Class Notes

We actually met at an ISU Alumni meeting in Oelwein, Iowa in 1979. Deb Bruene was a teacher and Matt Roach was an agricultural chemical representative in Oelwein. A fellow teacher and Iowa Stater made sure we met at a NorthEast Iowa State Alumni picnic and we were married the next fall in 1980. We both attended ISU but never knew each other while in school. (Deb Bruene Roach Art Education ‘76 and Matthew N. Roach Animal Science ’77.) After committing to each other, we committed to ISU by being active in the Alumni Association. We served as co-presidents of the ISUAA Club of Black Hawk County before we moved to Indianapolis. We helped start an ISU alumni club in Indianapolis area. (We even coordinated a combined event to watch the ISU/IA football game with the Indianapolis Iowa Alumni Club.) We continued our involvement with ISU Alumni after moving to The Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Our daughter’s kindergarten teacher in North Carolina would call the class for lunch by their favorite college team. As a loyal Cyclone and wearing her ISU cheerleading outfit, Kelly would wait until all the Duke, UNC and NC State fans were called. We now live in Cedar Rapids; Deb is an art teacher at Linn-Mar and Matt is an agricultural account manager for Monsanto. Our daughter, Kelly, is a sophomore at ISU in Athletic Training. We are proud that she still wears the red and gold! Some of the staff we worked with Jim Hobson, Ronda Cox, Kathy Towe, Reid Crawford and Maurie Blackwelder.

October 1, 1948, Dorothy Moellering met Everett Russell at a Ward Roundup dance in the dining room of Birch Hall, where Dorothy was a sophomore advisor. Everett graduated in March 1950 and went home to his Jones County farm to use his farm operations degree. Everett joined the Navy in January 1951, so when Dorothy graduated in June, she taught history & English in Clarence, IA for a year before the couple was married (July 5, 1952). When Everett was discharged from the Navy in October 1954, he returned to the farm, and the couple raised their four children there. All four graduated from ISU, as did the two son-in-laws. Now two grandchildren are following the family tradition-- Julie Brandt and Michael Brandt, senior in biology and sophomore in engineering. The four children are Robert Russell, computer engineering '79; Beverly (Russell) Brandt, distributive studies '80; Lynn Everett Russell, farm operations '83; and Marilyn (Russell) Halley, graphics design '85. Son-in-laws David Brandt, mechanical engineering '80, and Stuart Halley, aeronautical engineering '85.

My husband and I met at the first session of freshman orientation in June 2003. The first weekend before classes started, Josh and I began dating. We both graduated in May 2007 - Josh with a biology degree and I have a journalism and psychology degree. In June of 2007, Josh proposed to me on the same bench at Lake Laverne that he'd asked me out on more than four years before that. We were married on June 7, 2008.

The year was 1966. The good ole days. I was a pre-vet living in Livingston House in Helser Hall. My as-of-yet-unmet soul mate was a math major living in Westgate - the only girls dorm on our side of campus. My best friend at the time (that was soon to change ) Bob Teclaw and I were playing "phone games" on a Friday night (did I mention that these were the good ole days, pre cell phones, etc.) We'd take two phones across the hall from each other, dial an at-random number on each, put the phones receiver to receiver, and when both would answer simultaneously, the unsuspecting parties would be talking to each other. This particular night would be different. Chris from Westgate ended up talking to some long-forgotten name from some other dorm. One thing led to another and we ended up on a double-blind date - Bob with Chris and me with the other one. I was immediately smitten - problem was, Chris was doing the smiting and she was Bob's "date". Later, back at Livingston, I asked Bob if he'd mind if I called Chris. He said yes. I called anyway. Chris and I met in the hallway of the chemistry building the next day - we both had Saturday chem labs. (Do they still have those?) Bob found out, was ticked off, and our friendship was never the same. Chris Andersen and I became very good friends. We dated, fell in love, met each others family, and married in 1968 when I was a junior in vet school and she was a senior in math. 40 years later - a whole lifetime actually - we have two grown children, I'm still in the veterinary practice where I started in 1973, Chris is long-retired from teaching middle school math and I'm still smitten. I'm hoping that Bob Teclaw reads this, picks up his blackberry and texts me saying all's forgiven. But whether he does or doesn't, it's been a great ride.

