Fall 2007 Thinking about getting a new car? I was... Work in Progress: Donors back advanced new Education Building Making higher education a reality A good start for any education Nielsons donate wood carving to CMU
DEDICATION MAKES YOU A VOLUNTEER NETWORK MEMBER Stay connected to CMU through exclusive updates and communications Welcome! If you are a current and active volunteer for Central Michigan University, you also are a part of the Volunteer Network community and will receive exclusive university updates and unique communication pathways to connect with CMU and volunteers in your area. Our goal is to help you stay engaged with the university and informed of the latest CMU news, initiatives, and projects as they develop. We hope this flow of information will make you proud of your affiliation with the university and inspire you to share the news with other alumni and friends in your community. This newsletter, Viewpoint, is dedicated to those who volunteer their time, energy, and resources in support of CMU. In each issue of the Viewpoint, we plan to provide information on the newest opportunities for continuing to support the Central Michigan University community. For example, you might: • Serve on an advisory board or special • Donate time or money to a university cause or • Host a regional reception or get-together in your area to reengage alumni and friends of CMU • Provide feedback and direction regarding any of our constantly evolving new initiatives If you have a particular area of interest or any questions about getting involved with the university, please contact Gwynn Tilmann at (989) 774-7153 or e-mail tilma1gs@cmich.edu. We will help you stay connected with the topics, issues, or endeavors that mean the most to you. We hope to soon initiate e-mail updates to everyone in the Volunteer Network. If you have an e-mail that you believe may be new or different from what we have in our records, please e-mail Gwynn Tilmann at tilma1gs@cmich.edu so we can keep you connected.
By Jack Evans, professor emeritus I just about had it picked out. I had narrowed my choices down to three. Should I get the Cadillac, the Lexus, or the Infinity? I had always wanted a luxury car, and now I had a chance to fulfill that dream. But then I got my copy of Centralight and learned that CMU was finally building a new Education Building. This also was something that I always had dreamed of during my years of tenure as a teacher education professor. It was really going to happen after all the years of wishing for something more. I do think we did a good job developing the facilities that we had, but wow, a new building! There was only one slight problem – how was CMU going to pay for it? The more I thought about my new car, the more I thought back to the time when I joined the CMU faculty. All that I had then was a doctorate, a family, and the need for a job. CMU offered me the chance to be part of a growing university and the opportunity to grow with it. CMU invested in me, so maybe now I could repay my debt by investing in CMU. I think CMU has done a very good job stewarding the monies that have been entrusted to it. There is never enough to do everything that everyone wants done, but CMU has managed to develop an excellent program with the resources it has. I really do not think of donating as a gift but as an investment in the future generations of students and the repayment of the investment CMU has made in me. Gifts can be made in many ways and in any amount. I have found a way that has been very successful over the years. I set up The Margaret Ruth Evans Scholarship Fund, and instead of sending flowers to funerals, etc., I send a donation to the scholarship fund with a note to the Development Office. As an added incentive, the donation is tax deductible. Try deducting flowers from your income tax form. You can use my scholarship fund, other funds, or set up your own. Big gifts make headlines, but a lot of small gifts add up to big gifts. My scholarship started small, but it has grown to where CMU can give a deserving student around $700 a year for it. It’s no full ride, but it does help with expenses. And I cherish the letters that I get from the recipients. Thanks for reading my ramblings. The invitation to drop by the new Education Building when it is completed and see my “new set of wheels” stands. And while you are in town, visit the Development Office and see what you can work out with them. One more added bonus: They promised not to send me anymore “please give” forms until I complete my pledge.
