I N D I A N A
U N I V E R S I T Y – P U R D U E
U N I V E R S I T Y
F O R T
W A Y N E
ALUMNI
Faculty
Flashback
Richard Pacer
Favorite IPFW memory: Friendships with faculty
and students
Name: Richard Pacer
Current job: Retired
Hobbies: Gardening, volleyball, tennis, puzzles,
watercolor painting, games with grandchildren,
hiking, fishing, cooking
Current community involvement: St. Vincent
DePaul Society (nursing home visits), ACRES
Land Trust
Years taught at IPFW: 1965-2001
ALUMNI
Courses taught: Chemistry: analytical, general,
and radiochemistry
If you could tell your former students one thing:
Keep learning, stay active, enjoy life,
help others.
N E W S L E T T E R
Volume 9, Number 6, June 2006
Walk on the Wild Side
Book I’m reading: Push Not the River by James
Conroyd Martin
One university.
Two great names.
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Please make check payable to IPFWAA.
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Mail to: IPFW Alumni Association, 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499
Brenda Fishbaugh rests alongside Mojan, a white Bengal tiger, in 2004 at Tiger Island — a sanctuary inside Australia’s
Dreamworld theme park. Tiger Island represents the largest interactive tiger facility outside the United States. Mojan has been
featured in several specials on Animal Planet, including the often-repeated program, Awesome Pawsome.
Entrepreneur promotes philanthropy, purr-fect cause
Brenda Fishbaugh has a thing for cats. Big cats.
Really big cats.
This passion, matched by her philanthropic nature,
has helped find sanctuary for six exotic cats and
dozens of other endangered animals from abuse,
illegal trafficking, and poaching. Fishbaugh, B.S. ’79,
has used both her business degree and her
international contacts to promote their preservation.
In fact, her business, which sells patented suntan
products worldwide, was a primary sponsor for bringing
Jack Hanna to Fort Wayne’s Scottish Rite Center in May.
Hanna, host of Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures and a
frequent guest on national talk shows, made a
fundraising appearance to support Black Pine Animal
Park. Black Pine is a not-for-profit exotic animal rescue
and retirement center in Albion, Ind.
“Black Pine has really grown, becoming a
professionally run private zoo,” Fishbaugh says. “They
offer a very unique experience with their feeding tour
that is unparalleled. They are also completely
dependent on donations and entrance fees; they don’t
have city, state, or national money like public zoos.”
Nearly a decade ago, Fishbaugh began
volunteering at Black Pine, where she credits the
staff with introducing her to other animal handlers
around the world, which in turn, expanded her
interest in saving endangered animals. Fishbaugh has
sponsored numerous projects at Black Pine including
a few animal habitats, an aviary in her mother’s
honor, and two leopards in her father’s name.
Black Pine Director of Development Lori Gagen notes
that Fishbaugh has become a significant ambassador
for the park. “She speaks of Black Pine during her
world travels,” Gagen says. “She provides us with
exhibition equipment so we can tell our story at public
events, and she also connects donors with Black Pine.”
Walk, Continued on page 3
IPFW Alumni is published six times
per year by the Office of University
Relations and Communications at
Indiana University–Purdue University
Fort Wayne, 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd.,
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499.
260-481-6807
www.ipfw.edu/alumni
Irene Walters, Executive Director,
University Relations and
Communications
Jennifer R. Bosk, Editor,
Director of Alumni Relations
Produced by IPFW Publications
TM
Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne
2101 E. Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499
Alumni Relations
Fort Wayne, IN
Permit No. 92
PAID
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
2
ALUMNI
Fourth of July
ROOFTOP PARTY!
Parking Garage #1 roof (near Helmke Library)
Tuesday, July 4, 2006
6–10:30 p.m.
– Brenda Fishbuagh, B.S., ’79
Walk, Continued from page 3
★ Bring your chairs, cameras, snacks, and your best “ooos” and “ahhs” for the city’s great fireworks display. The entrance fee is $5, and it
guarantees the closest spot to see the fireworks without trees and lights being in the way and includes a $10 Pizza Hut coupon. There
will be a huge play area with bubbles, chalk, games, and more for the kids. Music will be provided by family friendly WAJI Majic
95.1 FM. There will be prize drawings all night long, including a grand prize of four tickets to Cedar Point with a $50 gas card.
