FALL 2017
Elwin Farwell
1919–2017
CONTENTS Share magazine stories online: The alumni magazine is online in a mobile and shareable format. Share stories through email, Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ at luther.edu/magazine. Luther Alumni Magazine Volume 51, Number 1, Fall 2017 Published by Luther College Editor Ellen Modersohn Managing Editor Kate Frentzel
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Elwin Farwell’s legacy
Elwin Farwell’s Luther College presidency (1963–81) was distinguished by a major push to increase the variety of students and faculty, renew curriculum, and develop campus facilities. His efforts had lasting effects. Cover: Paul D. Running painted this portrait of Luther President Elwin Farwell in 1981, along with another one that hangs in the lobby of Farwell Hall. The portraits, both oils, were purchased from Running at the time of Farwell’s retirement from the presidency and are in the college’s Fine Arts Collection.
Art Director/Designer Michael Bartels Contributors Sherry (Braun) Alcock ’82 Wilfred Bunge Sue (Franzen) Drilling ’78 Sara Friedl-Putnam Annalise Johnson ’18 Kirk Johnson ’82 Aaron Lurth ’08 Anna Restemayer ’19 Judy Riha Rachel Schunder ’20 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. Alumni Office (800) 225-8664; (800) 2 ALUMNI Admissions Office (800) 458-8437; (800) 4 LUTHER Web luther.edu luther.edu/magazine © Luther College 2017
New look The magazine has a new design. We’d love to get your comments and suggestions. Does the new look work for you? Editors, Ellen Modersohn and Kate Frentzel, magazine@luther.edu, (563) 387-1353
Departments
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Class of 2017 graduates
2 President’s Letter 3 Campus News 26 Alumni
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Nordic Choir’s first European tour—the documentary
33 Class Notes 45 Marriages 46 Births/Adoptions 47 In Memoriam
48 Collections Calendar (inside back cover)
Gifts at Work A top-of-the-line synthetic turf and pad system that was installed on Luther’s football field this summer is being funded through the generosity of alumni and friends of the college. At press time, about 30 donors had contributed more than $1.5 million of the estimated $1.7 million project. A lead gift of $800,000 from Suzanne and Dennis Birkestrand ’64 accelerated the project. The distinctive new Legacy Field in Carlson Stadium has the only blue turf among NCAA Division III colleges and universities. Also this summer, Luther’s outdoor tennis courts got a $1 million renovation, funded by an alumni couple who wishes to remain anonymous. The 12 courts were resurfaced using a state-of-the-art method resulting in a more durable, stable, and consistent playing surface. PHOTO BY AARON LURTH ’08
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PR ESIDENT'S LETTER
“ The college will pilot a new e-portfolio platform that sophomores will use to gather examples of their papers and projects from their coursework, to reflect on their growth and their goals for their vocations, and to build their resumes.”
Focusing on “sophomore sweet spots”
The “sophomore slump.” We’ve all heard the expression. We may smile knowingly when we hear it. Perhaps we experienced it ourselves in college. Perhaps we’ve been a sympathetic listener for a sophomore we know. As sophomores transition from the first-time excitement of the first year of college, they know they need to make important decisions. They may “slump” as they face a perplexing array of choices for their college years and beyond. At Luther, we decided to take on the “sophomore slump.” Over the past two years, faculty and staff have created interwoven programs
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and opportunities to engage with sophomores as they make crucial decisions about their academic majors, potential internships, study abroad experiences, co-curricular activities, and career choices. As faculty and staff planned the new programs, they focused on “sophomore sweet spots.” They created opportunities for sophomores to engage with mentors and peers as they identify their interests and passions. In these programs, sophomores find support, encouragement, and challenges as they apply their knowledge, values, strengths, and skills to shape their college years and to plan for their callings and careers. In our sophomore initiatives, students have opportunities to assess their strengths and skills using resources in our Career Center. Students may choose to participate in reflection and planning events in their co-curricular programs, such as sports teams, music ensembles, and residence halls. They may participate in intentional workstudy experiences on campus, helping them to more purposefully connect their work-study experience with their goals for work immediately after graduation and throughout their careers. In January Term courses, faculty will integrate applied learning experiences and reflections on how these experiences help students discern their vocations and careers. Academic advisers are exploring topics and approaches for advising that are tailored to specific questions and challenges
sophomores have. The college will pilot a new e-portfolio platform that sophomores will use to gather examples of their papers and projects from their coursework, to reflect on their growth and their goals for their vocations, and to build their resumes. At Luther, our distinctive Paideia programs for first-year and upper-class students engage them in integrative, applied learning tailormade for the first and final years of college. Our new sophomore initiative now offers integrative, applied learning specifically addressing questions and challenges that mark students’ second year at Luther. The Paideia programs and the new sophomore year programming grow from the same commitment to students and to learning that Luther faculty and staff have had since the college’s founding. These innovative, distinctive programs are rooted in Luther’s long traditions of academic excellence and deep care for students. Our new sophomoreyear initiatives offer additional opportunities for our students to be inspired, engaged, and empowered as they learn at Luther and prepare “to serve with distinction for the common good.” Soli Deo Gloria!
CAMPUS NEWS
CURRICULUM CHANGES At its May meeting, Luther’s Board of Regents accepted a faculty vote to remove from Luther’s curriculum the majors in athletic training and dance, the secondary education minor in world languages, education minors in K–12 health and physical education, the Russian language program of instruction, and the Intersections Program (with the exception of the first-year Scholars Colloquium). The dance minor will still be offered. Students who are enrolled in any of these programs, including students who enrolled this fall, will have the opportunity to complete their programs. The college will work with any tenured faculty affected by these changes to identify a possible alternative assignment or a horizontal change at the college. This action is one of many the college has taken in response to reduced enrollment in recent years, including general administrative cost reductions and careful consideration of when it is necessary to replace open faculty and staff positions. In an email to the Luther community, President Paula Carlson said: “I know these changes are challenging. As we make them, we are committed to provide support and care for our people and to preserve the quality of the Luther experience for students.
“It is important for Luther to respond to reduced enrollment in order to preserve the college’s financial strength and to allow for strategic investment. Examples of investments in our academic program this year are the new data science major (with 21 declared majors) and the new neuroscience major that will be available this fall. Luther faculty, staff, and regents will continue to work to be effective stewards of the college’s resources while we offer exceptional academic and co-curricular experiences for our students.”
John A. Nunes, president of Concordia College– New York, gave the address at Luther’s Commencement on May 21.
Luigi Enriquez ’17, Jenson Medal award recipient and 2016– 17 Brudos Family Opera Prize winner.
’17 GRADS John A. Nunes urged members of the class of 2017 assembled to “take a stand and stand out” during his rousing address at Luther’s Commencement on May 21. Nunes is president of Concordia College– New York. An ordained Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod minister, Nunes was president and chief executive officer of Lutheran World Relief, 2007–13. He and Øyvind T. Gulliksen, professor emeritus of American literature and culture at the University College of Southeast Norway in Bø, Telemark, Norway, received honorary degrees from Luther at the ceremony. During his sabbaticals, Gulliksen has served as visiting professor of Scandinavian studies at Luther. The author and editor of dozens of books and articles, Gulliksen’s work has greatly enriched the understanding of the life and cultural achievements of the people who shaped Luther College and the broader Norwegian American community. Five hundred thirteen members of the class of 2017 walked across the stage to receive their degree.
The Young Alumni Award recognized the vision and creativity of brothers John Meyer ’08 and Scott Meyer ’05, founders of 9 Clouds and Lemonly, digital marketing companies using visual storytelling.
The Jenson Medal, established by Elizabeth (Dybdal) ’49 and Paul Jenson ’47, goes to a senior, elected by the senior class, who best demonstrates the ideals of the college through service to students and the college community. This year’s recipient was Luigi Enriquez ’17, who served Luther through Student Senate, as a resident assistant, Launching Luther Leaders, and Dance Marathon, among other activities. The music education major was also the recipient of the 2016–17 Brudos Family Opera Prize.“What a sweet way to finish my time here at Luther. I honor my family, friends, professors, and mentors with this award; they have shared their time, their wisdom, and allowed for meaningful experiences over the past four years. I am forever grateful,” says Enriquez. “I am taken aback by the honor my peers have given me, and I am thankful for their thoughtfulness in this recognition.”
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DAVID GREEN PHOTO
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“The need for college graduates who are literate in the study of religion is more significant now than it has ever been.” Green was put forward for the position by the American Academy of Religion (AAR), the academic guild with which he’s affiliated. He explains that the AAR has for decades been trying to improve the way the US government engages religious communities and understands the role religion plays in domestic and global affairs.
Advising the State Department Above: Todd Green in front of the Capitol Building
When associate professor of religion Todd Green started teaching at Luther in 2008, he didn’t imagine that eight years later he’d be lecturing at the FBI Academy at Quantico. But that’s exactly what he was doing—among other things—during the 2016–17 academic year, when he served as a Franklin Fellow at the US Department of State. The Franklin Fellows Program brings in professionals from the private and nonprofit sectors to advise on areas of new and emerging global concern. Green, a nationally recognized expert on Islamophobia, was asked to work in the Office of Policy and Global Issues in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, focusing on Islamophobia’s impact on freedom of religion, human rights, and countering violent extremism initiatives.
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“European and US outreach to Muslim communities tends to take as a starting point the idea that Muslims pose a security threat and that we need to find a way to neutralize that threat,” Green says. “I find that whole paradigm to be problematic. My consistent cadence throughout the year was to try to find constructive ways of engaging Muslims that don’t start from the presumption that they are a danger, but rather that they’re productive members of society who have a lot to contribute, who are contributing, and who deserve to have their full civil rights and civil liberties protected and fought for as much as any other member of any other religious community.” Green says that the 2016 presidential election and subsequent shift in administration had a profound impact on his work at the State Department. In thinking one night about how his role might change, he says, “It dawned on me that I now had the most ridiculous job in Washington. I was an adviser on Islamophobia in an administration that got to power because of Islamophobia,” noting that President Trump tapped into anxiety and hostility toward Muslims and used lots of Islamophobic rhetoric during his campaign. That said, Green had some opportunities in the Trump administration that he didn’t have in the Obama administration. His interim supervisor asked him to analyze the speeches of Trump and the new secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, so that Green’s office could suggest alternative language on terrorism that might not be as alienating to Muslim communities. He was also able to
give two presentations to the FBI Academy at Quantico and one to the Department of Homeland Security. And he traveled to Europe to speak at several embassies to audiences of journalists, scholars, diplomats, nongovernmental agencies, and Muslim organizations. Green returned to Luther in June. He plans to use his new European embassy connections in his course on Islam in Europe, which he’ll teach abroad over J-term. His course on Islamophobia, which he’s teaching again this fall, will benefit from the new perspective he’s gained on how policy is formulated. The experience will also inform his life as a public scholar, which has become more and more a focus of his work. “I’ve become a big believer in public scholarship,” Green says. “It’s one of the reasons I did the State Department work. But part of it is also my own recognition that too many of us in our discipline have for too long ceded the discourse about Islam to individuals and organizations prone to bigotry, and now they have acquired tremendous power over the narrative of Islam in way that has done great harm to Muslims.” Green believes that places like Luther can make a difference. “The need for college graduates who are literate in the study of religion is more significant now than it has ever been,” he says, “and spending a year in Washington widened my idea of what the academic study of religion, not to mention the study of Islam or Islamophobia, can do in terms of career paths. Knowing that will shape the way I mentor students. I would love to see some of our graduates take knowledge from a course like Islamophobia or Islam in Europe and then serve in the State Department or the Department of Justice or work in a think tank in Washington or even in the White House one day.” —Kate Frentzel
CAMPUS NEWS
Carrasco granted writing fellowship in Germany
INTERIM DEAN JOINS ADMINISTRATION Lisa M. Scott, interim dean for institutional equity and inclusion, began her service at Luther on Aug. 7. She will serve as the first dean for institutional equity and inclusion at the college, a re-visioning of the former position of executive director of the Diversity Center. As a member of the senior administrative leadership team, Scott will provide key leadership and a strong voice on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion across the college. For the past four years, Scott served as vice president of student engagement and success at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. She designed and expanded the co-curricular and social programming as a new requirement for all students who live on campus and was responsible for the complete overhaul of the Title IX process and procedure. She also led a new campus-wide diversity series featuring student-designed events with faculty involvement.
Lisa Scott
Anita Carrasco, Luther associate professor of anthropology, was granted a highly competitive writing fellowship from the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society in Germany for a six-month residency. The center accepts applications from faculty and researchers from all over the world, awarding fellowships to 12 percent of applicants. As part of the fellowship Carrasco will be in residence at the RCC in Munich, Germany. She will attend colloquia, present her research, attend and present at works-in-progress sessions, and attend and lead discussions at the center. Mending the Net, Herbjørn Gausta, oil painting LOOKING FOR GAUSTA PAINTINGS Kate Elliott, Luther associate professor of art history, is researching the works of painter Herbjørn Gausta to create a catalogue raisonné, a descriptive catalogue of his artwork. Born in Norway in 1854, Gausta immigrated to America and later formed close ties with Luther as a student and then a teacher. Many of Gausta's works are located on Luther's campus and at Vesterheim Museum in Decorah, but in a research partnership with Elliott this past summer, Annika Vande Krol '19 has been working to locate more paintings. She has been contacting individuals to gain more insight on where other works are as well as more information on Gausta himself. Send information: If you have a Gausta painting or information on his work, please contact Elliott at ellika01@luther.edu.
Carrasco will work on writing her book, The Embrace of the Serpent: A Chronicle of Atacameño Life in the Face of Mining, at the center during her sabbatical year (2018–19) from Luther. She is studying changing perceptions of the relationship between a mining company and indigenous communities in northern Chile. Luther faculty are involved in a wide variety of activities outside of campus. Here is just a sampling from the past year. The International Double Reed Society Conference, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wis., accepted a proposal (from over 200 submissions) by Heather Armstrong, associate professor of music, to perform a program of oboe and English horn music by Luther composer-in-residence Brooke Joyce in June 2017. During a summer and fall 2016 sabbatical, John Jefferson, professor of chemistry, worked at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., on two projects with a shared theme related to communication. A laboratory project looked at the exosomal signaling pathways in liver cells and was the continuation of ongoing collaboration with Mayo’s Nick LaRusso, professor of biochemistry/molecular biology and medicine. The second project, exploring the communication between scientists and the general public, was made possible through an internship with Robert Nellis of Mayo Clinic’s Department of Public Affairs. Jim Martin-Schramm, professor of religion, published the book EcoReformation: Grace and Hope for a Planet in Peril, co-edited with Lisa E. Dahill (Wipf & Stock Publishers), November 2016. Loren Toussaint, professor of psychology, was appointed associate editor of the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.
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AWARDS
Janet Irankunda ’19 Minneapolis
Kuh Family “Positively Luther” Award Music major About the recognition: Irankunda outlined a vision for Luther’s Paideia program with respect to ensuring that students are able to fully build community. She wrote, “I believe that in order to be a part of any community you must have the ability to work through and discuss the many types of diversity that often lead to conflict or misunderstanding.” Austin Lewis ’19 Denver, IA
Daryl and Audrey Erdman Prize for Entrepreneurship, grand prize Biology major About the recognition: Lewis received the grand prize of $5,000 for his company, Jim Bob’s Painting. He provides interior and exterior painting in the Decorah-Cresco, Waterloo–Cedar Falls, and Mason City–Forest City areas.
Daryl and Audrey Erdman Prize for Entrepreneurship, runner-up Elementary education major About the recognition: Helt received an award of $2,500 as a runner-up for her business, Anna’s Knittery, through which she sells handmade knit goods including hats, blankets, mittens, and headbands.
Daryl and Audrey Erdman Prize for Entrepreneurship, runner-up Chemistry, management majors About the recognition: VanKirk received an award of $2,500 as a runner-up for his business, Panhandler, which sells cast iron frying pans imprinted with college athletic logos. Wyatt Anians ’19 Wheatland, IA
Karen Julesberg Scholarship English/secondary education major About her future plans: Kime plans to teach middle or high school English after graduating from Luther. Thaddeus Guy ’18 Urbandale, IA
Anneleise Frie ’19, Fountain City, WI
Emery O. Nordness Memorial Award for Business Management, psychology majors About the recognition: Tim Schweizer ’80, Luther professor of management, says, “Tad’s ability to generate ideas and offer new perspectives makes him the perfect team member when people want to collaborate."
Karen Julesberg Scholarship Biology major About her future plans: Frie plans to pursue medical-related graduate studies after graduating from Luther.
Thaddeus Guy ’18
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In June, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced that Clare Slagel ’16, swimming, and Justin Kreiter ’17, wrestling, had been awarded a 2017 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. With Isaac Jensen ’17, who received the award in March, this brings Luther’s total NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients to 42. The NCAA awarded the one-time, nonrenewable educational grant of $7,500 to 58 student-athletes who competed in winter sports.
Jackson VanKirk ’17 Perry, IA
Krahn Family Student Life Service Award Psychology major About the recognition: A nominator wrote that Anians’s “motivation for providing effective, positive leadership can . . . be seen in his active roles across campus groups that promote equity and a positive campus experience for all students.”
Lily Kime ’19, Sac City, IA
NCAA POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS
Anna Helt ’19 Parnell, IA
Slagel, an environmental studies major, graduated summa cum laude with a 3.93 grade point average. She recently finished her first year at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Slagel was an eighttime NCAA III AllAmerican swimmer who captured national titles in the 200 backstroke (2014) and 100 backstroke (2015). She also had a secondplace finish and three third-place finishes at the national championships. She was the Liberal Arts Championships Swimmer of the Meet all four years of her collegiate career, compiling 27 titles. Academically, Slagel was a three-time Iowa Conference winter sports All-Academic Team member; a three-time College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America Scholar All-American; three-time member of the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America Women’s At-Large Team; a National Delta Epsilon Sigma Award recipient; and a co-winner of the Johanna Olson Iowa Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Olson was a 2001 Luther graduate.
Kreiter, a physical education major, graduated magna cum laude with a 3.77 grade point average. He is working toward a doctor of physical therapy degree from St. Ambrose University.
Kreiter was a two-time NCAA III All-American wrestler. During 2016– 17, he posted a record of 27-3 and finished as the national runner-up at the 184 weight class at the NCAA III National Tournament. He was a two-time Central Regional champion and finished with a career total 95-35. Academically, Kreiter was a three-time Iowa Conference winter sports All-Academic Team member and a two-time National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American. This year he was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America Men’s At-Large Team.
CAMPUS NEWS
ALL-AMERICAN
HONORS
Marjorie Giles Women’s Sports Championship Trophy
“It was an incredible night,” head coach Renae Hartl says. “I am so proud of Anna, Ashley, and Samantha. All three had great seasons. . . . We are very proud to have their names added to the list of Luther’s greatest softball student-athletes.”
WOMEN WIN ALL-SPORTS TROPHY
Luther has now had 24 players earn 27 NFCA All-American honors. Coach Hartl has had 18 players earn 20 All-American honors during her 16-year career.
