Remembering those who impacted the Meramec community
From the arts to the sciences, Meramec is a place of employment, enjoyment, and most importantly, a place for learning. But the learning experience is only as influential as the people responsible for each lesson in and out of the classroom. All life must come to an end–learning does not. Each one of these lives has made a ripple in students’ and faculty’s time at Meramec, and for some of them, their futures. The Montage takes time to remember.
ULDIS ALKS, 77
November 28, 2011
By: Kurt Oberreither
– News Editor Emeritus –
Artist and geography professor Uldis Alks, 77, died Monday, Nov. 28. His memorial service and burial were held on Dec. 3.
“I was lucky enough to see him two days before [he died] at Thanksgiving,” his former wife Annabelle Alks said. “We were always close friends, best friends.”
Alks and Annabelle divorced in 2004. Nine years earlier, Alks retired from the National Geospatial-intelligence Agency (NGA) and in 1997, a coworker from the NGA, Roger Becker, contacted Alks.
“Roger called him up one day and asked him if he wanted a job,” Annabelle Alks said.
There was an open position in the geography department at STLCC-Meramec and he knew Alks was looking for something to do after retirement.
Alks signed on as an adjunct geography instructor and shared an office with faculty members John Gribb, David Wamsley and Becker.
Wamsley said Alks would share stories of his childhood in Latvia and Germany and discuss the Soviet Union and geography.
As a token of appreciation, Wamsley gave Alks a map of Latvia which he used as a liaison for the U.S. military with Latvia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
“He always wanted to take me to Latvia and show me the place he [lived],” Wamsley said.
In 2000, Alks began taking drawing and painting courses at Meramec. He took watercolor painting and oil painting with Margaret Keller.
Keller said Alks liked to paint people and “European” images from his childhood like his Latvian relatives.
When Alks was 10, he and his family were forced to leave their homeland for Germany, where they lived for five years before immigrating to the U.S.
Alks spent his final three years as a participating artist at the Crestwood Art Coop. One member, Barbara Otterson, said Alks sold a number of paintings there.
“He had his own style,” Otterson said. “He used to love to pick your brain and always wanted to improve himself.”
MARY DAVIS, 88
November 30, 2011
By: Kavahn Mansouri
– Editor-in-Chief –
After a career at Southwestern Bell, STLCC-Meramec student Mary Davis decided to retire and take classes at Meramec, where she remained for 25 years. She, like many other students, found her place at the community college and became active in various clubs and student government.
Davis was not only busy with extracurricular activities, but during her Meramec career accumulated more than 100 credit hours and worked as a part-time employee of Meramec’s art department.
Professor of Art Margaret Keller described Davis as a student and a dedicated worker.
“Mary was very friendly. The gallery door would always be open, people would walk by and she would call them into the gallery. She’d start telling them about the show and explain a lot to them. She was like the publicity person for the show,” Keller said.
Davis lent a hand in student groups such as the Bacchus Club and the Photo Club.
“She was very lively and full of life. Always really busy making things for other people – she loved making things for other people. She liked making quilts and Christmas ornaments, you name it. Busy all the time in the gallery,” Keller said.
Meramec’s Student Governance Council (SGC) is in the process of creating a memorial for Davis. And the art department has created a Mary Davis scholarship.
“She was a student for many years,” SGC member Abdul Kariem-Matteuzzi said. “She was very involved, cared about the image and voice of the students.”
BILL VANN, 71
December 4, 2011
By: Kelly Glueck
– Managing Editor Emeritus –
During his career, STLCC-Meramec graphic design instructor Bill Vann worked with corporations including Anheuser Busch and Pepsi. Among his coworkers, Vann even earned the title “Godfather of Illustration,” but according to Associate Professor of Graphic Design Chuck Groth, his commitment to his students came naturally.
“I think that one of the greatest tributes that you can think of for Bill is the impact he has had on his students,” Groth said. “I was online and saw tributes to Bill from students who had graduated 10 or more years ago saying how this man had such an influence on their art careers and lives.”
Groth called Vann a “quiet giant in the illustration community” with major corporations as clients, including Anheuser Busch, Miller, Pepsi, Coke, NFL and MLB.
Vann was also an active figure with the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, serving as president until shortly before his death.
“He is one of the big reasons why the guild still exists, probably because of his passion. He gave many hours every single day to be a part of it, to keep the dream alive,” Shay said.
He has been recognized with more than 35 local and national illustration awards but according to Shay, he was not motivated by recognition. “We realized that awards don’t really mean anything. All the awards do is get you more attention to get more work,” Shay said.
Vann will be sorely missed and will leave a hole in the community; not only at Meramec, but also in the illustration community as well, Shay said.
Chris Powers is one of Vann’s former students. Powers graduated from Meramec in 2006 and currently owns his own design company.
“Not only did he teach me the principals of how to approach a problem as a professional designer and to look outside the box, his lectures on the business was, and continues to be, an indispensable part of what drives me as a creative [person],” Powers said.
JANIS SAGO, 63
May 13, 2012
By: Kurt Oberreither
– News Editor Emeritus –
STLCC-Meramec photography instructor Janis Sago, 63, died Sunday, May 13. Sago was an adjunct faculty member for 20 years.
In a message to staff and faculty, Photography Coordinator David Hanlon addressed Sago’s death:
“All of us know of the amazing and courageous manner in which Jan has endured her health battles over the past several years, while she also continued to place the needs of her students and colleagues first.”
Sago’s family asked that her friends submit an 8 inch by 10 inch print of one of their own images to be placed on her casket. Hanlon extended the request to her colleagues and students at Meramec. The Art Department office has a receiving box for submissions.
Hanlon said the request has had a strong response. He said Sago drew inspiration for her photography from nature and landscapes.
“She was a really terrific person both professionally and personally,” Hanlon said. “She was engaged with her students and would always help them with their work and with artistic outlook and approach.”
Sago coordinated the photography department from 2005 to 2010, and in 2009 she earned the Outstanding Adjunct Instructor Award for Humanities and Art. Sago was Photography Club sponsor from 2007-2011.
One of her former students and club member, Courtney Stark, remembers her as the kind of person that you could go to with any problem.
“She was more then just a teacher to her students, she became a friend and mentor to many of the students who passed through her class,” Stark said.
