Each year McPherson College recognizes the accomplishments of young alumni during the Honors Convocation at Homecoming. This year three alumni – Erin Cassidente ’97, Gina Railsback McGowan ’97, and Nathanael Lander ’02 – were presented the Young Alumni Awards on October 13.

The purpose of the Young Alumni Award is to recognize the achievement and potential for accomplishment of the college’s young alumni. The award is given to alumni who are meeting significant challenges in pursuit of professional goals as well as involved in service to others and church, and participate in alumni activities.

Erin Cassidente, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, graduated in 1997 with a degree in fine arts-theatre. McPherson College Associate Professor of Theatre Jd. Bowman presented the award to Cassidente and said of her that from the moment she stepped on campus she, “purposely chose an alternative path,” and “pushed boundaries” to teach people to celebrate their differences. Working as a doula, she is an advocate for mothers and displays a true servant attitude, Bowman said.

In 2003, Cassidente became certified by Doulas of North America as a professional labor assistant and has attended to numerous births. Along with her work as a doula, she is also very active in Milwaukee Mennonite Church. She serves as a sermon giver and worship leader and is a member of the Church Life Team. Since 1997 Cassidente has facilitated support groups for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (today known as National Alliance on Mental Illness), WIC breastfeeding support groups, C-section support groups and other parenting support groups. After becoming a doula, she became active with C.A.R.E. Network of Wisconsin, a non-profit organization for childbirth professionals that serves as a networking resource, advocacy and educational group for women and families during their pregnancy, birth and postpartum period.  After running the organization as co-chair for many years she currently serves on its board and is the treasurer.  Most recently she testified at a judiciary hearing in Milwaukee in support of a proposed Anti-Shackling Bill for incarcerated pregnant women on behalf of C.A.R.E. and in 2008 supported a bill to legalize certified professional midwives in Wisconsin.

Cassidente encouraged current McPherson College students to spend time finding out what they love and make a difference in their corner of the world. “Seek a life useful and you’ll find a life worth living,” she said. She celebrated Homecoming with her father, Ronald, who was part of the 50-year reunion class, and her daughter, Ayla, who is a freshman at McPherson College.

Gina Railsback McGowan, Ellsworth, Kansas, graduated in 1997 with a degree in elementary education. Dave Barrett, advancement officer at McPherson College presented McGowan the award and said of her, “Gina has made a commitment to service. The world needs more people like Gina serving youth and elderly.”

Through her volunteer service, she has been an advocate for early childhood education and public schools. She serves as Region 7 vice president on the board of directors for the Kansas Association of School Boards. She was a member of the Kansas delegation representing school board members that visited with Kansas congressmen in Washington, D.C. about public schools. She is a member of the Ellsworth/Kanopolis/Geneseo school board and works with the Ellsworth County Community Cares committee working on ideas and activities to promote health and wellness in Ellsworth County. She is involved in Camp Hope, a camp for children with a cancer diagnosis, where she serves as houseparent director and committee member. She also serves as co-director and teacher for Kids of the Kingdom and Kids with a Mission, an afterschool non-denominational program for more than 150 kids, consisting of Bible lessons and weekly service projects. She served two terms on the Alumni Board of Directors for the college. While attending McPherson College, she served on both STUCO and SAB and participated in choir and cheerleading.

McGowan said that through her work with the state board of education she had the opportunity to hear from individuals and professionals across the state and what they expect from Kansas education aligns with McPherson College’s mission. “They are looking for well-rounded students who exhibit scholarship, participation and service. McPherson College had that figured out all along.”

Nathanael Lander, Irvine, California, graduated in 2002 with a degree in automotive restoration. He was the first McPherson College student and first American to intern in the workshops of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Stuttgart, Germany and today is workshop project manager for the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Irvine, where he supervises nine full-time workshop staff and manages more than 20 active restoration projects.

