FALL 2014
Spreading her wings How Karla (Sylling) Bloem ’94 became an international owl expert
Editor Ellen Modersohn Luther Magazine Volume 48, Number 1, Fall 2014
Managing Editor Kate Frentzel
Published by Luther College for alumni, parents, and friends
Designer Michael Bartels Contributors Sherry (Braun) Alcock ’82
Sue (Franzen) Drilling ’78 Alexandra Fitschen ’15 Sara Friedl-Putnam Kirk Johnson ’82 Paige Lobdell ’16 Aaron Lurth ’08 Karen Martin-Schramm Judy Riha Blaire Shaffer ’15 Julie Satre Shockey ’01 Ann Sponberg Peterson
Luther Alumni Magazine welcomes articles and signed letters to the editor; submissions may be edited for style, clarity, or length. Inquiries and submissions may be sent to the Editor, Luther Alumni Magazine, Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045; magazine@luther.edu; phone (563) 387-1350. Class Notes submissions and changes of address may be sent to the Alumni Office at the address above. Alumni news may be emailed to the Alumni Office at alumni@ luther.edu. Questions and concerns about the magazine may be emailed to magazine@luther.edu.
Contents Features Commencement
23
Senior candids
26
For the love of owls
34
This spring’s graduation ceremony sent the class of 2014 into the world with U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin’s top 10 rules to live by.
Eight new graduates talk about their lives at Luther, from honing their composition and comedy chops, to leading student government and a winning softball team, to preparing to take on Silicon Valley and genetic research.
The life of Karla (Sylling) Bloem ’94 revolves around owls as she studies how they communicate, organizes an annual international owl festival, and plans the first public center in North America devoted to the birds.
Departments Campus
2
Development News............................................ 13 Athletics.............................................................. 16
Alumni
39
Class Notes.........................................................44 Marriages............................................................67 Births/Adoptions................................................68 In Memoriam.......................................................70
MARIA DA SILVA ’15
Calendar
Alumni Office (800) 225-8664; (800) 2 ALUMNI Admissions Office (800) 458-8437; (800) 4 LUTHER Web www.luther.edu www.luthermagazine.com Copyright Luther College 2014
inside back
Cover: Karla (Sylling) Bloem ’94 with Alice, the owl ambassador for the Houston (Minn.) Nature Center, where Bloem is director. Story on page 32. Photo by Aaron Lurth ’08. Left: Scott Carlson, Luther biology professor, shows summer seminar students how to dissect a muscle from a frog leg. The group studied dynamics of skeletal muscle in a Summer Science Seminar in July. Luther’s Summer Science Seminars provide a challenging experience for high school students who are interested in careers in the sciences. The program is targeted to ethnic minority students and/or first-generation college students who show great promise for college entrance and eventual service to their professions and communities. The intensive six-day program is designed to provide students with hands-on experiences, working with professors and college students on real research projects in laboratories and participating in meaningful class discussions. Learn more about summer seminars, including the Teacher Education Seminar, at luther.edu/diversity/ sumseminar. Photo by Maria da Silva ’15.
Campus News EDITOR’S NOTE
It’s not only about the learning, it’s about what you do with it “If you’re just out there doing research, how much impact are you really having on the world? Not much, unless you’re bringing what you learn to the public,” says Karla (Sylling) Bloem ’94. She was talking about her plans to create an owl center that shares knowledge and gives the public tools to help owl species thrive. Bloem began doing original research on how owls communicate through their vocalizations because she wanted to get along better with an injured owl she had raised (page 32.) She could have satisfied her curiosity and just lived happily with her owl, but she’s publishing papers, running an owl cam,
and planning a multimilliondollar owl center instead. The scope of Bloem’s outreach may be extraordinary, but the intent— to make the world a better place by sharing wisdom—is typical of liberal arts grads. And this issue of the magazine is full of such examples. On page 7, read about the Luther students training to be teachers who used world-renowed agronomist Norman Borglaug’s nearby homestead to teach area fifth graders about agriculture and economies, using his property exactly as he intended. Eugene Takle ’66 was honored at Commencement for his more than 40 years of teaching at
Iowa State University and his research about how climate change may affect our lives (page 24). A new alumnus summed up the concept pretty much as Bloem did. Charles MartinStanley II ’14, profiled on page 28, was sharing his knowledge with the world well before graduation. He spoke at three conferences last spring to report his research on how small liberal arts schools can increase retention rates among students of color. This fall he begins studies in student affairs administration, believing, he says, “that once you receive education in life, you should give it back to other people.”
DID LUTHER WORK STUDY INFLUENCE YOUR CAREER?
Alumni, did your work-study job at Luther contribute in any way to your current career? Are you a videographer who got started in Luther’s Photo Bureau? Did you gain management skills working in the Caf that serve you in your position now? How did working for an academic department help you decide on your career? Send me a letter or email and tell me your story. —Ellen Modersohn, editor Luther College Publications 700 College Drive Decorah, IA 52101 magazine@luther.edu
Friday, October 10, 2014 Homecoming Weekend
I N AU G U R AT I O N of
PAULA J. CARLSON as the
10th president of Luther College For more information, visit www.luther.edu/president/inauguration
Video of the event will be archived at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/ lutheradmin.portal
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Campus News
Letters home Elisabeth Koren’s 19th-century correspondence has been donated to the college Elisabeth Koren, Norwegian immigrant, pioneer woman, pastor’s wife, and mother of nine, was also a dedicated letter-writer. The recent discovery of 156 of her letters, which have been donated to Luther College, sheds light not only on her life of reflection, motherhood, immigration, and faith, but also on the larger history of Norwegians in America. In 1853, when Elisabeth and her husband, Ulrik Vilhelm (U. V.), left Norway, they traveled across the rough Atlantic by masted ship. They crossed a new country by dugout canoe, by snow-hampered wagon, and over an icecovered Mississippi River on a journey from Europe to Iowa that took more than three months. And every letter Elisabeth wrote to family back home had to make that laborious journey in reverse. The Koren letters came to light last winter during a bout of housekeeping, said Betty Rikansrud Nelson ’57, wife of the late David Nelson, Koren’s great-grandson. They’d been stored at the bottom of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, along with Betty’s annuals (she is class agent for Luther’s class of 1957). Because she needed to access the annuals regularly, she decided to reorganize—and viola! The letters were tucked in a bundle with U. V.’s sermons. While Betty doesn’t know exactly how they ended up back in Decorah, her brother-in-law John Nelson has speculated that they may have traded hands during an ancestor’s visit to Norway. In donating the 156 letters to Luther, Betty gifted the college with a large and distinctive
collection of “America letters,” correspondence new immigrants wrote to those in the homeland they left behind. America letters can be found as early as the 1820s, but they really flourished in the 1850s with the introduction of the postal stamp. The Koren letters, which were written between 1853 and 1867 and sent to Koren’s father, stepmother, and uncle, display a flawless, miniscule hand on paper as thin and yellowed as onionskin.
“It’s so colloquial and so much about family life. It’s a woman’s world from that time.” —Øyvind Gulliksen Øyvind Gulliksen, a retired professor of American literature and culture who splits his residence between Decorah and Norway, has offered to work with the letters. He concedes their beauty but jokes, “Sometimes I sit there with a magnifying glass—I look like something out of a Dickens novel!” To improve their readability, the Luther College Archives staff has scanned the letters and digitally enhanced the scans, which will allow students and others to easily interact with the materials. Many America letters originated in rural farming communities, and they typically described conditions in the new country, including the state of the farmland, crops, and cattle, as well as the births of children. “Of course,” Gulliksen said, “the farm let-
ters are very short, and once the information is said, it’s said. What Elisabeth does is meditate on the information she gives. She asks her mother in an 1861 letter, ‘When do you think it’s time for me to stop breastfeeding my child?’ She’s worried because she’s heard it’s not a good idea to stop breastfeeding in the summer, so she writes about the weening of her child.” Gulliksen continued, “After she has given birth to her third or fourth child, she’s weak, and she describes how her body is coming back. This is in the springtime, and she notices if there are dimples in her baby’s cheek. It’s so colloquial and so much about family life. It’s a woman’s world from that time, from the early days of Norwegian settlement.” While Koren kept a diary, which was published in 1955, it covers only three years, from 1853 to 1855. The letters span 14 years, beginning with the couple’s first year in America; following them as they set up a parsonage on Washington Prairie, about seven miles southeast of Decorah; and venturing far into Elisabeth’s motherhood. During a time when the Midwest constituted America’s unpredictable frontier and a few miles was no small distance, U. V. often left Elisabeth and the children alone for weeks or even months while he tended to his parsonage and helped secure land to found Luther College. Elisabeth faced pioneer, log-cabin life with courage, humor, faith, and full engagement. Gulliksen said, “She writes so much as a woman who is sensing life out there on the parson-
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age. And she’s a good writer of details. She’s walking out in the garden in the spring of ’61 and she says, ‘The gooseberries are turning green.’ Even that—it’s just a detail from her garden, and she writes it to her parents.” She also documents the games her children play, and she dictates things they say. “She even mimics their Norwegian,” Gulliksen marveled, “because of course her children spoke in
capital letter, every mistake. I’m not altering anything.” After that, they will be translated into both English and Norwegian. “It’s a lived life out there very early,” Gulliksen said. “It will be interesting to see how American she becomes, how she assimilates. The letters I’ve read so far are of one obviously living in the diaspora. She is living in Washington Prairie, but her mind works in this Dano-Norwegian setup that
Norwegian,” as opposed to DanoNorwegian, which Elisabeth and her parents spoke. At this point, Gulliksen has sampled only about 10 of the 156 letters, but he plans to comb through the collection in more depth this fall. He will first transcribe the letters onto the screen in their native Dano-Norwegian, taking care, he said, “to be as true as possible to every punctuation mark, every comma, every
she’s used to. How that changes over a long life in Iowa will be interesting to see.” Gulliksen thinks readers in Norway will also be interested in the letters. “This is an early immigrant woman, and this is her voice. And it’s fascinating.” —Kate Frentzel See more photos of the letters at http://lczine.com/korenletters.
For four years, Dale Nimrod, professor emeritus of chemistry, accompanied Luther’s student Habitat for Humanity chapter on trips to Ocean Springs, Miss., to help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. This past March, Nimrod and his wife, Sunny, visited the area again and made a connection between Luther College and the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs. Students who made the trip over the years became familiar with the museum because it lies between where the students stayed and the Gulf Coast beach. Nimrod learned that artist Walter Anderson was influenced by Psalm 104, which also inspired the Russian choral composer, Paul Tschesnokoff, who wrote the stirring “O Lord God.” Luther
PHOTO COURTESY OF DALE NIMROD
Artist, composer, and Luther all linked by Psalm 104 inspiration
Rosemary Roosa, of the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs, Miss., holds a Nordic Choir recording of “O Lord God,” presented by Dale Nimrod, professor emeritus of chemistry, on behalf of Luther.
singers, of course, are quite familiar with that work: it has been the signature piece of Nordic Choir for more than 50 years. Among the many types of artwork Anderson created, he painted a mural on the wood walls of his cottage in Ocean Springs that begins on the east wall with sunrise and continues around the room through noon, sunset, and night. In his book, A Painter’s Psalm: The Mural in Walter Anderson’s Cottage, author Redding Sugg makes the case, based on the papers found in the cottage upon Anderson’s death and the logs kept by the artist, that the mural was influenced by Psalm 104. The organization and spirit of the work seem to align with the psalm, especially its culminating words, “I will sing
to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.” The mural can be seen at the museum. In honor of the artist and composer’s connection to the psalm, along with that of Nordic Choir, and on behalf of Luther, Nimrod presented a copy of the choir’s recording of “O Lord God” to Rosemary Roosa, executive director of the Anderson museum. Nimrod says Roosa “was genuinely pleased to receive a recording of a choral piece inspired by the same text and highlighting those culminating words of the psalm.”
Connie Plaehn ’75 appointed to Luther’s Board of Regents Connie Plaehn ’75 is Luther’s newest appointee to the Board of Regents. Since earning certification as a public accountant in 1976, Plaehn has worked for a number of major financial institutions, including Conti Financial in Chicago and Akroyd & Smithers in London. At J.P. Morgan she has served as vice president of J.P. Morgan
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Securities, vice president of J.P. Morgan Investment Management,
and managing director of J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Plaehn holds professional credentials and affiliations including membership with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York Women’s Bond Club, and various Financial Institution Regulatory Authority registrations. She is also a former member of the Chicago
Board Options Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Chicago Board of Trade, and the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange. Plaehn holds an M.B.A. from Northwestern University. She has two sons, one of whom will begin his sophomore year at Luther in the fall, and she lives in Chappaqua, New York.
Campus News
Student award and grant recipients Fulbright scholarships Kirsten Jacobson ’11, Maddy Kofoed ’14, Kimberly Rooney ’13, and Becca Rudquist ’14 were selected for Fulbright awards for the 2014–15 academic year. A highly competitive award, the Fulbright foreign scholarship provides funds for a year’s educational experience abroad, including travel, health insurance, and a living stipend. Jacobson, from Platteville, Wis., majored in history and French and will serve as an English teaching assistant in Vietnam. Kofoed, from Apple Valley, Minn., majored in Spanish and biology and will serve as an English teaching assistant in Argentina. Rooney, from Holmen, Wis., majored in
Kirsten Jacobson ’11
Maddy Kofoed ’14
French and Africana studies and will serve as an English teaching assistant in Senegal. Rudquist, from Deer River, Minn., majored in English and will serve as an English teaching assistant in Malaysia. Sponsored by the State Department, the Fulbright is the largest U.S. international exchange program,
Kimberly Rooney ’13
Becca Rudquist ’14
offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, and teaching at elementary, secondary, and university schools worldwide.
Davis Projects for Peace program Ervin Liz ’16, Mahadeva Illanco Kavindra ’16, and Noorullah Zafari ’15 were granted $10,000 from the competitive Davis Projects for Peace program to fund their two peacethemed projects this past summer. The Projects for Peace program is an invitation to undergraduates at American colleges and universities in the Davis United World College Scholars Program to design grassroots projects that can be implemented around the world. Ervin traveled to his homeland in the Tierradentro region of Columbia to work with the Nasa indigenous people in San Adrès on building a greenhouse as the base
of study for endangered agricultural plant species. The idea was to plant and cultivate native species in critical areas within the region, continuously Ervin Liz ’16 expanding to feed a wider circle of people. Mahadeva Illanco and Zafari traveled to the northern province of Sri Lanka, Mahadeva Illanco’s homeland, to offer assistance to children still suffering from the fallout of a
Mahadeva Illanco Kavindra ’16
Noorullah Zafari ’15
bloody civil war that ravaged the country until 2009 and left thousands orphaned. Projects for Peace is an initiative inspired by the late Kathryn W. Davis, an accomplished internationalist and philanthropist.
Rossing Physics Scholarship
McElroy Fellowship
David Pfotenhauer ’15 received a Rossing Physics Scholarship for the 2014–15 academic year. The $10,000 scholarship is highly competitive and is awarded annually to five physics students of exceptional merit through the Thomas D. Rossing Fund David Pfotenhauer ’15 for Physics Education. The awards are made possible through gifts from Rossing ’50, who created the fund through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Foundation. Pfotenhauer, from Madison, Wis., is majoring in physics and mathematics.
Katrina Okerstrom ’14 was awarded a $30,000 graduate fellowship from the R. J. McElroy Trust. The fellowships, which carry a stipend of up to $30,000 paid over three years, were established by the McElroy trustees in 1983 and are designed to encourage persons of accomplishment, intelligence, integrity, and leadership ability to pursue challenging academic careers. Okerstrom, from Decorah, majored in psychology and biology, with a minor in classics. She will pursue a docKatrina Okerstrom ’14 toral degree in neuroscience at the University of Iowa. The McElroy Fellowships were established to support students seeking higher education. The trust is designed to benefit “deserving young people.” The trust benefactor, R. J. McElroy, was a pioneer broadcaster who started the Black Hawk Broadcasting Company in 1947.
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Campus News
The Luther community celebrated David (left) and Muffy (right) Tiede with a send-off potluck in May, gifting the couple with a pair of boxes carved by Harley Refsal (center). In a clear sign of mutual respect, David is even wearing a Harley Refsal tie. Even while he played a temporary role, Tiede brought some things to Luther that will make a lasting impression. He opened a dialogue among the community about some of the disruptors facing higher education; identified crucial “strategic disciplines” that will help move Luther in the right direction; helped launch a review of the Diversity Center and the Office of College Min-
Brudos Family Prize for Opera Performance Jenny LeDoux ’15 is the recipient of the 2014– 15 Alan R. and Sally J. Brudos Family Prize for Opera Performance at Luther College. LeDoux will present the Brudos Family Opera Prize recital during the 2014–15 academic year. LeDoux, daughter of Dean and Sarah LeDoux of Minneapolis, is majoring in music at Luther. She is a voice student of Karen Kanakis, Luther associate professor of music; Jenny LeDoux ’15 Jessica Paul, Luther professor of music; and Jill Phillips ’10, alumni guest lecturer in music. Presented annually to a Luther senior, the Brudos Prize was established by Alan ’55 and Sally Brudos to support students of outstanding ability and achievement who are preparing for careers in opera performance. The prize includes a $5,000 award. The winner is chosen by a panel of Luther voice faculty members. Selection is based on promise and quality of vocal performance. In addition to the opera prize, Alan and Sally Brudos have recently established an endowed fund to offset the expenses of a guest voice
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istries, as well as a strategic planning process in the Career Center; and designed a new alumni event, Blessed to Be a Blessing!, aimed at vocational discernment in one’s “third chapter” of life. Tiede will also be remembered at Luther for his limitless energy and positivity. Keith Christensen ’80, vice president for development at Luther, remembers being concerned
about the quantity of events that David and Muffy would be asked to attend. In reviewing the list of events surrounding Homecoming, David—not realizing that he’d seen only one page of four—said, “Well, I thought this was going to be a busier weekend when we first talked. I think Muffy and I can certainly do all of these.” He and Christensen laughed when they realized the error, but ultimately, David and Muffy did attend all 55 events that weekend. When he thinks about the Tiedes, Christensen recalls the words of a graduating senior from a few years ago, who said, “Some people come to Luther and pass through here, but others come to Luther College and it passes through them.” “I liken that to what happened to David and Muffy,” Christensen says. “They fell in love with this place and have let it pass through them in such a way that it will forever be a part of their story. Likewise, Luther has been impacted by their love and passion for this place, even in the short time of their stay.”
master class clinician. The voice faculty of Luther’s music department is very thankful to the Brudos family for their generous support and continued interest in the voice and opera program.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ANN SPONBERG PETERSON
Interim president David Tiede and his wife, Muffy, were with Luther only one year, but in that short time, they became beloved figures around campus. Tiede, who had served as president of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., and as interim president of Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, among other academic and consulting roles, took on the position at Luther with ease and confidence, building trust and friendships quickly. Karen Martin-Schramm, executive assistant to the president at Luther, worked with Tiede closely and admires his eloquence and “his intellect, quick wit, and pastoral heart.” She says, “David understood what it meant to be an interim president: not to change a lot of things, but to buoy the community after what had been a difficult presidential search, keep us moving forward, and prepare us for the 10th presidency.”
ZACH STOTTLER ’15
Luther bids a fond farewell to the Tiedes
Evan Mitchell ’14, 2013–14 recipient of the Brudos Family Prize for Opera Performance, presented the annual Brudos Recital in April. He is shown here with Alan ’55 and Sally Brudos, who established the prize.
Campus News
Luther education majors spent a day teaching fifth graders at hands-on learning centers they staged at the Norman Borlaug homestead. At left, students compare prices in the 1920s to those of today in a Price Is Right–style game. Right, students explore the differences between hundred-year-old tools and modern tools.
Future educators teach—and learn—at Borlaug’s boyhood home This spring, Norman Borlaug, the agronomist and “man who saved a billion lives” through his advances in plant breeding, which helped avert mass famine in the developing world, would have celebrated his hundredth birthday. Luther students celebrated his legacy with an event that would have made the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner proud. The students, education majors in science and social studies methods courses, hosted more than 200 fifth graders from New Hampton, Decorah, and North Winneshiek schools at the Norman Borlaug Heritage Foundation in northeast Iowa for a day of fun, hands-on learning inspired by the father of the Green Revolution, a phrase that describes the increases in crop yield that resulted from Borlaug’s work. The foundation preserves Borlaug’s boyhood home, farm, and schoolhouse, and Luther teachers-in-training took full advantage of the facilities to run 10 different learning stations where children compared oldtime machines to the machines
of today; tested water quality in the stream that traverses the property; compared prices in the 1920s to current costs in a Price Is Right–style game; made miniature wind generators using popsicle sticks; played mancala with seeds; and sampled food from around the world. Students also learned about food production, world population, and inequity through stations that, for example, distributed different amounts of animal crackers to groups representing
different countries. Borlaug, who didn’t want his homestead to become a museum, but rather a place where kids could touch and physically interact with their environment, surely would have approved. But the event, which Luther education majors have hosted annually since 2012, benefitted the future teachers as well. “All of these Luther students will be student teaching next year,” says Barbara Bohach, associate
professor of education at Luther who team-teaches the methods courses with instructor Birgitta Meade ’84. “This was one of their first experiences teaching the same lesson multiple times. It was good practice for them to problem-solve on their feet and make adjustments between sessions if they needed to.” Samantha Cuvelier ’14 agrees: “We were able to apply what we learned in the classroom to real students, which was great real-world experience for us all, and being located on Norman Borlaug’s farm made it easy to tie learning experience to his amazing accomplishments.” Borlaug famously said, “It was on a 56-acre farm in Howard County that I learned agronomy, not in a book.” And now a generation of Iowa schoolchildren— and their future teachers—are learning real-life lessons on that same farmstead. — Kate Frentzel
A few education majors visited the Luther costume shop to give the fifth graders a more authentic one-room-schoolhouse experience.
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ZACHARY S. STOTTLER ’15
Campus News
Larry Welo ’74, After and Before, etching, 2000, 16 by 20 inches
LUTHER GALLERIES 2014–15 Kristin Wigley-Fleming Fine Arts Gallery, Center for the Arts Sept. 10–Oct. 17
Art Faculty Show
Oct. 24–Dec. 12
Susan White
Jan. 8–24
Charles Smith (African American folk sculptures from the Luther Fine Arts Collection, curated by Katie Mathis ’15)
Feb. 6–March 13
Vinicius Lima and Bradley Coulter graphic and industrial design
March 24–April 29
Amber Ginsburg and Katie Hargrave installation/performance
May 6–24
Senior Art Majors
paintings
Preus Library Sept. 8–Oct. 12
Selected Works by Art Alumni in the Luther Fine Arts Collection
Oct. 27–Dec. 12
Jason Elkins
Jan. 16–March 13
Malcolm Childers Etchings from the Collection of Craig Kitchen
March 27–May 24
Luther College and the American Landscape
photography
(works from the Luther Fine Arts Collection curated by Luther students)
Center for Faith and Life Sept. 5–Oct. 12
Larry Welo ’74
Oct. 24–Dec. 7
Sandra Bowden: With Word and Song mixed media
prints
Feb. 4–28
Daylo Laoye
March 6–April 18
Matthew Drissell food-based paintings
April 22–May 24
Bob Campagna
paintings
photography
For more information, visit www.luther.edu/galleries. Dates and shows subject to change.
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Shown here is the will-reading scene from Gianni Schicchi. Left to right: Jimmy Deignan ’16, Dylan Carlson ’14, Ali Smith ’15, Max Elliot ’16, Kelley Lokensgard ’15, James Odegaard ’15, Sophia Huang ’14, and Braun Oldenkamp ’15.
Student musicians present two Puccini operas At the end of the spring semester, Luther’s Music Department presented two one-act operas by Giacomo Puccini: Sister Angelica and Gianni Schicchi. Thought by many to be the quintessential Italian opera composer, Puccini’s penchant for writing beautiful melodies and for breathing musical life into a story are on full display in these two works. Sister Angelica takes place in the late 18th century in a convent on the Mediterranean Sea. A mysterious story unfolds amid the daily activities of the nuns: no one knows why Sister Angelica, a noble woman by birth, came to the convent seven years ago, nor why she has not heard from her family or friends since she arrived. When Angelica’s aunt makes an unexpected visit to the convent, Angelica is confronted with heartbreaking news and a terrible dilemma. Puccini’s music soars as Angelica resolves to place her fate in the hands of the Virgin Mary. The action of Gianni Schicchi takes place in Florence in the year 1918. The relatives of Buoso Donati are gathered by his deathbed; yet, rather than mourning his loss, the Donati family desperately wants to inherit a fortune from Buoso’s will. When the family learns that Buoso has bequeathed his entire estate to the church, they have no choice but to seek the help of Gianni Schicchi, a crafty and notorious swindler. Together, they hatch a plot to revoke Buoso’s will, but Gianni’s true motives aren’t revealed until the lawyer actually arrives. This masterful comedy, which contains one of opera’s most beloved arias, never fails to entertain. Both operas were double cast in the leading roles. Sopranos Andrea Keuper ’14 and Brittney Leemon ’14 sang the title role in Sister Angelica. Baritones David Geist ’14 and Evan Mitchell ’14 sang the title role in Gianni Schicchi. One of the most famous and iconic arias in all of opera, “O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi, was sung by sopranos Vanessa Libbey ’14 and Jenny LeDoux ’15, playing the role of Schicchi’s daughter Lauretta. The performances were sung in English. Stage direction was by Andrew Whitfield, associate professor of music; set design by Jeff Dintaman, professor of theatre; and the Luther College Chamber Orchestra was conducted by Daniel Baldwin, professor of music.
LUTHER COLLEGE PHOTO BUREAU
Campus News
Mariah Crotty ’15 and Andrea Malek ’15 set up an acoustic detector to monitor bat activity.
Summer researchers investigate whether wind turbine affects bats Wind energy is becoming a prominent feature of both economic and visual landscapes across the United States. Wind turbines, like the one Luther operates in Decorah, are a sustainable energy resource. But what effects do they have on the local wildlife, and how can any threats be minimized? This past summer, Luther’s Biology Department investigated the college wind turbine’s impact on bats. Dawn Reding, Luther visiting assistant professor in biology, and students Mariah Crotty ’15 and Andrea Malek ’15 used several methods to survey bat populations and estimate bat mortality caused by the sweeping rotor blades. Three acoustic monitoring sites were set up around Decorah to learn more about species presence and abundance, and the researchers have conducted daily searches around the turbine to look for bat carcasses. Eight species have been detected in the area, and each detector recorded from 50 to 600 bat calls per night this summer. Although a few carcasses have been found beneath the wind turbine, additional monitoring and analysis will be necessary to better estimate the turbine’s impact. Bats are a very important part of the environment and eat annoying insects, with some species eating 500 to 1,000 mosquitoes in a single hour. With their work, the researchers aim to learn more about the bats in northeastern Iowa and provide information needed to lessen human impact on the area’s wildlife.
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Campus News
Bob Larson wraps Luther career after 48 years Bob Larson retired from the Luther faculty in the spring after 48 years in the Theatre Department. Larson taught in England last year on the Nottingham Program and responded via email to my questions. I got a little help with those questions from Larson’s colleagues in the Visual and Performing Arts Department. —Ellen Modersohn EM: What were the best things about your teaching career? BL: Obviously—one starts with the obvious— the interaction with students. As a college professor, you get to accompany ever-changing and developing groups of young men and women who are in the midst of their own interesting, demanding, frustrating, compelling personal and professional journeys. Nudging, questioning, listening, and supporting them were all part of the equation. Another best thing is how much I gained and learned by observing and conversing with colleagues. An academic environment is filled with people who are doing exciting work, in and out of the classroom, and sensing their passion and excitement was always enjoyable. Such colleagues also included members of the staff who continue to take pride in their work and often become an extension of the learning environment. Another best thing was the delight of daily being in a setting that has its own pool, tennis courts, coffee shops, library, performance spaces, living quarters, labs, studios—in other words, a vibrant environment that feeds the spirit and body as well as the mind. EM: What was the most important thing you learned in your Luther career? BL: How to listen, to listen carefully, openly, knowing the difference in both theory and practice between reacting (an all-too-easy and often destructive mode) and responding (a more measured and balanced mode). Cripe, I’m sounding like some sort of cheap self-help book. But that differentiation still remains a difficult lesson for me since I can be a brooding, moody Swede. EM: How is Luther’s theatre program different now from when you joined it in 1966? BL: The most significant difference is that
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movement/dance are now central components of the program and having had colleagues, from Vicki (Koestner) Blake ’74 to Jane Hawley ’87, who have opened up the notion of the primacy of the body in unleashing the imaginative spark we all possess. There I go again, sounding like a frustrated preacher, but I really believe that the movement dimension of the program has impacted much of how we work with students as directors, designers, choreographers, and musicians, engaging the body in its centrality and then helping develop a body/mind integration rather than duality or separation. Two other significant differences, or developments, are the increase in faculty and staff and the addition of a building that both supports and demands the best from all of us who work, study, play, and interact within it. EM: If you could do anything now, what would you do and why? BL: Surprisingly, but maybe not, would be working within a multigenerational theatre company putting together both scripted but also devised work that addresses issues that often cross generational lines and provide stimulus for discussion and maybe action. I also hope to continue exploring the red nose work, something that still scares the troll out of me because of its vulnerability and demand for honest connection with an audience. EM: What is the “red nose work”? BL: About five years ago I was looking for a workshop that would challenge me, but more importantly, provide an experience that would deepen my own work with students as an acting teacher and director. I came across a workshop and teacher in Chicago, Paola Coletto, who focused on the red nose, considered the smallest mask an actor can wear. Putting on the red nose requires, from the person wearing it, total honesty and vulner-
AARON LURTH ’08 PHOTO
ability in terms of how one develops a character, generates stage presence while learning how to remain in an honest, playful, and very present state. It is a tremendous tool to open and engage not only actors but anyone wanting to explore the “clown state” that leads to such honesty. The red nose work continues to demand of me all those elements that I look for when working with student actors: trust, vulnerability, staying in the present moment, sensitive listening, letting go of intentions, and deepening a sense of play. EM: What shows would you be in if you could? BL: Maybe The Tempest (we are such stuff as dreams are made of, and our little life is rounded with a sleep); I Never Sang for My Father, a somewhat dated script that still speaks powerfully to the issue of aging and what happens when the daughter or son become the caretakers for Mother and Dad; and any new play, especially a comedy, that has a role for a tennis-playing retired prof. EM: Describe the challenges of auditioning and putting together a cast.
