$1 Million Gift Creates Named Endowments

Knox received two major gifts from an anonymous donor, one to endow a million-dollar named chair and another to establish a library collections fund. The donor has given $200,000 on a pledge of $1 million to establish the R. Lance Factor Professorship in Philosophy and $27,000 to establish the Sandra Lumberry Library Collections Fund for Seymour Library. “These gifts symbolize the value our donors see in a Knox education,” explains President Roger L. Taylor ’63. “It shows us how important faculty and staff interactions are to each student’s experience.”

R. Lance Factor Chair in Philosophy
Lance Factor, a member of the Knox faculty since 1969, is currently the George Appleton Lawrence Professor of Philosophy and Chair of Knox's Department of Philosophy. The new endowed chair is the first in College history to recognize the accomplishment of a living professor and the first chair to reside in the philosophy department.

Sandra Lumberry Library Collections Endowment Fund
The Lumberry Collections Fund—the first endowed fund honoring a Knox staff member—is named in memory of Sandra Lumberry, who worked in the Knox bookstore for 35 years. Known as “Sandy in the bookstore” to many, Lumberry befriended many students while she worked at Knox. She retired from Knox in 1994.

More information . . .

Fitness Center Opens

Knox’s new, state-of-the-art fitness center—named the E. & L. Andrew Fitness Center in honor of Laurel Andrew ’86 and her family, the project’s lead donors—opened to the Knox community on January 24. More than 220 individuals took advantage of the fitness center on its first day, using its cardio and selectorized exercise machines, stretching area, and free weights. Yoga and Tai Chi classes were also held in the fitness studio.

How do student's feel about the new facility? “It’s beautiful,” Michael DeGrand ’05, a post-baccalaureate fellow, told Galesburg’s The Register-Mail. Using a treadmill that overlooked a panoramic view of campus, DeGrand added, “It’s like getting to be outside, with air conditioning. I feel so spoiled.”

The College will dedicate the E. & L. Andrew Fitness Center at a ceremony on Friday, February 17, at 4:00 p.m. More information . . .

Fire Destroys Former O.T. Johnson’s Building

The former O.T. Johnson’s building in downtown Galesburg was destroyed in an early-morning fire on Monday, January 23. The cause of the fire is not known, but an investigation is currently underway. Read full coverage of the fire and memories of O.T. Johnson’s department store in Galesburg’s The Register-Mail.

Think about Knox for A Minute

Do us a favor. Think about Knox for a minute. What are the first two or three associations that come to mind? For example, when you think about Nike, you may think running, Michael Jordan, expensive. When you think about Knox, what do you think of? Please e-mail us with your response. Thanks for your help!



A Note from the Editors

900+ Online Community Members
Thanks to everyone who registered in the new Knox Online Communty. To date, more than 900 alumni, parents, and friends of Knox are enjoying the many features of the new community, including a searchable online directory, event registration, up-to-date news postings, and much more. Join today!*

Coming Soon! The 2006 Knox Alumni Directory
To order a directory, contact PCI: the data company at 800-982-1590 or online by clicking here. For access, you will need your Knox ID number, which you can request by e-mailed alumni@knox.edu. Directories will be distributed in summer 2006.

*Please note that you will need your Knox ID number to register in the new community.  E-mail gizmogram@knox.edu.



Campus News

Celebrating 25 Years of the I-Fair
Knox College’s annual International Fair celebrated its 25th year  with day-long festivities on January 28. Highlights included the popular food fair in Seymour Union, the Parade of Flags, a performance by guest artist, Instinto Dance Company, and cultural booths from around the world.  More information . . .

Choir Returns to Spain for 2006 Tour
The Knox College Choir will travel to Barcelona, Spain, on its annual spring break tour. In addition to its performances in Spain, the Choir will perform for the Knox and Galesburg communities. Choir Director and Professor of Music Laura Lane, who is traveling to Spain with the Choir for the third time, is very excited about this year’s tour venues. “We have fantastic venues this time, including the Castello d’Empuries, which is an enormous cathedral in a small village north of Barcelona,” says Lane. “The students will have a wonderful time performing in these remarkable places.”  For 2006 tour dates . . .

Take a Virtual Tour of Campus!
If you didn’t make it back for Homecoming or you haven’t had a recent opportunity to visit Knox, you can now take a tour of campus—online! See campus buidlings, learn about academic programs, and re-visit Knox traditions. Take the Virtual Tour!

