About Alumni
Changing TimesBy Bill Johnson
UMAA Executive Director
As I begin my seventeenth year as director of UM’s Alumni Association, I feel it is time to reflect on changes at the University, the Alumni Association, and in my profession.
First the University. Growth in enrollment and outside funding has been incredible in the past two decades. When I attended UM in the seventies, the state provided seventy-five percent of the cost of education, which meant that it was also providing the majority of campus operating funds. Now the state provides about thirty-five percent of the cost of education and about eleven percent of the total campus operational funds. Making up the difference are non-appropriated funds, including higher tuition, increased private giving, affinity royalty income, and research grants.
The Alumni Association has changed as well. In 1988 the association raised $45,000 in revenue. The association raised more than $365,800 during the last fiscal year. Most of this increase comes from former students joining as dues payers, royalty from association-endorsed programs such as the MBNA credit cards and AIA insurance, and income from the merchandise we sell. This support is critical to our outreach efforts. Homecoming, House of Delegates, commencement reunions, Community Lecture Series, alumni socials, tailgate gatherings, and Ask-An-Alum career mentoring programs are all dependent on this outside funding.
Changed as well is what I do as alumni director. Alumni directors now have to worry more about funding issues than what was originally considered their primary purpose—to connect former students with their campus and to champion the cause of education. Lost in this, I’m afraid, are the messages updating you on campus and critical issues facing education. I don’t expect this situation to change soon, but it is certainly being discussed within our professional ranks. Through all of these changes one thing has remained constant: Support from former students and friends is the only way to ensure the viability and growth of our great University. Thank you for staying connected to your school. 
The German Connection
By Julie Schwartz
UMAA Associate Director
Nicola May and Udo Fluck
To celebrate the agreement creating the program, the UM Alumni Association held a gathering at the Kongress Hotel in Potsdam. Expatriate alums and native exchange students mingled with President George Dennison, Jerry Fetz, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Mehrdad Kia, assistant vice president for research and director of The Office International Programs, several faculty members—Harry Fritz, Marc Hendrix, Matthias Rillig, Bill Farr, Bob Hausmann, Lynne Koester, Jill Bergman, Albert Borgmann—and Udo Fluck of the Office of International Programs.
History Professor Harry Fritz entertained the group with his unique and humorous take on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Socializing went on late into the afternoon as alums and faculty traded memories and caught up on careers, families, and upcoming trips to Montana.
European alumni attending included Susan Framness ‘98, Markus Hofstetter ‘95, Peter Karcher ‘94, Henry Kiichli ‘94, Nicola May ‘95, and John Shreve ‘76. Alum Nicole Ritter ‘96, traveled from Prague with her husband, Chip, and her toddler son. She claimed they would have traveled even farther to attend a UM event in their area.
Class Notes are compiled by Betsy Brown Holmquist ’67, M.A. ’83. Submit news to the UM Alumni Association, Brantly Hall, Missoula, MT 59812. You may fax your news to (406) 243-4467 or e-mail it to
support@UMontanaAlumni.org. Material in this issue reached our office by September 24, 2004. Please contact UMAA with all name and address updates at the above addresses or phone 1-877-UM-ALUMS. Read more Class Notes on our Web site, www.UMontanaAlumni.org
’30s
Walter P. Coombs ’39, J.D. ’41, serves on the Los Angeles judicial procedures and local government services county commissions and is a civilian member of the LAPD’s Board of Rights. Walter recalls his most interesting remembrance as receiving the Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II.
’40s
The 60th reunion for the class of 1945 will be held on campus May 12-14, 2005. Contact the alumni office for further details.
George G. Ryffel ’41 visited the Alumni Relations office this summer to begin planning his 65th class reunion. The class of 1941 decided to hold a 65th commemoration when they met at its 60th reunion. George recently won six gold medals at the Big Sky Games in Billings. In October he competed with his World War II veterans basketball team at the Huntsman World Games in St. George, Utah. George will also compete in the 2005 National Senior Olympics and the 2005 World Masters Games. He and his wife, Ruth Hugos Ryffel ’42, reside in Arlington, Virginia.
’50s
The 50th reunion for the class of 1955 will be held on campus May 12-14, 2005. Contact the alumni office for further details.
