LUTHER CLASS OF 1967 50th Anniversary Celebration

Homecoming 2017 October 6-8

TO LUTHER “PRI SEC” To Luther let us sing

A joyous song of love and cheer, Pri-sec-ter-qua May our voices loudly ring Hoopla! Boomla! In praise of Alma Mater dear. We yell Luther Thy mem’ry dear we’ll cherish Zip! Bang! Rah! Rah! And ever recollect thy care. That thy fame may never perish Is the burden of our prayer.

Our hearts are light and free

Whene’er we to Old Luther sing; FIELD SONG May she now and ever be Faithful to our Heavenly King! Our team goes in to fight and win, The spirit of old drives them on. Chorus With a “Pri Sec” shout May our thoughts to thee oft turn We all come out When we’re absent far away To yell for Luther who wins today. May we then sincerely yearn And Luther’s team is strong; To return to thee some day. They fight as long As victory hangs in doubt, Tune: “There’s Music in the Air” Opponents fall

‘Fore Luther’s wall,

All hail to our College

Lilah Estrem Aas

Spouse: Gordon D. Aas

Address: 1129 Lakeview Blvd. Albert Lea, MN 56007

Phone: 507-373-8617

Cell: 507-318-0112

Email: [email protected]

------

After graduating with a major in English and a minor in Secondary Education, I was hired at Albert Lea High School where I spent my entire teaching career from 1967-2000. I met my husband there, as he was also an English teacher.

Over the years I became involved in the theater department and directed intermittently until 2017. I took an early retirement in 2000 to be able to spend time with my husband who had been diagnosed with cancer. He died in 2001.

Over the years I have been extremely active in my church, First Lutheran of Albert Lea. I have sung in the choir, played in the handbell choir, served on commissions, and been President of the congregation. I have also been active in the Southeastern Synod serving as Conference Dean, on Synod Council, and on the Executive Committee.

In the community, I am a Rotarian, play in two different orchestras, serve as a Hospice volunteer, volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, and serve on the board of the Albert Lea Education Foundation. Retirement has given me the time to honor my passion of service.

My time at Luther was a time of great learning expanding the values with which I had been raised. I encourage young people to consider Luther and am pleased that several have done so. Soli Deo Gloria! John Albrecht

Spouse: Gayle (Jacobson) Albrecht ‘68

Address: 943 W Edge Pl New Richmond, WI 54017

Cell: 651-238-8010

Email: [email protected]

------

Currently retired, and loving it ! Married June 8, 1968 to Gayle Jacobson Class of 1968. We have two children and two grand children. Over the years I have worked, one way or another, in Insurance as an independent Agent, 10 years in the banking industry, and since 1982 in Real Estate and Real Estate Appraisal. In 2001 I went to work for the US Army Corps of engineers as an appraiser and real estate specialist. I retired from the Corps in April of 2013 as the Chief of Appraisal, St. Paul District of the Corps.

In retirement, I have maintained a real estate appraisal license, and still work (very part time) on the real estate acquisitions necessary for a major flood control project in Fargo, ND.

We spend most of our summer time on Kidney Lake in Cumberland, WI. Rodger Ashman

Spouse: Carol Marshall Ashman

Address: 914 South William Street Mount Prospect, IL. 60056

Phone: 847-392-7428

Cell: 847-420-3391

Email: [email protected]

------

Luther impacted my life by my professors and courses and led me to a successful accounting career. I was on the track team four years and the cross country team three years. The guys on the teams all worked as hard as they could to make both teams conference champions every year. Being on those teams helped us bond together and support each other in academics, too. Also, I realized that I had to use my time wisely to study because so much of my time was spent competing in the two sports. Accounting and auditing were my career choices for 43 years. In our junior year of college, my special friend from high school and I got engaged. We were married the summer after we graduated and have lived in Mount Prospect for 50 years. My wife and I traveled in two years ago to celebrate our 70th birthdays. I have traveled in all 50 states plus and Canada. I retired when I was 66, and have enjoyed traveling and volunteering at a nearby hospital two days a week. If I had to give advice to current Luther students, I would tell them to put academics first and social life next. Ann (Gulsvig) Bergstad

Spouse: John Bergstad

Address: 5209 Mirror Lakes Drive Edina MN 55436-2050

Phone: 952-925-8680

Email: [email protected]

------

John and I have two children, (neither one chose to attend Luther), who live in the Twin Cities area. John still works as President of Bergstad Properties while I’m retired from teaching Spanish.

The Luther family and friend connection has always been a given, but little did I know way back when how my excellent Spanish education would continue to impact my life. I enjoyed my teaching career and continue to use my Spanish skills consistently. I enjoy my volunteer job helping students—often those from Spanish speaking countries—at the Ronald McDonald House School. But the most fun is my weekly tennis lesson from a young pro from Puerto Rico who speaks to me only in Spanish!

We continue to do a fair amount of world travel, but one of our favorite annual trips is to Luther to attend Christmas at Luther.

Carol Birkland

Spouse: Tom Woxland

Address: 1018 Walnut St. Decorah, IA 52101

Phone 563-382-5647

Cell: 612-710-3960

Email: [email protected]

------

Singing in and traveling to Europe at the age of 22 was transformational for me. It set me on a path of international Lutheran Church work that honestly, I would have been happy to do for free but instead I was paid to do. It took me all over the world with the last seven years living in Geneva, working for the Lutheran World Federation.

After coming back home in 1998, I returned to Luther College as Dir. of Church Relations but then Thrivent Financial for Lutherans made me an offer I could not refuse (I refused it twice, but the third time, it was just too good). After seven years with Thrivent, my husband Tom and I came back to Decorah to build our retirement house on a bluff overlooking the Upper River. Since then, I have been doing a lot of volunteer work in the area like helping organize the Decorah Community Meal at First Lutheran Church which serves about 200 people twice a month and doing volunteer income tax preparation for low income folks (Tom, the lawyer, is the brains behind this; I am just data entry). I have also served on the Boards of Habitat for Humanity, the Decorah Human Rights Commission and currently Lutheran Social Services of Iowa.

Of course, one of my dreams has now become a reality with the production of the film documenting Nordic Choir's first international tour in 1967. I always knew there was a great story to be told about that event and with the help of a lot of great people - especially Aidan Spencer and Jackie Wilkie - "To This Day: Remembering Nordic Choir's First International Tour" will be shown on Homecoming weekend. I served as a consultant to the project.

What advice would I give to Luther students? Take advantage of study abroad programs. Get out of this country and see how other people live. It is important to do this when you are young so you are open to new things. It will give you a great beginning to a life of responsible global citizenship which is important now, but even more so in the future. Leland R. Blom

Spouse: Mrs. Karen M. Blom

Address: 1675 Kennedy Drive Green Bay WI 54304

Phone: 920-499-5313

Cell: 619-2007

------

I’m married for 49 years. We have three children and four grandchildren ranging from one to sixteen years old. We have lived in Green Bay all our lives. I’m a retired teacher and school counselor. Ann (Halweg) Coplen

Address: PO Box 7297 Rochester MN 55903

Phone: 507-281-2314

Cell: 507-202-5851

------

The Luther College campus was so beautiful and peaceful in August 1963. I met many new girlfriends at Larsen Hall. The next three years I was in Brandt Hall. I worked at the switchboard.

My major was Elementary Education under Dr. Strand. Spring 1965 I accepted a job at Flagg Ranch which was posted on the Luther bulletin board. June 1965 I met Jim from Indiana at the ranch outside of Yellowstone in Wyoming. Spring 1966 I accepted a job in Illinois which was posted on the Luther bulletin board. I worked at a home in Lake Forest. Jim worked in . Many of us Luther sisters had diamond rings our senior year. Jim and I were married in July 1967 in Preston after graduation. I taught 2nd grade in Palatine, IL. I took the job interview at Luther. We moved back to Minnesota in the summer of 1968.

We have two sons, Michael, 48, and Daniel, 45. Both are married. Jim lost his battle with cancer on October 21, 2013. We were married for 46 years. It is a new journey with much appreciation for my Luther sisters, widowed friends, and my church, Hosanna Lutheran. I ordered my Luther class ring last fall. My granddaughter, Samantha Ann, 17, hopes to attend Luther College in fall 2018. Remembering Rev. Don Deines (‘67) By Rachel Drewelow

This article from the Austin Daily Herald was submiited by Judy (Snell) Deines ‘67

------

A longtime fixture in the Lutheran church, and a beloved Austin community member, passed away this weekend. The Rev. Don Deines, 65, of Austin died Sunday, June 6, at Three Links Care Center in Northfield, Minn. Deines served as pastor of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Austin from 1987 until 2004, when he retired after being diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

While in Austin, contemporaries agreed, Deines was well-known for working to bring together the Lutheran and Catholic communities, providing aid to the depressed and simply, his grace. Bishop Harold Usgaard and the Rev. Glenn Monson will officiate the funeral service Friday. Both had known Deines for decades. Monson, now senior pastor at Our Savior’s, was associate pastor under Deines from 1996 to 2004. “It is a huge loss for our community. He was special to many, many people,” he said. “It’s not going to be an easy service Friday.” Monson remembers Deines as an “ecumenically-minded person, who truly believed that God’s love is for all.” He noted that Deines, who had dealt with depression himself, provided special ministries for the depressed.

Deines was involved in the development of D.A.W.N. (Depression Awareness and Wellness Network) at Austin Medical Center, serving on an advisory board, said one of the program’s founders Mary Anne Wolesky. “He was an early supporter and a strong supporter,” she said. “We appreciated him so much.” When the program started in the mid-1990s, Deines organized a memorial service at Our Savior’s for survivors of people who died by suicide, Wolesky said. Usgaard, whose time as pastor at St. Olaf Lutheran Church overlapped with Deines’ at Our Savior’s, recalled that pastors county-wide and even doctors referred their depressed church-members and patients to Deines. “He went out of his way to minister to people who were down and out,” Usgaard said. “He was a grace-filled person. He just lived it.” Usgaard, who met Deines in the 1960s when they were both members of the Nordic Choir at Luther College, said Deines had been “saved by grace,” which was one reason he wanted to help those who suffered from depression.

Deines enjoyed drawing people together, explained his friend, the Rev. Paul Nelson, who was a priest at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church when Deines was at Our Savior’s. “He and I exchanged pulpits,” Nelson said. “And, I brought my confirmation candidates to him and he taught them about the Lutheran tradition. He brought his students to me, and I taught them the Catholic tradition… It was good for both communities to come together.”

Deines, born in Greene, Iowa, spent time in other churches before becoming senior pastor at Our Savior’s. After graduating from Luther, he married Judy Snell in Mason City, Iowa in 1967 before attending Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. He was ordained in 1971 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Greene, Iowa. His first call was as youth pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in LeMars, Iowa. He later served as co-pastor at Emmanuel Lutheran in Tacoma, Wash., pastor of Underwood Lutheran Church in Underwood, Iowa and pastor of life and growth at Bethel Lutheran in Rochester, Minn., before coming to Austin where he would run into his college friend Usgaard again. “He was a kind and gracious person who preached about the love of God and lived that love out in the community. We will all miss him,” Usgaard said. Deines is survived by his wife, Judy Deines, of Northfield, Minn.; children, Benjamin Deines of Austin, Joseph (Becky) Deines of Bend, Ore., Sarah (The Rev. Dan) Forsgren of Cannon Falls, Minn.; grandchildren, Autumn Weeks, Donny, Karis and William Forsgren; siblings, Joe (Fontell) Deines of Cordova, Ill., The Rev. John (Martha) Deines of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Carol (Jim) Neessen of Tucson, Ariz.; mother-in-law, Leola Snell of Mason City, Iowa; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Pat and Dr. Keith Colwell of Johnston, Iowa, Dr. Mick and Carol Snell of Hampton, Iowa; nieces, nephews and cousins. Judy (Snell) Deines

Spouse: Don Deines (deceased)

Address: 3736 Bernoulli Loop Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815

Cell: 507-440-1417

Email: [email protected]

------I was the first in my family to go away to a four year college, so it was a BIG deal. As a high school senior, I decided that I wanted to go to St. Olaf. BUT my dad was on the church council, my pastor (Paul Hanson's dad) was on the Luther Board of Regents, and my mother's family history went back to Decorah through the Hendrickson and Kaasa families. So "it was meant to be." Luther changed my whole life...starting with the soul changing experience of belonging to Nordic Choir. During my first weeks at Luther I auditioned for band (flute) and choir and to my shock I made both! I had a decision to make. As I was growing up, my first desire was to become a teacher... second choice was to become an opera singer like Anna Maria Alberghetti. So the choice was choir. It was a good decision for me. I LOVED singing...and I met my future husband, Don Deines, in Nordic. My plan as a freshman was to be a math major and teach high school math. I graduated with a major in French and a minor in math and secondary education. Certainly college highlights for me were choir tours, including the unforgettable six week European tour in 1967. Another very important experience was spending interim my junior year studying in Paris, France. Favorite professors would include , Odell Bjerkness, Richard Hanson, and Harris Kaasa.

