Annual Whiteman lecture features plans for small-town development

By: Natalie Pistole
Contributing Writer

The Whitemans are a prominent family in the Monmouth area because of the work each member does for the town and surrounding communities. It is only appropriate, then, for the lecturer at this year’s Wendell Whiteman Memorial Lecture, Jack Schultz, will talk about developing projects and creating jobs in small rural towns at 11 a.m. Monday, April 23 in the Dahl Chapel and Auditorium.

Wendell Whiteman, an alumnus of Monmouth College and father of three men who are also alumni of the college, is a long-time executive of Security Savings Bank in Monmouth. His three sons, Ralph, Dick and Don, have created a Hall of Fame for the town of Monmouth, and Ralph has worked at the college and has been on the board as well. These men honor their father in having an annual lecture in his name which has been in occurrence since 1992.

The lecture has brought some pretty big names to the campus and has a strong tradition for the business majors and even community members who are in attendance. The speakers have included names such as Walter Huff, Jerry Porras, a famous author, Andrew Bauer, the co-owner and secretary/treasurer of the Saint Louis Cardinals Baseball Club, Dinesh D’Souza, an author and former senior domestic policy analyst for the Reagan administration, Leonard Hadley, chairman and CEO of Maytag Corporation and Robert Solow, the recipient of the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize for Economics.

As all of the previous lecturers had their special perks and honors about them, this year’s lecturer, Jack Schultz, will, no doubt, hit home to the audience. His lecture, “Millennial Entrepreneurs: Transforming America’s Economy,” will give the audience ideas in improving Monmouth as a community. Barry McNamara, associate director of college communications, says, “I think it [the lecture] is going to give the students and others from the town good ideas on improving the town.”

Schultz was chosen to talk at the lecture when President Mauri Ditzler was intrigued by Schultz’s book, “Boomtown USA: The 7 ½ Keys to Big Success in Small Towns.” He then asked the Whiteman family, who is always involved in selection of the lecturer, and together they agreed he would be a perfect fit.

Schultz’s book was published in 2004 and, in the past three years, he has spoken to more than 200 communities in 42 states, traveling more than 220,000 miles. In doing this, he is fast making himself known as a national expert on economic development. His research has been published in USA Today, “Forbes” magazine and “Business Week.” He also has won awards such as the 2005 Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award and recently the Beta Gamma Sigma International Medallion for Entrepreneurship.

This lecture will especially appeal to those interested in business and the development of small-town America. Dalene White, director of advancement planned giving/major gifts, says, “I think it’s a nice opportunity for college students to hear an entrepreneurial speaker who has lived that world and has strived to make a better world for small towns.”

As the Whiteman family and the community of Monmouth honor Wendell Whiteman as both a father and an outstanding community member, Monmouth College will welcome Jack Schultz to speak about rural America and possible improvement techniques. If you are interested in helping small towns prosper, then this is the lecture for you.