When our team is working through a magazine’s creation, I’ll often get asked, “What’s the theme?” Typically, my answer is: “There is no theme.” We have such a range of stories we can share in each magazine that I don’t want to limit us to any one topic. But don’t hold me to that if I ever change my mind! And while that answer is still true for this spring issue, as the first drafts appeared in my inbox, I found myself seeing that –– while unintended –– there is a theme, a theme of perseverance, endurance, and determination.
It shows cover to cover: in our main feature (how Lynette Pohlman has helped lead and shape Iowa State’s renowned art collection), in a story about AnswerLine (how one graduate student’s problem-solving led to a 50-year resource), most certainly in our Cyclones Everywhere feature (on record-breaking runner Nels Matson), and in our Cyclone Power Q&A (how Sarah Van Berkum helped launch the successful Luno brand).
Whether the feat is physical, mental, emotional, or a combination of all those and more, Iowa Staters never fail to fascinate and inspire me. Matson’s story landed on my desk a couple of weeks before New Year’s, which is the only reasonable explanation I can have for why I’ve decided to try and run a 5K this year, despite having not run at all — in any capacity — for at least a decade.
As you read this spring’s Iowa Stater, I hope you also find inspiration and connection with the stories of your fellow Iowa Staters.