Don and I married in August of 1967. I taught French at Kellogg Senior High in Roseville, MN while Don attended Luther Seminary. We had our first child during his senior year...a son, Benjamin. Don was ordained in 1971 and we moved to LeMars, Iowa, where he was youth pastor at St. John's Lutheran Church. Our second son, Joseph, was born there. We moved to Tacoma, WA, in 1974 where Don served as co-pastor. We returned to Iowa where Don was a solo pastor at Underwood, Iowa...near Council Bluffs. Our daughter, Sarah, was born there. In 1979 we moved to Rochester, MN, where Don was on the staff of Bethel Lutheran Church for eight years. After 11 years at home with our children, I went back to teaching French. I taught three years between two junior highs and then 12 years at John Marshall High School. I LOVED teaching!! In 1987 we moved to Austin, Minnesota, where Don accepted a call to be senior pastor at Our Savior's Lutheran Church. Of course that meant that I commuted to Rochester (45 miles from our house to my parking spot) for 10 WINTERS!! During that time I earned my masters in secondary school counseling and ended my career as a guidance counselor at Austin High School.

I was VERY sad to retire in 2005, but it was necessary so that I could spend time with Don who had gone on disability in 2004 after being diagnosed with young onset alzheimer's. Don died in 2010 in Northfield, Minnesota, where we had moved to be nearer to our grandchildren. We now have five grandchildren. Don got to know three of them, the first named Donny after "Papa".

I now live in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where my daughter's family moved three years ago when her husband received a call to serve as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church. Our son, Ben, moved here, too, and our son, Joe and family live in Bend, OR...a day's drive away. I enjoy knitting, water color painting and spending time with family. I love the Oregon coast and spend time there whenever I can. Ruth (Nelson) Delgehausen

Spouse: Jerry Delgehausen

Address: 1266 S. Smith Ave. West St. Paul, MN 55118-2045

Phone: 651-457-0265

Email: [email protected]

------

As I reflect on my years at Luther it is a culmination of many memories: Many mind-broadening classes, excellent professors, dear classmates, a varied dorm life, waiting in long cafeteria lines, working in the kitchen, being a lifeguard, working in the music library, singing in Nordic Choir, etc. I loved the freshman "CORE" program as it introduced us to the history of western civilization through classes in ancient history, early literature, and Biblical religion almost simultaneously. I distinctly remember religion classes from Dr. and Dr. Harris Kaasa in which we were introduced to many contemporary theologians of the day. In my sophomore year a political geography class taught by Dr. Ron Christianson was very mind-broadening and enlightening for me. Outstanding were many music classes taught by Weston Noble, Dr. Maurice Monhardt and Dr. Bartlett Butler. I loved living in the "German House" my senior year. Perhaps the most memorable experience for me was the fabulous six-week Nordic Choir Tour of West and East Germany and .

One distinctive memory I have is a lecture given by Dr. Robert Jenson in which he implored students to broaden our minds by taking advantage of the many rich opportunities on campus such as attending classical music concerts and recitals, attending lectures given by professors in other disciplines, being aware of art, exploring one's faith and going out of our way in being open to different ideas in other cultures through learning other languages and attending cultural events. I remember the daily chapel services in the gym on bleachers - or on Saturday mornings in the Valders lecture hall. Remember those?? There were many excellent "sermonettes" given by the chaplains as well as by professors on campus. The high ideals promoted in this context helped forge my desire to become a dedicated teacher and a responsible citizen as well as a devoted wife and mother.

I am continually grateful for the strong bonds of friendship I developed at Luther that have lasted for as many as 54 years now. I think that the remote geographic location of Decorah/Luther as well as the beauty of the campus and surrounding valleys and hills helped to promote forming strong relationships on campus. I am grateful for Luther's high ideals exemplified by President Farwell and the talented and considerate Luther faculty and staff from 1963 to 1967.

My husband, Jerry, and I have two daughters and sons-in-law who are living in the Twin Cities. Over the years I have taught some German and vocal music but predominantly ESL (English as a Second Language) in our public school district (certification from Hamline ). We have lived in Austin, MN, , Austria (one year), Moorhead, MN, and mostly in West St. Paul. After retiring in 2006 I have enjoyed reading Nordic mysteries and books for book club,volunteering at the American Swedish Institute, biking, singing in choir, and being with friends and family.

James Duncan

Address: 4528 SW California Street Portland, OR 97219

Email: [email protected]

------

I am currently Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, having retired as of August 2014 after 37 years of teaching primarily organic chemistry there. As I outline below, Luther Professor Adrian (Ade) Docken became the primary inspiration for my academic career! Over the years we not only kept in touch, but I visited him in Valders during several summers when I would drive over to Decorah as part of visits to my parents’ home in nearby Osage, Iowa. Our last visit was in August 1999, just four years before he passed away, I believe. I was always amazed by his continued enthusiasm for his research work, which I read he continued until 2001! I enrolled at Luther as a first generation college student and, absent any perspective from a relative, I still remember being apprehensive with little confidence in my ability to succeed! But I feel lucky to have received tremendous support from the faculty at Luther, especially from Ade. Not only did Ade teach me organic chemistry in the classroom, but served as my research mentor during several January Terms and summers. Perhaps most importantly, he encouraged me to set my sights high and consider teaching at the college level as a goal. At first this seemed like quite a stretch for me, but he was obviously right, I could do it!

Following my graduation from Luther, with a double major in chemistry and mathematics, I immediately enrolled in the graduate program in chemistry at the University of Illinois in Urbana. As it turns out, the research mentor I chose there decided to move to the University of Oregon and so after one year at Illinois I finished my PhD three years later at the U of O. (After losing my Selective Service deferment, I was subject to the Draft Lottery in December of 1969 but drew number 198 and they stopped at 195. Hence I was never drafted and my graduate work was not interrupted. I often wonder, however, how other male Luther classmates navigated the Vietnam years. I’ve been watching the excellent PBS documentary on Vietnam by Ken Burns and it has awakened many memories!)

Permanent college chemistry teaching positions were scarce when I received my PhD in 1971, especially at Liberal Arts schools like Luther. However I was fortunate to obtain several visiting positions prior to securing the tenure-track one at Lewis & Clark. I taught for one year at Morgan State College, a predominantly black school, two years at the University of Notre Dame, one year at Boston University, and two years at , before moving on to Lewis & Clark. In addition, I took two one-year sabbaticals, one at MIT (’83-’84) and the other at the University of Washington (’95-’96). I learned from Ade that careful supervision of undergraduate research was perhaps the best way to “teach” students. In all I have supervised nearly 80 undergraduates in research and published articles with 27 of them so far.

I began my academic research career with undergraduate coworkers as an experimentalist but later (since 2001) turned to studying mechanisms of organic chemical reactions computationally. Many of my research students at Lewis & Clark went on to some of the best chemistry or biochemistry graduate programs in the country, including UC Berkeley, MIT, Caltech, Stanford, and Harvard. I also served as dean of mathematical and natural sciences at Lewis & Clark from 1990 to 1994. I wrote the following to Ade Docken during this period: “One of my major goals as dean has been to promote student-faculty research in the sciences. I even succeeded in convincing our vice president to support similar opportunities for faculty and students in the other divisions as well, and this has really caught on. See what you started!” In 2008 I participated in a computational chemistry workshop in Bojnice, Slovakia, my first trip to Europe. I took advantage of this opportunity to visit Vienna, Salzburg, and Paris (first time) as well. Since then I have traveled to Paris (second time), London (three times), Italy, Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, and ), (Moscow and St. Petersburg), and Switzerland. Next year I have so far reserved an ocean cruse around Iceland that includes a land tour as well. Retiring from teaching has enabled me to take more overseas trips. Plus it’s nice to have the flexibility to travel during the academic year. I have taken most of these trips as a member of tour groups as I got divorced a number of years ago and while I had a stepdaughter, I have no children of my own.

Like Ade, I have also continued to do research after my retirement. In fact, I submitted a manuscript just last week to the Journal of Organic Chemistry with three additional student coauthors. I have at least one additional manuscript to complete, though I haven’t made any definite plans after finishing it. However, I doubt that I will continue to do research for as long as Ade did following his retirement! I’m open to teaching more too, should a college in the Portland area need a visiting faculty member. In fact, I once again taught organic chemistry at Reed College, as Visiting Professor of Chemistry during the spring semester last year. During the Homecoming at Lewis & Clark that followed my retirement, the College organized a retirement dinner and program for me with my former students. I was thrilled that about 100 such students attended. While many came from California, some came from as far away as Washington, DC and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and most had not otherwise planned to attend that particular Homecoming. Once again, I thought of Ade and the research talk I gave in his honor at the symposium that was held at Luther upon his retirement!

Finally, I’ll mention that was I lucky to experience, for the first time, a total eclipse of the sun (on August 21st), as I had only to travel 27 miles south of my home in Portland to enter an area of totality. Breathtaking!

William Emstad

Spouse: Ingrid C. (Harr) Emstad ‘68

Address: 4370 Brookside Court, Unit 203 Edina MN 55436

Phone: 612-920-4134

Email: [email protected]

------

Married 49 years. One daughter, Maren, Luther Grad 1992. Two grandchildren, Berit and Svea. Berit studying in Switzerland, Jr. year 2017-18. Ingrid retired manager at Bachman’s also retired Edina teacher. Bill congressional staffer 70’s. Military Special Agent – Germany 68-71. Auto Industry management 40 years. (Cadillac) Sharyl (Davis) Ferley

Spouse: Paul Ferley

Address: PO Box 62 326 Nature Ct. Northwood, IA 50459

Phone: 641-324-1279

Cell: 641-390-0194

Email: [email protected]

------

Paul and I were married Dec. 25, 1965. Paul was in the Navy four years. We lived in San Diego and had a daughter, Suzette, and a son, Mark. We returned to Iowa and I graduated from Luther in 1971 with a BA in Elem. Ed. I earned my masters in 1986 at MSU.

I taught for 34 years in Manly, IA, mostly as a first grade teacher. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching. I retired in 2005, but still substitute. Last fall I went to South Africa and taught at Dayspring Children's Village. It was a humbling experience. I loved teaching in a Christian school.

Paul farmed, retiring in 2005. We both are active in church and several community organizations, so volunteer many hours. We enjoy giving back. We enjoy traveling and cruises. We have been to Europe, Bahrain, Dubai, S. Africa, Mexico, Canada, Hawaii, Alaska, and most of the US. We especially enjoyed the Alaskan and Panama Canal cruises. We have been spending winters in FL.

Suzette is married to Mike Kragenbrink. They live in Mt. Vernon with their three sons. She is a media specialist at the Mt. Vernon HS. Mark, a commander and helicopter pilot in the US Navy, is married to Rebecca. They live in Chesapeake, VA. Their son is married and father of our first great grandson, Noah. He is soon to leave for Naval flight school in FL, Their daughter is a sophomore at VA Tech.