Admission, Fundraising Open New Year on Strong Note
Knox started the New Year on a high note, as both admission and fundraising were well above last year’s numbers. At the end of the second week of January, the College had received 1,568 applications for admission, compared to 1,342 last year; 844 students were admitted, compared to 754 last year; and 29 students have accepted their offer of admission, compared to 17 last year.

As of December 31, 2005, total Knox Fund giving was $1,052,001, four percent ahead of last year’s numbers; total giving to Knox was $2,920,332, 15 percent ahead of last year; and 1,984 alumni gave to Knox between July 1 and December 31, 2005, 23 percent ahead of last year’s totals.



Student News

Externship participants Jon Gripshover ’06 (left) and Hillary Loomis ’06 (top) with Betsy Hutula from the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, one of the companies participating in the externship program.

Students Participate in Externship Program
While most Knox students spent the 2005 December break at home or taking courses during December term, 13 Knox students had the opportunity to live and work in Chicago.

Thanks to a grant from the James S. Kemper Foundation, these students were able to participate in the Knox College Externship Program, which took place December 5–8, 2005, in Chicago. The externship program, sponsored by the Center for Career and Pre-Professional Development, is a volunteer job shadowing opportunity that allows students to spend a few days observing and, possibly, working with professionals, investigating a career field, and experiencing a typical week on the job.

“I applied to the externship program because my parents were harping on me for my lack of post-Knox plans; the dreadful ‘I don't know’ convinced me to get in gear,” says Jon Gripshover ’06, a creative writing major, journalism and film minor from Matteson, Illinois. “I had the opportunity to work at Pensions & Investments, a magazine run by Crain Communications. Crain didn’t have me sit and watch others work; they thrust me into reporting.” And the hard work paid off. Two of Gripshover’s stories were published and a small article was included in the magazine’s daily newsletter. More information on the 2005 Externship program . . .

Twenty-Five Knox Students Named Fall All-Midwest Conference Athletes
The Midwest Conference (MWC) recognized 25 Knox student-athletes competing in eight fall sports on the 2005 MWC Academic All-Conference Fall Sports Team. Student-athletes who hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 and letter in any of the MWC’s fall sports are eligible for the All-Midwest team. Read more . . .



Alumni News

Volunteering after Hurricane Katrina
In September 2005, Betty Rucker Sutton ’62, chief psychologist with the California Department of Corrections, volunteered her services to the Red Cross’s Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, working in and around New Orleans for two weeks. In her own words: “When I received an e-mail from the American Psychological Association requesting psychologists to volunteer with the Red Cross, I immediately applied. Four days later, I arrived in Baton Rouge.” Read more of Betty's story . . . 

Wrestling Meet Named in Honor of Chuck Porter ’52
Charles W. “Chuck” Porter ’52 has left more than one legacy at Knox College. Not only is he the namesake of the Chuck Porter Duals, an invitational wrestling tournament hosted by Knox, but he is also the chief benefactor of the new Charles and Priscilla Porter Wrestling Complex. Read more . . .

Alumni Notes

Milton Muelder ’30 received Michigan State University’s 2005 Philanthropist Award at the university’s Fall 2005 sesquicentennial Homecoming celebration. The award recognizes Muelder’s long-standing commitment to the university, both as an administrator and as a donor.

Julian Rimpila ’62 was recently elected to the Chicago Medical Society’s Board of Trustees, where he serves as vice-chairman. Dr. Rimpila has staff appointments at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, Christ Hospital and Medical Center, and Lincoln Park Hospital.

On December 30, 2005, Lou Goldstein ’65 was awarded the Bill Shere Award for contributions to the community and wrestling at the Midlands (Illinois) Wresting Tournament.

The  “Artist’s Book” collection, a collection of hand-made books, by Can Ciftci Goknil ’67 is on display in the National Art Library of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. In addition to her art, Gotnik writes and illustrates children’s picture books.

Joann Litke Duer ’70 was named the Lodi (CA) Business and Professional Women’s Organization’s Woman of Achievement for the past year. She is an eighth-grade algebra teacher at Lodi Middle School and volunteers with Delta Kappa Gamma, an organization for employed and retired female teachers, and Lodi BPW, an organization that keeps women aware of legislation that affects their businesses and professions.

Maurie Grafton ’71 and his son, Tom Grafton ’01, released All Through the Night, a holiday CD of traditional hammer dulcimer music. The CD is for sale exclusively at Galesburg’s Innkeeper’s Fresh Roasted Coffee.

