISU student, Joe was a member of the 1971 Sun Bowl football team and was selected to the All-Big 8 Academic Football Team. Joe lives in Chicago, Ill.

Diane Henson* (’76 econ.) was elected to a six-year term on the Texas 3rd Court of Appeals. Diane was the only Democrat to win a contested appellate court race in the entire state of Texas. Diane lives in Austin, Texas.

Amy Beth (Sickels) Osborn* (’89 biology) and her husband, Tim Osborn, celebrated the birth of their daughter, Sabrina, in March 2006. They also have a 3-year-old son, Evan. Amy Beth and her family reside in Cypress, Texas.

Mark Schoeberl** (’88 pol. sci.) has been named the new executive vice president of advocacy for the American Heart Association. Mark lives in Plano, Texas.

Susan (Simmons) Hanke** (’87 mktg.) is the new assistant vice president of product marketing for American Republic Insurance Co. Susan lives in Clive, Iowa.

Bill Gahan** (’82 const. engr.) has been promoted to president of Martin Marietta Materials, Inc., Midwest division, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Bill is a 24-year veteran of Martin Marietta currently serving as the vice president/general manager of the Iowa region. As president of the Midwest division, he will be responsible for all operations in the states of Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Bill lives in Clive, Iowa.

Steven Ahlers** (’84 trans./log.) has accepted a new position with Performance Food Group as vice president of operations in the southeast region. Steven lives in Antioch, Tenn.

Mark Thedens** (’83 mech. engr.) has accepted a job with Musco Lighting as the manufacturing engineering manager in Muscatine, Iowa, where he currently resides.

Mark Nobbe** (’85 indus. engr.) is moving to Houston, Texas due to a job transfer. Mark received his master’s degree with honors from Webster University in December of 2004. He studied Information Systems and Resource management.

Donna (Evans) Gnidovic** (’83 mktg.) was recently promoted to national account executive for the newly-formed Chicago Sun-Times news group. The group of papers includes the Chicago Sun-Times, Pioneer Press, Joliet Herald News, Daily Southtown, Gary Post Tribune, and others. Donna lives in Chicago, Ill.

Steven C. Allgood** (’83 dist. stds.) was promoted to the rank of Colonel in the Army Reserve Medical Corps. Steven lives in Mason City, Iowa.

Michael Shuba** (’82 const. engr.) has been named vice president of MJ Electric, Inc., an electrical specialty contractor. Michael and his family will be relocating to the Chicago, Ill., area.

Julie Gethmann** (’82 gen. stds. fam. con. sci.) is employed by QCI in Des Moines, Iowa. She is the senior consultant – business solutions, working with business software and systems (ERP) consultation, implementation and training. Julie writes that her oldest son, Dustin Iverson, just transferred from Arizona State to Iowa State. Julie lives in Ankeny, Iowa.

Todd Kruse** (’89 econ. & pol. sci.) married Jaleh Nahvi on Nov. 11, 2006. They live in Apple Valley, Minn. Jaleh is a graduate of the University of Minnesota.

Nate Clayberg** (’97 journalism) and wife, Kelly (Zieser) Clayberg** (’99 dairy sci.) welcomed their second child, Daniel Paul, on July 1, 2006. He joins 4-year-old-sister Rachel Ames. Nate was recently promoted to assistant athletic director for marketing and promotions at the University of Northern Iowa, and Kelly is a perfusionist for Cedar Valley Medical Specialists at Allen Hospital in Waterloo, Iowa. The family resides outside of Independence, Iowa.

Erika Thiem** (’94 chem. engr.) writes that she will complete an MBA degree in April 2007 and is excited to put this knowledge to work, along with 13 years of leadership experience with General Mills and many volunteer and NFP organizations. Erika has received board training through United Way “Boardwalk” program and is also excited to get involved with the ISU Alumni Association Board. Erika lives in Joplin, Mo.

Jason Nielsen** (’94 math) is an assistant professor of physics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His research group at the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics studies the properties of elementary particles in high-energy collisions. He and his wife, Stephanie, live in Santa Cruz.

Scott L. Andresen** (’95 history) married Melissa L. Kauffman in Long Beach, Calif., on July 2, 2006. Scott’s boutonniere was cardinal and gold. Scott and Melissa went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for their honeymoon. Scott is a project manager in corporate communications for Southern California Edison, and Melissa is the editorial co-director for the BowTie, Inc. The couple resides in Orange, Calif., with a dog, Sprey, two cockatiels, Natty and Carlisle, and a guinea pig, Roxy.

