Previous Stories

October 16, 2006

Lois Quam ’83 made Fortune magazine’s list of the 50 most powerful women in business for the third year in a row. She moved up from last year’s 36 to 24, a ranking four places higher than Martha Stewart received. Quam is CEO of the UnitedHealth’s Ovations division of which Fortune writes, “Thanks to growth and big acquisition, revenue are expected to jump from $9.4 billion to more than $25 billion this year.”
Read full list at CNNMoney.com »

October 5, 2006

Internationally recognized human rights activist Jeff Halper ’68 gave a talk titled “Israel: When a People Refuses to Take Responsibility” at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus on Oct. 13. Halper, an Israeli, and Ghassan Andoni, a Palestinian from the Occupied Palestinian Territories, were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the American Friends Service Committee. Halper and Andoni did not receive the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Halper’s appearance at the university is part of its an ongoing series “The Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy: Alternative Voices.”
Read news release at UMN News »

Sidley Austin LLP announced today that Rebecca Troth ’78 has joined the firm as Pro Bono Counsel. Troth will practice in the firm's Washington, D.C. office. Troth joins Sidley from the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, where she served for two years as Legal Director. At NLCHP, she designed and implemented programs to increase resources for and promote the rights of poor and homeless people. The law firms pro bono program includes the representation of poor, handicapped and disadvantaged persons. They also handle civil rights cases, applications for political asylum, criminal appeals and petitions for habeas corpus, school law issues, and matters involving battered women and children's rights.
Read press release at PRNewsWire.com »

August 29, 2006

Antiques and the Arts Online and Time Out New York both published articles about the new Hippopotamus Service from Royal Copenhagen on exhibit at Sothebys Sept. 7-13. Richard Baron Cohen, porcelain collector and member of Hippolotofus (The International Hippo Society), commissioned the 144-piece service. The service features 303 hand painted views of hippopotamuses based on photos taken by Sarah Louise Galbraith ’03. Sarah was hired by Cohen to travel to 101 zoos in 33 countries over the course of one year. “Every four days it was a new country, a new city, a new zoo—and most importantly, new hippos,” Sarah wrote in her blog, Joined at the Hippo. “I would wake up each morning feeling bewildered as I tried to remember just what city I was in and at the same time pinching myself to remind myself that this was real. This was my job.” Sarah will lecture about her experiences at Sothebys at 5 p.m. on Sept. 7. 
Read article at Antiques and the Arts Online »

August 24, 2006

Patricia Wallace Ingraham ’64, a public policy expert, started as the founding dean of the new College of Community and Public Affairs at Binghamton University (website) on Aug. 23, reports insideBU, the online news portal for the university. Ingraham will work with faculty members to establish the new college’s presence in Greater Binghamton and among scholars.
Read story at InsideBU »

August 8, 2006

Kirsten Fristad ’05, who works for the Sample Analysis of Mars (SAM) Lab at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, is part of a group of scientists and researchers on the Artic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition (AMASE) 2006. The international team will study the geology, geophysical features, biosignatures, and possible life forms of an area thought to be analogous to sites on Mars located in Svalbard, an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean north of Norway. Fristad has been keeping the "notes from the field" journal for the group on NASA's website since July 24 and will continue posting near-daily updates about the two-and-a-half week expedition.
Read the AMASE 2006 field journal at NASA.gov »
More about Kirsten »

August 7, 2006

Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg ’03 and his rowing partner Cody Lowry made the 2006 National Team and are now one of the 26 crews who will represent the United States in the 2006 FISA World Championships August 20-27 in Eton, England, reports USRowing.com.  Urevick-Ackelsberg and Lowry will compete in the Men’s Lightweight Double Sculls (LM2x). Urevick-Ackelsberg arrived in London on August 14 to prepare for the championship.
Read the press release at USRowing.com »

July 5, 2006

The Cincinnati Enquirer interviewed Macalester track and field legend, Dr. David Hodge ’70, about Miami University's athletic program. Hodge started as the new president of the university on July 1. In the interview, he emphasized the importance athletics played in his life as a college student and his positive impressions of the athletics program at Miami. Hodge ran track at Macalester where set the college’s outdoor record for 800 meters (1:50.20) in 1970 and was nationally ranked in Division II from 1966-70.
Read article on The Enquirer's website »

July 3, 2006

Gov. Tim Pawlenty appointed Mark F. Hansen ’69 to one of two Minnesota’s 7th Judicial District bench vacancies. He will serve as Otter Tail County District Judge succeeding Thomas Stringer, who died in January. Hansen is a partner with law firm Hansen and Pederson in Wadena, Minn., and has served as a part-time attorney for a number of Minnesota municipalities. He started his legal career as an 8th Judicial District law clerk in Chippewa County from 1972 to 1974. Hansen earned his law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1972.

