Annual SMU benefit dance raises $17,000 for Geheren family

Approximately 650 people danced to the Johnny Holm Band during this year’s Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance March 28 at Saint Mary’s University.


Money raised at this year’s Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance will help SMU alumni Bill and Mia Geheren of Huntley, Ill., purchase a handicapped accessible van for their family. The Geheren family includes, from right, Bill, Tommy, Charlie, Michael and Danny; Mia is not pictured. Nikki and Taylor Richmond (the benefit’s namesake), at left, joined the activities.

WINONA, Minn. — About 650 people attended Saint Mary’s University’s ninth annual Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance on March 28.

Proceeds from the dance — and a silent auction held on campus — raised approximately $17,000 for this year’s beneficiaries, Bill and Mia Geheren of Huntley, Ill., and their four children. Their three adopted children were born addicted to cocaine; one child is addicted to heroin and meth as well. Money from the benefit dance and silent auction will help the family purchase a handicapped accessible van.

This benefit dance has become an annual tradition since it was started by students in 2001 in honor of Taylor Richmond, son of Saint Mary’s Campus Ministry and Student Activities staff member Nikki Richmond and her husband Nick Richmond, both of Cochrane, Wis. Taylor has a genetic terminal illness called Ataxia Telangiectasia (A-T) and the money from his benefit was used to fulfill Taylor's dream of going to Disneyworld. Each year this event benefits someone in the SMU community in need.

Donations are still being accepted. To help, send checks — payable to the Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance — to Katie LaPlant, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, 700 Terrace Heights No. 1471, Winona, MN 55987.

Saint Mary’s students sleep outside to raise awareness of homeless

WINONA, Minn. — Approximately 20 Saint Mary’s University students will sleep in cardboard boxes the night of Thursday, April 2, during the annual shak-a-thon, part of Habitat for Humanity's Act!Speak!Build! Week. A week of activities is scheduled to raise awareness about the millions of people who do not have adequate shelter to sleep.

For Thursday’s shak-a-thon, SMU’s Habitat for Humanity chapter will sell luminaries ($1 for one or six for $5) as a fundraiser. A variety of events will begin at 9 p.m. in the plaza. The box houses and luminaries will remain up throughout Friday.

Activities are planned throughout the week. Both SMU and Winona State University students will complete a “Walk to Rally” on Tuesday.

For more information, contact Bethany Kaufmann at bakauf05@smumn.edu.

Saint Mary’s art students to display work March 29-May 9

Ann Kolaczkowski is one of seven students displaying work in the senior art show, “Squaring the Circle: Constructing the Impossible” March 29 through May 9 at Saint Mary’s University.


WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University senior art students will display their work March 29 through May 9 in “Squaring the Circle: Constructing the Impossible.”

The show — free and open to the public — will be held in the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries, located in the Toner Student Center.

An opening reception is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 18.

Students displaying work include: Michael DeGidio, Mary Margaret Gill, Ann Therese Kolaczkowski, Natalie Nemetz, Samantha Oreskovich, Andrew Rath and Cassie Ward.

The Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries are open daily between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. For more information, call (507) 457-1652.

Dr. Richard Kowles is guest lecturer for SMU biology research symposium

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary’s University Biology Department will host the 36th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in Biology on Friday, March 27, in the Adducci Science Center.

Students from Saint Mary’s and other colleges and universities in the tri-state region will present the results of their undergraduate research projects. Registration is free and begins at 8 a.m. Presentations begin at 8:20 a.m. and continue until the 11:45 a.m. lunch break; presentations will then continue from 2 to 4 p.m.

The symposium’s featured presentation has been named the “R.V. Kowles Lecture” in honor of SMU Professor Emeritus Dr. Richard Kowles, longtime biology educator, author, and nationally known geneticist. Dr. Kowles is a driving force in support of undergraduate research and a founder of the symposium.

Dr. Kowles is also serving as the inaugural “R.V. Kowles Lecture” presenter. He will discuss “Can photosynthesis efficiency be increased in crops with biotechnology?: The merging of scientific disciplines to find answers” from 12:45 to 2 p.m. in Page Theatre, located in the SMU Performance Center.

The public is invited to attend the lecture, as well as the student presentations, free of charge.

Saint Mary’s to participate in free virtual college fair

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary's University will participate in CollegeWeekLive, a free virtual college fair on Wednesday, March 25, and Thursday, March 26, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. An admission counselor will be available for a live chat throughout the entire event. Financial-aid personnel will be available each day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and current students will be online to chat each day from 5-9 p.m.

Saint Mary’s will join more than 200 schools for this two-day event where students, parents, and guidance counselors can get information about schools and
• meet with admission reps,
• listen to speakers,
• learn about financial-aid opportunities,
• hear tips on SAT prep, writing winning essays and acing interviews, and
• register for scholarships and other giveaways.

Students are encouraged to pre-register at www.collegeweeklive.com for the world’s largest online virtual college fair.

Saint Mary’s students to stage ‘A Chorus Line’ March 27-30

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary’s University Department of Theatre and Dance, under the direction of Judy Myers, will stage the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “A Chorus Line” March 27-30.

