State funding goes down, costs and tuition go up. What’s a poor student to do?
When it comes to the students and faculty at Fort Lewis College, it’s the community to the rescue.
About 215 people attended TLC for FLC on Sunday night to raise money for scholarships and faculty grants. For a number of years, this event took place at a variety of downtown restaurants, but this year they tied the event to the cause more closely by holding it in the Ballroom in the Student Union Building at the college.
Big screens showed scenes from campus life and the names of folks who keep the money coming in. They invited professors from a number of disciplines, and the centerpieces on their tables reflected their area of scholarship.
I sat with longtime public health professor Phil Shuler and his wife, Deborah, at the First National Bank of Durango table, one of the Vice President Level sponsors, along with a generous anonymous donor and Sodexo Dining. (Deborah Shuler works in Human Resources at the bank.)
We were joined by Jeff Thulson, who works in the Raymond James financial management firm based at the bank; his daughter, Jessica; the bank’s chief credit officer, Melissa Zureich; and her companion, Dan Rabinowitz, a petroleum engineer with the Bureau of Land Management. Jessica Thulson is a history-education major at FLC, following in her dad’s footsteps. He played golf for the Fort and graduated with a business major a few, ahem, decades ago.
Our centerpiece included a microscope, reflecting the fact that a lot of public health includes disease control and research along with recommended foodstuffs such as oatmeal, olive oil, red pepper, stevia and the best health food, dark chocolate.
Other departments were represented by FLC’s mascot, Skyler, from athletics, Katalina Aguilar representing modern languages, Michael Anziano of psychology, Yvonne Bilinski, director of the Native American Center (and a talented pianist – she entertained during the cocktail hour), Chiara Cannella from education, Nancy Cardona from English, Brad Clark from political science, Jay Dougan from art, Michael Fry from history, Richard Fulton from teacher education, Gary Gianniny from geosciences, Ryan Haaland from physics and engineering, Marc Reed from music (who presented a trumpet fanfare to get us to our seats), Chuck Riggs from anthropology and Tim Thomas from adventure education.
Representing the Philosophy Department, Justin McBrayer selected a book about the nature of evil as part of his centerpiece. I’d like to have been in on that discussion. And Les Sommerville from the Chemistry Department included a distillation apparatus with different colored liquids in the tubes and beakers in his display. (I’m not a scientist, so forgive nomenclature, please.) Artsy and appropriate.
The evening included a lot of student participation.
Jonathan Latta from the Music Department hosted a table and brought students to perform two numbers, “Pieces of Wood” and “Stinkin’ Garbage,” illustrating that music can be found everywhere. Cooper Travis, Kyle Hollerbach, Hannah Bermat, T.J. Highland and Eric Smith knocked it out of the park. The second piece, played on upside down garbage pails, was as much choreography as score.
Kathryn Moller, who represented the Theatre Department, brought pretty much the whole cast of “Avenue Q,” complete with puppets, for two very funny musical numbers. Ten out of 12 of her cast members are attending the Fort with the help of a scholarship.
Scholarship recipient Shay Haycock, who is graduating in December with a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing, said her scholarship made it possible to afford college as well as a trip to Ireland to analyze the economic differences between Northern Ireland and southern Ireland.
“It’s strange that some of the most important people in my life are here, and I hardly know any of you,” she said, looking around the room.
Chef Pedro Ulibarri of Sodexo and his staff had a hard act to follow after years of this event being held at some of Durango’s finest restaurants, but the six-course meal left no doubt they were up to the challenge.
The menu – get a tissue in case you start drooling – was French with a twist. It included amuse bouches of a coconut-curry spoon with chicken Asian salad; smoked salmon “capes,” with remoulade sauce; and Caver Gorgonzola cheese-stuffed figs.
Soup and salad were served in one bowl – three bisques topped with microgreens drizzled with Bees & Booze honey dressing. The three-herb pesto was tossed with olive oil, Parmesan cheese and gemelli pasta. A delicious berry sorbet was served as an intermezzo before the main event, a tenderloin with wild mushroom-and-herb velouté and crispy goat cheese potato along with lemon and thyme-crusted red snapper with saffron beurre blanc and jasmine rice.
Our stomachs may have been satisfied at that point, but our sweet teeth (tooths? Webster’s is silent.) were requesting their own delight, and it was an artful cherries jubilee, with the vanilla ice cream served in a chocolate cup and an additional garnish of passion fruit.
The event had an extensive silent auction, including all kinds of goods and experiences.
FLC President Dene Thomas, Foundation board President Gene Bradley and Executive Director Margie Deane Gray all took a moment to thank folks and remind them why we were there before Calvin and Pat Story of Treasure Auction took the stage to sell a few select items.
Not only were Carol and Al Harper the President’s Level sponsors for the evening, they also donated a round trip to Silverton, complete with food and beverages, on their personal car, the General Palmer on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
Other items auctioned during the live part included two pieces of Ben Nighthorse Campbell jewelry, a fiddle signed by Charlie Daniels and week-long stays at Ralph and Sylvia Kehle’s Panamanian condo and Jean-Pierre and Rebecca Bléger’s Paris apartment.
The evening ended on a high note – literally – when Veronica “Ronnie” Turner from the Music Department serenaded the crowd with tunes such as “Beautiful Dreamer.” Eat your hearts out, Jeanette McDonald and Nelson Eddy!
Many kudos go to Deane Gray and her Event Committee: Annie Simonson, Gigi Baty, Bilinski, Moni Grushkin, Barbara Harris, Pamela Hasterok, Terry Hutchison, Sylvia Kehle, Debra Parmenter, Ginny Segerlund, Bette Serzen, Carol Treat, Deborah Uroda and Chriss Weldon. The foundation’s staff was all hands on deck, including Shan Wells, Jeff Jantz, Dave Kerns, Denise Dickinson, Sandy Jameson, Ana Zeiler, J.C. Perteet, Kym Lynch and Dana Jorgenson.
Carol Salomon was right when she told Deane Gray the evening was contagious. People really seemed to get how education can make young people’s – and not so young people’s – dreams come true.
So we’ll end with a drumroll, here, (which you’ll just have to imagine, since the Herald can’t deliver Latta and his students with your morning paper. But, hmm, maybe I could record them to go with the big reveals online) because the event raised a whopping $50,000 (always an estimate this close to an event).
HHH
It’s the lovely month of May for the birthdays of Charles McMillan, Jan Postler, Jamie Nelson, Steve Parker, Brendan Roche, Darlene Cheesewright, Sandy Beebe, Chris Larson, Clarice Huckins, Hillary Wolfe, Sherri Libby, Carl Hotter, Bob Canning, Laura Marchino, Kenya Mills, Sophie Ragsdale, Jesse Sheldon, Evan Krispin, Kenzie Nielson, Bob Barnhardt, Donovan Davis, Shirley Gale, Ryan Smith, Collin Jackson, Nick Skahill, Jerry Hanes and Asher Smith.
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Remembering the May days they got married are Bill and Jan Postler, Fred and Fran Rusk, Clark and Caroline Kinser, Rob and Maria Colter, Willie and Megan Krischke, Joe and Daphne D’Agostino and Don and Ann Briscoe.
HHH
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