June 24, 2006

Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, under the leadership of its executive director Susan Haigh ’73, plans to build 60 homes for low-income families this year and is the nation's fourth busiest in terms of homebuilding. Haigh’s Habitat affiliate is placing more families in their own homes by shifting much of the charity’s efforts into building multifamily homes on more affordable property in suburbs. It is one of the first Habitat affiliates in the U.S. to use this innovative strategy.
Read the article at StarTribune.com »

June 14, 2006

The Blau-Thompson residence in Philadelphia — recently renovated by Laura A Blau ’76 and Paul A Thompson through their firm BluPath Design Inc. (website) — received a Bronze 2006 Commonwealth Design Award from the 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania (website) on June 14, 2006. The Blau-Thompson residence is a 19th-century row home in the Italian Market area of Philadelphia. The owners finished converting the former luncheonette with two apartments above it into a single-family home in 2003. The home features solar collectors that heat domestic hot water and radiant flooring, high-performance windows and skylights that provide day lighting, a rainwater and AC condensation catch system that harvests water for the garden, low- and no-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints, and other sustainable features. 10,000 Friends is an alliance of organizations and individuals from across Pennsylvania committed to land-use policies and actions that strengthen diverse urban, suburban and rural communities and reduce sprawl. Only 15 projects in 10 Pennsylvania counties were selected as best examples of smart growth design and honored with 2006 Commonwealth Design Awards.
Read the press release (.pdf) »
More about the Commonwealth Design Awards »

 

 

May 22, 2006

National Public Radio's program, All Things Considered, ran part of Neely Anne Crane-Smith's ’06 senior address given at Macalester's 117th Commencement on May 13 as part of a story about senior commencement speeches given across the U.S. "The only way to learn to fly is first to take a fall," Crane-Smith said. "We fall when — despite our most fervent efforts — people won't or can't accept our ideas, when a project falls short of expectations, when we feel that we have made mistakes and let ourselves or others down. Falling is disappointing, embarrassing and painful. But, Macalester students are not timid about taking falls and are not afraid of flying either." Crane-Smith's speech was one of six featured in the story.
Listen to the NPR story »

May 21, 2006

Dan Urevick-Ackelsburg ’03 and Cody Lowry were one of two men's rowing teams to meet national team qualifying standards during Sunday’s finals at the third 2006 National Selection Regatta (NSR) at the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center on Lake Mercer. Rowing for Undine Barge Club in the lightweight men’s double sculls, Urevick-Ackelsburg and Lowry clocked 6:34.48, just missing the time standard of 6:27 that would automatically qualify them for this year’s national team. The duo has until July 12 to meet that standard or the lightweight men’s double will be opened up to all competitors at the trials. Urevick-Ackelsburg reports plans to compete next month as the USA's lightweight men's double entry at the final Rowing World Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland. If they beat the qualifying standard or simply finish in the top six at that event, they will be named to the 2006 US National Team and race at the World Championships in London at the end of the summer. At the World Championships, the duo hopes to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Read the press release on USRowing.org »

April 13, 2006

Bush will nominate Anne Derse ’76 to be the next U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan according to an April 13 statement released by the White House. Derse most recently served as the director for biodefense policy at the White House’s Homeland Security Council. She has also served as Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at the United States Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, and Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium. Derse received her bachelor's degree from Macalester College and her master's degree from the Johns Hopkins University.
Read the press release at the USINFO Washington File »

April 7, 2006

Actress and playwright Danai Gurira ’01 will be performing In Continuum—the critically acclaimed play she co-created and co-stars in with Nikkole Salter—at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre (see website) in 2007, reports Playbill.com. The play premiered in September 2005 in New York City and is about two women, a married Zimbabwean and a 19-year-old African American from Los Angeles, and their struggles with HIV/AIDS. Playbill.com lists performance dates of May 25–June 24, 2007, in the Goodman’s Owen Theatre.
Read article on Playbill.com »