The construction of one of the country’s most advanced teaching and learning facilities began over the summer. At nearly 135,000 square feet, the new Education Building will be featured prominently in the heart of CMU’s 800-acre campus. Costs associated with the $50 million project will be shared by the state, providing 75 percent of the needed funding, and Central Michigan University, responsible for the remaining 25 percent, approximately $12.5 million. To help set off the costs, Lon Morey, president of The Morey Foundation – which his father Norval Morey started – donated $1 million to the new education building. Morey has the naming opportunity for the Child Development Center. Cindy Hales, former College of Education and Human Services development officer, said Morey is committed to education at CMU and in the Mount Pleasant community. “He does not have a traditional tie to the university, he is concerned about the community as a whole,” Hales said. “The Morey Foundation supports a number of things in the community, including education. He really has a passion for education and preparing quality teachers for the community.” Morey joined the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation ($1.5 million) and CMU alumni Sid Smith and Judy French Smith ($1 million) as the initial lead donors for the project. In addition, recent lead donors for the Education Building include: • Dr. Jack and Evangline Evans ’53, MA ’71, Ed.S. ’74 ($50,000) • J. C. Huizenga ($150,000) • Tom ’63, and Lois Kromer ’64, ’71 ($50,000) • John G. Kulhavi ’65 ($50,000) • Dale F. Martin ’81 ($50,000) • Increase CMU’s capacity to graduate more teachers and increase the retention of new teachers in the field • Improve the teaching of math and science • Offer progressive learning and research resources specifically designed for the education professions at CMU • Enhance teacher education programs with technologically advanced learning centers and laboratories, mediated classrooms, online virtual instructional resources, and interactive telecommunications capabilities • Provide much-needed space to offer professional development programs for in-service teachers and to develop programs for the community at large
Generous alumna names center for biology professor At the dedication of CMU’s new 11,300- square-foot academic center on Beaver Island, the audience expected the usual announcement – a name honoring the primary donor. JoAnn Hinds, ’72 MS ’76, now the biological station’s largest individual private donor, had been given that opportunity to place her name on the building. She deferred and chose to name it in honor of Jim Gillingham, director of the biological station and a CMU biology professor since 1976. “The center has exceeded all of my expectations,” Hinds said. “Without Jim’s passion and efforts, this project would have remained in my dreams … I have chosen to name it for Jim Gillingham, my friend and fellow biologist.” With approval from the Board of Trustees in September, CMU’s new academic center on Beaver Island officially was named the James C. Gillingham Academic Center. The center houses a modern lecture hall that seats 155; a media center with computer facilities; a library; three fully equipped, state-of-the-art laboratories; and a greenhouse, which is attached to one of the laboratories. “CMU does not ordinarily name facilities in honor of faculty, staff, or other individuals,” said Michael Leto, CMU vice president of development and alumni relations. “We usually honor donors in this way to recognize their generosity. “But rather than receive the honor herself, JoAnn chose to recognize Jim Gillingham in this way, with the enthusiastic support of the university.” Many donors make Beaver Island advancements a reality Gillingham, not anticipating the big announcement to come at the dedication, said Hinds has been the No. 1 flag-bearer for the station. “She’s a biologist, and when she comes to the station, she wants to get out in the field,” he said. “Her enthusiasm touches everyone who meets her.” Hinds helped CMU purchase the 230- acre Miller’s Marsh, a three-bedroom house on three acres of land adjacent to CMU’s biological station, the Whiskey Point boathouse, and the Egbert Farm. The biological station also has many other supporters. Rooms in the new academic center are named for donors Roger Kesseler, John Kulhavi, and Gaye and Ron Humphrey, to list a few. Hinds said naming the new center for Gillingham was the right decision. “He really lives and breathes this station,” she said. At the dedication, a look of surprise spread across Gillingham’s face, followed by tears. With Hinds’ urging, he walked up to the podium. “I’ve never had anything like this happen to me,” Gillingham said, his voice cracking. “Give me a moment. ” Gillingham’s wife, Mary, and their two daughters, Lorrie and Jill, wiped the tears coming down their cheeks. As the crowd gave a standing ovation, Gillingham looked over at Hinds. “I’ve never been so surprised. I don’t know what to say. Thank you.” MAKING HIGHER EDUCATION A REALITY Women's Connection creates scholarship for single parents A new scholarship from CMU’s Women’s Connection will help single parents and their children make college education a reality. CMU currently is raising funds for the scholarship, which will be awarded annually to a single parent or a student from a single-parent household. Recipients must have a 2.75 grade point average and will be required to submit an essay. “The financial challenges faced by single parents today often result in sacrificing the pursuit of a college education,” said Christine Alwood, CMU director of stewardship and donor relations. “It is our sincere wish that we assist someone to fulfill their desire for a higher education who might not otherwise be able to make this a reality.” Alwood said the group hopes to raise enough money to create an endowment that supports future students in perpetuity. Group reaches out to 10,000 alumnae, friends The Women’s Connection provides CMU alumnae and friends with an opportunity to get involved in the life and advancement of the university and to promote enhanced learning opportunities for CMU students. The group started in 2004 under the direction of University Outreach Liaison Monica Rao. “For many years, I had wondered how the university could better engage women by connecting with their interests,” Rao said. “The Women’s Connection grew out of a discussion with Vice President (of Development and Alumni Relations) Mike Leto when we began thinking about the many activities on campus that would appeal to both women and men. “It is an honor and a privilege to have been a part of starting something that could truly make an important difference in the lives of the majority of our students and the majority of our alumni.” Events highlight musical theater, health professions Past Women’s Connection events have showcased CMU’s apparel merchandising and design, musical theater, and health professions programs for more than 10,000 women across Michigan. Students and faculty from these areas have demonstrated their talents and skills through fashion shows and performances. These events have been scheduled annually in Detroit, Mount Pleasant, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, and the Tri-Cities. “The scholarship was a natural development of the Women’s Connection after three years of hosting events around Michigan,” Alwood said. “The Advisory Board that evolved out of the network was instrumental in supporting the creation of the scholarship and providing the leadership to make it a reality.” Alwood said the events also have paved the way for networking opportunities between students, alumnae, and friends of CMU and may eventually help to develop internship or career opportunities in the future. Women interested in learning more about upcoming Women’s Connection events should contact Gwynn Tilmann, stewardship and donor relations assistant, at tilma1gs@cmich.edu or (989) 774-7153.
