Saint Mary’s welcomes John McDonough, president of Blackhawks

Saint Mary’s alum John McDonough ’75, president of the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks, shared his triumphant and inspiring story with his alma mater Thursday, Sept. 2.

McDonough served as the guest speaker during SMU’s annual convocation ceremony, where Brother William presented him with the Presidential Medal for Outstanding Merit.

McDonough also spoke to business students and faculty about “The Chicago Blackhawks ‘One Goal’ Business Plan.” Additionally, he lead a Q&A session for SMU administration, faculty, student leaders and Winona business leaders from the President’s Roundtable.

McDonough was named president of the Chicago Blackhawks in November of 2007. Under his guidance, in what Forbes Magazine has called the “The Greatest Sports-Business Turnaround Ever,” the Blackhawks moved quickly to revitalize the team’s profile and re-energize its fan base. Just over two and a half years after his arrival, the organization achieved its “One Goal” of a Stanley Cup title in 2010, the team’s first since 1961.

Under McDonough’s leadership, the Blackhawks became one of professional sports’ biggest success stories. As of June 6, 2010, the Blackhawks have entertained 102 consecutive capacity crowds at the United Center and have grown a season ticketholder base from 3,400 to over 14,000 in under a year.

Prior to joining the Blackhawks, McDonough served as president of the Chicago Cubs. During his tenure, the Cubs won the 2007 National League Central Division while setting an all-time franchise attendance record. As the Cubs chief, and in his previous role as senior vice president of marketing and broadcasting, he was widely viewed as a sports marketing and management innovator who played a major role in growing the Cubs’ fan base and attracting sponsorships for one of the most successful pro sports franchises in America.

Young Alumni Weekend is Sept. 10-12

Graduates from the past decade have been invited back to campus for Young Alumni Weekend, Sept. 10-12.

A welcome reception is planned for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, in the President’s Room.

Approximately 200 alumni are planning to attend the special weekend of events which will also include a “Hike for Hunger” community outreach project, swing dance lessons, ropes course activities and a pig roast picnic. The weekend also coincides with Cardinal ’M‘ Club Weekend, which gives SMU alumni opportunities to cheer on Cardinal athletics. Special events have been planned for the anniversary classes of 2000 and 2005.

Former students often express their interest in reconnecting with faculty and staff. Please make plans to attend! To see a complete schedule of events, go to www.smumn.edu/youngalumni.aspx.

To RSVP for the welcome reception, contact the Alumni Office at alumni@smumn.edu or call Ext. 1499.

Three athletes to be honored during ‘M’ Club Weekend

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary’s University Cardinal ‘M’ Club, in association with the Alumni Office, will induct three members into the SMU Sports Hall of Fame during Cardinal ‘M’ Club Weekend Sept. 10-12.



The Hall of Fame Class of 2010 — Teisha (Smith ’00) Devine (fastpitch softball), George Hoder ’67 (basketball) and John Tschida ’90 (Fastpitch Softball Coach) — will be honored during a ceremony Saturday evening, Sept. 11, in the SMU gymnasium.



Along with the induction of this year’s Hall of Fame class, SMU’s 2009-10 postseason award-winners, as well as last year’s outstanding male and female athletes, and outstanding scholar athletes, will also be recognized. The weekend festivities begin on Friday with a men’s hockey alumni game, continue Saturday morning with a golf outing at Cedar Valley Golf Course and conclude on Sunday with a picnic and various alumni games on the SMU campus.


SMU HALL OF FAME, CLASS OF 2010

TEISHA (SMITH ’00) DEVINE
Chicago Fastpitch Softball
Teisha (Smith ’00) Devine was a four-year letterwinner who was instrumental in guiding the Saint Mary’s University fastpitch softball team to its first-ever NCAA Division III National Championship in 2000. A three-time All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection, Smith led the Cardinals to three straight MIAC regular-season titles in 1997,1998 and 1999. She was named to the NFCA All-Region Team three times — a first-team selection in 1998 and a second-team pick in 1999 and 2000. A two-time team captain and member of the NCAA Regional and National All-Tournament teams, she ranks first in school history in earned-run-average (1.04), while ranking second in career wins (58), third in complete games (35) and shutouts (18) and fifth in strikeouts (215). She also holds the single-season school records for complete games (15) and shutouts (8) and is second in wins (21), appearances (28) and games started (24). During the Cardinals’ run to the 2000 national championship, she went 21-2 and won her last 18 starts — including a perfect 7-0 mark during SMU’s seven post-season games.