March 27, 2006

In his March 27 column in National Review, William F. Buckley, Jr., wrote about his friend Lawrence Perelman ’98. Larry has lived in New York since graduation advising and consulting, both independently and as a partner in a PR/marketing firm, some of the leading international concert artists, institutions and record companies. They include Martha Argerich (pianist), Valery Gergiev (conductor), The Mariinsky Theatre (formerly Kirov) of St. Petersburg, Russia; The Salzburg Festival and EMI. This fall Larry begins a full-time M.B.A. program at Columbia Business School.
Download and read reprint of the column (PDF - 244KB) »

March 22, 2006

Founder of Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD - see website) and recipient of a 2003 Distinguished Citizen Citation from Macalester, Jeff Halper ’68, was nominated for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize by Quaker social justice organization and 1947 Nobel Prize winner, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC - see website) reported The Daily Tribune (Hibbing, Minn.) on March 22. The AFSC simultaneously nominated Ghassan Andoni, a founder of the nonviolent Palestinian-led organization, International Solidarity Movement (see website). Both of these activists have “worked to liberate both the Palestinian and the Israeli people from the yoke of structural violence,” states the press release from the AFSC. Halper earned his PH.D. in anthropology after graduating from Macalester and moved to Israel in 1973. He founded ICAHD in 1997. “I saw that the only answer to conflict, violence and terrorism is justice and a commitment to human rights, which are universal. Indeed, this is the only way we will bring about a world order that is truly inclusive and gives everyone an opportunity to actualize his or her potentials,” he said in his hometown community paper. Halper received a Distinguished Citizen Citation from Macalester College in 2003.
Read article in The Daily Tribune website »
Read AFSC nomination press release »

February 21, 2006

Jeremy Allaire ’93 continues to make waves with his new online video distribution company, Brightcove. According to The Wall Street Journal, his company has now signed online video distribution deals with Walt Disney Co.'s ABC, Apple Computer Inc., General Electric Co.'s NBC, America Online, cable television channel Oxygen Media Inc., National Lampoon Inc. and the New York Times Co. CBS is also considering a deal. His company plans to share revenue from short ads appearing before the videos it distributes online with content producers.

February 19, 2006

The Star Tribune (Minneapolis) ran a feature on actor Aditi Brennan Kapil ’94. While expecting her second child, Aditi worked on three theatrical productions — “Gotama” appearing at Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre (Minneapolis) February 24 to March 26 (details); “The Adventures of Hanuman, King of the Monkeys” appearing at the SteppingStone Theatre (St. Paul) March 3-19 (details) and “Deaf Duckling” which is part of the Mixed Blood Theatre’s educational series touring April and May (details). Aditi was inspired to pursue a career in acting after hearing Jack Reuler ’75, head of Mixed Blood, present to her senior seminar in 1994, she says in the story.

February 15, 2006

Joan Adams Mondale ’52, a Macalester trustee, received one of four 14th annual Sally Ordway Irvine Awards for her commitment to the arts. The ‘Sally’ awards recognize individuals and organizations that make significant contributions to Minnesota's arts and cultural communities reports the Pioneer Press (St. Paul). Joan served as the honorary chair of the Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities during the Carter administration and currently serves on the boards of the Walker Art Center and The Minnesota Orchestra.

February 10, 2006

Pioneer Press (St. Paul) columnist Don Boxmeyer wrote a delightful feature on Captain William D. Bowell Sr. ’49—founder of Padelford Packet Boat Company. Bill began boating on the Mississippi 85 years ago and has recently finished a book, Ol’ Man river: Memoirs of a Riverboat Captain, edited by Biloine Young. Before being a riverboat captain, Bill was a soil soldier in FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps., a member of the Minnesota National Guard and a World War II paratrooper. He attended Macalester College under the GI Bill and studied Economics and Communication Studies.
Read story on TwinCities.com Pioneer Press »

February 9, 2006

Lyle Gerard ’49 was featured as a “super senior” in the Cook County News-Herald (Grand Marais, Minn.) for his volunteer work reading at four neighboring elementary schools. Known as “Grandpa Lyle” by his adoring fans, he began reading at the schools when he retired after 36 years of teaching. The article also recounts the story of when Lyle met his wife of 56 years, Joan Woolsey Gerard ’48, at Macalester. One of their three daughters, Poldi Gerard-Ngo ’75, was also mentioned—her company recently won a contract to build a water system for Ghana.

