Vol. 1 Issue 6 Fresh news every day at www.rocky.edu November 2007

Rocky Now: Keeping our friends and supporters informed aboutwhat’s new and exciting at Rocky Mountain College

It’s all about our studentsWhen a highly-regarded RMC professor

recommends a student, you know that stu -dent is worthy of recognition and support.

This month’s featured student comes highlyrecommended by one of the College’s mostdemanding professors. On the occasion of theRMC Theatre production of “Moon OverBuffalo,” which received a rave review fromThe Billings Gazette, Dr. Claire Oakley notedone of the cast members, Nicole Ruske, is notonly a theatre major. Nicole is a triple major,with her other two majors being biology andchemistry. Her role in “Moon” is herjunior/senior theatre project. Nicole is apply-ing to both medical school and Ph.D pro-grams, so she could be both a researcher andclinician, which, Dr. Oakley notes would be“the crème de la crème de la crème.” Can shedo it? “I have no doubts she will pull it off,”Dr. Oakley said.

20th Scholarship Benefit nets $400,000

Again, a record!

It might seem like anold story if it wasn’tsuch a good story. For

the third consecutive year,Rocky Mountain College’sBlack Tie Blue Jeansevent, held Nov. 2, sur-passed its previous recordfor raising money. Lastyear's scholarship benefitraised $250,000, whichtopped the 2005 record of$200,000. This year thetotal net proceeds was inexcess of $400,000.

“It was a phenomenalevening. Once again, peo-ple affirmed the impor-tance of a Rocky MountainCollege education by sup-porting our students,” saidRMC President MichaelMace.

President Mace said the event was soldout, with a new record amount raisedfrom ticket sales and table sponsorship,as well as from the silent and live auc-tions. The auction sales raised more than$125,000.

The Dollars for Scholars part of theevening also set a record, raising$158,915, said Shari VanDelinder, RMCDirector of Development.

This was the 20th anniversary of theevent, which was held at the BillingsHotel and Convention Center. This yearthe RMC Lifetime Achievement Awardwent to Judith C. and Sam E. McDonald,Jr. Best known as chairman of the boardof We n d y ’s of Montana, Sam E.McDonald, Jr., is the patriarch of a fam-ily that has shared its success withexceptional contributions to Billings andMontana. Sam's wife, Judith, who is vice

president; his daughter, Deborah; hisson, Gregory, who is president and CEO;and his wife, Eileen, are all involved incharitable pursuits. The family estab-lished the We n d y ’s Foundation, forwhich Deborah serves as executivedirector.

The evening's entertainment was pro-vided by the Midlife Chryslers, whichdonated their fee to scholarships. Thedance floor was packed the entire timethey played, and ovations kept themcoming back to play more, VanDelindersaid. The crowd reacted so favorably totheir performance they are alreadybooked for next year's BTBJ.

“I always hope we'll do better eachyear, but I never dreamed we could do 60percent better than last year, ”VanDelinder said. “I think it's an indica-tion of how good our students are, andhow much people want to help them gettheir college education.”

R O C K Y N O W

PHOTO/BOB ZELLAR, BILLINGS GAZETTE Nicole Ruske, as Rosalind Hay, listens to JaymeGreen, portraying Paul, in the RMC Theatre produc-tion of the comic farce, “Moon Over Buffalo.”

PHOTO/DAVE SHUMWAY, RMC

RMC President Michael Mace and Wendy’s of MontanaChairman Sam E. McDonald, Jr., greet Patricia Morledge atthe 20th anniversary of the College’s scholarship benefit,Black Tie Blue Jeans.

Rocky Mountain College ■ 1511 Poly Drive ■ Billings, Montana 59102Ph: 1.800.877.6259

Find out more about what’s new and exciting at Rocky online at:

www.rocky.edu

People visiting Prescott Hall will nowenjoy a beautiful oil painting by one ofAmerica’s famous post-Impressionist artists,Gifford Beal.

