Written by Doug Goodnough
Last month, I shared the breakdown of Hillsdale College alumni by state, showing that we are indeed spreading its mission far and wide.
These last few weeks, I went on a personal alumni national tour, visiting Florida, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Mexico in my travels for the College.
- We had a strong turnout in Lakeland, Florida, for a Detroit Tigers spring training game on March 16. Executive Director of Alumni Relations Colleen McGinness, ’04, and I had the pleasure of attending the launch of the College’s new online course, “Understanding Capitalism” in Sarasota on March 20, with some alumni visits along the way as I gathered content for future profiles.
- The next stop: Pennsylvania and Delaware, where I assisted with a video shoot for John Burtka, ’12, one of our 2025 alumni award winners.
- Finally, it was a journey to Gallup, New Mexico, where we joined 2025 alumni award winner Juliane Malia Hillock, ’91, at her classical school on a Navajo reservation for another video shoot.
That’s quite a month. And I’m not done yet, as I have plans to travel back to Florida and out to Seattle in the coming weeks.
When I started as a cub reporter many years ago, my newspaper editor said “being there” made for a successful journalist. This was before the days of internet, cell phones, and virtual meetings. But her point was well-taken: attending events and speaking to people in person often made all the difference in telling a good story.
I find that to be true even today. In the Alumni Office, we try to be good stewards of the College’s resources, and being able to meet in person for each story I write is not a reasonable request [and my time on the road would prevent me from doing the rest of my job’s duties]. However, occasionally getting out and meeting alumni proves to be a rewarding experience.
Phone interviews certainly get the words right, and my interview subjects are some of the most interesting people around (check out the rest of the alumni profiles on the Virtue and Valor blog). But, as radio legend Paul Harvey used to say, there is the rest of the story.
Sitting across the table from Tom Williams, ’67, and hearing him share the story of his legendary Hillsdale coach, athlete, and father, Johnny Williams, ’44, I witnessed the emotion in his eyes as he talked about his family’s remarkable connection with Hillsdale College.
Watching Emily Anstead’s body language as she listened to her husband, Glenn Anstead, ’81, share his Hillsdale exploits on the football field and on campus, she was definitely trying very hard not to chime in with some “revisionist history” when Glenn was recounting his memories, especially of a certain class reunion experience at Hillsdale.
I experienced the Hillsdale bond my classmate Scott Forrester, ’90, (see my profile of him in this issue) has with his daughter, Moira, a current junior at Hillsdale, during breakfast on a sunny Saturday morning in Florida. Even though she eventually left us for an event at Universal Studios, it was evident that Scott was thrilled both of his daughters had the chance to follow in his footsteps at Hillsdale.
Were these in-person meetings helpful in telling these stories? I like to think so. I know I came away with enriching experiences, and I made personal connections with these folks.
What does “the rest of the story” mean for you? The College and our office plans dozens of events around the country for our alumni and friends each year. We realize most of our graduates can’t make it to campus regularly, so we hope for the chance to bring a little bit of Hillsdale College to you. Take advantage of it. In my opinion, there is no substitute for being at events and on campus in person to meet and reconnect with like-minded people.
Except for maybe reading our stories in the White & Blue e-newsletter, the Alumni Magazine, or Arete, of course.
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s senior director of Alumni Marketing. He enjoys connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in April 2025