My husband Nate was a member of Foster House - my "big Brother house" my sophomore year - I lived in Friant House in Maple Hall. We met that fall - started up a nice friendship - and it has lasted about 39 years! Nate would not get married before we graduated, so we graduated on the morning of May 29, 1971 and had our wedding rehearsal and lunch after graduation. Then we got married about 2 PM that afternoon! A long day, to say the least - but one we will NEVER forget! We were one of the last classes to graduate on Clyde Williams Field - and had our reception over at the Memorial Union. An ISU Wedding all the way! After a very short honeymoon to Chicago (to get some furniture), we moved into University Village and Nate started grad school while Annette worked in the Vet Med Library - while it was still on central campus:) While in grad school - Nate was fortunate to find a job there in Ames and they were able to start their family and future. And that they did - they stayed Cyclone fans - both regular and "little Cyclone" while raising their family of two and are still loyal to ISU. They have gone to almost every BIg 8/12 basketball tournament for the past 20+ years.

The thing that first brought my husband and me together was – the Ames City Dump! I knew where it was, and he had the car to get us there. It was Homecoming 1965 and Meeker House had built a Homecoming display on the lawn of Elm Hall. Everyone was getting together to take the display down but nobody knew where the City Dump was. I knew, because it was along old Hwy 30, the road I had traveled often from my home in State Center. And Jerry had a 38 Chevy that could handle a crowd or a load of stuff. We had met a few weeks earlier. He was President of Meeker House and came over to deliver a petition asking Elm Hall to work together on a Homecoming Display. I was sitting desk in the Elm Hall Lobby (back in the days of housemothers and strict rules). Even though I was being paid 45 cents an hour, I wasn’t very busy and was quite happy to chat with a good looking stranger (the housemother was out at the moment)! We were married the day after graduation and Jerry’s commissioning in the Navy. That was 40 years ago and we still visit Ames whenever we can.

My husband and I are true Cyclone lovebirds! We met in the fall of 1981, our freshman year, in Food Technology 101. Since we were both animal science majors, we had many classes together our freshman year. Although our first "date" wasn't until the night before our last final exam spring semester (we both decided to "punt" studying for our Chem. 177 final exam!), we came back after summer break, began dating the fall of our sophomore year and the rest is history! We were married Aug. 18, 1984, the summer before our senior year at ISU. We moved into University Village after we were married and Tom was Resident Manager there. We were both active in the Block and Bridle Club, Tom being Asst. Treasurer and I was the Secretary. We both worked part time at the Memorial Union, Tom for Bill Dee in buildings and grounds and me for Becki Dee in the old check cashing office. We graduated with our animal science degrees in May 1985. Tom was accepted into medical school at the University of Iowa and so we left Ames for that other university (VERY hard to go live with those Hawkeyes!!) in July of 1986. We now have 3 beautiful daughters, the eldest of which is a junior at Iowa State and loves it! Dani Varley is a JLMC major with an emphasis in broadcast. She can be seen every week reporting for cyclones.com where she enjoys an amazing internship with the athletic department where she produces the "Cyclone Video Update" on all the recent sporting events at ISU. Having a daughter at ISU gives us a wonderful excuse to come back to Ames more often, which we thoroughly enjoy. We have so many wonderful memories of our time there. We will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary next August and will probably spend it in Ames, bringing our daughter back to ISU for her final year there!

In the fall of 1999, Derek Halverson and I were sophomores and enrolled in the honors seminar, "Predicting Your Future 101." Both of us were skeptical about the class, given the title, but it turned out to be an interesting discussion class about various outcomes for the future. Derek and I didn't talk much to each other during the class. However during our class, he always apologized if he cut me off and made sure that I had an opportunity to talk. On the last day, Derek's future scenario was ridiculed by some other classmates. Yet, he defended his ideas very maturely. Derek also mentioned an experiment about electrodes being put into rat brains to control a cursor on a computer screen. I had just read the same thing and decided to talk to him about it after class. I already had plans to participate in the 2000 summer College of Agriculture study abroad program in China. So after class, we talked about studying abroad, rat-brain electrodes, and all sorts of things. And in the following May, we both went to China with the study abroad program. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and we had a fantastic time. We were dating since then end of our class, but we really fell in love during our time in China. We have now been married for over six years and have a daughter that is almost two.

