Food, Liberal Arts Symposium's Focus

Building on the momentum of last year’s successful “Wally at the Bat” symposium, alumni and the faculty of the College present Wally Bon Vivant: A Spicy Symposium on Food and the Liberal Arts Friday, February 18.

 

“Last year the committee of alumni, faculty, and staff picked baseball and this year we picked food,” said Jon Pactor ’71. “But the goal is the same—to strengthen the ties among alumni, faculty, and staff through a fun symposium spanning the liberal arts, which is open to the entire Wabash family.”

 

All of the presentations will be held in Hays Science Hall in rooms 104 and 319. There is no cost for admissions to the afternoon sessions.

 

The daylong event is jointly sponsored by the Indianapolis Association of Wabash Men, the National Association of Wabash Men, and the College’s Alumni Office.

 

The evening dinner will give Wabash catering services Bon Appetit the chance to show off what they can do. Check out the video below about the Friday night food and wine pairing.

 

 

A reception featuring a food and drink bazaar will be he at 6 p.m. with dinner to follow. Reservations were closed earlier this week.

 

Dr. Mauri A. Ditzler ’75, President of Monmouth College, will be the keynote speaker at dinner.

 

Ditzler and his wife, Judi, are both from Indiana and they plan one day to retire to their farm in Parke County, where the Ditzlers grow and sell produce ranging from apples, cherries, and blueberries to pumpkins and gourds. As president at Monmouth, Ditzler has helped nurture a growing agri-business program.

 

 

 

Fletcher Boyd ’72, who recently retired from a long and successful career as a restaurateur in the Indianapolis area.

 

Mark Brouwer, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, will present “Wine, Whiskey, and the Life of the Mind: What Gustatory Description Tells Us About Ourselves.”

 

Tom Campbell, Professor of English, will present “Food and Drink from Beowulf to Chaucer.”

 

Leslie Day, Professor of Classics, will present “Dining with Minos: Feasting and Drinking in the Bronze Age Aegean.”

 

Mauri A. Ditzler ’75, President of Monmouth College, will present the keynote address after dinner. When not on campus, President Ditzler and his wife, Judy, tend a large farm in Parke County, Indiana, where they grow and sell a wide range of fruits and vegetables.

 

Scott Feller, Professor of Chemistry and Chair of Division One, will present “A Molecular Level Understanding of ‘Good’ vs. ‘Bad’ Fats.’”

 

Karen Gunther, Assistant Professor of Psychology, will present “The Physiology of Taste.”

 

David Kubiak, Professor of Classics, will give a presentation (and tasting) entitled, "Wine at Wabash: La Route des Grands Crus.”

 

John Livengood ’69 is a partner in the consulting business LMV. He is the president of the Indiana Restaurant Association, the Indiana Hotel and Lodging Association, the Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers and the Indiana Hospitality and Tourism Foundation.

 

Ann Taylor, Associate Professor and Chair of the Chemistry Department, will present “High Fructose Corn Syrup: Villain or Victim?”

 

Rick Warner, Associate Professor of History, will present “Amazing Maize: A World History of Corn.”

 

 

Welcome by Professor Greg Redding ’88

Fletcher Boyd ’72: Food and the Liberal Arts: We are what we eat, so let's play with our food!

 

Keynote Address by Mauri Ditzler ’75

Master of Ceremonies Professor Rick Warner