Luther won the Marjorie Giles Women’s Sports Championship Trophy for the 10th time in school history at the end of the 2016–17 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) season. Each school’s conference finish in each sport throughout the year is given a numerical worth (e.g., first place is worth nine points, second place is worth eight points, third place is worth seven points, etc). In case of ties, the worth of all places involved are totaled and divided by the number of teams in that tie. Each school’s finish in all sports is then totaled, and the school with the largest number of points is awarded the Elmer Hertel Men’s Sports Championship Trophy for the men's league and the Marjorie Giles Women’s Sports Championship Trophy for the women's league. The Norse claimed the Marjorie Giles Women's Sports Championship Trophy with 60.9 points, thanks to finishing second or higher in seven of the nine women’s sports that compete for a league title. Luther won titles in tennis and softball and tied for first in soccer. To go along with these three titles, Luther finished second in volleyball and basketball and third in cross country and golf. In the men’s Elmer Hertel Sports Championship Trophy race, Luther finished the year in sixth place with 44.2 points. Men’s golf captured a second consecutive conference title, tennis finished second, and both soccer and baseball finished third.
For the fourth time in school history, three Luther players were named National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Americans. During the NCAA Division III Championship banquet in Oklahoma City in May, first-team honors were presented to junior shortstop Anna Strien (Cedar Falls, Iowa/ Waterloo Columbus); second-team honors to junior outfielder Ashley Burrows (Bondurant, Iowa/Bondurant-Farrar); and third-team honors to sophomore pitcher Samantha Bratland (Spring Grove, Minn.). It was the first time all three had been named an NFCA Division III All-American. Earlier this year, all three were first-team all-Iowa Conference and NFCA all-Midwest Region selections. Strien was also named the Iowa Conference Position Player of the Year.
Anna Strien ’18 Ashley Burrows ’18 Samantha Bratland ’19
NCAA Woman of the Year nominee Amanda Witzlib ’18
Luther softball player Amanda Witzlib ’18 has been nominated for the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Established in 1991, the award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service, and leadership throughout their collegiate careers. The top 30 honorees will be recognized and the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 22 in Indianapolis. Witzlib completed her softball career ranked eighth on Luther’s all-time career list for wins (36-7). She was a two-time Iowa Conference Pitcher of the Year and first-team All-Midwest Region honoree. She pitched 271 1/3 innings and had an ERA of 1.98. Her 307 career strikeouts also ranks eighth all-time. Academically, she was a two-time Iowa Conference Spring Sports All-Academic Team (3.5 GPA or higher) member and a three-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar Athlete.
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Deeper understanding
LUTHER PHOTO BUREAU
This past spring a remarkable reunion happened at Luther that involved not only the renewal of friendships but also the exchange of cultural understanding. Leboy Oltimbau and Musa Kamaika are members of the Maasai tribe in Tanzania. For more than 10 years, they have worked as cultural guides and translators with Luther anthropology professor Lori (Van Gerpen) Stanley ’80 and the students in her Tanzania January Term course.
But for a few weeks in late April, early May, the tables were turned as Oltimbau and Kamaika came to the United States for the first time. The Luther community became guides to their own culture. While here, the East African men spoke on campus and in Decorah about how Maasai life is changing. Economic demands, formal education, and other outside factors are altering their once
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nomadic culture, which developed around livestock herding. Life for them is a blend of ancient and modern; Oltimbau and Kamaika fill traditional roles as Maasai warriors yet carry cell phones and Skype with Stanley’s classes in Decorah. Their first journey out of Tanzania packed in one new experience after another. Asked what surprised them most, Kamaika responded with something that
makes many Americans wonder as well. “It was our first time on a plane,” he said. “We thought the plane was small, and it surprised us when we saw how many people were in it.” The relative lack of pedestrians in Decorah shocked them too. “Everyone has a car here, right?” Kamaika asked. “We were downtown and no one was walking. Usually when we are in Arusha [Tanzania]—
Leboy Oltimbau and Musa Kamaika performed traditional Maasai singing and dancing as well as contemporary music in Marty's.
PHOTO COURTESY OF RACHEL HODAPP '13
CAMPUS NEWS
Leboy Oltimbau takes a selfie in Denver with Amanda Peck '14, Musa Kamaika, and Rachel Hodapp '13. medicinal plants in Tanzania the summer of 2011. The guides served as research coordinators and linguistic and cultural translators. Her project would have been impossible without their collaboration, she says. A Denver resident, Hodapp was able to visit with them both in Colorado and at Luther. “There are simply not words to describe how it felt to see them again here in the U.S.” She worried seeing them in this new context might be a culture shock for all of them, but says “it was as though no time had passed.” Bringing Oltimbau and Kamaika to this country was a way to keep the relationship between Luther and Maasai guides a bit more balanced, Stanley says. She had long wanted to bring the men to Luther, and Jensen was able to make it happen with funding through the Center for Sustainable Communities, which he directs. He had come to know the guides through a J-term and while leading an ACM study-abroad program in fall 2016, during which time he worked through the intricacies of obtaining passports and visas for their spring visit. Stanley hopes the U.S. visit will help Oltimbau and Kamaika in practical ways. Gaining a deeper understanding of the culture and daily lives of the students, faculty,
researchers, and tourists with whom they work will enable them to be even more effective as cultural guides and translators. They’re already patient in helping Luther students adjust to Tanzania, she says, but now they have a better grasp of the challenges students face on arrival, such as the differences in food and the exhaustion caused by such a long flight. “Now I understand why you get there and it seems like all you want to do is go to sleep,” Kamaika told Stanley. Jensen would like to see such exchanges happen more often, he says, as ways to both honor and mine “the value that comes from these deep connections to the other side of the world and to cultures that are so different.”
Nearly half of all the particpants in the Tanzania J-term class over the past 15 years returned to Luther to meet again with their Maasai friends. Here, Tyler Crowe '15 greets them.
LUTHER PHOTO BUREAU
it’s a big city—there are a thousand people on this side of the road and on the other side. … There are not enough cars. And here, everyone has one and no one is walking down the street.” Another first for them was a train ride. Jon Jensen ’89, philosophy professor, traveled with them to Denver so they could see other U.S. landscapes—including a snow-covered Rocky Mountain National Park and Denver’s inner city, where they spent a night at the Urban Servant Corps. The U.S. visit also included the Twin Cities and Chicago, and countless small gatherings with Luther faculty, staff, and students. At the end of April, nearly 70 alumni—about half of all past participants of the Tanzania J-term—returned to campus for a reunion with Oltimbau and Kamaika. The turnout, Jensen says, was “a testament to the impact of that J-term class and of Lori Stanley, but especially the impact that these Maasai cultural guides have had on these students. I talked to alumni who hadn’t been back on the Luther campus for close to 10 years, but this was the thing that made them return. They had that shared bond.” Rachel Hodapp ’13 shared one of those strong bonds. She became friends with Oltimbau and Kamaika during the J-term class and while conducting research on Maasai traditional
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The Luther Fund SUPPORTING
STUDENTS
CHIP PETERSON’80 PHOTOGRAPHY
THE ANNUAL FUND
LIFE MEMBERS
New President’s Council life members John ’59 and Dorothy Brugge and Hamlet ’54 and Suzanne Peterson were honored for their exemplary giving during the council’s annual recognition event April 29. Also achieving this level of support were new life members Eugene and Aneila Barth, Charles ’73 and Ann (Christensen) Beatty ’75, Karen (Wilken) Braun ’85, Rolf ’91 and Deirdre Brekken, Rocklon ’73 and Barb (Donaldson) Chapin ’73, Kent ’57 and Mitzi Evenstad, Mary (Loken) ’66 and Helmut Haas, Suzanne (Knoll) ’65 and John Hales, Melvyn ’63 and Ingrid (Jacobson) Smith ’63, †Lynn ’61 and Mary (Frost) Steen ’62, and the estates of Grace Olson, Evelyn (Henderson) Costley ’41, and Carl Nelson. Special acknowledgment was given to the life members of President’s Council who advanced to a new cumulative recognition level—to Larsen Circle: Rich ’74 and Candace (Grimm) Altorfer ’73 and to Olson Circle: W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
Membership in the President’s Council honors those who have provided financial support to Luther of $1,500 or more—or $750 or more for alumni in their first decade after graduation—in the past 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.
HAS A Luther NEW NAME AND The Fund S U P P O R T I N G THESE STUDENTS LOOK—BUT FACTS ARE STILL KEY:
1. Our students are diverse. 2. They come to Luther with needs
as individual as they Fund are. The Luther SUPPORTING
STUDENTS
3. Donations to the Luther Fund support these students (and their varied needs).
When you donate to the Luther Fund, you’re supporting scholarships, financial aid, music SUPPORTING STUDENTS tours, student groups, intramural sports, student/faculty research, well-kept residence halls, wellequipped classrooms, a beautiful campus, and so much more!
The Luther Fund
The Luther Fund You’re supporting students. It’s SUPPORTING
that simple.
STUDENTS
Make a difference today at giving.luther.edu
†Deceased
Legacy Trust
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Nearly 40 students gathered at the Legacy Trust scholarship luncheon April 29. More than 1,000 students receive endowed scholarship support from more than 600 endowed funds. Legacy Trust membership is offered to donors who establish endowed scholarships of $25,000 or more.
CAMPUS NEWS
TOUR DE
SPAIN
CAN’T GET TO CHRISTMAS AT LUTHER? WATCH ONLINE. Luther staff and music faculty will produce a video recording of the 2017 Christmas at Luther in its entirety and distribute it online. The performance will be available Dec. 22 as an Internet stream and on Youtube. Information will be available at christmasatluther.com.
GET PACKED FOR GERMANY! Luther’s Alumni Office is offering a companion tour for Nordic Choir’s performance tour of Germany and the Czech Republic, May 28–June 8, 2018. Companion tour participants will meet up with Nordic at performances and sightsee separately from the choir. Itinerary highlights: Arrival in Frankfurt, Germany Eisenach—home of Wartburg Castle, where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German Leipzig—once home to J. S. Bach, Richard Wagner, Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, and Gustav Mahler Wittenberg—where Martin Luther lived for 38 years and where he posted his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church Berlin—which offers historic venues such as Zeughaus, National Opera, and the Brandenburg Gate Dresden—full of baroque architecture and world-class artwork Prague, Czech Republic—a UNESCO World Heritage Site; home to 10 major museums TOUR DETAILS are available at luther.edu/alumni or by contacting Sherry (Braun) Alcock ’82, executive director of alumni relations, (800) 225-8664, alcock@luther.edu.
The Luther College Concert Band performs in the Teatro Municipal Pedro Muñoz Seca in Puerto de Santa Maria on May 31, 2017, during the ensemble's performance tour of Spain. Luther’s Concert Band, under the direction of Joan deAlbuquerque, toured and performed in concert venues around Spain May 23–June 3. The ensemble’s performance itinerary included the cities of Getafe, Cullera, Buñol, Puerto de Santa Maria, and Ubeda with additional travel to Madrid, Valencia, Seville, Granada, Toledo, and Cordoba. The band performed works by Leonard Bernstein, Rossano Galante, John Phillip Sousa, and Joseph Turrin. The program featured Lynne Postudensek Hart, saxophonist and Luther adjunct faculty in music, performing André Waignein’s Rhapsody for Alto Saxophone. Between performances, band members toured sites such as the Catedral de Sevilla, the Geralda Tower, the Alcázar de Sevilla, Catedral de Córdoba, and the Prado Museum and even got to relax on one of Spain’s famous beaches. Learn more about the tour at facebook.com/LutherConcertBand.
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CAMPUS NEWS
SUSTAINABILITY
RATES
A national assessment shows Luther College has made significant gains in sustainability performance over the past three years. This spring Luther submitted information on the college’s efforts to STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System), a program run by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Luther received a STARS silver rating of 62.47, which shows improvement from the 47.51 rating the college earned in 2014. Luther’s efforts were reported by the college’s Center for Sustainable Communities, which coordinates sustainability initiatives at Luther. The mission of the center is to promote sustainability and be a catalyst for change on campus and in the region. Maren (Stumme-Diers) Beard ’08, the center’s assistant director, said, "Because sustainability work is so deeply embedded across the Luther College campus, many faculty and staff from all over campus provided data for our report. Completing the STARS assessment is important for Luther College to do because of the ways in which the assessment tool allows us to track our progress toward becoming a more sustainable institution." The full STARS report on Luther can be found on the AASHE website at https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/ luther-college-ia/report/2017-03-03/.
Left to right: Natalie Wade ’18, Sean McKenzie ’20, Liam Fraser ’18, Ellen Amundson ’13, and Nathan Campbell ’18 SAVED FROM THE LANDFILL—MOVE-OUT, MAY 2017 • •
11 full 18-foot trucks of donations 1,619 pounds of food
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300 pounds of toiletries
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40% less waste to the landfill than move-out week 5 years ago
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9% reduction in waste from the previous year
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7 student move-out coordinators
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30 student helpers
Reformation of Everything
On October 31, Luther will sponsor a symposium, the Reformation of Everything, 1517–2017. It will be the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenburg, Germany, the day that began and defined the Reformation. The college will host a day of presentations and performances featuring keynote speaker Brad Gregory, from the University of Notre Dame, who will share his views on the Reformation’s historical legacy in Western culture. A Luther Music Department concert will premiere the Reformation Cantata, composed by four Luther alumni and four current students. On Nov. 18, Luther's Center Stage Series will present a performance by the St. Thomas Boys Choir of Leipzig, Germany. One of the world’s premier boys choirs, the group was founded in 1212 and boasts J. S. Bach as its most famous conductor. Details on the Oct. 31 events are at luther.edu/reformation. Details on the Boys Choir event are at tickets.luther.edu.
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CAMPUS NEWS
Primal bike jerseys now available!
Luther College Book Shop luther.edu/bookshop 563-387-1036
Left: Ahmed Muaz ’14, multimedia lead Right: Chauncy Eggland, Book Shop marketing and merchandise buyer
End of the Rainbow, David Kamm, mixed media, 5 by 12 by 1 inch
On Display
KRISTIN WIGLEY-FLEMING FINE ARTS GALLERY Sept 1–Oct 8 Just Passing Through, Robby Scott ’14, paintings and 3-D objects
PREUS LIBRARY Sept 6–Oct 13 Alumni Reunion Show (featuring work from the Luther College Fine Arts Collection, curated by Alexis Hove ’18), mixed media
Oct 20–Dec 8 Envisioned Worlds: Lithographs from the Hokes Archives, Beauvais Lyons
Oct 23–Dec 15 Rush In, Sarah Frydenlund ’05, mixed media
Feb 15–March 20 Prismatic Vernacular, James Jankowiak, paintings
Feb 1–April 6 Remembering Martin Luther King Jr., photographs from the Library of Congress, curated by Luther College social studies education students
April 3–27 Chris Kienke, paintings May 4–27 Senior Group Show, mixed media
April 13–May 27 Those Who Can Do Teach, alumni art educators, mixed media
CENTER FOR FAITH AND LIFE Aug 30–Oct 11 Great Places, Carl Homstad ’73, oil paintings Oct 19–Dec 3 Sola Scriptura: Biblical Text and Art Celebrating the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation Feb 12–March 2 Hateful Things, materials from the Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University March 7–April 6 Making Change, David Kamm, mixed media April 10–May 27 UnNatural History, Diane Fox, photography
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Elwin D. Farwell, Luther College’s sixth president, died at home in Decorah on Friday, May 5, 2017, age 98. The effects of his dedication to Luther, which he served as president from 1963 to 1981, are still felt profoundly throughout campus.
President Elwin Farwell— Progress in a tumultuous time By Wilfred Bunge ’53, professor emeritus of religion and classics
In February 1963 Elwin Farwell entered the life of Luther College with a rhetorical flourish that challenged its Nordic reserve. Luther stands “at the edge of greatness,” he announced, with the sort of confidence that both startled and energized the community. The “Challenge of Change” was the theme of his inauguration as president, balanced by respect for Luther’s century of history.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LUTHER COLLEGE ARCHIVES
Profound changes were in store for the 1960s. It was a hopeful decade, promising to continue the postwar confidence of the 1950s; it became a wrenching decade that shook the foundations of society. College enrollments and campus development grew rapidly. At the same time the civil rights, women’s liberation, and antiwar movements converged by the end of the decade to create one of the most fractious episodes in the history of the country.
This photo appeared on the cover of Chips on December 12, 1969, with the caption: “With the first major snowfall of the season this week, Luther students started feeling the Christmas spirit. It was portrayed in many ways, but the major one was probably the increase in carolers. Here a group of hardy carolers greet President Farwell.” Terry Conrad ’70 photo
Farwell was an unlikely choice to lead Luther College. A Lutheran-comelately, with no Scandinavian roots, he was the candidate left standing after the usual suspects of the day had declined the offer. However, his credentials were impeccable: a doctorate earned through the Center for the Study of Higher Education at the University of California, Berkeley; ordination as a Lutheran pastor; and some years of administrative experience. It was quickly apparent that he was an excellent choice for the time. He recognized an urgent need to expand the college’s constituency, thoroughly review the curriculum and calendar, and develop campus facilities. In short order the faculty adopted a new calendar and a revised curriculum; student enrollment increased rapidly, including increased recruitment of African American students; a faculty exchange program with St. John’s University in Minnesota boosted the number of Catholic students from almost none to several hundred; finally, the sounds of new construction—field house, dormitories, library—were the background music of life on campus. Change is not painless. There were tensions—disagreements on campus, critique from constituents, fiscal challenges. Remarkably, through it all President Farwell avoided personal rancor. Where there were differences, he brought antagonists together to work toward resolution. When someone took exception to a presidential decision or action, he found a way to involve that person in the issue. Above all, he did not openly contend every opinion expressed. He often chose to stand aside and allow the argument to proceed without participation. Farwell had a gift for expressing appreciation. He affirmed the value of college personnel of long standing, including public commendation for their
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At left, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Towers residence halls in 1965. Among the campus buildings and athletics facilities completed during the Farwell era: • • • • • • • • • • •
contributions, and hailed the promise of youthful beginners. He noted special occasions of both pain and pleasure in the lives of faculty members and students, with notes, gifts of flowers, invitations to dinner. He recognized the value of community and worked to nurture it, including the larger community of Decorah. In this Helen Farwell was a full partner. A loaf of sourdough bread was her signature gift for occasions of grief and joy. Her generous grace endeared her to the community and larger constituency of Luther College. The Farwell presidency was collaborative. The administration of the college to that point was lean, and members of the faculty often had managerial tasks that in subsequent decades were spun off into administrative positions. That required cooperation and mutual trust, which Farwell nurtured. He found a way to include students as well in deliberations concerning the college in contentious times through the creation of the Community Assembly, with administrative, faculty, and student members. In many ways the 1970s were a decade for Luther College to catch its breath and take stock following the exhaustion of rapid change. The challenge was to maintain enrollment and fiscal stability. That was the setting of the major project of the decade, the Center for Faith and Life. Planning had earlier shifted from a chapel that could serve as a performing arts auditorium to a performing arts auditorium that could serve as a worship center. In fall 1972 it was time to move toward construction. That prospect elicited intense opposition on campus, largely on the grounds that the project was a luxury the college could not afford. President Farwell was not alone in his determination to proceed. However, as president, he was the prime target for attack. When the completed building opened in fall 1977, it quickly became apparent that it was a genuine center for the college, the crown jewel of Farwell’s presidency. Elwin and Helen Farwell chose to remain in Decorah following retirement, though other assignments occupied a few of their years. They came as a young couple with a young family and stayed. Through 54 years they have been a gift to the community as well as the college.
