Written by Stephanie Gordon
Venturing all the way from sunny Southern California to Hillsdale, Michigan, Heather Tritchka, ’98, came to Hillsdale College to prepare for her future as a surgeon. Although she had every intention to attend medical school, the biology major and chemistry minor has become a notable professional artist in the Hillsdale community. And while her career and philanthropic path has been winding and purposeful, one thing has remained constant: home. Heather has joyfully called Hillsdale home since the mid-1990s.
Heather’s uncle, who had a career in military intelligence, was a “big fan” of Hillsdale College. He sent Heather’s older brother to attend Hillsdale College in the early ’90s. At his graduation, Heather experienced Hillsdale’s campus firsthand. “I toured the campus and realized Hillsdale had everything San Diego State University had, except the labs were open and you could walk in and touch things, and I thought ‘Wow, this place is amazing,’” Heather said. “So, I went back to San Diego State and thought about transferring to Hillsdale.”
Her Hillsdale adventure began at a San Diego State payphone. While talking with the College’s late registrar Kay Cosgrove, Heather recalled adding several quarters to the payphone so the call wouldn’t drop. “She (Kay) told me to go ahead and send my stuff over and transfer,” Heather smiled. “It all started from that payphone.”
Heather abounded with excitement as she prepared to venture across the country, but she quickly learned that life in the Midwest was not familiar. Adjusting to a new state, let alone a new climate, was a challenge.
“I transferred in January, and it was my first real winter,” Heather said. “It was one of those negative 30-degree winters. I was halfway up the hill, and I couldn’t move my muscles anymore. I was wearing a shrug and tall socks. Some girls came running and shoved me up the hill. They put this horrendously ugly coat on me. They let me keep the coat, and it was my new best friend. I wore that coat everywhere, and receiving that coat was my first glimpse of how nice people are here. Where I come from, you make it on your own, or you don’t make it at all.”
Heather embraced the culture but felt “average” when it came to the academics at Hillsdale College. She had always thrived academically, even as a teenager, graduating from high school at age 15. “I just really focused on my classes because they were so hard,” said Heather, “and I would swim in the morning, run in the afternoons, and work out at night. I wasn’t used to interacting with people all of the time, and I had to adapt. It took me a while.”
That adaptation quickly grew into appreciation as she settled into Midwest living. As graduation neared, Kay Cosgrove informed Heather that she needed a fine arts course in order to graduate and suggested she take an art class. “So, I told her I would draw a nicely colored genetics chart,” Heather laughed. “I ended up taking a sculpting class because one of my friends was in it.”
Heather said her art background was non-existent. “I took an art class in seventh grade,” she said. “I was given some clay. I rolled it in a ball and dropped it in some orange paint and said, ‘it’s a pumpkin.’ My teacher said I had no artistic ability. And I said, ‘That’s ok, because I’m going to med school.’”
To Heather’s surprise, sculpting came naturally. She didn’t use sculpting tools, claiming she didn’t know what to do with them, so she used her fingers. “When I was done sculpting a girl who modeled for my class, the model’s parents thought it was such a good likeness that they bought it from me.”
At the end of her senior year, Heather won a regional art competition. She was also granted an art scholarship to stay another semester to study art. After graduating, Heather remained in Hillsdale, where she continued to work with Associate Professor of Art Anthony Frudakis on some pieces. In 2000, Larry Arnn arrived as Hillsdale’s new president, and one of his early ideas was for a Liberty Walk statue project. “Dr. Arnn asked me to consider doing a piece for the College’s Liberty Walk,” Heather recalled. “I thought, ‘Of course I know how to do a seven-foot statue!’”
And a seven-foot statue she did. Heather sculpted the well-known Winston Churchill statue, located just inside the Grewcock Student Union on Hillsdale’s campus. In addition to Churchill, Heather was also commissioned to sculpt a Ludwig von Mises bust located in the Mossey Library, and an angel, displayed in the Fine Arts Building.
At this point, Heather began to wonder if she really wanted to attend medical school, or if it was just a goal she had all along. “I thought maybe I didn’t need to go to medical school,” said Heather, “and I didn’t. I didn’t get my master’s degree until later, and it was in Christian apologetics.”
Throughout it all, Heather remained in Hillsdale. “I knew I didn’t want to leave [Hillsdale],” Heather said. “The people were so nice. I wanted to raise my girls around people who were supportive.”
In addition to her art career, Heather works part-time for the College’s Admissions Department, interviewing prospective Hillsdale College students. She is also very involved in the Hillsdale community. Currently, Heather is vice president of Hillsdale County Right to Life and ArtWorks of Hillsdale County. She is a squad commander for Hillsdale’s Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary group of the U.S. Air Force. She is a founder of Hillsdale’s Heritage Association and a former president and active member of Hillsdale’s Rotary Club. And, she is also an active member at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Hillsdale.
“Hillsdale has given me opportunities to serve,” said Heather. “When I arrived here, I was not in a position of being able to serve others, and the people at the College and in the community stepped up to help me. Now, I am in a position to give back, and it’s an absolute delight to be able to serve.”
Heather’s sculptures can be found in prominent areas throughout Hillsdale. In 2016, Heather sculpted Winona, the daughter of Chief Baw Beese of the Potawatomis, commissioned by the Heritage Association. Winona is displayed in Mrs. Stock’s Park. In 2018, she sculpted a mother bear and cubs, also commissioned by the Heritage Association. The bears are located on the Baw Beese Trail.
“This winter, I’m working on a large, oversized painted turtle that will be displayed at Sandy Beach,” Heather said. “I chose the painted turtle because it’s Michigan’s state reptile. I come up with these ideas, and the City is always easy to work with. We figure out ways to get projects done. I think of Kevin Shannon who does the excavating and digs the holes, and Al Clendenning and Aaron Scrivens who bring the cement. They do a beautiful job and are willing to donate their skills and time to make things happen.”
Heather’s story is unique in that it all started from a payphone in California. Her dedication to the College, the community, and her family is evident in all that she does. Now that her daughters—one of whom is a Hillsdale College graduate—are grown, she’s looking forward to her next Hillsdale adventure. Unsure of what that next adventure is, she is certain she will forever call Hillsdale “home.”
“I just absolutely love Hillsdale and the College and what it stands for,” concluded Heather. “I love the idea of helping further the College’s mission, and I love to help others. Living here in Hillsdale is unique in that way.”
Stephanie Gordon, a lifelong Hillsdale native, is the managing editor of Virtue and Valor: The Official Blog of Hillsdale College. She is married to chiropractor, Dr. Matt Gordon, and has three children – Eloise, Flora, and Jack. When she has a spare moment, she enjoys paleo baking, floating on Baw Beese Lake, and breaking a sweat at the gym.
Published in September 2024
