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September 26, 2009

St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Rose-Hulman students take part in traditions

By Lisa Trigg

TERRE HAUTE — Homecoming at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is more like a big family reunion rather than a gathering of alumni.

“As opposed to some of the big state schools, Rose is small enough that we are like family, and we come back to see friends,” said Jeff Papa, president of the Rose alumni association, on Saturday as he met with fellow alums prior to the homecoming football game.

Take Carl Bals and Leo Little, for instance.

Both graduated from Rose-Hulman with 72 other young men in the Class of 1952. And now, 57 years later, they try to get together with their remaining classmates every two years for homecoming.

“Our class was so close together because we were the first class coming out after World War II,” Little said.

They were a mixture of kids fresh out of high school, and young men just home from World War II. They finished their degrees in three years and four months, a much shorter term that the current four-year plan.

“We crammed a lot in,” Little said.

“No, you got it wrong,” Bals corrected, laughing. “They crammed a lot into us.”

After graduation, Little went into nuclear engineering, and ironically, one of his final jobs was to help tear down the nuclear production complex in Hanford, Wash., that a fellow Rose-Hulman graduate helped construct.

Bals went to work for Proctor and Gamble, using the analytical approach, goal-setting and teamwork skills developed in his years at Rose.

Little joked that the men learned how to drive their wives crazy with their linear thinking.

“Our wives can do 50 things at once, but we focus on one thing and go in a straight line,” Little said.

For Jack Fenoglio of Clinton, this is the 50-year reunion for his graduating class.

“I come back every year for homecoming,” he said. “I know a lot of the staff and classmates ahead and behind me. It’s a family here. We’ve all kind of adopted each other.”

Fenoglio, a former college football player who recalls his toughest class as Elements of Electrical Engineering, was a chemical engineering student, but ended up working as a metallurgical engineer. He credits the cross-discipline training with well-preparing the students for the job market.

“You can get a degree in whatever discipline you want,” Fenoglio said, “but studying the others prepares you for whatever you need to do.”

Papa, the chief of staff and chief legal counsel for the Indiana Senate, agrees that his Rose-Hulman degree in economics was only the beginning of his career. He went on to earn a master’s degree and then went to law school.

Many Rose-Hulman graduates go on to lead teams and departments, Papa said, recalling the testimony of some distinguished alums who spoke at the recognition luncheon about how the teamwork approach has paid off for them.

RHIT’s homecoming activities are pretty much free of pocket-protectors. Sure, there were plenty of engineers milling about on Saturday, talking about advanced transportation initiatives, drive train technology, remote controlled aircraft, and lighting bonfires via trebuchet.

But there was also the Rosie’s KidZone area with carnival games and fun-filled activities for youngers.

Nearby, Jonathan Nibert, a junior computer engineering student on the EcoCAR Team, explained the team’s goal of improving the drive train technology of a Saturn Vue.

And Elliot Schmidt is senior project leader this year for Rose-Hulman’s Design/Build/Fly design competition team in which students build and fly a remote-controlled aircraft.

A broad range of people are involved in the project, Schmidt said, noting that more than a few flight attempts have resulted in crashes.

“But we crash well,” he joked.

Ashley Erffmeyer, a 2008 graduate and former Rose-Hulman homecoming queen, has returned as a master’s degree student in engineering management. She is now outreach coordinator for the EcoCAR team, and has hopes of one day working in the auto racing industry where she can apply both her mechanical engineering and management degrees.

Another example of interdisciplinary teamwork displayed at homecoming was Friday night’s bonfire. By tradition, the freshmen design and build the bonfire structure, and the sophomores good-naturedly try to sneak in and tear it down before it goes up in flames.

“It’s fun,” said Erik Hayes, assistant dean of student affairs and a Rose graduate. “It’s a neat bonding activity for the students. And it’s great to hear the alumni tell their stories about it.”

On Friday night, a fireball launched from about 40 yards away by a trebuchet ignited the annual kickoff to homecoming. Within a couple hours, videos of the fireball arcing through the night sky and the resulting flames had been posted on the Internet on YouTube.

This year the students designed and tested the trebuchet launch, which dropped about 400 pounds of weight to launch the fire.

“It’s the longest tradition of homecoming,” Hayes said of the opening bonfire. “It’s a big thing for the alumni. There’s no more important tradition than our homecoming, and the bonfire is a big part of that.”

Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com.





'It's nice to reconnect'



Racing a bed down the pavement was “a hoot” for members of the faculty at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College.

Saturday morning’s bed race event to kick off homecoming certainly attracted a lot of cheers from current and past students, staff, faculty and employees.

“I told the staff this is the one time they can lay down on the job,” SMWC President David G. Behrs joked.

Certainly no one was sleeping after that event, and the crowd moved on to watch a round-robin softball tournament and a soccer game as part of The Woods’ second day-long homecoming event.

“Homecoming is a chance for the younger alums to come back and stay connected,” said Gwen Tucker, director of Alumnae Relations. About 300 guests were expected on campus, about triple the number from last year, and hopefully, this year’s turnout is at least half of those who will show up next year.

“We wanted to give our younger alums an opportunity to come back,” said Marcia Reder Schmidt of the National Alumnae board of directors, “since many still know a lot of the younger students and athletes.”

Behrs agreed that keeping the connection fresh for the recent graduates by hosting a fall event is as important as providing the traditional springtime reunion for the seasoned alumnae.

“I think fall is a time they can come back to reconnect,” Behrs said. “I think I’ve heard at least two alums say this is like coming home, and that’s why it is ‘homecoming’.”

SMWC’s enrollment has been growing, especially in its graduate and Women’s External Degree programs, which Behrs said are much higher this year.

The Woods’ has 320 students, including 90 freshmen, 14 transfer students, and 21 international students from nations such as Thailand, Kosovo, Greece, Ireland and China.

“We have a good mixture of students,” he said. “And this is a wonderful opportunity to get the family together again.”

Biology professor Tammy Tintjer, fresh from competing in the bed races, said she enjoys visiting with her past students.

“It’s nice to reconnect with them and see where they have ended up and what jobs they have now,” Tintjer said.

Kathy Wentland Lubeznik, a 1980 graduate from Michigan City, knows how past alumnae can inspire current students.

At last May’s reunion, the Classes of 1935 and 1939 each had one alum attending to represent them.

“The spirit of seeing alums from the 1930s here was an inspiration for today’s students,” said Lubeznick, who now chairs the college’s board of trustees.

“Our students have a good opportunity to develop into leaders of our businesses and organizations,” Lubeznick said. “I’ve not only benefited from the good education, but been the recipient of very, very good friendships that have lasted many years.”

Those friendships are what she said she treasures most from her years at The Woods.

And now, future graduates will also be able to share their stories about the homecoming bed races.

Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com.

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