Field House (1964) Ylvisaker Hall (1964) Miller and Dieseth Halls (1968 and 1966) Preus Library (1969) Carlson Field (football field, 1966) New tennis courts (1969) New baseball field (1970, completing move of all athletics facilities to lower campus) Student union expansion (1973) Storre Theatre (1974) Center for Faith and Life (1977) Jenson Hall of Music (1982)
HELEN FARWELL (1920–2017)
Helen Farwell, wife of President Emeritus Elwin Farwell, died at home in Decorah the morning of July 27, 2017, age 97. She had studied at Michigan State University and assumed nursing positions at East Lansing, Michigan, and Richmond, Berkeley, and Thousand Oaks, California. She and President Farwell married in 1942. An indefatigable supporter of Luther, she helped organize the faculty women and wives group at Luther (advising that group for 18 years), was active with the Luther College Woman’s Club, and served as the president of the First Lutheran Church Women in Decorah. She also served as a member of the Decorah Nurses Organization and the Winneshiek County Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. In 1984 Helen Farwell received the Distinguished Service Award from Luther. She and President Farwell raised four children: Don ’71, Helen, James ’75, and Judith ’80; and had 11 grandchildren.
Of the many chapters of Luther College history, the Farwell years are among the most remarkable and memorable, a time when change transformed continuity. Wilfred Bunge wrote an in-depth essay about Elwin Farwell that ran in the journal Agora, vol. 8, no. 1 (Fall 1995). Issues are available in Preus Library and online via digital.luther.edu.
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Snapshots from the class of 2017 These six stories illustrate the variety of gifts and talents students bring with them to campus, their contributions to life at Luther, and the immense potential they now present to the world as Luther graduates. Photos by Will Heller ’16
James Ostlie: “It was fun to geek out” Decorah’s Renaissance man. That’s how the Cedar Rapids Gazette described James Ostlie in a 2011 profile touting the academic, athletic, and musical talents he displayed as a student at Decorah High School. Spend some time chatting with Ostlie today, and that three-word description rings just as true, perhaps more so. Ostlie is as comfortable talking about blocks and blitzes as he is Norwegian fairy tales, and nearly any topic in between. But it took a bit of prying to get him to talk about his impressive list of accomplishments at Luther. A magna cum laude graduate and biology major (with minors in environmental studies and Nordic studies), Ostlie earned induction into the Phi Beta Kappa and Beta Beta Beta academic honor societies, served as a board member for the PALS youth mentoring program and a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and garnered four letters for his outstanding play on the offensive line for the Norse football team, which he served as cocaptain. He was also a three-time All-Iowa Conference and Academic All-Iowa Conference honoree. So what’s the key to his success, other than old-fashioned hard work? “The obvious answer is time management—I have always done better academically while I was in season, when I have deadlines and need to be really productive,” says Ostlie, son of longtime Luther staffer Lori Ostlie. “I expect to be busy.” That level of motivation was useful last January, when Ostlie drove several times a week to a forested property outside Decorah, strapped on snow shoes, and spent hours alone doing research for his senior paper—“Tree Species Composition of Old-Growth Sugar Maple-Basswood Forests in Northeastern Iowa”—which he was invited to present at an Iowa Academy of Science meeting in the spring. “I recognize it’s a topic that’s not inherently interesting to many,” he says with a smile, “but it was fun to geek out with some of the experts who really know their stuff at that meeting.” Since graduation, Ostlie has spent even more time outdoors, making tree stand improvements, removing invasive species, and improving riverbanks on state land in Rochester through Conservation Corps Minnesota. He plans to follow a year of service work there with graduate studies in forest ecology, and ultimately has his sights set on project management for an organization like the Iowa DNR or Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. “All the broader concepts and the moving parts involved in that type of work really interest me,” he says. “I like the idea of working with land owners and local and state governments on projects from start to finish, and I can envision putting my own stamp on some of those projects, creating them almost like an artist.” Or, perhaps, like a Renaissance man. —Sara Friedl-Putnam
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Gifty Arthur: Confident and rewarded in a faith setting “Take a look at me—I’m a wonder,” proclaims the inviting introductory text of Gifty Arthur’s Facebook page. Look quickly, because this Ghana native doesn’t stay still for long—and that’s exactly the way she likes it. “I’m a very active person,” says Arthur, whose brother, Kevin, joined her at Luther in 2016. “I like to stay busy, and I believe that’s how I function best.” At Luther “staying busy” encompassed completing a computer science major (and French minor), taking part in the Launching Luther Leaders program, holding a job in technical services in Preus Library, and playing intramural soccer, all while juggling leadership roles in numerous campus organizations, most prominently College Ministries. A three-year member of the Congregational Council, Arthur served as deacon of spiritual formation before assuming the roles of vice president and, finally, president in her senior year. “I am a person of faith,” she says, “so being able to immerse myself in a faith setting was extremely rewarding for me.” Her passion for faith-based work also allowed her to become more comfortable in the spotlight. “In high school, I more often worked behind the scenes, so my work in College Ministries showed me I could move to the forefront,” she explains. “I learned to be confident in my leadership abilities and step out if I believe I can contribute in a meaningful way.” Arthur used those skills as a student representative on the college’s Hearing Board too. She worked alongside faculty, staff, and other students to decide cases involving student conduct. “It was an invaluable experience for me—I learned that every decision has consequences, and sometimes they are irreversible,” Arthur says. “It also helped me to be more open-minded and see things from different perspectives.” She says serving on the Hearing Board is the activity she most enjoyed at Luther because it gave her the opportunity to speak up for her fellow students. It also helped her pinpoint a possible career path—after gaining work experience in Columbus, Ohio, where she recently moved, she plans to apply to law school.* “I discovered I really enjoyed being a voice for people and working to make the campus safe for all,” she says. “I also realized the importance of having sanctions that actually teach people, not just punish them, and feel driven to advocate for that in the legal community.” —Sara Friedl-Putnam *Arthur was hired by Garden City Group, a legal services administrator, as a case specialist.
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Pablo Alonso: At the intersection of language and science Pablo Alonso is a language whiz. He grew up in a Spanish-speaking household in Mexico City, then Cuernavaca. He started learning English at five years old, and today he speaks it flawlessly. He studied Italian during his two years as a United World Colleges student in Italy, where he frequently picked the brains of his friends who spoke Arabic, Hungarian, Finnish, or other languages, trying to puzzle out through their brief language lessons how he might say other things. Back home in Mexico, during a gap year between high school and college, he started taking German lessons. When he enrolled at Luther, he knew he would major in German and minor in linguistics. What came as a surprise, however, was that he would also study a language he’d never even heard of. During Alonso’s sophomore year, Laurie Zaring, associate professor of modern languages, literatures, and linguistics, encouraged him to present a paper at the
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Minnesota Undergraduate Linguistics Symposium. There, he and Zaring met Yolanda Pushetonequa, a master’s student at the University of Minnesota and a member of the native American Meskwaki Nation. She sent out a plea for help in preserving the endangered Meskwaki language. There were about 200 speakers left, she said, as well as some students eager to learn, but they weren’t sure how to teach it. With that in mind, Alonso and Zaring applied for a Luther summer student/faculty collaborative research grant. In summer 2016, they traveled 250 miles south once or twice a week to the Meskwaki settlement at Tama, Iowa. They made hours of recordings, which Alonso transcribed into the International Phonetic Alphabet, and they created some teaching materials and methods. Alonso presented his research at Luther’s faculty and student research symposiums and at the National Undergraduate Research Symposium
in Memphis, Tenn. In September, Alonso heads to Munich, Germany, to work as an au pair while gaining German-language practice before applying to PhD programs. He has enjoyed his research in language revitalization but is especially interested in the heady intersection where language, linguistics, cognitive science, and computer science meet. “A lot of the way we understand language and cognition now has come from computer science and vice versa,” he says. Because of all the current technologies that work with language and speech recognition, he says, there’s a growing need in tech companies for people who know linguistics and computer science. “The exciting thing about it,” he says, “is that this technology is very new, and as a future linguist, a lot of the careers I’ll be able to have don’t even exist yet.” —Kate Frentzel
Allison Meier: Promoting wellness at Luther and beyond Allison Meier is optimistic, reflective, and methodical. In her drive to nail down what she wants to do in life, she’s secured four different wellness-related internships and been a leader in Luther’s Dance Marathon organization and Alpha Pi Omega service fraternity. At every turn, she’s kept her mind open to opportunities that might have something to teach her. Meier entered Luther with plans to pursue physical therapy. She has been a lifelong dancer, and physical therapists have nursed her through a number of injuries. She wanted to give back to that community. After what she describes as a “typical mid-college career freak-out,” she approached Luther faculty and Career Center staff to ask for help navigating her career goals. This is how she ended up interning with Chandra Jennings ’08, director of Luther’s Nena Amundson Lifetime Wellness Program. As Jennings’s first intern, Meier took on a big role, creating and administering a staff assessment that would help shape the program during Jennings’s tenure. “In the midst of that,” Meier says, “we dreamed up what we now call the Wellness
Ambassador program.” Last academic year, Meier was one of six students tasked with wellness education and outreach on Luther’s campus. The ambassadors write newsletters, work event tables, create bulletin boards, speak at staff meetings, train RAs, and educate the Luther community on topics important to well-being, such as stress, alcohol and drug abuse, movement and exercise, and more. Last summer, Meier interned with Geoffrey Lauer ’82, executive director of the Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa. Her final semester at Luther, she interned with Flannery CerbinBohach ’09, wellness program manager at Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar. Simultaneously, she interned with the substance-abuse prevention team at Helping Services for Youth & Families in Decorah. Each of these experiences, Meier says, helped her think more broadly about opportunities and approaches to wellness. “In my written reflection for my internships, I had to answer the question: What did you learn in your internships that you couldn’t learn in a classroom? And I was
like, Literally everything.” While Meier plans eventually to get a master’s degree in public health, she was busy in May applying for jobs in her hometown of Eldridge, Iowa.* “I’m very comfortable with moving on in three weeks and not knowing exactly what I’m going to do but having lots of doors open for possibilities,” she says. “I might not get that ideal job right after college, but I’m totally okay with that because I can join different volunteer groups or get involved with support groups. There are opportunities to continue with hands-on and experiential learning without having that one job that would give them to me.” In Meier’s case, truer words were never spoken. —Kate Frentzel *Meier was hired as a sexual assault advocate at Family Resources in Davenport, Iowa.
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Brody Vogel: Problem-solving in multiple ways The storied bricks and mortar of Oxford University were always impressive, the weekly oneon-one tutorials with faculty often daunting. So daunting, in fact, that two years later Brody Vogel still remembers exactly how his first such tutorial during his yearlong study-away experience at the university went down. “I started reading an essay I had prepared and made it through maybe two paragraphs in the entire hour because my tutor kept stopping me to ask questions, forcing me to defend my writing,” he recalls. “That type of intense, one-on-one learning environment helped me become both a better writer and a better interlocutor—I learned how to express myself more articulately and more confidently.” And that was exactly the outcome Vogel was seeking when he applied (through Arcadia University) to spend his junior year at Oxford upon the advice of Matthew Simpson, then a member of the Luther Philosophy Department and a former Oxford student himself. “I can remember Professor Simpson telling me my specific aptitudes and shortcomings would be well suited for Oxford’s unique tutorial system,” he recalls. “I’m rather quiet, so he and I both thought a one-on-one academic setting would go a long way toward helping me come out of my shell as a student, and I believe it did.” The experience, Vogel says, also meshed perfectly with the three years he spent learning in community at Luther. “Luther did a great job of fostering raw skills necessary to be successful in any discipline,” he reflects. “I expanded my problem-solving tool belt, was challenged in my classes and by my classmates, and gained even more confidence in my ability to do quality work.” Make that top-quality work—Vogel graduated summa cum laude with a double major in mathematics/statistics and philosophy this May. He was back in the classroom by July, immersing himself in a “computer programming boot camp” before beginning a master’s program at Georgetown University in data science and analytics, a field Vogel describes as “pulling together the common threads of giant data sets and making predictions based on what you find.” If all goes as hoped, he will be making those predictions on Wall Street as a quantitative analyst in the not-too-distant future. And as much as Vogel will draw on skills gained at Oxford and Georgetown universities to succeed in that fast-paced, competitive environment, he will also rely on the very different, but equally important, experience he had in Decorah. “Luther taught me how to think about a problem in multiple ways and not just to come at it from one hardline direction,” Vogel says. “That’s a lesson I can apply throughout my life, no matter where I am or what I’m doing.” —Sara Friedl-Putnam
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Jaime Webb: Giving advocacy an operatic voice For Jaime Webb, an opera singer, the decision to major in music was easy. What she didn’t expect was that her first-year Paideia professor, Lindsey Row-Heyveld, would recognize her most for her academic intellect. “She really inspired me to tap into that side of my life too,” Webb remembers. Webb decided to try out a philosophy minor, and it stuck. “I love finding connections and analyzing information—and, of course, getting academic credit for a lot of the mental work I do every day,” she says. The more Webb learned, the more she wanted to engage socially and politically. She found a study-abroad program in Thailand her junior year that focused on community land rights. She wrote a 25-page paper that was distributed to United Nations members to educate them about the issue. She and her program cohorts also started an international study-abroad magazine, Common Ground. When Webb returned to Luther, determined to pursue a career in community development or advocacy, she sang the title role in The Merry Widow. “I thought, Oh, I can’t give this up! I was really having this cognitive dissonance. My goal was to be both a performer and an arts advocate, but how could I make it work? Finally, I realized, Jaime, the arts are connected to communities!” Webb attended a career fair on campus that semester and landed an internship with Lanesboro Arts in Minnesota, where she helped write grant proposals and funder reports and acted as education assistant director for a community art-making initiative called Surprise Sculpture. “It really combined my passion for the arts and my passion for community development and service,” she says. During her final year at Luther, she telecommuted as coordinator of Lanesboro Arts’ artist relocation program. This summer, Webb attended AIMS, a preprofessional vocal-training program in Austria. This fall, she will be working as a chorus member, cover, and arts administrator with Mixed Precipitation, a Minneapolis-based company that performs socially engaging, accessible opera in public spaces such as libraries and prairies. “Unfortunately, opera has become very elite and separatist, but Mixed Precipitation works in innovative ways to bring people together through opera,” she says. And after that? “It’s hard,” Webb says, “because I feel sometimes like I’m getting pulled in two directions—opera and advocacy—but you can do them both, merge them together, and have them inform each other. Luther does a great job of teaching that, and I think my philosophy education helped—suddenly I was seeing how I can synthesize things and make sense of what seems to be an incredibly complicated entanglement and figure out how they can coexist.” —Kate Frentzel
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By Kate Frentzel
1967 First International Nordic Choir Tour
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It’s a tale of adventure
on the high seas, of stolen passports and international intrigue, of uncommon beauty and international goodwill. No, it’s not the next summer blockbuster; it’s the story of the first international Nordic Choir tour, in 1967. As part of a three-year student/ faculty collaborative project, Jacqueline Wilkie, Luther professor of history, and Aidan Spencer ’18 created a documentary about it, and if you attend Homecoming 2018, you’ll get to see it.
Opposite page: Nordic Choir gathered in front of Cologne Cathedral.
Tour members took off from the United States via chartered plane.
NORDIC TOUR: THE EXPERIENCE
In 1967, a group of about 100 Norse—Nordic Choir singers and instrumentalists, students on a study-away course, staff, and alumni—chartered a plane and took off for a whopping six-week tour of Norway, Denmark, and East and West Germany. It was the first international tour by a Luther choir—intended to parallel the Luther Concert Band tour of Norway and Europe of 1961—and it was a big deal, garnering national and international press. “President Farwell told the faculty that it was a risk, but that it was going to pay dividends” in name recognition, Wilkie says. She notes the tour was, “like Nordic Fest and the Vesterheim, part of an effort in the United States and Norway to reconnect the immigrant community to Norway” after World War II.
Here’s a preview. The film starts with a parade of students passing under an arch, then goofing around on a bus. Decades before people became immune to the presence of a camera, students take turns making faces, popping up like a jack-in the-box in front of the lens, throwing arms around shoulders. There’s Weston Noble ’43 in the back, jammed amid four or five singers, making bunny ears and holding up a shoeless foot. Even 50 years later, the group’s joy is palpable. But bringing it to the screen was no small task.
The tour began in West Germany, where students sang in small village churches and great cathedrals. On this leg, choir participants stayed with host families and often communicated in sign language. It was here where they realized how much World War II remained a significant part of people’s lived experience. The Norwegian segment of the tour began in Oslo, but soon the big city lights The tour ventured by small ship far into rural Norway to places such as this waterside village.
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gave way to rugged countryside as the choir traveled farther north than any previous American choir.
The Brand VII provided transportation along the Norwegian coast.
Sometimes a whole town, including the town band, would turn out to greet the choir on its arrival.
When the tour reached East Germany, the effects of World War II, just a dozen years in the past, made a strong impression on students.
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For two weeks the group cruised up the coast of Norway aboard the Brand VII, a refurbished WWII passenger ship that was not all it was cracked up to be. The food left a lot to be desired, and stories of seasickness abound. In the documentary, Layne Haugen ’59 recalls weathering 30–40-foot waves while lying in a bunk barely long enough to hold him, feeling his feet hit one end, then his head hit the other. Meanwhile, his wife, Garnet (Johnson) ’61, was the only one brave—or foolhardy—enough to take in the sights above deck with Weston Noble. “I figured I was safe with Weston,” she says with a shrug. But their experiences in Norway overshadowed the rough accommodations. The group passed through stunning fjords and played cards on deck, and when they disembarked in each new village, they were greeted by the whole town, including the mayor, local dignitaries, and usually a band or children’s choir dressed in bunads. Nordic would give a concert and share a meal with the community. Since this was the time of the midnight sun, the group often explored the surrounding countryside prior to boarding the ship again. When the group passed into East Germany, the story changed. They weren’t allowed to deviate from their itinerary, they were frequently trailed by men in black, and people occasionally broke into their hotel rooms to rifle through their luggage. Three passports went missing, including that of Carol Birkland ’67, stolen while she got her hair washed at a beauty salon. (All the passports were returned mysteriously in the dark of night.) After leaving East Germany the group visited Dachau, and while it left an indelible impression on the students, few of them understood that for Noble, a World War II army veteran, the return to Germany was an opportunity to “make sense of his life at the same time,” according to Wilkie. But joyous or difficult, the tour experiences were part of a larger plan, Wilkie says, of “helping students move into a new place in their development. For Farwell and Noble, it was always about the students. Weston wanted them to be citizens of the world.” As the group returned home, newspaper headlines proclaimed the tour an international success. “Farwell used to say that we were on the edge of greatness,” Wilkie says. “What this tour did was raise recognition for the college and push it into a
new category. It said: we’re in this competition, and not just in it, but at the top.”
The documentary project, which Birkland suggested and which the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Luther Dean’s Office funded, has been three years in the making. Wilkie was asked to lead it. She had worked with Spencer, a music major with a passion for history, when Spencer was a Decorah eighth-grader doing a project for National History Day. Spencer continued competing in National History Day in the documentary category throughout high school, twice earning a place at nationals. Wilkie thought Spencer an obvious choice to team with for the Nordic tour project: Wilkie had stores of research and archival knowledge, while Spencer supplied the storytelling and technical know-how.
RANDI SPENCER-BERG ’87 PHOTO
NORDIC TOUR: THE FILM
Luther professor of history Jacqueline Wilkie and Aidan Spencer ’18. This spring, Spencer, as president of Nordic Choir, will embark on her first international tour, to Germany. “I’m thrilled that there are elements of this project I’ll get to revisit in person!” she says.