My husband and I met through a fellow Cyclone at Iowa State in 2002 when I was just beginning my senior year in journalism and communication and he was working on his master's degree in the department of entomology (after completing an undergraduate degree in genetics at Iowa State as well). Although we were extremely busy with both our academics and our student involvement (like VEISHEA and the EGSO) we found time to spend together to enjoy Ames and Iowa State. Because it is such a special place to us, we were married on the Iowa State campus in July of 2004. Although our pursuits have taken us to Chicago and now Dallas, we continue to be avid Cyclone fans and wear our cardinal and gold with pride! I am now an attorney in Dallas and my husband is working on his Ph.D. in Immunology at UT Southwestern in Dallas.

Maxine (Root) Carroll** (’49 home mgmt.) lives in a retirement community in Spokane, Wash. and enjoys working on genealogy, putting together family scrapbooks, and planning her trips. In the summer of 2008, a dream was realized when she took her two granddaughters, ages 11 and 12, from the west coast to the east coast, culminating in a week at an Elderhostel intergenerational program on Prince Edward Island, Canada. The island was celebrating the 100th year since “Anne of Green Gables” was published.

Melissa Mundt, Assistant City Administrator of Gardner, Kan., received the International City/County Management Association (ICMA)’s Credentialed Manager Candidate designation and became an ICMA Credentialed Manager in June. To be credentialed by ICMA, a member must have significant experience as a senior management executive in local government, earned a degree, preferably in public administration or a related field, and demonstrated a commitment to high standards of integrity and to lifelong learning and professional development.

Behrooz Fattahi has been elected 2010 President of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, to begin serving in September. He is currently serving as President-Elect of the society of nearly 80,000 members. Behrooz and his wife Farzaneh (Amin) Fattahi (’75 inter. design, ’77 MS fam. envir.) reside in Bakersfield, Calif.

Ryan O'Hara ('98, Computer Engineering) received his Masters Degree in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota in December 2008.

Lily Grace Hildreth Born Sept. 9, 2008 at Boone Community Hospital.

Christian Madsen** ('00 ag. sys. tech.) and wife Amy along with big sister Mallory welcomed Mick Christian Madsen into our lives on June 12, 2007. The Madsen family lives in Wichita, Kan.

Jenny (Rickels) Pollard and AJ Pollard were married on April 26th, 2008 on the ISU campus in the Lago Court Yard. Jenny is a '06 graduate in Liberal Studies and AJ is a '07 graduate in Mechanical Engineering and now completing his Masters in the Bio Renewable Technologies program. Both are still happily settled in Ames.

Richard Mason recalls that he graduated from ISU just in time to spend the next four years in the Navy. He enlisted the day after Pearl Harbor. He served at Normandy and in the Pacific, and later in the Korean War. He left the Navy with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Richard became a fundraiser for colleges and universities, owned a number of travel agencies in california, and saw the world several times. He refers to himself as a "triple retiree."

Daniel Leinen has been named Region III Outstanding Teacher in Community Service by The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE). The award requires that the recipients have made significant contributions toward training, motivating, and inspiring their peers and students to become involved in programs and projects that benefit their communities, and that they have been active in ACTE activities. Dan is Agricultural Educator, FFA Advisor, and Department Chair at the Harlan Community School District in Harlan, Iowa. For over 28 years, he has been teaching and emphasizing community service and development. When he joined Harlan’s FFA program in 1982, a new program called “Building Our American Communities” started. That program lasted until the mid-1990’s and the Harlan FFA chapter was recognized nine times by the state FFA Leadership Conference, advancing three times to the national FFA level. Dan has held leadership roles in state professional organizations, has served on two advisory panels at ISU, and was named an Outstanding Young Alumnus in 1994. He resides in Harlan.

A retirement party in Kansas City in November honored Joel Cerwick upon his retirement as Board Chairman of Burns and McDonnell. Burns and McDonnell is an employee-owned firm of more than 2900 engineers, architects, construction experts, planners, and others representing virtually all design disciplines. They have offices nationwide, with headquarters in Kansas City.

John D. Shors has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America 2009. He is the most senior shareholder of the Davis Brown Law Firm in Des Moines, Iowa. He has a general practice in, but not limited to, Business Organizations and Transactions, Health Law, Entertainment and Sports, and Tax. Best Lawyers is the oldest peer-review publication in the legal profession.

Margaret Van Houten has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America 2009. She is a senior shareholder of the Davis Brown Law Firm in Des Moines. She has a general practice in, but not limited to, Estate Planning, Taxation, Trust and Estate Administration, Charitable Organizations, and Employee Benefits. Best Lawyers is the oldest peer-review publication in the legal profession. The independent legal rankings are the culmination of years of diligent research and are reviewed annually.