Paul and I thank and praise God for His blessings, especially our family and good health. God healed me of Systemic Lupus in 1979 after three years of debilitating pain!! I give God all the glory!! Tim Fleming

Address: 1430 Estate Lane Glenview IL 60025

Cell: 312-656-0257

Email: [email protected]

------

My Liberal Arts experience at Luther gave me the foundation to accomplish several diverse things during my career. My first accomplishment at Luther was to convince Jan Strube to agree to marry me after we had dated for four years.

After graduation I was invited into Jan's family Wholesale Produce Business. During my career I have done several things in and outside of the fresh produce industry. On my first day on the job at Strube I was told by my immediate supervisor, George Angelocos, "You can wipe your ass with your college diploma, go with Big John to the truck yard and get a load of sweet corn." From unloading trucks, picking delivering orders, and organizing coolers, I was able to become a Vice President, a President, and an owner of the company. As one of many family members, some of which are Luther graduates, and with company associates, we were able to direct and lead Strube Celery and Vegetable Company to become one of the Produce Industries' premiere Wholesalers.

Luther prepared me to do other things that were outside my comfort zone. I was appointed Director of Rural Development for the State of Illinois and in addition was appointed an Assistant Director of Minority Business Office of Illinois from 1972 to 1976. I was elected to the Board of Directors of the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association in 1992 and elected Chairman of the Board in 1995. I was the first person from the Produce Industry to be elected to the Board of Directors of America's Second Harvest. From 1990 to 1995 Jones Cable Network had me do a half hour weekly TV show on the growing, selection, and preparation of fresh produce called "Getting Fresh with Tim Fleming." I was selected to be a presenter at the last Rural Caucus held by then President Clinton. Because of my remarks at that caucus I became an advisor on fresh agricultural issues to President Clinton and Secretary of Agricultural Glickman. In 1999, I began and in 2001 completed the relocation of Chicago's Wholesale Produce Market to a facility, that at that time, was considered the world's most modern wholesale market. The successful relocation and the design of the wholesale produce market gave me opportunities to consult with several U.S. cities and many foreign countries to help them develop new markets and fresh distribution infrastructures.

I was elected to the Board of Directors of Le Cordon Bleu's American Culinary Division and became Chairman. I am currently serving on the Dean's Advisory Board of the Graduate School of Business and Management at Northeastern Illinois University. Over the years, I have been privileged to be recognized by my peers in the Produce Industry, Luther College, my church, City of Chicago, State of Illinois, the United States and many countries.

My teachers and mentors at Luther made me realize an important aspect of life. You can only be recognized for what you accomplish not what you intend to accomplish. My most memorable award was when Jan and I were co-recognized as The Produce Industry's Man and Woman of the Year. Jan was asked to make some acceptance comments first. Jan looked at the trophy, then smiled, and then looked back at the presenter and said " Really, Man and Woman of the Year?" Daniel Forde

Spouse: Judith (Hagestuen) Forde ’68

Address: 4305 Jasper Dr. Eagan, MN 55122

Phone: 651-452-1266

Cell: 651-338-8554

Email: [email protected]

------

1) Life Career: • Taught H.S. for 1½ years at Lansing, IA. (Minored in Education at Luther). • Drafted into Army (served two years in army band due to band at Luther). • Used G.I. Bill to attend U. of MN and supplement my Luther history and classics majors with mathematics and computer science coursework. • Followed up with career as computer instructional analyst at TIES (a computer consortium of over 60 schools in Minnesota). • Designed and developed instructional computer software for the classroom (obtained this job due to my broad academic coursework at Luther and U. of Minnesota). • Communicated with Dr. Dale Nimrod, Luther computer science department professor, while at TIES in early 1980s. • Left TIES for work as senior systems analyst at Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota.

2) Family: • Married H.S. and college sweetheart, Judith Hagestuen ’68 in 1967. • Honored with birth of three children (Jason in 1970, Joshua in 1975, and Rachel in 1977). • Jason ’93 and Rachel ’99 also played French horn in concert band at Luther.

3) Memories and memorable Profs at Luther: • “Pip” Qualley, Weston Nobel, Doc. Goetchell • As a member of concert band; great tours including as first band to ever perform at Avery Fisher Auditorium, , NYC. • Singing in Messiah chorus all four years.

4) Post retirement activities: • Direct my church’s Men’s Fellowship Breakfast. • Attend monthly alumni luncheon in Twin Cities. • Active in Senior Citizen’s Political Caucus.

5) Advice for Luther students: • Participate in a variety of activities / groups / events and not just bury yourself in academic studies!

Karen J. (Knutson) Gross

Address: 214 Linden Road

Phone: 847-381-8197

Cell: 847-521-0312

Email: [email protected]

------

I had a wonderful four years at Luther College, and so many of my associations since then have involved Luther. I arrived at Luther in 1963 and knew no one but soon made friends that I still keep in contact with today. I met my late husband, Randy Gross, at Luther. He was in the class behind us, and he loved his days at Luther, too. So we attended many reunions through the years and both our boys, Matt and Chris, fell in love with Luther too. They also attended Luther and graduated with our oldest marrying a Luther grad who also had her mother, father, and sister graduating from Luther, too.

I loved that Luther was in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Most everyone stayed on campus. My love and interest in art was enhanced by the abundance of beautiful scenery and historic architecture of its many homes and barns throughout Decorah and the area. I treasured my art class with Rev. Orville Running who taught me so much about shading and perspective. I used my art skills often as I taught first grade in Palatine, IL for nine years. I have continued drawing with my two granddaughters who have become excellent artists at six and nine.

For about ten years I have belonged to a group of fellow Luther girls from our class. We enjoy each other’s company and common experiences as we meet each year and converse over the internet. Paul Hanson

Spouse: Dixie (Lee) Hanson ‘68

Address: 11806 Bergamo Ct. Moorpark, CA 93021

Phone: 805-529-3716

Email: [email protected]

------

My Luther years shaped my life in so many ways. First and foremost, I met the woman with whom I have shared my life journey ever since. Secondly, through the advice and encouragement of my mentor, Dr. Earl Leland of the History Department, I applied for and was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to India after graduation. This not only gave me a free trip around the world (Hawaii, , Hong Kong, and Thailand on the way and Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, Turkey, Greece and much of Europe on the way back) but it was a year that also engendered a life-long fascination with the history and culture of India and South Asia. In pursuit of this interest, I got my PhD in South Asian and Middle Eastern history at the University of Chicago. When it came time for me to select an academic career path, I chose to teach in small private liberal arts because of the quality of my experience at Luther. I taught a couple of years at St. Olaf before moving west to teach at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, where I have spent the past 40 years leading the typical academic life. The travel bug that bit me after that first trip to India has been regularly indulged ever since (45-50 countries so far), which also has allowed me many opportunities for travel photography, a hobby that was also picked up in that pivotal year after Luther. Dixie and I have a son and daughter (both Luther grads) who have each twice made us grandparents in the last five years. I remember with fondness many things that happened while we were at Luther and look forward to checking out whether I remember them correctly with classmates. Bonnie (Harms) Harr

Spouse: Thomas A. Harr

Address: 10048 Roan Mountain Road Loveland, CO 80538

Phone: 970-744 -4242

Cell: 303-442-3572

Email: [email protected]

------

After graduation, four of us (Helene Ulvestad, Mary Haugum, Linda Sime, and I) traveled to Colorado to teach school. Mary, Helene and I all started at Douglass Elementary in Boulder, Colorado.

In 1969 I met and married my husband, Tom who was back at the University of Colorado after serving six years in the Navy on nuclear submarines. We lived in the small mountain mining town of Gold Hill for a few years before moving down to Boulder. In 1977, I took two years off of teaching when our twin girls, Kelly and Michelle, were born. I continued teaching 4th and 5th grade in Boulder until 2001 when I finally retired after 32 years of teaching.

After retiring we traveled to New Zealand and the next year to Australia to visit good friends we had made when they were exchange teachers in Colorado. In 2002 I joined a Cancer Quilt group that made quilts for chemo units in Colorado and have been an avid quilter ever since. We also took our yellow lab, Tucker through training to be a hospital therapy dog, and for several years we visited patients at Boulder Community Hospital and had many rewarding experiences.

In 2005 we decided we had had enough of city life and purchased 40 acres west of Fort Collins and built our dream log home in the mountains. We have loved the peace and quiet and all the wildlife and have only had one big scare when the High Park Fire of 2012 came within 200 feet of our house and we were evacuated for 17 days. Luckily, we have wonderful neighbors and I have even talked some of them into being a quilt group that makes lap quilts for Hospice patients. We also make full size quilts that we raffle for various worthy causes such as our volunteer firefighters. Both daughters are married. Michelle and her husband live and work in Livermore, California. Kelly and her husband and two children live in Boulder. I am looking forward to hearing about some of the rest of your life stories.

Anyone else remember? : 1. The Martin Luther statue with bunny ears and a playboy magazine on April Fool’s Day? 2. The carillon playing “Smoke Gets in your Eyes” and other classics instead of hymns right before graduation? 3. The urinal on the top floor of Larsen Hall turned into a “shrine” complete with statue of Mary and votive candles? 4. Sunbathing in the empty swimming pool in the spring. 5. Lowell Himle’s prowess on a toboggan? 6. Canoe races on the Upper Iowa?

Greetings to all from Colorado!

William Hart

Spouse: MaryRose Hart

Address: 2412 South Maywood Drive Claremore OK 74017

Phone: 918-810-3181

Cell: 918-810-3181

Email: [email protected]

------

Carol (Wright) Hayford

Spouse: Richard (Rick) Hayford

Address: 2270 Klingensmith Rd. Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302

Phone: 248-335-6504

Cell: 248-701-7494

Email: [email protected]

------I came to Luther mostly because of the wonderful music program, majoring in applied music and English.

• The summer after graduation I had a scholarship to the Yale Summer School of Music and Art in the Berkshires in Connecticut, stayed after the summer and worked at the Hartt College of Music, University of Hartford, Hartford, Conn. • 1969 - moved to Madison, , attended the University of Wisconsin Master of Arts in Teaching program but decided not to pursue a teaching career. I then worked at St. Mary’s Hospital in the Education Department as a project assistant and took graphics courses at the technical college. • 1973 - moved to Michigan and joined the Photography and Graphics Department at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Pontiac, MI as graphic artist/AV tech. This department evolved into the Media Services Department and my job continued graphic support to Medical Education, Marketing, and hospital programs in general but expanded to Conference Center Coordinator which provided coordination of scheduling, program/presentations technical support for the conference rooms and conference center. I retired from St. Joe's in 2008 after 34 years. • 1975 - married, divorced in 1986, but "inherited" a wonderful step family - two stepdaughters and now six grandchildren and four great grandchildren who are still very much a part of my life. • 1991 - remarried. My husband, Rick, was an aircraft mechanic for many years but worked at St. Joe's Hospital the last 11 years before retiring in 2012.

Music has always been an important part of my life but I've transitioned to vocal music at this stage of my life and sing in a wonderful choir at my church - Birmingham Unitarian Universalist Church, Bloomfield Hills, MI. I keep busy with house, yard, husband, extended family and step family, church activities, continuing education and social causes, work elections, serve on a patient and family advisory committee at St. Joe's Hospital, etc.

Unfortunately I will not be able to attend our 50th class reunion, but have very fond memories of my years at Luther from my freshman year at Larsen Hall where my roommate kept homemade summer sausage for snacks cool between the window and screen, to my time in the Tau Delts, to the amazing feelings and inspiration of playing in the Concert Band under Weston Noble and going on tour, to the wonderful friends and roommates I shared my college experience with.

If I were to share some advice for Luther students today it would be: • Do what's right • Do your best • Treat the way you want to be treated and • Perform some act of kindness every day no matter how small Art Hefte

Spouse: Bev Hefte

Email: [email protected]

------

After graduating from Luther I began teaching 5th grade in the Hopkins School District in Minnesota. I taught for three years and then was drafted into the US Army. After my two-year commitment I returned to Hopkins and taught there for 41 years. 34 years were full time and seven years were part time.

