1957 – Back to the Future55th Reunion Newsletter • Winter 2012

’57 ’57

Dear 1957 Alumni,Although we are in the midst of winter in

Greencastle, plans for the Class of 1957’s 55th reunion are in full swing. Some great activities are being lined up for your visit to campus next spring; all of us here want this to be your time to shine. The year 2012 is also a very unique time for our community – the University will be in the midst of celebrating its 175th anniversary – so we have some singular plans in mind for our special reunion guests.

I will not share the details here, but you will not want to miss this time to meet and greet, remember good times with good friends, and explore your revitalized college home. I am especially looking forward to attending your reception prior to your Thursday night dinner and taking a few moments to talk with you and share my vision for DePauw. Although its appearance might have changed, its operations modified a bit, at the heart DePauw is untouched. I do hope to welcome you back to campus for this once-in-a-lifetime celebration, so I urge you to make your reservations at the first opportunity.

Right now, current students are finishing up their studies and will soon disperse around the country

and the globe for semester break, many of them planning to launch 2012 with month-long Winter Term internships, study and travel abroad, and other “real world” experiential learning opportunities, while those on campus will be enrolled in research, cross-disciplinary studies, or just exploring topics and experiences of interest that are outside their majors. It is an exciting time to be a student at DePauw, and I bet you are just a tad envious. Thus, I would be remiss if I closed this message without extending my heartfelt gratitude to you for making these advantages possible.

I will see you in June! Until then, best wishes to you all.

Most sincerely,

Brian W. CaseyPresident

Greetings from the DePauw University campus.

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ANNOUNCING THE JOHN J. WITTICH ANNUAL FUND SCHOLARSHIP

Established by the Class of 1957 on the occasion of its 55th reunion

John Wittich brought our class to DePauw in 1953. We can be grateful to him for our four years of the DePauw Experience – and also for the friendships we made and have kept for all these years.We all remember John as the great guy with the bow tie, butch haircut and huge smile, who would greet each of us by name. He was our introduction to college and the embodiment of the DePauw Spirit. And because we were the first class he admitted to DePauw, we have always felt like he is “ours.” We’ve asked the University for a chance to honor John in a special way. So now when we send our gifts in any amount to the Annual Fund this year, we can designate the John J. Wittich Annual Fund Scholarship. It will be described as “Established by the Class of 1957 on the occasion of its 55th reunion.” Annual Fund scholarships are usually funded by one donor, but our class has been given the unique opportunity to contribute collectively to this new John J. Wittich Annual Fund Scholarship. This allows our gifts to count toward participation in the Annual Fund while honoring John at the same time. This is the perfect year to make your gift to the Annual Fund in some version of 57: $57, $157, $557, $1057…

When you make a donation to the John J. Wittich Annual Fund Scholarship, a card will be sent to John that looks like this:

DePauw University has received a contribution  to the  John J. Wittich Annual Fund

Scholarship in honor of Dr. John J. Wittichestablished by the Class of 1957

on the occasion of its 55th reunion from

(your name)

THe $ ANgLe: A PAT ON OUR COLLeCTIve BACkS

Classes have contributed many things at DePauw – from sidewalks, benches and gates to boulders and trees, but never before has a reunion class at DePauw undertaken to endow their own class scholarship through collective capital gifts and estate commitments from its classmates.

Five years ago, In honor of our 50th class reunion, our class established The Class of 1957 Endowed Scholarship Fund with capital gifts and commitments for the future. To date, our class scholarship has helped three students.

• The 2011-12 recipient of the Class of 1957 Scholarship is Rebecca Lynn Holme, a senior biochemistry major from Schererville, Ind.• The 2010-11 recipient of the Class of 1957 Scholarship was Avery Michael Archer. Avery was a mathematics and physics major from Fort Wayne, Ind. • The 2009-10 recipient was ShanKara Breon Johnson, a computer science major from Milwaukee. Together, our resources will continue to help

generations of talented future students afford DePauw. Now, five years later, “on the occasion of our 55th

Reunion,” our class has distinguished itself AGAIN by establishing the John J. Wittich Annual Fund Scholarship. It features contributions just to the 2012 Annual Fund, and for this reunion year, our priority is here. See the accompanying article.

As you’ll recall, in 2007, led by our fearless cheerleader, Peg Steffen Sant’Ambrogio, the Class of ‘57 set the record for Annual Fund participation for a 50th Reunion class. We still hold the record of 83%!

Peg Steffen Sant’Ambrogio and Mark Twain discuss the future of DePauw.

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Be sure to designate the John J. Wittich Annual Fund Scholarship when you make your donation. If you’ve already sent your donation to the Annual Fund, drop a note to:

Lindsay Stegman, Director of the Annual FundCharter House, P.O Box 37Greencastle IN 46135

and let her know you want your donation applied to the John J. Wittich Annual Fund Scholarship.

