Morningside Connect

One of the privileges of being your alumni director is my continuing interaction with so many of you. This past May, 16 alumni and friends and I traveled with the Morningside College choir to Spain. Also, in early June, we held an alumni event in Kansas City. Let me share some thoughts about both events.

The choir tour took us from Barcelona to Madrid, with stops in Catalonia, Logrono, Bilbao, and Toledo. The choir performed at five different locations, including the Guggenheim Museum, the Prado Museum, and some of the best-known cathedrals in Spain. What struck me was an encounter at a rest stop along the highway to Madrid. We encounter a group of Catholic nuns from the order of Sisters of Mary Morning Star. There were a hundred or more from all over the world on their way to the Vatican. A pilgrimage following a conclave in Barcelona.

Click this picture to view a video clip of the choir singing.

What was extraordinary was the coming together in the parking lot of the rest-stop/gas station. One thing leads to another and the choir is singing for the nuns and then the nuns singing for the students. As one student told me, “it was one of the most moving experiences I have ever had. Truly one of the top highlights of the trip.”

On June 2, we held an event at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, home of the Kansas City Royals. Some 90 Morningside College people packed the George Brett Skybox. A great time was experienced by all who came….sharing experiences they had while on campus however long ago and happy to see one another once again. Simply a tremendous event.

Paul Splittorff, class of ’69, is the winningest pitcher in Kansas City Royals History. He passed away in May of 2011 after a battle with cancer. (See obituary http://www.legacy.com/ns/paul-splittorff-obituary/151297495) Paul’s widow, Lynne, class of ’70, attended the game. This Morningside legend spent his entire baseball career with the Royals. On top of this, the Splittorff family was very involved in their community, having hosted a number of charitable events over the years – something that continues to this day under the Paul Splittorff banner. In fact, the day before the Royals game, Lynne and her family hosted a golf tournament full of friends and celebrities to raise funds for a project at a local hospital.

Another thing that struck me about our time in Kansas City, beyond the Splittorff ’s great fundraiser and the sharing taking place between all of the Morningsiders at the game, was the tremendous care given by the staff at the stadium. Dr. Paul Berger II was in attendance with his wife and son, Dr. Paul Berger III. The elder Berger has certain health issues that make it difficult for him to eat solid food. Without hesitation….on three separate occasions…the catering hostess personally saw to it that Dr. Berger II had soft ice cream. Alumni who were aware of this person’s generosity personally thanked her and relayed the same message to her immediate boss. It’s those little extra things that people do that make all the difference in the world!

Until next time!

Gene Ambroson