K launches a new learning framework to help students take on the world’s biggest challenges

By Katherine Rapin ’15
Photography by Keith Mumma

K students especially, as they always have, want to affect change. And this fall, the college is launching an innovative approach that will better equip students to take on our biggest contemporary challenges: the Pathway. 

Climate catastrophes. Pervasive injustice and systemic racism. Pandemics. The number and scope of pressing crises students face today is daunting. Fewer young people are content with a college experience that will help them “find themselves” and a degree that will get them a good job—because they know that’s not all they’ll need for their future. 

This new framework of learning is distinct from a minor or concentration—the requirements are more flexible and the purpose much deeper. 

“It’s a way of pulling together our offerings around a specific theme or topic or wicked problem in the world,” says Amy Newday, the professor of English, farmer, and Civic Engagement Mellon Fellow charged with leading the first Pathway. 

Newday was part of conversations around strengthening experiential learning at K, the focus of an $800,000 Mellon grant Kalamazoo College received in 2018, and part of the larger goal of expanding the impact of the K-Plan as both the world and students at K change. 

“We want our K-Plan to be flexible enough and useful enough to work for all of the students who come to Kalamazoo College today, and they have really different needs, backgrounds and hopes,” says Alison Geist, director of the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement (CCE). K’s student population is more economically diverse and, in the last ten years, the percentage of students of color on campus has grown from about 17 to about 40 percent. 

Through the design process, “We were looking for ways to create a future that is more fully inclusive—for all of our students—and also responsive to the needs of the world,” says Geist.

The Pathway is founded on the idea of praxis: turning ideas into on-the-ground work, and then allowing the space to reflect. It aims to show students the interconnections between and value of learning from their civic, personal and professional lives, and to empower them to make change. 

This fall, students will be able to join the first Pathway, focused on food and farming justice. The foundational issue is deeply tied to so many other challenges—like exploited labor, environmental degradation and health disparities. And it’s the basis of life–sustenance that must come before everything else, to which we are all connected.

“[Food and farming justice] has generated more excitement among all constituencies—students, staff, faculty, alumni and donors—than any other single area of our work,” says Geist.   

There are already many experiential learning opportunities related to food at K, thanks to passionate professors who have created food-focused courses and forged relationships with organizations in the Kalamazoo community. 

Food Justice in Context at K

Much of the recent legacy of education around food systems at K can be traced back to English professor Amelia Katanski’s first-year seminar, “Cultivating Community.” Students learn about our country’s mainstream industrial food system through reading about factory farming and monocropping in Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and about migrant farmworkers and exploitation of labor in Francisco Jiménez’s The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child.

They explore alternative systems in the Kalamazoo community by talking with local farmers, community organizers and farmworkers’ advocates, and participating in service-learning with the People’s Food Co-op.

For Samantha Rodriguez ’22, who has been working with Newday to develop the Pathway framework, Katanski’s seminar sparked her interest in food. She was shocked to learn “how we’ve commodified [crops] and how we put antibiotics into animals and pesticides on plants, so we can mass produce them,” she says.

“We were looking for ways to create a future that is more fully inclusive, for all of our students, and also is responsive to the needs of the world.”

 For the first time, she, like many students, was faced with the devastating fact that the way we eat largely depends on exploited labor, stolen land, degraded ecosystems and animal cruelty.   

Through her work at Club Grub, an afterschool food and nutrition program at Woodward Elementary, Rodriguez was also realizing the disparity in access to healthy food and alternative systems.

“I was working with predominantly brown and black students who would enter the classroom, and say, ‘Kale? Oh my gosh, it literally looks like poop!’” She says. “I was thinking, how do we make healthy food more accessible and also remove that stigma of healthy food only being for a certain type of people?”

It’s one question also being asked by the Just Food Collective, a student organization that grew out of Katanski’s seminar back in 2005—then called Farms to K. 

“Our service-learning project that quarter was to assess the possibility of developing a farms-to-cafeteria program at K,” says Katanski. Students talked with local farmers, food activists in Kalamazoo and the dining services manager at Sodexo. Spurred by interest in the community and Sodexo’s openness to the conversation, the group was invested in continuing the work, and launched Farms to K as a student organization.

Its work has grown and changed over the last 15 years. When Sodexo’s contract was up for renewal in 2013, the group worked to rally campus around selecting a new dining services provider that would be further committed to responsible sourcing and fair wages for cafeteria workers. In 2018, students built a hoop house on campus to extend the growing season of the campus garden and gain a deeper connection to growing food. 

“We realized that none of us know how to farm,” says Yasi Shaker ’20, recent civic engagement scholar for the Just Food Collective. “We thought, wouldn’t it be cool to have more of an experiential space, where we can not just talk about farming, but actually do it and connect our community to the land?”

She hopes it will help address campus hunger, too. During the pandemic, Shaker and her housemates were distributing food grown in the hoop house to students in need.  

Shaker first became interested in food systems through Newday’s first-year seminar, “Roots in the Earth,” and she was part of the student design team that worked to develop the Pathway framework. She graduated last spring, with plans to carry on her food work in the next community she joins. 

Making the path by walking

There is momentum around food justice at K; students are already engaging with food justice in many ways, and the Pathway will serve to connect and further define their learning. 

“We’re trying to provide structure for students to ground all the experiences that they’re having around the theme and topic that they care deeply about,” says Emily Kowey ’17, assistant director for innovation at the CCE.

Kowey worked with Newday and the student design team to develop the framework for the first Pathway last fall:

Students will cultivate an interdisciplinary, critical understanding of food and farming systems; reflect on their personal identity and place within these systems; and develop their agency and abilities to act effectively in relationship to these systems.

Students will do this by examining their relationships to the land, themselves and their community, starting in the Foundations course, which Newday will debut this fall.