GEORGE HODER ’67
Seattle Basketball
A four-year letterwinner, George Hoder ’67 is one of just 24 players in the program’s history to eclipse the 1,000-point barrier, having netted 1,260 points during his career. Hoder also ranked 10th in program history in free throws attempted (408) and rebounds (536). Hoder averaged a career-best 14.4 ppg during his junior season, when he tossed in 124 field goals on 297 attempts, while also shooting 64 percent from the free throw line (111-for-171).

JOHN TSCHIDA ’90
Saint Paul, Minn. Fastpitch Softball Coach
John Tschida ’90 spent six years as the Cardinals’ head fastpitch coach, guiding SMU to post-season appearances in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000. His Cardinals won back-to-back-to-back Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference crowns in 1997, 1998 and 1999, and his 2000 SMU team became the first in school history to capture the NCAA Division III national title. Following the 2000 season, Tschida accepted the head coaching position at the University of St. Thomas, where he coached the Tommies to back-to-back national championships in 2004 and 2005. With his UST national crown in 2004, Tschida became the first fastpitch coach to win NCAA titles at two different schools. A 1990 graduate of SMU — where he was a four-year letterwinner for the Cardinal baseball team — Tschida is the winningest Division III coach, active or retired, boasting a 573-98 record and an .854 winning percentage. Tschida has been named MIAC Coach of the Year in eight of his 15 years at the helm at SMU and UST. His teams have been nationally ranked each year, and in the last 13 seasons have posted a 273-13 record in conference regular-season play. In nine seasons at St. Thomas, his teams have swept 91 conference twinbills, split seven and were swept just once, and in all games vs. conference opponents are 208-9 (.958).

Theatre students to present ‘God’s Country’ in London

This fall, Saint Mary’s theatre majors will stage the highly theatrical, disturbing docu-drama “God’s Country,” in London.

Written by Steven Dietz, the show depicts the growing white supremacist movement in America. The emotionally gripping plot revolves around various right-wing organizations that, collectively, comprise the so-called “Identity Movement.” Some of these people are harmless nut cases: but most are not. They are dedicated toward violent revolution and expulsion from America — “God’s Country” — of all “non-Aryan races.” The play covers all bases of the right-wing lunatic fringe, but essentially it focuses on three narrative spines: the trial in Seattle of a paramilitary group which calls itself “The Order”; the career and murder of Denver talk-radio personality Alan Berg (outspoken, controversial and Jewish) “assassinated” by The Order; and, finally, the hate-filled career and death of The Order’s founder, Robert Matthews.

These narratives are not presented in a linear fashion, but are interwoven, sometimes non-chronologically, amongst a barrage of statistics and facts into a kaleidoscopic and highly theatrical vision. It’s presentation couldn’t be more timely — and, sad to say, timeless.

Qualified theatre majors at Saint Mary's are studying theatre in London, England, this semester through the Stefannié Valéncia Kierlin Theatre in London Program. Under the guidance of Saint Mary’s faculty, the program will include a variety of classes in theatre, as well as courses focusing on broader enrichment. Students will have the unique opportunity to attend numerous performances at London’s West End, Off-West End, and Fringe theatres.

Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French Inc., the show is directed by Dr. Gary Diomandes. Stage manager will be Michael Dold; lighting manager will be Josh Lentner; sound designer will be Greg Freeman; and performers will include: Darrell Fair, Maggie Allexsaht, Annie Ivansek, Regina Harris, Joanna Mills, Jarod Boltjes, Tom Conry, Rick Baustian, Jacob Rivet, David Dean, Matthew Gorgone, Laurence Alliston-Greiner, and Shane Nippard.

Gallery show highlights wood type, printing museum

Saint Mary’s is presenting an exhibit of 27 prints that were created as part of the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum’s 10th anniversary until Sept. 26.

The Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum of Two Rivers, Wis., is the only museum dedicated to the preservation, study, production and printing of wood type.

The show, free and open to the public, will be on display at the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

For more information, call Ext. 1652.