“Winter’s Children,” a poem by Mark Hauer ’81, was published in the winter edition of Edgar Literary Magazine.

Laurence Msall ’84, president of The Civic Federation, was interviewed by NBC anchor Brian Williams in a special Nightly News segment on public pensions in November 2005.

Kendall Dunkelberg’s (’86) translation of the poem “Turquoise Ship” by Dirk Van Bastelaere was selected for inclusion on Poetry International’s Belgian Web site. A Fulbright scholar, Dunkelberg is currently teaching at the Catholic Unversity of Leuven and Lessius Institute in Belgium.

Heidi Leuszler ’92, a graduate student in the University of Illinois’ College of Education, wrote about the influence of Peter Schramm, professor emeritus of biology, on her life in the Fall 2005 issue of The Illinois Steward. In the article,  “Thanks to Peter Schramm, The Prairie is in My Blood,” Leuszler talks about her experiences studying with Professor Schramm while a student at Knox. Read more about prairie restoration at Knox College.

Erin Roche ’93 was named to the board of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA). Roche is an IMSA graduate and the principal of Ravenswood School in Chicago.

Matt Berg ’00 was the program coordinator for the Bamako, Mali, Geekcorps office from April 2004–September 2005. Geekcorps promotes economic growth in the developing world by sending highly-skilled technology volunteers to teach communities how to use innovative and affordable information and communication technologies. Before working in Mali, Berg worked in Dakar, Senegal, creating web-based accounting software for African merchants.

“A Pedagogy of Force: Faculty Perspectives of Critical Thinking Capacity in Undergraduate Students,” written by Mark Halx ’01, will be published in the Journal of General Education, volume 54, issue 4.  In January, Mark gave a presentation on this topic at the University of Georgia, Athens.



Faculty & Staff News

Doug Wilson praised as “hidden star” of Lincoln documentary
Lincoln, a History Channel documentary on Abraham Lincoln, which aired on January 16, featured an interview with Douglas Wilson, co-director of the Lincoln Studies Center. In addition to Wilson, the program featured interviews with other leading Lincoln scholars and historians, including Gore Vidal, Harold Holzer and Jay Winik. Joe Avalon, a reviewer on the Web site Civil War Interactive, called Wilson “the hidden star” of the program. In addition to his television appearance, Wilson’s article “Lincoln and Abolition,” is featured in the current issue of the quarterly online journal, HistoryNow.org.

“What’s so great about new plays?” by Neil Blackadder, associate professor of theatre, recently appeared in LMDA Review, the journal of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas.

The San Francisco Chronicle interviewed Tim Kasser, associate professor of psychology, on the trend of overspending during the holiday season in an article that appeared on Black Friday—the day that many retailers go into the black by earning as much as 50 percent of annual profits.

Laura Lane, professor of music and director of choral activities, conducted the Wisconsin All-State Collegiate Choir at the Wisconsin Choral Directors’ Association annual convention on Friday, January 13. The choir features 125 of Wisconsin’s best college and university singers.

On November 21, 2005, Frank McAndrew, Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology, discussed his findings on the origins and usefulness of gossip on two ABC Radio affiliates in Chicago and Boston. Earlier in 2005, McAndrew appeared on Radio Nation’s “Saturday Breakfast with Geraldine Doogue.” Read a transcript from the Radio Nation interview.

Xavier Romano, vice president for student development and dean of students, has been appointed to the James E. Scott National Academy for Leadership & Executive Effectiveness. A program of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), the Scott National Academy for Leadership has focused on the continued professional education development needs of senior student affairs officers. Romano also gave the lecture “Diversity and The American Liberal Arts College” at Lees McRae College on January 20.

“Fe Vibrational Spectroscopy of Myoglobin and Cytochrome f,” an article c-authored by Chuck Schulz, professor of physics, was published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry B.

Chad Simpson, lecturer in English, received an Illinois Arts Council (IAC) Individual Artist Fellowship for prose. The $7,000 fellowship is awarded annually to Illinois artists in recognition of their outstanding work and commitment within the arts. Robert  Hellenga, George Appleton Lawrence Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of English, also recieved an IAC Finalist Award.


Contact Us
Submissions to the Gizmogram should be made to the editor(s) at gizmogram@knox.edu. Submissions may be edited for space.

Editors
Jennie Hemingway
Megan Scott ’96

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