A Family Tradition
Tradition, according to Webster's Dictionary, is defined as "the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction." Some of the more customary family traditions may include Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma's house, opening presents on Christmas Eve, and annual summer vacations. For many North Iowa families, a NIACC education has also become a "family tradition." So this year, as we celebrate NIACC's 80th anniversary, we also celebrate all of the families who have attended the College through the generations. Featured here are three North Iowa families who have incorporated a NIACC education into their family traditions.
The Kew Family
The Kew-NIACC family tradition began with the late Ken Kew, a former Mason City mayor and 1941 Mason City Junior College graduate. After MCJC, Kew enlisted in the Army and completed his education at the University of Iowa. While at MCJC, he was "very involved in a number of activities, especially the arts," according to his widow, Dolores.
The Kews had five children, all of whom attended NIACC. "We were fortunate to have access to a college like NIACC," Dolores said. "For families with a large number of children, NIACC is a blessing - especially financially."
The Kews had a unique family situation - two sets of twins who attended NIACC just two years apart. "With two sets of twins, we had four children in college at the same time," said Dolores. "Without NIACC it would have been impossible for us to give our children that kind of quality education."
Adding yet another dimension to their NIACC family tradition, Dolores, a registered nurse, taught at the College for 19 years in the LPN (Licensed Practical Nursing) program. She played a key role in implementing NIACC's medical secretary program and took a number of classes at the College to continue her education in nursing.
Kendall "Kitty" (Kew) Lundberg was the first of the Kew children to attend NIACC. She received her degree from the College in 1968, with an emphasis in Speech, Theatre, and English.
"When I attended NIACC, it was still downtown in the same building I had attended high school in," she said. "In fact, I had one teacher in high school one year and in college the next year."
While at NIACC, Kendall was involved in drama. She particularly recalls the Thespian society formed by Dale Becker and Arlan Rahlf.
She attributes her family's educational success to the convenience NIACC offers. "NIACC has been a great stepping stone for my family," she said.
Over the years, Kendall has continued her association with the College by serving on the Alumni Association Advisory Board and the Auditorium Steering Committee, and by being involved with various fund raisers for the NIACC Foundation. "I guess I have always had a connection with NIACC," she said.
Twins Karel (Kew) Murray and Kevin were the next family members to attend NIACC in 1973. While at NIACC, Kevin participated in basketball for the Trojans.
Two years later, twin sisters Korinne "Korky" (Kew) Kilborn and Kimberly (Kew) Goranson followed their older brother and sister to NIACC. They both enrolled in the medical secretary program that their mother helped initiate.
Korinne remembers the excellent instructors she had while at NIACC. One in particular, Carol Melhus, made a definite impression on her. "She gave me the information and abilities I could take onto my career," she said. "I think of her everyday."
Echoing her mother and sister, Korinne feels there are a lot of good opportunities at the College. "NIACC is a great springboard into higher education," she said. "We are lucky to have a community college in Mason City."
The Kew-NIACC tradition has spanned into the third generation with Kendall's three children and husband all having taken courses through the College. Her oldest son, Marcus, earned 42 straight 'A' credits from NIACC while still in high school and became the first high school student to be inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa international honor society at the College. Her daughter, Michael, accumulated 39 NIACC credits while still in high school, and her husband, Mark, attended NIACC for a year.
And the NIACC tradition goes on as Lauren Lundberg, a senior at Mason City High School, continues to accumulate college credits at NIACC.
"All the kids have had a great head start at NIACC," said Kendall.
Looking back, Dolores feels the education her children and grandchildren received has had a direct impact on their lives. "I believe the basic educational foundation they received at NIACC led to their future success," she said.
Is this where the Kew-NIACC tradition ends? Not according to Dolores. "I have two more grandchildren in Hampton that I would like to see go to NIACC as well," she said smiling.
The Stibal Family
A college education can be expensive for a family of any size. But the cost of a college education for every child in a family with 11 offspring could be unaffordable. This economic factor, along with the promise of a quality education, was the driving force behind 10 of the 11 children in the Stibal family from the Osage area choosing NIACC first.
Mike Stibal, who entered NIACC in 1967 after spending time in the Navy, was the first one in his family to attend NIACC.
He remembers participating in the chess club and his Introduction to Business class with Mr. Maxon. "I really think that class got me interested in business," said Mike, who recently retired from IBM.
Looking back, he feels that his own positive experience at the College had an impact on his brothers' and sisters' decisions to follow in his footsteps. "I have every reason to think that they might not have gone if I had not been successful at NIACC," he said.
Mary and John Stibal became the second and third family members to attend NIACC, graduating in 1969 and 1970, respectively. John echoed his siblings' feelings as to why he chose NIACC first. "It was more affordable for me to go there first and then to a university," he said. "It was also smaller and less dramatic then going straight to a university."
Like his brother Mike, John recalls spending time in the lounge at NIACC playing chess. He also fondly remembers Mrs. Fangman who was in charge of the lounge at that time. "She was kind of like everyone's den mother," he said.
Jim Stibal and his twin sister Judy, both 1971 NIACC graduates, were the fourth and fifth Stibals to attend the College. Having brothers and sisters already attending NIACC made the roommate search easy for Jim. He lived with his brother John during his freshman year and his brother Tom during his sophomore year.