Morrow endowment will support library collection Establishing an endowment to encourage reading and education made perfect sense to Ralph Morrow. The 1951 CMU alum wonders, if he didn’t know how to read, how he could have learned to lead an Army platoon in World War II, earn four college degrees, teach at two Michigan universities, direct the Michigan Department of Agriculture, and serve as a coach and prominent board member at Haslett Public Schools. Morrow and his wife, Sally (Leitch) Morrow, have pledged $50,000 to establish the Morrow Family Endowment at Park Library. The endowment will support the acquisition of children’s literature and environmental studies materials at the library. “You have to read in order to learn, so it’s important for kids to get a good start,” Morrow said. “How can you learn if you don’t know reading and have reading comprehension?” Morrow remembers how his mother, Eva Mae (Clapper) who taught for nearly four decades in Petoskey-area schools, influenced and developed his early reading skills. But, growing up in northern Michigan, Morrow spent most of his time tending to the chores of the family dairy farm and raising everything from seed potatoes to oats, barley, sweet clover, and alfalfa. Purple Heart veteran turned college student In 1942 Morrow left home at age 20 to serve in the United States Army and was a member of the 33rd Infantry Division stationed in the Pacific. Morrow was wounded in combat by an artillery shell and was awarded a Purple Heart. He returned to Michigan in late 1945. Instead of continuing to work on the farm at home, he began studying for his degree at Central Michigan College of Education. “All I knew was the farm, but all along I knew that I needed an education,” Morrow said. “Central welcomed me, and I felt I got a good education there.” Initially he wanted to study physical education and become a coach, but, when Morrow realized that more than 60 percent of his male friends had similar career aspirations, he changed his focus and majored in agriculture and minored in biology and English. In the first class Morrow took at Central, he was the only man in a class of 14 students. Sally Leitch, the woman he eventually married, was among the 13 women enrolled in that class. “With my background, I knew agriculture, and I could teach it,” Morrow said. “I studied under (CMU agriculture department head) George Wheeler, and he did an excellent job of preparing me to go further.” Occasional opportunities to teach classes for Wheeler helped lead Morrow to his career as an agriculture professor at Michigan State University and deputy director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture. Sally Morrow, who attended CMU and received her master’s degree from Michigan State University, taught reading for 31 years at schools throughout Michigan. CMU family ties Throughout the years Morrow has maintained close ties with CMU. In fact, nearly a dozen of his family members – including his mother, sisters, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandchildren, and nephews – also have attended CMU. Ralph and Sally Morrow’s grandson Bryce currently is in his second year at CMU and is a pitcher on the CMU baseball team. “Many of our family members have attended CMU, and that’s why we felt it was appropriate to establish this as the Morrow Family Endowment,” he said. Brian Palmer, director of library development and community outreach, said the Morrow endowment will offer valuable resources to help the library keep its specified collections current. “We’re very thankful for the Morrows and their generosity,” Palmer said. “Endowments provide the funding that the library can depend on from year to year.” Morrow and frat brothers established memorial for Catherine O'Connell The Morrow Family Endowment isn’t the first time Ralph Morrow has contributed to the CMU Libraries. While studying at Central Michigan, Morrow and many other WWII veterans benefited from the extra care and attention they received from the late Catherine O’Connell, the head reference librarian and associate director of Park Library from 1945 to 1971. In October 2002, Morrow, with other Alpha Beta Sigma fraternity brothers from the classes of 1948 to 1952, gathered on campus to remember O’Connell and raise money for a memorial in her name at the library. The effort to honor O’Connell was spearheaded by Clarence Tuma, ’50, who also was Morrow’s college roommate. “Miss O’Connell, we called her ‘O.C.’, was a well thought of librarian who went above and beyond to help all the students and veterans, including myself,” said Tuma, who served in the Army and was stationed in Europe during WWII. “For all the help she gave us members of Alpha Beta Sigma, we felt we needed to raise some funds for Miss O.C. so that she’s remembered in the library. “Ralph (Morrow) played a very significant part in that, and when we all met that weekend, he said, ‘Whatever it takes, you can count on me.’” Funds from the endowment support the acquisition and maintenance of artworks for Park Library. To learn more about endowments and other ways of giving to the CMU Libraries, contact Brian Palmer at (989) 774-1826 or palme1ba@cmich.edu.