The show is set in an empty theatre, on a bare stage, during casting for a new Broadway musical. For 17 dancers, this audition is the chance of a lifetime. It’s what they’ve worked for every day of their lives. It’s the one opportunity to do what they’ve always dreamed — to have the chance to dance. The storyline delves into the personalities of the performers as they describe events that have shaped their lives and their decisions to become dancers.

The timeless classic about passion, despair and joy is the longest-running musical in Broadway history. Audiences will find themselves singing along to familiar favorites by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban like “One (Singular Sensation),” “What I Did for Love,” and “I Hope I Get It.”

“A Chorus Line,” is the musical for everyone who’s ever had a dream and put it all on the line — a powerful metaphor for all human aspiration.

Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Fri., March 27; Saturday, March 28; and Monday, March 30; with a 3 p.m. showing on Sunday, March 29 — all at Page Theatre, located in the SMU Performance Center.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and are available at the SMU Box Office, (507) 457-1715 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays or online at www.pagetheatre.org. Because of adult content, this play is suitable for mature audiences only.

Annual SMU benefit dance to help Geheren family purchase van

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University will present the ninth annual Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance from 8:30 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, March 28.

The beneficiaries of this year’s formal dance — open to the public — are 1990 SMU alumni Bill and Mia Geheren of Huntley, Ill., and their four children. Their three adopted children were born addicted to cocaine; one child is addicted to heroin and meth as well. Money from the benefit dance and silent auction will help the family purchase a handicapped accessible van.

This benefit dance has become an annual tradition since it was started by students in 2001 in honor of Taylor Richmond, son of Saint Mary’s Campus Ministry and Student Activities staff member Nikki Richmond. Taylor has a genetic terminal illness called Ataxia Telangiectasia (A-T) and the money from his benefit was used to fulfill Taylor's dream of going to Disneyworld. Each year this event benefits someone in the SMU community in need.

The dance, featuring music by the Johnny Holm Band, will be held in the Toner Student Center dining room. Ticket prices are $15 per person or $25 per couple.

To purchase tickets or receive more information, contact Jason Richter at (507) 457-1648 or Katie LaPlant (507) 457-6936. Dance tickets will also be available at the door.

To make a donation, send checks — payable to the Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance — to Katie LaPlant, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, 700 Terrace Heights No. 1471, Winona, MN 55987.

In combination with the dance, a silent auction will be held on campus from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 26-27. A variety of homemade goods, gift baskets and specialty items will be on display in the game room, located in the Toner Student Center.

SMU Concert Band’s March 22 concert includes diverse marches

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary’s University Concert Band will present “The March Tradition” during its Sunday, March 22, performance, scheduled for 3 p.m. in Saint Cecilia Theatre, located at Cotter High School.

The concert — in celebration of national Music in Our Schools Month — will feature a number of diverse marches, under the direction of Dr. Janet Heukeshoven.

The program will include “March & Procession of Bacchus” by Delibes; Gustav Holst’s “Suite #2 in F Major”; Percy Grainger’s “Children’s March”; “American’s We” by Fillmore; Dvorak’s “Slavonic Dance”; “Poem” by Boerma; and a circus march by Brian Beck called “Technicolor Pachyderms.” Student soloist Jeremy Johnston, a senior percussion performance major, will present the “Creston Concertino for Marimba and Band.”

Tickets are $10, $5 for students and seniors and are available at the SMU Box Office, (507) 457-1715 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

DeThomasis to discuss global economy Thursday at SMU

WINONA, Minn. — Brother Louis DeThomasis, chancellor of Saint Mary's University and president of the European Division of Christian Brothers Investment Services Inc., will speak about global economic challenges and their impact on the U.S. economy from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12, in Figliulo Recital Hall.

The event is free and open to the public. A reception will follow in the SMU Performance Center lobby.

DeThomasis — an accomplished educator, scholar, author, lecturer and executive — served as president of Saint Mary’s from 1984 to 2005. He has extensive first-hand knowledge of the business world. He is a founder of Christian Brothers Investment Services Inc., an investment advisory firm that today manages assets valued at more than $5 billion dollars. He also was a director of the Galaxy Funds, which manages mutual funds with collective assets of approximately $20 billion dollars.

This presentation is sponsored by the Offices of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the undergraduate School of Business.

SMU, WSU choirs to present ‘The Spirit of Venice’ March 21

WINONA, Minn. — The choirs of Saint Mary’s University and Winona State University will present an evening of Renaissance and early Baroque music in “The Spirit of Venice” on Saturday, March 21.

The choirs, under the direction of Dr. Patrick O’Shea and Dr. Harry Mechell, will perform, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels, located at the Saint Teresa campus.

The concert will feature the works of G. Gabrieli, Schuetz, Monteverdi, Hassler, Charpentier, Vivaldi and Pergolesi — composers who have all lived or studied in Venice.

Tickets are $10, $5 for students and seniors and are available at the SMU Box Office, (507) 457-1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or online at www.pagetheatre.org. Free student rush tickets are available 20 minutes before the performance with either a Saint Mary’s or WSU student ID.