Melissa (Wingert) Houston** (’95 chem. engr.) and her husband, Scott Houston, are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Sara Elizabeth, on May 26, 2006. Sara joins her big brother, Matthew Allen, who was born March 31, 2004. The Houstons live in Longview, Texas, where both Scott and Melissa are employed at Eastman Chemical.

Lisa M. (Rayhons) Sindelar** (’95 exerc. sport sci.) an officer with the ISUAA Club of Indianapolis, married Dana Sindelar during a sunset/full moon ceremony on October 5, 2006 at the Reiman Gardens. They exchanged vows among the divided line of close Cyclone and Cornhusker family and friends. They concluded the wedding celebration with a tailgate reception before the ISU vs. Nebraska football game on October 7, 2006. Being the fans of their teams, it made complete sense to have the wedding planned around the focal point of the game. Everyone had a great time, especially Dana’s family!

Craig Morris** (’92 animal sci.) is the deputy administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing service, responsible for programs aimed at serving the U.S. poultry and egg industries. Craig writes: “Iowa is, as we all know, the nation’s leading egg production state. I believe many ISU grads would be happy to know that one of their own in Washington, D.C., is doing all he can for Iowa and U.S. agriculture.” Craig lives in Fairfax Station, Va.

Michelle (Mraz) Langston** (’97 psych./zool.) and husband, Christopher Langston (’95 comp. engr.), are proud to announce the arrival of their first child, Kyle Langston, who was born on June 20, 2006. Proud grandparents Dennis and Kris Mraz are also ISU alumni, so Kyle will be a true ISU Cyclone through and through! The Langston family lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Daniel Pottratz** (’98 const. engr.) and wife, Ruth, would like to announce the birth of their second child, Axel Irl Pottratz, born on Sept. 12, 2006 at East Jefferson General Hospital in Metairie, La. Axel weighed 8 lbs., 2 oz. and was 20 inches long. He was welcomed by his big brother Atticus, who had his first birthday three days after Axel’s arrival. Daniel is still working at a project manager for F.H. Myers Construction Corp., in the New Orleans area. The Pottratzes live in Gretna, La.

Jeanette Tate** (’93 psych., ’95 MS soc.) married David Ackerman on July 8, 2006 in Clarion, Iowa. Jeanette teaches online courses for various colleges. David teaches vocal music in Clarion. Their home is in Clarion, Iowa.

Kipp Van Dyke** (’02 child and fam. svcs.) is engaged to Breanna Hayes (’04 English ed.). While Kipp and Breanna were sitting on the steps of Curtiss Hall recently, the campanile began playing the song Breanna is going to walk down the aisle to (thanks to ISU Director of Bands, Dr. Michael Golemo). Kipp and Breanna then proceeded to share the best memory one could have from ISU – getting engaged! Kipp currently works at Kansas State University as a residence life coordinator, and Breanna is a seventh grade English teacher in the West Des Moines school district. Kipp lives in Manhattan, Kan.

Alison Monaghan* (’05 journalism) has accepted a position with Vanguard Media Group in Las Vegas, Nev., as public relations account coordinator. Alison lives in Las Vegas.

Leia Guccione* ('04 mech. engr./pol. sci) is currently serving as an officer in the United States Navy as the assistant 1st lieutenant on the USS Pearl Harbor out of San Diego. Her fianc, Thomas D. Lechtenberg* (’03 meteorology) is currently serving the United States Army as part of the 49th MP Battalion in Iraq. Leia and Thomas plan to wed sometime after his return in October 2006.

Alice Fay Keene* (’05 chem. eng. / German) writes: “Thought I'd share my display of ISU pride with the Alumni Association back home. I live in Athens, which is in the heart of Bulldog country, but folks here definitely know where I'm from!”

Shawn Eagleburger* (’05 interior dsn.) has moved to begin graduate work in student affairs – higher education administration at Ball State University. Shawn lives in Muncie, Ind.

Dan Kartman** (’00 trans./log.) and wife, Lori (Bates) Kartman** (’02 trans./log., ’02 prod. op. mgmt.) are proud parents of their first son, Evan, born on April 22, 2006! The Kartmans live in O’Fallon, Mo.

Marnie Vittetoe** (’00 fam. resource mgmt.) has been appointed by the Minnesota Life Group Insurance to senior client relationship advisor. Her responsibilities include acting as primary account manager for Minnesota Life clients in Southern California. Marnie, who is relocating to California, will open the new office in Glendale on October 1.