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BL: The most agonizing, emotionally draining part of the whole production process for me often is auditioning. The easiest one I ever experienced was the fall of 1966, my first semester on campus, knowing nothing about anybody who auditioned. From that point on, so many elements come into play in the auditioning process, which I will not miss at all. EM: What particular production choices did you make more than once at Luther, and why? BL: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Waiting for Godot, The Fantasticks, Antigone, Noises Off—in some ways, these productions kind of sum up my journey. Revisiting the imaginative, fairylike world of Midsummer, where reality and
dreams intermix; the compelling questions of life’s central meaning, facing the void, musing about belief and action found in Godot; and the layers of personal and political issues raised in Antigone all took on different meanings dependent upon the time and context of when they were produced on campus. The Fantasticks was done once with students and once with faculty as cast but also is an enduring reminder that love is never a simple word. EM: You have often referred to yourself as “the troll.” Why do you have an affinity for trolls? BL: Because they basically generate the most mischief through their antics that are hardly, if ever, fully observed but continually pres-
In retirement, Scholl looks forward to research, writing, and spontaneity
EM: And you write poetry? DS: Yes, I like to keep poems going on my computer. At almost any time, when I’m doing other things, I get inspiration and go back to them.
—Ellen Modersohn
EM: What have you enjoyed most about teaching? DS: For two years, I taught in the honors program—a course in the ancient world—and that was one of my all-time favorites. It was a small class of really engaged learners. We were looking through a new lens at texts that students
EM: What’s next for you? BL: I plan to spend as much time with our grandchildren, to find an opportunity for [my wife] Marilynn and me to perform something together, to audition for a movie, to read and read and read, to still direct and engage in communal problem-solving with a group of actors and designers, and to get a decent first serve!
EM: What do you read for fun? DS: I like English mysteries for recreational reading, and I read a lot of poetry. Some of my favorites would be 17th-century poets as well as contemporary poets.
Diane Scholl, Luther professor emeritus of English, retired last spring after 36 years on the college faculty. Earlier this year, I spoke with her in her office at the top of Main tower.
EM: How has the English department changed since you joined the faculty in 1978? DS: There are more faculty members now in the department because Luther has grown, and class sizes are smaller. When I first came to Luther, some sections had 35 or more students. I think smaller class size has permitted more creative and inventive strategies in the classroom, and it has permitted faculty to get to know individual students better. It helps students to start talking when classes are the size they are—many between 18 and 20 students.
ent, wreaking havoc with the weather, exam schedules, tipping over coffee cups, belching, bad hair days—the list goes on. There are a few that genuinely try to befriend us but most just giggle, criticize, judge, snarl, and laugh at us, serving as a wonderful reminder to not take ourselves too seriously or we will pay!
might have been used to reading in another context, and that was exciting. Those are some of the richest discussions I remember. Also, for both me and my husband [Peter Scholl, professor emeritus of English], teaching in Paideia was a real education. Every year provided something new, and we learned as much as the students did. When we were teaching something like Herodotus’s The Histories, for instance, faculty in the history department would talk about how you teach a primary text like that. Luther is the kind of place where we came to teach, but also to learn.
EM: What’s next for you? DS: I’m looking forward to working on research and writing projects, and taking more trips. We have a family that includes two grandchildren whom we enjoy visiting. I guess I’m also a little bit scared about getting into a life without a provided structure. I like the openness, the flexibility of it, but I’m also wondering how I’ll find it. A big priority for me will be more time with friends, too. I’m looking forward to the freedom to make spontaneous plans. EM: Where do you want to travel? DS: We have some plans for this summer—I’d like to see some friends in New York. While we don’t have immediate plans to visit, the Czech Republic and Eastern Europe are on my list because I’ve never been there. I’d like to go back to England, where we’ve lived on a couple of occasions.
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Longtime staff members retire
Dean Carolan retired in March, after more than 20 years in security at Luther, serving as lead security officer for a time and receiving the Staff Excellence Award in 2007. Carolan continues to serve Luther on an on-call basis. “Dean has always gone above and beyond the expectations of his position and has forever gone out of his way to be helpful. He has earned a reputation as being courteous and helpful,” says Bob Harri, director of Security and Information Services.
LUTHER COLLEGE PHOTO BUREAU
Martha Davis retired in May after 22 years of service to the college in Preus Library. In a tribute to Davis, Paul Mattson ’81, executive director of library services, cited her leadership and flexibility in a time of great change in how libraries function: “In particular, flexibility was called on repeatedly as changes came to the personal work tools used in her job, new library management systems—in 22 years Martha saw three—and even in the very materials and the associated business models for the objects of her work. During this time periodicals and journals were making the transition from physical paper to digital online databases and from unique one-at-a-time subscriptions to the ‘big deals’ that bring us hundreds of titles in a single transaction.” Linda Skoda retired in May after 31 years of service to Luther, most recently as administrative assistant in the President’s Office during President Emeritus Rick Torgerson’s tenure. “There was hardly a day in 14 years that Linda did not come to the office with a smile on her face,” Torgerson says. “Judy and I found her sincerity, genuineness, and hospitable manner to be a great asset as she welcomed one and all when they visited or contacted the office.” Linda is shown here with husband Jerry and Interim President David Tiede and his wife, Muffy, at a gathering held in Linda’s honor in the Union’s Peace Dining Room.
Philip Freeman, professor of classics, has two books coming out this fall. The World of Saint Patrick, due out in September, offers a definitive account of the Irish saint’s story of great violence, brutality, and even greater faith. Saint Brigid’s Bones: A Celtic Adventure, is a novel about a lively young nun who goes on a mission to find the stolen bones of her church’s namesake. Bradley Hanson, professor emeritus of religion and codirector of the Grace Institute for Spiritual Formation, recently published a book, Spirituality and Your Life Story, which explores how our personal identity and spirituality are influenced by the meaning and values embedded in our childhood family story and other story lines in our culture that speak to our most fundamental human questions.
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TOBY ZIEMER ’15
Luther faculty past and present publish new works this fall
Luther College was well represented at the ELCA Interfaith Understanding Conference June 1–3 at Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill. Participants from 17 ELCA schools gathered for discussions, workshops, and presentations by Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, and Eboo Patel, founder and executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core. The Luther team presented a workshop on Luther’s Journey Conversations Project, a contemplative approach to interfaith dialogue. Back row (left to right) are team members Gifty Arthur ’17, Pastor Amy Zalk Larson ’96, Habibullah Basiru Ddin ’15. Front row: Sheila Radford-Hill, executive director of Luther Diversity Center, and Sukeji Mikaya ’17. Also representing Luther were Makayla Marinack ’16; Karla Suomala, professor of religion; Pastor David Vasquez; and David Tiede, interim president.
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DEVELOPMENT
New President’s Council life members Keith Christensen ’80 and Dawn DeinesChristensen ’82, Willard ’37 and Yvonne Linnevold, Millard and LaVonne Nelson, Steven ’81 and Carmen (Hansen) Stenhaug ’82, Terry Trimpe ’70, and Deco Products Company were honored for their exemplary giving during the council’s annual recognition event May 10. Also achieving this level of support were new life members +Alan ’62 and Rebecca Carpenter, +Lois (Brandt) Drews ’49, David ’66 and Carole Hoyem, David and Patricia Meyer, and the estate of Affry Lerol. Special acknowledgment was given to the life members
CHIP PETERSON ’80
President’s Council recognizes life members
President’s Council life members were honored on campus May 10. Left to right are Willard ’37 and Yvonne Linnevold; Keith Christensen ’80 and Dawn Deines-Christensen ’82; Chris Storlie ’83, general manager of Deco Products Co.; David Tiede, interim president; Terry Trimpe ’70; LaVonne and Millard Nelson; Carmen (Hansen) ’82 and Steven Stenhaug ’81. of President’s Council who advanced to the next cumulative recognition level: Preus Circle to Larsen Circle, Curtis Reiso ’54; Olson Circle to Preus Circle, +John ’33 and +Mildred Breiland, David ’64 and Pat Miller, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and Ylvisaker Circle to Olson Circle, Alan ’61 and Linda Nordhem, Joan
(Catlin) ’63 and David Totten, and Enwei Xie ’94 and Lynn Tonglao. Membership in the President’s Council honors those who have provided financial support to Luther of $1,500 or more in a calendar year. Life membership honors those whose cumulative outright gifts total $100,000 or more, those who
have established irrevocable planned gifts with remainder interest present values of $100,000 or more, those who have made irrevocable gifts of life insurance policies with cash values of $100,000 or more, or those who have contributed combinations thereof. + Deceased
Breilands honored with Pioneer award
Members of the class of 2014 presented a ceremonial check for $27,697.38— the amount pledged through the 2014 Senior Giving Campaign—during the college’s Senior Send-Off event May 22 at Hotel Winneshiek in Decorah. Over 60 percent (320 members) of the class of 2014 made pledges as part of the campaign, a project of the Annual Fund. Pictured left to right with interim president David Tiede, are campaign co-chairs Taylor Johnson ’14, Andrew Peter ’14, Dan Blattner ’14, Rachel Stenhaug ’14, Kayla Hatting ’14, Samantha Cuvelier ’14, Becca Girvan ’14, Logan Hjerleid ’14, and Mercedes Martin ’14.
At the Heritage Club dinner in May, John ’33 and Mildred Breiland were honored posthumously with the Pioneer Memorial Award. Former residents of Albuquerque, New Mexico, John—a renowned physicist, meteorologist, and astronomer—retired in 1970 as professor emeritus at the University of New Mexico, and Mildred spent her work career as a university and high school librarian in Albuquerque, earning distinction as a pioneer in the digital information age. The Breilands established two endowed funds at Luther—the Breiland Library Endowment and the John and Mildred Breiland Endowed Scholarship Fund, for physics and math students. John died in 1996, and Mildred continued to support their endowed funds as well as other designations, including Sampson Hoffland Laboratories and the Valders Hall of Science renovation project. Mildred died in 2013, and she is survived by their two sons, two daughters-in-law, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Before her death, Mildred donated various mementos to Luther’s archives, including John’s 1933 Luther College pennant and a 1932 Pioneer Yearbook. After her death, the planned gift to Luther she and John had provided through their estate matured, bringing their total giving to Luther to nearly a million dollars. The Pioneer Memorial Award was established in 1988 to honor individuals who characterize the spirit of Heritage Club and whose generous support serves as an inspiration to others. Fall 2014 Luther Alumni Magazine
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Campus News
Nearly 50 student scholarship recipients gathered at the Legacy Trust scholarship recognition luncheon held on campus in May. The Legacy Trust recognizes donors who have made gifts to Luther’s endowed scholarship program, with membership offered to donors who establish endowed scholarships of $25,000 or more. More than 1,000 students receive endowed scholarship support from more than 600 endowed scholarship funds. A list of scholarship donors can be found on the Luther website at lczine.com/legtr.
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Annual Fund Your Gift. Every Year. Put to work right away, where it is needed most. givenow.luther.edu
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DONOR SPOTLIGHT
There can be real beauty in the charitable gift-planning process. The resulting gift generously benefits life and learning at Luther, affecting students in dramatic ways, and donor relationships with faculty, students, and staff grow and flourish. Regardless of the size of the gift, our donors trust Luther to use their gift as they intend, and we as a development team live by this fidelity because every donor relationship is valued and every gift is special. There can also be beauty in the shape and investment strategy of the actual gift plan. This is the case with the gift-planning instrument created by Dale and Kay Lyndahl, which funds the permanently endowed scholarship in their names. The Lyndahls live in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., and Sun City Center, Fla. Together from their previous marriages, Dale and Kay have four daughters. Two are St. Olaf graduates, one is a Michigan State University graduate, and Kalen (Lyndahl) Crane ’93 is a Luther alumna. In 2011, for the ultimate benefit of these four daughters and through the advice and guidance of their trusted financial adviser, Dale and Kay created a charitable lead annuity trust and funded this 20-year trust with real estate. A charitable lead annuity trust has many sound benefits. Such a trust reduces gift and estate taxes on assets you wish to pass on to children or grandchildren, and it generates a fixed payout to the charity or charities of your choosing for a term of years. After this term of years, the principal passes to heirs, with estate or gift taxes reduced or possibly even eliminated. Such a gift plan is ideal for donors who no longer need the current income from a valuable
TURBA-SCHROEDER PHOTOGRAPHY
Charitable lead annuity trust allows Lyndahls to support their favorite institutions
asset, have charitable intent, and wish to benefit family. The Lyndahls are in the fourth year of their 20-year charitable lead annuity trust and are having a wonderful time creating endowed scholarship funds at their favorite institutions, as their lead trust allows them the flexibility to determine the gift amounts and the beneficiaries from the annual distributions. “We agree on our giving,” Dale says, “and we believe in creating opportunities for students.” One can sense their delight in how their philanthropy is unfolding. “We’re grateful for all that we’ve received in life, and we feel fortunate to be able to make a difference for others.” Luther is a favorite institution, with St. Olaf College; University of Wisconsin, Stout; Bellin College of Nursing in Green Bay; and Greater Green Bay Community Foundation.
Kay (Duebner) Lyndahl graduated from Stout in 1963 with a foods and nutrition major and a minor in journalism. At Stout, she edited the Stoutonia, and she spent her professional and volunteer life in journalism, editing and writing about food. Dale attended St. Olaf College and in 1959 followed his father, Cliff Lyndahl, into the family business. A secondgeneration funeral director, in 1971 Dale purchased Lyndahl Funeral Home from his father in his hometown of Green Bay and later moved the business to Lombardi Avenue and one of Wisconsin’s finest addresses— across the street from Lambeau Field. The funeral home is under new ownership, but Dale still serves as a director. “We really do enjoy sharing with others the merits of planned giving,” Kay says. “Having the trust working so
nicely on our behalf, and knowing we’re providing for our children, we’re now able to make even more charitable gifts from other funds,” Dale adds. Among the couple’s many other giving priorities are three ELCA congregations where they have ties: Calvary Lutheran in Green Bay, Bay View Lutheran in Sturgeon Bay, and Redeemer Lutheran in Sun City Center. The list of Dale and Kay’s other philanthropic and volunteer involvements is lengthy. It has been a pleasure to get to know the Lyndahls and to celebrate their current giving to Luther. Their giving legacy, however, started long ago, with a gift from Dale’s parents, Cliff and Loren. Cliff Lyndahl grew up in Harmony, Minn., and always respected Luther College. So the first Lyndahl gift to Luther came more than 50 years ago. The Lyndahl family legacy is also linked to Luther’s permanent art collection. Dale’s grandfather, Ole Lyndahl, is depicted in a Herbjorn Gausta painting as a farmer visiting with a land agent. And Dale’s father, Cliff, appears as a young boy gathered with other small children at the bottom of a hill in another Gausta landscape. We celebrate beauty in giving and beauty on canvas. Thank you, Dale and Kay, for your support of the Legacy Trust endowed scholarship program, for your sound financial planning, and for your many wonderful ties to Luther. —Ann Sponberg Peterson Learn more about giving to Luther at (800) 225.8664; or online at www.luther.edu/giving.
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Luther baseball highlights • Luther has won 14 conference titles, including two in the past seven years. • Collectively, 77 players have earned 126 all-conference honors. • Fifty-six student-athletes have been named conference MVP. • Luther intercollegiate athletics began with the first baseball game on May 17, 1891, when the Norse beat St. Olaf 9-4. ATHLETICS
Best-in-league baseball and softball stadiums planned Two pillars of Norse athletics will get new facilities at Luther soon. Men’s baseball, founded in 1891, was the college’s first organized intercollegiate team. Women’s softball began in 1969 and has earned national recognition among NCAA Division III teams. In support of both teams, Luther is raising $1,000,000-plus for two best-inthe-league stadiums.
The proposed stadiums will be built on the sites of the current baseball and softball fields, complete with safety screens, press box facilities, and covered canopy areas. Following Luther’s practice of supporting sustainability, stadium seats from the Minneapois Metrodome, recently torn down, have been purchased for use in the new stadiums. The baseball
stadium will seat over 300 spectators, and the softball stadium will seat over 200 spectators. Both the baseball and softball fields received significant turf improvements and new dugouts in 2008. The proposed construction of this new project will take the next step to create a true stadium experience for both players and spectators, fitting of the strong tradition of
these two teams. Funding is still needed to reach the $1,000,000 goal, and gifts of all sizes will be gratefully received. Leadership giving and naming opportunities are available in both stadiums. For more information about the project, how to give, and a video overview of the stadium projects, please visit www.luther. edu/giving/priorities/stadiums.
$1,000,000 Goal
566+264+170= $180,000 raised
$264,000 proposals pending
Luther softball highlights • Luther has won seven conference titles and posted winning records in 41 of the past 45 years. • NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 • The squad has made 15 NCAA Division III regional appearances and seven NCAA Division III national tournament appearances. • Luther has had only two softball coaches in its 45-year history: Betty Hoff ’60 (1969–2001) and Renae Hartl (2002–present).
$556,000 remaining to be raised
Campus News
50 years of women’s athletics Women’s teams have been scoring points for Luther for five decades
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his year marks the 50th year of women’s athletics at Luther College. This summer, Luther Magazine sat down with Betty Hoff ’60, who coached Norse women for more than three decades, beginning in 1968, to learn more about the early history of women’s athletics at Luther. Even though Luther became coeducational in 1936, an intercollegiate athletics program for women wasn’t offered at the college until 1965, seven years before Title IX was passed in 1972. Hoff recalls that the college had a robust program in physical education at the time, which was a big driver for starting the program of women’s intercollegiate athletics: “We thought that our physical education majors would really benefit from having so much exposure to those activities. They were the core of our teams.” Field hockey, basketball, and tennis were the first women’s teams to find a home at Luther, in the 1965– 66 academic year. Softball joined the fold in 1968–69. At the time, Hoff says, “Physical education majors had to wear a white shirt and white shorts for classes, so that was our team uniform. The majors had them already, and other students just borrowed them.”
“That was typical of what we did— the staff drove the students in our personal cars.” —Betty Hoff ’60 In addition to a no-frills approach to uniforms, there was also a simplicity about coaching that you don’t see today. “The first year we had teams,” Hoff says, “Sandy VanderStoep coached field hockey in the fall, basketball in winter, and tennis in spring.” Hoff herself coached tennis for a year in 1967–68, then took on the brand-new softball team in 1968–69. As far as her background in the sport, she says, “I played softball at recess in grade school and played a little with a 4-H team. But as preparation for college coaching, I had nothing!” (Hoff continued to coach women’s softball until 2001.) Hoff recalls that the early sports calendar (with practice just three times per week) was in fact designed to allow coaches and athletes, neither of which were specialized, to jump easily from sport to sport: “We had an exact cut-off so sports did not overlap. We finished field hockey, had maybe a week or two, then we started basketball, then had maybe a week or two, then softball and tennis. So athletes played all sports all year long.” Team travel is another thing that’s changed drasti-
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cally since the dawn of intercollegiate women’s sports. Hoff remembers the softball team’s first trip to the Women’s College World Series, in 1970 in Omaha (it was a national invitational in which Luther first played, ironically, Upper Iowa): “We traveled in personal cars. We had seven cars in our little caravan. I had the map—we didn’t have one in every car—so we had to stay together. We had to go right through downtown—there wasn’t a bypass around Omaha at all—so
1960s
Basketball Field hockey Softball Tennis
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Cross country Swimming Track and field Volleyball
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Golf Soccer
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we had to go through all those lights and stay together. That was typical of what we did—the staff drove the students in our personal cars.” In 1971–72, the national AIAW organized sufficiently to divide into state-level AIAW chapters, but there was still no division in terms of school size—all schools participated in the same tournaments regardless of size. Even so, in 1972, Luther won the Iowa AIAW state tournaments in both basketball
and softball, which allowed both teams to compete at the regional level, with softball moving on to nationals. “We enjoyed success early on because we started our program ahead of others. And so later on the playing field got a little more even, and schools like us were catching up. It became more difficult to be the champion,” Hoff says. Still, Luther continued to perform well and closed out the AIAW era with two state cham-
pionships (tennis and track and field) in the spring of 1982. By 1982, Luther was also fielding teams in cross country, swimming, and volleyball. By 1990, golf and soccer teams had been added. In 1982–83, the NCAA became the official governing body of women’s intercollegiate athletics, and the Iowa Conference developed a women’s league, ushering in the age of women’s college sports that we recognize today.
PHOTOS COURTESY LUTH ER COLL
EGE ARCHIVES
Campus News
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New Norse head baseball coach comes from Augustana (Sioux Falls, S.D.) Bryan Nikkel has been named Luther’s head baseball coach. Nikkel replaces Alex Smith, who resigned after two years at the helm of the program. Nikkel will also serve as the athletics facilities director. A 2008 graduate of Southwest Minnesota State University, Nikkel takes over the Norse baseball program after four years as head assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Augustana
Bryan Nikkel
College, Sioux Falls, S.D. During his four years at Augustana, the Vikings recorded four 30-plus
winning seasons that included a mark of 41-16 in 2014. During this same stretch, Augustana secured four Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) tournament appearances and two NCAA II tournament appearances and captured the 2014 NSIC tournament championship. Prior to his four years at Augustana, Nikkel served as an assistant baseball coach at South-
west Minnesota State University from 2007 to 2010, helping lead the Mustangs to a record of 81-53 and an NCAA II tournament appearance. He has also served as head baseball coach for the Marshall, Minn., American Legion team (2009–11) and was head coach for the Grand Rapids, Minn., VFW team (2004–7).
Becca Girvan ’14 is IIAC nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year Becca Girvan ’14 was selected as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s nominee for the 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors senior student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academic achievement, athletics excellence, service, and leadership. A mathematics/statistics and economics double major who graduated with a 3.66 grade-point average, Girvan was an NFCA
Sports recaps BASEBALL
9-19, 16-24 overall Pitcher Alec Knop ’15, was named to the ABCA/Rawlings all-central region second team and claimed a spot on the D3baseball.com all-central region third team. The Iowa Conference also named him a first-team allconference honoree. Knop led the Norse pitching staff with a record of 6-1. Of his nine starts, he threw seven complete games, striking out 60 in 58 innings of work. He allowed 15 earned runs en route to an ERA of 2.33.
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Becca Girvan ’14
Scholar-Athlete, a CoSIDA Academic All-District pick, and a member of the Iowa Conference All-Academic Team as both a junior and a senior. A pitcher on Luther’s softball
Senior outfielder Andy Briggs ’16, was selected with Knop to the Iowa Conference first team while Czenvic Rojer ’15 was named honorable mention. Briggs led the Norse at the plate, batting .376 with 18 RBIs. Defensively, he was credited with 91 putouts and four assists and committed only one error, for a fielding percentage of .990. Rojer led the team in RBIs, posting 40, and was named the team’s 2014 offensive player of the year. Over the summer, Knop signed to finish the season with the Waterloo Bucks of the Northwoods League.
team, Girvan was a member of two Iowa Conference championship teams (2011, 2012), three Iowa Conference tournament championship teams (2011, 2013, 2014), and a trio of Norse squads that advanced to the finals of the NCAA Division III Softball Championship (2011, 2012, 2013). A four-time all-region (1st-2012, 2014; 2nd-2011, 2013) and all-conference selection (1st2012, 2014; 2nd-2011, 2013), she was a 2012 NFCA First Team All-American and the 2012 Iowa Conference Pitcher of the Year.
Girvan was also named the Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA softball regionals in 2012 and 2013. In early September, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) selection committee chooses the top 10 honorees in each division. Later in the month, the field of 30 candidates will be narrowed to three per division. Finally, the CWA will vote from among the top nine finalists to determine the 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year.
MEN’S GOLF
Srixon All-America Scholars. The GCAA also named Kohl and Peter to the 2014 Division III Ping All-Central Region Team. During the 2013–14 campaign, Kohl played 23 rounds and posted a stroke average of 74.3. He completed his career as a four-time all conference performer, the third golfer in Luther history to accomplish this feat. Peter was also named to the Capital One Academic All-America Division III Men’s At-Large Team as a third-team selection. During the 2013–14 season, Peter posted a stroke average of 74.2 while playing 22 rounds for the Norse.
Third in IIAC The Luther men’s golf team placed third at the Iowa Conference Men’s Golf Championships. The Norse shot a four-round total of 1,232 and were 22 strokes behind Dubuque, atop the leader board with 1,210. Finishing in the top 10 and earning all-conference honors, individual place winners were Tobias Kohl ’14, fourth; Elliot Horst ’16, sixth; and Andre Peter ’14, 10th. The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced that Joel Bruns ’14, Kohl, and Peter were named 2014 Division III Cleveland Golf/
SOFTBALL
10-4, 32-8 overall The Norse finished the regular season in a three-way tie for third place in the IIAC with a mark of 10-4. Luther finished no. 14 in the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA III top-25 poll and has been ranked in the top-25 poll for 72 of the last 75 weeks dating back to 2009. Luther has posted 30-plus wins for eight years in a row. Kelsey Rose ’15 was named the Iowa Conference Softball Position Player of the Year. Rose led the conference in batting average (.490), hits (24), and RBIs (16) and ranked third in on-base percentage (.528), fourth in total bases (31), fifth in stolen bases (3), and sixth in runs scored (12). Joining Rose on the first team were Becca Girvan ’14, Carli Radil ’16, and Miranda McCay ’16. Paige Lobdell ’16 was a second-team honoree. Girvan becomes the sixth player and only the second pitcher in Luther history to be named all-conference four times. McCay is making her second consecutive appearance as a first-
Pitcher Alec Knop ’15 was an Iowa Conference first-team all-conference honoree and made the ABCA/Rawlings all-central region second team and the D3baseball.com all-central region third team.
team selection, while Radil and Lobdell were recognized for the first time. Luther was also well represented in the Midwest Region, with first-team selections presented to Radil, Rose, and Girvan, while McCay and Kayla Hatting ’14 were third-team honorees. Rose also was named a third-team All-American, becoming the 12th player in the past eight years to be so honored. MEN’S TENNIS
5-2, 23-7 overall Luther finished the season ranked no. 15 in the Central Region, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Individually, Ramesh Karki ’14 finished the year ranked 18th in singles with a singles record of 19-9. Six members of the Luther men’s tennis team were recognized on the 2014 Iowa Conference all-conference team. James Ayer ’14, Karki, Torstein Jystad ’15, and Kyle Appel ’17 were named to the all-conference team in singles. Ayer and Karki were also named all-conference in doubles. Matt Bellio ’14 and Quinn Foley ’15 were honorable mention selections. This was Karki’s fourth appearance on the all-conference team in singles and third in doubles. He becomes the second player in Luther history to be named all-conference in singles four times and the fourth Norse player to earn this honor in doubles three times. Three members of the Luther College men’s tennis team were named to the 2014 ITA All-Scholar Team: Appel, Matt Knutson ’15, and Isaiah Mayerchak ’17. MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Fifth in IIAC The Luther men’s track and field team finished the 2014 outdoor season with a fifth-place finish at the conference outdoor
championships. Reaching the finals in their respective events, Dan Etter ’14 earned all-conference honors placing third in the hammer throw with a mark of 164-06; Joel Clarke ’15, finished fourth in the 110 hurdles clocked at a personal best of 15.05; and Sam StokesCerkvenik ’15 and Cooper Nelson ’17 placed fourth and seventh respectively in the 400 hurdles. Austin Bauer ’15 was the lone Norse qualifier for the NCAA III National Outdoor Track and Field Championship. Bauer made his first appearance at nationals placing 16th in the 10,000. Bauer also set a Luther school record in the 10,000 at the Drake Relays in Des Moines on April 24, posting a time of 30:29.28. WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Second in IIAC The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced in July that the Luther women’s track and field team had been named a 2014 All-Academic Team. To earn this award, a track team’s entire roster must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.10 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Luther’s team GPA was 3.30. In addition, seven members of the team earned USTFCCAA All-Academic honors. This group included Amanda Dunn ’14, Kayla Uphoff ’14, Maggie Pierson ’14, Leah Broderick ’15, Anna Burke ’15, Anna Lampe ’15, Marea Holkesvik ’16, Jackie Hoyme ’16, and Tricia Serres ’16. The Norse wrapped up their season with four Luther athletes qualifying for the 2014 NCAA III National Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, May 22–24. Tricia Serres ’16 qualified in the 800 and 1,500, Anna Lampe ’15
TONY HURD PHOTO
Campus News
Anna Lampe ’15 qualified for nationals in the 400 hurdles last spring and was among the seven Norse track and field women who earned USTFCCAA All-Academic honors. qualified in the 400 hurdles, Jackie Hoyme ’16 in the discus, and Leah Broderick ’15 in the heptathlon. Serres and Hoyme made their second consecutive appearances at the national finale, while Lampe and Broderick qualified for the first time. Serres earned All-America honors, placing fifth in the 1,500. Broderick finished 12th in the heptathlon with a point total of 4,565. Lampe posted a time of 1:03.21 during the prelims of the 400 hurdles and finished 17th. Hoyme placed 12th in the discus with a mark of 140-3. Serres earned her second outdoor All-American honor in the 1,500, placing second with a time of 4:34.89. With this finish, Serres is now a five-time AllAmerican, twice outdoors in the 1,500, twice indoors in the mile, and once indoors in the 3,000. Serres was named to the Capital One Academic All-District 8 First-Team.