George Howard Veith, M.A. ’50, and his wife, Arlene Quackenbush Veith ’48, drove to Missoula this summer from their home in St. Paul, Minnesota. Their travels also took them to Hot Springs, where they taught school fifty years ago. “The main reason we drove 2,963 miles,” George writes, “is because our granddaughter, Carolyn Veith, from Seattle, wants to attend UM in September 2005.” Carolyn and her parents met the Veiths on campus. “Carolyn dreams of studying Russian and becoming one of Colin Powell’s foreign services officers,” her grandfather reports. George was a Fulbright scholar while a UM student and attended the University of Turin. He currently teaches citizenship classes to immigrants in St. Paul. “I tell them the first day that I am a descendent of immigrants. I’m what their grandchildren will be. That’s what America is—a nation of immigrants.”
Keith D. Peterson ’56 received a service award and special honors from the American College of Osteopathic Sports Medicine this past spring in Boston. Keith remains a speaker, organizer, and mentor for this group, which he founded in 1973. He also continues as a consultant and physician to the Seattle Mariner Baseball Club and is the attending physician for many college and professional rodeos in Montana, including UM’s Rodeo Team. Keith and his wife,
Marilyn Shope Peterson ’57, own and operate the Emily A Bed and Breakfast in Seeley Lake.
’60s
A. P. “Lou” Sullivan ’62 was elected to the board of trustees of Neumann College in Aston, Pennsylvania. A resident of Flemington, New Jersey, Lou is a founding partner of Numark Laboratories in Edison, New Jersey. He and his wife, Hazel Wilson Sullivan ’61, have four children and eight grandchildren.
Kenneth A. Willett ’66, UM’s director of Public Safety for twenty-eight years, is president and chairman of the board of directors for the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. In April he will lead a delegation to South Africa to provide police and leadership training to more than 160 public safety directors and their staffs. Ken and his wife, Eilene, have two children, Scott and Michelle Willett-Jarvis, and five grandchildren. “All are aware of the difference between a Grizzly and a Bobcat,” Ken writes.
Gary R. Christiansen, J.D. ’67, was recently featured in the Kalispell “Rotary Record” for his years of service to Rotary, his role in founding United Way, and his involvement with the Chamber of Commerce, Ducks Unlimited, and the Hockaday Museum of Art. Semi-retired since 2000, Gary continues his search for the perfect salt-water fly fishing locale. He and his wife, Connie, spend summers at Flathead Lake and winters at Leisure World in Mesa, Arizona. They have one son, Matthew, twenty-three.
Daniel P. Plute ’67, Hayward, California, is president and CEO of Procurement Services Associates (PSA) and Material and Contract Services. PSA provides technical support for the Iraqi electrical system rebuild project and contract administrator support for the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Dan travels annually to Missoula to visit his son, Chris, and other family members.
’70s
Robert E. Munzenrider ’70 is a new member of the Viad Corporation Board of Directors. Bob is a retired financial and operating executive, most recently serving as president of Harmon AutoGlass and vice president and chief financial officer of the Glass Services Segment of Apogee Enterprises. A trustee for the UM Foundation, Bob and his wife, Judy, live in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
Rose Miller Mueller ’71 and
Lornie Mueller ’74 met in chemistry class at UM. Montana natives, they grew up enjoying the legends of gold, sapphire, and fossil discoveries across the state. Rose and Lornie took up prospecting as a hobby, a passion that’s evolved into their couture jewelry business, Lithos Jewelry, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Both are certified gemologists and certified appraisers of personal property and travel the world searching for gems and jewels. Their treks have taken them from digging in Montana’s Sapphire Mountains to diving for pearls in the beds of Manish, French Polynesia. An accomplished underwater photographer, Rose has completed more than 750 dives. One of her many underwater shots, “Micky Toadfish,” is pictured above. Other photographs she’s taken adorn magazine covers and Web sites. The Muellers and their business are featured in the current issue of Couture International Jewelry magazine. Rose’s mother, Vivian Zook Miller ’65, and her husband, Frank Miller, built and ran the Cabin Bar in East Missoula for many years. Vivian has fond memories of the college students who frequented the Cabin. “Sometimes we’d give them a little party,” she recalls. “We’d put out tablecloths and serve my mother’s dill pickles and homemade breads.” A schoolteacher for many years in Blaine County, in Glasgow, and at Missoula’s Willard School, Vivian currently lives in Lolo. “I’d enjoy visiting with anyone who remembers me,” she says.
Michael R. Stevenson ’74, M.M.Ed. ’78, was named North Dakota’s outstanding drama director for Class A schools for 2004-2005. Michael teaches high school choir and directs extra curricular drama in Dickinson, North Dakota.