The goal of the course is to introduce students to the systems we live and work in and our role in them. “How do we, as individuals and members of communities, move within those systems? How do we create change both on a personal level and on a systemic level?” Newday says. 

She aims to help students build context around their place in the world and reflect on their own purpose. 

“What are your passions? What are your skill sets? What are your curiosities? What are the experiential learning opportunities that are available to you that will help you explore the person that you want to be and the world that you want to live in?” Newday says.

Also embedded in the course is something truly foundational: wellness. Examining massive systemic problems—on top of a staggering academic workload and the often tumultuous process of finding independent identity—can cause anxiety, depression and burnout among students. Newday plans to structure the course to give students a way to practice wellness, which is often thought of as an individual pursuit, together. “How do we create this class community that cultivates wellness in a culture that doesn’t?” she says. 

Students can take the Foundations course at any point during their time at K; it will serve as the prerequisite for experiential, community-based learning projects. Other “required courses” are open-ended; students should take a course that deepens their understanding of food and farming systems, a course that encourages critical thinking about social justice, and a physical education course that teaches hands-on gardening, land-stewardship or cooking skills.

As students complete these first steps, they will be eligible for more opportunities, including leading community-based projects and mentoring other students in the Pathway.

Over the years, the CCE and professors like Katanski have developed strong community partners, including Fair Food Matters, the Vine Neighborhood Association, Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes and Woodward School for Technology and Research. Katanski hopes to develop long-term community projects that Pathway students will work on over the course of a year or more. Taking on a piece of a larger project could provide opportunities for deeper involvement with community partners, where they can “invest some time in giving context and knowledge and information to students so that students can then put it right back into the project and do something that ends up being really meaningful for the partner, too,” Katanski says.

And throughout these experiences, students will be given opportunities to reflect—both internally through completing exercises, and in conversations with peers and mentors. It’s an antidote to the non-stop culture of K. “A lot of students really live by the motto, ‘More in Four’,” says Kowey. “We also want them to pause and really think about what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. What are you really learning? How is it impacting you? Your peers? Your community?”

Food and Farming Justice is only the start. The next Pathway will likely focus on cities—how students can be a part of shaping the future of our cities. And what comes after is yet to be determined. “We are making the path by walking,” says Geist (quoting Antonio Machado). 

She envisions that students’ work in the Pathways will overlap, creating even more opportunities for interdisciplinary learning. “Helping people discover the ways that intersectionality exists in us as human beings, but also in the issues that we address—that’s a powerful objective.”

by Sarah Frink

 “I’m Jason, and welcome to Grobbel’s, America’s oldest and largest corned beef specialist since 1883.” 

That’s how Jason Grobbel ’84 introduces himself to new employees of E.W. Grobbel Sons, Inc., at the company’s monthly training meetings. The company was established by his great-grandfather; Grobbel bought out other family interests in the company in 1988 and helped build it from a small regional processor with sales of $4 million, to a nationally distributed processor with sales of over $110 million annually. Today he serves as the company president, uniting his talent for business with his passion for developing people.

In that monthly training meeting, Grobbel makes the company priorities clear.   

“We’ve gotten here because we are a great company,” he tells his employees. “And we are a great company for two big reasons: The people in this room are great players. Yet players don’t make a great company just because they’re great individually. Something has to bring those players together—and it has to be a noble mission. We’re here to grow and develop each other both personally and professionally, and on the side, we make great food products!”

E.W. Grobbel Sons, Inc. was founded by Emil Wilhelm Grobbel, a young immigrant who came to America near the turn of the 20th century from the Westphalia region of Germany. At first, Emil worked for a meat company in the original Eastern Market in Detroit, Michigan. When the owner died the next year, Grobbel says, “There was an Irishman by the name of Fitzpatrick who operated the slaughterhouse down by the river. He convinced my great-grandfather to go into business for himself, because he was one of the few bilingual German immigrants, and he could help Fitzpatrick sell meats to other German sausage makers.” They started a business relationship, and eventually, Emil’s son, Grobbel’s grandfather, married Fitzpatrick’s daughter. Grobbel’s father also married an Irish woman. “We were specialty meats early on, but perhaps that’s why we focused in on corned beef—most people hear a German name like Grobbel and think we’d be in the sausage business. But that’s how we evolved.”

Grobbel didn’t always picture himself at the helm of his family’s four-generation business. He was the sixth of eight children born to hard-working parents. After Grobbel was born, his mother went to law school, becoming a prosecuting attorney, and then a municipal judge in Grosse Pointe before serving as a probate judge in Macomb County. She encouraged Grobbel to follow in her footsteps and study law, yet Grobbel felt more inclined toward architecture, even dreaming about attending the School of Architecture at Taliesin for graduate school. He started his college career at Michigan State, but found it wasn’t for him. He transferred to K, where he ultimately majored in business administration. He found he had a passion for advertising, and he did his Senior Individualized Project in marketing. “I still love the psychology of it,” he says. “I took a number of psych classes at K, even though I didn’t major in it.”

His K-Plan included study abroad in Spain and he developed a lifelong love of international travel. He’s enjoyed sharing that love with his family. “I’ve taken all five of my kids to Germany and Ireland,” he says, including daughter Samantha, who graduated from K in 2011 with a degree in fine arts.  “Kalamazoo was amazing,” he says. “I felt it was a peaceful place. It helped me tremendously to figure out who I was, and the K-Plan, all those experiences, pushed me to where I am today.” 

Instead of pursuing a career internship—then a common component of the K-Plan—Grobbel essentially interned at the family business. “At that point, while I was still thinking of going in a different direction, I kept getting pulled into the company, because there were a lot of struggles.”

Grobbel’s father was leading the business at that time. “My parents, unfortunately, went through a painful divorce in the mid-80s. So right after I graduated, I went from the frying pan into the fire, trying to help pull the business together. We were in financial distress, and by 1988, we had been working with a turnaround guy. We realized that either we had to let it go and walk away, or somebody had to carry it forward.” So, at the age of 26, Grobbel became the sole owner. 