Deborah M. Tharnish has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America 2009. She is a senior shareholder at Davis Brown Law Firm in Des Moines, Iowa, with a general practice in, but not limited to, Business Litigation and Employment Law. Best Lawyers is the oldest peer-review publication in the legal profession. The independent legal rankings are the culmination of years of diligent research and are reviewed annually.

Erin Penne Receives 2008 Distinguished New Engineer Award from the Society of Women Engineers Penne recognized at WE08, the Society of Women Engineers national conference. Chicago, IL November 10, 2008 – The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is pleased to announce Erin Penne as a recipient of the 2008 SWE Distinguished New Engineer Award for contributions to aerospace engineering and service to the Society of Women Engineers; for leadership and dedication on the local, regional, and national levels; and commitment to the community. “Erin Penne is an intelligent and talented engineer, who has made impressive contributions to SWE on the regional and national levels. As a wife, mother, engineer, SWE officer and community volunteer, she is a wonderful example of an engineer who has achieved success and balance,” said Virginia Connolly, SWE President. Penne is a principal systems engineer for General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems. She is working as a technical subcontracts lead for the repair activities for Advanced Mission Computer on the F/A-18 and the AV-8B Aircraft. In 2006, she was selected for a job rotation in manufacturing as a project engineer. In this role she operated as the manufacturing focal point for all repair activities for the Advanced Mission Computer on the F/A-18 and AV-8B aircraft. She coordinated the manufacturing projects from start to finish. Under her leadership, the team improved material handling, shortened inspection times, eliminated errors in the data management system and reduced cycle time for repairs. “One characteristic that describes Erin is devotion: devotion to our company, devotion to our customers, and devotion to our community,” said Lou Von Thaer, president of General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems. “She has excelled in a number of different roles at General Dynamics, and we've come to expect that. But it's what she brings to the office beyond her engineering knowledge, skills and abilities that makes her truly unique. Erin helps coordinate her unit’s United Way It's her excellence in engineering and her tireless devotion that make Erin such a deserving recipient of the SWE Distinguished New Engineer Award. campaign, Engineer's Week activities, Adopt-a-Family and Cancer Walk teams in her community. As an active SWE member, Penne helped charter the SWE East Central Iowa Section and served as their vice president and section representative among other positions. She is also involved on the region and national levels. Penne is currently on the Membership Committee and serves as the region membership coordinator and interim chair-elect. She is also the region membership coordinator. Penne holds a M.S. in systems engineering and a B.S. in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University. The Distinguished New Engineer Award honors women engineers who are actively engaged in engineering, demonstrate outstanding technical performance, and have no more than 10 years of cumulative engineering experience. The Distinguished New Engineer Award recipients were recognized Nov. 8 at WE08, the Society of Women Engineers national conference. WE08 was held at the Baltimore Convention Center, Nov. 6-8, in Baltimore, Md. The more than 5,000 attendees included professionals from every discipline of the engineering profession and engineering students and educators. The WE09 conference is scheduled for Oct. 15-17, 2009 in Long Beach, Calif. About SWE The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, is a not-for-profit educational and service organization. SWE is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and receive the recognition and credit for their life-changing contributions and achievements as engineers and leaders. For more information about the Society please visit www.swe.org or call (312) 596-5223.

Paula Rose was born in April 2008. She joins her sister Katie, now 4 yrs old, as part of the family.

Henrietta Van Maanen is one of 31 former National 4-H fellows who commemorated the 77th Anniversary of the National Payne/4-H Fellowship program at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Washington, DC, in October '08 The fellowship, initiated in 1931, prepared young professional Department of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service staff for leadership in the 4-H Youth Development Program. The one-year fellowship combined post-baccalaureate study with an informal study of the federal government and related organizations in Washington, DC. Henrietta was Extension Home Economist in Hardin County, Iowa when she was awarded the fellowship. After the fellowship, she served as Extension Home Economist in Linn County, Iowa; District Program Leader in Prosser, Wash.; Area Extension Director in Fort Dodge, Iowa; and Area Extension Director in Reno, Nev., prior to retiring in 1991. After retirement Henrietta volunteered with Volunteers in Mission, a ministry of the Presbyterian Church, alternating between two locations from 1991 to 2007: Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka, Alaska and Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C. She now lives in Fort Dodge, Iowa.