Upcoming Alumni Events
31st Annual
Alumni and Friends Golf Outing
6th Annual
Soccer Showcase
July 21, 7 a.m. registration; 8 a.m. shotgun start; 12:30 p.m. luncheon,
prizes, and awards, Deer Track Golf Course
Have fun while raising scholarship money for
the children of alumni. Dues-paying alumni
pay $69 and all others pay $75. Payment
includes green fees, cart, giveaways, and
a chance to win prizes. A cash award will
be provided to the top three teams. A
hearty, 19th-hole luncheon, raffle, beer,
soft drinks, and more will follow. Proceeds
go to the IPFW Children of Alumni
Scholarship Fund. Sign up with your credit
card at 260-481-6807.
Aug. 18, 4:30–6 p.m.,
Under the tent on the McKay Farm
(across from the Hefner Soccer Fields)
Bring the family and enjoy picnic goodies while
meeting our IPFW and IU soccer coaches. Get an
autograph, win a prize, and chat with other fans.
This event is FREE for our grads! For food- count
purposes, please call Kay Folks in Alumni Relations at
260-481-6807 with the number in your party.
Old Oaken
Bucket Golf Outing
Aug. 15, 12:30 p.m. shotgun start, Deer Track Golf Course
Double your golfing fun and support a good cause. This outing will follow a
Ryder-style format, with two IU and two Purdue grads per foursome.
Participation will be $100 per person. The price includes golf, lunch, dinner,
warm-up balls, beer and soft drinks, party favors, and a raffle ticket. Proceeds
will benefit local scholarship funds awarded to area students attending the Fort
Wayne, West Lafayette, and Bloomington campuses. Contact either Page Hoover
at the Purdue Club of Fort Wayne (260-627-2121 or p.hoover@prodigy.net) or
Dave Friedrich at the IU Club of Northeast Indiana (260-482-6986 or
dfriedrich5@comcast.net).
Student Stampede
Move-in Barbecue
Aug. 17, 5:30–7 p.m., Cole Commons patio
at Student Housing on the Waterfield Campus
Come help us serve dinner to those students who
have moved into student housing and are anxious to
start their college life. We need cooks, servers, and
networkers to volunteer. Call Kay Folks in Alumni
Relations at 260-481-6807 to sign up.
“
“I’d say my whole life took a very different course because of Dr. Provost.
I’ve been on every continent except Antarctica, and I think I’m very good at
business overseas, as I value and understand cultural differences.”
Chancellor Michael A. Wartell and IPFW Alumni Association President Mike Engels
recognized alumni on April 26 during the College Ring Ceremony. Sam Win, B.S. ’06,
proudly accepts his Purdue ring. Those who purchased their IU or Purdue class ring had it
presented by the chancellor. The rings included special IU or Purdue keepsake boxes.
African serval cat for the zoo’s Wild Wonders
show. And in the essence of thinking globally
and acting locally, Fishbaugh and her husband
contribute to the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo
as well.
But no matter how much her efforts serve
as a crusade for endangered animals, even
extinct animals have a certain appeal to her.
Fishbaugh developed a zeal for anthropology
during her IPFW days. As one of a few select
students, she conducted “surface collections”
from among 1,200 sites around Fort Wayne.
This activity helped to gather and reconstruct
artifacts from the lives of prehistoric peoples
native to northeast Indiana. She spent her
sophomore summer cataloging projectiles
used by hunters. The late anthropology
Professor Paul Provost served as her advisor
for the project. She says she became
mesmerized by the stories of his global
fieldwork. She specifically recalls his study of
the Dalai Lama and the “lost” Tibetan
culture—long before Richard Gere and other
celebrities helped to popularize Buddhism.
This involvement in anthropology inspired
her to focus on international business.
“There wasn’t an international business focus
available back then,” Fishbaugh recalls. “It was
almost unheard of to think of business outside
of the U.S. Remember, the fax machine, e-mail,
and personal computers hadn’t been invented
yet.” In response, she minored in anthropology
to learn about various cultures, and she took
classes in Spanish so she could learn a foreign
language. “I’d say my whole life took a very
different course because of Dr. Provost,” she
shares. “I’ve been on every continent except
Antarctica, and I think I’m very good at
business overseas, as I value and understand
cultural differences.”
Provost, who had become her mentor, died
unexpectedly in December 2003 from a
Fishbaugh embraces Master-Don-Pablo, the
Mastodon on Parade she sponsored last summer
in memory of the late IPFW Professor Paul Provost.