There were roughly 25 employees at the company when Grobbel took over. Today there are about 250 core employees, with that number rising to 350-450 during corned beef season, which runs about six months out of the year. They ship out close to 25 million pounds of corned beef annually, deploying over 350 semi loads across the country in the weeks leading up to St. Patrick’s Day. “It’s a logistical ballet,” Grobbel says. “We build up inventory in our freezers and then begin shipping out mid-February. Probably 35% of our sales are in the first quarter.” Grobbel’s provides corned beef to every state in the country and they are the exclusive supplier to Walmart and Sam’s Club. The company also produces other quality meats like roast beef, pastrami and prime rib, and they continue to diversify their products. 

“People ask me, ‘Four generations in a family business—how is that possible?’ And I say, it’s sheer dumb luck.” 

Finding someone in the family who has both the business acumen and the drive to carry the business forward is rare, he says. 

“Everybody blames the failures of a family business on the second or third generation, but it’s usually the first generation—expecting that your children should take over just because they’re the fruit of your loins is not a solid business plan. When I speak in front of small business operators who have started thinking about succession planning, I find they don’t believe they can bring in a young professional who is not a family member, even though non-family-owned businesses do this all the time. Those businesses find people who have the abilities and the passion. But family businesses somehow get in a mindset where they think that that’s impossible. You can have a business that’s family-owned and professionally led.”

As for Grobbel, he believes in hiring the right talent, and for him, the right talent doesn’t mean the “elusive unicorn” who comes in fully equipped with the knowledge and skills for the job. His focus is on creating systems that put new hires in a position to learn and succeed, and where the workers can envision their own success. To this end, the company has developed a human resource system over time that they call ACE. ACE is based on the three words that Grobbel believes are the key to unlocking job growth and productivity: Attitude, Competency and Energy. He is so passionate about this system that it’s the basis of a book he’s written, titled Leading America Back to Work: Reimagining Today’s Workplace. 

The system is supported by five pillars. The first is recruitment and cultural fit—a fit for the company’s culture, and a fit for the task that will be performed. The second pillar is onboarding and engagement. At Grobbel’s, new employees spend the first week working half days, giving them a chance to job shadow experienced employees and acclimate physically to the work environment. Next is supervision and leadership. Grobbel notes that not every technical expert makes a great people manager, and this is a pitfall many companies face when they hire and promote. His company hires personnel managers who support technical supervisors with the fourth pillar, which is evaluation and guidance. Employees meet with their personnel manager once a month for a regular check-in, and this supervisor evaluates employees weekly on their ACE scores. If scores dip, a meeting is scheduled right away to help the employee get back on track. 

The final pillar under ACE is process evolution and task fragmentation. By specializing in one fragmented step of the manufacturing process, the employee can become proficient and productive at that task and make it their own. For example, a person with little experience could come in and be trained on trimming beef briskets. Within three weeks, that person could be proficient at their job and feel like a contributing member of the team. Over time, the company provides opportunities to learn new tasks even as they focus on their assigned task, positioning them for change or growth. 

“We hear politicians and people say there’s a skills gap. I say they’re wrong. There’s no skills gap in the employees. The skills gap is in the employers.” 

He explains, “Henry Ford, over 100 years ago, transformed automobile manufacturing, and he brought farmhands from the South on board with no skill or knowledge. Yet on Day One, working for him, they were 20 times more productive than a master mechanic, doing it in a completely different way. So not only did he take 20 times the manhours out of the process, but those manhours didn’t require a lifetime of education to be effective. So, by reinventing what we do, and the way we do it, we can adapt to the workers of today and help them to become productive.”

Underpinning the whole system is a culture of respect among employees that his organization works deliberately to maintain. In his book, Grobbel writes, “One principle to get you started is that you don’t respond to anger with anger, or to disrespect with more disrespect….When you’re always uplifting and positive with your words, you will win the day….What we’re doing is teaching an entire company full of people how to treat each other like this, and how to enjoy the benefits of doing so.” The approach taken by leadership is critical to establishing the dignity of work, which leads to satisfaction in work, which can lead to a fulfilling sense of purpose for employees and more stable and productive workforce for employers. 

This is the sweet spot for Grobbel. He asserts that people who have become disengaged from the workforce can find the joy of being part of a great team that cares about them and can feel what they do matters, if workplaces can adapt to their needs and show workers they are connected to the mission.  

“The seemingly most mundane or menial job is vitally important to the company’s noble mission. Each and every one,” Grobbel says. “Our vocations are the core of ourselves, and we have to understand the beauty in work. And how God gave us all gifts—all very different.” 

Reflecting on his own vocation, Grobbel says, “I am proud that we have a team of great people who care about each other, who are really trying to embrace this concept of our collective purpose here, which is to help each other grow both personally and professionally. 

“That never gets boring,” he says. “It gets me up every day. Watching people grow and develop is the greatest honor and the greatest joy I could ever have.”

That, and making some great corned beef on the side.

By Zinta Aistars
Photos are courtesy of Addell Anderson

When Addell Anderson ’78 was a kid, she says, she hated farming. She and her four sisters got up early every morning to work in the fields on the family 5-acre farm in Romulus, Michigan, just outside of Detroit. 

“My parents were from Alabama, my mother from Birmingham and my father from rural Alabama,” Anderson says. “He left school in the 6th grade to work in the fields picking cotton. During World War II, he built ships in Portland, Oregon, until he fell from a vessel in drydock and shattered his leg. Then, he heard about jobs in Detroit.”

Anderson’s parents met in Detroit, where she was born. Her father had saved his money as a streetcar driver and became an independent contractor picking up trash in Detroit. He bought a house and took in boarders—Anderson’s mother, a substitute teacher, among them. 