Amanda Gutierrez, vice president of automotive restoration, presented the award to Lander and said, “As a student, Nate set out to do something that had never been done before and became the first American to intern at the Mercedes Benz Classic Center in Germany. He then went on to help establish the first U.S. Classic Center and has been an advocate for McPherson College everywhere he has gone.”

He was the second employee hired and assisted in the establishment of the Classic Center in southern California. In 2010 he received the President’s Award from Mercedes-Benz U.S.A. and in 2005 received the Automotive Restoration Department’s Outstanding Alumni Award. He is a 15-time Colorado Grand Mechanic and 15-time participant at the Concours d’ Elegance at Pebble Beach. He mentors McPherson College automotive restoration students through yearly internships at the Classic Center and is serving as an advisor on the department’s Mercedes Benz 300 S “moon shot” project, to compete at Pebble Beach.

“Coming back to McPherson College is always like coming home for me,” Lander, who is originally from Arkansas City, Kansas, said. “The college and my experience here has set me on a path that has taken me to places and experiences that I never imagined.”

McPherson College will induct five alumni into the McPherson College Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 14, honoring former athletes for their achievements in collegiate athletics, professional careers and community leadership.

Homecoming 2017 is Oct. 13-15, 2017
Alumni class reunion events are being planned for the classes of 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012.

By Johanna Hoffman ’17, communication major

McPherson College raised $90,915 from more than 200 donors during it’s third annual “Power Day” event to support students and programs on campus. The event far surpassed the college’s goal to raise $50,000. Donations came from alumni and friends in all 50 states.

“Power Day met and exceeded expectations,” said advancement officer Dave Barrett ’90. “There was an outpouring of enthusiasm, joy, and passion by alumni who shared stories from 50 years ago, as well as from those who graduated last year.”

Brent Paul, ’00, kicked off Power Day’s success with a $20,000 donation to start an endowed scholarship fund.

The Paul family, who now live in California, have also invested in numerous community real estate projects in McPherson, including the Terra Nova Luxury Apartment complex. Paul says he invests both in the college and community, because it has had such a great impact on his life.

“This all happened because of the relationships we built here,” Paul said. “This is a great community and relationships are everything. That’s why we ended up back here today to invest again in McPherson and the college. This particular scholarship means a lot, because we want to invest in this community.”

McPherson College President Michael Schneider says support by alumni, such as the Paul family, is “necessary and important” to the future success of McPherson College.

“Their investment in Terra Nova properties and giving access to our students has been a great partnership and important element to our local economy.”

This year’s Power Day theme was Bulldogs Across the Nation. Leading up to Power Day, alumni in every state were invited to share their experiences at McPherson College. These comments were then posted on McPherson College’s Facebook page.

Donors were also encouraged to leave comments when they made their donations, and those comments are also displayed on McPherson College’s website. Common themes in their stories were relationships, support, and quality of education.

“I support McPherson College not only because the MC family supported me, my spirit and my drive while I was a student there, but also because they continue to support me even now that I’ve moved on,” said Melisa Leiter-Grandison ’11. “I want to help ensure that future Bulldogs have similar opportunities for many years to come.”

Building on the success of this year, Barrett is eager to continue momentum for Power Day 2018.

“McPherson College is a special place because of the people. We’re excited about 2018 and what Power Day might hold. The bar is set really high by alumni, and the college is looking forward to next year.”

Power Day is McPherson College’s one-day, online giving blitz that was held on April 27th. The annual event was conceived as a replacement of the traditional phonathon fundraiser that utilizes the newer technologies of e-commerce, social media and streaming video. More information can be found at www.mcpherson.edu/power

By Channing Wall ’17, interdisciplinary major

Service, Scholarship and Participation is not a lifestyle that ends with graduation, recipients of the Citation of Merit award represent this through their dedication to community. McPherson College hosted a dinner on March 3, 2017 to present the award to four recipients.

Alumni who have displayed a lifetime commitment to service, church, family and McPherson College are the qualities the Alumni Awards Committee uses to find candidates, who are then approved by the College Board of Trustees.

