For our cover photoshoot with President David Cook (’92) and First Lady Katie Cook (’94), we first gathered in the Parks Library reading room, or what many alumni likely remember as the periodical room. Names change, interests change, technologies change. Gone are the local newspapers and magazines, the shelves now filled with CDs and DVDs (which, yes, believe it or not, students still use and enjoy).
When Dan McClanahan (’08), the photographer behind this issue’s cover, was a student at Iowa State, he was pursuing a career in print journalism. But a pivot led him and his now-wife, Alex (’08), to open a photography studio.
“We met at ISU, so campus is a big part of why we love and stayed in Ames,” Alex says. “Staying connected to it through our lenses feels personal, especially when we get to revisit spaces that are nostalgic to us personally.”
Dan agrees: “My photographic journey started as a student here, so it feels very full-circle to get to use my skills on campus.”
There in Parks Library, a special moment began: One alumni couple returning to campus to photograph another alumni couple’s return home.
Dan recalled attending then-President Gregory Geoffroy’s leadership class, which President Cook will now lead. Dan and Alex met in the Memorial Union at the end of their freshman years; the Cooks love to drop into the Memorial Union to chat with students.
Campus may evolve, trends come and go, but the impact of the experiences had at Iowa State remains. In this issue, you’ll learn about upcoming renovations planned for Lake LaVerne (pg. 12), researchers working to advance humanoid robots (pg. 10), and the costume shop supervisor behind more than 200 ISU Theatre productions (pg. 34). And of course, you’ll learn more about David and Katie Cook’s journey as students and alumni that led them home to Iowa State (pg. 18).