Blood drive scheduled for Oct. 18-19

Saint Mary’s bi-annual Red Cross Blood Drive, hosted by the sisters of SAI, will be held Oct. 18-19 in the Hall of Fame Room from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, contact Nicole Ciulla, SAI programs director, nkciul07@smumn.edu.

New LTIP students announced

The Cohort 4 group of Lasallian Teacher Immersion students includes four students from Saint Mary’s: Johnathan Borck (back, right) , a math education major from Lewiston; Kyle Garesche (back, left), a history/religious studies major from Mundelein, Ill.; Sam Olsem (back, center), a math education major from Fulda, Minn.; and Tom Iven (front, center), an English education major from Rockford, Ill.

Next ‘Chat, Chow & Web 2.0’ events announced at Fitzgerald Library

The first Chat, Chow & Web 2.0 is an invitation to meet Laura Oanes, the new library director, see the new library space, and hear about the latest SMU technology updates. The event is noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22.

Nancy Sims, copyright program librarian at the U of M, will discuss copyright issues relevant to higher education, including using teaching materials in class and online for the October Chat & Chow event. Sims will present from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27.

Meet in the main lounge of the McEnery Center. The event is sponsored by the Fitzgerald Library, IT and Instructional Technology. Lunch will be provided; an RSVP is appreciated, but not necessary, and everyone is welcome. For more information, contact Jason Spartz, jspartz@smumn.edu.

Jazz notes

Swing Inc., featuring Eric Heukeshoven and Larry Price, will perform Friday and Saturday, Sept. 3-4 at the Waterfront Restaurant & Tavern in La Crosse, Wis.

Communication law, privacy to be discussed Sept. 15

Two legal experts will discuss electronic communication’s impact on Minnesota’s open-meeting law and data-privacy standards Wednesday, Sept. 15.

The event, which is planned for 7 p.m., will be held in Figliulo Recital Hall.

Presenters will be Mark Anfinson, an attorney for the Minnesota Newspaper Association, and Laurie Beyer-Kropuenske, director of the information policy analysis division of the Minnesota Administration Department.

Anfinson and Beyer-Kropuenske will review recent court rulings that relate to communication law and data privacy. Other topics to be addressed include:

• Whether existing communication laws are still relevant to new communication technologies and practices;
• Ways in which technology has changed expectations about privacy;
• Citizens’ access to government data; and
• New legislation improving citizen access to government records.

The event, free and open to the public, is being held in conjunction with Constitution Day.

For more information, contact Steve Schild, Ext. 1753.

Season tickets for Page Series available until Sept. 17

Season tickets for the 2010-2011 Page Series are available until Sept. 17. Purchase tickets for any three Page Series events and receive 10 percent off individual prices. Returning subscribers receive 25 percent off individual prices.

Individual tickets are now available though the box office or online.

Information and tickets for the Page Series and all the SMU arts events are available at www.pagetheatre.org or at the box office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or by phone, Ext. 1715.

History Center event features ultra-marathoner

Ultra-marathoner Marshall Ulrich, son-in-law of Winona resident Janis Vose (and the late Rory Vose, former biology professor) will host a free screening of the documentary film, “Running America.” Marshall is a record setting ultrarunner, mountaineer, adventure racer and an active humanitarian, speaker and author.

The event will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7, at the Winona County History Center’s Wanek Hall.

In 2008 at the age of 57, Ulrich started an expedition that would press his physical and mental strengths to their limits. This time the challenge was running 3,063 miles from San Francisco to New York City in an attempt to break a world record. Within the first steps of the journey, he was crossing a changing America. Set against breathtaking landscapes populated with opinionated Americans, Running America captures one of the most defining and difficult times in modern American history as the backdrop for an amazing and unpredictable expedition.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; there is no ticket fee, but limited seating is available.

For more information, go to www.marshallulrich.com.

Sympathy to DeThomasis, Gabrick families

Ludwig DeThomasis, brother of Brother Chancellor Louis DeThomasis, died in late August. Private funeral services were held in Florida.

Helen Gabrick mother-in-law of Bernie Malchaski (maintenance) and grandmother to Jason Putz (maintenance) died on Sunday, Aug. 29. Notes of condolence can be sent to Campus Box 39.

The Saint Mary’s community extends its sympathy to the DeThomasis and Gabrick families.