“In the late 50s, when I was born, Detroit was going through an urban renewal project, and many black homes were eliminated,” Anderson says. “That’s when my parents moved out to Romulus and bought a farm. My father farmed the five acres he owned along with a couple acres in the next property.”

It was only later in life, Anderson says, that she grew to appreciate those early years on the farm. She learned to work hard, but she also developed a taste for fresh food. When she left home to go to college, she realized the food in the grocery store simply did not have the same flavor.

“Oh, fresh peaches!” Anderson says. “Store-bought just don’t taste like fresh peaches. There are so many varieties of all kinds of vegetables that you simply can’t find in stores. That was eye-opening for me. We had grown up canning and preserving, freezing the food we grew all summer, and Daddy also fished and hunted, so all our food was fresh and full of flavor. It was a disturbing find for me to realize how different food tastes from stores.”

There was no room for a garden in college, however. 

Anderson applied to the big schools—University of Michigan and Michigan State University—when she graduated from Romulus High School, but when a close friend happily announced that she had been accepted at Kalamazoo College, Anderson reconsidered. 

“Back then, Romulus High School was more of a vocational school with very few black students, and there might have been only about 20 students in college prep,” Anderson says. “I didn’t know about K College, but when my friend was accepted, I thought I would apply, too.”

Anderson breaks into laughter. Things took a twist. 

“As it turned out, my friend ended up at another college, while I was accepted at K. I didn’t know until I got there,” she smiles. “But no regrets. I found that I liked K. I liked that it was smaller, and I liked the community feel. I know it’s an overused phrase, but it’s true—Kalamazoo College became a life-changing experience for me.”

Anderson declared her major in political science, thinking she wanted to become a lawyer. 

“Because of television,” she says. “Yeah, I watched all those lawyer shows on television and thought, what an exciting career.”

Another chuckle. 

“I did my career study—that’s what K called it back then—in Philadelphia at a law firm dealing with employment discrimination, and I realized most of law work was doing research and writing briefs, and we rarely made it into the courtroom. Most cases were settled before we ever got to court. I lost interest. This was not what I wanted to do.”

Back in the Kalamazoo College classroom, Anderson signed up for an economics class with Dr. Robert Myers, and she was quickly fascinated. 

“And then he threw a paper I had written into the trash can,” she says. “I was shocked. Then Dr. Myers said, ‘This isn’t up to K standards!’ He walked me to the library and gave me an intensive lesson in how to write a scholarly paper. He expected the best and he demanded it. I went from being near bottom in that class to one of the top five students.”

Anderson changed her major, in fact, to economics. Study abroad in Madrid, Spain, further opened her eyes to the world and its possibilities, she says. She traveled around Europe with K friends to see and experience more. Back at K, she joined the Black Student Union. She tried theatre, performed in plays, and realized she had a love for the arts, as well. She got involved in intramural sports, played softball and racquetball, and she learned to swim. 

“That’s what liberal arts does for you,” she says. “There’s so much to life. Now I have vast and diverse interests because K opened the world to me.”

Anderson’s education after Kalamazoo College expanded on those diverse interests. In 1980, she earned her master’s in public policy at University of Michigan, and then went on to Michigan State University for a Ph.D. in philosophy, majoring in theatre. 

“I was the first Black student to get a Ph.D. in theatre at MSU,” Anderson says. 

Anderson’s career followed her diverse interests. She worked as a civil servant for the State government, “cranking out analyses on energy use in Michigan that were never used,” she says. “Facts didn’t matter. I could see it was more about who can do what for whom.”

Frustrated, Anderson turned to theatre and worked as a scenic and props assistant. She taught Black-Hispanic studies at the State University of New York at Oneonta. She returned to Detroit to teach theatre at Wayne State University, then humanities at Wayne County Community College. She worked on economic development in Detroit, was a program director for AmeriCorps, then spent seven years as director at the University of Michigan Detroit Center. 

“I’d been working since I was a kid,” Anderson says. “I got to the point that I needed a break, so I decided to take a year off. I bought a piano and took lessons, I cooked a lot, and I started writing a novel.”

Call it serendipity, call it chance, or call it the remembrance of the taste of fresh peaches. Anderson came across a job ad for program director at an organization called FoodCorps Michigan. She read the ad and thought—I’ve done all this. I can do this. All the boxes suddenly seemed checked off. Anderson applied and was hired. 

FoodCorps Michigan is part of a national initiative that builds and nurtures connections between kids and healthy food. Partnering with AmeriCorps, the initiative matches AmeriCorps service members with kids in schools, complementing school curriculums with nutrition lessons and planting gardens together with children. 

“Whether it’s math or science or art, we create nutrition lessons that can be incorporated into whatever teachers are already doing in the classroom,” Anderson says. “We work mostly with kindergarten through 5th grade because that’s when we can most impact habits that stay with you for a lifetime. We teach children that everything we do is connected to everything on this planet, and it begins with food and food systems. They learn where food comes from, to respect it and the animals that give us food. We teach kids to be responsible about their food choices, not to be wasteful, and how to support our local food growers.”

Race, place and class have too often resulted in health inequities, Anderson says. FoodCorps attempts to even out those inequities by bringing nutrition into the classroom—and into the lifelong habits of the children they teach. 

Because everybody should know the taste of a fresh peach.

Ellen Jane (Ossward) Maxfield ’43 of Chesterfield, Missouri, passed away on January 16, 2020. Ellen was the beloved wife of the late Dr. Sterling A. Maxfield. Ellen was a member of the Grace United Methodist Church in St. Louis and the Manchester United Methodist Church in Manchester for over 38 years, where she was an active participant in all church-related activities. She was a graduate of Kalamazoo College and was a teacher for some years thereafter. She traveled extensively throughout her lifetime with her husband, including a summer stay with her entire family in Malawi, Africa, with an international humanitarian group dedicated to providing medical care to people in distress. Ellen enjoyed playing the organ and piano, singing in her church choir, being a Girl Scout leader, relaxing at her weekend chalet in Innsbruck in Wright City and spending the winter in Bonita Springs, Florida. She is survived by her three children, eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. 