The two interviewed alumni in the Decorah and Twin Cities areas and during Homecoming and Weston Noble Alumni Choir reunions. (Everyone they interviewed appears in the documentary at least once.) Through the generosity of these alumni, they compiled slides, photographs, and—crucially—two hours of home video footage. Other things they came across? A reindeer hide that one couple purchased as a memento, memorabilia from Nazi-occupied Norway, and, of course, lots of Norwegian sweaters. The sheer volume of interviews, Spencer and Wilkie agree, has been one of the most rewarding yet challenging aspects of the project. “We worked on the script for a very long time,” Spencer says. “It took many, many hours of sorting through interviews to decide which stories we’re going to tell, who’s going to tell them, and in what order.” The documentary is in turns uplifting, heartbreaking, funny, and important. “This is a valuable way of preserving college history that I suspect would have been lost,” Wilkie says.
Nordic Choir’s tour of Norway, Denmark, and East and West Germany in 1967 was covered in U.S. and international press.
Spencer agrees, adding, “It feels good to tell a story that is so important to so many people.” SCREENING AT HOMECOMING
The Nordic Tour documentary will be screened at Homecoming 2017, where a free commemorative booklet will also be available. Spencer and Wilkie also plan to make the film available for purchase.
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ALUMNI NEWS
Owens ’16 creates community through dance Christie Owens ’16 believes in the power of camp. She also believes in the Movement Fundamentals (MF) curriculum that Luther professor of dance Jane Hawley ’87 created. So when it came time to decide on a senior project, Owens thought: Why not combine the two? It was an ambitious idea that involved working closely with Hawley to pull together all the logistics—budgeting, staffing, housing, pricing, marketing. But the pair pulled it off for the first time in the summer of 2016. This past July, Owens returned to campus to coordinate the second annual Luther College Summer Dance Camp. The camp employs current and former Luther dance students, exposes young dancers to a life-changing curriculum, and introduces young learners to campus and a distinctly Luther experience. In her daily life in Minneapolis, Owens is a master scheduler. During the school year, she’s a special education paraprofessional who works in a nonverbal autism classroom. She’s a certified yoga instructor who leads trauma-informed yoga at a mental healthcare facility. And she’s a personal care assistant for a 30-year-old paraplegic woman
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“These kids don’t have to come to camp with a studio dance background—they could never have danced in their life—but when they’re at camp, they’ll look just like a person who’s been studying dance their entire life because of how we teach.”
and a six-year-old with autism. In addition, she’ll be presenting, for the second time (the first was as an undergraduate), at the National Dance Education Organization’s annual conference in Texas in November. It’s little wonder that she can manage all the moving pieces involved in a summer camp. More interesting is that Owens is running a dance camp. As a child, Owens wanted desperately to be a dancer. When she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at age nine, dance was out of the picture. Then, at Luther, she encountered Movement Fundamentals. “It was a whole new world of finding accessibility and creativity and peace with my body and its capabilities,” she says. “Most of the world has one idea of dance, and Movement Fundamentals really repatterns you to think of dance in your daily life, in the mundane, as more than just entertainment but as an art form that you can practice and cultivate constantly,” she says. Knowing that her path would have been easier had she been exposed to MF earlier in life, Owens wanted to create an opportunity for other kids to grow up feeling confident in their bodies. “It’s about making dance accessible as a person who has not always felt like I could do dance,” she says. “These kids don’t have to come to camp with a studio dance background—they could never have danced in their life— but when they’re at camp, they’ll look just like a person who’s been
studying dance their entire life because of how we teach.” Just as Owens is an advocate for MF, she’s an advocate for camp. As a child, she attended a camp for kids with lifethreatening and chronic illnesses during the camp’s Crohn’s and colitis week. “To me, camp is pure playfulness,” she says. “There’s a certain spirit when you go to a good summer camp that can stay with you until next time.” About Dance Camp 2017, Owens says, “It was transformative. We really facilitated an environment where kids could share personal stories, learn about self-love, and talk about body image. They really want to open up, and dance is a means to facilitate that happening.” Owens is thrilled to be able to provide this camp despite that dance is no longer a major at Luther because, she says, “I think it shows everyone the important, touching, and life-impacting work we are doing.” She’s enthusiastic about coming back to Dance Camp next year. And she’s not alone—about half the campers from 2016 returned for this year’s camp. “Those kids have never had an experience like that before, and they can only get that experience at Luther College Dance Camp,” she says. “It’s becoming a real community.” —Kate Frentzel
ALUMNI NEWS
WILL HELLER '16
LUTHER ALUMNI MAGAZINE
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ALUMNI NEWS
INDIANA Indianapolis: Erin Ellefsen, daughter of Peg (Braun) ’86 and Pete Ellefsen ’85
MARYLAND
St. Charles: Abigail Forbes, daughter of Lori (Cedarholm) ’83 and Craig Hilmer and Jeff Forbes, Austin, Minn.
MICHIGAN
Megan McCready, daughter of Ann and Scott McCready ’90
Traverse City: Hannah Will, daughter of Nancy Ackerman Will ’85 and Kathy and Brad Will ’85, Traverse City, Mich.
Sartell: Andrew Reitz, son of Heidi (Koukkari) ’84 and Alan Reitz ’83
MINNESOTA
St. Peter: Audrey Dontje Lindell, daughter of Laura Lindell ’82 and James Dontje ’83
San Francisco: Maria Dubon, daughter of Lisa Everson ’82 and Rafael Dubon
IOWA
Molly Wettach, daughter of Barb and Jeff Wettach ’79 Des Moines: Britton Vander Linden, son of Susan (Dengler) ’88 and Eric Vander Linden ’88
St. Paul: Jennifer Martin, daughter of Kris (Lerud) ’74 and Chip Martin
Addison Tapp, daughter of Kristin Tapp and Mike Tapp ’88, Dexter, Minn.
Zumbrota: Annika Sand, daughter of Ronda Anderson-Sand ’85 and Doug Sand ’85
Baxter: Rebecca Rye, daughter of Suzanne (Granquist) ’88 and Steve Rye ’87
NORTH DAKOTA
Crystal: Rachel Johnson, daughter of Shirley and Dan Johnson ’80
CALIFORNIA
Rushford: Erika Hinz, daughter of Lynn (Humble) ’89 and David Hinz
Chevy Chase: Lars Sorenson, son of Ruth and Arne Sorenson ’80
Austin: Mollie Mickelson, daughter of Maria (Spieker) ’89 and Todd Mickelson
Class of 2017 graduates 75 children of alumni
Jillian Harstad, daughter of Denise (Kruse) ’86 and Carter Harstad
Dayton: Laura Kalsow, daughter of Kari (Sherwood) ’86 and Walter Kalsow ’86 Eden Prairie: Mark Gasner, son of Kris (Ellingson) ’87 and Dan Gasner
Minot: Krista Mathistad, daughter of Janet (Hernes) ’83 and Todd Mathistad
NEW YORK South Salem: Cade Bolen, son of Connie Plaehn ’75 and Ted Bolen, New York, N.Y.
WISCONSIN
Elgin: Cody Torkelson, son of Cindy (Frieden) ’85 and Dirk Torkelson ’85
Sylvia Kaare, daughter of Sharon and Steve Kaare ’86
Grimes: Cecilia Shutt, daughter of Barb and Jim Shutt ’87
Mitchell Stenoien, son of Kirsten (Reigle) ’89 and Peter Stenoien ’89
Clear Lake: Kelli Gapinski, daughter of Kim (Haugen) ’79 and Dan Gapinski ’77
Mount Vernon: Rachel Reimann, daughter of Kristin (Jensen) ’88 and Paul Reimann ’89
Edina: Gunnar Swanson, son of Lynne (Erickson) ’85 and James Swanson
Clive: Ellen Bunz, daughter of Susan and John Bunz ’87
Newton: Peder Hopkins, son of Sara (Andreasen) ’84 and Steve Hopkins ’84
Eyota: Brett Blattner, son of Kristi (Pederson) ’88 and Michael Blattner
Gabrielle Meirick, daughter of Norma and Phil Meirick ’87
Panora: Mallory Carr, daughter of Peg (Ganske) ’85 and Robert Carr ’86
Falcon Heights: Julia Johnson, daughter of Liz and Greg Johnson ’89
Cresco: Andrea Wilson, daughter of Julie (Schulz) ’88 and Bart Wilson
Rock Rapids: Benjamin Sides, son of Kathy and Earl Sides ’83
Hayward: Lara Bacon, daughter of Maran (Mandsager) ’87 and Joel Bacon ’88
Davenport: Emily Crowe, daughter of Katie Hanson ’82 and Dave Crowe ’82
Swea City: Leslie Brandt, daughter of Mary (Henriksen) ’83 and Lennon Brandt
Fridley: Emma Stivers, daughter of Jill (Evans) Stivers ’87 and Wendy and Scott Stivers ’88, Minnetrista, Minn.
Madison: Marlene Jones, daughter of Cathy and Hugh Jones ’81
Cedar Falls: Ryan Ehrhardt, son of Connie Adrian (deceased) and Rob Ehrhardt ’85 (deceased)
Justin Kreiter, son of Nancy (Watson) ’91 and Eugene Kreiter ’89 Decorah: Emily Alcock, daughter of Sherry (Braun) ’82 and Dave Alcock (deceased) Brinn Anderson, daughter of Julie and Jim Maloney and Craig Anderson ’79, Decorah
Urbana: Kaia Monson, daughter of Sheila (Pflibsen) ’87 and Kirk Monson Waterloo: James Stortz, son of Bridget Dunbar and John Stortz ’69 (deceased) Kathryn Yarwood, daughter of Corrine and Mark Yarwood ’83
Abby Arend, daughter of Kristi and Karl Arend ’87
ILLINOIS
Hannah Bernatz, daughter of Dodi and Richard Bernatz ’77
Aurora: Melissa Norman, daughter of Kim and Russ Norman ’80
Hans Holkesvik, son of Molly (Williams) ’97 and Bob Holkesvik ’96
Evanston: Ryan Thorson, son of Laura and Dave Thorson ’87 (deceased)
Peter Kephart, son of Ann (Tjostem) ’90 and Jim Kephart ’87 Hannah Leeper, daughter of Janene (Bachelder) ’83 and Jeff Leeper Joshua Miller, son of Jane (Dalen) ’86 and Brad Miller ’86
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Lombard: Thomas Egan, son of Karen (Madsen) ’77 and Patrick Egan Loves Park: Rachel Adkins, daughter of Melissa (Gibson) ’87 and Terry Adkins
Lakeville: Kathryn Olson, daughter of Joan and Neil Olson ’84 Minneapolis: Erika Finanger, daughter of Kimberly and Phil Finanger ’79 Amy Kittelson, daughter of Beth Kittelson and Gary Kittelson ’72, Minneapolis Northfield: William Bestul, son of Jenny (Bolton) ’85 and Terry Bestul ’78 Owatonna: Kellen Glynn, son of Kristin and Terry Glynn ’90 Plymouth: Alexa Schroeder, daughter of Lynn (Pedersen) ’88 and Erich Schroeder Princeton: Isaiah Mayerchak, son of Mary and Richard Mayerchak ’77 Rochester: Evan Berg, son of Pam (Braun) ’83 and Jim Berg ’84
Appleton: Kevin Hash, son of Linda (Rosholt) ’85 and Lee Hash ’84 Brookfield: Jordan Lawrence, daughter of Rebecca (Knutson) ’79 and Lee Lawrence Cambridge: Hannah Kaare, daughter of Susan Kaare and Brenda and Paul Kaare ’84, Cambridge, Wis.
Emily Kuhn, daughter of Karen (Brugge) ’87 and Brian Kuhn Monona: Olivia Toal, daughter of Christine and Jack Toal ’80 Mount Horeb: Leah Rasmussen, daughter of Wendy and Jeffrey Rasmussen ’80 Pewaukee: Bethany Noltner, daughter of Kari and Steve Noltner ’81 Racine: Elizabeth Gordon, daughter of Kari Sena Gordon ’81 and Rod Gordon
ALUMNI NEWS
E H T RD R CA E ! FO T S U K U IS O -O S I LO AR H E T T N I
A new way to share your Luther story and help recruit future Norse Luther invites all alumni to join the new Alumni Ambassador Program! Alumni Ambassadors will play a direct role in recruiting the next generation of Luther students. Nothing can match the personal stories you can tell about your Luther experience and your ongoing connection to the extended alumni family. Your perspective and passion will profoundly affect prospective students. Please consider joining our recruitment efforts in one or all of these ways: • Refer a prospective student (there is scholarship money for the student if you do!) • Host or attend Admissions student receptions in your area • Represent Luther at a college fair in your community • Contact prospective students who have indicated a strong interest in Luther • Request information to distribute to your local schools, religious communities, etc.
Referral of high school students is especially important. Every student you refer will receive a $1,000 scholarship (in your name!) each year, for four years, if they enroll at Luther. You will have a direct financial impact on a student’s Luther experience with this $4,000 scholarship. You may refer family members,* neighbors, friends, children of co-workers, members of your religious community, and others. There is no limit on the number of students you may refer, but referral forms for high school seniors will be accepted only until November 1 each year. Please actively recruit your referred students by offering them encouragement throughout their college search process. To begin referring students as a Luther Alumni Ambassador, use the online form at luther.edu/ambassadors or submit the referral card stapled into this magazine today! Please take a few minutes to explore luther.edu/ambassadors for more information and to indicate additional ways you would like to be involved. We look forward to your participation in recruiting future Luther students! Go Norse!
*Children of Luther alumni will receive the Legacy Scholarship ($4,000 total over four years), but may also receive the Alumni Referral Scholarship if referred by someone other than a parent.
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ALUMNI NEWS
Save the date: June 22–24, 2018 Dorian for adults A choral weekend open to alumni and friends of Luther. Check luther.edu/music/dorian for upcoming details.
Hecht ’11: Conservation in Bhutan
PRINCE
NEW BOOK BY TIEBERT ’87 BIOGRAPHY $16.95
The Rise of Prince: 1958-1988 puts you in a front-row seat
• A detailed account of the no-holds-barred competition with Rick James on the 1981 tour that set the course for Prince’s meteoric rise; and • A vivid depiction of the recording of Prince’s first album at Sunset Sound, including a little-known encounter with Sly Stone.
about the authors Alex Hahn Alex Hahn is a journalist and attorney living in Boston. Laura Tiebert Laura Tiebert, a veteran nonfiction writer, lives in Chanhassen, MN with her husband and two sons.
1958-1988
Ultimately, The Rise of Prince tells the very human story of how a young man from a small Midwestern city overcame adversity to achieve one of the greatest runs of creativity in pop history, creating an unparalleled universe of side projects, alter egos and lovers along the way.
the rise of
You’ll discover: • Newly unearthed information about early relationships and collaborations;
PRINCE
to witness the dramatic events of iconic artist Prince Rogers Nelson’s dazzling rise to fame. With an eyewitness perspective, the narrative transports you to Minneapolis’ Northside, and unreels a compelling and poignant tale of how Prince climbed to the pinnacle of global superstardom, along the way captivating millions of fans and achieving greatness as one of the most influential musicians of the rock ’n’ roll era.
the rise of
PRINCE 1958-1988
alex hahn and laura tiebert
A Mad Cat Press Book ISBN-13: 978-0692839249
facebook.com/groups/theriseofprince Cover design by Michelle Palko Smith Cover photography by Paul Natkin
FPO
Writer Laura (Johnston) Tiebert ’87 says that when a story presents itself, it’s hard to say no. So when she found herself living just a couple of miles from Prince’s Paisley Park home in Chanhassen, Minn., at the time of the his death last year, she jumped on his story. The result? Tiebert has coauthored a biography of Prince Rogers Nelson with Alex Hahn titled The Rise of Prince: 1958–1988. Tiebert is a longtime fan of Prince and his music. “Having been on Luther’s campus in the 1980s when Prince was huge, it felt like he was our guy,” she says. “We would road trip to Minneapolis and go to First Avenue. It felt like it was the center of the music world, and it was very cool to be connected with it.” Last spring, she and her family moved from the Chicago area, and during early morning commutes to the health club, she noticed a building lit up purple. “Just as I was realizing, Oh my gosh, this is where Prince lives, he died. Moving boxes still filled our house and I went ripping through my boxes of books to find Hahn’s earlier biography of Prince, which my brother gave me for Christmas in 2003,” she recalls. A director of corporate communications for a New York company, working remotely, Tiebert has also authored travel guidebooks and ghostwritten books in the “For Dummies” series. Once a writer, always a writer, she says, and she emailed Hahn to offer her research and writing services for an updated biography. Their book was released early this year and is available on Amazon, with reviews averaging 4.5 stars. Researching the book was a lot of fun, Tiebert says. She met with Prince’s childhood friends and they showed her around his former neighborhood. She and Hahn also read through court records and other documents to further understand the artist’s psychological development. “I wanted Prince to have a biography that was written at a level of professionalism that was equal to the professionalism he displayed in his career and in his life,” she says. “I feel that we did that.”
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“I wanted Prince to have a biography that was written at a level of professionalism that was equal to the professionalism he displayed in his career and in his life.”
David Hecht ’11 might say that it takes a village to save a crane. As a research consultant for the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN), Hecht regularly travels to Bhutan to develop community-based efforts to conserve black-necked cranes and white-bellied herons, most recently with funding from a National Geographic Young Explorers Grant. Hecht majored in biology and anthropology at Luther. As a PhD student in the University of Georgia’s Integrative Conservation and Anthropology Program, he studies ecology, anthropology, geography, and natural resources/forestry. The program, he says, “operates on the understanding that conservation problems don’t conform to disciplinary boundaries.” Students in the program learn to “speak the language” of various disciplines so that they can design research to address urgent conservation concerns. In Bhutan, Hecht aims to better meet the needs of both human and avian communities. He works with community members and partner groups to understand local belief systems and map sacred landscapes and deity spaces. “There are many different ways of protecting a landscape,” he notes, and paying attention to belief systems “can improve the way institutions and conservation practitioners choose to map and think spatially about the social and cultural realities” of areas under study. Hecht believes that conservation efforts are and should be complex, that they don’t start and end with the protection of an animal species but should also include an understanding of local human communities and the cultural, religious, social, political, and economic contexts in which they live. “Conservation efforts for birds like the black-necked cranes and white-bellied heron can be more effectively and ethically governed,” he says, “when we can collectively consider the cultural complexities of places and spaces, in addition to the ecological.”
ALUMNI NEWS
CHANCE?
YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN
YOU MIGHT RUN INTO A NORSE
Giving a leg up: Bob ’69 and Sandy (Sime) Bishop ’70 were vacationing in Florida last February when Bob sustained a severe ankle fracture requiring immediate surgery. After surgery, the surgeon recommended first-class seating for the three-hour flight back to Minneapolis so there would be adequate room for Bob to elevate his leg. Unfortunately there were no front row seats available. Bob and Sandy had to settle for seats in the second row. Just before take-off Bob was attempting to elevate his leg over the center console between his seat and Sandy’s seat. That’s when a kind and compassionate person looked back from his front-row seat, saw Bob’s struggle to elevate his leg, and offered to change seats. Bob and Sandy gladly accepted his offer. Shortly after take-off Bob and Sandy were chatting with a couple across the aisle about where they were from. When Bob said Decorah, Iowa, the man who had generously traded seats called out “Luther College, class of ’86.” Bob and Sandy responded “Luther, class of ’69 and ’70.” A nice conversation followed between the three Luther grads. That chance meeting, and the kind-hearted actions of a Luther grad, made a positive difference in what could have been a long, uncomfortable flight home for Bob. Thanks again, Tim Swenson ’86, for your understanding and kindness on that February flight from Tampa to Minneapolis. Go Norse! —Bob Bishop ’70
You tell us!
