Class Notes

Don Greiman (L)(’52 animal sci) and his wife, Yvonne, have been named 2017 “Cy’s Favorite Alum” by the ISU Department of Athletics.

Robert E. Allan (L)(’52 farm op) received the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Plant Breeders. He served as a wheat breeder and geneticist in Pullman, Wash., for 40 years. He developed numerous genetic stocks and a number of wheat varieties, as well as identified and named the two semidwarf plant height genes that facilitated the “Wheat Green Revolution.”

Theaster Gates (’96 comm & regional planning, MA ’05), the Chicago-born clay-potter-turned-large-scale-artist, is the first American and first African-American winner of the Nasher Sculpture Prize, the largest international prize devoted entirely to sculpture.

Robert Kauffman (L)(’54 animal sci), retired professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was honored with the 2017 University of Wisconsin College of Agriculture and Life Sciences distinguished service award.

Doug Bear (’07 an sci, MS ’11), director of industry relations for the Iowa Beef Industry Council, is a 2017 recipient of the Iowa Governor’s Volunteer Award. Bear was nominated by the Ronald McDonald House of Des Moines for his work through the council’s Governor’s Charity Steer Show.

Dean Fiske Stauffer (MS ’78 animal ecology), professor of wildlife conservation in Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment, received the Excellence in Wildlife Education Award from The Wildlife Society during its annual national meeting in September.

Sally Rapp Beisser (L)(’71 elem ed, MS ’76 guidance & counseling, PhD ’99) has been chosen as a 2017 Levitt Distinguished Professor at Drake University in Des Moines. This is the highest award a Drake professor can receive.

Marcelo J. Dapino (’94 mech engr, PhD ’99 engr mech), a professor at The Ohio State University, has been honored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers with the 2017 Adaptive Structures and Materials Systems Award.

Susan McGarvey Latta (A)(’81 journalism and ag & life sci) of Edina, Minn., is author of the forthcoming book Bold Women of Medicine: 21 Stories of Astounding Discoveries, Daring Surgeries, and Healing Breakthroughs (Chicago Review Press, September 2017), which profiles medical pioneers who broke barriers to enter the medical arena from the 1800s to the present.

Bruce Thatcher (L)('59 gen sci) has written the third book in his “History Speaks Today” series. Rise and Decline: Where We Are and What We Can Do About It uses case studies to show that citizens' attitudes toward founding values are a consistent determinant of their nation's life cycle.

Mary Dickens Johnson (A)(’76 anthro/intl studies/African studies) has published her first book, A Collection of Articles on Procurement Topics (Lambert Publishing). The book is a compilation of articles on subjects related to government and commercial contracts procedures, international treaties and export regulations, as well as related business issues.

Randy Bartlett (’86 com sci & stat) is the author of A Practitioner’s Guide to Business Analytics: Using Data Analysis Tools to Improve Your Organization’s Decision Making and Strategy (McGraw-Hill).

Mikaela Kate Schaefer (L)(’06 marketing) of Myrtle Beach, S.C., is the author of “An Invitation to You…From Love (A Book of Poetry & Photography),” a hardcover coffee-table book she says is designed to bring peace, hope, and love to readers.

Paul Shirley (’00 mech engr) has released his second book, Stories I Tell on Dates. Shirley’s stories are about an adulthood spent living all over the world: living in Spain, playing in the NBA, and having his heart (and spleen) broken.

Oscar T. Lenning (’64 engineering ops) has published the book Brain Changers 365: Build a Better Brain with 7 Activities Each Day. The book contains 365 sets of exercises designed to facilitate 10-15 minutes of daily training for improvement of basic voluntary brain functions.

Sarvinder Bal Naberhaus (A)(’83 fashion merch, ’88 el ed, MEd ’10) and Susan Maupin Schmid (’82 speech)are published children’s authors, friends, and critique partners. Naberhaus is the author of three picture books: Boom Boom, White Sky White Stars, and Lines. Schmid is the author of the 100 Dresses series from Random House.

Susan Maupin Schmid (’82 speech) and Sarvinder Bal Naberhaus (A)(’83 fashion merch, ’88 el ed, MEd ’10) are published children’s authors, friends, and critique partners. Naberhaus is the author of three picture books: Boom Boom, White Sky White Stars, and Lines. Schmid is the author of the 100 Dresses series from Random House.

Bob Wemer**('65,'74,'76,'88) has retired from farming and has moved to Grinnell, Iowa. His wife, Kim, is a retired RN from Grinnell Regional Medical Center and she now teaches yoga. In 2008, Bob bicycled from Los Angeles to Boston. The journal of his trip can be read at http://www.bobs-adventure.blogspot.com/

"Torpedoed!", a nonfiction book for readers ages 10+ by Cheryl Mullenbach, recreates the events surrounding the sinking of the "Athenia" in World War II. Through first-hand accounts, interviews with survivors, powerful images, and primary sources readers relive the days leading up to the surprise attack and the terrifying hours in lifeboats as survivors battle the elements and imagine the worst.

Tara Goedjen (’04 marketing), a former Cyclone tennis player, recently released The Breathless, a novel that follows 16-year-old Mae Cole’s quest to discover the person behind her sister’s mysterious death.

Early in 2017, Bret Wortman ran a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to create Wrap Buddies, an invention he had been working on for several years. Since then, he has started to produce and distribute these gift wrapping tools through online and brick-and-mortar businesses including Amazon.com. A featured appearance at the National Stationery Show in May, 2018 provides the platform he needs to build interest among retailers and increase their availability.

Kevin Wagner AIA, of Substance Architecture in Des Moines, IA, has received the 2017 Young Architect Award from the American Institute of Architects, Iowa Chapter, for exceptional leadership and significant contributions to the profession in the areas of design, education, and service.

James Dean, MD, PhD (BS in Biochemistry, LAS, 1991) announces a recent career move to Pharmacyclics, LLC. Dr. Dean had most recently been at CTI BioPharma Corp where he led the global study teams developing pacritinib and pixantrone. He previously worked at Seattle Genetics and at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Dr. Dean has extensive expertise in cancer biology, drug development, and clinical trials of all phases. At Pharmacyclics, he serves as Senior Medical Director with broad responsibilities for studies of ibrutinib treatment in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, as well as pre-clinical and and strategic cross-programmatic activities.

Paul Movall (BS CprE 86, MS CprE 87) was promoted to Senior Technologist, HDD Firmware, at Western Digital Corporation.

Class of 2021!