Brief Notes and News
To the Editor:
I always enjoy my Michigan Tech Magazine but was especially pleased to read about the Engineers Without Borders (EWB) group now active at MTU. What these students experience while sharing their skills and helping others in less-fortunate circumstances will change their lives and give them a new perspective on engineering. The only thing missing from the article was a way that Tech alumni might get involved—at least by donating to the cause. Hope you'll provide some contact info in a future issue. Thanks.
Roger Smith '68
Editor's Note: Kurt Paterson, the faculty member involved in the program, can be reached at paterson@mtu.edu.
Corrections
We incorrectly reported in our fall 2006 issue that Lori (Kleiber) '76 and Dennis Mulvany had welcomed an addition to their family in 2004. The error was due to a data entry error. Our apologies go to Lori and Dennis.
Our fall 2006 issue also included the Michigan Tech Fund Honor Roll of Donors for 2005-06. Unfortunately, several columns of donor names were left out. Because the acknowledgment of every donation by every donor is important to us, we have chosen to reprint the Honor Roll of Donors in its entirety. Our most sincere apologies go to the donors whose names were omitted from our fall insert.
Verdie Cox (1919-2006)
Legendary Michigan Tech coach and teacher Verdie Cox passed away November 22 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, after an eight-month battle with cancer. Cox, who was well known and beloved for his wit and sense of humor, worked at Tech for thirty-two years and was among the inaugural class into MTU's Sports Hall of Fame.
Cox was born in Buncomb, Illinois, on July 22, 1919. He married Virginia "Ginny" Lee Bass on November 19, 1938. Cox starred in athletics at Southern Illinois University, where he earned sixteen varsity letters from 1938 to 1942.
Cox's career at Michigan Tech spanned from 1949 to 1981. He had stints as head men's basketball coach, assistant men's basketball coach, assistant football coach, head men's tennis coach, intramural director, instructor in the physical education department, and as the pro at the Portage Lake Golf Course. His men's tennis teams had seven unbeaten seasons and won four Northern Intercollegiate Conference titles. In men's basketball, Cox won the Northern States College Conference and led the Huskies to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 1962-63.
An avid golfer, Cox once shot an eighteen-hole score of 59 at Portage Lake Golf Course when there were only nine holes. The story goes that he said the score did not count because it was not on an eighteen-hole course. Cox later designed what is now the front nine at Portage Lake Golf Course.
Cox retired from Michigan Tech in 1981 and remained involved with Michigan Tech athletics throughout retirement. In addition to being named to the MTU Sports Hall of Fame, Cox was selected to the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame and the Southern Illinois University Hall of Fame.
Cox was honorary captain for Michigan Tech's 2006 Homecoming football game, where he flipped the coin prior to kickoff. He later joked that he started the team on its six-game winning streak to end the 2006 season.
Cox was preceded in death by his wife Ginny (May 5, 2003). He is survived by his two children: Thomas Cox (Sandra) and Martha Dufresne (Richard). Cox is remembered as having an uncanny memory of the teams and athletes he coached -especially who played what position and how well. According to his former players, he treated them like sons while they were playing for him. Many of his former players remained dear friends until his death.
A celebration of Verdie Cox's life will take place May 11, 2007, at the Rozsa Center on Michigan Tech's campus. In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, gifts can be made to the Michigan Tech Verdie Cox Memorial Fund with checks payable to the Michigan Tech Fund. The memorial fund will benefit Michigan Tech's football, men's basketball, and tennis teams. Communications to Verdie's family can be made to 820 N. Oakwood Road, Oshkosh, WI 54904.
Keweenaw Pride Wins Award
Keweenaw Pride-the gay, lesbian, transgender, and straight ally organization-won the Youth Catalyst Award from the Triangle Foundation in Dearborn this past September.
Keweenaw Pride won the award due to its actions in response to the anti-gay chalking incident that occurred on campus last April. Keweenaw Pride worked with the University administration "to develop plans to deal with the chalkings and facilitate the education that needed to happen," said Keweenaw Pride advisor Pat Hopp.
The award was accepted by Alex Ilyasova (pictured above left), PhD candidate in humanities, and Jason Evans (pictured above right), a graduate student in geology. "I think that this award is proof of how hard the organization has been working and improving over the last few years," said Evans. "By receiving this award, we have created a strong bond with the Triangle Foundation and have received statewide recognition of this work, which is a pretty big deal."
The Youth Catalyst Award, normally given to individuals, was awarded to Keweenaw Pride as a model student organization in Michigan, "partially due to the actions taken after the chalking incident," Evans said, "which Triangle believes helped cause the positive response from the campus and community."
According to their website, Triangle Foundation is Michigan's leading organization serving the gay, lesbian, transgender, and allied communities.