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Commencement 2014
Harkin, who gave the Commencement speech, has represented Iowa in Congress for nearly 40 years. First winning election to the U.S. House in 1974, he represented Iowa’s Fifth Congressional District for 10 years. In 1984, Harkin challenged an incumbent senator and won. Iowans returned him to the Senate in 1990, 1996, 2002, and 2008. In his introduction of Harkin, John Moeller, professor of political science, said, “From the beginning it was obvious that Senator Harkin, in the tradition of Midwestern populism, felt called to serve the common, ordinary people who toiled on farms and lived on the main streets in towns, like Cumming, where he was born, throughout the state.” Harkin, said Moeller, “helped write farm bills that advance renewable resources, land conservation, and rural development. He has
LUTHER PHOTO BUREAU PHOTOS
During a breezy May 25 Commencement ceremony, Luther bestowed two honorary degrees. Eugene Takle ’66 received the doctor of science, honoris causa, and Sen. Tom Harkin received the doctor of civil law, honoris causa.
Above, Sen. Tom Harkin gives 2014 graduates his top 10 rules to live by. been at the forefront in improving the health of Americans, most notably the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which has transformed how school cafeterias feed our children. And he has worked tirelessly to support those with disabilities: in the schools, in the work force, and in their daily lives. . . . “None of these accomplishments would
THE PLANE CAN WAIT Sen. Tom Harkin had an international flight to catch in Minneapolis after delivering his Commencement address. Yet when his aide whispered that it was time to go, Harkin refused to leave the stage until Rich Vickers ’14 received his diploma. Vickers had been a summer intern in Harkin’s Washington, D.C., office—along with Nathan Converse ’14 and Andrew Streck ’14—and had just been offered a job on staff. After Vickers came across the stage, Harkin leaned over to Prof. John Moeller and asked what remained of the ceremony. Moeller told him the assembly would sing the college hymn and Harkin could take that opportunity to slip out. But as the hymn began, Harkin murmured that he loved the tune and yet again stayed in his seat. The words of the college hymn, of course, are sung to the tune of “Eternal Father, Strong to Save,” which is also “The Navy Hymn,” well known to Harkin, a Navy veteran.
be possible were it not for Senator Harkin’s belief that politics is a noble activity. It is a messy process and it does not always end in agreement—not everybody agrees with Senator Harkin’s vision—but what could be more important than entering the public square, whether in one’s community, at the state capital, or in Washington, D.C., so that we
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might debate our differences and collectively deliberate about what constitutes a good society?”
Harkin told the crowd that this speech would be the last he would give as a United States senator, as he is retiring next year. Borrowing a theme from talk show host David Letterman, Harkin shared with the graduates his top 10 rules to live by. Here are excerpts. Number 10: Don’t panic, you will find a job. The native Iowan encouraged looking beyond cities for employment. “You can really make a difference in a small community, and it’s a great place to start out and raise children. Number 9: Believe in yourself. You can accomplish anything. “Today, you’ve got the robes and the funny hats to prove it.” Number 8: Don’t let the virtual world take the place of the real one. “Don’t let Facebook be a substitute for the real faces of your family and friends. . . . Real success is about the people you touch and the lives you change.” Number 7: Don’t let a few stumbles stop you dead in your tracks. “The person who never makes mistakes is the person who does nothing. Do something. Aim high.” Number 6: Have fun. “Real life is weirder than anything you’ve read about in class. Truth is indeed stanger than fiction. So enjoy it.” Number 5: Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died. “That’s just a nice way of saying: don’t blindly follow someone else’s advice. Be a healthy skeptic—but not a cynic.” Number 4: Express appreciation. Don’t hold back. “If you have a professor who has been an especially great teacher or mentor here at Luther, don’t leave this campus today withought tracking that person down and saying thank you. And say a very special thank you to your parents today.” Number 3: Keep your priorities straight. “The people in your life—your family, your faith, and the friendships you form—are what give shape and substance to your life. Never, ever sacrifice that.” Number 2: If you want your dreams to come true, don’t sleep ’til noon. “Don’t take the easy road. In today’s world, it’s far too easy to be cynical. It’s easy to be disengaged. It’s easy to withdraw into that virtual world.
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LUTHER COLLEGE PHOTO BUREAU
HARKIN’S COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS BORROWS TOP 10 FORMAT
Paul Torgerson ’73, Luther Board of Regents chairperson, and Kevin Kraus, dean of faculty, help honoree Eugene Takle ’66 with his cape. It’s easy not to care. But that easy road is a dead end.” Number 1: Be part of something larger than yourself. “I urge you to get involved in your community. . . . Don’t wait for ‘them,’ somewhere else, to solve problems for you. Start with yourself.” Read the full text of the remarks by John Moeller and Tom Harkin online at www.luther.edu/ magazine.
Assessment, released earlier this month [May 2014], and I would be remiss not to mention that he is also a Nobel Laureate, sharing the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with his fellow members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Al Gore, Jr.” Read the full text of Laura Peterson’s remarks online at www.luther.edu/magazine.
PAUL ESKER ’14 AWARDED JENSON MEDAL EUGENE TAKLE ’66 RECEIVES HONORARY DOCTOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE
Luther recognized 1966 graduate Eugene Takle with the degree of doctor of science, honoris causa. Takle received a doctorate in physics in 1971 and since then has served on the faculty of Iowa State University, as a professor of atmospheric science and agricultural meteorology. In her citation for Takle, Laura Peterson, Luther associate professor of environmental studies, said: “Dr. Takle’s research has been at the forefront of efforts to understand how climate change will affect our lives, particularly in the agricultural sector and particularly here in the Midwest. Much of his work has centered around the critical yet scientifically complex challenge of generating regional climate predictions that can be of practical use to decision makers. “Most recently, Dr. Takle has served as the coordinating lead coauthor on the agriculture chapter of the National Climate
The Jenson Medal is presented each year to an outstanding senior, selected by the graduating class, who best demonstrates the ideals of the college through service to students and the college community. This year, Paul Esker received the honor. In his citation about Esker, Corey Landstrom, dean and vice president for student life, said: “It would be easy to provide an exhaustive summary of Paul’s contributions to Luther. They are indeed significant and deep. What is important is this: Paul has extravagantly shared his passions and gifts with this community. He has not sought the limelight, but has pursued objectives in order to leave this place better than when he arrived. He brought to his commitments a sincere vulnerability that has opened doors and built bridges across communities and networks on campus, in Decorah and beyond.” Esker was also selected to be among the graduating seniors profiled in this issue of the Luther Alumni Magazine. Read more about him on page 26.
LUTHER PHOTO BUREAU
KIRK JOHNSON ’82 PHOTO
Young Alumni Award recipient Eli Williamson ’02, center, with (from left) Will Williamson ’71, Arlivia (Owens) Williamson ’72, Laura Dignani Williamson, and Christie Owens ’16.
ELI WILLIAMSON ’02 RECEIVES YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD
Kris Gregersen ’82, copresident of the Luther Alumni Association, described the accomplishments of Young Alumni Award winner Eli Williamson ’02, who, along with Roy Brown Sartin ’02, founded an organization to help military veterans pay off school loans. Gregersen’s remarks are excerpted here. “Eli majored in communications, Roy in business. In 1999 . . . the two men decided to sign up for the Army Reserve as a way to defray college costs. Then came 9/11. Everything changed.
“Eli and Roy were called to active duty their senior year. Eli was able to complete his Luther degree by joining the active duty U.S. Army and attending the Special Warfare Training Center at Fort Bragg. Eli deployed to Iraq, and later to Afghanistan, as a psychological operations specialist and Arabic linguist in support of special operations forces, serving over nine years in both active duty and reserves. Roy was forced to put a halt on his education and deploy to Iraq, and later returned to Luther to complete his B.A. “Like most students, Eli and Roy had college loans. But it was while serving in the war zone that they had a revelation. Banks
were calling them about payments. Said Roy, ‘I’m on the other side of the world worrying about (bombs) . . . and some loan officer is harassing my mother over $82.67.’ The two friends met other young veterans, like them, with significant college debt and other economic hardships. . . . “With passion and plausibility, Eli and Roy cofounded Leave No Veteran Behind, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization to serve veterans facing economic hardship. As president and executive director of the foundation, Eli Williamson is a savvy communicator. With the help of Luther alumni Maynard Anderson ’54 and Russ Bruemmer ’74, Luther religion professor Guy Nave, and others, he recruited a list of foundation directors and advisers that reads like the Who’s Who of the American military. . . . “In its fifth year, LNVB has an annual budget of over 1.5 million dollars. What began as an organization designed to pay off student loans now also provides job training and transitional employment to more than 130 veterans, youth, and community members who face economic hardship. . . . Eli serves veterans in his full-time job as director of veteran’s affairs with the McCormick Foundation in Chicago. He is on the Board of Advisors with the Truman National Security Project in Washington, D.C., and is a fellow with Mission Continues in St. Louis. He is an active member of Windsor Park Lutheran Church. He is a master’s candidate at DePaul University’s School of Public Service. He is also a devoted husband to his wife, Laura, and doting father to daughters Sofia Justice and Sol Isabella.” Read the full text of Kris Gregersen’s remarks at www.luther.edu/magazine.
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Senior Candids
Eight members of the class of 2014 talk about their Luther experiences and where they’re headed next, from grad school to Google. Photography by Bob Modersohn
Paul Esker Packing it all in, from classes to Senate to the Luther presidential search Paul Esker learned at Luther that he thrives on being crazy busy. He calls himself “one of the yes people, who have a terrible joining problem.” A list of his activities senior year illustrates what makes him tick: the political science major was president of Student Senate, president of a dance marathon fundraiser, a student representative to the Board of Regents, a member of the Presidential Search Committee, and a baritone in Collegiate Choir and a male a cappella group. Plus, he took a full slate of courses. He calls the long days exhilarating. Esker took full advantage of experiences available on campus and off. Last summer he researched the South African diamond trade with Guy Nave, associate professor of religion, and Richard Mtisi, associate professor of Africana studies and history, and then traveled with Mtisi to that country for January Term. He also spent a semester in Washington, D.C., as an economic policy intern at the Center for American Progress, a think tank where, he says, “I was able to do that 30,000-foot policy work.” When senior year rolled around, Esker had fulfilled most of his poli sci credits, so he decided to purely follow his interests, taking courses on argumentation, Islamaphobia, music of the Romantic period, law and economics, and even fly-fishing. “This year was one of the most intellectually stimulating periods of my life,” he says, “because I was able to take such a broad range of classes.” His extracurricular work was equally diverse. During Esker’s tenure, Student Senate helped increase funding to student organizations, passed a medical amnesty measure, conducted a constitution and bylaws review, and passed a proposal to make Baker Village halls coed, a first step if the idea were to advance. On the Presidential Search Committee, he says, his main goal was to learn how candidates would inspire the student body: Did they enjoy the energy of a campus? How would they interact with students? Would they be visible around campus? For Luther’s first dance marathon fundraiser for the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, Esker led a team of 10 executive board members, 31 morale captains, and more than 450 participants. The 12-hour event surpassed its goal, raising $38,612, and gave Esker practice in work similar to the field organizing he’s been doing this summer with the Iowa Democratic Party. “People say campaign work is long hours, endless meetings, phone calls, trainings, Google docs—and those are all things I love,” he says. “I enjoy political work. I think I’ll like the energy of a campaign.”
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—Ellen Modersohn Luther Alumni Magazine
Melene Thompson For this biology major, it’s all about the genes One of the things that excited Melene Thompson most about going to Luther was an article in this very magazine. The article in question? A piece about Aimee (Villard) Boerger ’10 and Luther professor of biology Jodi Enos-Berlage determining divalent cation specificity of calcium-regulated genes in Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Say that 10 times fast. Only a true bacterium-lover can claim that particular excitement about a college—and Thompson qualifies. Of course, her interest is more nuanced than that. What she really loves is genetics, and, she says, “Bacteria are a great way to study genetics because they’re easy to work with, and their genetic codes are easier to manipulate than humans’.” They’re also excellent candidates for genetic study, Thompson says, because their generations are quick to turn over, taking anywhere from 20 minutes to a few hours. (They make human generations look downright glacial.) Plus, she says, “If you’re interested in a gene, you can just delete it, or you can add in a gene in some bacteria. When I was studying metabolism in Salmonella, I randomly mutated genes to find ones that disrupted the ability of the bacterium to produce the vitamin thiamine. When I found a gene that seemed to do this, I just knocked it out to see if it would reproduce this effect.”
If Thompson sounds casual about what most of us would consider pretty awesome mad-scientist powers, maybe it’s because she’s had a lot of exposure to manipulating genetic code. In addition to studying Salmonella during a summer research experience at the University of Georgia, Thompson spent a January Term at the University of Iowa studying Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In its acute form, the bacterium is generally not lethal but causes small infections. In cystic fibrosis patients, however, it’s often the cause of death because it creates biofilms in the lungs that block airflow. Thompson studied how the bacterium switches between these two types of disease in the hope of eventually controlling the mechanism that allows it to become the more lethal variety. And, like the Luther student in the magazine, Thompson also worked with Enos-Berlage on how concentrations of calcium and iron turn genes on and off in the Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacterium. Thompson and Enos-Berlage presented their research at the 2012 American Society for Microbiology in San Francisco. As if her lab experience weren’t enough to convince you that Thompson was born to research, take note that she comes from a pedigreed science family: her dad’s a geologist, her brother is studying geology, and her mom’s a chemist. Thompson will seal the deal when she enters the University of Indiana–Bloomington microbiology Ph.D. program this fall. —Kate Frentzel
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Charles Martin-Stanley II Using his passion for social justice to give back to others “My parents wanted to make sure I knew a lot about my history as an African American,” says Charles Martin-Stanley II. “So when I was a young child, most children had coloring books. I had books about important African Americans.” Those early lessons kindled a passion for social justice for people of color. “What’s hardest for me,” Martin-Stanley II says, “is being aware of white privilege and things that I’ll have to go through that other people won’t and things that I’ll have to do that other people won’t have to. For example, I’ve had a police officer stop me for no reason as I was going to my house” in Onalaska, Wis. “I’m interested in racial hierarchies and the past, and I know we’re trying to get past that, but I think the only way to do that is to talk about it. When we can have those difficult conversations, we’ll be better able to grow from them.” When Martin-Stanley II, a sociology major and basketball player, heard about Luther’s collaborative summer research grants, he applied to work with professor of sociology Char Kunkel. He was interested in exploring retention rates among students of color
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within the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM). He explains, “I wanted to do a project on something personal to me, but also on something Luther cared about and would want to learn about, and I thought that if we focused on why students of color stay at schools like Luther, that would give us room to talk about the problem” of lower retention rates among minority students. They researched and analyzed survey results from three ACM schools, presenting their findings at three conferences this spring. Martin-Stanley II, who is starting the student affairs administration master’s program at UW–La Crosse this fall, says, “I want to do behind-the-scenes work and be a mentor to students of color having problems. I strongly believe that once you receive education in life, you should give it back to other people. For me, that means getting involved in higher education. And for me, having gone through that process, that means helping students of color.” Martin-Stanley II is as passionate about basketball as he is about social justice and higher education. He played on Luther’s basketball team all four years, has coached several youth teams, and has refereed intramural games at Luther. And while he was looking forward to starting his master’s program, last spring he admitted, “Right now I’m most eager to get home because I have an AAU team to coach.” —Kate Frentzel
Sarah McRoberts Always looking for the “awesome” that comes from a great team of people Sarah McRoberts sees herself as a team player, often helping smooth the way for others, whether creating an app in a computer science class, leading an improv comedy group, performing on balalaika, or joining a computer lab in graduate school. “I think when you find the right group of people it’s awesome to see what comes out of it,” she says. The mathematics devotee hadn’t planned on studying the possibilities of computers, but her math theory track required a computer science class. “My adviser encouraged me to take it early just in case I liked it, and I fell in love with it,” she says. Senior year, computer science majors split into teams to create apps. McRoberts’s team devised an online voting application called TapVote, which is handy, in particular, for in-class surveys. Participants can use the app on any digital device instead of registering their votes on clickers that have to be handed out and collected. That sort of inventive teamwork is what drew McRoberts to the GroupLens computer laboratory at the University of Minnesota. She is starting a Ph.D. program in computer science there
this fall. GroupLens may be best known for creating software that recommends products that consumers may be interested in, based on what they’ve already purchased or viewed. But the self-proclaimed nerd is also a comedian, president of the Top Banana comedy improv group at Luther her senior year. Besides the pure fun factor, McRoberts sees comedy as a way to support other groups. In addition to her Top Banana work, she used her comedy talents to emcee for various performances on campus. “You want to keep the energy light and do something that’s entertaining, but you don’t want to outshine anybody because it’s more about showcasing these other people,” she says. McRoberts also served as assistant hall director in Ylvisaker senior year; played in the Balalaika Ensemble; conducted summer research in math with Michael Johnson, assistant professor of mathematics; and went to Norway and the Balkans in January Term 2014 to study peace dialogue at the Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue. She’s already thinking about how she could someday use her computer science skills to support the work going on at the Nansen Center—to be part of the team. It would be cool, she says, to find a way to help people interactively share their stories, to help people on both sides of conflict understand each other. —Ellen Modersohn
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Dan Bruins Already winning contests, comic artist sees career in animation, film, or game design “I’ve slowed down a little bit this year for the sake of my sanity,” Dan Bruins says. The comic artist extraordinaire spent 50–60 hours per week working on self-directed projects until his senior year, when he moved into an art studio in the Korsrud heating/ cooling plant. He then cut back to 20–30 hours per week on his projects, which loomed from every vertical surface of the small room. Bruins spent his first two years at Luther developing a professional-grade comic book, The Legend of Kha, about a ragtag team of unlikely anthropomorphic superheroes. He then turned his attention to character tournaments. He explains, “The idea is that you get a whole bunch of animators, illustrators, and comic artists together online in a community fashion, and each artist submits their own character.” Contestants are paired, and each has a month to create some sort of interaction between the two characters, usually a competition or fight scene. Their work is critiqued by a panel of judges, and whoever wins moves to the next bracket. Essentially, character tournaments are a way for the solitary digital artist to interact with fellow illustrators. About his first tournament, Bruins says, “My opponent wiped the floor with me— it was wonderful.” He clearly values the camaraderie and learning experience. His second tournament, however, was different. “That was eight months of animation that went through five videos, one audition, and four rounds, and I ended up winning. It’s a pretty big deal. I actually found out about it immediately after a Christmas at Luther concert”—Bruins also plays the viola—“so I’m sitting there knowing that the results are going to be up that night
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but trying to enjoy this lovely concert music.” Bruins also writes scores for his animations, in programs like GarageBand, and his music has proved popular too. “I ended up getting a decent amount of work composing character themes and story themes and trailer music for Kickstarter accounts,” he says. His online presence gained him an even more exciting opportunity, though. Within hours of posting a short fan-tribute comic to a forum for the video game MechWarrior Online, its advertising arm contacted him to make a full-length comic book. Never one to take the easy road, Bruins decided to shoot for a full-length animated movie instead. He centered his senior project around creating a Flash-animated trailer for a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for it. Bruins hopes to work in advertising, web animation, film production, or video game design, but it’s clear that he’ll always embrace the process of discovery. “The tournament I ended up winning started off with the question of what happens when you have a person who wants to be a hero, wants to save the world, but has no powers to do it. The answer ended up being that you have to run down the hallway while you’re being covered by a talking hexagon to eat the magic spinach so you transform and take control of the world in order to beat down this massive chimera with base cannons by throwing the Eiffel Tower at him. “I love those moments when you step back and think, every step leading up to this point makes sense logically, but the endpoint is something ridiculous. You get sort of entrenched in different ideas and interlacing webs of complexity, and every so often, the best part of making stuff like this is stepping back, shaking your head, and giggling a little bit: What am I doing here?” Check out Dan Bruins’s work at dcbruins.weebly.com. —Kate Frentzel
Kimberly Osberg Versatile composer pulls in lessons from wide-ranging classes to create opera The culmination of Kim Osberg’s education at Luther, her senior project, was a 35-minute opera for three voices and piano that took her a year to create. A percussionist, Osberg majored in music with an emphasis in composition, studying with Brooke Joyce, associate professor of music and composer-in-residence. She wrote many works for musicians on campus, but also fulfilled two professional commissions for East Coast ensembles that she met at a summer music festival. So she had the composing chops to create a significant work. But it took a lot more than manipulating the notes to create Thump, her opera based on “The Telltale Heart,” an Edgar Allen Poe short story. And Osberg recalls exactly how she got what she needed, discerning what was most important to her in each class she took. A creative writing class was helpful, she says, because she also wrote the opera’s libretto. “I ended up turning [“The Telltale Heart”] into a psychodrama,” she says. “All of the text comes from the short story, but it has been completely reorganized into three characters. In the ending trio, there’s a psychological battle between the id and the super ego for control of the main person.”
A directing class “completely changed the libretto because I learned a lot more about how to think about drama and pacing,” she says. A physics class in sound and musical acoustics “showed a different side of the music world that affects what I’m doing, with the concert halls and the way instruments work and even how the voice works,” she says. In a negotiation and conflict resolution class, she says, “we learned that there are ways to negotiate that are win-win.” Those skills help her in collaborating on both the creative and business sides of music. Osberg learned from other students as well. Although she wrote piano accompaniment for her opera, she doesn’t play. “Piano was terrifying for me because, as a percussionist, it looks a lot like mallet music, but there’s a big difference between playing with two or four mallets and playing with 10 fingers. So I’ve been working with Bobby Ragoonanan ’14, who’s a fabulous pianist.” He helped her understand what worked best for keyboard. This fall, Osberg is attending the Jacobs School of Music at the University of Indiana. After that, she says, “I envision being an administrator for a nonprofit orchestra or new-music ensemble to subsidize my composing habit.” Follow Osberg’s career at KimberlyOsberg.com. —Ellen Modersohn
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Dylan Essing Google residency follows work study in tech support and a Silicon Valley J-term Dylan Essing is a problem solver. After years in a work-study position with Luther’s Technology Help Desk and then Workstation Support, he’s moving on to nurse computers and calm computer users at one of the biggest epicenters of global computing: Google. The coveted 26-month residency materialized after Essing spent an “Understanding Entrepreneurship” January Term on the West Coast, visiting companies such as Microsoft, Pinterest, and Amazon, in addition to Google. After talking with a recruiter, Essing fielded his first interview on the train—constantly worried the call would drop—during that very same J-term. “We timed it perfectly entirely by accident,” he recalls. “The train had stopped for a longer time than usual right when the phone call started, and it started moving again right when the phone call ended, so it was completely by accident—but really fortunate accident—that it worked out.” While Essing’s residency will focus on IT support, the Fort Dodge, Iowa, native also carved out a coding niche at Luther by helping to create a website that lets used goods find a second life on campus. CampusCurb was born when he and seven fellow
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computer science majors noticed that the closest Craigslist location listed for Decorah was as far as La Crosse, Wis., or Rochester, Minn. He explains, “We figured that if we made a site strictly for college campuses, where we thought a lot of [secondhand-goods] interaction would be taking place, we could find a strong market that would assist those who would most likely need this sort of thing.” With discrete sections for textbooks, goods (think: video game consoles and futons), and housing, CampusCurb is full of the wry humor one associates with tech start-ups. For instance, the description for the site’s “Books” section reads: “Congrats—you’re never going to have to read Faulkner again. But that doesn’t mean some other poor freshman won’t have to.” While Essing hopes to continue administering the site from Mountain View, Calif., home to Google headquarters, he’s also got his sights set squarely on the future. “Google has a very unique way of looking at problems, and it will be interesting to experience that, to see some of the innovative ideas that they don’t talk openly about with the press,” he says. “With all of the unique programs they have, they also have a lot of unique challenges that I wouldn’t get to experience from the outside.” —Kate Frentzel
Kayla Hatting Champion catcher welcomes challenge —on the field or in the classroom Kayla Hatting loves being challenged because it makes her think— and sometimes change her mind. She’s been handling challenges on the playing field since age five, when she joined Little League softball, coached by her dad. Mom coached her high school team. At Luther, Hatting helped the softball team to the national tournament four years in a row. She served as the team’s captain and starting catcher in 2013 and 2014 and was named All-Midwest Region at the end of her senior season. Finding the team where she would see such success was a challenge at first. Hatting grew up in the small western Iowa town of LeMars, and she had not heard of Luther, but her track coach, Rick Fox ’77, persuaded her to take a look. She knew she wanted to play softball, and Fox introduced her to Coach Renae Hartl. Deciding her course of study was a different matter. “I really didn’t know what I wanted to do, so it helped that Luther was a liberal arts college and I had a lot of options,” she says. She thanks Fox every year. Hatting ultimately blended her love of sports with her interest in overall well-being and majored in physical education and health
with an education minor. “I like phys ed and health together because they involve all aspects of a person, mentally, emotionally, and physically,” she says. A student-teaching semester in Decorah was split between elementary and high school students. She’s hard put to choose a favorite: “I am a little kid at heart. Little kids have such energy and curiosity. You can help shape them and help them see who they are—I absolutely love that. But in high school, they are at an age where they want to challenge you. For me, that’s cool. I am not right 100 percent of the time, and they would sometimes change my views because they had valid points.” Hatting says she’s learned that teaching is about more than she originally thought. “It’s not about teaching a subject, it’s about teaching students. It’s about how the kids apply what they’ve learned when they get out of my class, not just their ability to write what macro and micro nutrients are on a test.” Hatting is continuing her own education at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., where in August she began studying for a master’s degree in sports administration. She’ll continue her lifelong pursuit too, as a graduate assistant coaching for the Augustana softball team. —Ellen Modersohn
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The Owl Advocate by Kate Frentzel
Bloem ’94 is learning about these beautiful birds one hoot at a time—and sharing her wisdom with the world. To hear Karla (Sylling) Bloem ’94 tell it, her life is the stage of an avian soap opera. Forget Alice, the much-beloved rescue owl that lives in Karla and husband Hein’s 1930s farmhouse—the real action is with Rusty and Iris, the mated pair that occupies an outbuilding on the property. Bloem’s neck of the woods has been home to two other owl pairs, Victor and Virginia and Wendell and Wheezy (so named for her hoarse call). But one February, a new girl showed up: Scarlett Owl’Hara. Scarlett had the hoots—er, hots—for Rusty, and she made frequent attempts to get his attention through the metalmeshed enclosure during the middle of the afternoon (when owls are decidedly not supposed to be active), much to Iris’s chagrin. Soon enough, a Rhett showed up to act as Scarlett’s foil, but then a Delilah entered the equation, then Virginia died, and now Delilah can’t make up her mind between Victor and Rhett, while Scarlett is missing in action. Who needs cable when you’ve got The Feathered and the Restless in your backyard? Monitoring the love lives of great horned owls is only a side business for Bloem; her actual research is on their vocalizations, which she began studying in self-defense from her beaked housemate, Alice. She also founded North America’s first international owl festival and is poised to open its only owl education center. And how she got into all that is a story of luck and determination. Photography by Aaron Lurth
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At the Houston Nature Center, Bloem works with Alice over her shoulder.
Enraptured by raptors Bloem was in the right place at the right time. She was a young biologist who had spent a couple of years cycling in and out of seasonal positions with the Minnesota Conservation Corps and DNR. She then turned to software support and income-tax preparation, spending the spring and fall seasons at a local plant nursery. But in 1996, the city of Houston learned the Root River State Trail, a 60-mile paved recreational path in southeast Minnesota, would be coming through town, and a Houston planning committee decided that it would build a nature center as the city’s trailhead. Bloem, who’d had the same idea, got in at the ground floor, eventually becoming the brand-new Houston Nature Center’s director—and adopting a very special ambassador for it. Bloem had been advised to start programming early, to build support even before a brick-andmortar building was in place. As a falconer who had kestrels, her mind naturally turned to raptors. But falconry birds aren’t program birds—they’re very standoffish. So when the opportunity arose to obtain—by special permit—an injured great horned owl that would never fly again, Bloem seized it. Enter Alice, the regal prima donna and main attraction of the Houston Nature Center. Because Alice fell from the nest at three weeks old and required frequent bandage-changing, she imprinted upon humans early, making her a great education bird. So great, in fact, that not only has she reached tens of thousands of people through Bloem’s outreach programs, but she’s also been
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The Bloems’s living room is command central for owl monitoring.
featured in newspapers across the Midwest, in published books, on Animal Planet, and on several radio stations, including the BBC. She even testified successfully in front of the Minnesota House and Senate Environment Committees to have great horned owls removed from Minnesota’s unprotected birds list. With no overnight staff at the nature center, Alice lives with the Bloems at their rural property five miles away. She commutes with Bloem to work each day, save for yearly maternity leave, when she keeps close vigil over her nest. While Alice’s eggs, unfertilized, do not hatch, it’s important to let her sit for the full incubation period so that she doesn’t just lay another set of eggs. Alice started her days with the Bloems in a pen outside their turn-of-the-century farmhouse, but it wasn’t long before she wormed her way inside. She now has her very own moss-green bedroom, outfitted specifically for an owl, on the upper level, where her hoot, rich and resonant, echoes through the house.