Permanently displayed outside Castle Gallery in
Fort Wayne, the mastodon displays symbols that
are representative of the world cultures Provost
studied as an archaeologist.
complication brought on by the flu. In 2004,
Fishbaugh was a member of a steering
committee for what would become Mastodons
on Parade, Fort Wayne’s first community art
project in 2005. She says she was not only
enthusiastic to sponsor a mastodon but to
dedicate it to Provost as a memorial.
Fishbaugh contacted another IPFW mentor
with her idea, Anthropology Chair and
Professor Alan Sandstrom. Sandstrom, a longtime friend and colleague of Provost,
introduced her to local artist Jody HemphillSmith who knew Provost personally.
”
The finished piece, Master-Don-Pablo, has a
name derived from Spanish—“don” meaning
mister and “Pablo” for Paul. Master-DonPablo’s design incorporates a mosaic of
symbols used among the Shipibo people in the
Peruvian Amazon, the Tibetans in exile in
northern India, the Aborigines of the Australian
Outback, and the Nahua people of Mexico—all
cultures that Provost studied during his years
of fieldwork.
Hemphill-Smith, who spent hundreds of
hours researching and painting the project,
says she was honored to participate and adds,
“Paul gave Brenda a multicultural,
cosmopolitan approach. He opened her eyes to
a new world view.”
Fishbaugh says the completed mastodon
requires close examination, even today. “I still
see new things,” she says. “I know Dr. Provost
would be thrilled with her art in his honor.”
Master-Don-Pablo’s permanent stomping
ground is now outside the Castle Gallery in
Fort Wayne, which is also the present-day
home of Hemphill-Smith and her husband.
Coincidentally, Provost lived in the same
location years ago when the Smith’s 12,000
square-foot home and art gallery was three
separate living spaces. “Paul is actually back
‘home,’” Fishbaugh notes.
Clearly, Fishbaugh and her husband believe
in giving back in a variety of ways. “We’ve
been so amply rewarded for every dollar we’ve
given,” she says. “Getting to visit Dr. Alan and
Dr. Pamela Sandstrom in the field in Mexico in
1998, petting tigers, hanging out with artists as
amazing as Jody Hemphill-Smith, and giving
back to IPFW—those kinds of experiences are
priceless!” While such experiences may appear
too good to be true to the casual observer,
they are the makings for a purr-fect life in
Fishbaugh’s opinion.
5
4
ALUMNI
Class Notes
1976
Michael Erler, B.S., business, was named
a 2006 board of directors’ member for
Visiting Nurse and Hospice Home Inc.
Jonathan Hamm, B.S., business, has been
hired by Kelty Tappy Design Inc.
IPFW Athletic Apparel
Get your mastodon threads at all home games!
T-shirts, polos, sweatshirts, headwear, windshirts, and more!
www.gomastodons.com
1978
Keith Busse, M.B.A., received an honorary
doctorate in engineering from Purdue University
at IPFW’s May Commencement. Also, the
National Kidney Foundation of Indiana recently
recognized him with its highest award, the
2005 President’s award.
1979
William Langschied, B.S., business, is the
administrator of Lutheran Home. He received an
Innovator’s Award for continuous success in
improving nursing home care.
Walk, Continued from page 1
way to ‘have’ wild animals but have the
Fishbaugh’s untamed spirit likely inspires
animals live in the proper environments,” she
her fancy for felines. At 16, she flew her first
says. “Left to my own devices, I would be one
solo flight and became a licensed pilot a year
of those wackos who has a tiger in her
later. She went on to become a glider pilot, a
bathroom. But donating to an animal
scuba diver, and an accomplished
park is really the way to go to
equestrienne—that is, until her career
support the animals in the best way
became more engrossing. “I’ve known
one can.”
since I was a kid that I would travel
She also supports the efforts of
the world and would be paid for it,”
the
Clouded Leopard Project in
she says. “I knew I would do very
Thailand.
Clouded leopards are rare
exciting and daring things and that I
cats that roam the rain forests of
would be petting tigers and lions.”