Rev. Thomas Philipp ’58 retired from the ministry after serving as pastor at Community Presbyterian Church of Merrick for 24 years reports the community weekly, Merrick Life (Merrick, N.Y.). Thomas worked in campus ministries starting in 1960 and helped create and run Long Island United Campus Ministries in 1972, servicing many Long Island colleges and universities. He has received many honors during his career including selection for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Higher Education Honor Roll in 2002 and the New York State Family Planning Advocates’ Reverend Beatrice Blair Courageous Service Award in 2003. His congregation, family and friends honored Thomas at a luncheon on March 5.

January 30, 2006

American Public Media’s Marketplace played a song by Andy Sullivan ’92 called “The Internet is Changing Everything” as part of a story on Alan Greenspan. The song, a campy criticism of the Internet, makes several mentions of the popular former Federal Reserve Chairman. The song can be downloaded at Sullivan’s personal website.
Listen to story »

Jan. 28, 2006

Rachael Finn ’05 and her sister, Celeste, recently returned from a Baha’i service project in India according a feature story in the Duluth News Tribune (Duluth, Minn.). Rachael taught Baha’i values—such as truthfulness, honesty and equality—at the Baha’i Academy in Panchgani, southeast of Bombay. Rachael was inspired by her trip to pursue a career in urban planning and has applied to study the subject through the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
Read the article »

January 25, 2006

The college paper, Ripon College Days (Ripon, Wis.), featured an exhibit, “Weary Memories,” by artist Rafael Francisco Salas ’95. It runs from Feb. 3 to Mar. 6 in the Ripon College Caestecker Art Gallery. Salas says of his work, “My art describes the ghostly romance of memory, the longing that the past creates and reflects on these traps of nostalgia.”
Read article »

JoAnna Hicks ’96, director of real estate for the Neighborhood Development Center, was quoted in a New York Times article about the use of new-market tax credits to revitalize low-income communities. Through her nonprofit, Hicks spearheaded the Plaza Verde project, converting an abandoned building in a South Minneapolis low-income neighborhood into a 43,000-sq.-ft. commercial space, using new-market tax credits to provide $1 million in equity. Hicks and her organization are currently utilizing new-market tax credits on the $17-millionworking on the Midtown Global Market, a $17-million development utilizing new-market tax credits.

January 22, 2006

On tour promoting her new book, On the Ice: An Intimate Portrait of Life at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, Gretchen Legler ’84 read in a number of Twin Cities venues—on campus, at the Amazon Bookstore Cooperative and at the Open Book literary center—announced the Pioneer Press (St. Paul). She also appeared on Minnesota Public Radio’s Midmorning show on Jan. 30. On the Ice is the story of Legler’s trip to Antarctica funded by the National Science Foundation Artists and Writers Program. There, she fell in love with her partner Ruth Hill and the amazing world of Antarctica.

January 19, 2006

Ron Stolski ’62 was featured in a column by the Star Tribune’s John Millea for receiving the Power of Influence Award from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). The national award is the highest honor a high school football coach can receive and recognizes a coach’s overall impact on his players, his school and his community. The community of Brainerd, Minn., held a luncheon in his honor. Millea wrote, “Stolski represents the best of our teachers, our coaches, of those who shape young lives. Brainerd, and all of Minnesota, is lucky to have him.”

January 18, 2006

Bill Gilmann ’69 was recognized for his 20 years of service managing health and fitness programs for the St. Paul Fire Department reports a Pioneer Press (St. Paul) news brief. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Fire Chief Doug Holton honored Gillman in a ceremony on Jan. 17. A classroom at St. Paul’s Fire and Safety Services training facility was renamed Gillman Hall in his honor.