In 1975, I married Beverly Brendsel, a Concordia College (Moorhead) graduate. We both taught in the area and we bought a house on Lake Minnetonka soon after we were married. In 1977, we were blessed with the birth of our son, Scott, and in 1979 we were blessed with a second son, Todd. Scott is a 2000 graduate of Luther College with a degree in music. He is currently pursuing a PhD in educational psychology at the U of Minnesota. Our second son is a graduate of the U of M with a degree in computer science.

In our retirement, Bev and I feel fortunate to be able to do a lot of traveling. In October of 2015 we traveled in the footsteps of Martin Luther, learning much about the Reformation and seeing the preparations for the 500-year celebration of the Reformation in 2017. In July of 2016 we cruised for a month up the coast of Norway and the Baltic Sea. We have traveled to and recently had a wonderful trip to Cuba with friends.

Karen (Saxhaug) Helland

Address: April-December 5426 Nicollet Avenue #401 Minneapolis MN 55419 January-March 1101 S. Ellsworth Road #404 Mesa AZ 85208

Cell: 507-413-3265

Email: [email protected]

------

In the fall of 1965 I arrived at Luther as a junior transfer student with one suitcase containing one blue and one yellow Gant shirt, a navy blue v-neck sweater, chinos, and loafers. When I left two and a half years later I was wearing long, flowery skirts, peasant blouses, and Dr. Scholl’s sandals. From preppy to hippie in the blink of an eye.

I quickly fell in with a diverse group of friends - male and female, urban and rural, four-year students and transfers, racially diverse. Thanks to Carol Birkland’s large and welcoming retirement home in Decorah and to Facebook, many of us remain connected.

My art major at Luther (thanks to Orville Running and Dean Schwartz), catapulted me into a lifelong career in the arts - from artist to college professor to museum director. I never made any money but I had a lot of fun!

I’m twice married and now widowed with two adult children, both married with one child each. Did I mention how much I adore my grandchildren?

Tennis was my game for many years, but after partial vision loss a few years ago, I switched to ballroom dance. I don't compete, but I perform at recitals and yes, I wear sequined dresses and false eyelashes. Dancing is good for my brain and my (71-year old) body, my spirit, and my social life. A fifty-year college reunion is not easy to get one’s mind around. My journey from long blonde hair and rose colored glasses to short hair and black readers adds up to a life well-lived, not least of all thanks to Luther College.

Suzanne (Williams) Howard

Address: 100 Water Street, # 403 Des Moines IA 50309

Phone: 515-246-0602

Cell: 515-710-3496

Email: [email protected]

------

Great memories, great friends, and a great college experience supporting lifelong learning.

Nordic Choir influenced my life greatly as an individual, musician, friend, and professional. It gave me a perspective on life itself, as well as a deep spiritual connection for all who have known me in my personal and professional life as a musician, teacher, parent, and now, grandparent.

Two daughters of mine were Luther graduates (2000, 2001). I truly felt my college years were blessed for the experiences we all three have shared at Luther College! Nancy C. (Lee) Isaacson

Address: 212 N. Center Street, Unit 502 Bloomington IL 61701

Phone: 309-287-8166

Email: [email protected]

------

My husband was Lynn Isaacson, Luther ’67. Deceased 2009. Lynn’s career: • Bookstore manager at Luther College, Pacific Lutheran University, and Illinois State University. • Owner of Innova Marketing, which sold imprinted sportswear and supplies to colleges and in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. • Systems Analyst for State Farm Insurance Companies, Bloomington, IL.

Nancy’s career: • Vocal Music Teacher at Waukon, IA and Illinois State University Laboratory School, Normal, IL • Choir Director at Spanaway Lutheran Church, Spanaway, WA and St. John Lutheran Church, Bloomington, IL • Systems Analyst for State Farm Insurance Companies, Bloomington, IL. • Retired.

Lynn and Nancy’s Descendants: • Son, Lee Isaacson, 1973 • Daughter, Karla Isaacson Hammerel, 1975 • Grandsons, Chase Hammerel, 2002 and Brady Hammerel, 2004.

Most memorable and life changing time at Luther for both Lynn and me was singing in Nordic Choir and being on the 1967 Concert Tour of Germany and Norway Phillip R Johnson

Address: 6080 County Rd D Oregon WI 53575-2627

Cell: 608-215-6128

Email: [email protected]

------

I enlisted in the Air Force the summer after graduation from Luther. I attended Officer Training School and was commissioned in December 1967. I was initially stationed at Keesler AFB, MS for three years, serving as commander of a student training squadron. Interestingly, Karl Kjeldsen came through the air traffic control school at Keesler in 1968. In October 1970 I was transferred to U- Tapao Royal Thai Navy Air Base, Thailand. U-Tapao was a B-52 base performing strategic bombing missions over North and South Vietnam. I served as commander of the 635th Combat Support Group Headquarters Squadron. After my discharge from active duty in 1971, I joined the Wisconsin Air National Guard 115th Fighter Wing at Truax Field in Madison. I served in several different capacities in the Combat Support Group. The Wing is assigned to Air Combat Command and during my tenure we flew F102s, O-2As, A-37s, A-10s and F-16s. After 18 years, I retired in 1990 as a Lt. Colonel.

After returning from active duty, in January 1972, I joined Affiliated Bank Corporation (“Affiliated”) in Madison in the accounting and finance area. In 1981, Affiliated was acquired by Marshall & Ilsley Corporation (“M&I”), Milwaukee. I continued to serve in senior accounting/finance positions and retired as Sr. V.P. & CFO of the southwestern Wisconsin region in February 2006. After the recession of 2008-2009, I returned to work as CFO of Greenwoods State Bank and Treasurer of Greenwoods Financial Group, a financially troubled organization in Lake Mills, WI. After the successful turnaround, I left in January 2012. In August 2012 I joined Mid America Bank as CFO and Treasurer of Wisconsin Bancorp Inc. another troubled banking organization in Janesville, WI. In July 2016 we sold the bank to a credit union in Michigan. I’ve been retired since wrapping up the affairs of Wisconsin Bancorp in November 2016.

My son and his family live nearby in Verona WI. He has two sons (ages 12 and 10). He is a senior software developer for the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration. We spent many vacations in the islands many of which suffered severe damage from Hurricane Irma. My son and I were avid scuba divers and had many exciting adventures discovering the underwater world of the Caribbean. I have a small eight-acre horse property south of Madison, I have three horses which I’ve trained using the Parelli Natural Horsemanship program. I also raise and finish a few beef steers when corn is reasonably priced. It doesn’t seem possible that 50 years have past since our Luther days. Luther was a great experience for a farm kid from a small rural community in southern Wisconsin. My Luther education became the foundation for the rest of my life. I developed many life-long friendships, especially those as a member of Zeta Rho Tau. Art Johnson

Spouse: Jacqueline (Kinyon) Johnson

Address: PO Box 155 Edgewood Iowa 52042

Phone: 563-928-6914

Cell: 563-608-5546

Email: [email protected]

------

I left Luther in May of '67 with a double major in chemistry and biology, but without any clear idea of where I was heading. A few days after graduating, I noticed an ad from a local school district seeking a chemistry teacher--in that era, as now, specialized science teachers were hard to come by! Although I had not taken any courses toward a teaching certificate, I contacted the superintendent of schools who interviewed me for a few minutes in the garage at his home, and offered me the job provided I could qualify for a temporary certificate. That involved taking some preliminary education courses at a nearby college over the ensuing summer, and then student teaching the following summer after I had already taught for a full year! Crazy

I made it through that first year, almost totally clueless, but one thing led to another, and I ended up staying at the school for 43 years, serving in the classroom and as technology coordinator, coach, and facilitator for varied student activities before retiring in 2010.

Over the course of those years, I came to be involved in community development in many different ways, serving on the city council and as mayor pro tem, working through community organizations, and otherwise serving in a leadership capacity and doing grunt work on projects ranging from establishing a golf course to my current passion, establishing a community historical and cultural museum. For twenty years, I also did a weekly 5-minute spot on a regional radio station promoting the community, and through that, received an award from the of Iowa for my community involvement.

In retirement, I serve on the board of a local bank, a nursing home and assisted living facility, and a charitable foundation dedicated to supporting the performing arts. Golf is a passion, and I can still shoot a par round from the standard tees a few times each summer. Being your Class Agent these past 15 years or so helps me repay Luther for all it has meant to me.

My wife, Jackie, is executive vice president of a community bank with offices serving 10 communities in eastern Iowa. She is an avid reader and quilter. We were married in 1969, and raised a son (LC '99) and daughter. We have three grandchildren, seven, five, and 17 months, who've largely taken over our lives since they recently moved to a new home only three doors up the street from us. What a joy to have them so close and be able to take an active part in their lives!

We have been fortunate to be able to travel widely across these United States, with many trips to Arizona and Washington State to visit friends and relatives. Foreign travel to Scandinavia and Costa Rica have given us some varied perspective.

My advice to students is to cherish the rich liberal arts tradition of Luther College, as the broad preparation will serve you well in a future that you cannot imagine while still in school. Arlet (Berkland) Johnson

Spouse: Jerry Johnson (deceased July 11, 2017)

Address: 2407 17th Street Emmetsburg, IA 50536

Cell: 515-320-1941

Email: [email protected]

------

I arrived at Luther in August, 1963, having never set foot on campus. My brother-in-law, Richard Lura, convinced me that I had to come to Luther, against my dad's wishes. I was just amazed at the beauty of the campus.

My roommate, Mary Anderson, and her parents, taught me all about hugging and loving, something that has been a big part of my life. My other Luther friends were also important to my four years of college, as we enjoyed so many fun events together.

Messiah, at Christmas, is one of my lasting impressions. I can still imagine Weston Noble's emotions as he directed the chorus. We were so fortunate to be able to participate in Messiah all four years of college.

Another remembrance I have is going to eat at a popular restaurant after being told not to go there, because the college suspected something was wrong after several students were sickened after eating there. Well, my friends and I really wanted to eat there as a farewell to one of our friends. We decided that we would all eat the same food. Well, they drank coffee, and I drank water, and soon I became very ill. I ended up in the health service, and took my finals there. I was the only one to get sick!

Another memory is when Peter, Paul, and Mary sang at Luther. My friends and I found out they would be flying out after the concert, so we drove out to the airport, and met them personally, and had pictures taken with them!

We all enjoyed when the male singers came around singing to the girls in the dorms. Two of my favorite songs were The Lion Sings Tonight and Michael Row the Boat Ashore. It was also fabulous to have a winning football team all four years.

I had many wonderful teachers. My German 1 teacher was from Germany, and he made a great impression on me. I later decided to have a German minor, because of him. Dr. Strand was an excellent instructor for elementary education, so it was so sad when she took a sabbatical my senior year. I felt that my teaching methods were weakened because she was not there. Dr. Hanson was wonderful for religion.

My art teacher gave me my only D at Luther. He said everything I did was stereotyped. (I admit that I am not an artist.) But it made a lasting impression as me as a teacher. I always allowed the students to create their own creations.

Another lasting remembrance was where I was when I found out that John F. Kennedy was killed. Those were days of extreme sadness.

I chose to teach elementary school. Fourth grade was my favorite grade I thought, and did not take the kindergarten class, but my first job was teaching kindergarten at Prairie Community Schools at Callendar and Gowrie for almost six years.

My husband, Jerry Johnson, and I were married June 17, 1967. We lived at Paton, IA and Grand Junction, before moving to our family farm near Fenton, so Jerry could continue farming. I stayed home for seven years, and then begin teaching Preschool at Fenton, for eight years. I finished my teaching career at Sentral of Fenton, teaching both kindergarten and second grade. I so enjoyed those years of teaching and then watching those students, grow up to be wonderful citizens.

Our family includes, Kent, Vice President of Finance at Midcontinent Media, inc. in Minneapolis. He and his wife, Jena, have four children, Taylor, a graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato, Maddie, a sophomore at MSU-Mankato, and Tanner and Emma, students at Shakopee MN., our son Mark, CFA, managing director, Head of Intermediary Markets at AEGON USA. He and his wife, Julie, live at Cedar Rapids, and have four children. Wesley, a sophomore at Xavier, Berkley and Quincey at Regis, and Bradey, at St. Pious. Carrie, a graduate of UNI, and her husband Kevin, live in Shakopee. Carrie is an independent designer with Keep Collective. Their children are Audrey and Charlie, students at Shakopee.