Thailand, where they are hunted for
Brenda Fishbaugh
And true to her word, Fishbaugh
their
coats. Fishbaugh says there is
has entered the personal space of several
no
other
coordinated
effort in the world to
exotic cats, namely several white and gold
protect them. Port Defiance Zoo in Tacoma,
Bengal tigers at Tiger Island where she is a VIP
Wash., is the home of two such leopards. With
sponsor. Tiger Island is an interactive and
personal ties to the animal handlers there, she
conservation-based attraction within
recently
purchased a Canadian lynx and an
Australia’s Dreamworld theme park. With
regard to her sponsorship, “it’s been a great
Walk, Continued on page 5
1980
Elizabeth Walker, A.S., office management
technology, won the Noble Caregiver in
Assisted Living Award by the National Center
for Assisted Living and the Indiana Health Care
Association.
Kids Club!
1982
Lucy Gase, B.S., business, vice president of
Lincoln Financial Advisors Operations, was
elected to the board of directors of the
Community Harvest Food Bank.
Barry LaBov, A.G.S., general studies, founder of
LaBov & Beyond Inc. has recently been featured
in the August 2005 issue of Incentive Magazine.
1987
Tamyra Kelly, B.A., sociology, has become a
member of the Leadership Fort Wayne Inc.
board of directors.
1988
Brenda Amburgey, B.A., communications, has
been elected as a board of directors’ member
for the Down Syndrome Association of
Northeast Indiana.
1993
Greg Conkling, B.S., business, has recently been
appointed president of New Castle Concrete and
heads the Somerset Construction Division.
(above) Graduating IPFW seniors flocked to the annual
Alumni Association-sponsored Senior Salute to pick up
their caps and gowns on Feb. 28. They also had the
opportunity to look at class rings, find out about their
alumni association, learn what to do about their student
loans, and more. Here, students work with IPFW Student
Alumni Association members and Development staff to
purchase their name bricks for placement in the alumni
walk that now resides in the plaza between Helmke
Library and the Walb Student Union. Alumni name bricks
are $50 each and can be purchased at
www.commence.ipfw.edu/class_gift.htm.
(left) IPFW graduate Jenee Johnson, B.A. ’01, mingles at
the back-to-college “Meet Me At Five” on March 9. The
meet-and-greet event was cosponsored by the alumni
associations of IPFW, Ivy Tech, Indiana Tech, Tri-State, and
the University of St. Francis along with the Greater Fort
Wayne Chamber of Commerce. Business people were
encouraged to wear shirts featuring their alma mater as
they enjoyed the occasion at Columbia Street West.
3
4
ALUMNI
Class Notes
1976
Michael Erler, B.S., business, was named
a 2006 board of directors’ member for
Visiting Nurse and Hospice Home Inc.
Jonathan Hamm, B.S., business, has been
hired by Kelty Tappy Design Inc.
IPFW Athletic Apparel
Get your mastodon threads at all home games!
T-shirts, polos, sweatshirts, headwear, windshirts, and more!
www.gomastodons.com
1978
Keith Busse, M.B.A., received an honorary
doctorate in engineering from Purdue University
at IPFW’s May Commencement. Also, the
National Kidney Foundation of Indiana recently
recognized him with its highest award, the
2005 President’s award.
1979
William Langschied, B.S., business, is the
administrator of Lutheran Home. He received an
Innovator’s Award for continuous success in
improving nursing home care.
Walk, Continued from page 1
way to ‘have’ wild animals but have the
Fishbaugh’s untamed spirit likely inspires
animals live in the proper environments,” she
her fancy for felines. At 16, she flew her first
says. “Left to my own devices, I would be one
solo flight and became a licensed pilot a year
of those wackos who has a tiger in her
later. She went on to become a glider pilot, a
bathroom. But donating to an animal
scuba diver, and an accomplished
park is really the way to go to
equestrienne—that is, until her career
support the animals in the best way
became more engrossing. “I’ve known
one can.”
since I was a kid that I would travel
She also supports the efforts of
the world and would be paid for it,”
the
Clouded Leopard Project in
she says. “I knew I would do very
Thailand.
Clouded leopards are rare
exciting and daring things and that I
cats that roam the rain forests of
would be petting tigers and lions.”
Thailand, where they are hunted for
Brenda Fishbaugh
And true to her word, Fishbaugh
their
coats. Fishbaugh says there is
has entered the personal space of several
no
other
coordinated
effort in the world to
exotic cats, namely several white and gold
protect them. Port Defiance Zoo in Tacoma,
Bengal tigers at Tiger Island where she is a VIP
Wash., is the home of two such leopards. With
sponsor. Tiger Island is an interactive and
personal ties to the animal handlers there, she
conservation-based attraction within
recently
purchased a Canadian lynx and an
Australia’s Dreamworld theme park. With
regard to her sponsorship, “it’s been a great
Walk, Continued on page 5
1980
Elizabeth Walker, A.S., office management
technology, won the Noble Caregiver in
Assisted Living Award by the National Center
for Assisted Living and the Indiana Health Care
Association.
