Field of Flowers
Jane (BA-64) and Marvin (BA-66) Bruce and their field of gladioli were featured on 9News last fall after the flowers they grow on a few acres in southwest Greeley survived a hailstorm (field above in post-storm picture). The couple, who met at UNC and married in 1966, have been growing the flowers since 1986. As their daughter, Valerie Bruce (BA-10) notes, UNC is home to the International Gladiolus Hall of Fame, located in Michener Library. “We place two flowers and two people in the hall of fame each year,” Marvin said. “We send out ballots to members of the North American Gladiolus Council in the U.S. and internationally.”
Bears at the Super Bowl
Four UNC alumni roamed the sidelines during Super Bowl XLVIII. Broncos head athletic trainer Steve “Greek” Antonopulos (BA-72, MA-73), Broncos team photographer Eric Bakke (BA-73), Broncos team nutritionist Bryan Snyder (BS-09), and ESPN reporter Ed Werder (BA-82) were squarely in on the action. Antonopulos worked his seventh Super Bowl since joining the team in 1976 while Bakke (pictured) covered his sixth world championship since becoming the team photographer in 1986. And for Werder, it marked the 28th Super Bowl he’s covered as a journalist.
Visit www.unco.edu/news/?6288 for a feature that includes links to a Northern Vision article on Antonopulos, photos taken by Bakke, stories about what Snyder feeds NFL players, and a Q&A with Werder about what it’s like to cover the Super Bowl.
Bakke (right) is ready for the action during a January 2012 home game against the Kansas City Chiefs. For you photo buffs, he’s holding a Canon G11 (10 megapixel) with a retractable optical zoom, around his neck is a Nikon D3s DSLR with a Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 lens and he’s cradling a Nikon D3s DLSR with a 400 mm f 2.8 lens. The waist belt (four pouch) has a Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 lens in a side pouch. The front pouch contains a Nikkor 1.4 teleconverter, extra batteries and extra compact flash cards. The right pouch contains a Nikon SB900 flash.
Photo credit – Ben Hays
Aboard the World’s Largest Charity Medical Ship
Over the summer of 2013, pediatric critical care nurse Laura Nemeth (BS-10) served a three-month term aboard the Africa Mercy in the port city of Pointe Noire, Republic of Congo. Operated by a largely volunteer crew of 450, the Africa Mercy is the largest charity medical ship in the world.
During her time onboard, Nemeth primarily assisted in the treatment of children recovering from reconstructive surgical procedures. These life-changing and often life-saving services were provided to the public free of charge.
Nemeth credits a conversation with one of her clinical instructors at UNC with inspiring her to pursue this journey. “It was one of the first times that I had thought about nursing as a skill set that could take me all over the world. From then on, global nursing became a major goal of mine,” Nemeth says.
Reflecting back on her experience aboard the Africa Mercy, Nemeth recalled several vivid learning experiences: methods for treating unfamiliar diseases, finding creative ways to communicate with other staff members across language barriers.
Ultimately, Nemeth identified the relationships forged aboard the Africa Mercy as the defining element of her global nursing experience.
“My patients and the broader Congolese community have shown me an encouraging, accepting, and loving way of life and I hope that I will never forget that, no matter where my journey takes me.”
— Dan Rosplock
And the ‘Oscar of Education’ Goes to…
Jose Martinez III (BA-07) was one of 30 teachers from around the country to be presented with the prestigious Milken Educator Award in 2013. Also known as “the Oscar of Education” the Milken recognizes the accomplishments of early-career educators and fosters their continued development.
An economics and social studies teacher at Bear Creek High School in Lakewood, Martinez is known for taking a creative approach to his lessons. He’s developed a reputation for using technology and current events to keep his students engaged and up-to-date.
“Even in a world of standardized tests and a largely predetermined curriculum, you can still find ways to make education really, really fun,” Martinez says.
The son of educators and UNC alumni Jose Martinez Jr. (BA-81) and Annette Acevedo-Martinez (BA-81), Jose Martinez III was an active member of the Cumbres Teacher Preparation Program during his time at UNC. As an established professional, he’s continued to work with the program, serving as an invited speaker at the 2014 Cumbres graduation reception.
Among others, Martinez credits UNC faculty members Priscilla Falcon, Elizabeth Franklin and David Aske with helping to form his award-winning teaching practices. “One thing I really appreciated about all of my professors at UNC was their practical, straightforward approach to teaching. They always emphasized the fact that, at its core, education is about the students,” said Martinez.
— Dan Rosplock
PVA Receives Nearly $1 Million for Scholarships From Grads
Richard and Sidney Killmer
Honored Alumnus Richard Killmer (BA-60) and his wife, Sidney, recently contributed a gift of $66,000 to establish a scholarship in support of UNC music students. The “Richard and Sidney Killmer Distinguished Oboe Scholarship” will be awarded annually to selected oboe majors.
“I have seldom worked with a donor who was truly as excited to help UNC and its students as Richard was,” says College of Performing and Visual Arts Dean Leo Welch. “Richard Killmer’s gift is transformational for the School of Music and it will help us to attract the very best oboists from around the country to our program.”
Killmer has received national recognition, both for his unparalleled skill as a performer and his unceasing devotion to music education. In addition to being awarded an Honorary Life Membership in the International Double Reed Society, Killmer has been lauded for his exceptional teaching at both Yale University and the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music.
“Richard is such an outstanding person, teacher and performer,” says Professor Emeritus Kenneth Evans (BA-55, MA-56). “He is without a doubt one of America’s finest oboists.”
Killmer served as the principal oboist for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra for 11 years and has played with the Boston Symphony, Oklahoma City Symphony, and Mozart Festival of San Diego, among others. His new scholarship was created with the intention of fostering the talents of UNC music students for generations to come.
“I would like to advise all young students who are currently at UNC: seek out your dream, work hard, and never give up,” Killmer says.
Richard Ball
PVA received its largest one-time gift — almost $900,000 — from the estate of fiber artist and visual arts professor Richard Ball (MA-47).
Richard and his wife, Gladys (MA-47), were respected artists, teachers, cooks, restaurant reviewers and world travelers, visiting more than 70 countries to explore local arts and crafts. Richard retired as a professor emeritus in 1977 after 30 years of teaching at UNC. Gladys taught in the public schools.
After Gladys’ death in 2000, Richard established the Richard F. and Gladys M. Ball Art Education Scholarship Endowment, which was enriched through this bequest at Richard’s death in 2012.
“There was never any question that they wanted to provide support for the University and the Art Department in particular,” says their nephew Ted Will (BA-56). Dick and Gladys considered this a top priority and something they always planned to extend beyond their time.”
Last year, almost 6,500 alumni and friends gave $5.5 million to UNC, $3.5 million of which funded student scholarships.
“This amazing gift will provide students with the high quality education Dick would have insisted on,” says Art History Professor Michael “Chip” Coronel who taught with Richard.
Richard could often be found in the faculty housing gardens where he and Gladys grew an abundance of vegetables that they would give to students or prepare for guests. “It was a real treat to be invited to dinner,” Chip says. “He was like a father or grandfather figure on campus — he was always involved with the kids.”
Approximately 46 percent of UNC students benefit from scholarships, and 77 percent of first-year students receive grants or scholarships. By 2020, 65 percent of U.S. jobs — almost two-thirds — will require postsecondary education, according to the Lumina Foundation.
— Dan Rosplock