January 16, 2006

Brightcove (website), the Web-video company started by Jeremy Allaire ’93, was featured in the television trade journal Broadcasting & Cable (New York). Allaire’s new Internet company has contracts with both AOL and Reuters to distribute video content via its Web services. According to the article, the company “is clearly making waves” amongst its competition. Allaire is quoted saying, “We envision ourselves as a new kind of platform operator, which puts the content owner in control.” Allaire, who studied political science, philosophy and economics at Macalester, was recently named “Smartest Entrepreneur” by Business 2.0 on CNNMoney.com.
Read Broadcasting & Cable article »
Read Business 2.0 on CNNMoney.com “Smart List” »

January 15, 2006

Pioneer Press (St. Paul) book critic, Mary Ann Grossman, reviewed Rasputin’s Daughter, a novel by Robert Alexander (R. D. Zimmerman ’75). The novel fictionally recounts the last days of Gregory Rasputin—the legendary mystic of Russia’s Communist Revolution—from the viewpoint of his daughter Maria Soloviev Bern. Rasputin’s Daughter is a follow-up to Alexander’s The Kitchen Boy, a novel about a boy who witnessed the 1918 assassinations of the Russian czar and his family. Alexander first visited Russia while studying at Macalester College and has written 13 mysteries and international thrillers under the pen names R. D. Zimmerman and M. Masters.

January 13, 2006

The Star Tribune (Minneapolis) ran an interview with Jack Reuler ’75, founder of the Mixed Blood Theatre, who was celebrating the theater’s 30th anniversary. Reuler founded Mixed Blood in his early 20s. In the interview, Reuler named Martin Luther King Jr. and his father as the guiding forces of his work in theater. He has distanced himself from the concept of “colorblind casting,” he said, because the term “implies a milquetoast view of society in which people pay no attention to each other’s differences.”
Read article »

January 6, 2006

Ismail Khalidi ’05, whose writing appears in the new book Letters from Young Activists: Today’s Rebels Speak Out, read at Coffman Union bookstore on the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities reports UMN News, an online news portal for the University. The book features activists under 31 years old writing about their causes. Ismail read a letter written to his parents immediately following the siege of Fallujah in November 2004, which was published in the book. 
Read story on UMN News »

 

Writing about foods served at political fundraisers, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) columnist Doug Grow interviewed Jesse Mortenson ’05 and Walter Mondale ’50. In the column, Democrat Mondale says his party’s staple fundraising fare is the bean feed. Republican activist Sarah Janecek says her party has gone from “country club to Cub” and toned down its fundraising fare. Mortenson, a Green campaigning for Minnesota House, said he plans to serve a vegan banquet—meat-, eggs- and dairy-free—at his campaign kick-off event.
Read article »

December 19, 2005

The Wisconsin Technology Network (website) ran an article showcasing a number of alumni from the UW Madison’s graduate-level biotech program, including Jennifer Fronczak ’99. Fronczak was one of the program’s very first students, graduating in 2004. Now, she is a manufacturing/applications scientist at BellBrook Labs, a company that provides screening tools to accelerate the discovery of effective therapies.
Read article »

December 11, 2005

A “Fan Forum” entry by Brian Wicker ’82 ran in the Sports section of the Star Tribune (Minneapolis). Wicker describes receiving a letter from Macalester welcoming him to the M-Club, a network for alumni who were college athletes. Wicker played tennis for Macalester in the spring of 1979. He wrote, “I now have a letter that says I—at least at one time more than 25 years ago—had game. I’m thinking of having it framed.”

December 9, 2005

The Star Tribune (Minneapolis) profiled artist Siah Armajani ’63, whose art was displayed at Weinstein Gallery in Minneapolis from Dec. 9 to Jan. 7. Armajani’s first solo exhibit featured two architecture-inspired sculptures—“Dormer” and “One Car Garage”—and four gigantic color-pencil drawings depicting seasons along the Mississippi River. Armajani’s works include the bridge connecting the Walker Art Center’s Sculpture Garden to Loring Park in Minneapolis and the bridge, tower and cauldron that held the ceremonial flame at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

December 7, 2005

City Pages (Minneapolis) critic Quinton Skinner ranked a production of Trista Baldwin’s Patty Red Pants co-starring Ariel Dumas ’05 and Emily Gunyou as the eighth top play for 2005 performed in the Twin Cities. Skinner writes, “Against gorgeous projected backdrops, the action unfolded like a dream in which several corners of the blanket of ideas were smoothed and tucked.”
Read the article »

December 5, 2005

Robin Stegner ’72 received a Girl Scouts of the USA Thanks Badge on Nov. 5 reported the Redwood Gazette (Redwood Falls, Minn.).  A Girl Scout since the age of eight, Stegner worked at Girl Scout camps during her college years. While honored by the acknowledgement, Stengner said in the article, “Working in an organization that is committed to good in our society provides psychological rewards that are greater than a pin or a badge.”