Kids Club!
1982
Lucy Gase, B.S., business, vice president of
Lincoln Financial Advisors Operations, was
elected to the board of directors of the
Community Harvest Food Bank.
Barry LaBov, A.G.S., general studies, founder of
LaBov & Beyond Inc. has recently been featured
in the August 2005 issue of Incentive Magazine.
1987
Tamyra Kelly, B.A., sociology, has become a
member of the Leadership Fort Wayne Inc.
board of directors.
1988
Brenda Amburgey, B.A., communications, has
been elected as a board of directors’ member
for the Down Syndrome Association of
Northeast Indiana.
1993
Greg Conkling, B.S., business, has recently been
appointed president of New Castle Concrete and
heads the Somerset Construction Division.
(above) Graduating IPFW seniors flocked to the annual
Alumni Association-sponsored Senior Salute to pick up
their caps and gowns on Feb. 28. They also had the
opportunity to look at class rings, find out about their
alumni association, learn what to do about their student
loans, and more. Here, students work with IPFW Student
Alumni Association members and Development staff to
purchase their name bricks for placement in the alumni
walk that now resides in the plaza between Helmke
Library and the Walb Student Union. Alumni name bricks
are $50 each and can be purchased at
www.commence.ipfw.edu/class_gift.htm.
(left) IPFW graduate Jenee Johnson, B.A. ’01, mingles at
the back-to-college “Meet Me At Five” on March 9. The
meet-and-greet event was cosponsored by the alumni
associations of IPFW, Ivy Tech, Indiana Tech, Tri-State, and
the University of St. Francis along with the Greater Fort
Wayne Chamber of Commerce. Business people were
encouraged to wear shirts featuring their alma mater as
they enjoyed the occasion at Columbia Street West.
3
2
ALUMNI
Fourth of July
ROOFTOP PARTY!
Parking Garage #1 roof (near Helmke Library)
Tuesday, July 4, 2006
6–10:30 p.m.
– Brenda Fishbuagh, B.S., ’79
Walk, Continued from page 3
★ Bring your chairs, cameras, snacks, and your best “ooos” and “ahhs” for the city’s great fireworks display. The entrance fee is $5, and it
guarantees the closest spot to see the fireworks without trees and lights being in the way and includes a $10 Pizza Hut coupon. There
will be a huge play area with bubbles, chalk, games, and more for the kids. Music will be provided by family friendly WAJI Majic
95.1 FM. There will be prize drawings all night long, including a grand prize of four tickets to Cedar Point with a $50 gas card.
Upcoming Alumni Events
31st Annual
Alumni and Friends Golf Outing
6th Annual
Soccer Showcase
July 21, 7 a.m. registration; 8 a.m. shotgun start; 12:30 p.m. luncheon,
prizes, and awards, Deer Track Golf Course
Have fun while raising scholarship money for
the children of alumni. Dues-paying alumni
pay $69 and all others pay $75. Payment
includes green fees, cart, giveaways, and
a chance to win prizes. A cash award will
be provided to the top three teams. A
hearty, 19th-hole luncheon, raffle, beer,
soft drinks, and more will follow. Proceeds
go to the IPFW Children of Alumni
Scholarship Fund. Sign up with your credit
card at 260-481-6807.
Aug. 18, 4:30–6 p.m.,
Under the tent on the McKay Farm
(across from the Hefner Soccer Fields)
Bring the family and enjoy picnic goodies while
meeting our IPFW and IU soccer coaches. Get an
autograph, win a prize, and chat with other fans.
This event is FREE for our grads! For food- count
purposes, please call Kay Folks in Alumni Relations at
260-481-6807 with the number in your party.
Old Oaken
Bucket Golf Outing
Aug. 15, 12:30 p.m. shotgun start, Deer Track Golf Course
Double your golfing fun and support a good cause. This outing will follow a
Ryder-style format, with two IU and two Purdue grads per foursome.
