Eastern Fall 2011 Editor’s Note
Zach vs. Mario I
Vol. 9, Issue 1 EDITOR
Darcy Giff ord ART DIRECTOR
Mike Andaloro (BFA75) CONTRIBUTORS
want to be Zach Wigal. It’s not about the video games. I’m partial to my Nintendo 64, purchased in 1996,
and only play one game: Mario Kart. Popular games like Halo are way over my head. I’m too busy fl inging bananas and turtle shells to worry about defending Earth from aliens. It’s not about his basement, a funky and eclectic space that he calls “a gamer’s dream
come true”—although I am a tad jealous. And I defi nitely don’t want to be a 21-year-old guy. T e more I think about it, though, it’s probably more accurate to say: I wish the
17-year-old me had been more like Zach. Zach gets it. He understands the importance of giving back to others, and he had the
brains and the drive to create something meaningful. Zach was just 17 when he took his passion—video gaming—and created a nonprofi t foundation that has raised money for causes like the Autism Society of Washtenaw County (Zach’s Got Game, p. 12). He’s now 21 years old, and I wonder if he will be the next generation’s version of Bill
and Delores “Dee” Brehm. T e Brehms’ passion is special education. T ey have made a diff erence in the lives of
countless Eastern students and the children that those students eventually teach. Dee graduated from Michigan State Normal College (now Eastern) in 1952, and she at ributes her success to a small scholarship she received prior to entering MSNC. She and Bill started an endowed scholarship for outstanding students in special education; four of these students are featured on p. 18 (Four Brehm Scholars Refl ect on T eir Aspirations and T eir Gratitude). Over the summer, they donated $3.2 million to start the Delores Soderquist Brehm Center for Special Education Scholarship and Research. We’re grateful for Dee and
Bill Brehm. We’re proud that Zach Wigal
chose EMU for his education. We hope you enjoy reading
more about the causes they hold
special. Who knows? T e stories may even inspire us to follow their lead. —DG
Angela Ahlijian (BA11), Chris Azzopardi (BS06), Ethan Bordman (BBA92), Catherine Kavanaugh (BA86), Kurt Anthony Krug, Randy Mascharka (BBA85), Dan Mathis (BS07), Nancy Mida (BS72), Jeff Mortimer, Jeff Samoray, Ron Podell,
Leah Shutes, Scott Stewart, Ellen Weaver ABOUT EASTERN
Eastern (ISSN 2150-4679) is published three
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The views presented are not necessarily those of the editor or the offi cial policies of the University.
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4 Eastern | FALL 2011
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