Marian (Grove) Manley ’44 passed away on March 2, 2019. She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, G. R. “Dick” Manley. She is survived by three children, seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Joan (King) Hagan ’49 passed away on January 15, 2020. Joan attended Kalamazoo College and the National College of Education, and earned a Master of Education from Western Michigan University. Her teaching career, mainly in kindergarten, spanned over 40 years, during which she educated and inspired hundreds of children in Michigan and West Hartford, Connecticut. Joan married William E. Hagan, a fellow teacher, in 1961. William passed away in 1987. Joan contributed immeasurably to organizations she loved. A member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Hartford, since 1954, she served in many capacities. After her retirement from teaching, she became a deeply knowledgeable and effective docent for the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, where she gave tours for over 28 years and served as president of the Docent Council from 2000 to 2002. Joan was an active member of Friday Club, an organization of women with a thirst for knowledge that was originally founded in 1884. Joan travelled widely, including trips to Peru, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Greece, Switzerland, Russia, Italy and most recently Ireland in 2019. Joan’s life continues to uplift and inspire her many friends and family. 

Glen F. Hulbert ’50 passed away on September 21, 2019. Glen served in the Air Corps in 1944 and 1945 as a flight engineer on heavy B-24 bombers. He remained in the Marine Corps Reserves for several years. After the war he entered the University of Notre Dame and later moved on to K, where he became sports editor of The Index. In 1954 he earned a Master of Divinity at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary; later he attended Christian Theological Seminary and received a Master of Sacred Theology. He married Jeanette Bond Nichols in 1956. They were married for 53 years until she passed away in 2009. Glen pastored congregations around Indiana for 40 years. Over the course of his ministry, he was an outspoken and strong supporter of racial justice, especially during the 1960s Civil Rights movement. He had concerns about our environment and was active in the Sierra Club. During his ministry he served on many boards and was a long-time member of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. He was a member of the Tippecanoe Masonic Lodge #492 and the Valley of Fort Wayne Scottish Rite. Surviving are his son and daughter, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Mardell Grace (Jacobs) Arent ’51, 90, passed away on September 11, 2019. Mardell graduated from Kalamazoo College in 1951, and while attending college met the love of her life, Noble Arent ’51. Mardell and Noble were married on June 16, 1951, at Stetson Chapel and were married 32 years. Mardell received her master’s in education in 1965 from Western Michigan University. She taught swimming lessons for 32 years, and after raising their children, she began subbing in the Decatur (Michigan) schools. When Noble became the high school principal in Ludington in 1965, they moved and she began teaching at Lakeview School, retiring in 1986. Mardell loved teaching first- and second-graders and even after 33 years of retirement, she would still LOVE to tell stories of “her kids” in the classroom. Mardell moved to Grand Rapids in 1986. She loved to knit and make MANY hats, afghans and baby blankets. She was a member of the Community Church in Ludington and a member of Second Congregational Church in Grand Rapids, serving many years on the educational committee. Mardell was preceded in death by her husband Noble and daughter Barbara. She is survived by four children, nine grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Nancy Marie (Vercoe) Cross ’51 of New Hope, Minnesota, passed away on March 16, 2020, with her loving husband of 70 years, Robert Cross ’50, at her side. Nancy met Robert at K and they were married on August 30, 1949, at First Presbyterian Church in Flint. They moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where Bob was ordained a Protestant minister and they welcomed their first two children. The couple moved to Antrim, New Hampshire, where they had their next three children–losing son, Lincoln, at 3 days of age. Bob was called back to Flint and the First Presbyterian Church, as associate pastor. They added seven children, including four by adoption. Next was a move to Minneapolis in 1969 where the Holy Spirit led the family into the Roman Catholic Church. In addition to raising their 11 children, Nancy wrote numerous books and published magazine articles evangelizing on her Catholic faith. Most of her writing can be found on the website CatholicDiagramTeacher.com. In addition to Robert, Nancy is survived by her 11 children, 34 grandchildren, and 58 great-grandchildren.

Gwendolyn (Shwarz) Schlesinger-Ferguson ’51 passed away May 22, 2019. She was the beloved wife of the late Robert Ferguson, the devoted mother of four children and the loving grandmother of 10.

Joseph V. Van Cura Jr. ’51, U.S. Army Corporal and Korean War veteran, passed away on October 22, 2019. Joseph was co-owner of Gabriel Sales, Inc. in Cicero, Illinois, where he worked with his father. Joseph was a longtime president of the Cicero Lions Club and a member of the American Legion. Joseph was honored for his military service by partaking in a Land of Lincoln Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., in 2017. Joseph loved to travel worldwide with his wife of 67 years, Barbara, as well as visiting the local Brookfield Zoo and Chicago museums. He was the loving father of two children and the devoted grandfather of six grandchildren. 

Dr. Milton O. Meux ’53 of Berkeley, California, passed away on April 23, 2020.

Jerome H. Ludwig ’55 of Bowling Green, Ohio, and formerly of St. Joseph, Michigan, passed away January 19, 2019. Jerome was a chemist, obtaining his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati. He dedicated his life to chemical research and development, working at a variety of companies and serving in a variety of roles throughout his lifetime. Along with his wife of 61 years, Genevieve, he is survived by his daughter and five grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son, Mark.