Over the summer we asked Luther alumni to share with us their chance meetings with other alumni, close to home or around the world. Now we want to know: Which course that you took at Luther had the biggest impact on you and why? Email your story to magazine@ luther.edu or write us at Luther Alumni Magazine, 700 College Drive, Decorah, IA 52101.
Now there’s a secret handshake! Bjorn Berg ’03 and I first met in July 2013 at Ripon College in Ripon, Wis., during our first staff training meeting for the Wisconsin Association of School Council Leadership Camp. Out of a staff of 24 individuals, 12 adult counselors and 12 junior counselors, we were paired together to be AC and JC for the week. Getting to know each other, I made small talk about being a recent high school grad and how I had plans to attend Luther in the fall. Immediately, Bjorn threw up an L and started chanting. I had no idea what he was doing. He looked at me very seriously and said, “Kate, this is important for you to know.” We worked together that week—on creating our camp curriculum as well as a secret Luther handshake—and have continued to work together each summer we return to camp. And, because of the proud Norse we are, the Tuesday of camp has officially become “Luther Tuesday,” when Bjorn and I both sport our Luther apparel. We’ve taken a photo on a Luther Tuesday for the past four years, and this July will be the first time we’ll both be alumni! —Kate Knepprath ’17
Joining the party: A bachelorette party for Kelsi Holmes ’13 turned into an unexpected Norse Encounter at Cowboy Jack’s in Minneapolis on July 1. Emily Banitt ’13, Kirsten Hash ’13, and Marissa Satern ’14 were celebrating with Holmes (she’s the one in the tiara and sash, of course) when that Luther golf shirt alerted them that they weren’t the only Norse alumni in the place. Dan Blattner and Kendra Moser, center, both class of 2014, got in on the photo opp. Holmes married Drew Giese on Aug. 5. —Emily Banitt '13
Learning the language: Francisco Neto ’14 moved to Germany in August to start a master’s program this fall at Albert Ludwig University of Frieburg. In the meantime, he is taking a German language course. In the school’s canteen, he ran into Owen Neubauer ’15, who is taking the same course.
Norse news network: I will never forget being in the cathedral in Salzburg, Austria, in January of 1977, when I spent a month in Europe after the original fall Malta program. As I was walking out, I happened to see a small group of familiar faces in the back. Yes, it was the J-term group from Luther, who informed me that Mabe’s had just burned down (a different location from where it is now). Because this was before easy electronic communication, this was news to me! I also often talk to fellow Luther grads when I travel if I happen to see “the ring” on their hands. —Deb Wiley ’77 LUTHER ALUMNI MAGAZINE
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ALUMNI NEWS
1961 BAND TOUR
REUNION
FOLLOWING THE WESTON NOBLE ’43 Celebration of Life event in May, 35 members of the 1961 Luther College Concert Band held a reunion at Silver Crest Golf Club in Decorah. To celebrate the 100-year anniversary of Luther College, the band, under Noble’s direction, completed a three-month tour of Europe during the summer of 1961, culminating at the First Triennial Luther League Convention in Miami Beach, Fla. The success and length of this unique tour created a special band of brothers and sisters. Fifty-six years later, more than half of the original 64 members
gathered to share pictures, stories, laughs, and Mabe’s pizza. Tour manager and special guest of honor Curt Reiso ’54 spoke at the event and recounted behind-the-scenes anecdotes that he felt could now be declassified. Also attending the reunion was Luther’s current Concert Band director, Joan deAlbuquerque. She provided a perspective and vision of the current band as the musicians prepared for their own tour in Spain this past May.
Pictured at the reunion are (first row, left to right): Curt Reiso ’54, Lori (Oppen) Gard ’63, Mary Preus ’63, Lola (Pederson) Haugen ’62, Judy (Miller) Ranheim ’62, Barb (Kumm) Nelson ’61. Second row: Judy (Olson) Donaldson ’64, Jonathan Preus ’61, Carol (Everson) Duit Brader ’62, Chuck Lunde ’62, Janice (Gulbranson) Olson ’61, Karan (Evans) Mathison ’62. Third row: William Holt ’63, Judy (Thompson) Fishburn ’62, Lewis Larson ’62, Solveig (Engebretson) Kleppe ’64, Nancy (Hansen) Mahon ’62, Cheryl (Erickson) Mahaffay ’62. Fourth row: Gene Anderson ’63, Frank Liston ’61, Leonard Upham ’62, Richard Lindner ’63, Will Schmid ’62, Gerald Olson ’62, Dave Haugen ’64, John Helgeland ’62, Chuck Mahnke ’62, Gary Skundberg ’63, Thomas Haugen ’61. Back row: Lester Mahaffay ’64, Al Saterbak ’62. Attending the reunion but not pictured were Daniel Seidelmann ’61, Gene Olstad ’61, Jan (Amundson) Moen ’61, Lois Scripture ’64, and Fay HenningBryant ’64.
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ALUMNI NEWS
CLASS NOTES By Annalise Johnson ’18, Anna Restemayer ’19, and Rachel Schunder ’20
’39
Louise (Naeseth) Hubbard of Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., celebrated her 101st birthday. Her town celebrated by organizing volunteers of all ages; each volunteer donated 101 minutes to help clean up a local trail created by Hubbard and her husband, Fred, made from a former garbage dump. Everyone enjoyed the celebration and worked hard. Hubbard walked the entire trail, receiving many thanks.
’57
Lowell Gangstad has been directing church choirs at First Lutheran Church in Northwood, Iowa, for 60 years and has no plans to retire anytime soon. The Mason City (Iowa) Globe Gazette featured Gangstad in a front page story on June 17. He says he will continue directing until “Either nobody shows up for rehearsal, or I can’t raise my arms to direct.” Gangstad and his wife, Leila (Hestenes) Gangstad ’58, married in 1958 and have lived in Northwood ever since. He taught music in the Northwood-Kensett (Iowa) schools for 39 years.
’59
Marva (Paulson) Baldwin of Evergreen, Colo., is retiring after 33 years of directing community, public school, and church handbell choirs. She has been a state and district officer of Handbell Musicians of America as well as a clinician at handbell functions. She coauthored a handbell education book and represented the U.S at several international handbell symposiums.
’64
’67
Sustainable Iowa Land Trust—the largest donation ever made to SILT. The donation includes their home, outbuildings, and equipment. Lyle’s family has farmed the land since 1873, but they decided to pass it on to SILT as a way to profit future sustainable farming practices.
Independent College Association award honors a faculty member at each school for outstanding achievements in and out of the classroom.
David Hanford of Columbia, S.C., is a life coach and a church mission consultant.
Kurt Sandstrom of Pittsburgh is a self-employed consultant with experience in Logistics Business Development.
’74
Bill Pettit is provost at Oklahoma State University’s (OSU) Center for Health Sciences, senior associate dean of OSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, associate dean of the Department of Rural Health, and a professor in the Department of Family Medicine. In April 2017 he received the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association Doctor of the Year Award.
’71
Beverly (Erickson) Bodelson is semi-retired and teaches English as a second language to adults at English for Internationals in Roswell, Ga.
’68
Robert Sathe is chairman of MCF Advisors in Covington, Ky.
’69
Catherine (Turner) Boulanger of Highland, Ill., retired, volunteers through Woman’s Club as the local president and serves on the General Federation of Women’s Clubs district board. She also volunteers once a week at Fairmont City Library as a bilingual aid. Keith Johnson of Pine Hill, N.J., retired from a lifetime of working under the (virtual) sky, having served in five planetariums across the nation (including Luther’s). Most recently he was the initial director of the Edelman Planetarium at Rowan University, where he worked for 12 years.
Duane Sauke of Rochester, Minn., was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives for District 25B in southeastern Minnesota.
’72
Mark Hengesh of Weeki Wachee, Fla., retired as band director at Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn, Ill. Wendy (Obernolte) Schatz retired as principal of Notre Dame Catholic School in Cresco, Iowa. Her career has come full circle, from the time that she attended St. Joseph’s grade school in Cresco to now retiring from the same institution after a 43year career in elementary education. Steven Sorenson is president of the Senior Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Wisconsin and is celebrating 40 years of practice in Ripon, Wis., this spring. He continues to teach law and business at Ripon College and delivered his 100th seminar on legal ethics this past year.
Dick Edwards of Menomonie, Wis., joined the board of directors at Lutheran Social Services in Milwaukee.
Kari (Yung) Saba is Deputy Chief Development Officer for the Chicago Housing Authority.
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Steve Connell retired as director of the Pride of the Dutchmen Band at MOC–Floyd Valley High School in Orange City, Iowa. The Pride of the Dutchman Marching Band earned a national reputation as one of the finest marching bands in the country with performances in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, Orange Bowl Parade, Fiesta Bowl Parade, Hollywood Christmas Parade, Waikiki New Year’s Eve Parade, and NFL Monday Night Football. He began a new career as director of athletic bands at Northwestern College.
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Brad Schneider of Verona, Wis., retired after 38 years of teaching band in public schools in Iowa and Wisconsin. He serves as government relations chair for the Wisconsin Music Educator’s Association and was honored to direct one of the bands at the annual UW–Madison Summer Music Clinic. Marcus Thomsen of Millersville, Pa., was appointed associate dean of the faculty at Franklin and Marshall College. He is also professor of chemistry and a member of the faculty at the college.
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Glenn Borreson of Holmen, Wis., is the author of a book of local history, Look out Below! Ski Jumping in Western Wisconsin’s Trempealeau County. His research on the subject was inspired by five of his Borreson uncles who were competitive ski jumpers, including Gilbert Borreson ’28.
Judy Olson of Austin, Texas, retired after 42 years of teaching secondary English and theatre.
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Sue (Johnston) and Lyle Luzum have donated their 170-acre farm near Calmar, Iowa, to the
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Barbara (Elmer) Marshall Nickell of Salina, Kan., was selected as Kansas Wesleyan University’s 2016 Faculty of Distinction honoree. This annual Kansas
Kim Outten Stubbs of Nassau, Bahamas, is chief curator at the National Museum of the Bahamas. She was inducted into the Commonwealth Association of Museums’ prestigious Cowrie Circle. Membership in the Cowrie Circle, CAM’s highest honor, signifies a tribute to those members who have played a major role in advancing growth and development of museums in their respective countries.
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In Dallas, Texas, last April, Luther alumni, parents, and friends got together at the home of Shari and Lance Vander Linden ’79 to meet and talk with President Paula Carlson, seated, far right. Back row, left to right: Doug Nelson ’82, Rev. Jon Lee ’62, Devon Tryggestad ’03, Mike Woodhouse ’82, vice president for development Jim Jermeir, Lance Vander Linden ’79. Middle row: Elizabeth Knapp, Spencer Knapp ’08, Marianna Tryggestad, Becky (Stiger) Williams ’08, Richard “Mick” Rud ’61, William Pfaff ’99, Tim Johnson ’62, Paul Jentz ’79, Bill St. Angelo ’80. Sitting: Deb (Lackmann) Freeman ’89, Jonette (Rotto) Martinson ’69, Kathy (Hermanson) Rotto ’57, Juliane Rud, Monica Pfaff, Carolyn Johnson, Shari Vander Linden, Carlson.
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Kevin Hash ’17 is a fifth-generation Rosholt family graduate of Luther and a descendant of Thore P. Skotland, one of the incorporators of the college. Left to right: Lee Hash ’84 (father), Jacob Rosholt ’09 (cousin), John Rosholt ’79 (uncle), Robert Rosholt ’51 (great-uncle), Kevin Hash ’17, Linda (Rosholt) Hash ’85 (mother), Kirsten Hash ’13 (sister), Donnis (Rosholt) Tolle ’73 (aunt), David Rosholt ’76 (uncle), Erik Rosholt ’00 (cousin), Debra (Steinhorst) Rosholt ’74 (aunt).
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Luther alumni at Holden Village this past summer included in the first row, left to right: Rachel Faust ’03, Molly Tulkki ’12, Shannon Meehan ’18, Solveig Orngard ’16, Siri Garnaas ’09, Anna Garnaas ’06, Avery Jamison ’17, Janet (Hermes) Mathistad ’83. Second row: Karen DeBauche ’82, Karen Strom ’57, Leah Williams ’17, Liz Andress ’81, Peter Hernes ’87, Karen (Kiland) Erlander ’61, Sarah (Bagaason) Kise ’81. 4
Two Luther alumni were in the same ordination class at the Saint Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., this year. Ben Wittnebel ’07, left, and Christopher T. Weber ’00 began their seminary careers together six years ago and were both ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood last spring. Wittnebel is in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minn., and Weber is in the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa.
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A group of Luther alumni on Mt. Etna, Sicily, where they spent the Martha Gesme Nielsen ’79 20th annual Friends’ Trip touring and traveling the island for a week filled with memories and good company. Left to right, Susan (Stavig) Alshouse ’78, Gary Alshouse ’76, Nielsen, and Carol (Kuntz) Swenson ’79. Carol’s husband, Casey, not pictured, also joined the crew.
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Three generations of Luther grads, including Marilyn (Myrah) Bunge ’51, Lenny Myrah ’63, Mary Bunge Docken ’79, and Catherine (Docken) Dyer ’09, attended Mamma Mia! to support Eric Bunge ’84, who played one of the dads. 8
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Jodi (Andrews) Coleman ’01 and her husband, Jeremy, at Camp Muir, en route to Mount Rainier in Washington. Jodi says they take their Luther mugs everywhere they go!
Twelve Luther alumni competed in the Norse Athletic Association Golf tournament at Oneota Country Club in Decorah. All members pictured took part in the Zeta Rho Tau fraternity during their time at Luther. Standing, left to right: Dan Hoff ’73, Larry Swalheim ’72, Steve Clark ’71, Dan Elliot ’73, Jeff Johnson ’73, Craig Pearson ’71, Bob Spiegler ’72, Kevin Laabs ’72. Kneeling, left to right: Steve Hildebrand ’73, Randy Blank ’72, David Kloock ’74, Jim Hinrichs ’71.
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Emily (Workman) McGinnis ’08, adjunct professor of music education at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, and Stacie Mickens ’02, assistant professor of horn at Youngstown State University, reconnected at the International Women’s Brass Conference at Rowan University, N.J. Mickens presented “Positive Practice Strategies” and performed in a recital as a member of a horn quartet and at a feature concert with the Monarch Brass ensemble. McGinnis presented “Female Participation in Brass Bands: International Perspectives” and performed as part of a recital.
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Molly Goodwin ’02 of Davenport, Iowa, is the production stage manager for the Sister Act international tour (Asia). She's shown here on the Great Wall of China.
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Marie (Zach) Fry ’03, Chris Fry ’01, Keith Lesmeister ’01 Megan Stull ’00, and Kevin Deeny ’98 gathered at River Lights Bookstore in Dubuque, Iowa, for the signing of Keith’s book, We Could’ve Been Happy Here.
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Rebecca (Hanson) Berman is a researcher at CJE SeniorLife in Chicago. Christopher Cudworth is communications coordinator for the city of Batavia, Ill. Mark Gould is the director of music at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Delafield, Wis. Barbara (Vaske) Norland of Homestead, Fla., is director of development and communications at YWCA of Greater Miami-Dade.
Clark Wicks is superintendent of the Perry (Iowa) Community School District.
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Mary (Christianson) Hansen is chief executive officer and administrator at Mayo Employees Federal Credit Union in Rochester, Minn. She was honored as the Outstanding Professional of the Year for 2017 by the Minnesota Credit Union Network’s Awards Committee.
Julie (Klausen) Moe of Eagan, Minn., is the patient care supervisor for Fairview Health Services in the Hiawatha and Highland Park (Minn.) Clinics as well as Highland Park Urgent Care.
Nancy (Rodenbeck) Wuttke is the Head Start family literacy teacher and academic coordinator for Capstone Community Action in Barre, Vt.
the forests and climate policy teams, crafting community engagement, ensuring social and environmental standards, and publishing papers on conservation and development.
Julie (Kremer) Phillips is broker and assistant team leader for Keller Williams Realty Treasure Coast in Stuart, Fla.
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Karen (Slattum) Dyson is a behavioral technician at Melrose Center in St. Louis Park, Minn.
Peter Eigenfeld is production color solutions executive for Xerox Corporation in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
David Ray of Custer, Wis., is attorney and top legal counsel for Portage County, Wis. Tom Vix retired as a high school science teacher at Rushford–Peterson School in Rushford, Minn. He was also the basketball coach for the school and led its teams to a record of 659230, 15 visits to state tournaments, and three championships, in 1989, 2006, and 2015. He was inducted into the Minnesota High School Basketball Hall of Fame and is considered a legend in the world of high school sports. Vix and his wife, Judy, live just outside of Houston, Minn., where they farm and manage Cushon’s Peak Campground.
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Paul Cleven is a quality analyst for Spectrum Brands, Inc. in Madison, Wis. Mike Kerr is the executive director for TOSA Foundation, Wisconsin Technology Initiative, in Sun Prairie.
Charles Hoven is director of sales for Inspired Catering and Events by Karen and Gina Stefani in Chicago.
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Kari Solomonson is vice president and retail team leader at Peoples State Bank in Wausau, Wis. She received the 2016 Athena Leadership Award from the Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce, recognizing and celebrating individuals who support, honor, and develop current and emerging women leaders. Stephen Streufert is the vice president of education at Nature Bridge in San Francisco.
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Carla (Meyer) and Mark Hillman ’86 live in São Paulo, Brazil, and teach at the Graded American School of São Paulo. Carla is the middle school learning support teacher; Mark teaches middle school humanities and coaches girls’ basketball.
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Judith (Tollefsrud) Halverson is education coordinator at Ochsner Health System/Ochsner Medical Center in Jefferson, La., and recently earned a post-professional transitional doctorate in physical therapy. Pat (Graetz) Jensen is senior account executive at Express Scripts in Minneapolis.
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David Evensen of North Las Vegas, Nev., is general manager for Tectonics. Mark Johnson is senior IT project manager at Express Scripts Holding Company in Bloomington, Minn.
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Alessandro Raniolo is president of retail and vertical e-commerce EMEA at Ralph Lauren in London.
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Bonnie Black is program manager, global sales support for Delta Air Lines in Atlanta. Tim Jacobsen of Los Angeles received the David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television at the Producers Guild Awards for assisting in the production of The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Daniel Peterson is owner of Arrasmith Capital and the Lodge at Steinthal in Kiel, Wis. Leisa (Mechling) Wyman is risk management and quality specialist with Adventists Health Central Valley Network in Hanford, Calif.
Barbara (Hodge) Miller of Edina, Minn., is executive assistant to the dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota. Arne Sorenson received the Leadership in Diversity Award at the Committee for Economic Development’s 2017 Distinguished Performance Awards Dinner in New York City. Sorenson was cited for leading programs that foster diversity in the workplace and champion underrepresented groups, including supporting women and their advancement across the full spectrum of private enterprise.
Callista (Bisek) Gingrich was nominated by President Donald Trump in May for the position of US ambassador to the Vatican. With her husband, Newt Gingrich, she runs the multimedia production company Gingrich Productions, is the author of the Ellis the Elephant children’s book series, and sings in the Choir of the Basilica at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
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Bergetta (Berkland) Beardsley is director of donor relations at the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines (Iowa). Michael Ostermeyer of Mequon, Wis., has joined Polsinelli as a shareholder in the firm’s real estate practice in Chicago. Marty (Peterson) Parry of Waverly was selected as one of the 100 Great Iowa Nurses for 2016, recognized for her courage, competence, and commitment in nursing. Perry White is president and CEO of Harmony Foundation International in Nashville, Tenn.
