November 2006 Class Notes We want to hear from you! Please send your alumni class notes to the Office of Alumni Relations, William Jewell College, 500 College Hill, Box 1003, Liberty, MO 64068 or e-mail us at alumni@william.jewell.edu. 1940s Harvey Rusk '41, his son Randy Rusk and grandson Tate Rusk teamed up with a national non-profit organization, Trust for Public Land, to set up a conservation easement on their 1,500-acre spread in the shadow of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Westcliffe, Col. They were honored by Newsweek magazine in an article entitled, "15 People Who Make America Great." Harvey and Verna Jean Conrad Rusk '43 have a grandson, Evan Gillespie, who graduated from Jewell in '04. 1960s Richard P. Groves '64 has been appointed the first program director for the Liberty, Mo. Downtown Revitalization Organization. Rich was a former member of the Historic Downtown Liberty executive board and also the Downtown Liberty Task Force. Bob Taylor '69 has retired as Superintendent of Schools for the Festus (Mo.) School District. He is now the Missouri Department of Education Supervisor of Instruction for Metro St. Louis and is teaching in the Department of Educational Leadership and Higher Education of St. Louis University. 1970s Donald Frey '74 has published his first novel entitled "Medicine." It is a work of historical fiction set in the late 1800's. The story is about an embittered alcoholic ex-cavalry officer in the final years of his life, living as a recluse in a small Montana town and growing ever more despondent as the world marches toward World War I. Don is the Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Creighton University School of Medicine. He and Tish Schneider Frey '74 live in Greta, Neb. Ronn Ramey '75 has been promoted to Assistant Vice President and Senior Sales Officer for Bank of America in the State of Missouri. Ronn markets the Bank of America student loan products to the colleges and universities across the state. Ronn & Marta Garwood Ramey '75 recently moved to Springfield, Mo. Steve Hemphill '78 was recently appointed to serve in Kosovo as Senior Human Rights Adviser for Security Issues. He will be working with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is an arm of the United Nations. Kosovo is the last remaining province of the former Yugoslavia which status is yet to be determined. Steve has sold his home in Monett, Mo. in anticipation of this move. Terry Teachout '79 reviewed the America Shakespeare Center's production of "Othello" for The Wall Street Journal. Jeremy Fiebig '03 was one of the stage managers for this production in Staunton, Vir. 1980s Constance Rogers '81 has joined the law firm of Davis Graham & Stubbs as an associate. Her focus will be with energy and mining companies plus Indian tribes. Constance received her J. D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center in 2000. She resides in Colorado Springs, Col. Stephen Swartz '81 completed his Ph.D. in Composition & Rhetoric at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He has accepted a position as an Assistant Professor of English at the Punxsutawney campus of IUP. Stephen and his wife, Jiajia, reside in Indiana, Penn. Darlene Bailey '82, Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator at Missouri State University (Springfield, Mo.) has accepted the position of Associate Commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference. Darlene will manage the NCAA governance process for the WAC's nine-member institutions and will work directly with the WAC president/chancellors, athletic directors, senior woman administrators and faculty representatives with implementation of the recently adopted conference strategic plan. She and son, Luke, have relocated to Denver, Col. 1990s Debra Driskell Lynn '90 will direct the Manchester (Ind.) College A Cappella Choir at Carnegie Hall in May, 2007. Debra is an associate professor of music at Manchester College. Jim Richerson '90 has been named Senior Director of PGA Golf Properties. He will oversee the burgeoning PGA Golf Properties facilities including those currently undergoing major refurbishment at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Fla. He will also be responsible for golf operations at the 43,000-acre Coyote Springs project under development outside of Las Vegas as well as Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., home of the 2008 Ryder Cup. Jim now resides in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Julie Russell Nelson '92 was recently honored as the "Rookie of the Year" by the Enid, Okla. Chamber of Commerce. Julie was chosen because of her dedication to the Chamber Ambassadors and also her attendance at special events and scheduled meetings. Jennifer Donnelli '95 has been promoted to counsel at Bryan Cave LLP. Jennifer is a member of the firm's commercial litigation and labor and employment practices. Jill Ulrich '95 has been selected to be a member of the 2006-07 Class of The Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series. Jill was one of twenty women selected to participate in this program due to their extraordinary dedication to their communities. The Richard G. Lugar Series is a not-for-profit organization funded and operated by the voluntary contributions of individuals and organizations committed to increasing the leadership of women in politics and government. LeAnn Lotz Todd '96 was recently named a tenured math faculty member at Metropolitan Community College, Longview campus, Lee's Summit, Mo. LeAnn is beginning her sixth year of teaching math full-time at Longview. She is also a mentor for new faculty, and the Coordinator of the Development Math Programs on campus. She is also listed in Who's Who Among American Teachers. Mike Driskill '97 has accepted the position of Band Director at the Cassville Middle School. Mike and his family have relocated to Cassville, Mo. Joy Painter Harvey '99 is currently teaching special education at Park Middle School in Lincoln, Neb. where she and her husband reside. 2000s Laura Bramon Good '00 has accepted a position with the U S Office of Refugee Resettlement's Anti-Sex and Labor Trafficking Division in Washington, DC. Breanne Gearhart '01 received her MBA from Rockhurst University this summer. Breanne resides in Grandview, Mo. Jessica Kolterman '01 is currently working as a Legislative Aide to Nebraska State Senator, Elaine Stuhr. She is also campaign manager for Nebraska State Treasurer candidate Shane Osborn. Jessica recently attended the Senate Leadership Summit for Young Professionals in Washington, DC. Rachel McQuown Linnemeyer '01 recently received her M.A. in Counseling from UMKC and is currently working towards her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, also at UMKC. She is completing an advanced practicum at the University of Kansas Medical Center in the Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She recently had an article published in the Journal of Career Assessment, in which she was the second author. Jeremy Fiebig '03 was one of the stage managers for a production of "Othello" staged by the America Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Vir., which was reviewed for The Wall Street Journal by Terry Teachout '79. Ingrid Larson '03 is currently attending the accelerated Master's in Nursing program at Vanderbilt University, where she will graduate as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. David Laughlin '03 is a graduate assistant in the baseball program at Ithaca College in New York. Regan Stoops '03 graduated from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in June. He accepted a position as pastor at First Baptist Church of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Pierre Jallow '04 is a Gambia professional basketball player who is currently making a name for himself in the Queensland Australian Basketball League. He was named the "player of the week" in the final fixture round in 2006. Cammie Brennan '05 has begun her second year of teaching in China. She is also taking Chinese classes to earn credit towards her Master's degree from the University of Kansas in Asian Studies. Lauren Gallen '05 has been promoted to Event Manager at the Overland Park (Kan.) Convention Center. She is responsible for planning and coordinating events for the 237,000-square-foot facility. She also serves as a liaison between organizers and facility staff. Mark Rorvig '05 has accepted the position of 9th-grade girls' basketball coach at Harrisonville, Mo. Eric Smith '05 has accepted a medical sales position with PDSHeart in Chicago.