Recipients this year include Daryl K. Beam, Virginia Horn Luty and a joint citation for Gene Railsback and Sheryl Kenton Railsback. Congratulations and appreciation extended to those recipients.

Gene Railsback ‘72

Hope is something Gene brings to many people in his life and for some he’s never met. His biweekly donation of platelets not only helps cancer patients it also promotes better heath and comfort for them and others.

He has served annually for three years as a houseparent at Camp Hope, free to kids, ages 5-17, battling cancer or remission. He and wife Sheryl also assist with the Red Cross bloodmobile when it is in town. They both strive to demonstrate good health and have a goal of 10,000 steps per day!

Gene also enjoys being a role model in his grandsons’ classroom at Ellsworth Elementary School and assisting with the Dads of Great Students (DOGS), of which Gene has been classified as the official Granddad (GDOGS).

Before attending McPherson College Gene was a veteran of US Army serving during the Vietnam Conflict.

Gene’s different experiences show he is no stranger to hard work. His work experience ranges from silo and concrete block construction to Planning & Scheduling Supervisor at NCRA to teaching 6th grade at Park School for USD 418.

He also finds time to volunteer with wife Sheryl at numerous community events including the McPherson Community Christmas Dinner and Elyria Christian School fundraising dinners. Gene is involved in a number of ways with the church including yard work with rotating volunteers who mow, edge and trim March through November.

Together they are an adventurous duo and spend an estimated three months out of the year exploring the USA in their Jeep Wrangler. They also enjoy traveling to attend bluegrass music festivals.

Sheryl Kenton Railsback ‘73

Sheryl recognizes the importance of team leadership as well as the different voices within the team. Her experience and talent in leadership is represented by her different accomplishments over the years.

She graduated from the Leadership McPherson Class in 1985 and has logged over 1000 volunteer hours for the McPherson Hospital. Her volunteer experience with the hospital includes lobby information, special events, Caring for the Future Campaign, and “Voice of the Volunteers” on McPherson radio for the past four years. The hard work earned her Volunteer of the Year in 2015.

Together she and her husband Gene are very active in the church through various committees, Thursday morning Prayer Team, Evangelism and Hospitality, Ushers, Greeters, Communion Stewards, Vacation Bible School rotation leaders, Methodists on the Move, Confirmation mentors, 3rd grade Bible Exploration Class mentors and special mailings. Within their fellowship group they also help with CIRCLES meals, adopt a CIRCLES family at Christmas time and also buy for Angel Tree children.

Sheryl also served for three years on the McPherson College Alumni Nominating Committee and both Gene and Sheryl are supporters of the General Scholarship Fund, Champions Club and Lunch Bunch.

Amongst all of their volunteer activities the two still find time for family and enjoy attending activities of their four grandchildren. When they are not on an adventure the two also enjoy theatrical performances as McPherson College.

“We were humbled to be able to do what we love doing (volunteering and giving back), and to be honored for lifetime achievements by our alma mater.”

“We hope our family and peers gained the importance of accomplishing goals set forth in life through harmonious teamwork. It has taken a strong faith, involved family and friends, and a supportive community. We’ve been blessed!”

Daryl K. Beam ‘78

Daryl demonstrates a commitment to service and participation through being an active member and role model in organizations, such as Hays Recreation Commission and Hays high school Athletic Booster Club, that provide foundations for youth. He has also served for a number of committees such as the United Way committee and the Hospital Executive committee.

His volunteer work also includes helping numerous events centered around providing food, whether it be Trick or Treat so Others Can Eat, helping with the Community Thanksgiving Dinner or being a volunteer cook at the Soup-R-Bowl for the High Plains Humane Society.

Daryl credits the strong educational background that McPherson College provided him for the preparation of post-graduation education, where he graduated in the top three percent. He holds membership in both academic and dental honor societies and in 1984 Daryl received a specialty degree in periodontics and implants. Since then Daryl has been in private practice in Hays, Kansas and has also used his profession to help others by participating with the Hays Dentists in providing free dental care for patients in need.