“When she’s really loud,” Bloem says, “the filaments in the lightbulbs ring.” Watching Bloem and Alice interact warms the heart, each of them bowing to one another and hooting variations on an interspecies theme. But it wasn’t always this way. As a human imprint, Alice thinks Bloem is her mate. When she vocalizes, she expects Bloem to respond. It took a while for the naturalist to get the memo, however.
“No book exists on how to be a male great horned owl,” Bloem says, exasperated. “There should be one. Of course, if there was, I’d have to write it,” she jokes. “I finally realized I should be hooting with her,” she continues. “But when I did, she would walk to the edge of her perch and smack me on top of the head.” After a few years, Bloem noticed that Alice leans forward when she hoots, so Bloem followed suit. “And she was like, Duh, you finally figured it out! and stopped smacking me on the head when I hooted. So I thought, I need to go to the scientific literature and find out what all this stuff means—kind of in self-defense! And I found out that nobody has studied it.”
Citizen science With a field of inquiry virtually unexplored, Bloem, who never pursued graduate school, set out to research owl vocalizations. Between Alice and the cast of wild owls that frequents the Bloems’ property, she had plenty of subjects. But, she says, “I realized I needed a breeding pair, because how are you going to get the vocalizations within the eggs before they hatch? How are you going to record what happens after the owlets fledge? And when does a young great horned owl develop its full-blown territorial hoot? Do they have to practice first? Does it suddenly happen? Do males do it before females? Nobody knew.” So Bloem secured permits from the Minnesota DNR and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to breed
a non-releasable pair of great horned owls, and she built a $25,000 habitat entirely through donations. The habitat now houses Rusty and Iris, who hatched successful triplets—Patrick, Pandora, and Patience—in 2013 and a pair of twins—Ruby and Rupert—this spring. The triplets were parentreared, while the twins are being raised with lots of human interaction; Bloem is comparing the timing of the development of their vocalizations. “What we found with [both sets of] the owlets so far, which floored everybody, was that they were capable of doing the correct hoot without practicing in their squeaky, itty-bitty voices at just over two weeks old, no practicing needed. That was huge.” What’s almost as remarkable as Bloem’s research itself is how it’s conducted. In the Bloems’ living room is an L-shaped desk that serves as command central. On it are several computers that amass footage from seven cameras in Rusty and Iris’s habitat.
The cameras send out two live video feeds that stream online to the public 24/7. They draw a dedicated viewership, and so Bloem, who works full time in addition to orchestrating an owl festival and planning North America’s sole owl center, provides an e-form on which viewers can note owl vocalizations at specific times. Bloem then goes back and reviews the footage at the noted times. By this point, says Bloem, “My watchers know more than what’s in the scientific literature. They get really excited being part of the scientific discovery process.”
Bloem’s core watchers, which number about 20, live around the world and in a variety of situations—some have disabilities, some have trouble leaving the house easily—but one thing they have in common is their dedication. The owl cam chat room is alive and well throughout the day, with people greeting one another, catching up on conversations, ducking out when they have a phone call or need to leave for work, and of course commenting on owl behavior. “Did Karla feed the kids today?” asks one, in reference to their feathered friends. “Aw man, missed a shower dance!” laments another who arrives to the owl cam too late to watch Ruby seek out rain dripping from the roof. The viewers are so dedicated that they pooled money to install two pan-tilt-zoom cameras in the habitat for better viewing, and a few of the chat room moderators, in addition to Bloem, have remote control of them. When Rusty needed to have an eye removed as a result of a progressively worsening old injury, the cam watchers raised $1,500 for his surgery. Of course, Bloem says, “Even human women love Rusty. Every woman who watches would marry him if she could. He is Mr. Attentive. Iris had to get her own food from the food tray the other night and someone said, ‘What is that?’ Because Rusty always thaws it out for her.” And their food certainly does need thawing. Bloem feeds the owls a steady diet of frozen gopher, which she gets from a trapper in Eitzen, Minn. She keeps them in a sack in the basement deep freeze and butchers them with a pair of short-nosed scissors. When she drops the sack back in the chest,
it makes a flat sound, like a brick—of all the owl devotees, Bloem is the most committed.
Bloem’s commitment and scholarship have gained her recognition, not only among owl-cam enthusiasts, but worldwide. She has presented research in Germany and the Netherlands, and she recently presented in Argentina on the regional variation in vocalizations between North American and pockets of South American great horned owl species. She is preparing to publish findings, which suggest the great horned owls of South America may be one or more different species than their North American counterparts, which was discoverable through their different hoots. “I never thought studying owl vocalization just because I wanted self-defense with Alice would lead to this discussion of speciation and the splitting of species,” she marvels.
Owl immersion The town of Houston, Minn., has a population of about a thousand. But once a year, that number nearly doubles. The cause? The International Festival of Owls, which Bloem inaugurated in 2003 as a hatch-day party for Alice. The first one drew about 300 attendees, but the past couple years have been drawing crowds between 1,700 and 1,800 people.
On a winter afternoon, Bloem treks to the outbuilding that houses Rusty, Iris, and their offspring. Fall 2014 Luther Alumni Magazine
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To learn about the planned International Owl Center, including how to donate, and to watch live footage of Rusty, Iris, and the twins, visit www.internationalowlcenter.org.
Owls adorn many things in Bloem’s life, including her shed and zipper pull.
It’s the only weekendlong, all-owl festival in North America, and people come from across the United States and a dozen countries to attend. The event inspired similar festivals in Nepal and Italy, which welcomed 25,000 attendees to its most recent one. In addition to the requisite fun activities such as owl-pellet dissection and a hooting contest (which Luther professor of biology Tex Sordahl frequently judges), Bloem’s festival also includes birding trips, a nighttime owl prowl, expert speakers from around the globe, and plenty of live-owl programs. Ruby and Rupert even hatched in real time (via owl cam) at the 2014 festival. One of the most special components, however, is the Owl Hall of Fame, which recognizes people who have made the world a better place for owls. One of this year’s winners, Dr. Motti Charter from Israel, transcended Middle Eastern politics and cultural tensions to get Israel, Jordan, and Palestine working together to replace rodenticides, which can devastate owl populations, with barn owls for pest control. Bloem wants people to enjoy the splendor of owls and spread a conservation message, but another intent of the festival is to raise funds for the Houston Nature Center and promote tourism in Houston during an otherwise slow time (the beginning of March). And while the festival might draw an even bigger audience in a larger, more accessible city, Bloem loves that the event is allencompassing in Houston, with the Boy Scouts building nest boxes, church groups holding bake sales and an owl-faced pancake breakfast, the coffee shop serving owl-themed coffee, and local businesses decorating their windows with owls. “So when you come into Houston,” Bloem says, “it’s
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this immersion event every place you go. That’s what people really like about it, and you couldn’t do that in a bigger city. I’m doing it in a little town because everybody can support it. And it can help the community—it can open up new businesses and strengthen existing ones.”
If you build it, they will come When the festival started gaining traction and drawing large crowds, Bloem thought, “Wow, there really is no public owl center in North America, which is why everybody is coming to our festival. This is kind of a glaring omission. Well, why don’t we do it since everyone is coming here anyway?” She continues, “But my background is in biology. It’s not nonprofit business management or how to start a multimillion-dollar facility.” In 2008, though, she won a Bush Leadership Fellowship, a flexible grant that invests in people working to better their communities. She used it to take nonprofit management courses, festival and event management courses, and courses on captive raptor care and wild raptor field techniques. She also visited other wildlife facilities, including the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minn., and the walk-through owl enclosures in the Bavarian Forest National Park. Now she faces the long slog of trying to jigger all the pieces into place, most notably the fundraising. “It’s a challenge because right now I’m wearing two hats: nature center and owl center. And there’s also the research stuff. I’m stretched about as thin as I can get, so the fundraising has been a little slow,” though there have been a few notable gifts. But with an estimated operating budget of about $1 million a year (some of which will be paid for by admissions and merchandise) and costs for the eco-friendly main building and outdoor aviaries reaching several million, it’s a steep hill.
When the funds have been raised, the owl center will purchase a patchwork of properties that abut the Houston Nature Center, all of which became available through serendipity, and construct its best-case-scenario facility. In the meantime, Bloem has signed the lease on a temporary location, the Houston mercantile building, in order to generate awareness and support and give eager visitors a destination. Bloem plans to house about two dozen species, both North American and foreign, at the center. “I would really like to get species that have messages associated with them, not just ‘This is a pretty owl.’ I want to say, ‘Here is the conservation message that goes with this owl, and here’s what you can do to help this species.’ ” She continues, “In the beginning of my work as a naturalist, I was more about spewing facts, but now I want to give people real tools—concrete things to do in their daily lives—to make a real difference.” Some measures Bloem cites include not using rodenticides, protecting open spaces for burrowing owls, protecting old-growth forests for spotted owls, and leaving dead trees standing on your property for eastern screech owls. It’s outreach like this drives Bloem. As she says,
“If you’re just out there doing research, how much impact are you really having on the world? Not much, unless you’re bringing what you learn to the public.” Whoo better than a patron of owls to speak such words of wisdom?
Alumni News
Left to right: Katie (Chambers) Kaduce ’05, Chris Hoden ’00, Renee Weeks ’12, Courtney Meyer ’14, Emily Vander Stel ’14, Sandy Youngmeyer ’07, Megan (Helling) Wildemuth ’00, Mona (Feller) Nelson ’75. Nelson, Luther professor of accounting and management, went to John Deere headquarters in Moline, Iowa, in August 2013 to hear summer interns Vander Stel and Meyer present on their projects. While there, she ran into a few more Norse.
Deere and Luther grads combine forces Luther alumni seem to gravitate toward certain employers—Target, Mayo Clinic, and Epic, for example—but John Deere employs a whopping 43 of them. It’s not surprising that the fertile soils of the Midwest would be a hotbed for future agricultural-sector employees, but what is surprising is that almost all Norse Deere employees started out as business majors.
According to Mona Nelson, Luther professor of accounting and management, the number of Deere hires from Luther picked up in the late 1990s, when the company started a finance development summer internship program for college students. She explains, “Deere learned from its experience with the agricultural crisis and downturn in the early 1980s. They didn’t do hiring in some of these administrative financial support roles [during the crisis] and later learned they had created a gap in their workforce. This is a company that keeps
advancing people, but they didn’t bring in that talent pool for some period of time and then didn’t have the talent developed to take over a lot of their financial roles. So they committed, whether business is good or bad, to never put themselves in a spot like that again. And Luther benefits from their commitment.” Nelson describes Deere as being “very intentional about who they train and who they bring to campus. So if you get that internship offer, Deere is hoping it will become a permanent relationship.”
Deere typically recruits two to three accounting students from Luther per summer, and the company makes sure that students work on meaningful, quality assignments. Says Katie (Chambers) Kaduce ’05, finance analyst and Luther liaison at John Deere, “Unlike some other internships that may bring people in and give them busywork, we are excited every summer when our interns come on board because we give them big projects and important work, such as helping to develop budgets for the upcoming year.” Continued on page 40
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Alumni News John Deere employs 43 Luther graduates, including a father-daughter pair (Dean Gipp ’71 and Julia [Gipp] Galvan ’01) and twin sisters (Amanda ’07 and Susan Valo ’07).
Luther alumni at Deere have held positions in Russia, Brazil, South Africa, Germany, Scandinavia, Asia, Canada, and across the United States.
Emily Vander Stel ’14 was a summer intern in 2013. She documented Deere’s GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) policies in 11 countries, which, she says, “allowed me to network while also expanding my financial knowledge and confidence. It also gave me a lot of global exposure.” She now works at Deere as a budget and forecast accountant in Olathe, Kan. In addition to real-world work experience, summer interns who take a permanent position at Deere after graduating automatically get a full year of service credit with the company upon signing. But just because Luther grads start out in finance at Deere doesn’t mean they stay there. Kaduce says, “We’ve got alums who started in accounting who are now factory managers, managing day-to-day operations. We have alums who’ve moved out of finance and into order fulfillment, making sure that the right equipment gets into the right customer’s hands. We’ve got someone working primarily with developing our dealers for North America. And even within the accounting and finance function, there are a wide variety of roles—everything from cost accounting to general ledger to internal auditing.” A glance at the roster of Luther alumni working at Deere also uncovers an IT team lead (Bruce Kolling ’94) and a web designer (Lisa Szemkus ’99). Kaduce credits the range and flexibility of Luther Deere careers to the liberal arts education: “It really brings well-rounded candidates forward, and we’ve been lucky enough to find great candidates for whom some of that well roundedness has played out not only in finance careers but in wider business roles.” She continues, “It’s funny—anytime someone at Deere takes on a new position, there’s an announcement, and when it mentions that they’re a graduate of Luther, I get a hard time from other colleagues: Where are you all coming from?” —Kate Frentzel
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Luther students at Deere have interned as far afield as Mexico and Germany. Luther is one of the smallest schools from which John Deere actively recruits its summer interns. Other schools that it recruits from include: the University of Illinois, Brigham Young, the University of Iowa, Indiana University, the University of Northern Iowa, Western Illinois University, and Iowa State.
Norse alumni working at Deere range from the class of 1971 (Dean Gipp) to the class of 2014 (Emily Vander Stel).
Dubuque, Iowa Moline, Ill. East Moline, Ill. Milan, Ill.
Johnston, Iowa
Waterloo, Iowa Moscow, Russia Alpharetta, Ga. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil Horicon, Wis. Olathe, Kan. Fargo, N.D. Minneapolis, Minn.
Luther Alumni Magazine
Alumni News
Dean Gipp ’71 Deere & Company Financial Analyst - A&T Moline, Ill. Jaydean Casper ’73 Marketing Territory Manager Minneapolis, Minn. Alice (Crawford) Elliot ’75 PDC Inspection Coordinator Milan, Ill. Dave Werning ’76 JD Landscapes President Alpharetta, Ga. Christian Taylor ’77 Deere & Company Tech Info Business Analyst Moline, Ill. Allan Mohling ’78 Engine Works BPI, Inventory Management Waterloo, Iowa Lori (McWilliams) Wheelen ’80 Deere & Company Manager, Planning and Administration Moline, Ill.
Heather Robinson ’90 C&F Manager Dealer Process & Management Moline, Ill. Loren Schmidt ’90 Deere & Company Project Manager - Global SAP Services Moline, Ill.
Kevin Larson ’91 Deere & Company Director Finance - A&T Moline, Ill.
Justin Marovec ’00 A&T Marketing - Region 4 Region Manager Dealer Development Olathe, Kan.
Renee Weeks ’12 NA-PDC FDP - Accountant Moline, Ill.
Bruce Kolling ’94 John Deere Financial IT Team Lead Johnston, Iowa
Megan Wildemuth ’00 Deere & Company Mgr, Tax Compliance Moline, Ill.
Darren O’Connor ’95 Harvester Works Manager General Accounting East Moline, Ill.
Julia (Gipp) Galvan ’01 Deere & Company Financial Analyst - WW C&F Division Moline, Ill.
John Vaaler ’94 JD Russia Finance Director Moscow, Russia
Sue Roberts ’81 Engine Works Master Process Pro Waterloo, Iowa
Teri (Berg) Dankert ’96 Deere & Company Manager, Corporate Cost Accounting Moline, Ill.
Nona (Hedges) Moore ’90 John Deere Financial International Project Accountant Johnston, Iowa
Jennifer Holst ’09 Harvester Works Financial Analyst East Moline, Ill. Jordan Lang ’11 Deere & Company FDP - Internal Auditor Moline, Ill.
Christopher Tekippe ’95 John Deere Financial Infrastructure Analyst Johnston, Iowa
Kevin Dotseth ’85 John Deere Financial IT Analyst Johnston, Iowa
Matthew Jensen ’99 Deere & Company Business Process Analyst (Treasury) Moline, Ill.
Drew Haefner ’08 Deere & Company Analyst, International Finance (Treasury) Moline, Ill.
Chris Hoden ’00 C&F Factory Manager Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Steve Hamborg ’91 C&F Factory Manager Dubuque, Iowa
Stephen Knutson ’81 John Deere Financial Project Manager, Sales Johnston, Iowa
Rod Tressel ’85 John Deere Financial IT Project Manager Johnston, Iowa
Aaron Swenson ’99 John Deere Financial Compliance Analyst Madison, Wis.
Todd Ancelet ’98 C&F Controller Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil Lisa Szemkus ’99 Deere & Company Web Designer
Joe Ness ’02 JDCFC Global Dir, C&F OFP Planning & Support Moline, Ill. Katie (Chambers) Kaduce ’05 Deere & Company Project Analyst - External Reporting Moline, Ill. Amanda Valo ’07 Deere & Company Business Analyst - Product Line Reporting (PLR) Moline, Ill.
David Clair ’12 GLSS FDP - Accountant Moline, Ill. Denise Richter ’13 JDES FDP - Accountant Fargo, N.D. Erika Lord ’13 Horicon FDP - Accountant Horicon, Wis. Kirsten Stevens ’13 GLSS FDP - Accountant Moline, Ill. Emily Vander Stel ’14 A&T Marketing - Region 4 FDP - Accountant Olathe, Kan.
Susan Valo ’07 Deere & Company Business Analyst - Product Line Reporting (PLR) Moline, Ill. Sandra Youngmeyer ’07 Deere & Company Business Analyst - FICO Moline, Ill.
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Alumni News
59 children of alumni graduate in May 2014 The following sons and daughters of Luther alumni participated in the Commencement ceremonies on campus in May. COLORADO
Centennial Matthew Hall, son of Linda Tookey and Chris Hall ’77 FLORIDA
Debary Andrew Peter, son of Sandra and Tim Peter ’86 ILLINOIS
Woodstock Hannah Fetty, daughter of Helen (O’Donnell) ’79 and Craig Fetty ’79 IOWA
Calmar Nathan Maloney, son of Jennifer Johnson ’89 and Marty Faldet and Jim and Julie Maloney, Decorah Cedar Rapids Sarah Sindelar, daughter of Karen (Antons) ’85 and Kevin Sindelar Correctionville Judd Landers, son of Donita (Hook) ’81 and Jeff Joens and Greg Landers, Greene, Iowa Decorah Brock Arend, son of Kristi and Karl Arend ’87 Kristen Flak, daughter of Lorna Bartels-Flak and Duane Flak ’79 Logan Hjerleid, daughter of Julie (Pilgrim) ’84 and Gavin Hjerleid Dane Huinker, son of Kim (Pilgrim) ’82 and Mike Huinker Kari Jensen, daughter of Jane and Dave Jensen ’79 Robert Jewell, son of Paula (Pilgrim) ’84 and Bob Jewell Erik Sand, son of Carole (Engelhart) ’80 and Dan Sand ’77 Samuel Wettach, son of Barb and Jeff Wettach ’79
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Des Moines Zachary Aschim, son of Jan (Olson) ’77 and Paul Aschim ’77
Caledonia Austen Perry, daughter of Peggy and Richard Perry ’70
Elgin Brandon Torkelson, son of Cindy (Frieden) ’85 and Dirk Torkelson ’85
Isle Eve Christensen, daughter of Gloria and Thomas Christensen ’72
Grinnell Alec Henderson, son of Lisa (Narveson) ’81 and Roger Henderson ’82
New Ulm Caitlyn Anderson, daughter of Robyn (Sand) ’79 and Jon Anderson
Hampton Trevor Green, son of Glenda (Snitker) ’80 and Lawrence Green
Oakdale Daniel Blattner, son of Rhonda (Hageness) ’78 and George Blattner
Hiawatha Aaron Lohff, son of Lori (Mauer) Lohff ’85 and Geoffrey Lohff ’85, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Iowa City Scott Mittman, son of Laura Stunz and Tom Mittman ’75 Johnston Soren Thompson, son of Mary (Sparks) ’86 and Craig Thompson Manchester Jaimie Rasmussen, daughter of Lynne (Fink) ’84 and John Rasmussen ’83 Melcher Evan Mitchell, son of Angie (Steffen) ’88 and Steve Mitchell New Hampton Kiley Boeding, daughter of Barbara (Carr) ’84 and David Boeding Storm Lake Peter Douglas, son of Wende (Bunger) ’81 and Dan Douglas Urbandale Samuel Christopher Jones, son of Mary Sundet Jones ’81 and Ken Jones MINNESOTA
Andover Marin Nycklemoe, daughter of Kathie (Johnson) ’83 and Peter Nycklemoe Arden Hills Jessica Larson, daughter of Pam (Martin) ’85 and Brian Larson ’85 Austin Ingrid Baudler, daughter of Lisa (Nordin) ’83 and Tom Baudler
Rochester Nathan Hansen, son of Teri (Palmquist) ’86 and Jim Hansen ’86 Rachel Stenhaug, daughter of Carmen (Hansen) ’82 and Steve Stenhaug ’81 St. Paul Ella Carlson, daughter of Jessie and Leif Carlson ’79 Sartell Lucas Reitz, son of Heidi (Koukkari) ’84 and Alan Reitz ’83 Savage Genevieve Becker, daughter of Teresa and Doug Becker ’90 Shoreview Melissa Hernes, daughter of Linda (Korsness) ’87 and Jeffrey Hernes ’85
WISCONSIN
Black Earth Stuart Dybdahl, son of Jill and Paul Dybdahl ’81 Eau Claire Luke Dovre, son of Ellen (Paulson) ’86 and Erik Dovre ’85 Ettrick Kai Ashland, son of Sarah and John Ashland ’80 Madison Phillip Cleven, son of Kay (Wiederhoeft) ’84 and Greg Simmons and Paul Cleven ’83, Madison McFarland Erin Tuecke, daughter of Susan and Edward Tuecke ’72 Middleton Erin Niles, daughter of Terri (Thompson) ’84 and Scott Niles ’85 Onalaska Madeline Davidson, daughter of Jill and Mark Davidson ’81 Hannah Josephson, daughter of Kristi (Wahlberg) ’79 and Kevin Josephson ’79 Reedsburg Hannah Glesne, daughter of Kristi (Sprague) ’87 and David Glesne ’87 River Falls Nara Tashjian, daughter of Barb (Langhus) ’79 and Chris Tashjian
Spring Grove Brooke Johnson, daughter of Kari (Meyer) ’89 and Daniel Alstad and Mark Johnson (deceased)
Sherwood Kristina Moburg, daughter of Lucia Moburg ’80 and Alan Ulrich ’74, Tamuning, Guam
Woodbury Peter Storvick, son of Sarah and Jon Storvick ’78
Wascott Amy Hermeier, daughter of Julie and John Hermeier ’85
OREGON
Wausau Clara Lind, daughter of Beth (Beutler) ’83 and Richard Lind
Klamath Falls Andrew Stork, son of Holly Ann and David Stork ’84 PENNSYLVANIA
Lemont Jessa Anderson-Reitz, daughter of Alicia Anderson ’86 and Bob Skelly and Lowell Reitz ’86 and Rodney Moffett, Dallas, Texas
Wauwatosa Eric Klein, son of Beth (Lee) Klein ’84 and Matthew Klein, Sussex, Wis. Kolbotn, NORWAY
Torstein Jystad, son of Kari Clausen ’79 and Ingolf Jystad
Alumni News
TOURS AND RETREATS
Alumni Office offers Bach and Bonhoeffer tour to Germany, Czech Republic Join President Emeritus Richard Torgerson, Judy Torgerson, friends, and alumni on a two-week tour to Germany and the Czech Republic, June 14–27, 2015, titled Music and Conscience: Bach and Bonhoeffer. The tour begins in Berlin, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s birthplace and the center of his teaching and work in the resistance against Hitler. The group will
then travel to Leipzig, where J. S. Bach culminated his career and composed his most beloved works. There the group will attend the internationally acclaimed Bach Festival. An optional side trip to Wittenberg will be offered during the time in Leipzig. Two days immersed in the art and culture of Dresden will follow. En route to the tour’s final destination, Prague—a city teeming with art and culture—the group will visit Flossenburg Concentration
Camp, the site of Bonhoeffer’s execution in 1945. Interspersed throughout the tour will be informal lectures and discussions with faculty tour leaders Jim Martin-Schramm, Luther professor of religion, and Gregory Peterson ’83, Luther associate professor of music and college organist. Peterson will also give an organ recital during the tour. Coleading the tour are Ann Sponberg Peterson, Luther director of development, principal gifts, and Karen Martin-Schramm,
executive assistant to Luther’s president. All Luther alumni, parents, and friends interested in exploring the relationship of music and conscience in the lives and works of Bach and Bonhoeffer are invited to participate. For more information, visit www.luther. edu/alumni/events/alumni-tours or contact Karen Martin-Schramm at kms@luther.edu; phone (563) 387-1527.
President Carlson to host Nordic Choir companion tour through Italy
President Paula J. Carlson and Rev. Thomas Schattauer.
Coordinated with the Nordic Choir Performance Tour of Italy, the Alumni Office is planning a 12-day Italian trip, May 25–June 5, 2015. Luther College President Paula J. Carlson and Rev. Thomas Schattauer will host the tour. The tour will include taking in the Nordic performances, some of which may be during Mass. The first stop on the tour will be Italy’s ancient capital city, Rome. Other cities on the tour will include Assisi, perched atop a
hill in the Umbria region and surrounded by ramparts little changed since the Middle Ages; Florence, home to the Ponte Vecchio and Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral with its huge dome; Lucca, one of Italy’s finest medieval treasures; Sienna, which is surrounded by olive fields and vineyards and is one of the most beautiful cities in Italy; and Venice, the island city famous for its unique system of waterways and beautiful architecture.
Carlson will offer a President’s Reading Group as part of the tour. Participants will be invited to read selected short stories by prominent American or British authors about traveling or living in Italy and then join in conversation about the stories during the tour. For details about the tour as they become available, contact Sherry Alcock, executive director of alumni relations and develoment services, alcock@luther.edu.
At retreat in Carefree, Arizona, participants will explore third stage of life’s journey Luther will again host a retreat in February for graduates, their spouses and friends, and all who want to explore God’s callings in the third chapter of their lives: A Retreat on the Promise of the Third Chapter of Your Life. The retreat will be held at Spirit in the Desert, Carefree, Ariz., Feb. 11 and 12, 2015. Luther has rich experience in what Lilly Endowment calls “the theological exploration of vocation.” Working with our
students, we have nurtured their competence, courage, and convictions to make the world more trustworthy. And how has the journey gone? In chapter two of the narratives of our vocations, we live out our callings in our workplaces, our homes and families, our public engagements, and our communities of worship. We experience joys and sorrows, defeats and triumphs, and our need for God in body and soul. Then suddenly, or so it seems,
we turn the page to chapter three. Our relationships and realities change. Our nest is empty, our employment ends, or we face losses, maybe new wealth. Our generation has unmatched longevity. What does this mean? For us? To God? Coming together for a day and a half of music, reflection, and conversation, we will listen to rich stories of our life’s journeys. We will experience the steadfastness of God, who has ac-
companied us through our years of growing and doing, assuring us “I am with you always,” and reminding us we are “blessed to be a blessing.” Registration dates will be announced at a later date. To be added to the mailing list for this special event, please contact the Luther College Alumni Office, (563) 387-1861 or email alumni@ luther.edu.
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Alumni News
CLASS NOTES Class Notes as of July 28. The deadline for Class Notes for the winter 2015 issue is Nov. 3; alumni@luther.edu.
1955 CLARIE (RENSLO)
Luther alumni gathered at the home of ALVIN ’61 and LOIS (STOLE) BERG ’62 in St. Anthony, Minn., in May 2014. (Back row) JEFFREY WELLS ’62, BERNER GORDEN ’61, ALVIN BERG ’61, JAMES KRONEMAN ’61, THOMAS JACOBSON ’62. (Front row) CHEN-CHU (WONG) WELLS ’66, MARY (ORKE) GORDEN ’62, LOIS (STOLE) BERG ’62, Ruth Kroneman, Phyllis Jacobson. SANDRA SELLERS HANSON ’63 retired after 28 years as English professor and chair of the English department for LaGuardia Community College, CUNY. SHARI HORNER ’83 is an English professor and department chair at Shippensburg (Pa.) University. The pair met at a workshop sponsored by the Association of Departments of English, where they discovered they were both Luther alumnae.
STRENG BROSTE of Hanska, Minn., through a named gift, founded the Adolph Jr. and Clarie Renslo Streng Leadership Formation Center at Briarwood Retreat Center near Dallas, Texas, where the Northern Texas/Northern Louisiana Synod will move its synod office in 2015.
president for campus planning at Waldorf College.