Karin L Ekanger ’76 earned her doctoral degree in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University this year. Retired since 2001 from her administrative position in the Las Vegas school system, Karin now works for Pearson Education/Scott Foresman Publishing Company.
Dennis C. Burns ’79 is an attorney in private practice in Dallas. He and his wife, Andrea, have a daughter, Blake, ten, and a son, Kieran, seven. They summer on Flathead Lake’s Finley Point.
’80s
John C. Baken ’80, M.F.A. ’90, finished his M.L.S. degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in May. He is currently a reference/instruction librarian at Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Missouri. John and his wife, MB, have two sons, Augustus “Gus” Alfred Baken, six, and Clyde Theodore Baken, one.
Kathy J. Harowski, M.A. ’82, Ph.D. ’83, is an assistant professor at the Metropolitan State University School of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice in St. Paul, Minnesota. A licensed psychologist, Kathy teaches undergraduate courses in criminal justice, advises students, and assists with career counseling. Previously, she was psychology services director for the Minnesota Correction Facility-Oak Park Heights.
David L. Masters ’83, J.D. ’86, Montrose, Colorado, authored The Lawyers Guide to Adobe Acrobat, published by the Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association.
Tom Rogers, M.Ed. ’84, is the new superintendent for the Shelby Public Schools. Tom previously worked in the Montana Office of Public Instruction, but arrived in Shelby after two years of teaching English immersion classes to third grade students in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.
Larry J. Heidel ’87, Los Angeles, received the 2004 Excellence Award from Walt Disney Pictures and Television-Worldwide Technical Services. Larry writes, “I have been project managing DVD authoring since 2000. Among my projects are the number one selling Finding Nemo, Lion King: Special Edition, and the new/upcoming releases of Aladdin and Bambi. We produce DVD and VHS media in more than thirty-five languages, distributed globally. I am still an active freelance musician performing with area orchestras and music organizations.”
Jacqueline R. Rhodes ’88 is associate professor of English at California State University, San Bernardino. Her book, Radical Feminism, Writing, and Critical Agency, will be released by SUNY Press in December.
Daniel Lavon Carter ’89, former managing editor at The Billings Gazette, has been named director of Government Relations and Publications at Montana State University-Billings.
’90s
Zoon Wood ’90, M.S. ’92, is director of Diversity Programs and a math instructor at Peru State College in Peru, Nebraska. A native of Vietnam, Zoon came to the United States in 1973.
Kelly W. Elder ’92, M.A. ’01, is teaching sixth grade social studies for the Helena Public Schools. For the past eight years, Kelly taught history, government, psychology, and economics at Fergus High in Lewistown.
Martin J. Kidston ’97, a freelance writer and reporter for the Independent Record in Helena, has published From Poplar to Papua: Montana’s 163rd Infantry Regiment in WWII. Martin used personal journals and diaries, news stories, and interviews with survivors to chronicle the experiences of the 1,500 young men who left their Montana hometowns to fight in the jungles of the South Pacific.
Steven D. Nash ’99 and Belinda J. Munday-Nash, Pharm.MD. ’01, announce the birth of their first child, William Russell Nash, on July 13, 2004. Steven is an elementary school teacher in Bozeman. Belinda is a pharmacist at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital.
’00s
Garrison K. Courtney ’00, Alexandria, Virginia, is press secretary for the Border and Transportation Security Directorates under Asa Hutchison, Department of Homeland Security. Garrison oversees media operations for the Transportation Security Directorates, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Protection.
New Life Members
The UM Alumni Association thanks the following alumni and friends for their commitment to the future of the Association by becoming life members. You can join them by calling 877-UM-ALUMS or logging onto our Web site: www.UMontanaAlumni.org. Annual memberships and payment plans are also available.
