One of my favorite moments during the production of each magazine is when our team prints a draft of the issue and pins it to the wall. After months of word documents and PDFs and completed tasks, we get to take a step back and see how everything has come together. For this issue, one question popped up: Are there, can there be, too many dogs in a magazine?
As the owner of a senior dog and cat, and regular animal shelter volunteer, I’m a sucker for any animal, so I’m going to say no. Plus, our cover story about Honey captures so many special elements — the connection and responsibility humans feel for their pets, the power of community, and the care and talent that College of Veterinary Medicine faculty, staff, and students bring to their patients.
But for those not as endeared to animals, I promise this issue has heartwarming and inspirational stories for you as well. Much like children, you’re not supposed to have favorites, but the following three stories have stuck with me well beyond the first drafts: A retired professor repairs and donates violins to local schools (pg. 8), five first-generation graduates share their journeys to and through Iowa State (pg. 28), and a former professional golfer recalls how his career nearly ended five years after he graduated (pg. 14).
We hope you enjoy this issue amid the dog days of summer.