1959 LOU ACCOLA is
visitation pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Phoenix, Ariz. He wrote reflections on the meaning and use of the Lord’s Supper, titled Given for You, published by Augsburg Fortress Press. He is also a certified ceramics teacher.
1956 ODELL BJERKNESS
is professor emeritus of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. He is well known for organizing and leading trips to Norway. In August, Bjerkness embarked on another excursion to Norway, which focused on Norway during WWII. During the tour, travelers visited a variety of historic sites, listened to him share stories of interviews with resistance fighters against the German occupation of Norway, and learned more about this time during visits to some of Norway’s most scenic regions. Bjerkness is teaching three courses at the University of Minnesota: WWII in Norway, Icons of Norway: A Cultural History, and Arts of Norway.
1964 JOHN WELCH was
honored with the Mason City Noon Rotary Club’s Service Above Self Award. After his retirement as a physical education teacher in Mason City, Iowa, Welch began working as a manager at Blackmore Nursery. He also frequently volunteered in many community projects, using his skills in gardening and carpentry.
1967 DAVID OLSON is
interim pastor for St. James Lutheran Church in Chicago.
1968 GEORGE KUH is adjunct
The VAALER and REIMANN families were featured in Woodbury Magazine in recognition of their endless support, contributions, and love of the arts. TOM VAALER ’62 and his wife, Juanita, cofounded the Woodbury (Minn.) Community Theater in 1976. Tom has participated in at least 30 different shows. His avid love of music and theatre has spread throughout three generations of this talented family. MARY VAALER REIMANN ’87, after six years of teaching English on the East Coast, returned to her roots and is the music director at St. Ambrose of Woodbury Catholic Community. Music is still a strong connection for TOM REIMANN ’13, who is an infectious disease researcher at the University of Minnesota, but also enjoys singing with his family. JULIA REIMANN ’16 is a student at Luther, where she is majoring in music and religion.
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BOB JOHNSON received the 2014 John K. and Luise V. Hanson Lifetime Award during the annual meeting of the Forest City (Iowa) Chamber of Commerce and Forest City Economic Development. He was cited for his leadership in community and civic organizations, including the YMCA, Forest City’s Planning and Zoning Commission, Forest City Economic Development, Forest City’s Housing Task Force, and Immanuel Lutheran Church, and as a member of the Forest City Rotary Club for more than 45 years. Johnson also served as the director of planned giving, vice president for development, and special assistant to the
professor of education policy at the University of Illinois and chancellor’s professor of higher education emeritus at Indiana University in Bloomington. He delivered a keynote session at this year’s Conference on Adult Learner Enrollment Management in Atlanta, Ga. His discussion, Promising Practices in Student Engagement and Retention, illustrated policies and high-impact practices that channel student and institutional effort toward educationally sound activities while boosting performance of historically underrepresented students. Kuh also received honorary degrees this past year from Wofford College in
Alumni News
Spartanburg, S.C., and the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.
1969 ROB SEVERSON of
Deephaven, Minn., is author of Achievers: Ordinary People Who Do Extraordinary Things, which features stories of business and life. MARIE SMITH of Spring Hill, Kan., retired as director of the Maffat County Department of Social Services. HUCK USGAARD of Minneapolis retired after 12 years of service as ELCA Southeast Minnesota Bishop. He plans to continue to be involved with church leaders working for Portico.
1970 ERIC T. EVENSON of
Reading, Ohio, retired from the U.S. Army after 34 years of active duty. Following his initial retirement from the army in 2002, he was recalled to active duty from 2008 to 2012 to serve as the occupational health and environmental medicine consultant to the army surgeon general. He currently serves as the occupational and environmental health program manager for the assistant secretary of the army for installations, energy, and environment at the Pentagon.
1971 DENNY HANSON is
president and chief executive officer for Community Resource Bank in Northfield, Minn. He was named to the Board of Trustees at Central College in Pella, Iowa.
center, now in its 18th year as the largest artist community in the Upper Midwest, is an estate set on 330 acres and provides a residency program for writers and artists from the United States and abroad. GARY HOLSTAD of Duluth, Ga., was appointed by Georgia governor Nathan Deal to serve on the governor’s Sexual Offender Registration Review Board.
1972 PAUL AASEN is
an associate field biologist for DowAgroSciences LLC in Clinton, Wis. JUDY HETAGER LITSEY is a science tutor at Boulder Language Technologies in Boulder, Colo. She is also an active volunteer with First Presbyterian Church. TOM KELLY of Greensboro, N.C., is on the executive team and serves as general manager for REM Technology Consulting Services Inc. He recently joined the advisory board for Helpful Technologies Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. CHERYL SASSE retired after teaching art for 29 years for the Cannon Falls (Minn.) Schools. APRIL ULRING LARSON and JUDD LARSON ’74 are retired and live in Decorah.
MARY BANKEN is executive director for Estes Valley Land Trust in Estes Park, Colo.
NAN HACKETT is professor of English at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn.
NANCY (STONEMAN) and DEAN BERKAS live in Fort Atkinson, Wis. She is president–educational consultant for EdSights LLC. He retired from Fort Atkinson School District after teaching mathematics for 40 years.
DONNA (DOUGLASS) HAMM is associate systems analyst for University of Colorado Health in Fort Collins.
VICKI BLAKE of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, is a self-employed conductor, director, musician, and photographer.
STEVEN HEITBRINK is a life/ health insurance specialist in Charles City, Iowa. He has directed the Charles City Singers since 1986 and is a bassist for NovaJazz and DQYDJJB.
BARBARA DROHER KLINE is a financial advisor for Thrivent Financial in Sunol, Calif.
CRAIG JOHNSON is professor of leadership studies for George Fox University in Newberg, Ore.
1973 CATHERINE
KURT JORGENSEN retired as physician for Gundersen Lutheran Clinic in Prairie Du Chien, Wis.
(SPIELMAN) POWERS of Woodbury, Minn., retired after 32 years as director of regional fundraising for Church World Service. JANET (PURMORT) TOLLUND was a featured guest on Music with Minnesotans, a weekly half-hour MPR program hosted by Steve Staruch.
ROBERT HEDIN of Frontenac, Minn., was honored with the Kay Sexton Award at the 25th annual Minnesota Book Awards Gala. The award is presented annually to an individual or organization in recognition of long-standing dedication and outstanding work in fostering books, reading, and literary activity in Minnesota. He is the founding director of the Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Red Wing. The
Enjoying themselves at the Luther Comes to the Heartland Picnic in Park Rapids (Minn.) on July 27 were BILL WICKUM ’71, CHRIS HAUGEN ’72, and Sunny Haugen.
KAREN KNOFF is a licensed mental health counselor and art therapist in private practice in Moscow, Idaho. NANCY (ALLERS) LARSEN retired from teaching for the Morristown (Minn.) Public Schools.
BAUER is interim pastor at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Virginia, Minn.
RUFUS GLASPER is chancellor of the Maricopa Community Colleges in Tempe, Ariz. He gave the commencement address and was awarded an honorary degree at Northern Arizona University’s commencement ceremony last spring. Glasper was cited for his advocacy for students, the development of innovative programs, and his significant contributions to the education of others.
VIRGINIA ANDERSON-LARSON is pastor for Saint John Lutheran Church in Olin, Iowa, and Zion Lutheran Church in Wyoming, Iowa.
LAURA (GORDON) GREENLUND is administrative assistant for special services for the Northfield (Minn.) Public Schools.
BOB WEILER of Indianapolis is a senior lecturer and MSW field administrator for Indiana University– Purdue University.
1974 LOREN ANDERSON-
JOEL MJOLSNESS is director of business development and sales for Vidder Inc. in Campbell, Calif. JANET (HANSON) NARVESON is a staff nurse for the Hayward (Wis.) Memorial Hospital. NANCY (THOMSEN) NEUMEISTER is adjunct professor of secondary education–science at the University of Dubuque (Iowa). PAT (WHITE) RUNDIO is retired in Hernando, Fla.
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Alumni News
Nancy North ’78 and her husband, John Gaddo, hired builder Jeff Vilen ’76 (right) to construct this home using the Passive House concept.
North ’78, Vilen ’76 team up to create energy-efficient home The word sustainability has grown in meaning for Luther alumni Nancy North ’78 and Jeff Vilen ’76. They say they’ve tuned in to a sustainable lifestyle right along with the college, which earned a top-green-college rating in a national guide in 2013. That lifestyle is evident in the home that North and husband John Gaddo have just built along the Root River in Whalan, Minn. Vilen and his crew did the actual construction. North and Gaddo, who works for Wisconsin Public Radio, married in 2006 and started house hunting. Their “temporary” stay in a townhouse in La Crosse turned into six years, but they eventually found and fell in love with the Root River spot east of Lanesboro, Minn. “We loved the people, the canoeing, kayaking, biking, photography, the arts, and theater,” Gaddo says. The couple connected with Vilen several years ago, while Vilen, who is based in Zumbro Falls, Minn., was working on a deep energy retrofit of a very drafty residence at the Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center west of Lanesboro. Such retrofits are one of his crew’s specialties—they call themselves “the energy guys.” Because of the Root River House project and the one at Eagle Bluff, people now seek out Vilen for similar projects, North says. A statement on North’s Root River House website offers a good
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summary of the project: “Our goal is simple, a functional house with room for family, friends, and the activities we enjoy. We work from home much of the time, so bright, quiet workspaces are essential. Good flow, openness, and some separation between a hard-working kitchen and main living space are incorporated. The gallery is our way of creating a graceful entry and space for art, books, and recordings. Guests will sleep in media, studio, and living rooms. We’ll be able to live on one floor if it’s ever necessary. “A long garage includes a workshop, storm/root cellar with cistern, and a second-floor activity room at its south end. A walk through this building accesses the garden east of the garage, and the root cellar is easily reached from the garden.” The home’s design epitomizes energy efficiency. As North describes it, the home’s functionality is all about careful design using Passive House Planning Package software, 20 triple-pane windows, including three full-glass doors, and some hefty insulation within walls and above ceilings. “The Passive House concept is conceptually simple,” North says. “It’s building so well, so tight, and so carefully that you reduce energy need. It’s the sanest thing we ever heard.” With 16 inches of insulation in the walls and 30 in the ceiling, they
Alumni News
JANET SIMONEN of Grand Marais, Minn., retired after 30 years of public service. ELLEN SKATRUD-MICKELSON is a pastoral care pastor for Hope Lutheran in The Villages, Fla. DENEAN (ANDERSON) SMITH is manager of fuel and supply accounting for Integrys Business Support LLC in Green Bay, Wis. JONATHAN STRANDJORD is director for seminaries for the ELCA Congregational and Synodical Mission Unit in Chicago. JULIA WALL earned a master’s degree in special education from Winona State University. She is a writing center instructor for Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar. STEVE WILLRETT is senior consultant for Rolls Royce in Pittsburgh.
1975 KAREN (ROSSING)
GRANDALL is chaplain for Mayo Clinic Health Services Austin (Minn.) Hospice. NORMAN JAMESON is executive director of Novant Health Foundation Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The house is near the Root River outside of Whalan, Minn. Triple-pane windows, top, and thickly insulated walls help the home retain heat. may need to turn on heat only if it’s cloudy for four or five days in a row. Alternative heat is provided from two electric mini-split heat pump units, one on each floor, North says. “Mini-splits are like the wall units in hotel rooms—typically meant for one small room,” she said. “Besides providing heat, on an incredibly hot, humid day one mini-split heat pump set to dehumidify at the lowest level (not set at A/C) makes the entire house almost too cool.” “You can’t seal too tight as long as you have an air exchange unit installed,” Vilen says. The windows and air exchange unit are super efficient, helping the house retain 93 percent of the interior temperature. “The windows provide the heat,” Vilen says. “We’re getting sungenerated solar heat right through the glass, and from appliances” that generate a certain amount of heat. Water is heated using a domestic solar hot water system including a roof-mounted heat collector, insulated lines, and a 75-gallon water storage tank with electric element for back-up heating. A roof-mounted 4.8 kWh photovoltaic solar array, mounted next to the hot water panel, generates all the electricity necessary to support their housing needs. — Bob Modersohn, story and photographs North andGaddo have shared information about each step of the Root River House project at http://rootriverhouse.2030home.org.
JUDITH (GROTEGUT) ROBINSON retired after 29 years of service at the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army and has moved back home to Decorah. GREG THOMPSON is a credit analyst for United Rentals in Plymouth, Minn.
1976 DAVID HOSTETLER
is a mental health counselor/case manager in Seattle. TIM MILLER is principal of Valley High School in the the West Des Moines (Iowa) School District. JAN OLDENBURG lives in Boise, Idaho, and is senior manager of Ernst & Young LLP’S Advisory Health Care Practice in San Francisco.
1977 GREGORY FIELDS is
an HR analyst for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District in Chicago. MERRILEE GERBERDING HUPP retired as an enforcement coordinator
SUSAN (STAVIG) ALSHOUSE ’78 from Birmingham, Ala., and MARTHA GESME NIELSEN ’79 of Palatine, Ill., were together at Lutherstrasse in Eisenach, Germany, last April. Alshouse was Nielsen’s Omega Psi sorority pledge mom at Luther, and the pair have traveled together on Neilsen’s annual Friends’ trips for many of the past 18 years. for environmental regulations for the state of Texas. She works as a substitute teacher for special education classes in the Marble Falls (Texas) Independent School District. TED JACOBSEN is a team leader/ CEO at Keller Williams Realty in McKinney, Texas. MIKE JORGENSEN is the vice president for e3 Partners Ministry in Plano, Texas. RANDY NOECKER retired after 37 years of service in education. He was associate principal at Harding Middle School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the past 23 years. MARK ROWE is vice president of operations for Axis Teknologies LLC in Sandy Springs, Ga.
1978 CECELIA (NYBRO)
MANLOVE of Anchorage, Ky., is president of Kentucky Medicaid with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.
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Alumni News
MARY (CARLSON) TRANDUM of Minneapolis retired from the Minneapolis Public Schools and the University of Minnesota. She enjoys volunteering in the schools and with the Humane Society.
REBECCA HANNA retired from teaching for the South Winneshiek Community School District in Calmar, Iowa. DAYTON HENDERSON is senior director-global design for KimberlyClark Corporation in Neenah, Wis. LINDA JORN is associate vice provost of learning technologies and division of information technology director of academic technology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
SARAH WACKER is a medical social worker for St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, Wis. CLARK WICKS is a superintendent of schools for the Orient-Macksburg (Iowa) Schools and is also part owner and worker for No Lawn Left Behind. KRISTIN (FALLON) WILLIAMS teaches kindergarten for the Osseo (Minn.) School District.
TOM JURACEK is managing director of Marker Hill Capital in Denver. KEVIN WOOD performed the roles of Professor Walsh and the Senator in Manuel versus the Statue of Liberty (book and lyrics by Noemi de la Puente; music by Howard Post) at the Studio Theatre on Theatre Row with the New York Musical Theater Festival in New York City last summer.
1979 KATHY (BRINKMAN)
RICHARD LEE is an independent contractor and driver in Madison, Wis. KATHY (GARBRECHT) LELAND is a drumline instructor for USC High School in Wells, Minn. RON MEDDOCK of Phoenix, Ariz., is global accounts director for EWI Worldwide.
ANDREWS is department head and teacher of physical education and health for Arlington Heights (Ill.) School District 25.
SARAH (AUSTRHEIM) ORNGARD of Pilot Mound, Iowa, is a special education associate for the United Community School District.
JENNIFER (DAVIS) BARNES is life enrichment director and social services designee for the Zearing (Iowa) Health Care Center.
LAURA (DAHL) POPKES of Grand Marais, Minn., is a clinical support manager for McKesson MedicalSurgical.
SARAH (THOMPSON) BARNES is a registered nurse for Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina, Minn.
GARY RASSO of Eldridge, Iowa, is a laboratory marketing officer for Metropolitan Medical Laboratory, PLC.
KARI (SCHROEDER) and SCOTT BROGHAMER ’79 live in Iowa City, Iowa. She is a learning assistant at the University of Iowa; he is a sales representative for Medtronic.
TOM REYNOLDS is director of artistic programming-marketing and audience services for George Mason University in Fairfax,Va.
ALLENE (LEATHERS) BYROAD of Frisco, Texas, is a school counselor for Staley Middle School. ROD CHRISTENSEN is president of Allina Health Clinics in Minneapolis. SCOTT EMICH is a manufacturing coach for Creation Technologies in St. Peter, Minn. JANE (WRIGHT) EVANS is an early childhood educator for Traders Point Christian Academy in Whitestown, Ind. DENISE GRAU NELSON is lead teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing for the Durham (N.C.) Public Schools.
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MELINDA (FALLIS) SEIFERT is the owner of Grand Living Management in Excelsior, Minn. WENDY (BODENDOERFER) STEWART became a certified nurse educator and a program evaluator for the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. She is on the nursing faculty at Alvin (Texas) Community College. ROBIN (SCHEFFEL) and ALLAN TEETSHORN ’79 live in West Des Moines, Iowa. She is vice presidentrisk analytics consultant for Wells Fargo; he is a driver for Nebraska Next Day.
1980 ESTHER MENN is dean
and vice president for academic affairs and Ralph W. and Marilyn R. Klein professor of Old Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
It was a Luther theme at the high school graduation party for ZACH WITHERS ’18, hosted by his parents, Jenifer and JIM WITHERS ’84, in Ames, Iowa.
ELISE (BARTON) and PAUL MULLEN ’79 live in Eden Prairie, Minn. She is an intake specialist for CIGNA Behavioral Health; he works in construction sales for Les Jones Roofing Inc.
1981 BRYAN (CARLSON)
ANDREWS is owner of Suburban Oasis in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
1982 BECKY (PRESTEMON)
GESING is a nurse practitioner in Winneshiek Medical Center’s new Family Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic in Ossian, Iowa. PETER HASVOLD of Fort Collins, Colo., is a quality manager at Vaisala Inc. LAURIE (PETERSON) JEDDELOH is director of pastoral care at Sky Ridge Medical Center in Denver. MARY BETH PETRAK DE AVILA is the director of choirs for the West Las Vegas (Nev.) Schools. SHIRLEY (BENTLEY) SOVEREIGN retired after three decades as PK–1 principal/director of teaching and learning for the Howard-Winneshiek Community School District in Cresco, Iowa.
1984 ERIC BUNGE is
managing director of Northern Stage Theater Company in White River Junction, Vt. He is spearheading Northern Stage’s campaign to build a $9-million venue for the company. Last September, Northern Stage began conversations with Bread Loaf Corporation and Theater Projects Consultants to develop designs for a new venue and later approved a motion for fundraising. Since then, 53 percent of the overall fundraising goal has been pledged. Permits and planning approvals are in process. Plans call for the new theater to open in time for the company’s 19th season in the fall of 2015. Find a link to a newspaper article about Bunge’s efforts in the Web Extras at luthermagazine.com. STEVE HOPKINS completed a certified public manager degree at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. KNUTE ROTTO is CEO-Connecticut operations for ValueOptions Inc. in Rocky Hill, Conn.
Alumni News
Beloit College dancers perform Holding Patterns, choreographed by Chris (Schweizer) Johnson ’87, at the New Prague Dance Festival in July 2013.
Johnson ’87 gives students something to dance about Last spring, while Chris (Schweizer) Johnson ’87, professor of dance at Beloit College in Beloit, Wis., was on sabbatical, she set aside a few days to visit the studio of Luther professor of dance Jane Hawley ’87. Johnson, a former classmate and longtime friend of Hawley, was researching how somatics (essentially, the mindbody connection) and kinesiology (the mechanics of body movement) may be most effective in Chris (Schweizer) Johnson ’87 dance training. “It always came down to one question that I had about efficiency, about using the body in ways that are safe and productive, with ease and lack of tension,” Johnson explains. “But there are times when you need to strengthen muscles and become more fit. You need to overload muscle and push the heart and lungs. Those two camps are very far apart, but they don’t need to be. As an educator, I try to incorporate both. I want to figure out a way to meld the two into one practice.” In addition to researching that fitness-versus-efficiency question, Johnson shared with Hawley’s students her history of choreographing pieces that promote social justice and awareness. Johnson’s work has explored such themes as genocide, HIV/AIDS, world hunger, cultural oppression, and environmental issues. Johnson’s most recent choreography work, Physical Manifestations of Assent, asks some tough questions about power, powerlessness, and gender. “I’m looking at how we respond to power and what role we play in our own oppression,” she says. The piece is a response to her research on post-communist Eastern Europe and some of the tensions that have arisen there. The piece, she says, centers on a recurring duet that is revisited in different gender combinations and with shifting outcomes as alternate choices are made to witness, act, assent, reject, acquiesce, resist, and adjoin. Like many Luther alumni, Johnson makes it a priority to engage globally. In addition to her global-activist pieces, Johnson recently took a group of Beloit students with her to Tanzania, where they worked with
Beloit College dancers perform Between the Lines, choreographed by Chris Johnson, at the New Prague Dance Festival in July 2013.
children at the Peace House School, an organization started in part by two Luther alumni, Mark ’86 and Carla (Meyer) Hillman ’87. Johnson’s group played a trust game with the Tanzanian students that involved falling and catching. “The Peace House School students just threw themselves into it. I thought they’d be ready to really participate by day three, but they were ready by the end of the first day,” Johnson says. Johnson says she loves working with globally engaged, liberal arts students. “They’re not just worried about how high they can kick their leg,” she says. “They have something really meaningful to dance about.” —Kate Frentzel
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Alumni News
For season four of AMC’s Hell on Wheels, FuseFX created a digital trainyard with full CG trains and tracks. Actors were shot on green screen and composited into the shot.
The Jacobsen ’89 effect
It’s a bittersweet victory when the mark of your success is that nobody notices your work. 50
Luther Alumni Magazine
If you want to know what Tim Jacobsen ’89 does for a living, just turn on your TV. There’s a giant rolling ball squashing a zombie. There’s a dark angel extending her black, feathered wings. There are explosions, falling semis, car chases, a man bidding adieu as he dangles from a rope out of a helicopter, ridiculously high-tech labs, decapitations, people on fire, people in free fall, a raging windstorm, a river of blood careening down a staircase. Jacobsen delivers these images to your screen through FuseFX, the Emmy-nominated visual effects company he cofounded in 2008. And if you watch shows on Fox, AMC, A&E, HBO, CBS, ABC, WGN, FX, Showtime, or NBC, you’ve probably seen his work. After graduating from Luther with a “three-pronged” public communication, sociology/political science major, Jacobsen took a job with Conus, a satellite news service based in Minneapolis. He explains, “I would sit down with editing tools and figure out what the big news and sports stories of the day were, then arrange to get those stories in via satellite from their local affiliates. Then I’d take all the stories and edit them together into a string and do a satellite feed to our affiliates throughout the country.” Jacobsen leveraged that experience into a job offer from an L.A.based post-production company in 1991. “In 1991 there weren’t a lot of digital effects happening yet,” he says. “So I sort of grew in my career, and in post-production I saw that visual effects were growing larger. I kind of latched myself onto the computer field and as a support person for visual effects artists, specializing in production,” which allowed him to be involved in the creative process and also to harness his strong organizational skills.
Alumni News
Below is what the studio looked like during season three of Hell on Wheels. At left is what the TV audience saw.
Jumping into business without a net In 2008, after working for a series of visual effects companies, Jacobsen was invited to help start a new one by David Altenau, the on-set supervisor for HBO’s Deadwood series, for which Jacobsen produced effects. Jason Fotter also joined the fold as a partner, bringing artistic and technical skills with him. “It was a little scary to start in 2008 because of the big meltdown that was happening,” Jacobsen says, “but people say the best time to start a company is when the others are failing. We kind of jumped in and it actually has taken off.” Jacobsen’s three-man operation has grown to more than 80 employees and is opening offices in New York City and Vancouver, B.C. In addition to a client list that includes American Horror Story, Bones, Criminal Minds, Fargo, Glee, Halt & Catch Fire, Hell on Wheels, Masters of Sex, Mike & Molly, and Sleepy Hollow, his company recently landed Empire, Constantine, Mad Men, Manhattan, Red Band Society, Salem, and Sons of Anarchy, among other shows. But the client that keeps FuseFX the busiest is Agents of SHIELD, a Joss Whedon series based on the Marvel Comics organization of the same name. Naturally, a fictional world populated by superheroes requires manifold effects, and FuseFX does everything from fabricating the bus that the characters use to fly around the world to creating flamethrowing powers and a liquid metal mass called “gravitonium” that spins around and removes gravity. The company also developed a skydiving sequence in which the actors were shot on green screen with FuseFX filling in a CG (computer-generated) sky and full CG people (or “digital doubles”) for a lot of the action.
Sure, it looks real . . . Of course, it’s easy to pigeonhole visual effects into the violent, bombastic, explosive, and gory, but Jacobsen also trades in more pedestrian images, the sorts of things you take at face value. For example, you’re not
Tim Jacobsen ’89 at work in his Burbank, Calif., office.
actually seeing footage of a jet fighter aircraft gliding leisurely across a sunset sky—that’s just a bit of Jacobsen’s magic. And the half dozen satellites atop that skyscraper? They’re not real. And neither are those huge crowds at the train station. Oh, and neither is the train station. Also not real? The spectators at a horserace. The hundred soldiers outside an airplane hangar. The Las Vegas skyline behind your favorite actor. And that entire Wild West village in Hell on Wheels. Even something as straightforward as a bellboy wheeling a cart down a hotel hallway—it’s actually an actor shot against a green screen. Jacobsen and crew work on plenty of shows that might seem unlikely visual-effects candidates, like Glee, the musical comedy series about a Fall 2014 Luther Alumni Magazine
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Alumni News
For season three of Hell on Wheels, FuseFX created a 100 percent CG gorge, including a matte painting and CG train, trestle, smoke, and tracks. The shot garnered a Visual Effects Society nomination for outstanding created environment.
high school singing club. Or the half-hour sitcom Mike & Molly, which features an ordinary Chicago couple. For shows like these, FuseFX fabricates audiences, buildings, backgrounds, and driving sequences. Jacobsen explains, “They’re not always able to shoot cars live, moving through environments, because it takes time, special permits, and also a trailer, so sometimes they just set up a car on a stage and we’ll shoot that as green screen out all the windows of the car. They might create lighting effects so it simulates the car going under streetlights, going by other cars. Then we’ll find footage that simulates the perspective out of the windows, put it into the green screen, and add reflection. If it’s done well, nobody knows.” It’s a bittersweet victory when the mark of your success is that nobody notices your work.
The gorge that wasn’t there Sometimes visual effects are the centerpiece of a show, as on American Horror Story. For that series, FuseFX created CG aliens; burned witches at the stake; created a bus fully in CG, then flipped and crashed it; added tons of blood and gore to shots; and extended the exterior of the asylum that was the central location of season two. And whenever you see a moving train on the AMC series Hell on Wheels, which depicts the building of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States, that’s the Jacobsen effect. “They have a couple of nonworking production trains that have limited movement,” he explains. “However, if the train needs to move across the screen, we need to create it 100 percent digitally. We also create quite a few background extensions and digital environments for the show. For season two, we created a large gorge that did not exist. The story revolved around building a train trestle to cross this large gorge. We ended up creating the entire environment CG—gorge, train, tracks, smoke, people, et cetera.”
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FuseFX earned a 2013 nomination from the Visual Effects Society for that work. (It earned a second nomination for work on Agents of SHIELD.) Realistic depictions of water—a holy grail among effects makers—is one of the things that FuseFX does best. Rain, debris in the water, explosions in the water, things surfacing out of or submerging into the water, false rivers, false flooding, false jet engines leaving twin wakes as they race over a false ocean—Jacobsen’s company can pull all of this off without a hitch. It was FuseFX’s water work on Last Resort that earned the company a 2013 Emmy nomination. Jacobsen describes the awards ceremony as surreal, noting an ironic twist to the evening: “Before they start shooting, they actually start taking audience shots, so they have us sit there and clap, and stand up and clap, and sit there and not react, because the ceremony is so long that people are constantly getting up and going to the bathroom, hanging out in the lobby. Which means they get these open spots in the audience, so they use these stock shots—what you see during the live broadcast is not in real time—they edit it together. So there’s an effect happening even within the ceremony.” FuseFX was nominated for another Emmy this year for work on Agents of SHIELD. As the caliber of television programming creeps ever closer to cinema (though Jacobsen also creates effects for film) and with growing recognition, FuseFX effects are popping up everywhere. So the next time you flip on the TV and see a superhero burst through a twelfth-story window or a businessman cross the tarmac toward a passenger plane that isn’t really there, know that a Luther grad might have cast his magic to make it happen. —Kate Frentzel Watch a video about how FuseFX produces special effects in the Web Extras section of www.luther.edu/magazine.
Alumni News
PETER YLVISAKER is senior director and brand management for GoDaddy LLC in Hiawatha, Iowa.
1988 MEREDITH (ARNEY)
GIORDANO of Washington, D.C., is an adviser on research strategy and management for the International Water Management Institute. JIM QUERY of Glen Arbor, Mich., is a recruiter at Metier E&P and a partner with Being Nauti Yacht Charters. MARCO RANIOLO is managing director at CMA CGM in Naples, Italy.