Nov. 23, 2005

The Asian American Press (St. Paul) reported that Sia Her ’04 is one of 23 recipients of the University of Minnesota's Diversity of Views and Experiences (DOVE) Recruiting Fellowship for 2005-06. The award provides graduate school tuition and a stipend to its recipients. She is pursuing her master's degree in public policy at the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
Read the article »

November 14, 2005

Lois Quam '83, CEO of Ovations for United Health Group, was ranked the 36th most powerful woman in business by Fortune Magazine. Last year, the magazine ranked her at 44.
Read the article »

November 13, 2005

The Star Tribune ran a business feature about George Mairs III ’50, chairman of Mairs and Power (website) in St. Paul. Mairs continues to run the financial advisory firm his father began in 1931 at the age of 77. The firm launched its Mairs and Power Growth Fund in 1958—one of the first 100 mutual funds on the market. Today, Mairs' fund has assets around $2.5 billion, with 60% invested in Minnesota companies. Mairs says in the article, “We are not subject to the frenzy of the maddening crowds on Wall Street, so we can be fairly dispassionate during times when other people are not.”

October 28, 2005

GE Commercial Finance Corporate Lending issued announced in a press release distributed by Business Wire its appointment of Sean A. Epp ’95 to Vice President of Originations. Based in Corporate Lending's Minneapolis office, he will serve the Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming markets.
Read article on BusinessWire.com » (requires login)

The St. Paul Pioneer Press quoted political organizer Jesse Mortenson ’05 regarding a questionnaire issued to the St. Paul mayoral candidates by the civic group Sustainable Saint Paul. Mortenson said, “Clearly St. Paul has a ways to go in the sustainability of our economy, democracy and environment.” The group publicized responses received from challenger Chris Coleman and incumbent Randy Kelly on issues like increasing the city’s reliance on renewable energy, reforming local elections, capping big-box development, increasing the availability of living wage jobs and giving communities greater influence over City Hall.
Read article on TwinCities.com » (requires login)

In humor columnist Leslie Robinson’s “General Gayety”, she writes about “one woman, a new graduate now working for [Macalester]” sent to Seattle for the Joint GLBTQ and Allies Networking Reception and Happy Hour held by various college alumni associations on Coming Out Day, Oct. 11. This mysterious alumna staff member is none other than the coordinator of Scots Pride, Danielle Nelson ’05. Robinson writes, “They were a terribly organized bunch, writing their names down on a list” and expressed amazement at how Macalester cared enough to send a liaison to its gay alumni.
Read the column at Seattle Gay News »

October 25, 2005

The collection of short stories, The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien ’68 has been chosen for the fourth annual Reading Together program reports the Kalamazoo Gazette. O’Brien’s book, based on his experiences in the Vietnam War, will be the focus of community discussions in Kalamazoo, Mich. February 14 to March 21, 2006.
Read the article in the Kalamazoo Gazette »

October 24, 2005

Mac alumna Kim Gregg '93 was featured in the American RadioWorks documentary series "Finding Home" exploring international adoption. The segment, "Korean Adoptees Remember," focused on the lives and experiences Korean adoptees in America. The segment aired on Public Radio stations across the nation Monday, October 24.
Hear the documentary on American RadioWorks »

October 20, 2005

The St. Paul Pioneer Press announced the M Club's ceremony honoring Macalester athletes Dr. Clifford Caine '55 (tennis coach), Dr. Jerry Ingalls '54 (swimming and golf), Christopher Link '95 (track and football), Dr. Paul Olson '72 (football and track) and Jack Rock '53 (football, baseball and basketball) on Friday, October 21.
Read bios of the M Club inductees »

