Mayor Todd Barton ’00 spoke with 8^th grade boys at Crawfordsville Middle School this week.  Man Up! is a developmental program whose mission is to teach middle school boys how to be responsible young men.  In relating his own life story to the group, Todd encouraged them not to become discouraged during life when they don’t “get it” on a first attempt.  Click here to read about his entire presentation.

After high school, Todd was a paramedic and firefighter in Crawfordsville, and was eventually named Fire Chief.  A few years after joining the fire department, he decided to earn a college degree, and graduated from Wabash in 2000.  Todd has been the mayor of Crawfordsville since 2011, and is a leader in the town-gown effort funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc..  The “Wabash Initiative for Leadership and Economic Development in Indiana” will create and nurture new partnerships between Wabash College, the city of Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, and small and large businesses with regional and international reach.

Alan White ’60 and his wife, artist Barbra Brookie, purchased the Yountville Mill Inn & Garden just west of Crawfordsville, in 2009.  They have been busy in the years since, renovating the historic home, mill, gardens, and grounds, allowing the inn to continue its recent history as a bed and breakfast, guest house, meeting place, and grounds, as well as their personal home.

During the past year, Yountsville Mill became a learning venue for Ball State University anthropology and archaeology students, who worked on site to reconstruct landscape history of the mill, which was active 1851-1864.  The results of their digging and research will be presented and displayed at the February 26 opening of the exhibit “Yountsville Uncovered” at the Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County.  Click here for the details.  After the museum display ends in June, the Whites will display their finds in the old mill building itself.

Kevin Chavous ’78 visited Indianapolis, his hometown, in January.  Click here to read his description of how as a child he learned of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  He also reflects on the present-day Oaks Academy in Indianapolis, a private elementary school.

After Wabash, Kevin earned a JD from Howard University.  He is an attorney and owner of the Chavous Group LLC in Washington, DC.  Kevin is a founding board member and executive counsel for the American Federation for Children and the Alliance for School Choice, and an author and national education reform leader.  He is a former member of the Council of the District of Columbia and a former council chairman for The Council’s Education Committee.

Photo courtesy of
The Pittsburgh Courier.

Kim Ebert ’72 has been re-elected as managing shareholder of Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management. Kim has served as Ogletree Deakins’ managing shareholder since 2010.  Click here for the news release.

In his practice, Kim focuses on labor and employment law, representing employers in investigations and administrative proceedings.  After Wabash, Kim earned his JD from Indiana University School of Law.

Congratulations, Kim!

Photo courtesy of
Ogletree Deakins.

Dr. W. Richard Kite PhD ’60 addressed the increasing human and economic costs of “Addiction” at the League of Women Voters lunch last week in Crawfordsville.

After Wabash, Dick earned a PhD in social psychology from Stanford University. He served as Director of Alcohol and Drug programs at the University of California, Santa Cruz where he developed one of the nation’s first training programs for alcohol/drug counselors and community program managers. For 42 years, Kite was continuously engaged in a wide range of alcohol/drug services research and program development activities and has been the recipient of many awards. In 2013, he retired as Senior Research Analyst with the Orange County, California Health Care Agency and returned to Crawfordsville.  Click here to read the entire Journal Review story.

Dr. Charles Acher ’69 recently recalled his high school days, Wabash College life, and medical school education which led to his career in medicine as a gastrointestinal and vascular surgeon and professor at the University of Wisconsin Medical School.  Charles (known as C.W. at Greensburg, IN High School) told his story to the Greenburg Daily News.

After Wabash, Charles earned his MD from Indiana University Medical School, Indianapolis.  Click here to read the complete interview.

Tony Lentych ’89 has been named executive director of the Traverse City Housing Commission (TCHC), which is chartered under state law to develop safe, affordable, and decent housing.  His first day on the job will be March 9.  Click here to read the news release.

After Wabash, Tony earned an MPA at Indiana University.

Congratulations, Tony!

Photo courtesy of
The Ticker News.

Kobby Adams ’04 was recently named Sales and Distribution Director at Airtel Kenya, a multinational telecommunications services company.  Click here to read the news release.

A Mathematics major and Economics minor at Wabash, Kobby went on to earn an MBA from the London Business School in the United Kingdom.

Congratulations, Kobby!

Photo courtesy of Business Tech web site.

Chris Worden ’92 was recently hired by The Sacramento Metro Chamber as its Vice President of Public Policy. Chris was previously a senior policy and advocacy manager for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, and has owned his own consulting and law firms. He was also District Director for the Office of Congressman Andre Carson, Indiana.  Click here for the news release.

Chris was a History major at Wabash.  He earned an MA Public Administration and a JD at Indiana University Bloomington.

Congratulations, Chris!

Tim Nelson ’84 has joined Centier Bank as vice president of business banking in Merrillville, IN. Tim has nearly 30 years of experience in commercial lending. Click here to read the news release.

Congratulations, Tim!

Photo courtesy of Centier Bank.