1985 JOHN ANDERSON of
Washburn, Wis., was awarded the Milwaukee Bar Association’s Distinguished Service Award. He was recognized for his work with the Limited Scope Representation Committee. The Wisconsin Supreme Courts’ Planning and Policy Committee appointed Anderson to co-chair a subcommittee to evaluate and prepare new rules to allow attorneys to provide legal representation on a limited basis for those people who either cannot afford full representation or wish to handle part of their legal case on their own. After four years of study, Anderson appeared before the Supreme Court in March of this year. The court approved the new rules, which go in effect January 1, 2015. Anderson has been the circuit court judge for Bayfield County since 2003. BRADLEY MUSIC earned a master’s degree in linguistics from the University of Chicago. He is director of program management for the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Seattle. BARBARA (PAULSON) NEVIN is director of benefits and benefits manager at CliftonLarsonAllen in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
1986 RICKY LIEN is a wetland habitat team supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in St. Paul, Minn.
1987 JULI (VILLESVIK)
BAECKER is regional director/board chair for the Minneapolis/St. Paul area for Fashion Group International and is also a CEO at WinkIt in Stillwater, Minn. SARAH (HOVER) CHAPMAN of Harker Heights, Texas, is a library aide for the Salado ISD.
KATHRYN STEEN is author of The American Synthetic Organic Chemicals Industry: War and Politics, 1910–1930, published by University of North Carolina Press. Steen is associate professor of history at Drexel University in Philadelphia. HEIDI (STAEBLER) WISEMAN earned a Ph.D. in mathematics education from Illinois State University. She is an instructor of mathematics at Montana State University in Bozeman.
1989 RICHARD ANDERSON is professor of sociology at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. TODD ARGALL is vice presidentcustomer acquisition and service for Rural Mutual Insurance Company in Madison, Wis. HOLLY BADEN-TILLSON is a field application scientist for WaterGen Biosystems Inc. in Fremont, Calif. AMY (EASTON) BINGENHEIMER is creative services manager for the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. BONNIE BLACK is manager of learning-customer care for Delta Air Lines in Minneapolis. LISA BROOS JONES is Anoka County attorney in Anoka, Minn. AMY CHICOS earned a master’s degree in transpersonal psychology/ ecopsychology from Naropa University. She is a high school equivalency diploma/adult basic education instructor at Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar. CARI (HALLING) CUMMINS is operations manager-research for Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Four members of the national board of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) are Luther alumni: MITRA SADEGHPOUR ’94 (VP–discretionary funds and field activities), KAREN (GESME) BRUNSSEN ’75 (central region governor), ALISON FELDT ’81 (north central region governor), and NANCY (BOS) COSTLOW ’90 (northwestern region governor). The group will be serving together for at least two years. MELANIE (FISHER) DOYLE is an attorney and vice president with AEGON USA, Transamerica, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. WHITNEY EIGENFELD is IT director for New Life Academy in Woodbury, Minn. SANDRA (TRISKA) FADNESS teaches science for the Austin (Minn.) Public Schools. GARY FISK is professor of psychology at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus. KEVIN FRUECHTE is vice president and treasury analyst for Pine River Capital Management in Minnetonka, Minn. KATHY (SCHATZ) GORDON teaches high school mathematics and is a team leader for Concordia International School in Shanghai, China. SARAH GROW and PETER HANSON ’87 live in St. Paul, Minn. She is executive assistant to the president at Luther Seminary; he is senior pastor at Christ the King Lutheran Church.
MARK HOPER is vice president for the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association in Rockford, Ill. DIANE KELLY-RILEY is director of writing/assistant professor of English at the University of Idaho in Moscow. MICHELLE (MEYERHOFF) KEMPF is a homeschool teacher and stay-at-home mom in Ramsey, Minn. MIKE KOOPAL is executive director of Whitefish Lake Institute in Whitefish, Mont. LINDA (ELSINGER) KUHAUPT is director of staff development and continuous school improvement for the Appleton (Wis.) Area School District. ANGELA (WANLESS) LAWRENCE is a STEM coach for Eastern Carver County ISD 112 in Chaska, Minn. RHONDA (ENGLERT) LAWRENCE is a mortgage consultant for Colorado Professionals Mortgage in Lakewood. BRUCE LEHRMAN is a CEO for Involta in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
MARK GUSTAFSON is professor of biology at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin.
TAMRA (ANDERSON) LEIF is events manager for GN ReSound in Bloomington, Minn.
BILL HARRIS owns American Dream in Center City, Iowa.
SUSAN (GAUSE) LONG is certified athletic trainer/orthotic fitter for the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics in Madison.
RACHEL HARRIS is director of strategic student initiatives at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.
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Alumni News
JENNIFER (GAEBLER) MCLAUGHLIN earned a master’s degree in education from Drake University. She is an extended learning teacher for the West Des Moines (Iowa) Schools. PAUL MICALLEF earned a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Birmingham, England, and is an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society. He is a clinical psychologist/consultant in The Hague, Netherlands. LISA NEGSTAD is principal for Negstad Consulting LLC in Minneapolis. BRIAN OBERMAN is retirement plans systems manager at Securian Financial Group Inc. in St. Paul, Minn. TAMMY (STELLING) and BRUCE OLSON ’84 live in Rochester, Minn. She is a computer analyst for Hormel Foods; he is advisory software engineer for Vision Solutions. THERESA (ANDERSON) OWENS is the district court administrator for the Second Judicial District of Wisconsin in Racine. DANI PACKARD is a project manager for MillerCoors LLC in Wheatridge, Colo. TAMARA PORTER is an administrative specialist III for Iowa State University in Ames. JON PRIVATT is senior technical consultant for Fruition Partners in Chicago. JODY (NEWGAARD) and DANIEL ROES ’90 live in Onalaska, Wis. She is an information developer for SAP America; he is a nutrition services supervisor for Gundersen Health System. MICHELLE (OLSON) and SCOTT ROYS live in New Bern, N.C. He is a range scheduler for the U.S. government; she is a front office assistant for Carolina East Internal Medicine. KARLA YUKARI (PRATT) SAKAMOTO owns Food Sake Tokyo in Tokyo, Japan. DIANE (HEARN) SCHMIDT is office manager for the American Red Cross in Des Moines, Iowa. CYNDI (BANGS) SCHULTE is office manager for the Allamakee County Assessor’s Office in Waukon, Iowa.
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DEB (SAVAGE) SCHUNDER is vice president-investment product management for Forethought Financial in Simsbury, Conn. BRAD SIM is a dentist for Gentle Family & Cosmetic Dentistry in Eagan, Minn.
1991 ROLF BREKKEN is
associate professor of surgery and principal investigator in the Nancy B. and Jake L. Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research at University of Texas Health Care Center in Dallas.
ERIC MICHAEL is senior principal inside systems engineer for Symantec in Scappoose, Ore. RACHEL (KRIEGER) NUNEZ is director of discipleship ministries for Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Akron, Ohio.
CHRISTY (POWELL) and ROBB STENGL ’90 live in Wausau, Wis. She teaches economics and sociology at Wausau East High School; he earned a master’s degree in school guidance and counseling from the University of Wisconsin–Stout and is a school guidance counselor at Horace Mann Middle School.
SONJA (PARKS) SANDQUIST earned a master of divinity degree from Luther Seminary and is interim pastor at First Lutheran Church in Manhattan, Kan.
KIRSTEN (REIGLE) STENOIEN is controller for Phygen Inc. in Minneapolis.
1993 WAYNE ANDERSON
KECIA (FRENCH) STROOT earned a master of divinity degree from North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago. LUANN WANGNESS is a medical social worker for Evergreen Health Hospice in Kirkland, Wash. DAVID WILLIAMS is a senior statistician for InVentiv Health in Hines, Ill. JANA ZIMMERMAN is vice president for Trail Ridge Consulting in Louisville, Colo.
JOEL SPOONHEIM is director of health promotion for Minnesota HealthPartners in Minneapolis.
CAROL (EDWARDS) DENEKAS has written and published Rescuing Love, a contemporary inspirational romance, available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. DAVID GEHLING of Decorah received the Iowa Chiropractic Society Service Award in recognition for his service to the Iowa Board of Chiropractic. KRIS (STENSON) HELBERG is a paid-on-call firefighter and EMT for St. Louis Park, Minn.
Prague, Minn., is a managing director at Slalom Consulting in Minneapolis.
KIMBERLY (SAXE) and BRIAN DEVRIES live in Warrenton, Va. She directs music, orchestra, and choir for Fresta Valley Christian School; he is metrology senior manager for Lockheed Martin. BILL MCCANN is a regional sales consultant for Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in Overland Park, Kan. KARA (DECKINGER) RUDNICK of Fort Collins, Colo., is an instructor of knitting for Lambspun of Colorado. Her article “The History of the Humble Knitting Pattern” was published in two parts in the fall 2013 and spring 2014 issues of the Knitting Guild Association magazine, Cast On.
ANDREA BARTH is senior operations officer for C US Bank in Cresco, Iowa. JONATHAN LAMASTER is founder of LaMaster Solutions and the director of sales for Lexicon Systems Inc. in Boston. STEVE MATTSON is a physical therapist and clinic manager for the Institute for Athletic Medicine in Brooklyn Park, Minn., and a provider of physical therapy services for professional Broadway performances in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
1990 DAREN AHRENS of New MARSHALL BECKMAN earned a master’s degree in bioethics from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He is assistant professor of surgery at the college.
earned a Ph.D. degree in American studies from the University of Iowa with the completion of his dissertation, “Honest to Goodness Farmers: Rural Iowa in American Culture during the Great Depression.”
KATHERINE (VERTANEN) WALKER is founder and executive director of Lifetime Behavioral Health in West Chicago, Ill.
1992 LARS ANDERSON of
Iowa City, Iowa, was appointed a district court judge for Iowa’s Sixth Judicial District by Governor Terry E. Branstad. LAURA (SMITH) GENTRY presented the lecture “Restoring the Flow of Love through Laughter” at the 2013 U.S. Systemic Constellations Conference in Seattle. She is pastor at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lansing, Iowa.
ANJIE SHUTTS received the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute (GDMLI) Community Vision– Inspiring Award as a GDMLI alum who adopted the heart of the vision of the organization to inspire leaders to be good community stewards. She is an attorney with Whitfield and Eddy in Des Moines, Iowa. MITCHELL THOMPSON is a senior project manager for Resource in Columbus, Ohio.
Alumni News
SARIKA BAJORIA ’98 was named one of Building Design+Construction magazine’s “40 Under 40” for 2014. She was selected based upon her career achievement, service to her profession and community, and active participation in charitable work. She was also featured in the May 6, 2013, issue of Engineering News-Record. She earned a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and is the founding principal architect of Per-forma Studio in New York City.
1994 COREY HAUGEN
of Prior Lake, Minn., is national accounts manager for Hunter Fan Company.
BRIAN JUCHEMS received the Linda Sundberg Civil Rights Defender Award for his 10-plus years of advocating for safe, just, and respectful K–12 schools for LGBTQ youth in Wisconsin. He is director of programs for the Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools in Madison, Wis. KIRSTEN (HOFFSTEDT) KEEFE is corporate counsel, regulatory and compliance, for Cummins Inc. in Washington, D.C.
1996 BETH (MOMMSEN)
BROICH of Eden Prairie, Minn., is director of business development for W by Worth. AMY (CARLSON) FLOAN earned a master’s degree in communication from Northern Illinois University and is also a certified nursing assistant. She is a resident assistant at All Saints Assisted Living and Memory Care in Madison, Wis. SARAH (HANSON) NIETZ is pastor at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Faribault, Minn.
1997 JENNY DAHL and
LUANNE LAMBERT was named director of sales for ReelREV by the Rainmaker Group in Atlanta. HEIDI LARSON-DAVID is a program officer for the HERA Foundation in Denver.
1995 KYLE JACKSON is
children, youth, and family pastor at Incarnation Lutheran Church in Shoreview, Minn.
KEVIN NORTON ’96 live in Wellington, New Zealand. She works for GNS Science (Geological and Nuclear Sciences) in the radiocarbon laboratory; he is professor in the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences at Victoria University. BRETT FENSKE is the global strategic marketing manager for paper coatings for BASF in Ludwigshafen, Germany. MELISSA GOODMAN was recognized by Minnesota Lawyer as one of the Attorneys of the Year for her role on the litigation team that successfully secured an arbitration award for Kraft Foods against Starbucks. She is a trial lawyer at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi and member of the firm’s business and intellectual property litigation practice groups in Minneapolis.
ROSS LUND is president and CEO of Hughes Equipment Company in Columbus, Wis.
JASON SOLAND is a financial adviser at Ameriprise Financial Services Inc. in Decorah.
KIRK RADKE is network engineer for Target Corporation in Minneapolis.
ARLEN SOLEM was ordained and serves Cross Lutheran Church in Milwaukee.
1998 PETER KOWITZ is pastor
TIM STATON is marketing director of Saris Cycling Group in Madison, Wis.
of Bethlehem Lutheran Church and Immanuel Lutheran Church in Proctor, Minn.
JESSICA (HUDSON) MCANDREWS is director of operations for USO of Metropolitan New York in New York City. JASON RAUSCH was named the new director of the Decorah Chorale and is also the director of vocal music at Decorah High School. KRIS SNYDER earned a master’s degree in human services from Liberty University. He is a parish pastor at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Ackley, Iowa, and is the staff chaplain for Marshalltown Medical and Surgical Center. Snyder is also a doctoral student at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pa., with a concentration in pastoral ethics, healthcare, and faith application in the parish.
1999 SHANE HOWARD is
environmental service specialist for Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. LINDSEY (SMITH) MUNSON of Rock Island, Ill., is an independent consultant for Rodan + Fields Dermatologists and is an admissions representative at Trinity College of Nursing and Health Sciences. JEREMY OWEN is a critical care paramedic, field trainer, and member of the Quality Assurance and Protocol Committee for Ryan Brothers Ambulance in Madison, Wis.
2000 ANN (BLADO)
and ANDY DYBVIG ’98 live in Plymouth, Minn. She is a stayat-home mom; he is manager of innovation for General Mills.
2001 MOID ALWY is senior
group manager, supply chain, MP operations at Target in Minneapolis. ZACH BALE is chief development officer for Volunteers of America in Salt Lake City. GREG FOSHEIM is an associate attorney with McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP in Atlanta.
ELIZABETH GRICE is assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania. She has studied the role of microbiota in wound healing and inflammatory skin disease, and her work was featured in the article “My No-Soap, No-Shampoo, Bacteria-Rich Hygiene Experiment” by Julia Scott in the May 22, 2014, edition of the New York Times. MICHELLE OLSON is an owner and dentist at Quivira Park Family Dentistry in Leawood, Kan. LINDSEY (SIEH) SULLIVAN is an individual tax team lead for TaxACT in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. STACY SUNDET is vice president and portfolio risk manager for U.S. Bank in St. Paul, Minn.
2002 ERIN APPEL earned
CHRIS HODEN is factory manager for John Deere in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. BETH (MARVIN) SANDERSFELD is director of long-term development for Thrivent Financial in Minneapolis.
a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of St. Thomas. She is a mental health practitioner for Mental Health Systems PC in Woodbury, Minn. RACHEL BOWE is an attorney with Jackson Lewis P.C. in Minneapolis.
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Alumni News
The ultra life of Amy Sproston ’96 Working full time and running her way to a world-champion title
PAUL NELSON
At the starting line of the 100K world championships in 2012, Amy Sproston ’96 didn’t imagine winning. Having been hospitalized five weeks earlier after suffering a pulmonary embolism from deep vein thrombosis in her right calf, she hoped merely to finish in the top 10 to secure a place on the U.S. team for 2013. In fact, it wasn’t until the last 5K and a lot of back-and-forth internal dialogue that she thought, Wait, I might actually win this thing! And she did, finishing the 62-mile race with a time of 7:34:08 and an average of 7:19/mile. It was a crowning achievement for Sproston, a multi-sponsored elite runner who consistently finishes in the top tier on the international ultrarunning circuit. Sproston entered the ultra world casually. She began running track in junior high and completed her first marathon at the University of Kansas, where she got her master’s degree. After moving to Washington, D.C., in 2004, she befriended a group of ultra-trailrunners. She ran her first 50-miler in 2006. Within a couple of years, she was winning ultra races in Virginia. When she relocated to Portland in 2009, she entered the more competitive West Coast racing scene, which upped her game. The next year, she ran the JFK 50 Mile in Maryland—and won (with a pace of 8:19 per mile), earning her a spot as an alternate on the U.S. team. Since then, she’s been a top finisher at races around the globe, some as short (ha! short!) as 50 miles, some as long as 100. And somehow she manages this in tandem with a full-time job that requires tens of thousands of miles of travel each year.
“I’ve learned that you never really figure out the distance, and maybe that’s part of the intrigue and why, years later, I’m still planning my life around 100-mile races.” 56
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Ultra work/life balancer It’s easy to assume that for a runner of Sproston’s caliber, running is the career, but not for her. She works for the global aid agency Mercy Corps, and her job requires international travel to ensure grant money is being spent correctly. So she travels extensively for work while training at an elite level for a sport that also requires extensive travel as well as running 70 to 100 miles per week. Sproston’s international travel in 2012 included three work trips (Kenya, Turkey, and Iraq) and two running trips (France and Italy, for the world championships). In 2013, she traveled to Ethiopia and Turkey for work (she also ran an 80K in the latter) and to Japan (twice) and France for running. So far this year she has gone to Brazil and El Salvador to work and to Argentina, Chile, and South Africa to run. By year’s end, she’ll fit in Ethiopia and Turkey for work, Japan for a race, and Doha, Qatar, for the 2014 world championships. If these trips were spaced evenly throughout the year, her schedule might not seem extraordinary, but Sproston can control neither natural disaster nor the timing of top-level ultramarathons, so she ends up on a pretty harried schedule. Her last work trip took her to Brazil. She was expected immediately afterward in Chilean Patagonia to run El Cruce Columbia, a three-day race that covers just over 100 kilometers. But since work purchased one plane ticket, to and from Brazil, and the race purchased another, from Portland to Chile, and they couldn’t be changed without paying exorbitantly out-of-pocket, Sproston had to forego what would have been a four-hop hop for a 31-hour ordeal that took her from Brazil to Portland to Chile for a total of 50,000 miles. Imagine feeling like you could run 62 miles after that! On the plus side, Sproston notes, she tends to rack up a lot of frequent-flier miles. In addition to her grueling travel schedule, Sproston, who lives in
Alumni News
Amy Sproston (left) made a few local friends after running—and winning—the 80K Orhangazi Ultra race in Turkey in 2013.
DIEGO WINITZKY
Sproston (right) descends on day three of the 2014 El Cruce Columbia, a three-day 100K stage race in Chilean Patagonia.
trail-friendly Portland, Ore., faces uncertain running conditions in the countries she visits. If conditions are really inhospitable she’ll make do with a treadmill, but sometimes even that proves elusive. She describes December 2012, when she was stationed for three weeks in Iraq: “I wasn’t sure I would even be able to run in Iraq, but our security guys assured me it was okay, just to avoid small streets off the beaten path” because of safety concerns and the occasional old land mine. The runs “had to be done in early morning before the smog got too bad, and I wasn’t technically supposed to leave the apartment compound after dark alone. Which meant that if I ran in the evening I had to run loops around the apartment compound. Mind numbing. Technically it was dark in the mornings when I left the apartment compound to run, but morning darkness seems less threatening. People don’t get kidnapped before noon, right?” Conversely, sometimes work travel introduces Sproston to new running friends and great trails. When she knew she’d be visiting Turkey for work, she contacted the author of an article about trail running there to ask for recommendations. “This resulted in my being picked up from my hotel at 4:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning to go run in the Belgrad Forest with five guys,” she recounts. “A colleague expressed concern as to whether this was safe—going to run in the dark forest with a group of strangers (all male). I assured them it was totally legit—ultrarunners are ultrarunners the world around.” It’s not easy being ultra Winning the 100K world championship gained Sproston membership in more than just the world-champion club—she is now in the U.S. AntiDoping Agency registered drug-testing pool, which means that she has to file quarterly reports that detail her daily schedule from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., providing a time and location where she can be found seven days a week, including a guaranteed 60-minute testing window each day. Sproston jokes, “Kind of makes you feel important in an odd way. Like, am I really being drug tested in my own home at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning?” Which has happened to her twice. The trials and tribulations of an ultrarunner are many, and Sproston has stories, most of them recounted with dry wit, about everything from slopping through kilometers of shin-deep mud (“It reminded me of what I expect a Tough Mudder to be like, except that I would never sign up for a Tough Mudder”); to attending to bodily functions while run-
ning; to the hard decision to drop out of a 100-miler in the Alps during which she contended with an illness; to occasional face-planting (“I was bleeding, but oddly was more concerned about the fact that I chipped a nail”). On her blog, Just Another Goat, which she writes with intelligence and humor, she often dissects her runs mile by mile in a way that someone with even a passing interest in running will find riveting, in part because of the awe and horror scrolling in the back of the mind: Wait—that’s mile 17 of a 100-mile race! But in addition to detailed race reviews, she also pans out to look at the bigger picture, discussing with raw honesty how ultrarunning has influenced her career decisions and where she’s chosen to live, how it’s derailed relationships and subsumed other hobbies, and how it continues, in spite of that, to exert a powerful pull: “Getting sucked into the ultrarunning ‘cult’ has obviously not been without effect. And the question remains as to why I keep doing it when the goal of it is to run races that are potentially not going to be a lot of fun. I hated my first 100-miler. I had a miserable time and was not proud of my finish. Maybe that’s what motivated me to run my second 100—to prove to myself that I could figure out the distance. But in subsequent races, I think I’ve learned that you never really figure out the distance, and maybe that’s part of the intrigue and why, years later, I’m still planning my life around 100-mile races.” In Sproston’s philosophical reflections, it’s hard not to see the great race as a metaphor for life: “There is something about the unpredictability of the journey that is 100 miles that has a real draw. You know going in that you’re going to suffer, and that there will be highs and lows, and that you won’t know what those will be until you face them; there’s something about that uncertainty that is really quite appealing. Or at least it must be, otherwise, why do we do it?” —Kate Frentzel
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Alumni News
ANNE BRANSTAD is speechlanguage pathologist for the St. Paul (Minn.) Public Schools. LUKAS HOFFLAND won the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Award in Social and Digital Media: 2013 Best Multimedia Ad/Promotional Campaign for the “Cheese Shop” music video. He is director of listener engagement for Mid-West Family Broadcasting in Altoona, Wis. JOSH JANSEN of Minnetonka, Minn., earned an educational specialist degree and K–12 principal licensure from Minnesota State University—Mankato. BILL MABUCE is engineering project manager for West Des Moines (Iowa) Water Works. DAVID PENDERGAST is vice president, corporate development and legal affairs, for PCH International in Hong Kong. AIMEE SANDY is lead planning analyst for Target Corporation in Minneapolis. JULIE (ARTHUR) WIGLE is a gifted and talented teacher for the Keokuk (Iowa) Middle School.
2003 BJORN BERG is branch manager for U.S. Bancorp in Des Moines, Iowa.
KRISTIE JOHNSON-SOLSVIG and JUSTIN SOLSVIG live in Atlanta. She is NBC 11 Alive Morning Show executive producer for Gannett Broadcasting; he is assistant golf course superintendent for Country Club of Roswell. MEGAN (LARSEN) LOVINGUTH is lead assessment coach for the Denver (Colo.) Public Schools. JASON TROST is business training consultant for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in Des Moines, Iowa. DEVON TRYGGESTAD of Plano, Texas, is learning analyst II for Kohl’s Department Stores. MEGAN (ROBINSON) and JACOB WITT ’04 live in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She is a stay-at-home mom; he is a medical device sales representative for Medtronic Inc.
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2004 WHITNEY (BECKER)
ANDERSON is senior clinical analyst and RN for Fairview Health Services in Minneapolis. SARA (BOWMAN) ANDRUS earned a master’s degree in educational administration from Edgewood College, where she is now a doctoral student in educational leadership superintendency. REBECCA BARTH is an early childhood autism teacher for the Minneapolis Public Schools. LIZ (LYNESS) and ANDREW BEST ’06 live in Chicago. She is in business development for InterCall; he is medical device territory manager for Olympus. ANNA BLEM is a nurse practitioner with Consulting Radiologists Ltd. in Minneapolis. SARA (GOUDSCHAAL) and TERRY BLESSING ’05 live in Iowa City, Iowa. She earned a master of music degree in choral conducting and pedagogy from Oklahoma State University and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Iowa. He is revenue cycle consultant for MediRevv. EMILY (BAUMERT) BREMER is human resources specialist for Accenture in Minneapolis. SARAH (SPAETE) and JONATHAN BUNGE live in Ames, Iowa. She is office manager and invitations specialist for Heuss Printing; he is assistant manager for O’Donnell Ace Hardware. LEAH CAMPBELL is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. MARY CANTON is QI project coordinator for Samaritan Health Services in Corvallis, Ore. STEVE CARLSON earned a master’s degree in nursing and health care administration and a master of business administration degree from the University of Phoenix. He is director of patient care for Mayo Clinic Health System–Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse, Wis. MARY (VANO) CARPENTER earned a master’s degree in speechlanguage pathology from St. Cloud State University. She is a speech-language pathologist for Family Speech
and Therapy Services in Edina, Minn. KIMBERLY CHRISTENSEN is a cheesemaker for Punk Rawk Labs in Minneapolis. LEE CLAGNAZ is athletic director for the American International School of Mozambique in Maputo, Mozambique. ANNA COFFMAN teaches first grade for Pullman Elementary School in St. Paul Park, Minn. DAVE CURTIS earned a master’s degree in speech and language pathology and bilingual English-Spanish certificate from Marquette University. He is a speech and language pathologist for the Verona (Wis.) Area School District. STEF DICKENS is a marketing consultant with CODAworx in Madison, Wis., and founder of the Capital City Theatre. AMBER DOLPHIN is adjunct professor and director of the Creative Strings Ensemble at Beloit (Wis.) College. ALYSON DOTY is a middle school teacher at the Hong Kong Academy in Sai Kung. SAM DRONG is program director for PCs for People in St. Paul, Minn. TRAVIS DYSON is a personal banker for Wells Fargo in Lincoln, Neb., and assistant coach for men’s and women’s soccer at Nebraska Wesleyan University. KATIE (WOODARD) ENGELHARDT is a stay-at-home mom in Auburn, Mass. JAMIE (SIEFERT) and SETH FETZER live in Littleton, Colo. She is a registered nurse for Kaiser Permanente; he is a software developer for Digitech Systems. LISA FRANEK completed co-active professional coach and co-active leadership development training at the Coaches Training Institute. She is a registered yoga teacher and senior marketing manager for Korn Ferry in Minneapolis. JOSEPH (LAMBERT) GREENFIELD is a corporate trainer at Cambridge Investment Research in Fairfield, Iowa.
JAMES GREGG is associate appraiser for Nicollet Partners in Minneapolis. MELANIE GROTH earned a master’s degree in literacy education from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn. BRIANNE HAMM earned an M.B.A. with a marketing emphasis from the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business. HEIDI HANSEN is a surgical resident at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y. LEE (FRANSON) HAYES is a program support coordinator for Wisconsin Youth Company in Madison. NICK HEEREN is implementation consultant for ADP Inc. in West Des Moines, Iowa. ANNIE HIBBS is a wellness coach and registered dietitian at Optum Health in Bloomington, Minn. AMY (SIMPSON) and MICHAEL JEFFERSON live in Circle Pines, Minn. She is a content creator; he is an internal retirement consultant for Allianz Life Financial Services in Minneapolis. KELLEY JOHNSON is a social services supervisor at Travelers Aid Chicago at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. MARIA (RONNINGEN) JOHNSON is a pediatric neurology genetic counselor/research coordinator for the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. SARA JOHNSON and CRAIG D’ABREO live in Lewisville, Texas. She earned a juris doctorate from Texas A&M University School of Law and is an attorney for Petty & Stewart PLLC; he is vice president of security operations for Masergy. ELISA (FALK) and JUSTIN KNOEPFEL live in St. Peter, Minn. She is a piano teacher and stay-athome mom; he is assistant professor of music at Gustavus Adolphus College. MELINDA (FOSSELL) LANGLIE is a music/choir teacher at Bluffview Montessori School in Winona, Minn. HEATHER LARSEN of Colorado Springs, Colo., is international tour manager for Collette Vacations.
Alumni News
KELLY (JONES) LARSON is an elementary music specialist for the Forest Lake (Minn.) Area Schools.
2005 CHRISTY (PATCHIN)
MONICA (SMITH) LINDAHL is behavioral case manager for Cigna Behavioral Health in Eden Prairie, Minn.
CHRISTA BRAGA is an assistant editor for the Winterset (Iowa) Madisonian newspaper.
BARKER is owner of Cricket House Books in Red Wing, Minn.
BLAKE DOSS is an organist and chancel choir accompanist for First Presbyterian Church in Neenah, Wis.