Philip “Doc” Ernest Kellar, M.D. ’55 of Valparaiso, Indiana, passed away on December 26, 2019. A distinguished and well-respected physician for over 50 years, Phil loved using his medical talents and capabilities to help bring healing to those in need. Growing up in Gary, Indiana, he graduated from Kalamazoo College (“the best years of my life”) and later Indiana University School of Medicine. In 1960, Phil started a medical journey that would see many successes, from his own family medicine practice to emergency and family medicine at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Hobart and Methodist Hospitals. He held the titles of chairman of family practice and emergency medicine at St. Mary’s and Methodist hospitals, as well as vice president of professional affairs at St. Mary’s. Upon retiring in 2000, Phil continued working as a locum tenens physician for the next 16 years. Phil is preceded in death by Julia Kellar ’54, mother of his five children, and his son, Jason. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Dorothy, four sons, including Daniel Kellar ’81 and Douglas Kellar ’90, six daughters and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Paul D. Van Stone ’56 passed away July 8, 2019. Paul was an avid trumpet player and played “Taps” at funerals as a preteen and teenager for over 50 returning  World War II veterans. Paul graduated from Kalamazoo College with a degree in political science and economics, where he also lettered in wrestling, football and baseball. Following graduation, he served in the United States Army until 1958. In June of 1958 he married Julia Mae Arnold. They recently celebrated 61 years of marriage. Paul had been a member of the Collier County Republican Executive Committee over the course of many years and had previously served on the Collier County school board. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Valerie. He is survived by his wife, three children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. 

Herman William DeHoog ’58 passed away on April 19, 2020, in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is survived by his wife, Genevieve.

Jerry Frederick Hartman ’59 of Allegan, Michigan passed away May 12, 2020. Jerry graduated from K with a degree in economics and history. Jerry used his knowledge to become an innovative entrepreneur and had a true passion for business. He thoroughly enjoyed others and loved socializing with friends and family at the Hartman Conference Center. Throughout his life he generously supported the community and the many charities closest to his heart. Along with his wife, Sanda, Jerry is survived by his son, daughter and six grandchildren.

Gerald LeRoy Pattok ’60 of Hastings, Michigan, passed away on January 31, 2020. Gerald attended K on a football scholarship, then Aquinas College, and graduated from Western Michigan University in 1961, receiving his master’s from Antioch in 1973. Jerry proudly served his country in the Marine Corps Reserve from 1954 to 1957. On June 25, 1960, Jerry married Sandra Keeney, his wife of almost 60 years. Jerry was a science teacher at Hastings High School, retiring in 1992. He served as president of the Hastings Education Association for three years and was a member of the Lifelong Learning Institute. He attended St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, and more recently, Emmanuel Episcopal Church of Hastings. In 2004, Jerry hiked every trail in Barry County and wrote a brochure with a map of the trails that was passed out by the Chamber of Commerce. He belonged to the Chief Noonday Chapter of the North Country Trail and served three years as treasurer of the Barry County Conservation Club. He served for over 15 years on the Barry County Community Mental Health Authority. He was preceded in death by his son, Tycho. He is survived by Sandra, three children, 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. 

Ralph William Barbier Jr. ’61 passed away on November 17, 2019, in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan. Ralph attended Kalamazoo College and the Detroit College of Law, followed by a legal career that spanned more than 50 years. He was an avid Detroit sports fan—especially the Red Wings. He was the beloved husband to Marina (“Nina”) for 56 years, loving father of four children and cherished grandfather (“Papa”) to eleven grandchildren.

Robert “Bob” Arthur Schultz ’62 passed away on January 16, 2020, in Chocowinity, North Carolina. Bob met his future wife, Gena Eldredge ’63, at K; he proposed to her over the phone while she was studying abroad in France. After graduation, Bob joined the Navy, where he served as a supply corps officer on the submarine USS Calhoun and the support ships USS Proteus and USS Shenandoah. He received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1972 and worked at the Pentagon and in Crystal City, Maryland, in various financial and program office management roles for the Navy. Bob retired from the Navy in 1986 as a captain and accepted a job as treasurer at Illinois Power. He filled many roles while there, including CEO of a start-up company that took them to Salt Lake City and Chicago. Bob retired from Illinois Power in 1999. He served as interim dean of the business school at the University of Illinois until 2001, when Bob and Gena moved to Chocowinity. He volunteered much of his time and wisdom to the Turnage Theatre, SCORE, the United Way and the Cypress Landing community and golf course. Bob is survived by his wife, Gena, two children, four grandchildren and three step-grandchildren.

Edward Van Peenen II ’62 died on September 27, 2019 at the age of 79. Edward grew up in Kalamazoo, the son of Edward Van Peenen ’33 and Jean Schipper Van Peenen.  He received his bachelor’s degree in physics from K and his master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin. He taught physics at Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia, and then at Valdosta State University for 20 years. One summer he also taught physics to the crew aboard a U.S. Navy fast frigate on a Middle East tour, an experience he thoroughly enjoyed. Although Edward was originally a Michigander, he adopted Valdosta, Georgia, as his home for many years. Anyone who spent any amount of time in Valdosta over the past 50 years probably knew Edward, or at least remembers seeing him riding his bike through town, teaching in a classroom at VSU, working as a volunteer at the library or community soup kitchen, ushering at the First United Methodist Church or attending the symphony and community theater. In his retirement years, he loved solving mentally challenging puzzles, listening to classical music and radio talk shows, acting in local plays and taking Learning in Retirement classes. He strongly believed in personal responsibility. He chose to live simply and frugally, but he was also surprisingly generous when it came to others. He was especially pleased when ex-students would recognize him and stop to say hello, and he was thrilled when one of them would say that he inspired them in some way. Edward is survived by his step-mother, Virginia Van Peenen ’33, his sister and several cousins.

Adrienne Alexander ’63 passed away peacefully of Alzheimer’s disease on May 3, 2020. After K, she received her master’s from the University of Illinois. Adrienne was a woman of many talents and had several careers in her lifetime, including college English teacher, music group manager, tax accountant and her last and favorite, realtor. Adrienne fought the good fight against this cruel disease and met each day with spirit, determination and a sense of humor. When she moved to Edina, Minnesota, she started a woman’s tennis group and played competitively three times a week until two years ago. She sang in Giving Voice, a chorus for people with dementia and their care partners, and she attended Augustana Open Circle of Hopkins and sang in their choir. Adrienne is survived by her life partner, Judy Ream, two sons and four grandchildren, as well as Judy’s two children and three grandchildren.