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Stephen Hopkins is the nonpoint source program coordinator with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in Des Moines. He was reappointed by Iowa governor Terry Branstad to serve on the state Watershed Improvement Review Board.
Sandee (Neitzel) Joppa is executive director of RealTime Talent, a public-private collaborative formed from the work of the businessadvisory group Itasca Project in Minneapolis, with the goal of using data to build the world’s best workforce in Minnesota. She also serves on Luther's Board of Regents. John Niemi is an academic adviser at Johns Hopkins University, Carey School of Business in Baltimore.
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Jill Blockhus is director of international partnerships at the Nature Conservancy in Washington, D.C. She lives in Bergen, Norway, working on crafting a new partnership on climate change, greening, infrastructure, and conservation finance, as well as overseeing TNC’s cooperation with the World Bank. She developed and manages TNC’s relationship with the government of Norway, which funds REDD, combating deforestation in tropical countries. Within TNC, she works with
Michelle (Snitker) Bolhuis is the financial and budget analyst for dining services at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Julie (Lyng) Jass is strategic alliance manager at Plantronics in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Sarah Tobiason is the district director of special education and elementary principal for the Decorah Community School District.
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Jennifer (Spickerman) and Kyle Christiason ’92 live in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Jennifer is a clinical RN staff member at Allen Women’s Health; Kyle is a family physician for UnityPoint Clinic. John Hatle of Jacksonville, Fla., is professor of biology at the University of North Florida. He was awarded the Terry Presidential Professorship by the university in recognition of his achievements as an outstanding professor.
ALUMNI NEWS Katie Nelson is director of development at Children’s Theater Company in Minneapolis.
’92
Stephanie Agresta of Little Silver, N.J., helped found the Scale Collective and joined the board of SheWorx to take an equity stake in the company. The Scale Collective gathers 300 investors, female founders of technology companies, and industry experts to help accelerate growth for women entrepreneurs. Agresta is an award-winning, digital-first adviser who helps technology companies, startups, marketing teams, and individuals accelerate growth through relationship management, partnership development, evangelism, and a counsel on marketing, communications, and advertising. Wendy (Jaycox) Davidson of Wheaton, Ill., wrote a column for I’m a Lutheran, which was featured in Voices of Faith on livinglutheran. org. She is president of US Specialty channels at Kellogg Co. and a member of Luther’s Board of Regents. Jill Esterly-Jayne is a licensed clinical social worker and therapist with Susan La Freniere & Associates in Marquette, Mich.
Craig Helmstetter is managing partner of American Public Media Research Lab & Analyst Group in St. Paul, Minn. Andrew Mangion is chairman of EC English Language Centers, which funded the construction of a village well and partnered with education charity United World Schools to build a school for children in Ban Huoy, Cambodia.
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Christopher Engelhardt is head of digital and integrated payments at Discover Financial Services in Grayslake, Ill. Steven Olson is senior systems engineer at Ideal System Solutions in Minnetonka, Minn. Laurie Ryan Whalen is the accountant at Dawson County in Dawsonville, Ga.
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Rachel Bents is director of healthy living at the YMCA of the greater Twin Cities. She also serves as a wellness coach for ENJOY.
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Jill Ness is director of community ministry at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Madison, Wis. Clint Schnekloth is pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Fayetteville, Ark., and the founder and chairman of the board for Canopy NWA, which reintroduced direct refugee resettlement to the state of Arkansas. He is also an adjunct faculty member at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.
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Nikki (Flitter) Foster of Brooklyn Park, Minn., presented to the Minnesota Legislature at the state capitol about her struggles with multiple sclerosis and insurance coverage. She has recently been diagnosed with MS and is advocating for protections for those who have these pre-existing conditions. Elvia (Castillo) Pace is a management analyst—family and community at Head Start in San Antonio, Texas.
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Rachelle Evenson is quality control supervisor at Be the Match National Marrow Donor Program in Minneapolis. Luke Olson is professor of computer science, Willet Faculty Scholar, director of the Computational Science and Engineering Program, and head of the Parallel Computing Institute at the University of Illinois in Urbana–Champaign. He was selected as cochair of the 2019 Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics Conference on Computational Science and Engineering and is associate editor of the SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing. Bobbie (Torgerson) Vickerman of Mabel, Minn., is the county coordinator for Fillmore County.
Dan Kobler is a partner at Campfire Digital in Denver.
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Katie (Aarestad) Fergus is the owner and president of Medical Billing Services Iowa in Des Moines. She’s also a board member for Lutheran Services in Iowa, partnering with children, youth, and families, people with disabilities, the elderly, and people of refugee status, to aid in times of need. Katie Green is senior director of advancement operations at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Melissa (Ahlstrom) Gregg is a self-employed realtor in Rochester, Minn. Lukas Hoffland is program director for WISM-FM (Greatest Hits 98.1) and music director for WEAQ-AM/ FM (95.9 jamz) with Mid-West Family Broadcasting in Altoona, Wis.
Abigail Shuppy-Baboor is a music teacher at Stephen Gaynor School in New York City. Karrie (Hines) Theoharis is prenatal genetic counselor at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis and clinical coordinator for the Kate Cares Stillbirth Assessment. Lindsey (Anderson) and Ryan Thompson live in Woodbury, Minn. Lindsey is owner and CEO of Woodbury Kids; Ryan is manufacturing technology engineer at 3M. Heidi Torgerson is director for global service with ELCA Global Mission in Chicago.
Nikki Aden is director, real estate counsel for Target Corporation in Minneapolis.
Arika (Anderson) Hage of Lakeville, Minn., is manager at Beautycounter. Sheri (Osborne) Hansen is the director of communications, advocacy, and public outreach at AIA Minnesota in Minneapolis.
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James Deeds IV is a managing principal and senior electrical engineer with KCL Engineering in Des Moines, Iowa.
Heather (Svoboda) Morris is senior manager of global communications and social media at Entrust Datacard in Shakopee, Minn.
Becki (Mensing) LeGrant teaches high school science and is department chair at Wonderful College Prep Academy in Delano, Calif.
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Jon Anderson is associate professor of music composition at Wayne State University in Detroit. His musical composition “Scatter,” an interactive computer music composition for saxophone and Kinect motion camera, was selected for performance at the 2017 National Conference for the Society for ElectroAcoustic Music in the United States.
Katie Marske is assistant professor of biology at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.
Laura (Naslund) Ready of Sioux Falls, S.D., received the Sanford Women’s Health Employee of the Year Award. The award recognizes Sanford USD Medical Center OB/GYN department employees who display exceptional work performance and have excellent relationships with patients, their families, and physicians. Angie (Johnson) Richards is director of sales and catering for Downtown Rochester (Minn.) Hilton Hotels (Hilton, Doubletree, Hilton Garden Inn). She and her team were named the 2016 Sales Team of the Year for the Doubletree by Hilton brand. She also serves as Leadership Greater Rochester program chair for the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce and is on the board of directors for the Rochester Downtown Alliance.
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Derek Altorfer was elected president of Altorfer Inc. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, succeeding his father, Bruce Altorfer ’68, who served as president since 1998 and is now chairman of the board. Amanda (Jack) Alwy of St. Louis Park, Minn., is vice president of technology and engineering for SmarteCarte.
Sarah (KcKlveen) Beerends is a medical technologist in microbiology at the Iowa City (Iowa) VA Medical Center. Jessica (Nievinksi) Berent is the senior business training specialist at CBRE in Minneapolis. Dawn Borcherding is internal control auditor at Modern Woodmen of America in Rock Island, Ill. Dan Christenson is senior director of government affairs for PepsiCo in Washington, D.C.
Brett Bever is senior pastor at New Vision Bretheren Christ Church in Pewaukee, Wis.
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Alumni from the classes of 1985 to 1992 and former coaches and staff attended the two-day Boys of Fall—A Luther College Football Reunion last June on the Luther campus. Front row, left to right: Victor Thonn ’88, Roger Jaeger, Bob Naslund ’65, Ann (Aaker) Naslund ’66, Paul Solberg ’61, Alex Smith ’03, Todd Sesker ’85, Brian Solberg ’88. Second row: Kevin Dotseth ’85, Stephen Stokes ’92, Soren Spickerman ’90, Bill “Batman” McCann ’90, Bill Fleuette ’89, Bert Fry ’92, Reed Hamer ’92, Rob Veatch ’87, Beth Luby. Third row: Dan Marlow ’88, Chivonne Marlow, Julie (Barkema) Brammer ’89, Nate Brammer ’88, Mike Naslund ’92, Bill Fullerton ’88, Mike Japenga ’90, Chris Terry ’90, Scott Vande Kroll ’91, Kris (Finholt) Vande Kroll ’92, Matt Byers ’91, Greta (Anderson) Byers ’91. Fourth row: Greg Dietel ’92, Milo Japenga ’92, Pat Trewin ’92, Jeff Josephson ’89, Amy (Jacobsen) Chrischilles ’90, Russ Chrischilles ’88, Bob Read ’87, Eric Steinfelds ’86, Scott Pierce ’88, Bryce Pierce ’18. (Not pictured: Ed Kaschins, Dick Wuest ’56, Jim Haemker ’72, Jeff Wettach ’79, Lori [Phipps] Pierce ’87, David Eidahl ’88, Greg Larson ’88, and John Moore ’91.) 2
Amy Gardner ’97 and Keith Sbiral ’97, center and right, own Complete Cuba, which organizes and leads small group, licensed, legal trips to Cuba. Sarah Grimm ’97, left, has traveled with Complete Cuba on two trips to Cuba, where this photo was taken.
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Las Vegas area residents and Luther alumni are invited to a public concert benefitting the Lutheran Church Orphanage in Liberia. Joseph Svendsen ’06, Myron Heaton ’68, and Rolfe Johnstad ’62 will conduct “The First Noel: A Tribute to Weston Noble ’43 and Elwin D. Farwell” at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, 2 South Pecos Road, in Henderson, Nev., at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10. Luther alumni will be invited to join in the singing of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. For more information contact Johnstad, rsjohnstad@yahoo.com. 4
Alumni from the Madison, Wis., area gathered on June 10 at Warner Park (the Duck Pond) to watch the Madison Mallards take on the Wisconsin Woodchucks in a Northwoods League baseball game. Front row, left to right: James Stansfield ’09, Phillip Stansfield, Maggie (Jones) Stansfield ’06, Claire Nelson, Thea Rohlwing, Paige Nelson, Solee Rohlwing. Second row: Evan Nelson ’04, Anna Nelson, Kari (Peterson) Nelson ’04, Spencer Nelson, Linnea Rohlwing, Jenn (Lewallen) Rohlwing ’99, Jeff Rohlwing ’99. Third row: Paul Mullen ’79, Kent Evenstad ’57, David Coe ’80, Hugh Jones ’81.
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The Rotto family raised a Luther flag along with the US and Norwegian flags during their Rotto Ruckus family reunion at Minnesota’s Lake Minnetonka in early August. The owner of the house where they gathered was a Concordia grad (David Roen), so the family had a ceremonial lowering of the Cobber flag and a raising of the Luther flag, as he was outnumbered that day. Front row, left to right: Kathy (Hermanson) Rotto ’57, Curt Rotto ’60, Luther Rotto ’71, Ruth “Bunny” (Rotto) Lyngaas ’58, Alma “Cammy” Rotto-Morgan ’61, Jonnette “Jo” (Rotto) Martinson ’69. Back row: Ann (Knutson) Rotto ’61, Annika Rotto ’19, Hans Rotto ’90, Mary (Matthews) Rotto ’90, Brad Prestemon ’84, Kari (Rotto) Prestemon ’87. 6
Nancy Jones ’69, center, with Gail Agrawal, University of Iowa College of Law dean, and university president J. Bruce Herreld, has received the Hancher–Finkbine Medallion from the university, one of the highest awards it bestows on faculty and professional staff. The honor recognizes learning, leadership, and loyalty over the span of a professional career. Since its founding in 1990, Jones has directed the Writing Resource Center at the law school, the first law school-based writing center in the country and a model subsequently adopted by numerous law schools throughout the United States.
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This past summer, more than 32 Luther alumni participated in a weeklong summer science workshop, Finding Your Inner Scientist, organized around the notion “Do Science, Teach Science.” Teachers participated in inquiry-based activities, examined the Next Generation Science Standards, and connected with Luther’s science faculty and research students as they conducted scientific investigations and networked with fellow teachers to improve their science teaching and skills. These workshops were supported by the Howard-Hughes Medical Institute Grant that ended in August. Front row, left to right: Kari (Sena) Gordon ’81, Kelsey Bies ’14, Amanda Take ’14, Logan Hjerleid ’14, Beth (Satre) Isaacson ’93, Kirsten (Tokheim) Wrieden ’93. Back row: Birgitta Meade ’84, Amy Stockseth ’08, Karla (Nelson) Balk ’83, Torey (Olson) McElroy ’06, Beth (Williams) Horning ’94, Becky Bohr ’07, Peder Hansen ’01. 8
Front row, left to right: associate professor of education Barbara Bohach, Katie Terhune ’11, Meg (Craft) Numedahl ’07, Elizabeth (Tabatt) Ziemann ’91, Kris Behm Gresl ’87, Lee Ann (Ewer) Kittleson ’85, Emma Benson ’13, Kyle Holder ’12, Quincy Voris ’12, instructor in environmental studies Emily Neal. Back row: Ruth Ann (Lidtke) Sacquitne ’92, Jean (Walleser) Ottaway ’79, Felecia DeJong ’11, Kathy Srock Olson ’06, Peter Potter ’81, Jake Doty ’13, James Rothert ’90, Dave Kahl ’91.
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ALUMNI NEWS Kyle Hustedt owns a cabaret and craft cocktail lounge in St. Louis, known as the Monocle. He lives in Chicago and continues to operate the Chicago Cabaret Project and produce shows and tours. He produced his first international tour to Mexico last March. Breanne (Johnson) Kinnunen is pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Sault Sainte Marie, Mich. Erica Lamm is assistant professor of communications at Concordia University in Seward, Neb. Jen (Strum) Schuller is a broker associate for Iowa Realty in Ankeny. Devon Whitehead is a psychologist and DBT therapist at Associated Clinic of Psychology in Minneapolis. Eli Williamson of Chicago was named to the Mighty 25: Veterans to Watch in 2017 by We Are the Mighty. Williamson is the cofounder and president of Leave No Veteran Behind and was previously the director of the Veterans Program for the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. He was also recently named a member of the Obama Foundation’s Inclusion Council.
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Bjorn Berg is national sales trainer at TASC in Madison, Wis.
Aric Asplund is president of International Enviroguard in Mesquite, Texas. Terry Blessing III of Lamoni, Iowa, is director of revenue cycle operations for nThrive. Erin (Stokes) Boerschel is a special needs trust advisory specialist at Wells Fargo Bank in Minneapolis. Ashley (Reiman) Doddridge was awarded two Champions for Learning grants for Collier Country School District in Naples, Fla. Ana (Meyer) Eliason of Minneapolis is a career and internship professional at the University of Minnesota (College of Liberal Arts), assisting college students with their transition from student to chosen career.
Amber Wilson is advanced care planning social worker for the VA Central Iowa Health System in Des Moines.
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Sabrina (Johnson) Hemmerling is a pharmacy technician instructor at Saint Paul College in St. Paul, Minn. Emily (Lukasek) Strong is the supervisor for the Business Relationships Team for the state of Minnesota in St. Paul. Thomas Velishek is the human resources manager for Certified Restoration in Huron, Ohio. Trenton Williams earned a specialist in education degree from Drake University. He is dean of students at Jackson Elementary School, Des Moines, Iowa.
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Justin Albers is principal of Decorah Middle School.
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Meghan (Karels) Myron-Karels is director of GALS Futures at Girls Athletic Leadership School in Denver. Ryan Nilsestuen is chief legal counsel for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction in Madison. Anna Osterbur Peterson is a teacher at Chase Elementary School in Cincinnati.
Maren Hadley is a master coach for Minnesota Reading Corps in St. Paul. Andrew Haugen is an attorney for Haugen Law Group in Chaska, Minn.
Salma (Alibhai) Patel earned a medical doctorate and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Arizona Medical School. She is completing a sleep medicine fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Andy Rump earned an MBA with emphasis in finance from Washington State University. He is a naval flight officer on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in San Diego.
Karl Hoeschen teaches English at Prairie Seeds Academy in Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Rachel (Morley) Barnes is a veterinarian in Burnsville, Minn. Scott Boyken of Seattle is a biochemist and researcher at the University of Washington. He is the first author of the science paper “De Novo Design of Protein Homooligomers with Modular HydrogenBond Network Mediated Specificity.” Hemie Collier is interim director of intercultural life at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Emily Holley of Des Moines, Iowa, was presented the C. Kenneth Meyer Rising Star Award at Drake University, recognizing a recent master of public administration degree recipient who has made a significant impact in his or her community or profession. Holley received the award as recognition for her work with the Iowa Environmental Council, the Alzheimer’s Association, and as an advocate for those living with chronic pain. Tom Lindsley is senior interaction designer at Workiva in Ames, Iowa.
Lindsey Hoodjer earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of Northern Iowa. She is a social worker for the Des Moines (Iowa) Public Schools. Nick Leslein is a physician and a fellow in abdominal imaging within the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco. His presentation “Overnight Subspecialty Teleradiology Support in a Radiology Resident Program” received a Gold Merit Abstract Award in the “Informatics and Innovations” category at the American College of Radiology annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in 2016.
Laura (Schuurman) Rasmussen teaches fourth grade at Cap Cana Heritage School, a project-based school for age one through high school in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Christopher Angelica is the lead management consultant at Allstate Insurance Company in Northbrook, Ill.
Jarrod Quinlivan is manager of patient care services, behavioral health, at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, N.C.
Ragnhild Hjeltnes is a consular officer with the Royal Norwegian Consulate General Office in Minneapolis.
Claire (Brenton) Haedike is a psychologist on the behavioral health practice staff at Winneshiek Medical Center Decorah Clinic.
’07
Aaron (Graeser) Grey earned a postgraduate certificate in healthcare administration from Cornell University and is a manager for Allina Health in Minneapolis.
Matt Birkenholz of Chanhassen, Minn., is senior vice president of sales-carrier markets at AddOn. Andrej Kostresevic of Miami is CEO of Nomads and Expack, an engineering company specializing in rapid development of custom, direct-to-consumer, Internet delivery products for mobile, web, and connected devices. Expack delivers custom food packages from an individual’s home country.
Stacey Marlow Fisher was named a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and is an emergency medicine physician at Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo, Iowa.
Brittany (Gregoire) Rosas is a cytotechnologist for Olmsted Medical Center in Rochester, Minn.
’06
Chris Bellinder is a sales professional with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Southern Coast Real Estate in Charleston, S.C. Jonathan Curry is managing director at Geosynthetic Materials Association in Roseville, Minn.
Kendra Swanson is a scientist in residence for the Cedarburg School District at the Riveredge Nature Center in Saukville, Wis. Leah (Kinnaird) Vejzovic is employed at Iowa State University’s Child Welfare Research and Training Project as the domestic violence response coordinator for the Iowa Department of Human Services in Des Moines. Katie Woodzick is a graduate student in the MFA program in theatre at Naropa University in Boulder, Colo. Her graduate thesis focuses on depictions of gender nonconforming characters in modern plays as well as
ALUMNI NEWS how to make the theatre industry more inclusive for gender nonconforming artists.
