Centralight

Connections • cmualum.com Cold weather = Warm welcome to favorites By Marcie Lehr Otteman, '87 Executive director of alumni relations Winter always makes me think of comfort food. Maybe it's the weather turning colder or the upcoming holidays. Maybe it's the thought of warming up by a roaring fire. I don't know what triggers it, but comfort food it is. I want the oven going with all sorts of wonderful things cooking away. Now it wasn't always this way – my cooking skills have grown and progressed. I remember my freshman year in Trout Hall. My roommate Becky Hilliard Clauss, '87, and I considered toasting onion bagels, melting cheddar cheese on them, and eating them with mustard and dill pickles a "home" cooked meal. We'd curl up on the old love seat that fit underneath the dorm window, watch Dynasty and eat our sandwiches. The cafeteria in those days was a far cry from the amazing residential restaurants where CMU students currently eat their meals. My sophomore year will forever be remembered as the year of potato chips and French onion dip. My roommates and I ate so much of it that I'm convinced we made it one of the food groups. We were always making a quick run to 7-11 for more. Junior year marked a big milestone – we had a working microwave in our apartment, and my roommate Dawn Farmer Koger, '87, taught me how to scramble eggs in it. We could also whip up a mean macaroni and cheese and some creative variations of tuna sandwiches. During my junior year I started working at a new Mexican restaurant in town, La Señorita. My palate expanded as I tried a variety of new dishes at work. And that is when I really started to learn about cooking beyond the toaster and the microwave. Between my CMU graduation and having my own family, I learned how to make homemade soups, started an herb garden and perfected my grandmother's pie crust from scratch. With the cooking skills I've learned over the years, I love having family and friends over for Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas brunch. There is something special about spending time together and having everyone around the table enjoying the meal you prepared. But sometimes, when I'm in the mood for carbs and comfort, I still curl up on my sofa and eat the Trout Hall 206 special – the onion bagel with cheese, mustard and dill pickle. Because no matter how much you grow in an area, sometimes nothing is better than going back to where you started. Have a wonderful holiday season – I hope favorite foods, family and friends are at your table. Marcie Calendar February 3-5 Siblings Weekend, various locations, Mount Pleasant campus 9-10 Jazz Weekend, CMU Music Building, Mount Pleasant campus 17-18 Winter Homecoming, CMU Events Center and various locations, Mount Pleasant campus March 24 Opus XV, Midland Center for the Arts Midland, Mich. 28 Jane Goodall speech "Reasons for Hope: The Way Ahead," Events Center, Mount Pleasant campus 30 New Venture Competition, Education and Human Services Building, Mount Pleasant campus Seven for 2011 Meet the university's Alumni Award winners Dedication. Engagement. CMU spirit. Those qualities are evident in the seven people who were recently presented with the university's prestigious Alumni Awards. Recipients for the 2011 awards are: Judith A. Rapanos, '59 Community Recognition Award Judy Rapanos serves as chair of the College of Communication and Fine Arts Advisory Board. Rapanos has been recognized through many awards and honors, including the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies Distinguished Public Services Award, the Governor's Award for Arts and Culture in Michigan, and an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from CMU. President George W. Bush appointed Rapanos to the National Museum and Library Services Board, and she has served in the Republican Party at the local, district and state levels. Edward Christian, M.A. '81 Distinguished Alumni Award Edward Christian is recognized as one of the nation's top broadcasting executives. He serves as chairman, president and chief executive officer for Saga Communications, the 17th largest radio group in the nation. Christian has actively served on the boards of nearly every major national and statewide radio industry trade group, and he also is involved on the boards of various Detroit-based charities. Recently, Christian spearheaded the acquisition of a translator license for WMHW's HD-2 service. 3434 centralight winter '09 er '11

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