LEVI LIVINGOOD is AVP and commercial loan officer for Merchants Bank in Rochester, Minn. TIMOTHY LUND earned a master’s degree in education from Clarke University. He is a teacher at St. Patrick’s School in Waukon, Iowa. GWEN (BEBERG) MCGLAUN is CEO and licensed massage therapist and doula for McGlaun Massage Therapy in Columbus, Ga. KINDRA (KRUSE) MCGUIGAN is an options counselor and case manager for the Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging in Decorah. MARY NEFF is a psychologist for Regional Mental Health Center in Merriville, Ind. ANDREA (AMIDON) NODOLF is district attorney for Rusk County in Ladysmith, Wis. MATT OKLAND is an anesthesiologist for McFarland Clinic in Ames, Iowa. ANDREW OLSON coauthored the report “Screening Pelvic Examinations in Asymptomatic, Average-Risk Adult Women: An Evidence Report for a Clinical Practice Guideline from the American College of Physicians” published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
SHOVIT BHARI ’06 is staff physicist at California State University–Fullerton. He received the 2014 Staff Excellence Award from the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the university. The award is given to a single staff member from the college for outstanding service throughout the year, and the winner is selected by the dean and associate dean based on nominations from the five departments across the college. Dean David Bowman (right), California State University–Fullerton, congratulates Bhari on his award. BROCK REED is general manager of Performance Health & Fitness in Coralville, Iowa.
is IT product development analyst for United Health Group-Optum Technology in Minnetonka, Minn.
SCOTT RHEINSCHMIDT is a director of financial analysis for GreatAmerica Financial Services in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
RYAN SOMMERS of Galveston, Texas, is a senior consultant for Sagacious Consultants.
LINDSAY (HAGEN) and DANIEL RIEBE ’03 live in Prescott, Wis. She is a marketing representative for State Farm Insurance; he is an environmental engineer for Andersen Windows Corporation. AMY ROD is a dietitian for SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
RYAN OVERHOLT of Verona, Wis., is a support team lead for WTS Paradigm. PHILLIP PAPPANO earned an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. He is an EPIC certified trainer at Park Nicollet Health Services in St. Louis Park, Minn.
MEG (WILLIAMS) TEPOEL is a research associate for the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. ASHLEY TERPSTRA is associate media director for Martin Williams Advertising in Minneapolis. TESSA (BENSON) WEILAND of Ballwin, Mo., earned a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in technology from Lindenwood University. She teaches seventh-grade mathematics for the Northwest R-I School District.
SARAH FRYDENLUND created a modern art exhibit called “The Adventurer’s Library,” inspired by the Porter House Museum and displayed at the Decorah Public Library. Her exhibit featured a set of new objects inspired by the adventures and adventurous spirits of Adelbert Porter (1879–1968) and Grace Porter (1880– 1964), their fellows, and fellow creatures. Comprising a variety of media including prints and short digital video pieces, “The Adventurer’s Library” was an interactive exhibit that took the stories and histories of the Porter House Museum and brought them into the hands and lives of visitors. Frydenlund is an artist, instructor, and arts developer through Dry Run Studio in Decorah. JILL HELLING works in financial reporting for United Fire Group Inc. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. CAMI JONES is a business analyst for the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
CHRISTINA WELZIEN teaches special education for the Roseville (Minn.) Area Schools.
DAVID PAQUETTE is interim executive director for the Winneshiek Energy District in Decorah. He is also owner and general manager for Credité Velo LLC (Credité Velo-Trek Cycling Team).
JARED ROGERS of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, played the lead character, Jean Valjean, in Theatre Cedar Rapids’ six-week sold-out run of Les Miserables.
MARCY (EHLERS) RASMUSSEN is HR manager for the Tile Shop in Plymouth, Minn.
ANDY ROSSING earned a master’s degree in computer information systems from Boston University. He
KJERSTIN WEPKING is a special education teacher with comprehensive services for students with autism and emotional disabilities for Fairfax (Va.) County Public Schools. KATIA (BEINIK) WESTGAARD is account manager for Airgas USA LLC in Ramsey, Minn.
SARAH KOCH is director of social innovation for the Case Foundation in Washington, D.C.
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Alumni News
Schaffmeyer ’06 experiences life on the Appalachian Trail Each year, about 2,000 hikers attempt to hike the full 2,180-mile Appalachian Trail. Only a quarter of them successfully complete the journey. Britta Schaffmeyer ’06 beat the odds. Schaffmeyer finished the trek through 14 states in four and a half months, hiking a total elevation that is equivalent to climbing Mount Everest 16 times. Schaffmeyer’s interest in hiking began at Luther. As a captain of the women’s ultimate Frisbee team, Schaffmeyer and her teammates planned a backpacking trip during the team’s free time while on spring break. After graduation, Schaffmeyer moved east to Baltimore. She went on more backpacking trips with friends and hiked parts of the Appalachian Trail. When a friend challenged her to hike the entire trail, Schaffmeyer couldn’t say no. To prepare for the lengthy trip, Schaffmeyer hiked with a weighted backpack and researched weather-resistant hiking gear. She also runs a half marathon every year. Schaffmeyer’s days involved hiking from 8 a.m. until around 4 or 5 in the evening. She covered two to three miles per hour. As she reached the second half of her journey, Schaffmeyer covered around 20 miles a day on easier terrain. According to her, the logic of hiking is simple. “When there’s sun you walk, and when it’s dark you stop,” she said. Schaffmeyer spent her 30th birthday on the trail, and one of her fondest memories is conquering the fourstate challenge the day before. Schaffmeyer and two friends began the day in Pennsylvania before trekking through parts of Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia, totaling 42 miles in one day. Her four and a half months on the trail were not spent in isolation. Hikers stop in trail towns throughout their journey, where they are able to restock necessities. She also used her cell phone to keep in contact with her family and friends, and had the companionship of other hikers along the way. “I met a 23-year-old from Pittsburgh, a couple of artists from Seattle, and a nurse who travels all over the world. We were all Britta Schaffmeyer (far right) with friends (left part of this journey together and you make to right) Ben Hedin, Nko Jones, and Sarah such fast friendships.” Edwards near the end of the trail. To Schaffmeyer, this was the biggest surprise during her journey. “I expected to be in nature and I expected to really figure out the things that were important to me and figure out what I needed and what I wanted. But I met some really great people—people who I normally wouldn't have been able to befriend in my everyday life.” Schaffmeyer has aspirations to hike the Pacific Crest Trail if the opportunity presents itself. For now, she continues to live in Baltimore, where she began a position teaching English in March. —Paige Lobdell ’16
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STACEY MARLOW graduated from the University of South Florida Emergency Medicine Residency Program. She is an emergency medicine physician for Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo, Iowa. LAUREN MAYFIELD of Minneapolis earned a master’s degree in human resource and change leadership from the University of St. Thomas. KARA MITCHELL-SANTIBANEZ earned a master’s degree in education administration from the University of Texas in Austin. She received the Martha N. Ovando Award, which recognizes outstanding leadership in the field. Mitchell-Santibanez is assistant principal in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District. BRENDA (RIHA) MUETERTHIES is a registered nurse for Community Memorial Hospital in Sumner, Iowa. ELISE (BIERI) PATZKE earned a master’s degree in health and human services administration from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. She is assistant supervisor in the neuroimmunology laboratory at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. ANNA (HAUG) PEÑA is client relations manager at Coopera Consulting in Des Moines, Iowa. MELISSA (GARBRECHT) and JUSTIN PIEPER ’04 live in Fort Madison, Iowa. She is a stay-at-home mom; he is owner and partner of Group Benefit Partners. SHARON (BANGSUND) POWELL earned a juris doctorate from Hamline Law School and is attorney and owner of Powell Law LLC in Plymouth, Minn., specializing in immigration law. JEN STOA is a registered nurse at St. Joseph Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo. LAUREN (SCHLETTY) and HANS THURMER ’04 live in Minneapolis. She earned a master’s degree in literacy education from Hamline University and teaches at Falcon Ridge Middle School. He earned a doctorate of chiropractic from Northwestern Health Sciences University and is a chiropractor at Park Nicollet Health Services. KATIE (PETTIGREW) WEEMS is a physical therapist at Physical Therapy at Dawn-Riverside in Albuquerque, N.M.
Alumni News
MATTHEW HAGEN is a business line manager/IBM Thought Leader: “Store of the Future” for IBM Corporation in Waltham, Mass. JACOB HOLM is an application analyst for Securian Financial Group Inc. in St. Paul, Minn. CARLY (ELMGREN) KRAGTHORPE is a doctoral candidate and senior teaching assistant at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. KARI (LUNDE) KRAMER is a writer, development and communications, at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. LYZ (CALLENDER) KUBOUSHEK is CFO of MDK Zero Landfill in New Hampton, Iowa. CRAIG MYRUM earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Bergen, Norway. LEAH NEFF is a licensed independent clinical social worker and a therapist in adult intensive outpatient programming for PrairieCare Medical Group in Edina, Minn.
DANA (HARNEY) TESKE ’09 writes: “For eight months, my husband and I took a break from our jobs and traveled. The majority of the time we volunteered on organic farms through the organization World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms in Ecuador and Chile. This was by far the most rewarding part of our travels. Through this work-for-stay program we learned about permaculture, recycling and composting, and incredible sustainable agriculture practices. My younger sister, LAURA HARNEY ’13, was in Ambato, Ecuador, teaching English at a university through a Fulbright Scholarship. Over Christmas 2013, my other sister and brother, LISA HARNEY ’11 and BEN HARNEY ’15, came down to visit for a full sibling reunion in Ecuador.” Seated: Dana Teske. Standing (left to right): Lisa Harney, Laura Harney, Brent Teske, Ben Harney. The Harney siblings are the children of Carrie (Phipps) ’82 and Ray Harney ’80.
2006 NIKKI GAMEZ is a
prevention specialist for Helping Services of Northeast Iowa in Decorah. CRYSTAL (SCHMIERER) HEDMAN is a youth services librarian for the Hennepin County Library System in Minnetonka, Minn. LISA (JACOBSON) HIRSCHMAN is an attorney focusing on family law and estate planning for Radcliffe Law Office S.C. in Black River Falls, Wis. SARAH MERTES of Salem, Ore., is an English teacher for Vaughan Systems, working with employees in local and international companies to improve their English. AMY (WICKWIRE) RITTENHOUSE earned a master’s degree in early childhood education from Western Illinois University.
She teaches second grade at Millikin Elementary School in Geneseo, Ill. ALEX THORESON is a partner in his own consulting firm, T3K Health LLC in St. Paul, Minn. TONY VANDEN HEUVEL is director of sales development for the Informatics Group in Golden Valley, Minn.
she believes that science stories are a powerful way to connect people with scientific ideas. ERIN (SMOCK) DEL CID teaches fourth grade in the Katy (Texas) Independent School District.
2007 JACOBY BOLES is
branded product process manager for Cabela’s in Sidney, Neb. ANNIE (HERRIG) BRUNS of Evanston, Ill., traveled through the Midwest, funded by her McElroy Fellowship, performing Science Stories. She developed a couple of 20-minute polished live performances. She also holds workshops where she guides students in crafting their own “science story” performances. Bruns says
MIKE ECKBERG was named assistant women’s soccer coach for Towson (Md.) University. ALEX FORD is an audio engineer and owner of Classical Music Solutions LLC in Verona, Wis.
BLAKE NELLIS directed his original dance work, Highway 57, as a visiting teaching associate in dance at Luther. Highway 57, conceived, choreographed, and directed by Nellis, was inspired by Edgar Lee Masters’s Spoon River Anthology. Nellis wanted the performance to do more than demonstrate or narrate—he hoped the performance would remind, inspire, delight, and challenge the audience, along with the cast and crew, to “take a trip, so to speak, exploring things we’re afraid of: betrayal, loss, loneliness, death, and speeding tickets.” EMILY (JACOB) and KYLE PEARSON live in Morris, Ill. She is a stay-at-home mom; he completed the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Foot and Ankle Surgical Residency Program and is a foot and ankle surgeon for Renzin Orthopedics. MARK STROHBEHN is manager of business development for Making Cents International in Washington, D.C. AMANDA VALO is a product line analyst for John Deere Des Moines Works in Ankeny, Iowa.
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Alumni News
Cyclist Matthew Busche ’07 blogs about his first Tour de France ride Matthew Busche ’07 rode in the Tour de France—an annual multistage bicycle race—this past summer, riding for Trek Factory Racing. After the tour, he accepted our invitation to write a post for Luther’s Ideas and Creations blog. Here, we share excerpts from his post. You can read the full thing at www.luther.edu/ ideas-creations-blog. Many people have asked me whether the race lived up to my expectations. The short answer is that going in, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. It was definitely the hardest race I’ve ever competed in and I don’t think I could have done anything to prepare myself 100 percent. The worst part of the race for me was probably dealing with six crashes on top of the most physically demanding race I had ever done. Crashing has several negative effects. In addition to the obvious physical pain, it makes you more nervous and hesitant, so you have to work harder to keep your confidence on the bike. Road rash and aches and pains can disrupt recovery and sleep, and it just takes an emotional toll to keep hitting the pavement. All that said, I was really lucky in some ways to go down so many times without incurring any race-ending injuries and be able to push through to Paris, which was a big goal for me from the start. The Tour wasn’t all suffering though. It is also something I will never forget and will have in my back pocket, so to speak, for the rest of my career. Battling my way through was not easy, but I am definitely going to be stronger for it. There were lots of moments of fun and laughter in the bus and around the dinner table. There were numerous stories from Tour veteran Jens Voigt (this being Tour number 17 in his career) that always captivated the entire group. There were a couple of stages in the breakaway. There was that spectator in stage two who ran across the road completely naked! There was suffering my way to the finish through the mist and fog on stage eight, and all of a sudden hearing “Go Flip” [his nickname] from the crowd and seeing a Luther Norse flag. (Evidently the Norse nation travels well!) Probably the best memory I have, though, is of entering Paris and rolling onto the Champs-Elysees. I remember descending onto the road by the river, seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time, and realizing I was really close to completing my first Tour de France and reuniting with [wife] Lisa (Savre) Busche ’08. As the race entered the Champs it seemed just like I’d always seen on TV with the final bend in the circuit before the finish and the backdrop of the Arc de Triomphe. The real kicker for me were the fighter jets that flew over the first time we crossed the finish line. It sent a chill down my spine. It’s these memories that will always mark the bright side of my first Tour de France.
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MARISSA WACHLAROWICZ earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Wichita State University. She is a psychologist at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Neb. BRIAN (MEYER) WAISMEYER is an operations specialist for Amazon. com in Seattle. ANNA (DYRUD) WEDEKIND is a web designer for Smartpress.com and the Bernard Group in Chanhassen, Minn. JORDAN WIKLUND is an author and editor for Quarto Publishing in Minneapolis. KATIE (HARROLD) and SETH WORTHINGTON ’08 live in Corydon, Iowa. She is a stay-at-home mom; he earned a D.V.M. degree from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine and is a veterinarian at Corydon Veterinary Clinic.
2008 DANIELLE
(DUNNWALD) and ANDY CAMPBELL live in Waukee, Iowa. She is director of rehab for HCR ManorCare Health; he is a claims system administrator at IMT Group. NINA CATTERALL is a talent sourcing specialist for American Family Insurance in Madison, Wis. ELISE (KLINE) and JAKE CHRISTOPHERSON live in Mableton, Ga. She is owner and photographer for Elisabeth Ann Photography; he is vehicle remarketing area manager for Ford Motor Company. TESS (PUTNAM) CODY is a campus outreach coordinator for Crisis Intervention Services at Iowa State University in Ames. JOEY CORBIN is a graduate student in higher education at the University of Oslo, Norway, and works as a higher executive officer for the International Summer School at the university. BETSY EVANS earned a master’s degree in environmental science from Florida Gulf Coast University and is a doctoral student in integrative biology at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. KATIE (ELLIS) and ERIC FITZGERALD ’07 live in Watertown, Mass. She is a sales marketing associate at Buzzuto Group; he is
Alumni News
Luther Seminary and is lead pastor for Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Maple Lake, Minn.
account manager for New England Building Supply. RYAN FORDICE is program coordinator for the Center for Interfaith Engagement at the Niagara Foundation in Chicago.
MISCHA FLEISHMAN is a barista at Lovely Bake Shop—Bakin’ & Eggs in Chicago. KYLE LILLY is director of government relations and technical services at Sustane Natural Fertillizer Inc. in Cannon Falls, Minn.
KAYLA (STORELEE) HASVOLD earned a master’s degree in English as a second language from Hamline University. She is an ESL coordinator and a K–12 teacher for the St. Charles (Minn.) Public Schools. DANE JENSEN is a senior manager of business development for Trinity Logistics in St. Paul, Minn. JORDAN JENSEN is business development manager for Modis Inc. in Minneapolis. SOPHIA JOHNSON is professional relations coordinator at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Minneapolis.
CADE LOVEN developed a curriculum for a 15-week filmmaking seminar for middle school and high school students through the Oneota Film Festival in Decorah and served as instructor for the seminar from 2012 to 2014. He is a graduate student in the producing program at the American Film Institute Conservatory in Los Angeles.
STEPH KUNDE-WRIGHT and JORDAN WRIGHT ’06 live in Chicago. She is an emergency department assistant at Northwestern University Hospital; he is an associate relationship manager with Greenhouse Scholars. KALLI LEDEL earned a doctorate of pharmacology from the University of Iowa. She is pharmacy manager for Cub Pharmacies in Shakopee, Minn. KJERSTEN MATHSEN earned a master’s degree in Latin American studies from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
JUSTIN MADSEN is lead accountant for Target in El Segundo, Calif.
BRETT COOPER ’09, LAURA (MCCARTY) COOPER ’09, RACHEL KERR ’09, DAIN SCHILLING ’09, and KATE (KLACAN) SCHILLING ’09 pose under Luther’s motto while exploring Riga, Latvia. The Coopers live in Sioux Falls, S.D.; Kerr lives in Muscat, Oman; and the Schillings are in Minneapolis.
KATHERINE MAYNE was presented with the 2014 National Rural Health Association Legislative Staff Award. She is a legislative assistant for health entitlements, financial services, and judiciary issues for Congressman James Lankford (R-Okla.) in Washington, D.C. EMILY (WORKMAN) and J. P. MCGINNIS ’10 live in Kansas City, Mo. She earned a master’s degree in music education from the University of Missouri–Kansas City and is a doctoral student at the university. He is an M.D./Ph.D. student at the University of Kansas Medical Center and Stowers Institute for Medical Research.
FELIX MALPICA is associate pastor at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in West Lake Hills, Texas.
JANA (KEMP) and ZACH TUCKER ’07 live in San Jose, Calif. She is a senior HR specialist; he is an international marketing manager for Stryker. MAIA YATES is youth soccer director for the Skyline Soccer Association in Denver.
BETSY (GILBERTSON) MEEHAN is assistant to the president for Veridian Credit Union in Waterloo, Iowa. ERIC MEYER is a graduate student and graduate assistant in journalism at Iowa State University in Ames. JORDAN STRACKE earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Colorado State University. He is senior chemist at DOW Chemical in Collegeville, Pa.
2009 TIFFANY CHOI earned a master’s degree in culturally and linguistically diverse education from the University of Colorado in Denver. She teaches French at Cherokee Trail High School for the Cherry Creek School District in Aurora, Colo.
MEG (BERVEN) and CULYNN CURTIS ’10 live in Montrose, Minn. She is a supervisor at Cost Plus World Market. He graduated from
DARIN MONROE is sports coordinator and head softball coach at Rock Valley College in Rockford, Ill. He and his staff were named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association NJCAA Division III National Coaching Staff of the Year following the team’s NCJAA National Championship. They led the Golden Eagles to a school record 42-9 record this past season and the college’s first ever national championship in softball in just the program’s third NJCAA tournament appearance. In three years under Monroe, RVC has appeared in two NJCAA tournaments and has compiled a 104-39 record.
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Alumni News
Zanussi ’10 uses music program to teach children life skills “Every child should have access to the transformative power of music,” says Sara Zanussi ’10 about why she launched ComMUSICation, a Twin Cities-based organization inspired by the El Sistema musical movement. “Through music, I’m striving every day to make a tangible difference in children’s lives.” A native of St. Paul, Minn., Zanussi has long been involved in music—she was only four years old when she started taking piano lessons, and by high school, she had founded Z’s Keys, a piano accompanying and teaching business. At Luther, majoring in music seemed a natural fit, but she also stretched herself beyond the walls of Jenson-Noble Hall of Music, taking classes in Spanish and international business and getting involved in cocurriculars that fed her interests in diversity and social justice. After graduation Zanussi ventured to Arusha, Tanzania, to teach piano and voice at Umoja Arts Center. There she first witnessed the power of music to unite individuals from disparate backgrounds; Umoja connected people from all backgrounds—from wealthy expatriate families to poorer Tanzanians. Stirred by this experience, she decided to create that same opportunity for children back home. Internet research led her to a “truly inspirational” TED talk by Jose Antonio Abreu, who founded El Sistema in Venezuela in 1975 to bring music to economically disadvantaged children. Zanussi successfully applied for a 10-month Sistema Fellowship at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in August 2012. “The El Sistema philosophy uses the music ensemble to develop transferable life skills—including discipline, teamwork, leadership, and respect—that foster outstanding teachers, leaders, citizens, and musicians,” she says, pointing out that more than 120 such programs operate around the globe. “We started ComMUSICation rehearsals in January 2014 with just eight kids and by May had more than 20 participating. One of the program’s main tenets is peer-teaching— kids from different cultures helping one another— and it’s been really cool to see how excited they are to do that and how hungry they are to learn.” As program director, Zanussi fulfills many tasks, including helping conduct rehearsals, overseeing logistics, writing grant proposals, and arranging community concerts. In just a few short months, program participants have performed before family members and friends in multiple concerts in the Twin Cities, drawing audiences in the hundreds. Zanussi sees nothing but good things emerging from that effort. “I have seen the power of music to improve lives and unite people,” she says. “I saw it in Tanzania. I saw it in Venezuela. And now I am seeing it here at home.” ComMUSICation partners with community and professional music groups, including the St. Paul Promise Neighborhood, St. Paul Conservatory of Music, and the St. Paul Sprockets Youth Development Network. For information on ComMUSICation, visit www.commusicationmn.org or email Zanussi at director@commusicationmn.org. To view Abreu’s TED talk on “El Sistema,” visit www.ted.com/talks/ jose_abreu_on_kids_transformed_by_music. —Sara Friedl-Putnam
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ELISE (ARAM) O’DONNELL teaches kindergarten for the Minneapolis Public Schools. AARON PETERSON earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is an instructional postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. KRISTIN SKAAR is special events and communications manager for Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota in Minneapolis. ASHLEY UECKER of Watertown, Wis., earned a teaching license in physical education, health, and adapted physical education. BREANN VANDEER is a certified athletic trainer for Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge, Iowa. JACOB WADDLE earned an M.B.A. degree from the University of Dubuque. He is assistant baseball coach at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. SARAH WALTERS is an orthopedics registered nurse for the University of Wisconsin Hospital and has a ProKids research position at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Wis. MELISSA WESTBERG graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy and is a pharmacist for Walgreens Pharmacy in St. Paul, Minn. EMILY WROBEL teaches vocal music for the Greenfield (Wis.) School District.
2010 ABRAHAM CAMPOS
earned a medical doctorate from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine. He is a resident in emergency medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. MEGAN (HAMANN) COFFIELD is a test automation developer for DuPont Pioneer Hi-Bred in Johnston, Iowa. PAIGE GAPINSKI is an account executive for the Integer Group in Des Moines, Iowa. BONNIE GARVENS earned a medical doctorate from the University of
Alumni News
Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She is a resident (R1) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Family Medicine in Madison. JULIE HANSON earned a medical doctorate from the University of Minnesota. She is a pediatric and adolescent medicine resident at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. SARAH MAY is a choir director at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. TRENA MONTGOMERY is a program assistant for the Lutheran World Federation Jerusalem Program in Jerusalem. SAMANTHA REISER earned a doctor of pharmacy degree from the University of Iowa. She is a pharmacist at Hartig Drug in Waukon, Iowa.
SARAH STADIE ’11, VAUGHN TACKMAN ’11, and DOUG HAMILTON ’11 got together for a meal and a few sparklers behind Ylvisaker in late June, before Stadie moved to the Twin Cities. The photo was taken by GABE TWEDT ’10. They all lived in Decorah over the past year.
BRITTANY (BUCZEK) and NATHAN TODD live in Decorah. Through her business, Photography by Brittany, she photographs weddings, senior pictures, and families, traveling all over the country with Nathan as her second photographer. He is the community connections afterschool coordinator for grades 7–12 for the Allamakee Community School District in Waukon, Iowa. PAT WILLIAMS is a consultant for Solution Design Group in Golden Valley, Minn. MARIE WILSON is a public health instructor at the University of Minnesota–Rochester. TESSA WINTERTON earned a medical doctorate from the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. She is a resident in obstetrics and gynecology in Wichita, Kan.
2011 HANNAH (WILES) and
ALEX ANDERSON live in Swisher, Iowa. She is a doctoral student in chiropractic at Palmer College of Chiropractic; he earned a juris doctorate from the University of Iowa
College of Law. He is an attorney for Lynch Dallas P.C. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
WHITNEY KELTNER WESSELS is a social worker for Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
JENNIFER ARBUCKLE is an account executive for MapMyFitness Inc., an Under Armour Company, in Austin, Texas.
KATIE (PATTERSON) and REID MASON ’08 live in Chicago. She is an account manager for Rise Interactive in Chicago; he is a senior associate for McGladrey and Pullen.
BRAD BROGE is staff software engineer at IBM Corporation in Research Triangle Park, N.C. ALYSE CARLSON of Centennial, Colo., had two prizewinning poems published. “These Iowa Fields” placed third in the William Carlos Williams Poetry Competition and will be published in the Journal of Medical Humanities. “The Weight of a Marble” placed second in the AlphaOmega-Alpha Poetry Contest and will be published in The Pharos. ALEXANDRA JOHNSON earned a doctor of physical therapy degree from Washington University in St. Louis. She is a physical therapist at Euro Team Physical Therapy Clinic in Decorah. MADELINE JUNGBAUER is a consultant resource specialist for Hollstadt and Associates Inc. in Mendota Heights, Minn.
TYLER MCCUBBIN is a collections officer for Agricredit Acceptance LLC in Johnston, Iowa. KATHERINE MCDONALD is a chiropractic and nutrition assistant for Meridian Chiropractic Health Center in Denver. ALLISON (DAHLBEG) MEHAWEJ earned a juris doctorate from William Mitchell College of Law.
KATE SCHAEFER is a business intelligence and analytics analyst for Target Corporation in St. Louis Park, Minn. JOSH SHARPE is a special education assistant at Burroughs Elementary School in Minneapolis. JAYSON SWANSON is a doctoral candidate at the University of Oslo in Norway. He was awarded the 2014 Kunnskap Oslo’s Prize for best master thesis. ALISON WATHEN of Wheeling, Ill., earned a master’s degree in public health at the University of IllinoisChicago.
2012
ANDREW RITTER is team leader for City Year Greater Philadelphia in Philadelphia.
SAM ANDERSON is an education specialist at Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul, Minn.
HANNAH (BRANDVOLD) and JOSEPH ROSHOLT live in Owatonna, Minn. She is an administrative assistant at St. Olaf Lutheran Church; he earned a juris doctorate from St. Thomas School of Law.
ALISON (SCHEEVEL) ANDERSON-KAHL teaches music for the Eagle Grove (Iowa) School District. SARAH BIEBER teaches vocal music for grades 7–12 at Wapsie Valley Jr./ Sr. High School in Fairbank, Iowa.
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Alumni News
ALLISON CROAT is editor of Bead Magazine for Ashdown Broadcasting in Kasson, Minn.
class Scandinavian Fine Handcrafts, taught by internationally recognized woodcarver Harley Refsal.
ALYSE EGGEBRECHT is assistant director of alumni engagement and annual giving for Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa.
ROSS FREI is an associate for OutcomeMTM in West Des Moines, Iowa.
MELISSA ERICKSON is associate editor and public safety reporter for the Ames (Iowa) Tribune. ANNA (LOOFT) FETT of Cambridge, Mass., earned a master’s degree in theological studies from Harvard Divinity School. ANDREW FINANGER is a sales associate for Sunrun in Boulder, Colo. He is also the owner and wood carver for Whittle People. His interest in wood carving was kindled at Luther when he participated in the carving
DANIEL GRAINGER is a marketing and relations director for Camp EWALU in Strawberry Point, Iowa. JONATHAN GRIEDER teaches social studies at People’s Preparatory Charter School in Newark, N.J. EMILIE HANUS is a special education teacher at Alice Smith Elementary for the Hopkins (Minn.) Public Schools. ERIC JOHNSON is financial representative for Northwestern Mutual in Mendota Heights, Minn.
LUTHER COLLEGE BOOK SHOP Your Source for Norse Apparel and More
Class rings and pendants are available in gold or silver. (888) 521-5039 luther.edu/bookshop
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Luther Alumni Magazine
SARAH LIMPER earned a master’s degree in music from the University of Oklahoma. She teaches music for grades 5–12 at Breckenridge (Minn.) Public Schools. ERIK MATTSON is on the staff of the Shell Lake (Wis.) Arts Center. ERIN MCWILLIAMS is a graduate assistant at St. Cloud (Minn.) State University. DIONE MILLER is a master’s student at the Lutheran School of Theology and an intern at the International Church of Bangkok (Thailand). TERESA PROCTER earned a master’s degree in voice performance from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston. She was selected as the Young Artist Vocalist for the 2014–15 Da Camera
Season. The Young Artist Program is a chamber music fellowship program for emerging professional instrumentalists, singers, and composers. Da Camera of Houston is one of America’s leading presenters and producers of ensemble music. CASSIE SEEBART is associate sea turtle biologist for Clearwater (Fla.) Marine Aquarium. PAIGE SEIBERT is a K–5 level II special education teacher for the Ames (Iowa) Community School District. ELISSA STEVENS is quality assurance auditor for DuPont Pioneer in Ankeny, Iowa. MATT STUMP performed in the University of North Texas Opera Theater’s production of Sweeney Todd along with fellow Luther alumnus
Alumni News
ADAM BRADLEY ’13. Bradley sang the role of Pirelli; Stump sang the title role, Sweeney Todd.