Brian A. Bertlin ’92, Singapore
Glenn A. Biehl ’56, M.Ed. ’61, Eugene, OR
Carol R. Boland ’81, Irvine, CA
Christopher M. Cavanaugh ’99, Helena
new life members continued
Vicky Lorenz Cavanaugh ’98, Helena
Gregory R. Fontana ’02, Woodside, CA
Demitrios E. Itskos ’03, Missoula
Michael T. Jenson ’72, Whitefish
Kristofer P. Kloser ’88, Seattle
Thomas J. LaVoie ’96, Dallas
Bobbin Field Maki ’62, M.A. ’94, Belt
Kenneth L. Maki ’62, Belt
Barbara J. McMorris ’91, Seattle
Barbara J. Mittal ’63, M.A. ’71,
Great Falls
Ralph Pomnichowski ’66, Great Falls
Jamie L. Rosdahl ’03, Missoula
David B. Rossetter ’79, Gardiner, NY
Penny Lehman Rossetter ’79, Gardiner, NY
Carl A. Rummel ’76, Missoula
Kathleen Bell Sather ’72, Havre
Terry D. Sather ’72, M.S. ’88, Havre
Michael J. Sparr ’00, Reno, NV
Rick J. Sullivan ’89, Kalispell
George C. Swanson ’59, Pleasanton, CA
In Memoriam
To be included in In Memoriam, the Alumni Association requires a newspaper obituary or a letter of notification from the immediate family. We extend sympathy to the families of the following alumni, faculty, and friends:
Marian Fitzpatrick Abbott ’25, Bigfork
Martha Dunlap-Moore ’28, Chicago
Janice Johnson Walser ’28, Greenacres, WA
Harriett Johnston Josephson ’29, Missoula
Nellie L. Woodward ’29, Sonoma, CA
Olga Hammer Armstrong ’30, Shoreline, WA
George “Bud” Grover ’30, La Grande, OR
Helen Maddock Hudson ’30, Seattle
Kenneth H. Davis ’32, Billings
Lucy Charlesworth Smith ’31, Fenley, NV
Arthur B. Garberg ’32, Great Falls
In Memoriam continued
Charles A. Goodspeed ’33, Seattle
Virginia Connolly Stratton ’33, Sun City, AZ
Margaret Johnson Edwards ’35, Silver Spring, MD
Leonard E. Nordstrom ’35, Butte
Dorcas Keach Northey ’35, Missoula
Ben E. White ’35, Newtown Square, PA
Mary Kohn Blastic ’36, Missoula
Arthur Deschamps ’36, Seattle
John Hosch Weaver ’36, Polson
Morris Farrell ’37, Billings
Dorcas Kelleher Zimmerman ’37, M.M. ’78, Hot Springs
Hoy C. Cole ’38, San Jose, CA
Seldon Sherburne Frisbee, J.D. ’38, Whitefish
Louise Voorhees Hoback ’38, Billings
Beverly O. Knowles ’38, Locust Grove, VA
Joseph Edward McDowell, J.D. ’38, Missoula
Carl Edward Chambers ’39, Salt Lake City
Ned N. Newton ’39, Dillon
Eloise Brown Waite ’39, Washington, DC
Lois Wilkinson Crippen ’40, Butte
Florena Gray Vinal Lowrance ’40, Missoula
Frank Flynn ’41, Great Falls
Mary Jardine Hall ’41, Butte
Ole Martin Ueland ’41, Butte
Mary Quinn Yuhas ’41, Stevensville
Marjorie Hazard Ahlgren ’42, 47, Hamilton
I. Robert Keller ’42, Beaverton, OR
Robert Neuman Baggenstoss ’43, Choteau
Calvin P. Hubbard ’43, Polson
Anna Kretschmar Gage ’44, Seattle
Betty Beckham McChesney ’44, Missoula
Dorothy Russell ZurMuehlen ’45, Missoula
Donald R. Boslaugh, M.Ed. ’47, Eureka
Oscar William Ayers ’47, Weaverville, NC
Jay F. Shelley ’47, Yuma, AZ
James Anthony Dixon ’48, Spokane, WA
Thomas P. Durkan ’48, Sun City, AZ
Edith Derry Kelly ’48, Billings
Gerald John Salinas ’48, Missoula
H.H. Toby Wagner ’48, M.Ed. ’53, Missoula
Donald E. Cole, M.Ed. ’49, Ryegate
Francis E. Resler ’49, Seattle
Frank E. “Monk” Semansky ’49, M.S. ’58, Butte
Ommund B. Strand ’49, Big Timber
Margaret Allen Wirth ’49, Riverside, CA
Andrew Arnold Annala ’50, Great Falls