The large 36” X 40” canvas, titled“Stream and Snow,” was painted by Beal in1916. Museums with collections of Beal’shighly-prized work include the MetropolitanMuseum of New York, the SmithsonianAmerican Art Museum in Washington, D.C.,the Phillips Collection, also in Washington,D.C., as well as famous regional museums,like the Maier Art Museum in Virginia andthe Terra Foundation of the Arts in Chicago.Art galleries in Denver, Sante Fe, New Yorkand Philadelphia also possess Beal’s work.

Richard Goff, the grandson of Mr. Beal,and a former Rocky Mountain CollegeBoard Trustee, and RMC National Advisory

Council member, made the gift possible. Mr.Goff, and his wife, Mary Claire, have beenlong time friends and ardent benefactors ofthe College. Their son, Jon, graduated fromRMC in 1993.

Mr. Beal (1879-1956) was the brother ofReynolds Beal (1867-1951), another accom-plished American artist whose work isincluded in collections of many of the samemuseums as Gifford Beal.

“This is an extraordinary gift by one ofthis country’s best known 20th centuryartists whose work is critically acclaimedand widely admired,” said Obert Undem,RMC director of planned giving. “It truly isa treasure and we are fortunate to be able tohave it and share it with people visitingPrescott Hall.”

Famed impressionist painting now adorns Prescott Hall

PHOTO/DAVE SHUMWAY, RMC

Obert Undem, RMC director of planned giving,stands next to the large canvas painted in 1916by Gifford Beal, titled “Stream and Snow,”which was a gift to the College from Richardand Mary Claire Goff. The painting resides inPrescott Hall.

When Larry Pretty Weasel came toRocky Mountain College, he wasalready a basketball legend. His highschool exploits had received nationalattention, with articles in TheNational Sporting News and theRocky Mountain News.

But, more than his athletic prowess,it was his humility and sportsmanshipthat earned him two lifelong friendsat RMC. That friendship was rekin-dled when RMC Homecoming 2006reunited him with Ron Sovey andRon Nelson.

Sovey and Nelson, retired execu-tives with John Deere and Nike,respectively, were inspired to create ascholarship for their friend and for-mer classmate. To help AmericanIndian students with scholarships toRMC, they created the Larry PrettyWeasel Scholarship Endowment.

Fast forward a year, with RMCHomecoming 2007 approaching.Larry Pretty Weasel contacted Bob FitzGerald, RMC director ofmajor gifts. To thank his two RMC friends, the Crow Tribe wouldlike to know if either one or both of his old friends would like to

hunt a bull bison on the CrowReservation. The offer is a gift fewreceive, and Sovey, an RMC boardmember who hunts, was honored toaccept. Nelson is not a hunter, but hewanted to join the expedition.

“This is an extraordinary experience,”Nelson said.

For Sovey, the reward was harvestinga bull bison, in the process helping theCrow cull their herd and supplyingmeat to the Billings Food Bank.

Crow Tribal Chair Carl Venne greetedthe hunters and accompanied the hunt-ing party over red mud roads, assistingto unplug the trucks when they gotmired in deep gumbo, and later in deepsnow, over mountain tops, and to theCrow “pasture” where the herd grazes.

“This is one way we can show ourappreciation for what they've done tohelp our young people,” Venne said ofSovey and Nelson.

For Sovey and Nelson, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“This will be one of the most memorable days in my life,” Soveyremarked.

Crow Tribe honors scholarship donors with bison hunt

PHOTO/DAN BURKHART, RMC

Welcoming Ron Nelson (back row, fifth from the left) and RonSovey (front, far right) to Crow Tribal lands for a bison huntwere Larry Pretty Weasel (kneeling) and Crow Tribal ChairmanCarl Venne (back row, sixth from left). Guiding and helping withthe hunt were Dexter Falls Down, R. C. Old Coyote, TomCarpenter, David Old Bear, Loren Old Bear, Eugene Bird InGround, Sr., and Eugene Bird In Ground, Jr. Bob FitzGerald,RMC director of major gifts (back row, far right), helped puttogether the Pretty Weasel Scholarship Endowment.

Rocky Mountain College ■ 1511 Poly Drive ■ Billings, Montana 59102Ph: 1.800.877.6259

Find out more about what’s new and exciting at Rocky online at:

www.rocky.edu

People visiting Prescott Hall will nowenjoy a beautiful oil painting by one ofAmerica’s famous post-Impressionist artists,Gifford Beal.