October 10, 2005

Danai Gurira '01 and Nikkola Salter received critical acclaim from the New York Times for the play they co-wrote and co-star in, In the Continuum. The play is about two black women, one in Zimbabwe and the other in Los Angeles, who are diagnosed with HIV. New York Times theater critic, Charles Isherwood, wrote “Ms. Gurira and Ms. Salter… possess the strong presence and confident technique needed to bring out the subtle force and potent flavoring in their writing.” He also notes, “…these fiercely talented young women won’t be spending much downtime in the near future, if their ambition meets with the success it deserves.” In the Continuum is showing at the 59E59 Theaters (website) from Sept. 11 to Oct. 30.
Read review by nytimes.com (login required) »
Read review by The Village Voice »

October 7, 2005

Two additional alumni, Colin Mothupi '00 and Kathleen Pinkett '75, now serve on the Board of Trustees for Macalester reported student-run newspaper, The Mac Weekly on October 7. Pinkett served on the steering committee for the first Alumni of Color reunion in 1999. Mothupi was elected student body president without campaigning when studying at Mac. Macalester Alumni now hold 26 of the 29 seats on the board.
Read article at TheMacWeekly.com »

October 5, 2005

The new Web-based video distribution company launched by Jeremy Allaire '93 was featured in an article by Saul Hansell published in the International Herald Tribune and The New York Times. Allaire's company will connect video producers—both professional and hobbyist—to an audience of 300 million people and a variety of media outlets, allowing these producers to sell and distribute their work via the Web. Allaire and his brother founded Allaire Corp., the company that developed the Internet software, ColdFusion, and served as chief technical officer at Macromedia, helping the company’s popular Flash software evolve from a simple animation tool into the sophisticated program it is today.
Read the story at iht.com »
Search web for related stories »

October 4, 2005

John Forde '83 got attention from the Star Tribune’s Neal St. Anthony for his TV show, Mental Engineering. On the show, panelists dissect, analyze and poke fun at TV commercials. Forde has been producing the show since 1997 on a shoestring budget, at the St. Paul Neighborhood Network public access station. Mental Engineering panelists have included Liz Winstead, a creator of The Daily Show; Aisha Tyler of Talk Soup; Sam Simon, creator of The Simpsons; Kim O’Farrell, a social psychologist from MSU at Mankato; marketing physiologist Dan Hill; and professor Leola Johnson, chair of Humanities and Media and Cultural Studies at Macalester. Mental Engineering is shown Saturdays, 9 p.m. on TPT Channel 17 in the Twin Cities metro area. Other public TV stations also broadcast it across the U.S.
Read article at StarTribune.com »
See Mental Engineering website »

October 3, 2005

Author Charles Baxter '69 will open the Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series season on Oct. 19. Baxter was a National Book Award finalist for his novel, The Feast of Love (Vintage, 2000). He is currently the Edelstein-Keller Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Minnesota.
Read the press release »

October 1, 2005

Founder and president of Restore Products, Inc., Laurie Brown ‘87, made the cover of the October 2005 edition of Upsize Minnesota (www.upsizemag.com). Restore Products markets environmentally friendly cleaning products made from biodegradable ingredients. In the article, Brown advises other entrepreneurs to “throw your hat over the fence,” because then “you have no choice but to climb the fence and get it.”
Read the article »

Paul Batcheller '95 was featured in the October 2005 edition of Prairie Business for his talk on the importance of team development he would give at the Innovation Exposition on Oct. 17 at the Sioux Falls Ramkota. Batcheller is a principal at PrairieGold Venture Partners, a venture capital firm in Sioux Falls, S.D. and previously served as an economic policy advisor to Senator Tom Daschle.
Read the article »

September 30, 2005

Performances by saxophonist Doug Little '91 and his Cuban-influenced septet were featured events on JazzPolice.com. His group played at The Artist Quarter downtown St. Paul Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. The article describes his septet’s performances as "nothing short of nuclear fission."
Read article on JazzPolice.com »

September 28, 2005

The American Lung Association named Judy Hennemen Cronen '62 a Minnesota running legend, reported the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Cronen has been an avid runner since she was 29 and runs a race every week. In the article, she says, "After I run, I have more energy. Running to me is a stress reliever."
Read the article at StarTribune.com »