DENISE RICHTER is an accountant for John Deere and Company in Moline, Ill.
DANE HUINKER is a crew member at Conservation Corps in Ames, Iowa.
1996 TODD HOLMQUIST
RYAN VINZANT teaches physical education and health for the Mounds View (Minn.) School District.
ANNIKA (ELLISON) and ROBBY SCOTT live in Coralville, Iowa. Annika is a SCL counselor at Successful Living. Robby is an M.F.A. student in painting at the University of Iowa.
LAUREN MEINTSMA is a public relations intern for the Goodman Group in Chaska, Minn.
1997 YVETT WERTH and
COURTNEY MEYER is an audit associate for McGladrey in Denver.
2001 ZACH BALE and Julia
KATIE WAGNER is the director of Lutheran campus ministry at the University of Wisconsin–Stout.
and Amelia Nevarez, Sept. 29, 2012
Kevin Collopy, Sept. 8, 2012
Jacobs, May 31, 2014
CAITLIN SHOEMAKER is a paraprofessional for Hartman Elementary School in Omaha, Neb.
KATHERINE MOHR is a project manager for Epic in Verona, Wis.
CAITLIN STENSRUD is a scheduling coordinator for Orthopedic Associates in Oklahoma City.
BLAKE POTTHOFF is the interim 4-H program coordinator for Jackson County in Lakefield, Minn.
2002 ANNE BRANSTAD and
DOUGLAS WINKEY earned a master’s degree in history from Iowa State University in Ames.
EMILY STREEPER is a TTS merchandise-project manager for Target Corporation in Minneapolis.
ALISA SCHULTZ teaches third grade at Mazapan School in La Ceiba, Honduras.
2004 AZURE ANDERSON
2013 KAZI AHMED is a
JEFF THOMPSON is program director for Sugar Creek Bible Camp in Ferryville, Wis.
RACHEL STENHAUG is a staff auditor for Deloitte & Touche LLP in Minneapolis.
WHITNEY BECKER and Dave Anderson, Sept. 23, 2012
SHANE WILSON is supply chain analyst for Target Corporation in Minneapolis.
MEGAN WICHMANN teaches special education for Parkview Elementary School in Lakeville, Minn.
WHITNI WARNKE earned the master’s degree in social work from the University of Northern Iowa. She is a social worker at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa.
supplier fulfillment analyst for Fastenal Company in Winona, Minn. VIVEK BISEN is a software engineer for Sport Ngin in Minneapolis. CASSANDRA BORMAN is a management intern at GEICO Insurance in Coralville, Iowa. INGRID COLOGNE of Edina, Minn., is an interior design assistant at M.A. Peterson Design and an intern at the Institute of Art. She is also a skin care representative with Rodan + Fields and a part-time sales associate at Anthropologie.
2014 EMILY ALPERS works in
quality assurance for Epic Systems in Verona, Wis. JESSA ANDERSON-REITZ is a family selection assistant for Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity in St. Paul, Minn.
MARK JERDE and Sarah Dodge, March 16, 2013
Erik Thompson, Sept. 28, 2013
and Satish Jayaraj, Jan. 4, 2014
LINDSAY BUCK and Christoph Ledl, Feb. 7, 2014 ANGELINA CALDERON and Benjamin Sheldon, April 26, 2014 MEREDITH EILERTSON and Nabeel Azeem, April 26, 2014
MARRIAGES
1968 BOB RICHARDSON and
REBECCA HOEL and Stuart Sedlak, Oct. 13, 2012
Diane Willis, Oct. 11, 2013
JOSH LARSON and Kaitie Gaddie, May 31, 2014
ZACH ASCHIM is a software engineer for Email Data Source Inc. in Kansas City.
1979 JENNY SATRE and Rusty
CARRIE MORRIS and Jon Miller, May 24, 2014
INGRID BAUDLER is graphics coordinator for Oneota Community Food Cooperative in Decorah.
1983 CHRIS MERRIMAN and
ALEX DALLMAN is an IT developer for Fastenal in Winona, Minn.
1984 KARI ENGEBRETSON
RACHEL JUNGWIRTH is a sales representative in group ancillary benefits for Principal Financial Group in Minnetonka, Minn.
STUART DYBDAHL is a financial representative for Northwestern Mutual in Middleton, Wis.
PHILIP LEININGER and Hank Blum, Dec. 28, 2013
JENS LOVEN-HOLT is a software developer and programmer for MEDITECH Inc. in Minnetonka, Minn.
MARIA ELLINGSON works in customer service and is a sales representative for TheraBill in Grayslake, Ill.
1987 STEPH HUTTON and
KRISTINA NIENHAUS is director of music and liturgy at St. Jude Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
KELSEY ENGBRECHT is a quality assurance analyst for Epic Systems in Madison, Wis.
BEN OBERMANN teaches high school journalism and language arts for the Washington (Iowa) Community School District.
KRISTEN FLAK teaches fifththrough eighth-grade orchestra for the Stoughton (Wis.) Area School District.
TANNER O’BRIEN is program director for Mason City (Iowa) Chamber of Commerce.
ALLISON GIESWEIN teaches fifth grade at John F. Kennedy Catholic School in Davenport, Iowa.
ALICIA FINDLEY is case manager for Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance in Roseville, Minn. ALLISON JOHNSON teaches preschool for Nisse Preschool and Kid’s Place in Decorah.
Barnes, May 18, 2014
Nguyen Vu, Dec. 18, 2013
and Gordon Hartig, June 8, 2013
HOLLY O’BRINE and Justin Fencl, June 22, 2013
2005 LAUREN MAYFIELD and Mitch Gerads, May 10, 2014 JOSHUA MINNES and Lindsey Carter, Feb. 15, 2014 KATIE PETTIGREW and Derek Weems, Oct. 26, 2013
PAUL SKRAMSTAD ’85, May 17, 2014
1990 ERIK HOEFER and Sue Mortensen, July 19, 2014
1995 C. J. ANDERSON and David VanderWatt, Sept. 14, 2013
2006 HEATHER BUCKNER
and Joseph Wilensky, June 22, 2013 KELSEY EISENMANN and Kent Shook, Dec. 28, 2013 MARIT POLLEI and MATTHEW KINNEY ’05, Nov. 3, 2013 RACHEL SWENSON and Doug Miller, May 24, 2014
ERIC SOLBERG and Katie Tharp, Dec. 7, 2013
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Alumni News
2007 KARI LUNDE and Sam Kramer, Aug. 24, 2013
MICHELLE VOIGTS and RYAN BOUSLOG, Dec. 31, 2013
KATIE MERRIFIELD and Brett Jones, Aug. 24, 2013
2012 KRISTI HOLMBERG
KAY NADKARNI and BOB SHERIDAN, Sept. 7, 2013
and JONATHAN GRIEDER, Oct. 26, 2013
TYLER SHERDEN and Rachelle Dosch, July 6, 2013
BRITTANY JOHNSON and AARON BURRESON, Aug. 10, 2013
MARISSA WACHLAROWICZ and Emanuel VonDran, Sept. 29, 2012
MANDIE MICKELSON and GREG SIEMS, June 14, 2014
2008 MALORY
ASHLIE PATTEN and CORY LEE ’09, Nov. 30, 2013
HENDRICKSON and Diego Giraldo, June 1, 2013 UJJWAL JOSHI and Pallavi Shrestha, July 2, 2014 AARON NYQUIST and Kate Muehe, Oct. 5, 2013
2009 CHRISTINA ARCEO
and Michael Schump, Oct. 19, 2013 RYAN GOEKEN and Bobbie Quade, Sept. 7, 2013 BRENNAN HARVEY and Ly Wilder, July 18, 2014 FELIX MALPICA and Jessica Harguth, June 22, 2013 BRITTANY SCHWEFEL and AARON PETERSON, Jan. 4, 2014 ERIN TORKELSON and JESSE BUNGE ’11, June 28, 2014
2013 ANNIKA ELLISON and ROBBY SCOTT, Oct. 19, 2013
KAITLYN HOLDEN and Scott Hammer, July 7, 2013 MAX LAFONTANT and Floris Bannister, July 13, 2013
2014 MARY MAIDEN MUELLER and MICHAEL SCHULTZ, June 7, 2014
JESS SAWDY and Paul Ludwig, Dec. 21, 2012
2015 LUCY O’CONNOR and SIBUSISO DLAMINI ’14, May 26, 2014 KARA ROBINSON and Zach Turnbull, Dec. 17, 2012
2010 LANDON JACOBSEN and Jenny Beall, April 19, 2014 ANNE LITSEY and Andrew Kerhoulas, Aug. 11, 2013
2011 RACHEL ALBERT and Robin Yim, May 17, 2014
ALLISON DAHLBERG and John Mehawej, Dec. 28, 2013 KARI KOLSRUD and TANNER O’BRIEN ’13, Aug. 24, 2013 JASON OLSGARD and Jaclyn Berry, June 3, 2014 KAYLA OPPERMANN and MATT DROESE, Sept. 21, 2013 ALEC SCHUMACHER and Erin Moore, June 28, 2014
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Luther Alumni Magazine
BIRTHS/ADOPTIONS
1989 Swathi and DAVE
WILLIAMS, a daughter, Karina Devani, April 2013
1991 RACHEL MUELLER, a
daughter, Nora Elizabeth, born June 2014, adopted July 2014
1992 Charity and CHRIS
1996 AMY (CARLSON) and Einar Floan, a daughter, Kajsa Noelle, Oct. 2013
LINDSEY (SIEH) and Christopher Sullivan, a daughter, Lainey Elliott, Feb. 2014
1997 AMANDA (ALCOCK)
RACHEL (PALMERSHEIM) and Bradley Thimmesch, a daughter, Ruby Lee, Nov. 2012
and Eric Freese, a son, Owen, April 2014 KAREN TOWNSEND and James Turner, a son, Levi, July 2013 YVETT WERTH COLLOPY and Kevin Collopy, a son, Cullen Mason, May 2014
Nathan Ellingson, a daughter, Lyla Jean, April 2014 BECKY (WEDEKIND) and Jon Hanson, a son, Gabriel John, March 2014
1998 Jamie and BILL
RICHARDSON, a daughter, Avery, Sept. 2012 JENNELL (PRIBYL) and Patrick Duey, a daughter, Lauren Christine, Sept. 2012
1999 AMY (ALBERS) and
Jonathan Peterson, a daughter, Paige Elizabeth, Jan. 2014
2000 BETH BROGAARDALLEN and Nick Allen, a son, Aiden, March 2014
ANN (BLADO) and ANDY DYBVIG ’98, a son, Samuel James, Oct. 2012 DANIELLE (JURJEVICH) and Aaron Friedlein, a son, Nathan, Dec. 2012
Dominic and Eleanor LaBelle ANGELA (SLACK) and MIKE LABELLE, twins, a daughter, Eleanore Bessie, a son, Dominic William, Nov. 2013 ANNA (CARLSON) and JON PETERSON, a son, Henrik Arthur, Nov. 2013 Becca and MATT POOCK, a son, Simon Aaron, March 2014
Jennifer and ANDREW HAASE, a daughter, Noelle Dee, Feb. 2014
ERIN (HILTON) and Chris Sloan, a daughter, Bailey Isabelle, Dec. 2013
KRISTY (OKERLUND) and Brian Whalen, a son, Michael Robert, May 2014
CHERI (DHUSE) and Shane Troumbly, a daughter, Maggie Leanne, July 2013
MEGAN (HELLING) and Dirk Wildemuth, daughters, Brynn, Aug. 2012, Britta, June 2014
STEFANIE (PETERSON) and B. J. Vette, a son, Miles Scott, Nov. 2013
2001 BETSY (SCHEURER) and Jeff Anderson, a son, Karl Frederick, May 2014
Beth and TRISTAN COX, a daughter, Charlotte Elizabeth, April 2014
TYLER, a son, Jonathan James, May 2014
KIM EVERSMAN and Jason Cotter, twin daughters, Elise Margaret and Freya Elizabeth, March 2014
1995 POLLY (PEARSON) and
Sarah and MARK JERDE, a daughter, Lydia Marie, May 2014
Allison Pearson-Terry, a son, Crosby Randall, Jan. 2014
2002 ANGIE (FENEIS) and
2003 ESIE (KLEIN) and Joshua Guither, a daughter, Lydia Faith, Jan. 2014 ANGIE (DEMMER) and Derek Hietala, a son, Grayson Keith, March 2014 KELLY (HAVE) and JOSH JANSEN ’02, a daughter, Landrie, March 2014 JANA (CHMELAR) and Fred Klauke, a daughter, Anika Marie, Feb. 2014
Alumni News
JESSICA (WROBEL) and Preston Koenig, a son, Deacon Swede, July 2013
PEGGY (WHITTLE) and AARON SIMPSON, a son, Graham Elijah, June 2014
STACEY (SCHULTZ) and Kurt Simatic, a son, Michael Martin, Feb. 2014
KELLY (CROUTHAMEL) and Jason Skoda, a son, Orion Jon, Nov. 2013
JOCELYN (JANSEN) and Christopher Herby, a son, Charles Clifford, Jan. 2014
KAREN (ELLIOTT) and Nathan Thompson, a daughter, Emma Louise, May 2014
LARISSA (CURTIS) and ERIK IVERSON ’08, a daughter, Grete Benedikte, Feb. 2013
TESSA (BENSON) and Brian Weiland, a son, Isaac, Oct. 2012
AMY (WICKWIRE) and Jason Rittenhouse, a son, Lane Joshua, March 2014
2004 WHITNEY (BECKER) and Dave Anderson, a daughter, Pailyn, Feb. 2014
Nicole and PAUL CALLAHAN, a son, Ian, Dec. 2013 KRIS (TOENGES) and Shane Christensen, a son, Oliver Jack, Sept. 2012 Robin and AARON COFFEEN, a son, Bridger Roy, Dec. 2013 JAMIE (SIEFERT) and SETH FETZER, a daughter, Isla Jean, Sept. 2013 ERICA (SCHUMACHER) and Doug Foley, a son, Mack Allen, May 7, 2013 Hee-Su Hyun and RYAN GOESSL, a daughter, Olivia Frances, Sept. 2013 ALISHA (MILLER) and Ben Horgen, a daughter, Selma Claire, March 2014 AMANDA (ROIGER) and Brian Huinker, a son, Grady, Nov. 2013 MARIA RONNINGEN JOHNSON and LUKE JOHNSON, a son, Carl Nordeen, Feb. 2013
Ayesha Naveed and SALAHUDDIN YUSUF, a daughter, Zara, June 2013
2005 Alicia and DANNY
ADAMS, a son, Landon George, Oct. 2013 KRISTA (NELSON) and Shaun Arnold, a son, William Alan, March 2014 STEPHANIE (NOVAK) and Rick Bond, a daughter, Jennaya Remi, April 2014 ANNA (JOHNSON) and Peter Edemekong, a daughter, Idy Magdaline, Jan. 2013 STACEY MARLOW and Jed Fisher, a daughter, Farrah Jean, March 2014
LEAH (SCHWARTZ) and Jason Ethen, a daughter, Libby, Feb. 2014
2007 BRIELLE (STAHNKE) and Kyle Anfinson, a son, Austin Eugene, April 2014
AMANDA (MACDUFF) and Jason Ullom, twins, a daughter, Griffin Anne, a son, Grady Fitzgerald, Jan. 2014
ANDREA (AMIDON) and Brian Nodolf, a son, Owen, Jan. 2014 Nikowah and MATT OKLAND, a daughter, Gemma Noelle, Feb. 2014 LESLEY (HORAN) and Andrew Olswing, a daughter, Amelia, June 2013 Angela and RYAN OVERHOLT, a daughter, Nora Gwen, Aug. 2013
Maxwell Seeley
MARISSA WACHLAROWICZ and Emanuel VonDran, a son, Liam Thomas, Oct. 2013
ALLISON (BOUSLOG) and NIC SEELEY, a son, Maxwell Jeffrey, May 2014
Anna and BRIAN (MEYER) WAISMEYER, a son, Aiden, Aug. 2013
JESS (JEWELL) and MIKE TANGEN, a daughter, Virginia Rose, June 2014
MORGAN (WATERSTRAAT) and Devon Woods, a daughter, Olwynn Kaye, April 2014
JANA (KEMP) and ZACH TUCKER ’07, a son, Kash Thomas, April 2014
Andrea and RYAN KOCH, a daughter, Campbell Miron, Jan. 2014
2009 CARRIE (HARRIS) and Robin Schmitz, a daughter, Alice Mayme, July 2014
MEGAN (ARNESON) and Munch Sherman, a daughter, Lizabeth, Nov. 2013
2011 TATUM (NORTON)
MICHELLE (LONG) and Randy Mentz, a son, Walter Scott, Aug. 11, 2012
LAURA (LENIUS) and Steve Nelson, a daughter, Ella Simone, April 2014
WHITNEY (KINZLER) and MITCH LONGTIN, a son, Finnegan Thomas, Aug. 2013 Holly and ZACH NORDBY, a son, Bjorn Michael, April 2014
KRISTIN (KINNEMANN) and ERIC JONES ’05, a daughter, Linnea Katja, Oct. 2012
KARI (PETERSON) and EVAN NELSON, a son, Spencer David, Oct. 2013
NICOLETTE (DEHAAN) and Nathaniel Kelley, a daughter, Evelyn Grace, Feb. 2014
and TJ Iverson, a son, Evan Joseph, March 2014
Henry Worthington Jadeyn, Alexa, and Raela Mueterthies
KATIE (HARROLD) and SETH WORTHINGTON ’08, a son, Henry Weston, Oct. 2013
BRENDA (RIHA) and Jason Mueterthies, a daughter, Raela Riha, March 2014
ERIN (MICHAEL) and TIM YOURISON ’06, a son, James Michael, March 2014
MIKHAL (HAGSTROM) and Scott Szabo, a son, Augustine William, June 2014
2008 Amanda and ANDREW
LAUREN (SCHLETTY) and HANS THURMER ’04, a daughter, Korinn Marie, Feb. 2014
2006 Sony and SHOVIT
BHARI, a daughter, Saanvi, March 2014
BAILEY, a son, Brandon, Feb. 2014
Marshall Fortney
JAMIE (NEWMAN) and TONY BRANTNER, a son, William Anthony, March 2014
2012 SYDNEY BEAN and Kyle
LINDSAY (NORLAND) and Aaron Johnson, a daughter, Ella Jean, May 2014
Fortney, a son, Marshall Leland, July 2014
Fall 2014 Luther Alumni Magazine
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Alumni News
IN MEMORIAM Read full obituaries at www.luthermagazine.com.
1943 CHELLIS NATHANIEL EVANSON, JR., longtime resident of Brainerd, Minn., died April 2, 2014, in Eau Claire, Wis., age 91.
1936 WILLIAM ORCUTT of Harbor City, Calif., died Nov. 9, 2012, age 96.
1937 VERNON COBB of Granite Falls, Minn., died Oct. 2, 2013, age 96.
1949 ELDER K. BENTLEY of St. Paul, Minn., died May 26, 2014, age 86.
ARNA B. (BERGSENG) COMER of Burien, Wash., died Oct. 9, 2012, age 95.
1952 IEVA ASMYTE of Chicago died Feb. 9, 2014, age 90. JANET JERDINE (HELLIE) BARTH of Sioux Falls, S.D., died April 4, 2014, age 86.
SHIRLEY MAE (BIRD) NELSON of Red Wing, Minn., died June 18, 2014, age 87.
BRADFORD FINCH of Golden Valley, Plymouth, Minnetonka, and Cokato, Minn., died Jan. 5, 2014, age 96.
MARY RUTH (OLSON) BALDUS of Fairmont, Minn., died April 20, 2014, age 95. KENNETH E. NEUMANN of Fergus Falls, Minn., died Jan. 8, 2014, age 94.
HELEN (ELLINGSON) BERGAN of Decorah died April 27, 2014, age 87.
RUTH DOROTHY (STRUXNESS) STORVICK of Moorhead, Minn., died May 21, 2014, age 88.
1941
DAGNY (FJELSTAD) CHRISTIANSEN of Ham Lake, Minn., died April 27, 2014, age 85.
1948 JOHN R. DENNIS of Maple Grove, Minn., died May 3, 2014, age 92.
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HARRIS R. HJERMSTAD of Kenyon, Minn., died April 16, 2014, age 90. AUDREY (HEXOM) JORDAHL of Ankeny, Iowa, died July 4, 2014, age 91.
JOANNE ARLENE (MAIR) CARLSTEIN of Mountain Home, Ark., died March 10, 2014, at age 81.
1954 PAUL R. ASKEGAARD of St. Louis Park, Minn., died June 13, 2014, age 82.
1955 LAWRENCE “LARRY” ARNE SOGARD of Roland, Iowa, died April 7, 2014, age 88.
LYSLE PICKARD of Everett, Wash., died May 20, 2014, age 87.
1942 PHYLLIS (KNUDSON) SKILBRED of Glenwood, Minn., died March 28, 2014, age 95.
MARILYN BECK of Minneapolis, formerly of Kiester, Minn., died June 23, 2013, age 81.
1950
1947
1938
ALTON N. MARTIN of New Glarus, Wis., formerly of Argyle, Wis., died April 12, 2014, age 83.
LOWELL TORGERSON of Fox Island, Wash., died Feb. 20, 2014, age 86.
1944 IVA CARLA (CHRISTIANSON) LYSNE of Blooming Prairie, Minn., and Scottsdale, Ariz., died Feb. 21, 2014, age 90.
CLOY D. KNEESKERN of Preston, Minn., died June 3, 2014, age 84.
1956
1951 JEANNETTE LOUISE (GILBERTSON) BERG of Blanchardville, Wis., died June 23, 2014, age 84.
KLAREEN M. NOTTESTAD of Middleton, Wis., died April 17, 2014, age 80.
Alumni News
1958
1964
1970
LINDA (BEORKREM) BEAM of St. James, Minn., died March 26, 2014, age 78.
MERRY D. (JOHANSEN) BINGAMAN of Elk Rapids, Mich., died Dec. 24, 2013, age 71.
MARGIE JOAN (BUISMAN) KNUTSON of West Union, Iowa, died June 22, 2014, age 77.
KAREN ANN CLIFFORD of Princeville, Kauai, Hawaii, died Feb. 12, 2013, age 70.
1971 RONALD G. JAASTAD of Winona, Minn., died June 27, 2014, age 68.
1967 TOM WINGER of Decorah, Iowa, died March 26, 2014, age 72.
RICHARD K. WIENER of Avon Park, Fla., died April 11, 2014, age 81.
1960 MARVIN (CARROL) ERICKSON of Elko, Minn., died Dec. 19, 2013, age 76. CLYDE L. KRAMER of Bella Vista, Ark., died June 3, 2014, age 76.
1961 MILTON D. JOHNSON of Anchorage, Alaska, died Dec. 30, 2013, age 75.
2011 NNAMDI B. OKOLUE of Burnsville, Minn., died April 11, 2014, age 25.
LENNIS L. MOORE of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, died June 11, 2014, age 64. AL BRITTON, JR., of Colorado Springs, Colo., died Dec. 21, 2013, age 67.
MERVILLE LAVERN OLSON of Bozeman, Mont., died on June 13, 2014, age 77.
ROBERT JON PEHKONEN of Windsor, Colo., died June 4, 2014, age 46.
1972
1968
1959
1990 DENNIS NORMAN HOLLERUD of Austin, Minn., died April 7, 2014, age 64.
1974 JAMES E. MUELLER of Cedarburg, Wis., died Oct. 18, 2012, age 60.
MICHAEL R. BUSIAN of Morris, Minn., died April 27, 2014, age 67.
1978
KAREN JOAN (TRYGSTAD) HALVORSON of Green Valley, Ariz., formerly of Red Wing, Minn., died March 16, 2014, age 66.
age 54.
1969
LON EDWARD ROSHEIM of Holts Summit, Mo., died May 24, 2014, age 67.
LORI MARGARET (BLUME) RIPLEYWOODARD of Elkhorn, Neb., formerly of Storm Lake, Iowa, died Nov. 30, 2012,
1985 CINDY ZAUTCKE OSTERMEYER of Mequon, Wis., died June 4, 2014, age 51.
Fall 2014 Luther Alumni Magazine
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LUTHER COLLEGE ARCHIVES
Endpage
First woman to receive tenure at Luther was hired 75 years ago In 1939 Luther hired Clara Paulson, and she was a member of the English faculty from 1939 until 1971. Paulson was the first woman to receive tenure and become a full professor at Luther, according to Archives records. Martin Mohr, professor emeritus of English, referred to the Buxton, North Dakota, native in a chapel talk, and again at the time of her death in 1977, as Luther’s pioneer woman. Among her other “firsts” were establishing the college’s chapter of the American Association of University Women and student organizations for women; offering Luther’s first regular black studies (now Africana studies) course; and being the first person, male or female, to come to Luther with professional training in student personnel work. From 1935 to 1937, she was student dean for Syracuse University, where she had earned her master’s degree. She served as dean of women at Luther from 1940 to 1943 and from 1944 to 1947, and was awarded the title of professor emerita after retiring.
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Calendar Family Weekend
San Francisco Area Brunch with President Carlson
Friday, September 19– Sunday, September 21 Luther College
Sunday, January 11, 2015 Menlo Circus Club Atherton, California
Mount Palomar Winery Gathering
COURTESY OF DAN MARLOW ’88
Saturday, September 27 Mount Palomar Winery Temecula, California
Inauguration of Paula J. Carlson, Ph.D., as Luther’s 10th President Friday, October 10 Luther College
Alumni Council/ Class Agents Meetings Friday, October 10 and Saturday, October 11 Luther College
Homecoming Friday, October 10– Sunday, October 12 Luther College
Iowa City/Cedar Rapids Area Dinner with President Carlson Thursday, October 16 Brown Deer Golf Club Coralville, Iowa
Luther College Lunch Connection Friday, October 17 Lake Harriet United Methodist Church Minneapolis
Some of the alumni and friends who participated in the Des Moines Area Golf Outing on August 11 were Vicky Jaeger, Luther coordinator of recreational services and wellness/education club sports; Roger Jaeger; Jerry Jaeger ’09; and John Jaeger ’05.
Madison Area Dinner with President Carlson
Twin Cities Area Dinner with President Carlson
Tuesday, October 28 Monona Terrace Madison, Wisconsin
Friday, November 7 Interlachen Country Club Edina, Minnesota
Milwaukee Area Dinner with President Carlson
Twin Cities Young Alumni Reception with President Carlson
Wednesday, October 29 University Club of Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Chicago Area Dinner with President Carlson Thursday, October 30 The Morton Arboretum Lisle, Illinois
Denver Area Dinner with President Carlson
Des Moines Area Dinner with President Carlson
November Date and location pending Denver, Colorado
Friday, October 17 Des Moines Golf and Country Club West Des Moines, Iowa
Luther College Lunch Connection in Des Moines Friday, November 7 Windsor Heights (Iowa) Community Center
Saturday, November 8 Mason’s Restaurant Barre Minneapolis
Luther College Lunch Connection Friday, November 21 Lake Harriet United Methodist Church Minneapolis
Luther College Lunch Connection in Des Moines Friday, February 6, 2015 Windsor Heights (Iowa) Community Center
Luther College Lunch Connection Friday, February 27, 2015 The Center for Changing Lives Minneapolis
10th Annual Kent Finanger ’54 Golf Classic Saturday, March 14, 2015 Tuscany Falls Golf Club at Pebble Creek Goodyear, Arizona
Luther College Lunch Connection Friday, March 27, 2015 The Center for Changing Lives Minneapolis
Luther College Lunch Connection in Des Moines Friday, April 17, 2015 Windsor Heights (Iowa) Community Center
Christmas at Luther
Luther College Lunch Connection
Thursday, December 4– Sunday, December 7 Luther College
Friday, April 24, 2015 The Center for Changing Lives Minneapolis
San Diego Area Dinner with President Carlson
Commencement
January 2015 Date and location pending San Diego, California
Sunday, May 24, 2015 Luther College
Luther alumni events are open to all alumni and friends of the college, including parents and other family members of graduates and students. Please note that some dates listed are tentative; specific information about upcoming events will be mailed or emailed to alumni, friends, and parents who live near the event sites. If you need more information or if you’re interested in planning an event in your area, call the Alumni Office at (800) 225-8664. We’d love to hear from you!
Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID La Crosse, WI Permit No. 25
Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045
We want to see YOU at Homecoming 2014! Friday, Oct. 10–Sunday, Oct. 12 Don’t miss . . . Seeing old friends at class reunions
The inauguration of Luther’s 10th president
Crowding Carlson Stadium for the football game
Sounds of Luther musicians in live concerts
Cheering on the parade marchers
Catching up with your professors
Get the full schedule at www.luther.edu/homecoming.