"I very much enjoyed my time at NIACC," said Jim. "I made a lot of friends there who I still keep in touch with."
Like his siblings before him, Jim chose to attend NIACC primarily because of the affordability and proximity to home. "Besides, I had brothers and sisters who had gone before me and they all liked it," he said.
Jim attributes his photography hobby to a class he took while at NIACC. "I still have many of the pictures I took while I was in college," he said. "I treasure them."
One year after Jim and Judy set off to NIACC, Tom returned from the Army and decided to follow suit. He graduated from NIACC in 1972.
Bill Stibal, a 1974 NIACC graduate, was the seventh Stibal to attend the College.
He recalls the temporary buildings that were a part of the campus at that time. "There were only two permanent buildings," he said.
He also acknowledged that the Stibal name was familiar around campus. "Especially with professors - it seemed like they always recognized us," he said.
Looking back, Bill is happy with his choice of schooling. "I'm very glad I went to NIACC," he said. "It was a great place to get started because you don't get lost like at a big university. Also, the credits I earned there easily transferred to the University of Northern Iowa."
Terri (Stibal) Hernan, a 1975 NIACC graduate, followed Bill to the College a year later.
"As the eighth child in the family, it was just expected that I would attend NIACC after high school," Hernan said. AI wasn't told I had to go, I just did."
Even before attending NIACC herself, Terri got a taste of college life by coming to Mason City and staying with four of her siblings who were attending NIACC at the time.
"For me NIACC was an excellent education," said Hernan, who is a chemical engineer. "I worked hard in my math classes and received Bs. After I transferred to Iowa State I got As. NIACC was a good preparation for that."
Ann (Stibal) Lammers and Marlene (Stibal) Talbot were the last two Stibal children to attend NIACC, graduating in 1975 and 1977, respectively.
Shay (Stibal) Morton was the only Stibal unable to attend NIACC because the College didn=t offer a nursing program at that time.
With ten of her children either attending or having attended the College by 1976, Marian (Mom) Stibal decided to give it a shot. Already having some college education under her belt, Marian continued her education at night and with correspondence classes, all while teaching full time.
To have all 11 Stibal children receive a college education is quite an achievement in itself, but the accomplishment is even more impressive considering the children=s father, Robert, died when the youngest, Marlene, was only two days old. "After that my mother made a commitment that all of her children would have the opportunity to go to college," said Hernan. "Having NIACC close by and so affordable made that possible for us."
Marian echoed her daughter's sentiments. "Because I was a teacher, I understood the value of a good education," she said. "It's a wonderful thing to have a college like NIACC so close."
The Grove Family
Growing up on a farm near New Hampton and then Swaledale, the members in the Grove family became very familiar with Mason City Junior College and the quality of education available. When it was time for the oldest child to go to college, there was no doubt where she would go. "I always felt comfortable with NIACC and the community," said Gaye (Grove) Pedersen, a 1967 graduate. "I never questioned where I would go after high school."
Gaye remembers the many friends she made and the instructors she had while at NIACC. "They were two of the most wonderful years of my life," she said.
Her husband, Cliff, attended night classes in Agriculture from 1971-1974. According to Gaye, the classes gave Cliff a different perspective on farming. "It was like bonus knowledge - a different level of farming," she said.
Joye (Grove) Petersen, a 1971 graduate of NIACC, was the second member of the Grove family to attend the College. She returned to NIACC in 1985 as an employee and worked there, continuing to take classes until 1997. "NIACC is a great place to be and I really enjoyed being a part of it," she said.
Her husband, Duane, also attended the College and graduated in 1969 with an Associate's degree in Agricultural Business.
Chuck was the third Grove to attend NIACC, graduating in 1976. While at the College, Chuck met his future wife, Kathy (Quandt), a 1977 NIACC graduate. Today, Kathy is the Business Office Manager for the College.
Gaye and Cliff started the second generation of NIACC students in their family. Their oldest daughter, Julie (Pedersen) Carter, graduated from NIACC in 1991 and transferred to the University of Northern Iowa where she received her bachelor's degree. "NIACC is an excellent starting place before going on to a four-year college," said Julie.
Lisa, their youngest daughter graduated from secretarial program at the College in 1996 and was very satisfied with the quality of education she received. "I felt well-prepared to enter the workforce," she said.
The Pedersens instilled in their daughters the value of a good education. "They didn't even think of going to any other college," said Gaye. "To them, there simply wasn't another option."
Joye and Duane also passed on the positive experiences they had at NIACC to their children. Their son, Dustin, graduated from NIACC in 1993 and transferred to the University of Northern Iowa where he received a degree in Accounting. Their daughter, Kerri (Petersen) Gustin attended the College in 1995-96 and plans to continue working towards her Associate Degree.
"NIACC truly is our family tradition," Joye said. "We encouraged our children to attend because it was a quality education with great instructors."
Ten family members have chosen NIACC first, but according to Gaye, that isn't enough. "If Chuck and Kathy's son, Casey, attends, it will be 100 percent!"
Home | Search | Calendars | Directory | NIACC News | Contact Us | NIACC Alerts
North Iowa Area Community College, 500
College Drive, Mason City, IA 50401
641-423-1264 or 1-888-GO NIACC
www.niacc.edu