Morningside Connect

The Betty Ling Tsang Fine Art Series recently had its first performance of the summer. The first performance was the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “Cats” on June 19 and 20. Also performed was the Holiday Pops Concert with the Sioux City Symphony on June 27.

“Cats” Performance.

“Cats” performance.

“Cats” performance.

Holiday Pops Concert.

President Reynders and his wife waving the American flag along with other attendees of the Holiday Pops Concert.

Holiday Pops Concert.

Holiday Pops Concert.

After the Holiday Pops Concert, there was a fireworks display on Bass Field.

Morningside College is home to many students with diverse hobbies and interests. The college has students that have passion for ceramics, writing novels, sports, farming, and medical care. They all come together here – sharing experiences and passions while learning.

Student Garrett Wall shares his passion with Morningside College. He gets up and travels to various towns in the Midwest for rodeos. And he doesn’t just watch them; he rides in them.

Wall rides bulls, ropes calves, and gets on bucking horses.

“When you ride bulls, they say it’s 85-90 percent mental and the other is physical. You’ve got to be 100 percent,” said Wall. “It’s a goal that never ends; you can always do better. There is no such thing as a perfect ride on a bull. You could have always done a little bit better and you can always work on something, and you can always strive to be better.”

Last year he was the Iowa Rodeo Cowboys Association (IRCA) Reserve Champion, and he won the IRCA Finals.

“I have been going to rodeos for as long as I can remember,” said Wall. “When I was really little, I would go to pro rodeos with my mom and dad.”

Wall’s dad ropes calves, and in his younger years, he rode bulls and bareback horses. He rode professionally for around 20 years.

“I was pretty good at riding horses by the time I was seven or eight years old,” said Wall. “I could rope pretty decent by the time I was twelve. I probably got on my first bull when I was about ten years old.”

Rodeo season goes from mid-May into parts of August, making Wall’s summer packed with rodeos. He’s at around three different shows a weekend.

“It’s a lifestyle,” said Wall. “The people are great. Everyone is the kind of person that would give their shirt off their back for you.”

He even gets on a few bulls during the winter. However, his school schedule limits his time dedicated to riding bulls. Besides riding in rodeos, Wall also is a middle distance runner on the Morningside College track team. He is working towards a degree in agriculture with a minor in biology. He doesn’t know for sure what he wants to do after college. He might go work for a co-op but his dream would be to ride bulls professionally. His goal for this year is to win the IRCA Finals and try to make the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Finals.

Morningside College had a number of literary societies that often sponsored debates and created an intellectual and social life on campus. The one in the photo was known as the Hawkeye Literary Society. This particular event was chaperoned by Miss Dimmitt and Miss Fischer on February 28, 1916, at the West Hotel. These groups were once wildly popular on campus, but their membership started to decline when sports and other group involvement became more popular.

Marty Knepper Class of 1972

One could say that going to college is a circle of life in itself. You venture out to find an education, spend four years constructing bonds with professors and friends, and after the time is up, you venture out into the world with a degree in hand to start again. Hopefully, you never quite lose those bonds that were created during your time at Morningside College.

Marty Knepper is a Morningside College 1972 graduate. She was heavily involved with campus life. Knepper was in multiple honors organizations and play performances, and she was a resident assistant and an orientation director, plus more.

After graduating from Morningside College, she headed out with her degree in hand to continue her education and get her M.A. and Ph.D. in English. After receiving them, she started out into the world of teaching. Knepper started teaching at Southeastern Community College in Keokuk and then moved on to teach at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. When Morningside College had an opening, Knepper took it.

“Having a job here was a big incentive!” said Knepper. “But, even before I returned as a faculty member, I kept up with friends, former faculty members, and the college.”

Knepper not only teaches English but also chairs the English and Modern Languages Department. She is the faculty advisor for Alpha Lambda Delta, a freshman honor society.

“I always enjoy advising and mentoring students and seeing all the wonderful things they do with their lives after leaving Morningside,” said Knepper. “I also enjoy programming events on campus and working to create strong academic programs.”

She fondly remembers her time her as a student along with her newer memories as a teacher.

“I remember wonderful theatre friends and experiences,” said Knepper. “I remember meeting my husband, John, early in my sophomore year during a moratorium march protesting the Vietnam War.”

Her newer memories are filled with Friday is Writing Day, trips to Spring Green for classical plays in the woods, and her Composition and Communication class on Harry Potter.

“What pleases me most is that, while any small private college faces threats to its existence on various fronts, Morningside has had strong leadership in fiscal management, admissions, academics, and institutional advancement to keep us strong and growing,” said Knepper. “The campus is more beautiful than ever before in my memory.”

Knepper has enjoyed serving on national, state, and community boards along with writing about popular culture topics. She recently co-authored a book with John Lawerence called The Book of Iowa Films.