Duane R. Anderson ’63 of Marion, Michigan, passed away on April 25, 2020, at the Harbor Hospice House in Muskegon. He was surrounded by his family at his passing and is survived by many relatives and friends. He was a retired public school teacher. 

Marguerite Ardis (Dewey) Brown ’66 passed away on November 3, 2019. After K, she had an active career working in the fields of university financial development, advertising, retail sales and finally as church secretary/pastor’s assistant at three different United Methodist Churches, before retiring in 2012. While working and raising two children, Margy gave endless hours of volunteer labor to her church, Children’s Theatre of Annapolis, Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre and the homeowners association of the development where she lived. Marguerite is survived by her loving husband of 11 years, Rev. Kenneth E. Brown, whom she met while they were working together at Severna Park United Methodist Church. She is also survived by her two children, three stepsons and two step-grandchildren.

Thomas H. Zerbe ’66, of Dunbar, West Virginia, passed away on May 19, 2020, from complications of the COVID-19 virus. Tom studied history at K and received his master’s in history from Marshall University. He was active in the civil rights movement beginning in the 1960s, and he participated locally and nationally in movements to end discrimination. He was a field investigator and later the compliance director for the West Virginia Human Rights Commission. During the 2009 West Virginia Civil Rights Day celebration, he was honored by the governor for his work in civil rights. Tom went on to law school at West Virginia University. As a lawyer, Tom’s career was centered on public service. He was employed by Charleston Legal Aid, and later moved to Greenbrier County, where he worked with the West Virginia Legal Services Plan. He helped found the Family Refuge Shelter, a domestic violence shelter. He worked for the United Mine Workers of America, District 17, where he helped many retired miners and their widows receive black lung benefits. Later, he was an administrative law judge with the Bureau of Employment Programs. In retirement, he enjoyed traveling with his wife and tutoring and reading to students through the Literacy Volunteers of Kanawha County and Read Aloud WV. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Janet, a daughter and three granddaughters.

Janice M. (Brenner) Kopen ’68 passed away on October 5, 2019. At K Jan majored in French and Spanish. As part of her career service program, she taught English in Guatemala and she did her foreign study in Caen, France. Following graduation, she married Robert Kopen ’68. The couple moved to Flint, Michigan, where they both had obtained teaching positions. Jan spent evenings attending library science classes at the University of Michigan-Flint, and in 1970 she became a full-time mother. In 1980, the family relocated to Three Rivers, Michigan; she and Robert opened a law practice in Centreville, where Jan was instrumental in operating and maintaining the practice for the next 39 years. Jan was a compassionate and devoted mother, wife and daughter who loved to travel, read and attend theatre and symphony. After being diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, Jan became active in the local chapter of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America and attended numerous national conferences and was very active in local and online support groups. She is survived by her husband and two daughters, including Laura Kopen ’92.

Judith Kay (Gildea) Wellington ’68 died September 10, 2019, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Judy grew up in Three Rivers, Michigan, and in 1964 she had the honor of representing Three Rivers in the Miss Michigan competition. After high school, Judy attended K, where she was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. Judy moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and later to Merion Station, Pennsylvania, with her husband and two sons, where she resided for 43 years. Late in life she moved to Ardmore, Pennsylvania, where she resided until her death. In Pennsylvania, Judy continued her community work through the efforts of Alpha Chi Omega. She was gregarious, articulate, compassionate and a patient listener. Judy was an outstanding self-taught chef and baker. Nothing brought her more joy than her two grandsons. She attended every school and sporting event and put her former high school cheerleading talents to use cheering on her grandsons. After a car accident nearly took her life and after successfully fighting cancer, Judy was relentless in her spirit for living. Judy was predeceased in death by her son Jeffrey. She is survived by her son and two grandsons.

Karl Biemuller ’70 of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, died April 3, 2020, at his residence. 

Gary K. Booth ’71 passed away on May 18, 2020, after a long battle with cancer. After K, Gary attended Wayne State Medical School. He spent his entire professional life as a much beloved family physician in western Massachusetts. When he retired in 2014, his many patients were bereft at losing such a compassionate, kind and caring doctor. Shortly after his retirement, he moved to the Florida Keys; there he particularly delighted in helping others with whatever project needed doing and in stumbling through until eventually learning the intricacies of square dancing. While medicine was his profession, Gary had many talents and avocations. He often said that if he hadn’t become a doctor, he would have liked to have been a carpenter. He was also a fantastic photographer, loved traveling, camping and just spending time outdoors. He played guitar and loved tinkering on any project. Gary is survived by his beloved wife of forty-five years, Katherine Currier, his two children, his two grandchildren and his three brothers, Jim Booth ’73, Mark Booth ’75 and David Booth ’78. 

Daniel Brian Haun ’80 of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, passed away on December 7, 2019, after a hard-fought battle against bile duct and liver cancer. Daniel graduated from Delton Kellogg High School in 1976 and attended Kalamazoo College and Kellogg Community College before graduating from Michigan State University in 1982 with a bachelor’s in psychology. Following several years in the special needs services field, Daniel spent 19 years working at the Lawrenceville School as a library technician. In 1984, Daniel married Jacqueline Hines and while the couple divorced in 1993, they continued to be partners and best friends in caring for their son with special needs. Dan was an active Special Olympics parent, faithfully attending soccer, bowling and track and field events for his son nearly every week for close to two decades. Daniel is survived by his son. 

Jennie (Bell) Cabbiness ’83 passed away on May 26, 2013, in Charles Town, West Virginia. Jennie was the beloved wife of Jacob Cabbiness and mother of two children.

