Vol. 2, Issue 2
www.msubenzieAlumni.org
SPRING 2015
NEWSLETTER OF THE MSU ALUMNI CLUB OF BENZIE COUNTY • Box 46, Frankfort, MI 49635
Board
President
Paul Sadows
(B.A. ’71)
Vice-president
Maggie VanHaften
(B.A. 73, M.A. 77)
Treasurer
Dr. Ross Stephenson
(PhD. ’82)
Secretary
Avace Wildie
(B.A. ‘67, M.A. ’68)
Past President &
Endowment Chair
Dr. Alan Flory
(B.A. ’73, D.V.M. Minn)
Dr. David Lean
(B.A. ’58, M.A. ’62, PhD. ’69, U of M)
Barbara Johnson
(M.A. ’68)
President’s Letter
Spring has sprung in beautiful Benzie County
and once again we are reminded of how much
we love living in Northwest Lower Michigan.
As the blossoms are awakening, the Benzie
Spartans are ready for our Spring fund raising
season highlighted by our Annual Dinner
on June 5th, 2015. Last year’s Annual Dinner
was hailed by some as the “best event we’ve
attended in a long time!” It really was informative
and a great time.
We’ve got a great nine member Board who are
all very enthusiastic Spartan fans ready for any
task, but we are always looking for volunteers
to join us. The events that we participate in are
really not work: The Basketball Game Watch in
Winter, The Annual Dinner in Spring, The Beach
Bash in Summer and the Football Game Watch
in the Fall. We also participate in various parades
and Art Shows just to keep the Spartan message
in front of the public. These events are all fun
and we encourage you to join us in helping to
put them on as a volunteer.
Joyce Kirshner
Dr. Susan Kirkpatrick
The goal of the Benzie Spartans is to help
make it possible for kids like these 8th graders
to be able to attend MSU one day through
our Scholarship Program. So plan to join us as
an attendee, volunteer or both at one of our
upcoming events. Go Spartans!
- Paul Sadows, President
BOARD MEMBERS
(B.A. ’64, M.A. ‘90)
(B.S. ’70, B.A. ‘72, M.A. ’75, PhD. ‘84 )
For our second year in a row, Vice President
Maggie VanHaften and I had the honor of
serving as guides in another fun Spring time
event: The Benzie Sunrise Rotary and Benzie
Middle School MSU trip on April 24th, 2015.
Three busloads of 8th graders were taken on an
all-expense paid tour of the MSU and Central
Michigan campuses. Nathan Hejl, a Junior at
MSU and former scholarship recipient, gave
a talk and answered questions. Some of them
had never visited a college campus before and
they were so excited! (Especially when Sparty
made a surprise appearance after lunch at the
Brody complex!)
We are always looking for people to serve on the Benzie Spartan
Board of Directors and its subcommittees. If you are interested in
COMMUNICATIONS
helping out, please contact Avace Wildie ([email protected]) or
Ray Miller, Webmaster
Maggie VanHaften ([email protected]).
Join Us
We encourage you to join the MSU Alumni Association. Not only does membership in MSUAA provide you special
opportunities, it also makes you a member of the Benzie Spartans. There are a variety of membership options available.
To learn more visit www.Alumni.msu.edu or call 877-MSU-ALUM (877-678-2586).
THE BENZIE SPARTAN
ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN TOPS $70,000!
$72,115
as of 5/7/15
Through your efforts and generosity, our Club’s
Endowment Campaign has received over
$70,000 in cash and pledges. We are now less
than $20,000 from our initial goal of $90,000!
The endowment is invested through MSU’s
Development Office, and over $56,000 has
already been transferred into the account.
Once established, the endowment will provide
funding for our existing scholarships. Future
fundraising activities can then be directed
toward expanding the size and/or number of
scholarships offered.
All endowment contributions are tax
deductible, and can be made directly through
the Club or through MSU. If you are interested
in contributing, please contact Al Flory at
[email protected] or via phone at 612309-9977. Contributions of all amounts are
welcome! You can also learn more about
the Endowment Campaign at our web site:
msubenziealumni.org.