HI HO, HI HO, IT’s BACk TO WORk AGAIN! In 2010 I was asked by President Brian Casey to accept the position of director of the Rector Scholarship Program (the first in 30 years), supported by a new gift from M. Lewis Gulick ’44, a former Rector Scholar, to “re-establish the Rector tradition.”

In this part-time position, I organize events and restore communication with current and former Rector Scholars. Every incoming Rector receives a copy of Lew Gulick’s book, An Investment in Humanity: Edward Rector and his Historic Scholarship for DePauw. Each fall President Casey hosts a dinner and program at his home for all current Rectors (53 this year), and in the spring Rector seniors gather for a final dinner and program.

We have created a Rector Scholar website (www.depauw.edu/about/history-traditions/the-rector-scholarship), which includes a listing of 2,500 living Rector alumni, as well as a digital version of Lew Gulick’s book and John Baughman’s DePauw, A Pictorial History. A printed newsletter, The Rector Record, (also available on the website) has been revived after disappearing many years ago.

One of my responsibilities is organizing a program for Rector Alumni during Alumni Reunion Weekend. This year’s event will be on Saturday, June 9. I look forward to seeing all of you, including the 43 Class of ’57 Rectors, at our 55th!

Finally, if you find it outrageous that I am getting rich off my modest stipend, I must tell you that, after Social Security contributions (which I share with you), taxes and an occasional cup of coffee, the remainder goes to DePauw’s Annual Fund. (Let me hear from you: johnmorrill@depauw.edu – or Bartlett Alumni House, DePauw University, P.O. Box 37, Greencastle, IN 46135 ) – Jack Morrill ’57

Maynard Poland has just published a second edition of On Wings of Trust, the story of Carole Litten and her struggles and adventures as a navy, then a commercial, pilot. We asked him to tell us how and why he wrote this book.

THe STORy BeHIND THE WRITING Of ON WINGs Of TRUsT

After my wife, Elly (DPU nursing ’61), and I moved from Milwaukee to our retirement home in Florida in 2001, we came to know our new neighbor, Carole Litten, a commercial airline pilot. During early morning walks, Carole told Elly about her flying and life experiences, and Elly relayed them to me. Carole’s stories were so fascinating, with stirring adventures and considerable challenges in overcoming adversity, that I thought they would be good material for a book. I had looked forward to writing after retirement, so I asked Carole if she and I might collaborate in recording those experiences as a start to writing her memoir and launching my post-retirement writing career. She had, in fact, previously thought about recording her story and agreed to join forces.

In between her flights for three years, Carole and I sat with a tape recorder as she told her story. From 70 hours of recording, I transcribed 130,000 words, and I checked the accuracy of her recall with 15 people who had important roles in her experiences. They included a retired female admiral, former astronaut and naval test pilot, and retired admiral who was the adviser for the movie Top Gun. I edited the manuscript down to 70,000 words over three years and published the first edition in 2006. For further background, including the reasons for an expanded second edition published this year, see www.onwingsoftrust.com. For information about Carole, go to www.carolelitten.com.

–Maynard Poland ’57

DEPAUW HAs A NEW lOGO!

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AND WE’VE HEARD fROM YOUNeal Fisher hopes to attend our 55th. He has

remarried since he lost his wife, our classmate Ila Alexander, in 2008. Neal continues to be active at his home in Vermont: occasionally preaching, enjoying grandchildren and biking.

Neal answers our question about his favorite professors at DePauw: “When I read poems, I remember the way Miss Mills read them. When I hear certain music, I remember “Doc” Inglis. Perhaps no professors stretched and intrigued me more than Warren Steinkraus and his relentless passion for clear thinking and pursuit of the truth.”

Bob Smith writes “My memories of DePauw are when I founded a humor magazine called … HOOT!

Nancy Holmes Sprague has traveled extensively and taught at her high school alma mater. She writes, “Dr. Pence lives on in my students. I taught them everything I learned from him about expository writing. They return to thank me, but really they are thanking him.”

lET Us kNOW WHAT YOU’VE DONE lATElYSend your news to Lou Ubben Walton at

louwalton@comcast.net or 1612 N. Douglas Ave., Arlington Heights, IL 60004.

’57 Pi Phis met in Sante Fe, N.M., in April 2011

’57 Alpha Chis got together at Isle of Palms, S.C., in October 2011. Nancy Lovett ’74 joined them.

A TRIBUTe TO THe vALUe OF FRIeNDSHIP

Vern Jordan came to DePauw to introduce his friend President Bill Clinton as speaker at the 25th anniversary of the Ubben Lectureship. Clinton spoke to a capacity crowd at the Lily Center on November 18, 2011.

