Alumni
FROM THE PRESIDENT
The story is familiar to Lake Forest College alumni. Several years before the Civil War, five men from Chicago — the young, bustling, noisy, growing center of Midwestern commerce — board a train to Milwaukee, ride 30 miles north and get off at a spot where a deer path heads east through the woods toward Lake Michigan.
They envision a college that will promote and provide their vision of higher education and service. They succeed, their vision takes root and, 150 years later, thousands of Lake Forest College alumni are their beneficiaries.
Starting in January, as you will read in these pages, the College will experience a year of celebrations and special events to commemorate this historic milestone. Thanks to a steering committee of nearly two dozen faculty, staff, students, and alumni — chaired by an eminent historian of the North Shore, our James D. Vail III Professor of History Michael H. Ebner — the College will host a wide array of events, exhibits, lectures, community service activities, and intellectual pursuits that will engage Foresters near and far. We will welcome speakers like Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, install historic exhibits in campus buildings, and invite local residents to read books chosen by faculty, who will lead discussions on their selections.
In this issue Tim State ’93, the College’s executive director of alumni programs and special projects, presents an essay that nicely connects our sesquicentennial with the vision of Lake Forest College’s founders. This vision included a commitment to service, and, in one of the more ambitious undertakings of next year, the College will coordinate an International Day of Service on September 29, 2007. A committee has already begun to identify local charities and reach out to alumni all over the world who are willing to plan service-related opportunities in their own communities. If you are interested in participating in this important initiative, please fill out and mail the postcard that is enclosed between pages 32–33. You can learn more about this and other sesquicentennial highlights and events starting on page 24.
As we enter the holiday season, we want to take this opportunity to thank all those who donated time or money to the College during the 2005-2006 year. This Spectrum includes our annual Honor Roll of Donors, and we are deeply grateful for the support so many of you have given us, which helps our students and faculty and ensures the bright future of Lake Forest College.
My best wishes to each of you for a safe and happy holiday season.
Stephen D. Schutt
President