The large 36” X 40” canvas, titled“Stream and Snow,” was painted by Beal in1916. Museums with collections of Beal’shighly-prized work include the MetropolitanMuseum of New York, the SmithsonianAmerican Art Museum in Washington, D.C.,the Phillips Collection, also in Washington,D.C., as well as famous regional museums,like the Maier Art Museum in Virginia andthe Terra Foundation of the Arts in Chicago.Art galleries in Denver, Sante Fe, New Yorkand Philadelphia also possess Beal’s work.

Richard Goff, the grandson of Mr. Beal,and a former Rocky Mountain CollegeBoard Trustee, and RMC National Advisory

Council member, made the gift possible. Mr.Goff, and his wife, Mary Claire, have beenlong time friends and ardent benefactors ofthe College. Their son, Jon, graduated fromRMC in 1993.

Mr. Beal (1879-1956) was the brother ofReynolds Beal (1867-1951), another accom-plished American artist whose work isincluded in collections of many of the samemuseums as Gifford Beal.

“This is an extraordinary gift by one ofthis country’s best known 20th centuryartists whose work is critically acclaimedand widely admired,” said Obert Undem,RMC director of planned giving. “It truly isa treasure and we are fortunate to be able tohave it and share it with people visitingPrescott Hall.”

Famed impressionist painting now adorns Prescott Hall

PHOTO/DAVE SHUMWAY, RMC

Obert Undem, RMC director of planned giving,stands next to the large canvas painted in 1916by Gifford Beal, titled “Stream and Snow,”which was a gift to the College from Richardand Mary Claire Goff. The painting resides inPrescott Hall.

When Larry Pretty Weasel came toRocky Mountain College, he wasalready a basketball legend. His highschool exploits had received nationalattention, with articles in TheNational Sporting News and theRocky Mountain News.

But, more than his athletic prowess,it was his humility and sportsmanshipthat earned him two lifelong friendsat RMC. That friendship was rekin-dled when RMC Homecoming 2006reunited him with Ron Sovey andRon Nelson.

Sovey and Nelson, retired execu-tives with John Deere and Nike,respectively, were inspired to create ascholarship for their friend and for-mer classmate. To help AmericanIndian students with scholarships toRMC, they created the Larry PrettyWeasel Scholarship Endowment.

Fast forward a year, with RMCHomecoming 2007 approaching.Larry Pretty Weasel contacted Bob FitzGerald, RMC director ofmajor gifts. To thank his two RMC friends, the Crow Tribe wouldlike to know if either one or both of his old friends would like to

hunt a bull bison on the CrowReservation. The offer is a gift fewreceive, and Sovey, an RMC boardmember who hunts, was honored toaccept. Nelson is not a hunter, but hewanted to join the expedition.

“This is an extraordinary experience,”Nelson said.

For Sovey, the reward was harvestinga bull bison, in the process helping theCrow cull their herd and supplyingmeat to the Billings Food Bank.

Crow Tribal Chair Carl Venne greetedthe hunters and accompanied the hunt-ing party over red mud roads, assistingto unplug the trucks when they gotmired in deep gumbo, and later in deepsnow, over mountain tops, and to theCrow “pasture” where the herd grazes.

“This is one way we can show ourappreciation for what they've done tohelp our young people,” Venne said ofSovey and Nelson.

For Sovey and Nelson, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“This will be one of the most memorable days in my life,” Soveyremarked.

Crow Tribe honors scholarship donors with bison hunt

PHOTO/DAN BURKHART, RMC

Welcoming Ron Nelson (back row, fifth from the left) and RonSovey (front, far right) to Crow Tribal lands for a bison huntwere Larry Pretty Weasel (kneeling) and Crow Tribal ChairmanCarl Venne (back row, sixth from left). Guiding and helping withthe hunt were Dexter Falls Down, R. C. Old Coyote, TomCarpenter, David Old Bear, Loren Old Bear, Eugene Bird InGround, Sr., and Eugene Bird In Ground, Jr. Bob FitzGerald,RMC director of major gifts (back row, far right), helped puttogether the Pretty Weasel Scholarship Endowment.