BENZIE SPARTANS CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF
TERRY HERBAN
The Spartan Nation celebrates the life of Terry Herban,
who died suddenly on April 18th. Terry was a long-time
Frankfort resident, a graduate of MSU, and a “founding
father” and active member of the MSU Alumni Club
of Benzie County. Terry stressed the importance of
supporting local graduates, and was instrumental in
developing the scholarship fund. Over the years, Terry
provided many hours of his time to raising scholarship
money and guiding the Club. Terry was a friend to many
and always had a story to tell. Our thoughts are with his
wife of 44 years, Joanne, and his children, Shawn, Michael,
and Michelle, their families, and many family members
and friends. We miss him and will carry his spirit with us.
Update on a Past Scholarship Winner
We caught up recently with Scott
Tousley, 2009 recipient of the Herban
Scholarship. Some of you will remember
that Scott sold tee-shirts to honor Lacey
Holsworth, the young girl with cancer
who became an inspiration to the MSU
Men’s Basketball Team last season. By
selling the tee-shirts, Scott was able to
give $11,000 to the University of Michigan’s Pediatric Cancer
Center.
Scott graduated from MSU in 2013 with a degree in Marketing
after exploring Audio/Video Production, Astronomy, and
Electrical Engineering before moving to Advertising, Business,
and Marketing. He now lives in the San Diego area a block
2
from the beach and works for Hubspot, a Boston-based
marketing software company specializing in “in-bound”
marketing. In-bound marketing attracts customers to
businesses by writing and publishing informative articles and
videos on the product. When the customer seeks information
on the internet, these articles are available and the customer
can, if interested, seek out the business. It is a new form of
marketing and is proving to be a productive alternative to
traditional marketing through direct advertising. Scott enjoys
the work, but also the flexibility of the job and the ability to
work other than 8-5 as long as he gets his work done. He likes
that the job offers him the opportunity to use creativity, logic,
data analysis and math, critical thinking, and problem solving.
In his spare time, he enjoys surfing, biking (he can ride his bike
to work), and other outdoor activities.
winter 2014
STUDENT UPDATES
The past scholarship winners all express their appreciation for the support of the Benzie Spartans and donors to the scholarship
fund. It is always exciting to hear what they are up to:
Hannah Fallowfield ( Nugent, 2011) is graduating this
semester and is interviewing for jobs. She has had several
successful interviews, including second interviews in the
agriculture field. She is excited to graduate and move on to
the next phase of her life.
Mark Gomulinski ( Herban, 2013) reports that “things
have been going great. Almost every week my floor gets
together to play a board game. It’s great fun and usually
goes well into the night. I also joined Neuroscience Club last
month….. Overall, grades have been going fine and I look
forward to the summer.”
Emily Gray (Herban, 2011 ) tells us she is graduating this
semester with a degree in Learning Disabilities, Elementary
Education, and Language Arts. During the 2015-2016 school
year, she will be doing a year-long internship to get her
teacher certification through MSU and will be taking Master
level courses at the same time. She will be home for the
summer and The Cool Spot, in Frankfort.
Nathan Hejl (Blewett, 2012) is enjoying his first year as an
official MSU Broad College of Business student. This summer
he will be returning to Japan as the teaching assistant for a
business school study abroad program. Then,he will return
to East Lansing in June and continue working for Jackson
National Life Insurance Co. and the MSU International Business
Center (research apprenticeship) while taking a few summer
classes. He has decided to pursue his Master’s in Marketing
Research and will continue his studies at MSU for another
academic year, graduating in December 2017.
Orion Mackin (Blewett, 2014) is doing well and has
decided to be a Packaging Engineer. He tells us that fortunately,
MSU has the best program for packaging in the entire nation!
He is looking forward to this endeavor and journey.