I retired from Sentral in 2008, but have continued to substitute teach. We moved to Emmetsburg in 2014. I have enjoyed a trip to Norway, and many trips to Florida, and other states. Our family gathered June 17 of this year to celebrate Jerry and my 50th wedding anniversary. It was such a wonderful time. Two weeks later, Jerry became ill and passed away on July 11, 2017.

My advice to students is to enjoy each day. Jeannette (Baja) Jones

Spouse: Charles Robert Jones ‘67

Address: 17 Floral Rd. Flemington, NJ 08822

Phone: 908-782-1423

Cell: 973-567-1276

Email: [email protected]

------

When Charlie and I first met at Luther, we were as different as we could be. I came from a large city in Venezuela, with two suitcases to serve me for four years. Charlie came from California where he had spent three years in the Marine Corps.

We did have one thing in common, we spent a lot of time in Valders; I in the Chemistry department, he in the Biology department.

And so began our 50-year adventure!

My greatest influences at Luther came from the faculty. Adrian Docken encouraged me and mentored me in the Chemistry department, and Pip Qualley was my advisor and acted in loco parentis. I became a high school chemistry teacher and taught for 27 years.

Charlie enjoyed a 30-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, which propelled him into founding his own Human Resources company for the next 9 years.

In retirement he became a carpenter and volunteered for Habitat for Humanity.

We have two beautiful daughters Amy Willey and Emily Williamson and two great sons-in-law, Mike and Greg. Our one perfect grandson, Ethan, is Amy and Mike's son.

We have had many wonderful travels all over Europe, South America and the Caribbean, but we have spent the last 43 years living in Flemington, New Jersey. We have many fond memories of Luther, and we cherish our many lasting friendships. Diane (Schultz) Kinneberg

Spouse: Mr. Earl Kinneberg

Address: 2126 11th Ave. N.W. Rochester MN 55901

Phone: 507-282-5254

Cell: 507-358-0539

Email: [email protected]

------

Being a first-generation college student, I was blessed to be able to attend Luther College. I completed my degree in elementary education and taught fifth grade in the Rochester Minnesota Public Schools before getting married and moving to Leesville, Louisiana. When my husband’s military obligation was over, we moved back to Rochester, and I resumed teaching fifth grade. After 23 years I accepted a Principal position with the Dodge Center Public Schools in 1989. In 1992 I changed careers to work as a program planner at IBM for three years. My last twelve years before retirement I held the position of elementary principal with Northfield Public Schools and had the privilege of opening Bridgewater Elementary School.

My husband, Earl, and I have two sons and six grandchildren. David (Class of 1998) and his wife, Angie, are parents of Andrew, Liam, and Norah. Douglas and his wife, Beth, are parents of Carter, Cline, and Coco.

During my retirement years I work as an adjunct professor in the Master’s Programs at Concordia University—St. Paul. I like to read, travel, and spend time with my grandchildren.

Karl A. Kjeldsen

Spouse: Mary (Kemper) Kjeldsen ‘68

Address: 13861 Eveleth Ct. Apple Valley, MN 55124

Phone: 952-432-2674

Email: [email protected]

------

I met Mary Kemper at Luther in Nordic Choir and we were married in 1968. We have many fond memories of choir tours (Chicago, Detroit, Denver, Kansas City, New York and, of course, Europe in '67). Mary and I have four children and family get togethers with their spouses and now 12 grandkids truly are grand occasions. After 30+ years Federal service (Air Force, (Vietnam '71) FAA, USPS), and 15+ years public/private industry, we are thoroughly enjoying retirement, traveling, singing, volunteering, and getting together with family and friends.

Some of the highlights of retirement are the trips we've taken with our church choir to Germany, Italy, and in 2018 to Scandinavia. We currently live in Apple Valley, MN where we have been for 45+ years.

Paulette Joy (Lutz) Kutschat

Spouse: Steve Kutschat

Address: 16 Aldine Road Lake Zurich IL 60047

Cell: 847-707-2250

Email: [email protected]

------

Graduation day in May 1967 was excitingly enhanced by the anticipation of departure the next day on the first international Nordic Choir tour. It amazes me that this occurred more than 50 years ago, and some of those events seem like just a few weeks ago.

Having stayed around Decorah for two years following LC graduation as I was teaching middle school music at Waukon, there was an extension of my involvement at Luther, both musically (accompanying student recitalists) and as the fiancee of Jim Glenn who had two years to finish yet. We married in '68, and I commuted to Waukon to teach until he finished and chose to continue his musical education at north of . We were there for one year and while he completed his Master's in Choral Conducting, I taught at a parochial school downtown LA. Returning to the Midwest, we moved to Brainerd, MN where Jim taught high school music as Choral Conductor. I began my life career teaching piano students and accompanying hundreds of young musicians and sitting at the piano in many pit orchestras for theater productions. Four years later, Jim chose to continue his conducting education and we moved to the Univ of Oklahoma, now a family of three, taking along our two year old daughter, Christie. I taught piano and accompanied many student-choirs, as well as serving as church organist and music leader. Another daughter, Julie, joined our family there, and soon Jim was getting near to the completion of Doctorate of Musical Arts, Choral Conducting, and we were ready to move on to an actual JOB.

It was exciting to move to N. Carolina for his first college teaching and conducting at Elon College (now University) where we both worked for seven years. Our last child, Jason, was born there and in 1985, we were ready to move on. Landed back in the mid-west at Bradley University in Peoria, IL. Our children were all in Peoria schools, two of them in the new Magnet School for the Performing Arts for part of their years. During this time, the Glenn marriage broke up, and things changed, of course. The five years between that demise and my remarrying were very stressful, demanding as a single parent, but also the best "stretching and growing" years of my life as I concentrated on what is best for ME, as well as focusing on being an anchor for the children, trying to keep their lives in some “normalcy”, and encouraging them to stretch their wings and learn to fly beyond their parents' choices and dreams.

A friend from Oelwein came back into my life - our mothers knew each other (actually my dad had been Steve's pastor, and Steve's mother was my piano teacher/mentor with whom I had kept in fairly frequent communication all that time since my middle school years, though not with her son Steve) - finding we were both divorced and moderately interested in moving on with a new life partner. God blessed us through that transition time and we married in 1993. Steve has three grown daughters, the eldest a Luther grad, along with her husband, and we now have six grandchildren on his side, plus five grands on mine. We have been richly blessed through these 24+ years together, sharing a rather involved lifestyle to date: Steve has been in family financial planning for 30+ years and I continued the teaching and accompanying until recently. We together began a foundation Bookfriends International NFP to help African high school kids with their education progress by shipping containers of books (and girls' hygiene kits) to schools in East Africa. See www.bookfriends.org. And also, Steve had made an arrangement to purchase a family (fishing) resort in northern Minnesota prior to our marriage, a place he had known and loved since his childhood, so when the former owners became unable to take care of the resort (www.cedarwild.com) and to host guests, we knew it was our time to take over - that was 2007.

We continue to do both Bookfriends and Cedarwild Resort, so are living in MN through the summer resorting season and "go south" to Chicago for the wintertime. These keep us plenty busy so that we do not think much about "retirement.” The recent 12 years or so, it has been a true joy to gather with Luther Lasses of our class, meeting up with each other in various locales across the country. I am so grateful for this, especially in this year when I must rely on those memories rather than being with my class at LC Homecoming! :-( That same weekend, we will be in Ohio to share the joy of a grandson's wedding. Can you guess where my heart and thoughts will be that weekend, though? Prayers for all who ARE able to be together at Luther Oct. 6-7-8, including the gathering to view the documentary prepared of Nordic Choir 1967 European Tour! Luther College was the place which formed many of my values and life-attitudes and positions, which prepared me for a career in not only music but serving our Lord and Saviour in various capacities. I'm forever grateful and will always look to this special place as a "home base!” Greetings to each and every one of you, my classmates. Anita (Larson) Meyer

Spouse: John Meyer

Address: 282 New River Circle Henderson, NV 89052

Phone: 702-896-3179

Cell: 702-461-3763

Email: [email protected]

------

Upon leaving Luther, I went to SMU in Dallas TX for my Master of Music in Voice Degree before going on to Salem, MA to begin teaching choral music at Salem HS for several years. Then I went to live and work in NSW Australia, for a few years teaching music and working for the Australian Broadcasting Commission as an orchestra manager for a training orchestra. I was also involved with the opening of the Sydney Opera House in 1974 since the training orchestra did some of the acoustic tests in the Opera House. On leaving Australia I traveled for six months seeing Asia, Europe, and Russia by overland bus tours before returning to the US. It was on one of these trips that I met my husband John and we were married in England. We spent a few years in the UK where I taught music in several cities before coming back to the US. We lived in for several years where I worked in the travel industry but was still able to sing in several choruses in New York City. I was then a stay-at-home mom, raising our two children in New Jersey. We eventually left the East Coast and moved to Las Vegas for my husband's job and I became the Administrative Manager for the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

After retiring from the Philharmonic, my husband and I bought a sailboat and sailed to Mexico We sailed from San Diego down the Baja Peninsula in a flotilla with more than 100 other boats in a rally called the Baja HaHa, which is held every year. While in Mexico we spent three seasons traveling along the Mexican Pacific coast, enjoying the Mexican culture and our retirement. We continue to enjoy our life in the Las Vegas area and travel the world when we can. Our two children live in the Denver area so we go there as often as we can to see them.

Fifty years hardly seem possible since leaving Luther, but my years there were some of the best. My memories of the Messiah concerts, the Nordic Choir tours, especially the European tour after graduation in 1967, have filled my life with so many happy memories. I feel lucky to have attended Luther and experienced the wonderful life and friendships I found there. Rev. John O. Lee

Address: Mount Royal Pines1 - Apt. # 105 66 East St. Marie Street Duluth, MN 55803

Phone: 218-728-4161

Email: [email protected]

------

Luther College was a good fit for me. I was significantly impacted by the time that I spent there. LC was most likely introduced to my oldest brother by Pastor Casper Nervig, pastor at First Lutheran Church in Williston, ND, and father of two LC graduates, Luther and Sylvia Nervig.

I loved LC's campus and its beautiful setting in Northern IA. I was a sociology major and to this day keep in touch with friends that I made during my four years on campus.

During my sophomore year, Roy Prigge and I were chosen by Luther's student congregation to work as volunteers at Hothorpe Hall in England. I think that two summers spent on the staff of Wilderness Canoe Base in The Boundary Waters of northern MN were a contributing factor in my being selected as a volunteer at Hothorpe.

Vivian Den Beste, a Macalaster graduate, and I were married the summer after my first year at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN.

Although we divorced in 1992, we continue to be in touch and are both very proud of our two adult children. 46-year-old Katie graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College. She has been a special education teacher for 13 years in Cedar Rapids and has recently taken on a new position as a consultant in the area of special education. She and her husband, Greg, are the parents of my two grandsons, Aiden, a sophomore this fall, and Isaac, a seventh grader this fall. They reside in Coralville, IA. Greg received a master’s in Physics at U of I. After teaching for several years at Kirkwood Community College, he recently began a new job as a manager of a laboratory in Iowa City.

44-year-old son, Jim, is a graduate of LC and is a veterinarian. After a 10 year practice in Duluth and a master's degree in Public Health at U of MN in Minneapolis, he now works for the US Department of Agriculture. He and his friend and partner, Suzanne Lyndon, live in Rhode Island. Suzanne, also a LC graduate, has had a successful career working in various academic settings, including being a class advisor at U of MN, Duluth Campus, and as an executive assistant to Luther College's current president.

I love hanging out with Katie and Jim and their families when I have the opportunity to do so.