Danielle (Chinander) Reitsma is professor of neuroscience at Azusa (Calif.) Pacific University. Her research focuses on disease/disorders of the nervous system.
Kimberly (Hess) and Paul Meirick ’07 live in Nashville. Kim works in nursing informatics at the University of California–San Diego. Paul is primary care sports medicine fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Brittany (Buczek) and Nathan Todd ’09 purchased the Sugar Bowl Ice Cream Company in Decorah from Luther alumnus Craig Running ’68. Brittany is also owner and photographer for Photography by Brittany in downtown Decorah.
Aaron Peterson is assistant professor of instruction at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
’11
David Seiffert is a genetic counselor at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wis.
’08
Kadra Abdi is a communications and program associate at Legal Rights Center in South Minneapolis, Minn. Jordan Anderson is the personnel security team lead for U.S Customs and Border Protection in Phoenix, Ariz. Alexandra Burrows is a hospital social worker at Johnston Willis Hospital in Richmond, Va. Tess Cody is campus outreach coordinator for Crisis Intervention Services at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Kathleen (Lunsford) Durbin earned a master’s degree in linguistics from Northeastern Illinois University and an executive coaching certificate from the University of St. Thomas. She is senior human resources consultant for Allstate Insurance Company in St. Paul, Minn. Anne (Karlin) and Ryan Gibbs live in St. Louis. Anne is the school social worker at Webster Groves High School and an adjunct faculty member at Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. Ryan earned a master’s degree in teaching middle school education (mathematics) at Webster University and teaches eighth-grade mathematics at Hancock Place Middle School. Katie (Curran) Hallman is executive director of Theatre Cedar Rapids in Iowa. Tyler Hendrickson was awarded an Iowa Performance Assistantship with the Center for New Music at the University of Iowa and is a doctoral student in music at the university. Emily (Workman) and J.P. McGinnis ’10 live in Overland Park, Kan. Emily earned an interdisciplinary PhD in music education and teacher education/curriculum studies from the University of Missouri–Kansas City and is adjunct professor of music education of the Interdisciplinary PhD Program at UMKC. She also conducts her band, New Horizons, and supervises student teachers in the Kansas City metro area. J.P. completed a PhD degree in molecular and integrative physiology and is in medical school at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Godson Sowah is a senior manager in the advisory services practice of Ernst & Young in Minneapolis. He was appointed by Minnesota governor Mark Dayton to the Minnesota Board of Accountancy for his mentorship and support for the community to help build a culture of diversity and inclusivity. His recent recognitions include a 2016 St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce Young Professional of the Year Award and being named a Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal Titans of Technology honoree. Genevieve (Mussman) Van Osdel is project engineer for Union Pacific Railroad in Omaha, Neb. Benjamin Yates earned a doctor of musical arts degree in trombone performance and pedagogy from the University of Iowa. He is assistant professor of music at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette. Nathanial Youngquist earned a master’s degree in special education– academic behavioral strategist from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.
’09
Allyson Czechowicz is a landscape architect at West 8 Urban Design & Landscape Architecture in New York City. Dana Franzen-Klein is a veterinary medicine resident and master’s student at the Gabbert Raptor Center of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in St. Paul. Lindsey Johnson is associate registrar at the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Ore. Kyle Lilly earned certification as a professional soil scientist and is a product manager and soil scientist for Timac Agro, a France-based sustainable agriculture company in Minneapolis. Colton Long is the managing associate attorney specializing in labor and employment advising and litigation at Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago and is a board member for Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. He’s also a baritone in the Chicago Chorale.
Laura Thompson is a juris doctor candidate at Pepperdine School of Law in Malibu, Calif. Joy Waughtal earned a master’s degree in public health from the Colorado School of Public Health in Aurora.
’10
Megan (Hallberg) Bang of Forest City, Iowa, is a software engineer for Huron Consulting Group in Chicago. Anna Bullard teaches English as a second language at Universal Academy Charter School in St. Paul, Minn. Abraham Campos completed the emergency medicine residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He is an emergency medical services fellow at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn. Susannah Clark is digital marketing manager for VISION EASE in Ramsey, Minn. Jason Mott is the high school instrumental music director at the American School of Dubai (United Arab Emirates). Laurel (Whitis) Mueller earned a DO degree from Des Moines University. She is an internal medicine resident at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Nora Shaffer is a freelance clarinetist and private instructor in Chicago. She has appeared with the Illinois Philharmonic, South Bend Symphony, and Illinois Symphony Orchestra, among others. She is a Vandoren artist and maintains an active concert and clinic schedule as principal clarinet/e-flat clarinet with the Lake Effect Clarinet Quartet (LECQ). The quartet appeared at the Chicago Clarinet Symposium in May and the International Clarinet Association’s Clarinet Fest in August. LECQ was also awarded an August residency at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute with composer Jonathan Hannau. Shaffer maintains studios at Marian Catholic High School, Lake Central High School, and at Puzon’s Musical Instruments. Sarah (Palm) Spencer is a client service manager at Gruen Digital Marketing Agency in Minneapolis.
Samriddh Burman and Rewant Lokesh work for Aarbur Jute Products in Calcutta, India. Burman is director of marketing for Aarbur and founder of the Burlap People, an environmentally conscious brand that creates travel bags, purses, and backpacks that honor the tradition of jute making. Lokesh takes care of daily operations at the Burlap People. Katie Deaver earned a PhD in theological studies/feminist theology from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. She is director of music ministry at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Glenview, Ill. Courtney (Gill) Geradin teaches fifth grade at Heritage Christian School in North Liberty, Iowa. Kirsten Jacobson earned a master’s degree in international public affairs from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and was awarded the Director’s Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement. She is an associate-global public sector at Grant Thornton in Washington, D.C. Ryan Kuhn is vice president of Internet marketing for Scorpion in Valencia, Calif. Kara (Schrapp) Linskey is category marketing lead—TVs at a Best Buy in Minneapolis. Kate McDonald teaches fifth-grade language arts at High Point Academy in Aurora, Colo. Camille (Stenhaug) McVenes is senior accountant, corporate financial reporting, at Target Corporation in Minneapolis. William Morris is associate editor and reporter for Owatonna (Minn.) People’s Press. Aliyah Richling of Stoddard, Wis., is a vocalist for the United States Air Force Heartland of America Band. Mari (Henderson) Sharpe is marketing manager at 1517 Media in Minneapolis.
’12
Kelsey (Klimesh) Allendes teaches pre-K to second grade music at Stewart Elementary School in Washington, Iowa. Alex Anderson-Kahl is an account executive at Agency 212 in Sioux Center, Iowa. Stephanie (Adix) Engebretson is a social worker at Southwest Middle School in the Albert Lea (Minn.) School District.
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ALUMNI NEWS
Cinnamo ’03 World record holder This July, Josh Cinnamo ’03 competed with the U.S. team in the London World Para Athletics Championships. Cinnamo, who has a congenital amputation, has made a name for himself among adaptive athletes. He holds eight national titles in discus, shot put, and javelin, and he’s a 2017 world record holder in shot put. He placed fourth in the category at the London Para games, setting another American record, bringing his total American track and field record count to six. Cinnamo, a data center infrastructure manager for the state of Minnesota, responded to our questions this summer. DID YOU GROW UP PLAYING SPORTS?
Sports ruled our world growing up in San Diego. My brothers (one being Chris Cinnamo ’98, Luther Athletic Hall of Famer) and neighborhood friends congregated around a ball. As fun as the games were, they were fiercely competitive. For me, sports were an opportunity to prove (mostly to myself ) that I was as valuable an asset in sports as the next person. When you’re born with a builtin disadvantage, as most people see it, you seek an environment as tough as possible as a proving ground. Sports of the unorganized variety set the tone for my love of competition. WERE YOU AN ATHLETE AT LUTHER?
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FALL 2017
Luther head football coach Brad Pole recruited me to Luther to play football in the summer of 1999. I lettered in football all four years and in track and field my final three years. When I finished my Luther athletic career, I was the school record holder for PATs [points after touchdown] and ranked second in total points scored (kicking). I also had a top10 javelin throw in school history. WHEN AND HOW DID YOU ENTER THE POSTCOLLEGIATE WORLD OF COMPETITIVE SPORTS?
When I finished at Luther, I wanted to continue competitive sports. To my surprise, there were two arena-league football teams that asked me to try out in the summer of 2003. Unfortunately for me, I had, as one former coach put it, “an NFL leg with high school accuracy.” If you’ve ever seen the goalposts in the arena league, they are only a few feet apart . . . So when I moved to the Twin Cities in 2004, I joined a semiprofessional football team and kicked for one final season. The following year, my kicking career was over. In 2011 and on the advice of friend and Luther alumna Lynn Dalhed ’02, I started CrossFit. It’s essentially the idea that you cross-train for any life situation. In my four years at Luther, I’d be surprised if I ever touched a free weight. CrossFit opened my eyes to a lot of possibilities based on my physical limitations. Thankfully,
the owner of CrossFit Templar at the time was open to the idea of taking on an adaptive athlete and willing to spend time adapting movements to get me the type of workout the able-bodied athletes were receiving. As time passed and I became more familiar with my body, I tried more movements. As long as I made up the difference between my short arm and the normal one, I was probably okay. CrossFit taught me a lot about life. It was okay to crawl, walk, run. After a few months, I was in full sprint. I was performing technical Olympic lifts and surpassing every lifting record in the gym all on the body I was given. . . . I soon received a call from the founders of Team Some Assembly Required, a 501c3 nonprofit that at the time was putting together an adaptive CrossFit team to compete against able-bodied athletes at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio. With a bit of apprehension and a lot of excitement, I joined the team and began competing in CrossFit, powerlifting, and strongman. Soon I’m transitioning into a leadership position focused on the future of adaptive sports. TELL US ABOUT THE FIRST TIME YOU WON A MAJOR TITLE.
In 2014, when I decided to enter the US Paralympic Track and Field National Meet, my wife [Kate (Swenson) Cinnamo ’03] and I partially used it as an excuse to take a vacation to San Francisco. I don’t think either of us saw me winning the discus, shot put, and javelin with new American records. What struck me most was the level of competitiveness of the athletes. I had this misconception that para sports were recreational, but it completely changed my mentality in training and made me respect the athletes much more than I had.
WHY DO YOU COMPETE? WHAT IS MOST CHALLENGING ABOUT IT? HOW DO YOU KEEP YOURSELF MOTIVATED?
I compete now for two reasons: 1. It shaped who I am and gave me the confidence to look past my congenital amputation and realize that with work, there isn’t a human on earth I can’t compete with in life. Even as an adult, I still need to prove that to myself. 2. I want my kids to see that hard work precedes everything worthwhile. The most challenging part of competing at a high level now is that time is expensive. Every minute counts, and if I choose to spend that minute with my kids or Kate, it takes away from my training. It’s a delicate balance. I stay motivated because even at the age of 36, I’m still learning. I’m still succeeding. I’m still at a point where I can grow. WHAT ARE YOUR NEXT PLANS FOR COMPETITION?
I’ve got two years of hard work to put in prior to the 2019 Para Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru, and the 2019 World Para Championships (location yet to be determined). Once those are over, my focus will turn to Tokyo and the 2020 Paralympics.
ALUMNI NEWS
COURTESY JOSH CINNAMO '03
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ALUMNI NEWS Sam Felt is a staffer for Representative Jeff Holdings in Madison, Wis.
Xiao Xie is a quantitative management associate for Bank of America in Charlotte, N.C.
Andrew Finanger is solar energy professional project coordinator for Independent Power Systems in Boulder, Colo.
’13
Carah (Claflin) Hart is a vocal music specialist for Hopkins Public Schools in Minnetonka, Minn. Josh Hoffman of Des Moines, Iowa, is area manager for US Water Services. Lindsey (Getchell) and Andrew Kraabel ’11 live in Champlin, Minn. Lindsey is a registered nurse on the postpartum unit at Maple Grove Hospital; Andrew is a technician at Network Medics Inc. in Minneapolis. Paige Lenoch is a business analyst associate for Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America in Minneapolis. Erin Mykleby is assistant athletic director—marketing, promotions, and fundraising for Saint Leo University in St. Leo, Fla. Brittinae (Dralle) Nelson earned a master’s degree in early childhood unified emphasis from Upper Iowa University. She teaches special education for the North Fayette Valley Community School District in Elgin, Iowa. Mitchel Obey is an orthopedic surgery resident at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University/St. Louis Children’s Hospital Consortium in St. Louis. Andrew Papke-Larson earned a master’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Minnesota and is a landscape architect with HKGi in Minneapolis. Aaron Schmaltz is a specialty team member at Whole Foods Market in Minneapolis.
Joel Barkel is a Peace Corps volunteer in Ruhango, Rwanda. Jordan Burkhart earned a master’s degree in student affairs from Iowa State University. He is residence life coordinator for Colorado School of Mines in Golden.
Caitlin Auer is a training coordinator/professional dog trainer for Stone Mountain Pet Lodge in Grimes, Iowa.
Mitch Patrikus is a branch manager for Enterprise Rent-a-Car at the Owatonna and Northfield, Minn., locations.
Hannah Axt of Arlington, Va., earned a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Illinois.
Andrew Peter of Decorah won the New Ulm Invitational Golf Tournament at the New Ulm Country Club last summer. He is a development officer at Luther College.
James Ayer is an assistant men’s and women’s tennis coach for Colby– Sawyer College in New London, N.H.
Anna DiCecco is the corporate social responsibility coordinator for the Miami (Fla.) Football Club.
Sara (Pecinovsky) Richert is the grades 5–12 band director for the Cochrane–Fountain City (Wis.) School District.
Jessica Edblom is proposal coordinator for IMEG Corp. in Rock Island, Ill.
Alexandra Robinson earned a master’s degree in music at the University of Oklahoma. She is orchestra manager at the Aspen (Colo.) Music Festival.
Emily Hansen earned a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from Kansas City University. She is a resident physician at the Research Medical Center in Kansas City. Laura Harney teaches high school biology at the Girls Athletic Leadership School in Denver. Meredith Hoyland earned a master’s degree in psychology from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She is a doctoral student at the university. Cassandra (Chalhoub) Kotek is marketing director at McKee, Voorhees & Sease in Des Moines, Iowa. Micah Kust is a physical therapist at Force Physical Therapy in Miami. Drew Mick is Knightcaller program manager for Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. Annie (Klepper) Neubauer is a pharmacist for Hartig Drug in Dubuque, Iowa. Annika (Ellison) Scott is a social worker for the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics in Iowa City. Hannah Strack graduated from the University of Iowa’s CIMBA Italy program and is an admissions counselor for the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco. Ashley Wright is ticket office staff manager for Des Moines Performing Arts in Iowa.
Hans Becklin is a seminarian at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He won the 2016 A.R. Wentz Prize in American Lutheran History from the Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic. Tallie Berkvam teaches kindergarten in the Lakeville (Minn.) Public Schools. Katie Berner is store manager at Birds & Words—a Home Boutique in Tyler, Texas. Dylan Essing is an engineer for Target Corporation in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Aaron Ford is customer account manager at Epicor Software in Minneapolis. Ashley (Urspringer) Guillou is a farmer and cheesemaker at the Ferme d’Enez Raden in Saint-Evarzec, France. Kaitlin Heikkinen is a client technology specialist at Securian Financial Group in St. Paul, Minn. Carolyn Juergens is the communications coordinator at Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative in Portland. Alexander Kalal of South St. Paul, Minn., is a reliability analyst for Compass Airlines. Tobias Kohl of Minneapolis is a financial services office—assurance senior at EY in Chicago.
Mikki Sodergren was named artistic director of the American Traditions Competition in Savannah, Ga., where she is crafting and implementing an education outreach program to expose students to different styles of music. Based in New York, Sodergren travels throughout the year, often performing with the Savannah Philharmonic and the Savannah Voice Festival.
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FALL 2017
Hannah (Wilson) Loewen teaches third grade at TEAM Academy in Waseca, Minn. Katherine (Tangen) Mumm of Burnsville, Minn., is account manager for Life Time Fitness.
’14
Jessa Anderson-Reitz is a programs and services intake coordinator at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity in Minneapolis.
Jaimie Rasmussen is account executive at Catapult Marketing in Minneapolis.
Chris Norton and his father, Terry Norton, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., published a book, The Power of Faith When Tragedy Strikes: A Father-Son Memoir.
Kelsey Smith earned an MM degree in cello performance from the University of North Texas. She teaches orchestra for the Lamar and Downing Middle Schools and Lewisville Independent School District in Flower Mound, Texas. Michelle Strafelda earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of St. Thomas. She also completed a nine-month practicum working as a therapist at Park Avenue Center, a drug treatment center in south Minneapolis. Melissa Tholen is a proxy analyst at Columbia Threadneedle Investments in Minneapolis.
’15
Neal Abbott is director of K–8 faith formation and youth ministry at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Rochester, Minn. Alex Barker is account executive of membership sales for the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis. Paige Harne is the framing manager at Michael’s in Rochester, Minn. Marlon Henriquez teaches kindergarten at Pilsen Community Academy in Chicago. Andrew Herder teaches math at Parkers Prairie (Minn.) High School. Kayla Herman is an HR generalist for Evergreen Bank Group in Oak Brook, Ill. Dietrich Jessen is admissions manager for the Lutheran Music Program in Minneapolis. Bailey Kampa is senior assistant at Securian Financial Group in St. Paul, Minn. Cody Kliethermes is senior financial analyst at Northern Trust Corporation in Chicago. Britta Nyberg is manager in training at Anthropologie in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.
ALUMNI NEWS Nana Ama Odame is an individual master data management business analyst at Optum— UnitedHealth Group in Eden Prairie, Minn. Jennifer Schmidt is farm manager at Hale Akua Garden Farm in Haiku, Hawaii. Aldon Severson is territory sales coordinator at Korn Ferry Hay Group in Minneapolis.
Erika Balk is the senior business analyst at Optum—UnitedHealth Group in Eden Prairie, Minn. Tom Breen is an internal wholesaler at Voya Financial in Des Moines, Iowa. Lydia Eager is a business development representative for Groupon in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Cody Arndtson is a professional ballroom dancer, instructor, and marketing coordinator for Dancers Studios in St. Paul, Minn.
Julia Reimann is an intern with Resettlement Case Aide for Refugee Services as part of the Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Charles Weathers is an advertiser account representative at CJ Affiliate in San Francisco.
Greta Anetsberger is a trauma and surgical nurse at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill.
Philip Hanson is activities coordinator for Foothills Gateway in Fort Collins, Colo.
Lindsey Pielage is a physical therapy patient services representative at Twin Cities Orthopedics in Minneapolis.
Kolin Walker is a lab technician for Trecora Chemical in Pasadena, Texas.
Krista Anderson is a cardiothoracic transplant/ cardiovascular surgery progressive care nurse at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Jacob Smith is studio coordinator at Judith B Salon & Academy in Elmhurst, Ill.
Maggie Helms is educational assistant at Seven Hills Preparatory Academy in Bloomington, Minn.
Robert Starr teaches eighth-grade science for the Douglas County Schools in Castle Rock, Colo.
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Frye is a graduate student at the University of Minnesota this fall in the studio of internationally acclaimed tenor John De Haan.