Maren O’Connor (Herban, 2014) tells us her classes
are all going very well. This semester, she continued her
involvement with the University Activities Board on the
marketing committee, a volunteer group called Spartans for
Global Development, a girls’ health and fitness group called
CHAARG, and is an active member of St. John’s parish. She
volunteered at the Ronald McDonald house and the Lansing
Food Bank, and attended every single home basketball game
this season, once even being able to sit in the IZZONE! This
summer she’ll be working as a waitress at the Cherry Hut.
Kristin Smeltzer (Herban, 2013) has finished her
Sophmore year. She joined PVMA (Pre-Veterinary Medical
Association) this year and has made a lot of new friends
through that as well as learned more about the career path
she has chosen to pursue. The association hosts 5ks races
and dog washes, brings in guest speakers. She is pursuing a
Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science with a specialization in
pre-veterinary medicine and animal biology. She loves visiting
the various animal farms MSU has and get to work hands on
with all the animals. She will be returning to Benzie County
this summer to intern at the Platte Lake Veterinary Clinic under
the supervision of David Nelson, DVM.
Zachary Terwilliger (Herban, 2012) is an accounting
major with a double major in finance, and is enjoying his upper
level finance and accounting classes he is currently taking. He
will be interning in Denver KPMG. He attended the Global
Advantage Leadership program in London last summer and
was extended the internship offer. He is also a Tower Guard
Volunteer and did 120 hours in assistance to the Resource
Center for People with Disabilities here on campus. He was
the pledge class president in his professional coed business
fraternity Phi Chi Theta. He is currently the Treasurer for the
Broad Student Senate and is leading a team in implementing
a physical and online Broad Store in the MSU Business College
Complex. Next year he will be doing a small on campus
internship with the Spartan Fund entertaining donors and
alumni at MSU sporting events.
Erin Thompson (Nugent, 2012) continues to take teaching
classes every semester and is enjoying her classes especially
the children’s literature classes. She can’t believe that this
semester is almost over already! Soon I’ll be a senior and it’ll
be my last year here at MSU, to be followed with a full year of
student teaching. This summer she will take a backpacking trip
in the U.P. (Isle Royale, Copper Harbor, Porcupine Mountains)
and then will be working at the Cherry Hut for her 8th season!
Thank you tina...
The members of The Board of Directors express their
appreciation to Tina Clark for managing publicity
for Club events. Tina provided local newspapers with
articles on Annual Dinners, Game Watch Parties and
Beach Bashes. As she steps down from this position, we
wish Tina all the best.
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THE BENZIE SPARTAN
FOCUS ON
“NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS”
DON NUGENT
For many years, the Club has
had a tradition of naming
scholarships after individual
members. This is the third,
and final, article to provide
a better understanding of
why the Club has chosen to
honor these special people.
The Club’s third named scholarship is designated
to honor Donald Nugent, a lifelong Benzie County
resident, and loyal Spartan. The Nugent Scholarship is
awarded to graduates of Benzie Central High School
attending MSU. Don’s loyalty to his community, and
his dedication to Michigan State University make this
a particularly meaningful award.
Don attended MSU and graduated in 1965 with a
degree in agriculture. He returned to Benzie County
following graduation, and focused on fruit farming
and food processing. In 1973 Don founded Graceland
Fruit, Inc., where he pioneered the production and
marketing of dried fruits. Over the years, Don has
received numerous local, state, and national awards
for his contributions to agriculture and commerce.
In addition to founding and operating a successful
company, Don has dedicated many years and
countless hours to making MSU the excellent
institution that we all cherish. Don served on the
MSU Board of Trustees for sixteen years, as both a
board member and Chairman. During that time he
helped to guide MSU through many critical changes
and successful growth. MSU’s College of Agriculture
recognized Don’s contributions by awarding him the
Distinguished Service Award in 2010.