From the time of my ordination in the summer of 1971, until my first retirement in 2007 and second retirement in 2009, I have spent about half of my time as a chaplain in hospitals and the other half of those years as an installed pastor or interim pastor in congregations. I reeeeally look forward to seeing old friends and making some new ones at the reunion of class mates at LC! John Lehman

Spouse: Cathie Lehman

Address: 708 Orchard Street Racine, WI 53405

Cell: 262-880-3508

Email: [email protected]

------

Luther was a good place for me. Friendly folks, challenging classes, Tri Omega, and track. And although I never networked much with 1967 classmates after graduation, I have enjoyed the friendship and work I have done in Racine with Luther grads from other classes. Way over in Racine, on the shore of Lake Michigan, at Holy Communion Lutheran Church, I still to this day see the active witness of the half dozen Luther grads who are now ever-faithful "pillars" of our congregation.

After graduating I tried grad school at UW-Madison but dropped out after a semester to single- handedly stop the war in Vietnam. I did draft counseling and organized against the war. An unsuccessful conscientious objector, I refused induction and served 90 days in jail and 21 months hospital work. President Gerald Ford pardoned me in 1975.

After working as a case worker for Cook County Dept. of Public Aid, I returned to Wisconsin, went to school nights and got certified to teach. I taught mainly high school economics and world history for over 20 years. Later I earned a masters degree in education.

Cathie and I married in 1972 and raised three daughters. (All who have been blessed by a long, loving family life know that everything else in our life story is secondary.)

Since 1987 when I said "I'd just like to try it once," Cathie supported and participated with me in a life of political service. Six terms on our city council. Ten years in the Wisconsin State Assembly. A half dozen years in the Wisconsin State Senate. Recall madness, a failed run for mayor. An unsuccessful year-long run for Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor. Always interesting and a privilege, really, to try to represent your fellow citizens well.

Now we are both retired, working at the local food pantry, leading some adult ed at church, running half marathons (Cathie only), sharing the care of grandchildren, sailing, doing genealogy, and travel. It is fun to look back and think about how in some ways Luther helped prepare us for all of it. And how blessed we have been though it all. Mary J. (Miller) Lindall

Spouse: Mr. Robert J. Lindall

Address: 2701 Spy Glass Drive Chaska MN 55318-1181

Phone: 952-448-5586

Cell: 952-288-4193

Email: [email protected]

------

I am retired from 35 years of teaching kindergarten in Fridley and Chaska, MN. My husband, Bob Lindall, and I will have been married 49 years in December. We have lived in Chaska for 44 years. Bob is an attorney and still working at age 73. We have three children and seven grandchildren. Two of our children are Luther graduates. Our oldest daughter went to Gustavus. I am proud of my Luther degree and always encourage young people to make a visit. I am thankful for good health and a happy life! Rev. James M. Magelssen

Spouse: Mrs. Sharon Magelssen

Address: 411 River Bend Drive Mason City IA 50401

Phone: 641-422-9326

Cell: 641-530-0999

Email: [email protected]

------

After Luther, I graduated from Luther Seminary and served as a pastor in a variety of settings. The first 30 years were in Wisconsin, before moving to Mason City, IA, where I served Trinity Lutheran Church for 11 years before retiring in 2012.

Sharon and I have been married 48 years. Our son, Scott, a professor at the University of Washington, is married to Theresa. They have two sons. Our daughter, Krissy, is a registered nurse. She is married to Mathias. They have four children— two sons and two daughters. They live in Waseca, MN.

We’ve done some traveling. Professionally, I was able to spend some time in the Soviet Union, Israel, Greece, and a couple of African countries. For leisure, we’ve been in most states.

In retirement, I help out a little bit with area churches from time to time. Mostly, my time is spent with family, reading, and getting at least 10,000 steps a day!

Dale Main

Spouse: Martie Main

Address: 121 Field Club Dr. McKees Rocks,PA 15136

Phone: 412-788-2422

Cell: 412-297-6980

Email: [email protected]

------

During J-term 1967 account internship, I became interested in computing. An economic professor,William Terrell, and I organized a class in BASIC programming which required using the TWX terminal in the physics dept. to communicate with a computer in Minneapolis.

By the time we graduated, the DOD wanted to know whether computers could be used in the field. Testing was to be conducted at Fort Hood using IBM 360s in semis parked on asphalt pads. I was assigned there because of experience with COBOL programming besides my college degree.

In 1970 I enrolled in the computer science graduate program at the . Late in the night I would use the University computer to test an operating system I wrote. PCs were in the future.

I was hired as a system programmer at Miles Labs. They saw the possibility of using email and the internet as a business application after I and a handful of other fathers used it to communicate with our distant college kids.

Use of mainframes declined with the coming of personal computers. Information security became more of an issue. Before retiring in 2008, I became a Certified Information Security professional. Apple introduced the iPhone that year, a hand-held computer more powerfull than the IBM 360 and does not require frigid temperatures to operate.

My advice to today's students is to expect and be prepared for unimaginable changes by learning to think and analyze and don't expect to work for one company your whole career, like I did.

My wife, Martie, and I are celebrating our 50th anniversary this year. Our daughter and son have each given us a grandson to visit and admire. We are cyclists, hospital volunteers, board members and docents at an 18th century whiskey Rebellion site. I might be sighted patrolling the Montour trail or explaining how Monongahala Rye whiskey was distilled in the 18th century. Dennis Mitchell

Spouse: Carolyn Mitchell

Address: 18603 NE 85th Ave Battle Ground WA 98604

Phone: 503-537-4443

Cell: 503-537-4443

Email: [email protected]

------

At Luther, I switched from Math/Physics major early in my junior year to English Literature. I substitute taught in Chicago Public inner-city schools for a couple years. I was drafted into the US Army. (Luther grad Bruce O. offered support and encouragement to relocate to Canada before being drafted.) I served an extended tour in Vietnam which got me a short R&R trip to Australia. I taught writing skills for one year at Harper J.C. in Illinois. (English Lit. skills from LC helped, no doubt.) I went to California with two suitcases and $1200 without plan. I got a High Tech job at National Semiconductor in the Bay Area where I supervised and managed technical groups for five years. (The Math/Physics studies at LC helped.) During that time, I met and married Carolyn. Moved from National to Intel where I continued to manage manufacturing, training and technical groups for 38 years. We also moved from California to Oregon after a year and a half at Intel in Silicon Valley.

Carolyn and I adopted a son and daughter with special needs. They are now living and working in the Portland, Oregon area. Carolyn became a travel agent and arranged family journeys to Turkey, Peru and Bolivia (history and culture) and Kenya and Tanzania (safari). I retired in 2015. We live on five acres caring for an aging Morgan mare and her companion, a miniature Mediterranean donkey. I spend mornings with my hot coffee in the vegetable garden watching and listening to the day begin. Glenn Nyre

Spouse: Wendy Begard Nyre

Email: [email protected]

------

I have been: • Living in the Washington DC area since 1966. • Married since 1984. • President of Nyre and Associates, LLC, since 2006. • No children since 1945. All of these are ongoing at present.

My wife and I have traveled extensively to dozens of countries for both work and pleasure, and continue to do so.

My U.S. and international evaluation and research activities have been funded by various organizations, including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the National Academy of Science, the National Academy of Education, the National Research Council, and the U.S. Departments of State, Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, Justice, and Labor as well as numerous state agencies, colleges and universities, state departments of education, and individual school districts. My further education and professional appointments after obtaining my degree in Music at Luther are listed below.

Ph.D. Higher Education and Urban Planning, UCLA M.A. Education and Counseling, University of Iowa 1999-2009 Senior Study Director, Westat, Rockville, MD 1996-1999 Sr. Development Specialist, Academy for Educational Development, Washington, DC 1993-1996 Senior Research Scientist, WestEd, San Francisco 1991-1993 Associate Director, Child and Family Services, Los Angeles 1987-1992 Executive Vice President, Belkeith Corporation, Los Angeles 1974-1987 Founding Executive Director, Evaluation and Training Institute, Los Angeles 1974-1976 Associate Director, Center for Professional Development, California State University System 1967-1971 Associate Director of Admissions and Music Instructor, Luther College

I regret that we are unable to attend the reunion due to international travel. Perhaps we will see some of at our 60th! Rev. Jim Olia

Spouse: Mrs. Krista Olia

Address: 13240 Hope Street Brookfield WI 53005

Phone: 262-790-9273

------

We have two daughters, one living in Colorado, one in Boston. Both are married. We have one grandchild.

My wife and I have lived in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Krista was a teacher and college secretary (retirement, 2016). I was a Lutheran pastor, retiring in 2014, with five congregations. We are now members and participants at Galilee Lutheran Church in Pewaukee, WI.

Travels have been to Moldova (Peace Corps placement for daughter and son-in–law), Greece, South Korea, (both daughters are Korean adoptees), Dublin, Scotland, and 49 states. In retirement, we enjoy time away from Wisconsin in winter.

Fond memories of Luther include: 1. Class with Dr. Qualley 2. The hootenannies 3. Great sporting events 4. Time with classmates and professors 5. Union feasts 6. Peter, Paul, and Mary concert! 7. The Messiah performances!

It was also a time of the civil rights marches, Vietnam War, and the impact of the JFK assassination; all of these events helped shape me. Sunday worship with Dr. Gordon Smedsrud—special and impactful, and helped steer me to the seminary. Looking back, one realized how much we owe to Luther, the professors, administration, etc. The study, reading, and writing wasn’t always fun, (like the sports and concerts), but provided so much learning and enrichment Jendean (Hegg) Olson

Spouse: Dan G. Olson ‘67

Address: 429 West Redwood St Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235

Phone: 920-743-9347

Cell: 920-559-1149

Email: [email protected]

------

The summer of 1967 began with a "honeymoon without my to-be husband", as Dan likes to joke: the honeymoon being the Nordic Choir trip to Germany and Norway! The experiences of singing in East Germany, the Cologne cathedral, the Trondheim cathedral and multitudes of other places live with me today. Mr. Noble, with his humble, sincere witness, affects me each time I try to follow his example in taking care of litter, or recreating a beautiful piece of music.

Dan and I were married August 6, 1967 at Washington Prairie, Decorah, my home church. Together we worked our way through my first teaching job in elementary music in Columbia Heights, MN, Dan's first year at Luther Seminary and our first year of marriage. We celebrated recently our togetherness for these 50 years! We had a move to Waterloo, Iowa and Evansdale, Iowa for Dan's internship and my first junior high music teaching; then back to Columbia Heights and St. Paul. Dan's first call to Star Prairie, WI was blessed with an elementary music job in New Richmond. Dec. 3,1972 brought the birth of our oldest son, Andrew John (Luther--1996) In Star Prairie, I began supporting Dan's ministry by playing organ and directing choirs for worship. I had taken some organ lessons during his Waterloo internship.

Once Dan saw the greenery of Wisconsin, "this is it", he said, and we gradually have moved across the state following Hwy 64. At the end of 1975, we moved to Merrill, WI where Angela Joy was born April 21, 1976, (Luther - 1998) I continued supporting Dan's leadership in worship with playing organ and some children's music. Many piano students visited the parsonage to have their lessons.

Aaron Johan, (UMN 2004) was born in 1982. 1988 brought the last move along Hwy 64, and up to Sturgeon Bay, WI where we currently live. While Dan ministered at Bay View Lutheran, I continued playing organ and piano and directing children. I was employed by St. Joseph and St. Mary Schools, Sturgeon Bay Public, and Algoma Public in both elementary and middle school vocal music, retiring in 2012 when I was asked to teach the entire vocal music program from kdgn through HS.

Currently, I am organist and choir director at Ephraim Moravian Church in Ephraim. I very much enjoy being appreciated by adults who like to make music with others! I also accompany an ensemble of 18, the New Day Singers, (ambassador group of Peninsula Singers) who sing publicly once a month, approximately.

I enjoy sitting with my grandchildren (now six) at the piano when I can capture their attention! Dan G. Olson

Spouse: Jendean (Hegg) Olson ‘67

Address: 429 W Redwood St Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin 54235

Phone: 920-743-9347

Cell: 920-559-2050

Email: [email protected]

------

As a liberal arts college, Luther demands that you develop thinking skills and hone your aptitude for lifelong learning. It is the exposure to new ideas that made Luther College challenging and rewarding. When thinking of professors, two come readily to mind: Dr. Orlando Qualley, who was the most demanding teacher I have ever had. It was not difficult to be terrorized in his classroom. Another is Dr. Nels Forde, professor of history. He had endless knowledge and was very engaging.