Participation will be $100 per person. The price includes golf, lunch, dinner,
warm-up balls, beer and soft drinks, party favors, and a raffle ticket. Proceeds
will benefit local scholarship funds awarded to area students attending the Fort
Wayne, West Lafayette, and Bloomington campuses. Contact either Page Hoover
at the Purdue Club of Fort Wayne (260-627-2121 or p.hoover@prodigy.net) or
Dave Friedrich at the IU Club of Northeast Indiana (260-482-6986 or
dfriedrich5@comcast.net).
Student Stampede
Move-in Barbecue
Aug. 17, 5:30–7 p.m., Cole Commons patio
at Student Housing on the Waterfield Campus
Come help us serve dinner to those students who
have moved into student housing and are anxious to
start their college life. We need cooks, servers, and
networkers to volunteer. Call Kay Folks in Alumni
Relations at 260-481-6807 to sign up.
“
“I’d say my whole life took a very different course because of Dr. Provost.
I’ve been on every continent except Antarctica, and I think I’m very good at
business overseas, as I value and understand cultural differences.”
Chancellor Michael A. Wartell and IPFW Alumni Association President Mike Engels
recognized alumni on April 26 during the College Ring Ceremony. Sam Win, B.S. ’06,
proudly accepts his Purdue ring. Those who purchased their IU or Purdue class ring had it
presented by the chancellor. The rings included special IU or Purdue keepsake boxes.
African serval cat for the zoo’s Wild Wonders
show. And in the essence of thinking globally
and acting locally, Fishbaugh and her husband
contribute to the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo
as well.
But no matter how much her efforts serve
as a crusade for endangered animals, even
extinct animals have a certain appeal to her.
Fishbaugh developed a zeal for anthropology
during her IPFW days. As one of a few select
students, she conducted “surface collections”
from among 1,200 sites around Fort Wayne.
This activity helped to gather and reconstruct
artifacts from the lives of prehistoric peoples
native to northeast Indiana. She spent her
sophomore summer cataloging projectiles
used by hunters. The late anthropology
Professor Paul Provost served as her advisor
for the project. She says she became
mesmerized by the stories of his global
fieldwork. She specifically recalls his study of
the Dalai Lama and the “lost” Tibetan
culture—long before Richard Gere and other
celebrities helped to popularize Buddhism.
This involvement in anthropology inspired
her to focus on international business.
“There wasn’t an international business focus
available back then,” Fishbaugh recalls. “It was
almost unheard of to think of business outside
of the U.S. Remember, the fax machine, e-mail,
and personal computers hadn’t been invented
yet.” In response, she minored in anthropology
to learn about various cultures, and she took
classes in Spanish so she could learn a foreign
language. “I’d say my whole life took a very
different course because of Dr. Provost,” she
shares. “I’ve been on every continent except
Antarctica, and I think I’m very good at
business overseas, as I value and understand
cultural differences.”
Provost, who had become her mentor, died
unexpectedly in December 2003 from a
Fishbaugh embraces Master-Don-Pablo, the
Mastodon on Parade she sponsored last summer
in memory of the late IPFW Professor Paul Provost.
Permanently displayed outside Castle Gallery in
Fort Wayne, the mastodon displays symbols that
are representative of the world cultures Provost
studied as an archaeologist.
complication brought on by the flu. In 2004,
Fishbaugh was a member of a steering
committee for what would become Mastodons
on Parade, Fort Wayne’s first community art
project in 2005. She says she was not only
enthusiastic to sponsor a mastodon but to
dedicate it to Provost as a memorial.
Fishbaugh contacted another IPFW mentor
with her idea, Anthropology Chair and
Professor Alan Sandstrom. Sandstrom, a longtime friend and colleague of Provost,
introduced her to local artist Jody HemphillSmith who knew Provost personally.
”
The finished piece, Master-Don-Pablo, has a
name derived from Spanish—“don” meaning
mister and “Pablo” for Paul. Master-DonPablo’s design incorporates a mosaic of
symbols used among the Shipibo people in the
Peruvian Amazon, the Tibetans in exile in
northern India, the Aborigines of the Australian
Outback, and the Nahua people of Mexico—all
cultures that Provost studied during his years
of fieldwork.
Hemphill-Smith, who spent hundreds of
hours researching and painting the project,
says she was honored to participate and adds,
“Paul gave Brenda a multicultural,
cosmopolitan approach. He opened her eyes to
a new world view.”
Fishbaugh says the completed mastodon
requires close examination, even today. “I still
see new things,” she says. “I know Dr. Provost
would be thrilled with her art in his honor.”
