Attending the Lakeside Laboratory Consortium signing ceremony are Thomas Rosburg, Iowa State Provost Benjamin Allen, Robert Barak of the Iowa Board of Regents, Arnold van der Valk, Ron Troyer Drake's provost and Daryl Smith of the University of Northern Iowa.

Drake University President David Maxwell shares in the festivities of the Campaign Drake Celebration with Maddie Levitt and Dwight D. Opperman. LW'51, who jump-started Campaign Drake with a $50 million gift.

As the National Chair of Campaign Drake, Madelyn M. Levitt never got discouraged by the pessimists who said it couldn't be done. Instead, she proved them wrong and led the effort to raise more than $190 million-the largest amount raised in Drake's history.

It is an indescribable feeling to have come so far when a lot of people said we would never reach our goal," Levitt said. "I have always been one of those cock-eyed optimists, so the more people said we couldn't, the more determined I became. Reaching that goal was a culmination of a dream I've had for the 18 years that I've been volunteering at Drake."

"Campaign Drake would never have happened without Maddie Levitt's leadership," President David Maxwell said. "Her energy, passion, commitment to Drake and its students, and her obvious love for the University were infectious and motivated us all-from her colleagues on the staff to alumni to people in the community. When I tell my colleagues around the country about Maddie and her role at Drake, they think I'm making her up!"

Levitt and Dwight D. Opperman, LW'51, who jump-started Campaign Drake with a $50 million gift, were recognized at a formal dinner for top donors held Oct. 4, which kicked off numerous events celebrating the triumphant conclusion of the capital campaign.

Maddie Levitt, national chair of Campaign Drake, was honored at a formal dinner for top donors to Campaign Drake held on campus last fall. Levitt was presented with a double-wide airplane seat to commemorate the 550,000 miles she has flown on behalf of Drake.

At the gala event, Ben Ullem, LA'66, LW'69, chair of Drake's Board of Trustees, announced that the Board has designated May 31 as Maddie Levitt Day at Drake and that the sidewalk near Old Main where Levitt often parks her yellow Volkswagen has been named Maddie Levitt Lane. President David Maxwell then presented Levitt with a double-wide airplane seat to commemorate the 550,000 miles she has flown on behalf of Drake.

"I've been trying to decide where to put the airplane seats, but I think they belong in my office here at Drake," Levitt said. "And the street sign is wonderful...it gives me a little credibility for my creative parking."

Levitt has chaired two fundraising campaigns raising a total of $320 million for Drake over the last 16 years and also serves as a member of the Drake Board of Trustees. In addition, she recently accepted another position with the University, serving as special counsel to President Maxwell in yet another role that demonstrates her devotion to the University.

"It's important to me to invest in the future of young people in this country. It makes me feel good every time I come to campus and see the quality of students at Drake. I get a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing that my money has been wisely invested. It is an investment, and I feel truly blessed that I have been able to contribute to Drake," said Levitt.

"Maddie is a truly remarkable woman and I am delighted that she is going to continue her relationship with Drake-to provide support and guidance for Drake University's fundraising and other initiatives," Maxwell said. "Maddie is so much a part of what Drake is, and what it will be. We are so glad that she is enthusiastic about remaining a member of the Drake family."

"I'm still here," Levitt said as she sat in her office in Old Main. "As long as there is a need for higher education, I will always feel that I will have a place at Drake."Opperman also was recognized at an event held Dec. 8 in his home town. The event was hosted by Paul, BN '66, and Wendy Seyb in their home in Eden Prairie, MN. More than 60 alumni and friends of Drake University gathered to thank Opperman for his leadership over the years. President and Mrs. Maxwell were delighted to spend some time in the Twin Cities area, meeting local alumni and thanking them for their support of the University.

Campus and community celebrate and commemorate
Drake students, alumni, faculty and staff members joined the campaign celebration on Oct. 5, enjoying a barbecue dinner, games, hot air balloon rides and a concert by popular Des Moines band The Nadas at the Drake Knapp Center.

The weekend festivities also included the dedication of Branson Plaza in memory of Drake student Scott Branson. Robert H. Helmick, LA'66, LW'69, who spearheaded the development of Helmick Commons, described the plaza as a welcome addition to the commons and a living memory of a fine student. Branson died in 2001 while trying to break up a fight near campus.

A statement from the Branson family urged, "Every time you walk by the Branson Plaza, take a moment not only to remember Scott but to reflect on the great friendships formed at Drake."

The plaza, a Campaign Drake project, was made possible by a lead gift from Ric Scripps, ED'70, and his wife, Debbie, ED'72.

Celebrating successes, looking toward the future

Ben Ullem, chair of Drake's Board of Trustees, announced the sidewalk near Old Main where Levitt often parks her car has been named Maddie Levitt Lane.