Piece by renowned sculptor features Native American motif A large wood carving with a Native American motif has found its new home in CMU’s Warriner Hall. Melvin and Ruth Nielson of Traverse City donated the piece, which is 9 feet high by 6 feet wide and carved out of solid northern Michigan red oak. Artist Pietro Vinotti created the carving through a vision commissioned by the Nielsons’ son, David, in 1990. After spending time in David’s home as well as in storage for several years, the carving now is permanently displayed in the lobby area on the second floor of Warriner Hall. “We know that CMU will give watchful care over this exhibit, and I am personally proud that this creation by Vinotti is at its final resting place at CMU and available to everyone,” said Melvin Nielson. Nielson is a lifelong friend of Roger Kesseler, ‘58, ardent CMU supporter and emeritus member of the CMU Board of Trustees. Kesseler and Nielson were childhood friends in Grayling, and the grandmothers of Mrs. Kesseler and Mrs. Nielson were sisters. Kesseler helped facilitate the Nielsons’ gift to CMU. A new level of commitment to art expansion CMU President Michael Rao welcomed guests at a dedication ceremony for the carving July 12 and announced that he and his wife, Monica, will donate $10,000 to expand art collections at CMU. “This piece inaugurates a new level of commitment to the expansion of art at CMU,” said Rao. “It also serves as a testament to human creativity and talent, represents the strength and history of Michigan’s indigenous people, helps us rightly honor those who are native to these lands, and builds on cultural enrichment at CMU through the prominent display of public art on campus.” Vinotti is a world-renowned sculptor who was born in Italy and studied in Europe. He now resides in northern Michigan where he works and teaches at his wood-carving school just north of Walloon Lake.
Retired doctor maintains busy volunteer schedule; establishes two CMU awards for students Dr. Maurice Chapin spent 38 years practicing medicine in Millington, then retired to a busy life of volunteering and mission work. “I tell people I’ve retired, but I haven’t found a rocking chair yet,” he said. Chapin, ’51, volunteers as assistant chaplain for the Forgotten Men Ministries at the Tuscola County Jail in Caro, conducting Bible study and visiting inmates in their cells. “It’s challenging to try to help these men and women who have made wrong choices see how they can make right choices,” he said. “We’re trying to help them put their lives back together. It’s frustrating at times, but we just keep trying and keep working at it.” Chapin also volunteers for the Millington Public Schools, organizing an after-school tutoring program for elementary children and serving on a school committee that oversees the sex education curriculum. And he’s active in leadership roles in the Millington United Methodist Church, where he’s a certified lay speaker, and he taught Sunday school for 45 years. In 2000 he and his wife, Dorothy, spent 10 weeks in Zimbabwe. He worked for a mission hospital and Dorothy, a retired kindergarten teacher, taught in a mission school. He treated patients with AIDS, diabetes, malaria, and tuberculosis in northeastern Zimbabwe near the Mozambique border. “It was a stretching experience,” he said. “It’s an English speaking country, but people primarily speak the Schona tribal language, so consequently when they do speak English, it’s a very broken English.” The next year, the Chapins went back for nine weeks. The CMU connection Chapin received the Community Recognition Alumni Award from CMU this summer for the many ways he has supported CMU and the community. The farm boy from Remus remembers paying $50 a semester for tuition as As a student, Chapin helped form the Alchemists Club for pre-med and chemistry students, and he worked his way through college by working in a biology lab and supervising the Grawn Hall recreation room. But it was the campus Bible study group that was closest to his heart. “The thing that was really important to me, other than the academics, was the Chippewa Christian Fellowship,” Chapin said. “It was a very meaningful organization.” It was there he met his first wife, the late Beverly Gould Chapin. A music education major, Beverly also graduated in 1951. Together the Chapins raised six children. After she died, Dr. Chapin established the Beverly A. Gould Chapin Endowed Music Award in her memory. “She loved music, and she loved education,” he said. “I just wanted to do something to honor her and benefit an up-and-coming student.”
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THINKING ABOUT GETTING A NEW CAR? I WAS... 
WORK IN PROGRESS: DONORS BACK ADVANCED NEW EDUCATION BUILDING
STATION DEDICATION
A GOOD START FOR ANY EDUCATION 
NIELSONS DONATE WOOD CARVING TO CMU
SERVING OTHERS 
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