Master-Don-Pablo’s permanent stomping
ground is now outside the Castle Gallery in
Fort Wayne, which is also the present-day
home of Hemphill-Smith and her husband.
Coincidentally, Provost lived in the same
location years ago when the Smith’s 12,000
square-foot home and art gallery was three
separate living spaces. “Paul is actually back
‘home,’” Fishbaugh notes.
Clearly, Fishbaugh and her husband believe
in giving back in a variety of ways. “We’ve
been so amply rewarded for every dollar we’ve
given,” she says. “Getting to visit Dr. Alan and
Dr. Pamela Sandstrom in the field in Mexico in
1998, petting tigers, hanging out with artists as
amazing as Jody Hemphill-Smith, and giving
back to IPFW—those kinds of experiences are
priceless!” While such experiences may appear
too good to be true to the casual observer,
they are the makings for a purr-fect life in
Fishbaugh’s opinion.
5
I N D I A N A
U N I V E R S I T Y – P U R D U E
U N I V E R S I T Y
F O R T
W A Y N E
ALUMNI
Faculty
Flashback
Richard Pacer
Favorite IPFW memory: Friendships with faculty
and students
Name: Richard Pacer
Current job: Retired
Hobbies: Gardening, volleyball, tennis, puzzles,
watercolor painting, games with grandchildren,
hiking, fishing, cooking
Current community involvement: St. Vincent
DePaul Society (nursing home visits), ACRES
Land Trust
Years taught at IPFW: 1965-2001
ALUMNI
Courses taught: Chemistry: analytical, general,
and radiochemistry
If you could tell your former students one thing:
Keep learning, stay active, enjoy life,
help others.
N E W S L E T T E R
Volume 9, Number 6, June 2006
Walk on the Wild Side
Book I’m reading: Push Not the River by James
Conroyd Martin
One university.
Two great names.
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Mail to: IPFW Alumni Association, 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499
Brenda Fishbaugh rests alongside Mojan, a white Bengal tiger, in 2004 at Tiger Island — a sanctuary inside Australia’s
Dreamworld theme park. Tiger Island represents the largest interactive tiger facility outside the United States. Mojan has been
featured in several specials on Animal Planet, including the often-repeated program, Awesome Pawsome.
Entrepreneur promotes philanthropy, purr-fect cause
Brenda Fishbaugh has a thing for cats. Big cats.
Really big cats.
This passion, matched by her philanthropic nature,
has helped find sanctuary for six exotic cats and
dozens of other endangered animals from abuse,
illegal trafficking, and poaching. Fishbaugh, B.S. ’79,
has used both her business degree and her
international contacts to promote their preservation.
In fact, her business, which sells patented suntan
products worldwide, was a primary sponsor for bringing
Jack Hanna to Fort Wayne’s Scottish Rite Center in May.
Hanna, host of Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures and a
frequent guest on national talk shows, made a
fundraising appearance to support Black Pine Animal
Park. Black Pine is a not-for-profit exotic animal rescue
and retirement center in Albion, Ind.
“Black Pine has really grown, becoming a
professionally run private zoo,” Fishbaugh says. “They
offer a very unique experience with their feeding tour
that is unparalleled. They are also completely
dependent on donations and entrance fees; they don’t
have city, state, or national money like public zoos.”
Nearly a decade ago, Fishbaugh began
volunteering at Black Pine, where she credits the
staff with introducing her to other animal handlers
around the world, which in turn, expanded her
interest in saving endangered animals. Fishbaugh has
sponsored numerous projects at Black Pine including
a few animal habitats, an aviary in her mother’s
honor, and two leopards in her father’s name.
Black Pine Director of Development Lori Gagen notes
that Fishbaugh has become a significant ambassador
for the park. “She speaks of Black Pine during her
world travels,” Gagen says. “She provides us with
exhibition equipment so we can tell our story at public
events, and she also connects donors with Black Pine.”
Walk, Continued on page 3
IPFW Alumni is published six times
per year by the Office of University
Relations and Communications at
Indiana University–Purdue University
Fort Wayne, 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd.,
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499.
260-481-6807
www.ipfw.edu/alumni
Irene Walters, Executive Director,
University Relations and
Communications
Jennifer R. Bosk, Editor,
Director of Alumni Relations
Produced by IPFW Publications
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2101 E. Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499
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