Involvement with McPherson College includes a range of boards and committees including Science Department Advisory Board, ten years with the Board of Trustees, the Presidential Search Committee that culminated in the selection of President Michael Schneider. Daryl was also honored by the college in 1998 with the Young Alumni Award.

He and wife Carina are active in their church where he has spent time serving as an elected elder, member of the governing body and given support through time and resources. They are also long-term donors to McPherson College because they see that the school is worth both time and finances.

Virginia Horn Luty ‘78

Virginia has touched many lives throughout her 25-year teaching career, along with substitute teaching after retirement. Her passion is driven by the desire to see all students succeed and the importance of reading. She found that 6th grade is an important developmental time in a young person’s life and made it her goal to help them be inspired by their learning.

She graduated Magna Cum Laude while balancing a family of three with husband Bob. Following graduation, in the fall, Virginia began her teaching career at USD 418.

Her leadership roles extend past the classroom and include participation in a range of church activities, the McPherson community as well as the college. After being a founding board member, she also served a second term past retirement on the McPherson USD 418 Education Foundation. Her involvement in the McPherson College Alumni Board of Directors, and on N-CATE, the committee to prepare for accreditation and review, is also added to her list of service roles.

Virginia sees importance in the liberal arts education system and during her time as Alumni Board president she wrote for the Review, an alumni publication, about the significance of alumni committing to being an extension of the college mission statement, “to develop whole persons through scholarship, participation and service”.

Words from Virginia, “please continue to let your liberal arts experience lead you in new and enlightening adventures. Please continue to participate in diverse learning, pleasure and service experiences at the college, at work and at play. Please continue to give selflessly of your time, talents and resources to others” are inspiration and capture the adventurous and generous spirit it takes to be a McPherson College alumnus.

“Receiving the Citation of Merit from my alma mater, the same college from which my father and my husband graduated, was a triple honor. McPherson College has impacted my life in so many ways. What an honor!”

“With the receiving of this award, I hope my family, my friends, my peers and my former students can put into their lives the values that will enrich their lives and the lives of others. The four point criteria of this award makes for a wonderful life. 1. Choose a profession that you love. 2. Give back to your community with service and dedication. 3. Live a spiritual life. 4. Support your education with service and loyalty.”

For some, finding one’s purpose in life is a freeway with a clearly marked onramp and smooth pavement.

But for people like the recipients of this year’s Young Alumni Award reward at McPherson College, purpose was found on a scenic, winding backwoods trail.

So for Kristen Reynolds of McPherson, Kan.; Todd Frankenbery of Benton, Kan.; and Jim VanGoethem of Galva, Kan., the journey has been just as important as the destination.

These three alumni – all from the class of 1991 – were honored at a special all-campus gathering on Oct. 14. The Young Alumni Award recognizes outstanding MC alumni who have graduated within approximately the last 30 years.

Todd Frankenbery started out as a business major at McPherson College, then considered pursuing eye care as an ophthalmologist or optometrist… until he realized he has a slight phobia about having to treat people’s eyes.

“Fortunately I met my wife Sara, and she showed me where the library was,” Frankenbery said.

Sara helped him to settle on pursuing dentistry, and he earned his undergraduate degree from MC in biology, on a pre-dentistry track.

“The beauty of college is you get that opportunity to experience things,” he said, “And it’s never too late to get a new plan and head down a different path.”

After graduating from dental school in Oklahoma, he practiced in McPherson, then had an opportunity to become a partner with Anthony Martin in Wichita. In 2008, Dr. Martin retired and Dr. Frankenbery took on a new partner. Today, two more doctors work for them at the practice and about 45 employees in all.
Frakenbery said it’s a great team that has a lot of fun.

“I’m lucky to have surrounded myself with good people,” he said. “I love my career, there’s nothing else I can imagine doing. It’s allowed me to meet a lot of people and help a lot of people.”