Don and his wife Gail are dedicated Benzie County
Spartans and residents. They remain active in the
Club, and have provided essential emotional and
financial support for our scholarship endowment
fund. Don and Gail, as well as their son Steve
and his family, continue to live in Benzie County;
their daughter, Amy, lives in Ontario, Canada. We
are proud to count Don as a Benzie Spartan; his
outstanding dedication to MSU and Benzie County
serve as a model for students who receive the
Nugent Scholarship.
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QUICK NOTES
TAX EXEMPT STATUS:
The MSU Alumni Club of Benzie County is a tax exempt
organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
Service Code.
WEBSITE:
Our “Benzie Spartan” website is up and running at
msubenziealumni.org. Be sure to check in regularly for the
news of accomplishments and events.
ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS:
While the Benzie Spartans spend much of our time
raising money for scholarships, we still need funding for
administrative costs, including printing, postage, advertising,
and web registration. These costs are unavoidable if we are
to communicate with you, attract people to our events, and
increase our scholarship fund. We do our best to limit these
expenses and to seek sponsorships and in-kind donations. If
you make a donation to the endowment fund and note it on
the check, those funds will go to the endowment. However,
some of the proceeds of the 50/50 raffles and other games
will be used for these administration expenses.
JOIN US:
We encourage you to join the MSU Alumni Association.
Not only does membership in MSUAA provide you special
opportunities, it also makes you a member of the Benzie
Spartans. MSUAA is in the process of converting from the
current membership fee schedule to a new system. To learn
more, visit www.alumni.msu.edu or call 877-MSU-ALUM (877678-2586). As we learn more, we will post information on our
website. www.benziealumni.org.
E-MAIL ADDRESSES:
It really helps us if we can send you newsletters and updates
through e-mail, so if you received this copy of the ”Benzie
Spartan” by mail and are willing to give us your e-mail address,
you can send it to: [email protected].
SILENT AUCTION ITEMS:
We are always looking for auction items for our Annual Dinner
and the Beach Bash. We would like a “big ticket” item for the
Annual Dinner. If you have a vacation home somewhere
that you would be willing to donate for a week, or any other
items, please contact Maggie VanHaften at mbrv214@gmail.
com or call 231-352-6045.
winter 2014
MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS FOR THE ANNUAL DINNER
The Benzie Spartan Annual Dinner will be held on Friday, June 5 at the Greystone Manor in Honor. The evening starts
with a social time (cash bar) and silent auction at 5:30 and continues with the dinner at 6:15. Tickets are $30 and available
ahead of the dinner from Avace Wildie at 231-383-4444 or Al Flory at 612-309-9977. Our scholarship recipients for 2015-16
will be introduced.
Our featured speaker, Dr. Carl Liedholm, a Professor of Economics at MSU, will excite you with his topic “The Sun Never
Sets on the MSU Empire — From MSU Sports to Micro Businesses Around the Globe.” You won’t want to miss this
fabulous speaker and sharing an evening with fellow Spartans. With his energy and enthusiasm, Dr. Liedholm promises
to make our dinner a rousing event. Bring your friends along to enjoy the Spartan camaraderie and fun.
We welcome sponsorships of the dinner to cover costs not included in the ticket price. If you are interested, please
contact Avace Wildie at 231-383-4444.
sponsors
In the past several months, we have held three events,
the Annual Dinner in June, the Beach Bash in August, and
the Michigan State – Michigan Game Watch . All events
were well attended and made money for the club and
its scholarship fund. None of these events would have
been as successful without the support of sponsors,
auction item contributors, and in-kind assistance. If you
would like to sponsor a future event, please contact
Maggie VanHaften, 231-352-6045 or [email protected].
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NEWSLETTER OF THE MSU
ALUMNI CLUB OF BENZIE COUNTY
po Box 46 • Frankfort, MI 49635
Mark Your Calendars
UP-COMING EVENTS
June 5........Annual Dinner See Article for Details
August 6........Beach Bash See Website for Details
october 17........MSU v. U of M FOOTBALL PARTY
at the Garden Theater See Website for Details