THE 175TH ANNIVERsARY DIsTINGUIsHED AlUMNI lECTURE sERIEs

will feature an address by Vern Jordan on Sunday, February 19 at 8 p.m. in East College Meharry Hall. Earlier in the day, at 3 p.m., Vern will be the narra-tor at the Music for the 21st Century Concert: “New Morning for the Word, Daybreak of Freedom.” All are invited. More information will available on the DePauw website.

sHARING YOUR DEPAUW MEMORIEsAs a part of the 175th celebration, the DePauw

community is invited to share memories of DePauw to be preserved for the next 175 years and beyond. These memories will help write the rich history of DePauw over the ages, one memory at a time.

Your memories will be displayed and preserved in an interactive memory bank, Remember.com.. To share your memory, please go to this link:http://www.depauw.edu/about/175celebration/memories/

ReCeNT ReUNIONS(if you’ve had a reunion with classmates please send us your photo)

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OUR VIsIT WITH BRIAN CAsEY …The last time Laurie and I were near the President’s Office was almost 60 years ago.  We knew where it was (next

to the Sigma Chi house); still, we felt strange to be back in such a grand building. I have to admit I was a bit nervous as I anticipated asking President Casey, this dynamic man with a hectic schedule, to visit with our classmates at one of our dinners during our 55th reunion next June.

His assistants, Peggy Swihart and Betsy Demmings, greeted us warmly before taking us into the president’s office. There, Brian Casey made us feel like VIPs. As the official representative of the Class of 1957, I couldn’t help but marvel at the fact that he was only three years old the year we all graduated.

The formalities soon fell away. He became just “Brian,” wanting to talk first of all with us as a DePauw couple who had “met and married” right after graduation.  Because the day of our visit was his father’s 76th birthday, Brian asked, “How did couples like you and my parents just get married right after college with little or no money, and an uncertain future?”

He was eager to hear our story and was fascinated to compare our generation with today’s students. As we shared our 54 years of marriage with Brian, Laurie and I felt as if we were talking with a best friend who had a keen interest in our lives. This is who Brian Casey really is: down-to-earth and wanting to learn more about DePauw through the eyes of its alumni.

When we left his office, he said, “Don, just let me know when and where you want me to appear, and I will be there because your class has a great history of supporting DePauw in so many ways.”

With those parting words, Brian Casey shook my hand and gave Laurie a quick hug. Then he was off to his next meeting focused on making DePauw a world-class liberal arts college. We are all blessed to have a president of DePauw who clearly cares about any and everyone who is associated with DePauw. 

This is just one more reason that each of us in our great Class of ’57 should mark our calendars to be on campus on June 6-10, 2012. Those dates are not only our 55th reunion, but also DePauw University’s 175th anniversary.

Brian Casey will be there. Hope you will be too!– Don Hamilton

Thursday night’s dinner will be in the Green Center for the Performing Arts.

Highlight: At 5pm on Thursday our class will have a special time with president Casey.

Saturday night’s dinner will be in the Prindle Institute for Ethics.

Highlight: On Saturday night we’ll have an oppor-tunity to learn about the Janet Prindle Institute of Ethics and a behind the scenes tour.

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MET AND MARRIEDAs part of DePauw’s 175th Anniversary celebration at June’s Alumni Reunion Weekend, there will be a very

special event, featuring Met and Married couples renewing their wedding vows. This will be a chance for DePauw couples to celebrate their unions on the campus where they first met and among friends they have known for a long time.

How about sending us a picture of “you two?” It can be a photo of your wedding, 50+ years later, or sometime in between. We’ll feature these in upcoming HOOTs, and your classmates will get a hoot out of seeing you together again.

As a teaser, here’s a photo of three Met and Married DePauw couples:

Lou (Ubben) and Dwight Walton – at “sometime in between”

Sue (Blair) and Larry Lemser at 50+ years

Don Hamilton, Mary Goff Pontius, Jo Petry Hershberger, Jerry Pontius ’56, Emily Hooten Hamilton ’59, and Dick Hershberger. All have remained friends and loyal DePauwites.

YOU’VE AskED AskED ABOUT sTAYING IN THE DORM

Our class will be assigned a dorm based on the response from those planning to attend (the more coming, the better the dorm!). However, if you would rather not share a bathroom with some of your classmates, here are the alternative lodging facilities in the area.Located near campus in Greencastle

The Inn at DePauw (formerly Walden Inn)(765) 653-2761

College Inn315 Bloomington St. Greencastle(765) 653-4167

BirdSong Bed & Breakfast1172 W. County Rd. 200 S. Greencastle(765) 653-6739

Dixie Chopper Hotel at the Greencastle Airport102 Ballard Ln. Greencastle(765) 655-1658

Greencastle Inn1233 S. Bloomington St. (U.S. 231 S.) Greencastle(765) 653-8424

Located at I-70 and US 231 Cloverdale exit (10 miles south of Greencastle)

The Econo Lodge in Cloverdale, Indiana1010 N. Main St. Cloverdale(765) 795-6900

Days Inn1031 N. Main St. Cloverdale(765) 795-6400

Holiday Inn Express1017 N. Main St. Cloverdale(765) 795-5050

Motel 6924 N. Main St. Cloverdale(765) 795-3000