Wesley Frye has been an actively performing tenor in the Young Artists Program at Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Opera Theatre. His stage credits include having sung in the choruses for both Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci, as well as soloing in his most recent opera, Speed Dating.
Blaise Schaeffer is a health software and development engineer with IBM Watson in Durham, N.C. Paul Schafer is an IT regulatory analyst at Pace Analytical Services in Minneapolis.
’17
Matthew Chlebek is an account executive with Midwest Insurance Group in Milwaukee. Madeline Geier is a teaching assistant at the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. Emily Holm is assistant product marketer at Fortress Press in Minneapolis. Amelia Scarbrough was selected by the Austrian-American Educational Commission to serve as a US teaching assistant for the 2017–18 academic year to teach English in secondary schools in Austria.
MARRIAGES
’79 ’86
Chris Cudworth and Suzanne Astra, May 6, 2017
’09
Dana Franzen and Ben Klein, July 9, 2016
Barbara Iversen and Teresa Carson, Jan. 10, 2017
Julia Schumacher and Jamie Utt, Jan. 15, 2017
Jackie Johnson and Kyle Howell, June 27, 2015
’88 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03
Todd Sands and Michelle Beyer, May 22, 2016
’07
’10
Megan Hallberg and Dakota Bang, May 25, 2017 Jason Mott and Angela Staron, July 16, 2016 Laurel Whitis and Matthew Mueller, June 17, 2017
Sommer Anderson and Barry McInerney, Oct. 28, 2016 Rachel Horstmann and Eric Henning, Aug. 5, 2016 Bjorn Berg and Jessica Bothun, March 23, 2017
Leah Knoepfel and Christopher Clark, April 23, 2016 Lindsay Bernhagen and Peter Niswander, Jan. 31, 2017
’11
Courtney Gill and Geoffrey Gerardin, Aug. 5, 2016 Angie Pidde and Jackson Felde ’08, June 24, 2017 Kara Schrapp and Peter Linskey, Aug. 29, 2017
’12
Brittinae Dralle and Aaron Nelson, June 3, 2017 Erin Rutherford and Kingsford Brown-Dadzie, Dec. 23, 2016
’13
Joel Barkel and Christina Espegren, Dec. 31, 2015 Cassandra Chalhoub and Kevin Kotek, Oct. 8, 2016
Elizabeth Harig and Jason Alvarado, Oct. 8, 2016
Sarah Corfman and Paul Hibbing, May 30, 2016
Allison Kimball and Mark Uhlar, Nov. 7, 2016
Kelsi Holmes and Drew Giese, Aug. 5, 2017 Andrea Klepper and Evan Neubauer, Aug. 1, 2015
Leah Kinnaird and Adnan Vejzovic, July 7, 2016 Sarah Kneller and James Krantz, May 20, 2017 Tyler Strand and Kayla Allen, Oct. 8, 2016
’08
Joy Waughtal and Joshua Wise, Sept. 10, 2016
Abby Shuppy and Chet Baboor, March 25, 2017
Kristin Haltinner and Garrett Clevenger, Aug. 1, 2015
’04 ’05 ’06
Lydia Huinker and Brian Black, Aug. 13, 2016
Danny Robb and April Hieb, Oct. 7, 2017
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Sara Pecinovsky and Nicholas Richert, June 20, 2015
Maren Wacholz and Derrek Matson, Dec. 30, 2016
Jocelyn Petersen and Alex Kalal, June 17, 2017
Brianna Wassink and John Butler, July 1, 2017
Katherine Tangen and John Mumm, April 29, 2017 Hannah Wilson and Steve Loewen, July 30, 2016
Kylie Toomer and Anthony Gougler, May 20, 2017 Nathanial Youngquist and Deanna Dvorak, Dec. 10, 2016
’16 ’18
Sydney Gehrt and Alex Hain ’15, June 24, 2017 Anna Balk and Dylan Smallwood ’16, June 3, 2017
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ALUMNI NEWS
BIRTHS
’97
’09
’98
Megan (Helderman) and Blake Humpal, a daughter, Haddie Jane, Dec. 2016
Lori (Stastny) and Chris Hagstrom, a son, Beau David, March 2017
Alicia (Wolber) and Daniel Grindle, a daughter, Josephine Elise, Aug. 2016
Sheri (Osborne) and Bill Hansen, a son, Joseph Robert, April 2017
Stephanie (Borgen) and Keagan Meyer ’11, a son, Louis, Nov. 2015
’99
Nikki (Schimke) and Ryan Flynn, a daughter, Raegan McKenna, March 2017
’00
Becky (Hayward) and Clay Peterson ’99, a daughter, Marit Corah, April 2017 Karrie (Hines) and Nathaniel Theoharis, a daughter, Clara, July 2015
Julia (Jenkins) and Joe Olynyk ’10, a son, Leo, April 2016
Nora Aili Weyers
Camila Alexandra Allendes
Becca (Bellin) and Matt Richardson, a son, Jonah Gerald, Feb. 2017
’01
Mandy (Henderson) and Dave Rowley ’05, a daughter, Mary Sigrid, Feb. 2017
Julie (Satre) and Rik Trytten (deceased), a daughter, Anawrenn Kiramarie, March 2017
Teryl (Price) and James Russell ’02, a son, Kai Anders, March 2016
Emily and Matt Mills, a daughter, Eleanor Marta, April 2017
’02
Sarah (McKlveen) and Mark Beerends, a son, Austin, Jan. 2017 Mandy (Bock) and Dietrich Flesch, a daughter, Samantha Ruth, Jan. 2017 Jaimie (Rasmussen) and Ben Rudolph, a son, Ethan James, May 2016 Audra (Burk) and Jeremy Vann, twin daughters, Hannah Allison and Ruby Lynn, Oct. 2016
’03
Molly (Vanderstoep) and Matt Beatty, twin sons, Arie Walter and Patrick Lee, March 2017
Becca (Hoel) and Stuart Sedlak, twin sons, Milo Joseph and Oscar Stuart, May 2017
’05
Jennifer and Aric Asplund, a son, Brooks, June 2017 Lara (Gilbertson) and Jeremiah Bauer, a son, Henry Samuel, Feb. 2016 Ashley (Reiman) and Chris Doddridge, a son, Owen, May 2016 Brit (Johnson) and Michael Eisele, a son, Soren Paul, Dec. 2016 Stacey (Marlow) and Jed Fisher, a daughter, Laila Marie, April 2017 Taylor and Scott Meyer, a daughter, Ingrid Juel, Aug. 2015
Becky (Johnston) and Richard Bole, a daughter, Lennon, March 2017
Kim (Williams) and Matthew Michlin, a daughter, Annika Esther, Sept. 2016
Krissy (Haltinner) and Garrett Clevenger, a son, Ethan Sur, Jan. 2016
Jen and Jarrod Quinlivan, a son, Rowan Chet, April 2017
Krista (Mahler) and LT Grant, a daughter, Caroline Ellen, Feb. 2017
’06
Amber (Rislow) and Zac Harder, a daughter, Freya, Jan. 2017 Kelsey (Ress) and Phillip Pappano ’04, a son, Owen, Oct. 2015 Laura (Amundson) and Alex Smith, a daughter, Signy Elizabeth, April 2017
’04
Jolene (Hermes) and Mathias Dague ’05, a daughter, Evelyn, Aug. 2015, a son, Elliott, March 2017 Kari (Peterson) and Evan Nelson, a daughter, Anna Caroline, May 2016
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FALL 2017
Sarah (Olson) and Robbie Cutcliffe, a daughter, Wells Rhea, May 2016 Sarah (Schultz) and Brian Doyle, a daughter, Elizabeth Emily, Jan. 2017 Lissa Flaaten, a son, Kaleb Kenneth, born July 2015, adopted April 2017 Jill (Knutson) and Joe Gierok, a daughter, Jacqueline, Jan. 2017 Amanda (Oelrich) and Neil Heller ’05, a daughter, Emily, Feb. 2016 Katie (Ostrem) and Eric Holten, a daughter, Anya, Sept. 2016 Kelsey (Eisenmann) and Kent Shook, a son, Grayson Russell, Jan. 2017
Kaleb Kenneth Flaaten
’07
’11
Bethany (Wichman) and Andrew Lehman, a son, William, March 2017
Carolyn (Starz) and Nathaniel Anderson, a daughter, Inga Margaret, Feb. 2017
Camille (Stenhaug) and Sean McVenes, a daughter, Claire Shirley, March 2017
Rachel (Morley) and Sam Barnes, a son, James Hubert, Sept. 2016
Kelsey (Vaaler) and Jake Vaith ’10, a son, Anders, Nov. 2016
Erin (Smock) and Juan del Cid, a daughter, Avery Elizabeth, May 2017
’12
Kim (Reichert) and Matt Hoegh, a son, Hudson Matthew, June 2016 Sarah (Quick) and Matt Olejniczak, a son, Wilfred John, April 2017 Brittany (Gregoire) and Daniel Rosas, a daughter, Eva Brielle, March 2016
’08
Katherine (Grado) and Zachary Booth, a son, Harrison, Oct. 2016 Megan (Stoner) and Seth Crosby, a daughter, Sophia Noelle, March 2017 Nicolette (De Haan) and Nathaniel Kelley, a son, Luke, April 2016 Emily (Workman) and JP McGinnis ’10, a daughter, Ella Jane, Jan. 2017 Paige and John Meyer, a daughter, Margot Lou, Nov. 2015 Justine (Allen) and Chancy Nordick, a daughter, Violet Elise, April 2017 Cathy (Gilroy) and Jace Senske, a son, Henry James, April 2017 Elise (Moorhead) and Josh Shaw, a daughter, Emersyn Ann, Jan. 2017 Danielle (Knealing) and Raymond Swanson, a son, Oliver John, Sept. 2015 Gena (Mussman) and Aaron Van Osdel, a daughter, Isabel Laura, Sept. 2016 Brianna (Helland) and Sam Weyers, a daughter, Nora Aili, June 2017 Mindy (Sepstrup-Sorensen) and Jonathan Wuebker, a son, Tobias, Dec. 2016
Kelsey (Klimesh) and Edward Allendes, a daughter, Camila Alexandra, Jan. 2017 Tricia (Gunderson) and Bradley Crary, a daughter, Teagan Lynn, July 2017 Carah (Claflin) and Michael Hart ’11, a son, Charles Francis, Dec. 2016 Brittinae (Dralle) and Aaron Nelson, a daughter, Bria Mae, March 2017
’13
Leslie Palmer and Ryan Hackman, a daughter, Sage Elizabeth, March 2017 Sarah (Corfman) and Paul Hibbing, a son, Holden Bravery, Feb. 2017 Annika (Ellison) and Robby Scott, a daughter, Lucy Lorraine, Dec. 2016
’14
Ashley (Urspringer) and Fanch Guillou, a son, Lewis Jean-Yves, March 2017 Megan (Nading) and Mike Stewig, a daughter, Brooklyn, June 2017
ALUMNI NEWS
IN MEMORIAM Obituaries are posted at luther.edu/in-memoriam.
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Minnard “Dusty” Hanson of Burr Ridge, Ill., died April 14, 2017, age 102. Eudoris (Turbenson) Hagen of Alexandria, Minn., formerly of Spring Valley, Minn., died April 13, 2017, age 95. Lee (Lewison) Bjerke of Viroqua, Wis., died March 24, 2017, age 93. John Richard “Jack” Aaker of South Bend, Ind., died Oct. 19, 2015, age 92. Spencer Ameroy Gedestad of Sacramento, Calif., died May 30, 2017, age 94. Bernice Ann (Blockhus) Baird of Reno, Nev., formerly of Ventura, Calif., died Sept. 5, 2016, age 88. Clair “Jim” Larson of Alexandria, Minn., died June 13, 2017, age 91.
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Thomas J. Robinson of Grand Forks, N.D., died May 23, 2017, age 82. Allen Hermeier of Decorah died April 4, 2017, age 80.
Charles “Chuck” Austad of Bemidji, Minn., died Jan. 23, 2017, age 79. Kinley Owen Eittreim of Huntsville, Ala., died June 3, 2017, age 84.
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Curtis Wayne Anderson of Alpharetta, Ga., died May 16, 2015, age 86.
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Edgar N. Nordgaard of Wilton, Conn., died Aug. 11, 2016, age 85.
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Lois D. Jenson of Stillwater, Minn., died May 12, 2017, age 88. Dolores Verene (Godtland) Klausen of Bloomington, Minn., died May 13, 2017, age 92.
Helen Joann (Mart) Martinko of Sharon, Pa., formerly of Sharpsville, Pa., died May 5, 2017, age 83.
Thomas Ames Scharfenberg of Edgerton, Wis., died July 3, 2017, age 80.
Maxine Swiggum of Decorah, died April 14, 2017, age 91.
Alphine A. (Peterson) Bennett of Clarion, Iowa, died March 25, 2017, age 87.
Rodger Keith Nelson of Berlin, Conn., died Feb. 26, 2017, age 83. Leigh R. Wold of Golden Valley, Minn., died Aug. 3, 2017, age 86.
Marie (Holmen) Robinette of Greenfield, Wis., died Jan. 26, 2016, age 89.
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Conrad E. Larson of Apple Valley, Minn., formerly of Willmar, Minn., died March 31, 2017, age 87.
Janet “Jan” Ruth Iverson of New Ulm, Minn., died Oct. 8, 2016, age 78. Jon Wogen of Olivia, Minn., died Jan. 16, 2016, age 77. Lee R. Nylander of Noblesville, Ind., died Jan. 6, 2017, age 76. David LeRoy Osheim of Story City, Iowa, died July 6, 2016, age 76. David W. Teske of Manchester, Iowa, died Feb. 7, 2016, age 75.
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John Palmer Norback of Middleton, Wis., died on March 10, 2017, age 73. Zane Michael “Mike” Van Auken of Forest City, Iowa, died April 17, 2017, age 72. Barbara A. (Bauman) Finger of Janesville, Wis., died March 10, 2017, age 70. Thomas John Tuttle of Alameda, Calif., died April 7, 2017, age 73.
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Dennis C. Johnson of Eldridge, Iowa, died July 31, 2017, age 69. Donald W. Luettjohann of Hiawatha, Iowa, died Feb. 15, 2016, age 66. Rachel Lynn ElsonCanfield of Hot Springs, Ark., died May 15, 2017, age 63. Debra Noble Gamboa of Gilbert, Ariz., died April 20, 2017, age 62. Mark Heistad of Sioux City, Iowa, died April 17, 2017, age 59. Maryjane “MJ” Mclendon of Lawrence, Kan., formerly of Waterloo, Iowa, died Aug. 12, 2016, age 59.
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Gail (Werner) Egenes of Riverside, Calif., died Feb. 27, 2017, age 55. Steven P. Means of Madison, Wis., died July 25, 2017, age 56.
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Andrew James Gray of Northfield, Minn., died July 28, 2017, age 47. Krista Lynn Sandstrom of St. Paul, Minn., died June 1, 2017, age 47.
Carl D. Erickson of Orlando, Fla., died May 7, 2017, age 74. Gayl L. Gitch of Fredericksburg, Iowa, died June 1, 2016, age 73.
LUTHER ALUMNI MAGAZINE
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BOB MODERSOHN PHOTO
COLLECTIONS
ON THE AIR The artifacts and artwork in Luther’s Archives, Ethnographic/Archaeological Collections, Fine Arts Collection, Geology Collection, and the Hoslett Museum of Natural History give students access to original materials for instructional and research purposes. This is the first in a series browsing through those intriguing items. See a schedule of current KWLC programming at luther.edu/kwlc/schedule.
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FALL 2017
This summer, the Luther College Archives unpacked something exciting: the college’s first broadcast radio. The radio had recently been returned from the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, where it had been on display. Luther’s radio station, KWLC, is one of the oldest continuously operating college radio stations in the country, first broadcasting on December 18, 1926, when Luther President Oscar L. Olson, class of 1893, read the Gettysburg Address on air. In these early days of radio broadcasting, while federal legislation was still being worked out, Chips remained optimistic about the station’s future, reporting in the February 2, 1927, edition of the paper: “There is no doubt, however, that the college is in a position to offer programs that will attract attention, and we hope the time is not far distant when KWLC will become familiar letters to our many friends who have been looking forward to the time when Luther College would be ‘on the air.’”
C A LENDA R
Luther Family Weekend Friday, September 22– Sunday, September 24 Luther College Alumni, staff, and friends of Luther gathered at the home of Barbara Kiely ’71 and Eugene Berens in Chicago for a tailgate picnic before the Aug. 5 Chicago Cubs game against the Washington Nationals. Joining the party were, left to right, Becca Alcock, Emily Alcock ’17, Erin Ellefsen ’17, and Carly Ellefsen ’15.
Twin Cities Lunch Connection
Alumni Council and Class Agent Meeting Friday, October 6 Luther College
Luther Homecoming Friday, October 6– Sunday, October 8 Luther College
Twin Cities Lunch Connection Friday, October 13 Roseville Lutheran Church Roseville, Minnesota
Reception Saturday, October 14 Seattle, Washington
Des Moines Area Lunch Connection Friday, October 20 Windsor Heights Community Center Windsor Heights, Iowa
The Reformation of Everything Symposium Tuesday, October 31 Luther College
Reformation Commemoration Concert Tuesday, October 31 Luther Music Department premieres the Luther Cantata Luther College
PETE ELLEFSEN ’85 PHOTO
Friday, September 22 Roseville Lutheran Church Roseville, Minnesota
Twin Cities Lunch Connection
Twin Cities Lunch Connection
Twin Cities Lunch Connection
Friday, November 3 Roseville Lutheran Church Roseville, Minnesota
Friday, February 23 Roseville Lutheran Church Roseville, Minnesota
Friday, April 27, 2018 Roseville Lutheran Church Roseville, Minnesota
Vietnam and Cambodia Tour
Twin Cities Lunch Connection
Nordic Choir Companion Tour
Friday, November 3– Monday, November 20 Hosted by Ann Highum and Jerry Freund
Friday, March 23, 2018 Roseville Lutheran Church Roseville, Minnesota
Wednesday, May 28— Friday, June 8, 2018 Throughout Germany to Prague, Czech Republic
St. Thomas Boys Choir of Leipzig, Germany Saturday, November 18 Center Stage Series Luther College
Christmas at Luther Thursday, November 30– Sunday, December 3 Luther College
Des Moines Area Lunch Connection Friday, February 16, 2018 Windsor Heights Community Center Windsor Heights, Iowa
Luther Evening Prayer Service Friday, March 23, 2018 Tuscany Falls Golf Club at Pebble Creek Goodyear, Arizona
13th Annual Kent Finanger ’54 Golf Classic Saturday, March 24, 2018 Tuscany Falls Golf Club at Pebble Creek Goodyear, Arizona
Des Moines Area Lunch Connection
Crystal Cruises Coastal Collection Tour Tuesday, July 31— Friday, August 10, 2018 San Francisco to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Optional pre-cruise tour to California Wine Country Hosted by Lois and Kent Finanger ’54
Sicily and Malta Tour Monday, October 7— Saturday, October 20, 2018 Hosted by Uwe Rudolf and Ruth Caldwell
Friday, April 20, 2018 Windsor Heights Community Center Windsor Heights, Iowa
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!
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Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045
LUTHER PHOTO BUREAU
Luther erected a welcome sign for an estimated 15,000 riders on RAGBRAI —the (Des Moines) Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa—July 28, and doled out free Gatorade, water, and Norse cookies. The rider shown here also got one of the free Luther logo buffs for alumni wearing their Luther gear. It was College Spirit Day on the ride.
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