Aside from academics, KWLC garnered a great deal of my time. We had the original "Saturday Night" show with endless music requests. Hanging out with other members of Theta Chi presented opportunities for all kinds of activities. Most remarkable, though, was meeting Jendean. After graduation she took our honeymoon in Norway with the Nordic Choir. We were married the following August. After graduating from Luther Seminary in 1971, I served parishes in Star Prairie, Merrill and Sturgeon Bay (all Wisconsin). I served as a member and president of the school boards in each of those communities. Jendean and I have three children, Andrew (Luther, '96), Angela (Luther, '98) and Aaron (Univ. of Minn, 2004). We have six grandchildren. I spend a great deal of time reading. I have a particular interest in 20th Century history as well as anything else I can get my hands on. David E. Olson

Spouse: Richard C. Torres

Address: 2422 Gunderson Ave Berwyn IL 60402

Phone: 708-795-8459

Email: [email protected]

------

I can hardly believe it's been 50 years since we graduated! Those years have taken me on many exciting adventures, traveling to more than 25 different countries and all 50 states (I've lived in seven of them). After Luther, I attended Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque and received the MDiv degree in 1971. My seminary internship was in Reno, NV. I served Lutheran congregations in Valley City, ND; Waltham, MN; Libertyville, IL; Berwyn, IL; and am currently serving an extended interim at a church in Chicago, IL.

I've been "retired" for ten years, but worked nine of those years as a retail representative at the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust in Oak Park, IL, after eleven years as a volunteer docent. I've also been deeply involved in the Berwyn Historical Society for almost twenty years, six of those years as president. My memories of Luther include campus rallies and "Hootenannies" on the lawn in front of Main Building; the friendliness of students and faculty; singing in Messiah each year under the inspired (and inspiring) leadership of Weston Noble. I also remember some of my favorite "old faithful" teachers and advisers: Ruth Mostrom, Clara Paulson, Amanda Langemo, Orlando Qualley, Emil Miller, Rolf Syrdal, Harold Svanoe, John Bale, Martin and Mary Lou Mohr. By example, they taught me as much about living a useful life, as about their academic subjects.

On November 22, 1963, we were shocked and saddened to learn of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. My part-time job doing custodial work on the first floor of Main Building, included taking down the flag from the 92-foot flagpole each evening. According to protocol, I raised the half-mast flag to the top of the pole each night before lowering and removing it. I felt honored to perform that daily tribute to our fallen leader.

I have an enduring mental picture of our beautiful campus, the colorful leaves in the fall, snow- covered lawns in the winter and all nature returning to life in the spring. It was a magical place to spend four delightful and formative years of my life. June (Jameson) Omel

Address: 432 Sierra Street Richland WA 99354

Phone: 509-375-1255

------

My two sons remind me I need to keep busy after retiring from elementary education in Connecticut and Washington in 2008. At home, I keep busy loving flowers and taking care of a Boxer-mix dog named Bubby. He is sweet and loving even after being terribly abused as a puppy.

Life changed for myself and two sons in 1994 when my husband died unexpectedly. I keep busy at church by singing in the Chancel Choir and Joyspring, a small women’s vocal ensemble. I also became a Stephen Minister working one on one with individuals needing special attention.

After 31 years of teaching children, and now helping adults as a retired teacher, I’ve learned it is so important in life to simply…. “Listen and Love.”

Hello and best wishes from Washington State! David Ophus

Spouse: Jane Ophus

Address: 10153 W. Kingsbriar Dr. Boise, Idaho 83709

Phone: 509-638-3941

Cell: 509-638-7100

Email: [email protected]

------

Following graduation, I taught Jr. High and High School Vocal music in the Caledonia, MN. school system. After four years of teaching I enrolled at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN. While at seminary I met my wife, Jane, a home economist and a nurse, and we were married in 1972. I interned in Helena, MT. in 1973-4 and it was in Helena that our oldest child, John, was born. Upon graduation from seminary in 1975, we moved to Opheim, MT for my first call. While in Opheim, our second child, Becky, was born. Montana would be our home for nearly 34 years with subsequent calls to Billings, Choteau, and Missoula. In 2001, I began work with the ELCA Foundation in Montana. After 7½ years with the Foundation, I accepted a call as an intentional Interim Pastor in Spokane, WA. We continued to live in Eastern Washington until 2015 when we retired and moved to Boise to be close to our daughter, who works as a Deputy Attorney General for the state of Idaho. Our son, John, is a Biology Professor at UNI. He and his wife, Sheri, are parents to our only grandchild, Oliver (26 months). I am grateful for the experiences at Luther of singing for four years with the Nordic Choir, one year with the Norsemen Quartet and for three great years of living in the WIMI house with a bunch of super friends! George Orness

Spouse: Carole (Rust) Orness ‘69

Address: 8239 Santaluz Village Grn N San Diego, Ca. 92127

Phone: 858-792-1947

Cell: 619-838-0529

Email: [email protected]

------

After graduation, I enlisted in the Army and attended infantry officers school at Fort Benning, Georgia. I was commissioned and immediately served in Vietnam as an advisor to the Vietnamese Army. I met my wife, Carole, at Luther and we were married in December of 1967. After military service, I joined a family business and have been working as a commercial foodservice designer for the past 47 years. I currently have my own foodservice design firm in San Diego, CA. where we have lived since 1980. We have two children and five grandchildren. We also count among our children several international students we have hosted over the years who have come to study at the University of California San Diego. Two of our grandchildren have attended Luther and one is currently a senior. Our time at Luther provided Carole and I with a foundation that has guided us throughout our lives. As we have matured and reconnected with Luther we realize more and more what a special place it is. Yvonne (Nelson) Osheim

Spouse: Duane J. Osheim

Address: 106 Woodstock Drive Charlottesville, VA 22901

Phone: 434 977-6952

Cell: 434 568-0427

Email: [email protected]

------

Who would guess where an English major would end up! After teaching high school English in Minneapolis, doing technical editing and writing in San Francisco, writing and developing audio- visual training programs in Sacramento, and teaching English as a second language in Lucca, Italy, I ended up getting a PhD in biology from the University of Virginia.

A year after graduation, Duane Osheim and I got married. He was a history graduate student, specializing in Medieval and Italy which means we have spent a lot of time in Italy over our married life. When he was hired by UVA to teach history I started graduate school in biology. While in school we had two children, spent another year in Italy, and I became an electron microscopist. My research involved breaking open cells gently so that the chromosomes would unwind and could be centrifuged on to a carbon-coated grid. This allowed me to locate and photograph genes that were being actively transcribed and to analyze how the genes were regulated. It has been a fascinating journey. After getting my PhD, I continued this research in the Microbiology Department in the Medical School at UVA for 28 years.

Duane and I are both retired now and have been enjoying traveling as well as reading, gardening and I have taken up quilting. Retirement feels like a special gift at the end of life and we are trying to make the most of it.

Our son Erik (37) is married and he and his wife live in Providence, RI, where she is a graduate student at Brown and he does computer engineering for a company in San Francisco. Our daughter Christina (34) is currently living with us in Charlottesville and starting her own ceramics company, Mobius Keramikk. We couldn't talk either child into going to Luther but they did attend liberal arts colleges--Swarthmore and St. Olaf.

I have many fond memories of Luther and especially treasure the dear friendships made at Luther that continue to this day. Roy J. Prigge

Spouse: Faith E Prigge

Address: 8268 E Lake Carlos Drive NE Carlos, MN 56319-8161

Phone: 320-815-9830

Cell: 563-379-2515

Email: [email protected]

------

The Luther experience that most impacted my life, was my year spent at Hothorpe Hall in England. Being at Hothorpe and traveling throughout Europe, broadened my understanding of the world, its people and cultures.

Upon graduation I joined the Marine Corps and became a Naval aviator. During my six-year commitment to the Corps, I spent one of them in Viet Nam. I continued my military service as a helicopter pilot in the MN National Guard, completing over 21 years of service.

My civilian career included a variety of Human Resources positions. The last 16 years were spent as Director of Human Resources at Luther College.

My wife, Faith, and I have been happily married for 49 years. We have a son, Eric and daughter, Kjirsten, who are married giving us four grandchildren. We have lived in a number of different states and now we are enjoining retirement at Lake Carlos in MN.

In retirement we have been able to travel to Europe, the Panama Canal, Viet Nam and Cambodia so far. In addition to the fun of traveling, I work in the hospice program of Knute Nelson in Alexandria, MN as a volunteer and also, associate chaplain. Terry (Thiele) Rasmussen

Spouse: James David Rasmussen (deceased October 16, 2009)

Address: 5013 Sawhill Drive Fort Collins, CO 80528

Cell: 970-689-1973

Email: [email protected]

------

Both my husband (Jim Rasmussen, deceased October 16, 2009) and I graduated from Luther in 1967. Jim continued his education at Wartburg Seminary and graduated in 1971 and took calls in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wisconsin, and again Colorado where he was actively serving a congregation (Trinity Lutheran in Fort Collins) when he died. He was active in the ELCA, serving congregations for 38 years. We had three children together, all of whom Jim married in his capacity as a pastor as well as baptizing the three children of our older daughter.

I received a degree from Luther with majors in English, history, and education. I taught school (five years high school English in Iowa, Florida, and Kansas as well as a stint in elementary history and junior high English) for a total of eight years before we ultimately started a family. I was a stay-at-home mom (my absolute best career) for almost 10 years. My last career was as a claims adjuster --high severity losses--with American Family Insurance for almost 23 years. After Jim died the day before my birthday in 2009, I worked for one more year with American Family and then retired.

During the years we were married, Jim and I were fortunate to be able to do a bit of traveling in between working and raising children. We traveled consistently to Cancun, Mexico (almost every November) as well as enjoying several cruises to the Caribbean early in our married life (before kids) as well as doing an Alaskan cruise with all our kids and then grandkids to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary (August 12, 2007). Two other trips that Jim and I enjoyed in the year before he died was one to England and Scotland to see many sites that inspired J.K. Rowling in writing the Harry Potter books as well as where filming took place for the movies and the other to the Panama Canal, Aruba, Columbia, and Georgetown.

Because Jim died young and suddenly, my son encouraged me to consider some lifestyle changes (I had always been a swimmer and speed walker) so a year and a day after Jim died, I started running half marathons. I ran my first half marathon in Moab, Utah on my birthday in 2010. I just completed my 38th state this past June and plan to complete state #41 by the end of the year as well as run a half marathon in Edinburgh, Scotland in September. Additionally, I have started doing triathlons and running 10K races (and some 5Ks) consistently as well. I have also been blessed to do some traveling to places and have experienced people, animals, and events that are life-altering--a safari in Tanzania, snorkeling, kayaking, swimming, and hiking in the Galapagos Islands, a sailing adventure in the Caribbean as well as three trips to Scotland (some Harry Potter themed, some Outlander themed).

I am currently living in the home that Jim and I moved to 18 years ago this next week and this coming Friday (August 12, 2017) would have been our 50th wedding anniversary--had Jim lived. God has blessed my life with a wonderful family and amazing friends as well as a supportive faith community. I enjoy lots of family events with my Colorado kids and grandkids as well as traveling to Ohio and Wisconsin to hang out with my other two children and their families. I have learned to trust God in all things and rely on His strength to accomplish my goals. I also believe firmly in planning and living each day to God's Glory. If you can dream it, you can do it.

Gary Redling

A note from Gary’s wife, Lin.

------

Dear 1967 Luther College Classmates,

I so wish that I could join you for your 50th reunion. I know that if Gary were still alive he would most certainly be there to enjoy the sharing of so many great memories. Luther College and the people who shared that special part of his life meant so much to him. He not only gained knowledge of the world at Luther but confidence in himself, which he held close for the rest of his life. He was so very proud of being Luther graduate. We were fortunate enough to do some traveling together throughout our marriage, and if he wore his Luther College hat or sweat shirt, he almost always was approached by some stranger, asking if he attended Luther— and then the conversations began and they were no longer a stranger. As a graduate of a large university, I envied him that. So, as neither of us will be joining you in body, we will be there in spirit. If you can tell a funny Gary Redling story over a glass of wine or beer, I know he would like that.