The celebrations were almost as much a success as Campaign Drake. "The gala in Des Moines was well-attended and had just the right combination of conveying a serious message of gratitude to our supporters while enjoying ourselves thoroughly in the process," Maxwell said. "The other celebrations around the country have given us an opportunity to express our thanks to the many, many people who made Campaign Drake a reality."

The effects of Campaign Drake will be felt on campus for years to come; more campus development projects are just beginning.

With the help of a generous donation by Larry, BN'67, and Susan, ED'67, Katzen, the center of Drake's campus will continue to be transformed.

Campaign Drake Celebration Weekend festivities included the dedication of Branson Plaza in memory of Drake student Scott Branson.

Plans to improve the intersection of 28th Street and the painted street include the Arthur Andersen Time Element. The piece consists of several black-brick walls forming a semicircle on the west side of the intersection, complete with built-in digital screens that display the date, the exact time and a scrolling message.

Plans to construct a timepiece actually began several years ago. Katzen, a former partner in the St. Louis branch of the Arthur Andersen accounting firm, hopes the piece will be a tribute to the many years that Arthur Andersen was among the top accounting firms in the nation. "We'd like to see the name live in perpetuity," Katzen said.

"I see this piece, along with Helmick Commons, as central to student life," Caldbeck said. "The project is a wonderful testament of the warmth and affection that alumni feel for Drake."

"Personally, I'm looking forward to the development," Katzen said. "I think it's going to add a lot to Drake's campus."

Tim Garrick is a senior public relations major.

Alumna's gift benefits future teachers
Retired school teacher Myrtle Hohl Staley knows how hard it is to pay for college. She worked her way through Drake with the help of a $100 loan from her sister. Now she wants to make things a little easier for future teachers, so she's made a substantial gift to Campaign Drake that will endow a scholarship fund for students in the School of Education who demonstrate financial need and maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

"I wanted to put my money where it would help education," Staley said. "I believe everybody should learn how to read, and we need more good teachers to make that happen."

A native of Donnellson, IA, Staley earned her bachelor's degree from Drake in 1943 and her master's degree in 1960. She was having trouble with her master's thesis when the late Jim Duncan, professor of journalism and mass communication, became her faculty adviser. "He offered to help me right away, and I successfully reworked the thesis as he suggested," she said. "I'll never forget Jim Duncan."

After completing her master's degree, Staley went to Butzbah, Germany, where she spent a year teaching children of U.S. Army personnel. "I went to see the Berlin Wall, which was new at that time," she recalled. "There were lots of flowers left on the wall and people were standing on top of cars, trying to see over the wall and make contact with their relatives on the other side. It was very sad."

After returning to Des Moines, Staley taught second grade at Hillis Elementary School and Park Avenue Elementary School before retiring in 1979.

These days she keeps busy with her hobbies. She enjoys trying new recipes and making peanut brittle for her nieces and nephews. She also sews fine quilts. It took her more than four years to complete a large counted-cross-stitch quilt that features blocks devoted to each of the 50 states. This quilt now hangs in Drake's School of Education.

Staley says she's grateful for the education she received at Drake and hopes the Myrtle Hohl Staley Scholarship will enable many future teachers-and their students-to reap the benefits of the Drake experience.

Before graduating from Drake, Dick Hartig, PH'73, GR'81, entered the pharmacy business shortly after his father's sudden death in January 1973. "At the time, I was one of nine children, and the only one pursuing pharmacy," he said. "It was 'sink or swim' time, and, fortunately, our family had many friends and customers pulling for us."

Thirty years later, Hartig is still swimming. He and his wife Brenda continue to operate Hartig/USA Drug, America's second-oldest family drug chain.

The couple recently made a $500,000 gift to the Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The gift will endow the Hartig Pharmacy Fund, supporting a distinguished professor award, faculty development and student scholarships.

"Brenda and I wanted to provide a meaningful and appropriate way not only to say thank you to Drake, but also to provide assistance to faculty and students in continuing their legacy of academic excellence," Hartig explained.

Stephen Hoag, dean of the Drake College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, praised the Hartigs' commitment to the college. "Dick and Brenda have supported students and faculty in many ways," he said. "This gift is one of the most generous we have received. We are honored that we will have the Hartig name associated with such meaningful support."

"I look back on my years at Drake as some of the best ones of my life," Hartig said. "My education has served me well, and if I can help someone become a pharmacist or assist in making their education more affordable, and they choose to practice in this area, then I feel good about having given something back to Drake and to the future of pharmacy."

Since its beginning in 1904, Hartig Drug Stores has served markets in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. The company, headquartered in Dubuque, operates traditional drug stores and a long-term care pharmacy. Hartig Drug Stores has partnered with Finley Hospital of Dubuque and operates Finley-Hartig Homecare, a store and service organization specializing in durable medical equipment supplies and oxygen.

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