Tracey S. O’Rourke ’83 died peacefully in Valparaiso, Indiana, on December 23, 2019. Tracey was a theatre arts graduate of Kalamazoo College. As an entertainer, her creativity was enjoyed by all who knew her.

Roger Honet ’85 of West Bloomfield, Michigan, passed away on January 24, 2020. He was loved and cherished by many people, including his spouse, Lauren Honet, and his four children. 

Joseph Schodowski ’87 of Huntington Woods, Michigan, passed away on October 9, 2019. After graduating from K, where he played football and majored in economics, Joe earned his M.B.A. at Wayne State University in 1992. While at K, Joe met Karen Hiyama ’88, whom he married in 1991. Joe was devoted to his family and particularly enjoyed attending his children’s athletic and musical events and noting their academic achievements. Outside of his family, he had a gift for making friends. He paid more than lip service to the idea of improving the world in small, concrete ways and helping those around him, whether it be by rallying the community to install batting cages in honor of a dear friend or finding a home for a lost dog. Joe was the president and co-owner of Shelving Inc., a business that supplies shelving and storage systems to companies and consumers throughout the U.S. Shelving was founded in Detroit in 1961 by Jack Schodowski, Joe’s father. Joe was passionate about maintaining and enhancing the success of Shelving, establishing its presence on the internet before shopping online was routine. Joe is survived by his wife and their three children, including Eleanor Schodowski ’18.

Thomas J. Gilbert ’99 of Montgomery Village, Maryland, passed away on April 16, 2020.

Stephen J. DeHorn M.D. ’00 passed away on January 28, 2020. Stephen grew up in Troy, Michigan, where he excelled at academics, sports and music. After K, he went on to medical school at Wayne State University and residency training in emergency medicine at Detroit Receiving Hospital. After a few years at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, New York, Stephen moved with his family to the Grand Rapids area. Steve joined the Grand River Emergency Medicine Group, providing emergency care to the St. Mary’s/Mercy Health System. He had a passion for teaching and was a clinical assistant professor of Michigan State University Medical School. Steve was a gentle giant with a charmingly dry sense of humor who dearly loved his wife, children, family and dogs. Michigan football, the Detroit Lions and cooking weren’t far behind. As a skilled physician and talented instructor, he brought his gifts to his profession with passion and dedication. He is survived by his beloved wife, Kate, and three wonderful children.

Hartlee Lucas ’17 passed away January 16, 2020. Hartlee graduated from Parchment High School and played football at Kalamazoo College. He was a senior regional account representative for Solutions Medical Physicians Toxicology. He enjoyed spending time outdoors hunting, fishing, caring for his land, playing softball with longtime friends and recently took a strong interest in golf. He had a lab mix named Scout, his right-hand hunting companion. He valued time with friends, family and his ‘Squad.’ 

FACULTY AND STAFF

Jackie Metzler of Kalamazoo, Michigan, died on April 23, 2020, at the age of 92. Jackie graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School and completed her postgraduate degree from Western Michigan College. Jackie was an employee of the Kalamazoo College bookstore for over 20 years—a job she loved—before retiring as the assistant manager. After retiring from K, Jackie took a job demo-ing food at D&W grocery store. Both of these jobs satisfied Jackie’s need for human connection and service to others. A woman of strong faith, she was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church and the Ladies Library. Sweet, caring and kind, her strength came from her radiant heart and beautiful spirit. Jackie was preceded in death by her first husband, Walter Koehler; second husband, Eugene Metzler; and by her two children. Surviving are two grandsons and two great-grandchildren.

Catherine Griesbach of Kalamazoo, Michigan, passed away on April 22, 2020, at the age of 89. Catherine married Donald Griesbach on January 29, 1955. Their early years of marriage were spent in Nuremberg, Germany, during Don’s military deployment. Catherine worked as a secretary in the Palace of Justice following the Nuremberg trials. Later, she enjoyed 25 years at Kalamazoo College as secretary in the student health center. Upon retirement in 1994 to Bradenton, Florida, Catherine volunteered at Blake Hospital as a courier and as a docent conducting school field trips at Bishop Museum of Science and Nature. She enjoyed her memberships in the Mount Vernon garden and bridge clubs between traveling around the world on 17 cruises. She is survived by her beloved husband of 65 years, three children and three granddaughters. 

Professor Emeritus Ralph M. Deal, longtime professor of physical chemistry, passed away on April 4, 2020. 

Ralph came to Kalamazoo College in 1962 after earning his bachelor’s degree at Oberlin College and his Ph.D. in physical chemistry at the Johns Hopkins University. He spent several years in postdoctoral work, initially at the Monadnock Research Institute in Antrim, New Hampshire, then at the University College of North Staffordshire in England, and finally at the University of Illinois in Urbana.

Ralph was a beloved member of the chemistry department for 33 years and made a difference in the lives of countless Kalamazoo College students. In 1990, he was named a recipient of one of K’s highest faculty honors, the Florence J. Lucasse Fellowship for Excellence in Scholarship. At that time, then-Provost Richard Cook said, “Ralph is blessed with an insatiable curiosity. It is this very curiosity which keeps Ralph active in his field, not only with his scholarship outside the classroom, but also when working with his students.” In 2016, an anonymous donor endowed a scholarship in his name, the Professor Ralph M. Deal Endowed Scholarship for Physical Chemistry Students, which was awarded for the first time in 2019. 

In his obituary, Ralph’s family described him as a “chemist, pianist, tinkerer, photographer… lover of Linux, near-infrared photography, comedy, and—despite several people’s best efforts to dissuade him—rocker shoes. He was friendly with everyone and had an infectious laugh. When Ralph passed away, he was very much in the middle of living. His unique character will endure in the memory of friends and family.”

Ralph is survived by his wife, Nora, three daughters, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.