Nice Pear

RAY KOBALD SR. ’57 is one of 12 artists whose work is featured in a juried Sculpture in the Park event in downtown St. Charles. His 34-inch sculpture, “Nice Pear,” is on display at Mount St. Mary Park until mid-October. Ray also has sculptures in permanent collections in Geneva and in Loveland, Colo. He taught art at West Chicago Junior High School and later in Mexico. The parents of seven children, he and his wife Phyllis live in St. Charles.

White House ornament

By Nancy Ridgeway

STEVE FRYKHOLM ’65 is known for the posters he has created to promote the annual employee picnic at Herman Miller in Zeeland, Mich. The office furniture company’s vice president/creative director not only has posters on his employer’s walls, but his work is on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the National Museum of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution.

Last year, he was asked to submit artwork for another venue. His congressman and former co-worker turned to Steve when first lady Laura Bush asked members of Congress to choose an artist to design an ornament representing their districts. Steve, who sports a Santa-like beard, covered an opaque plastic ball with blue and silver snowflakes to represent the snowy West Michigan winters. The ornament hung on the Blue Room Christmas tree, considered the focal point of White House holiday celebrations. Recently, Steve was invited to judge the Smithsonian National Design Awards. The awards, presented since 2000, are given in categories of lifetime achievement, architecture, fashion, product, and communications.“It was an exciting and energetic two days, very inspiring,” he says. Judging occurred at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York City.

Steve has been with Herman Miller for nearly 40 years. He and his wife Nancy Phillips live in Belmont, Mich.

MLB official scorer

STEVE WELLER ’77 recently celebrated his 15th anniversary as the official scorer for the Texas Rangers. Steve was the press officer for the U.S. baseball team in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, and was president of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. He worked for 24 years in collegiate sports information, including a year as an assistant at Bradley. Steve now is director of athletics at Parker College in Dallas. He and his wife Barbie live in Irving. They have five children.

Dancing a jig

ERIN EATON MURPHY ’00 appeared on the Bonnie Hunt Show on St. Patrick’s Day. She taught five audience members how to do the traditional Irish jig and then visited with Bonnie. Erin and her sister operate Irish dance programs at two grade schools in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, and also direct a not-for-profit Irish dance ensemble. Erin earned a juris doctor degree from DePaul in 2003. She lives in Los Angeles.