Rhoda Junek Cummings ’50, Missoula
Alex C. Morrison, J.D. ’50, Plains
Warren Charles Seieroe, J.D. ’50, Sarasota, FL
Albert C. Cochrane ’51, Bigfork
Harold Floyd Ehret ’51, M.Ed. ’63, Seattle
Edward J. “Jack” Kiely ’51, M.Ed. ’55, Missoula
J. Michael O’Shea Regester ’51, Pagosa Springs, CO
Robert E. Bedard ’52, Troy
Birdie Virginia Gennara ’52, Butte
Louis W. Gundlach ’52, Milton-Freewater, OR
Richard B. Smith ’52, Asotin, WA
John R. “Bob” Stenbeck ’52, Butte
Audrey Dobb Tangen ’52, Reno, NV
Carl Eugene Johnson ’53, Cheyenne, WY
Royal Lee Morrison, M.Ed. ’53, Polson
Dolores Lowry Snyder ’53, Cody, WY
Paul Vincent Stelsel, M.Ed. ’53, Ettrick, WI
Dave A. Weistaner ’53, Coeur d’Alene, ID
Jay Emerson Howell, M.Ed. ’54, Banning, CA
Margaret Dempsey Malee ’54, Butte
Neil Seward Keefer ’55, J.D. ’57, Billings
Anthony F. Keast, J.D. ’56, Missoula
Gordon L. Smith ’56, Missoula
Edward Lee Focher ’57, Missoula
Barbara Hofferber Olson ’57, Billings
Laura Lamach Steele ’57, Hamilton
Dale F. Lott ’59, Davis, CA
Nels A. Olson ’59, Billings
Gerald C. Young ’59, Albany, OR
Richard Allen Dillingham ’60, Spokane, WA
Edward Matthew Johnson ’61, Missoula
Clara Mohland Lizotte ’61, Missoula Philip E. Roy, J.D. ’63, Great Falls
Richard “Boris” Bowman ’65, Fortine
Dale J. Staudacher ’68, Havre
Gary A. Langley ’69, Helena
Larry R. Smeltzer ’69, Scottsdale, AZ
Allen Richard Toftely ’70, Frazee, MN
Michael Edward Wren ’70, Cascade
John Michael Carey ’71, Ketchikan, AK
Linda Zimmerman Coates ’71, Miles City
Leigh R. Dotson ’71, Billings
Nancy Kailey Thorne ’71, Merlin, OR
Don Harry Waylett ’71, Bellingham, WA
Robert Claude English ’74, Missoula
Laurie Caras DeMarois ’75, Missoula
Robert Dobbins ’75, Spangle, WA
Margaret Norman O’Brien ’77, Missoula
Dwight Raymond Bishop ’79, Butte
Anita Sue Monk ’81, Whitefish
Robert M. Zundel ’82, Anchorage, AK
Michael S. Whiting ’83, Hot Springs
Paul Bad Marriage ’84, Browning
Bruce Edward Lee ’86, Missoula
David John Beresh, Ed.D. ’88, Medicine Hat, Alberta
Fred Unmach, J.D. ’88, Lewistown
P.J. Tomlin Topel ’89, Missoula
Milford C.”Mel” Laubach, M.F.A.’92, Missoula
Grant C. Simpson ’02, Frenchtown
Dallas Raymond Nelson ’03, Kalispell
Lucas Alexander Casady, M.A. ’04, Stevensville
Gabriel D. Cabasco Cebrian ’05, Seattle
Matthew Philip Thayne ’07, Red Lodge
Larry Gordon Burton, Missoula
Jack Gordon, Missoula
Katherine H. Haughey, Billings
Howard F. Jourdonnais, Missoula
Lee A. Paris, Mound, MN
Wesley Neil Shellen, Missoula
Walter S. Smith, Missoula
Mabel S. Monrad Stilwell, Sandpoint, ID
Barbara Bowman Wainwright, Missoula
Jim Wronoski, Huntingdon Valley, PA
BIRTHS
Auden Emery White to Paul B. White ’95 and Heather White, March 31, 2004, Raleigh, NC
Thomas Maxwell Lurey to Brian Lurey ’94 and Tracy Lurey, June 19, 2004, Greensboro, NC
Mitella Olivia to Kara Christine Parris ’02 and Stephen M. Grum ’02, June 22, 2004, Englewood, NJ
Kaitlin May Nicholson to Kenneth J. Nicholson ’92 and Ann Boyce Nicholson ’04, July 2, 2004, Seattle
Gage Carson to Justin P. Sliter ’97, M.ACCT. ’98 and Jennifer Alcorn Sliter ’98, July 26, 2004, Kalispell
Kalin Thomas Hicswa to Stefani Gray Hicswa ’91 and Scott T. Hicswa ’90, September 2, 2004, Wilsall