Outside of the workplace, he helps with a number of service activities. One uniquely emotional opportunity came in his senior year of dental school. At that time, Dr. Frankenbery was a member of the Forensic Dental Team that helped to identify victims of the Murrow Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City. He continues to be active in a variety of charitable and volunteer organizations – among them the Wichita District Dental Society, USD 375 Circle Board of Education, Circle High School Booster Club, the Light the Night Leukemia Walk, and VC Cares for Kids.

Kristen Reynolds has a heart for helping people accomplish the sort of tasks that most people just take for granted – doing the dishes, typing on a computer, brushing teeth. She took her health arts major from McPherson College and turned it into a career of 24 years (so far) as an occupational therapist – a “sibling” to the field of physical therapy.

In physical therapy, the primary goal is improving a physical impairment by working on large muscle groups. An occupational therapist is more focused on smaller muscle groups, with an end goal of greater patient independence in the “activities of daily living” – such as hobbies, job requirements, and housework.
“I’ve done just about everything you can do within occupational therapy,” she said.

She’s also currently working part-time as a receptionist for Ameriprise Financial and as an office manager for the Antique Telephone Collectors Association.
In occupational therapy, she’s had the opportunity to work with people in age ranges from preschool through retirees in assisted living and nursing care facilities. She’s worked with the McPherson County Special Education Cooperative, the Rice County Special Education Cooperative, the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, and The Cedars, as well as teaching pediatric occupational therapy with Brown Mackie College.

But working with children, she said, was probably her favorite work.

“They just think they’re playing and having a good time,” she said. “That’s the ultimate goal.”

Her goal was getting adults in the lives of children with physical impairments to “take over” in caring for them.

“A huge part of my job was to work with teachers and parents and help them to know what I do with children,” she said. “That’s ultimately what I want to do – work myself out of a job.”

In her volunteer work, Kristen tries to help families as well – helping with children, public health, and alleviating poverty. She was one of the founding members of Circles of McPherson County – an organization dedicated to the elimination of poverty – and has volunteered for them ever since. She’s also worked on the advisory board to Prairie View and helped to raise more than $8,000 for the Haiti Medical Project.

While Jim VanGoethem was still a student at McPherson College, worked part-time for Midwest Electric Service starting in the spring of 1989, then went full-time after graduating with degrees in both Accounting and Economics/Business Administration

Today, he owns the company.

“It’s kind of like I went back home to what I helped build,” he said. “It was a neat experience.”

The work focuses on industrial electrical construction and maintenance at refineries and natural gas compressor stations. Most of the work is for the local CHS refinery in McPherson.

As owner, VanGoethem sees his primary responsibility as being a servant to his employees – usually his last question before leaving the office will be, “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“We have wonderful people working for us,” he said. “Sometimes I feel my function is to make coffee and unlock the doors. The leadership sets the tone for the whole organization, even in my little world. I feel like I’m treating people right.”

His entrepreneurial spirit has drawn him to pursue other ventures while also leading Midwest Electric Service – including owning and managing VanGoethem Farms and a number of residential rental properties known as J & L Rentals. He’s also been a partner with Deerfield Homes, an accountant at Keith Mines CPA, and operations manager at Midwest Electric’s telephone service wing.

“I’m just a normal guy,” he said. “I’ve always worked hard and God’s blessed me with gracious outcomes. Christ set the model for serving in everything we do. I want my life’s activities to glorify God.”

He sees himself as more than a businessman, however – community and church are highly important to VanGoethem. He has put in many hours of volunteer time, trying to make the world around him better.

He and his family helped to rebuild homes in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2008. He volunteers each year with his family at an RFK foster kids camps, and currently serves on the boards of the McPherson Aquapups Swim Club, McPherson High School Booster Club and Vatterott College’s electrical department. While attending Countryside Covenant Church during the last 17 years, he’s served on the church council, numerous committees, praise and worship team, taught adult Christian Formation classes and led Bible study groups.

During the award ceremony on Friday, McPherson College President Michael Schneider praised the recipients as stellar representatives of McPherson College.
“These are some of our very best alumni,” he said, “who exemplify our mission to build whole persons through scholarship, participation and service.”