LET THE RENOVATIONS BEGIN
Ridge facelift will begin in May          

Renovations to historic Ridge Gymnasium are slated to begin in May 2003, as the building will undergo a dramatic makeover and be transformed into a dynamic student center. The project, estimated to cost $4.5 million (with an additional $500,000 building endowment), is scheduled to be completed in August 2004.

The exterior of the building will be restored to its original splendor, and the impressive interior plans call for an active and energetic feel, according to architects at The Collaborative, Inc.

The building will house a 24-hour computer lab, student mailboxes, art studios, programming and meeting space, a game room, a TV lounge and food service space. Ridge will also house the offices of student government, Campus Activities Network and Panhellenic Council - just to name a few. (See architectural renderings)

The College has also formally announced the creation of the Arrington Family Challenge. Brothers Robyn J. Arrington '66 and Harold M. Arrington '68 have promised to donate $500,000 for the Ridge Student Center Project if Adrian College alumni pledge $1 million by Dec. 31, 2003. To make a pledge or serve on a fund-raising committee, contact Bill Kenyon at wkenyon@adrian.edu or call 517-264-3168.

CONTACT IS NOW ONLINE
Alumni magazine expands to the web

You can now read Adrian College's alumni magazine online. Check out the latest stories, or go back and find an archived issue that you might have missed. The site includes many of the same elements as the printed version, including feature stories, class notes, and faculty notes, and it also makes it easy for you to get in touch with us through e-mail. (Extra feature for this issue: All 16 stained glass windows in the Adrian College Chapel, including the one on the cover. Only online!) To see what you're missing, go to www.adrian.edu and follow the link from the News & Info page.


THE WHEELS ON THE BUS.

Mike Ayre '82, vice president for business affairs, recently posed the following question: What has seating for 417 people and only eight wheels?

Stumped? The answer is the College's new 29-passenger minibus, new 12-passenger van and all new seating and tables in Ritchie Dining Hall. These improvements highlight a list of exciting changes to the campus since November 2002.

The Ritchie Hall furniture features high and low café tables and comfortable chairs. New carpet was also installed. The bus, in addition to seating 29 passengers, has storage space and a TV. (Rumor has it the men's basketball team watched "AirBud"-a movie about a canine hoop star-on the return trip from Hope.)

GOING BOWLING
Adrian College football standout Kevin Bostleman plays in USA Aztec Bowl

Senior running back Kevin Bostelman ran over MIAA football competition in the fall, earning the league's rushing title for the second straight season. After leading the Bulldogs to a 7-3 mark, Bostelman was selected  to play in the 2002 USA Aztec Bowl in Torreon, Mexico, on Dec. 14. Only 42 NCAA Division III players were chosen to represent the United States in the annual all-star game.

No Adrian College player has ever received this honor.

"I've been here since 1974 and we've had some great football teams and great football players, but in terms of a complete back, Kevin Bostelman is the best," Adrian head coach Jim Lyall said. "He blocks, he has extremely good hands, catches the ball very well, and obviously what he does when he is running the football is well documented. He's a complete player."

Bostelman, a 5-11, 230-pound running back with a style best described as punishing, topped the 100-yard rushing mark in eight of 10 games this season for the Bulldogs. He averaged 131.1 rushing yards per game and set an Adrian single season record with 16 touchdowns. His 1,311 rushing yards were also a school record. He topped the 200-yard rushing mark twice (205 yards against Heidelberg and 202 against Wisconsin Lutheran) and was just yards shy on two other occasions (196 yards versus Hope and 194 against Albion). He was a First Team All-MIAA selection in both 2002 and 2001, and his career average of 5.2 yards per carry is a school record.

At the Aztec Bowl in Torreon, Bostelman did not disappoint. Playing at fullback, he rushed for 26 yards on four carries, then caught a two-point conversion pass with 2:31 left in the game to give the USA team a 15-9 lead and secure the win.

More on Bostelman and the Aztec Bowl


BRINGING BACK THE PAST

Douglass, his wife B.J., and President Caine

Frederick Douglass IV, the great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass-a runaway slave, author and leader of the abolition movement in the 19th century-spent significant time on the Adrian College campus in November. Douglass read a lecture that his great-great grandfather once gave, spoke at Convocation and also reenacted parts of his great-great grandfather's life in a special show at the Croswell Opera House. Douglass, founder of the Frederick Douglass Organization, travels throughout the country to keep alive the legacy of his great-great-grandfather by conducting dramatic readings of the elder Douglass. His wife B.J. Douglass also speaks and participates in the reenactments.

More on Douglass