Wishing you a blessed 50th reunion,

Lin Redling

Eileen M. (Olsen) Ronning

Spouse: Mr. Julian E.G. Ronning

Address: 1709 Carleton Drive Hastings MN 55033

Phone: 651-319-0548

Cell: 773-622-3585

Email: [email protected]

------

I arrived on campus a shy, first generation Norwegian American girl from Chicago and moved into the ground floor of Brandt West where I met, as I did in high school, a great group of girls. My roommate, Kathie Niemann, who was from a suburb of Chicago, and I had the large corner room facing Main and Larsen. We enjoyed watching the students going back and forth to classes and meals.

My favorite professors were my counselor Dr. Gundersen, the Norwegian prof., and Dr. Svanoe, the speech prof. I majored in elementary education teaching kindergarten and minored in Norwegian. Dr. Svanoe helped me gain confidence to speak in front of groups of strangers which in turn helped me pursue my masters as a reading specialist. After teaching small classes of children from many different countries, I became the literacy coach for my elementary school in Uptown, Chicago.

I am married to Julian Ronning (St. Olaf 1961). We have two sons, Kristian, Luther class of 1995 and Erik, Luther class of 1997. We lived in Chicago three blocks away from where I grew up, and we finally sold the house “in the hood” after 40 years and moved to Hastings, MN in 2012. Julian and I love to travel on our own, if possible, without being on a tour. This year was our sixth trip to Norway sightseeing and visiting relatives on both sides. In 1985, we took our sons on a month’s vacation in Denmark and Norway, staying in youth hostels and with our families. Now that we are retired we have been to Stockholm, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Riga, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, and Helsinki.

Since graduation, we have continued being interested and active in Norwegian clubs and churches. We are members in Chicago’s Minnekirken and are associate members at Mindekirken in Minneapolis. We try to visit Decorah once a year. This summer our Norwegian Telelag hosted the 7 Lag Stevne (conference) at Luther. Next year the Luren Male Chorus will host the Sangerfest in Decorah. My husband sang with the Chicago Bjornson Male Chorus and now sings with the Minneapolis Norwegian Glee Club. William Saetveit

Spouse: Janice Saetveit

Address: 7380 S Monaco St Centennial, CO 80112

Phone: 720-446-2802

Cell: 303-947-9596

Email: [email protected]

------

I've lived in Colorado ever since completing graduate school at Indiana University. MBA from IU and I've been a CPA in public practice for 48 years (way too long, but I still enjoy it and don't work very much anymore). First wife, Jennifer Sorenson-Luther 68, and I have two daughters and four grandchildren all living in Colorado. Our oldest grandson is a senior and was first string all- conference guard in his 5A high school. He's 6'5" and 235 pounds. Jan and I have been married 31 years and have a son, 28. He had been a BMW mechanic for 2 ½ years, then completed his college degree, and is now living with us selling BMWs--soon to be financially able to move out. Jan and I have enjoyed many cruises: Alaska, Norway, Mediterranean, Baltic Sea, Panama Canal, and the Caribbean. I have enjoyed my career in accounting and am thankful for professor Stan Lindquist pushing me into public accounting. Bjorg Sand

Address: Roald Amundsens vei 2 N-7018 Trondheim Norway

Phone: +47 73511967

Cell: +47 91799001

Email: [email protected]

------

From 1968 until I retired in 2005, I worked as a missionary to Japan. Even now I go there twice a year for a six weeks stay each time.

As a volunteer in Norway, I am the chairman of the board of NMS (Norwegian Mission Society) in my area. I also work as a volunteer at my local church.

I studied at Luther for just one year, and I enjoyed my stay very much. Throughout the 50 years that have passed since graduation I have kept in contact with a friend and a teacher from my stay at Luther.

Advice for Luther students: 1. Pursue your dreams 2. Make close friends Stephen Schach

Spouse: Kristine (Thomas) Schach '69

Address: 3415 Grant Avenue Rockford, Illinois 61103

Phone: 815- 877-1730

Cell: 815-519-5585

Email: [email protected]

------

My wife and I were married in 1970 and blessed with two sons Christopher (44), an English teacher and musician in Rockford, IL and Andrew (37), a business executive in Winter Springs, FL. We are also blessed to have two beautiful granddaughters Genevieve (8) and Estelle (5) who enjoy piano, tennis, ice skating, gymnastics and being spoiled by their grandparents.

I was employed by the Illinois Department of Mental Health at the H.D. Singer MH Center in Rockford from 1967-1985 as an administrator and business manager. Singer was the first new facility to become operational under the state's major mental health initiative at the time. From 1985 I worked for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Northern Region as business manager and contract administrator. I retired from state service in 2002.

Kristine is a retired school administrator with the Rockford Public Schools.

On the fun side, I started the Blackhawk Bicycle Club of Rockford in 1974 providing pleasurable and competitive cycling events in the Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin area. I also had a passion for volleyball and became a nationally certified referee for USAVB and PAVO women's collegiate competition. I retired from officiating in 2015 after serving the Missouri Valley, Big Ten, Big 12, Mid-American, Horizon and Big East conferences along with many great smaller schools over a span of 32 years. That's a lot of traveling and whistling!

We love being grandparents or fun without all the headaches. We continue to be thankful for our good fortune and enjoy traveling about the country. It has been a number of years since visiting the Luther campus so this year's Homecoming should be exciting.

My father, who graduated from the University of Iowa, gave me some good advice when I was at Luther and I will now pass it on. "Don't play cards at night!" Henry Seibert

Spouse: Becky Seibert

Address: 4215 West State Street Fremont, Ohio 43420

Phone: 419-665-2201

Cell: 419-217-1439

Email: [email protected]

------

A couple of memories stand out from my Luther days. In the 4-1-4 January interim of my junior year (January 1966), David Harms and I served in Greenville, Mississippi at the Delta Ministries. On one Sunday we attended the funeral of one of our coworkers. Following the funeral we were followed out of town by two cars and a pickup truck. The chase began. Long story short - we escaped the KKK with our lives thanks to Spirit-inspired driving and the maneuverability of a 1958 Rambler American. It was only after watching the movie "Mississippi Burning" did I realize how blessed we were that day.

One memory of Dr. Richard Hanson's religion class in my senior year was being called a "lazy shit" by the professor because I complained about the hard reading assignment. End result, I turned my attitude around and got an A in the class.

After graduation, I enrolled at Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary in Columbus, Ohio (now Trinity Seminary) and was ordained into the ministry of Word and Sacrament in 1971. After 33 years in parish ministry, I attended Gettysburg Seminary to receive certification as an Intentional Interim Minister. After serving 10 years in the Northwestern Ohio Synod as an Intentional Interim, I retired in October of 2013. Since then my wife and I have managed the family farm as well as our guest house. We enjoy our travels on Viking Cruises and stateside as time allows. We've been blessed with four successful children and eight active and healthy grandchildren ranging from a college junior to a fourth grader. God is good! Very, very good. Soli Deo Gloria! Anna (Lund) Sime

Spouse: Donald Sime ‘67

Address: 5802 Bob Bullock C1 Box 328C-145 Laredo TX 78041

Phone: 8476803269

Cell: +52 33 1992 0163

Email: [email protected]

------

Don and I married shortly after graduation. After a bit of teaching for me and law school for Don, Don entered the Air Force and we moved from Iowa to Texas to Washington State where Don continued with law school at Gonzaga University. His work took us to Washington, DC for 5 years and eventually to Illinois where we remained until our retirement in Mexico. We have been in Mexico for 10 years, in the mountainous central area. Of our three daughters, two are Luther graduates. We have had travel experiences in Spain (Camino de Santiago), Norway (walked Oslo to Trondheim), Israel (daughter lived in Jerusalem), South Africa (took two grandchildren with us), France (walked across southern France), and many adventures in Mexico over our 10 years of residency. And, of course, we always enjoy returning to the US for family and friend visits. Don has taken up woodworking in retirement and has created some wonderful heirloom pieces that we treasure. Our lives in Mexico revolve around our Anglican church and the needs of our small poor community. You are welcome to visit anytime we are at home. Janet (Moklebust) Snider

Spouse: Widowed.

Address: 203 East Main Street Decorah, IA 52101

Cell: 419-351-4092

Email: [email protected]

------

I moved to Decorah in the fall of 2014 and have found it to be a wonderful, welcoming community. I am involved in volunteer work with Seed Savers, a Community Meal project which serves free dinners twice a month, the Decorah Food Pantry, and occasional other projects.

I love living here, just off of Water Street, and enjoy being able to walk any place in town and on the trails. The wonderful music available here along with all the other activities and opportunities from Luther and the town makes life here very fun. Janet (Swanson) Solberg

Spouse: Gary Solberg ‘67

Address: 4311 Oxford Way Norman, OK 73072

Phone: 405-329-6528

Email: [email protected]

------

Luther impacted my life - by meeting my husband of 50+ years! After leaving Luther, Gary attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, finishing his masters before enlisting in the USAF as a pilot. I taught elementary school for five years, then took on the role of mother to our two daughters, as we spent 20 years living in TX, CA, Taiwan, MT, and DE until Gary retired. His second career continued with planes when he took a job with Boeing, developing the air crew training program for the USAF C-17, working in OK where we have lived since 1989. I worked as office manager at the Norman Convention & Visitors Bureau for 11 years, and we both retired in 2007. Our older daughter, husband and grandson live here in Norman, while our younger daughter is a Delta pilot, living in Austin, TX. Chris Stein

Spouse: Julie (Halmstad) Stein ‘69

Address: 19341 55th Ave. Chippewa Falls, WI 54729

Phone: 715-861-5404

Email: [email protected]

------

The Luther Experience provided me a well-rounded view of the world and to continually ask questions.

Favorite Event/Professor. Professor was Dr. Johnson in Social Psychology. His analogy of the waitress and the cook still gets me laughing. Lasting events: the shared history of Luther colleagues and Messiah.

Career Path: Certainly not in a straight path: from Chaplain in a Burn Ward for children, to Parish Pastor, to Business Chaplain, to Cardiac Pacemakers, to A.C. Nielsen, to ELCA, and Claires Stores, Inc.

Family: Julie Halmstad (Luther Class of 1969) and I have been married for 48 yrs., or as Julie would say: "84 years." We have two children, Aaron and Rebecca and two grandchildren.

Travel: Trips to Germany, Nova Scotia, the Southwest, Alaska, but are finding the best trip is to the chairs on the deck and watch fish jump in the lake.

Retirement: I found a great bookstore: Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, Az. Also, I work at the YMCA ½ day a week and I feel overworked! Also am trying my hand at small model railroading - reverting back to the young days.

Advice for Students: Keep asking questions.... Frances Jo (Kurtz) Stensaas

Spouse: Don Stensaas ‘66

Address: 2101 East Independence Drive Boise, ID 83706

Phone: 208-344-1962

Cell: 208-794-5417

Email: [email protected]

------

After graduating from Luther with a BA in Secondary Education (Major: English Minor: French), I married Don Stensaas in September 1967 in Mason City, IA (my hometown). A member of the renown Luther College Choir, Don graduated from Luther in ’66. The day he received his MBA from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, (Aug 1967), he also received his draft notice. Fortunately, an accepted application for the USAF Officer's Training School in (Medina AFB) San Antonio, TX, provided a new journey for us.

Our assignment was Whiteman AFB, Missouri where we lived for four years and I taught 7th and 8th grade English and Social Studies. Our first daughter, Mari, was born on base in 1970. After leaving the USAF, Don took a job with Mobil Oil in Kansas City, MO. Mobil Oil moved us from KC to Chicago, IL (daughter Ann was born in Park Ridge, IL in1973), then on to New York City. We lived in NYC for a brief time before moving to Matawan, NJ. Joining a family business brought us back to Mason City, Iowa where daughter Bethany was born in 1975 and son Andrew in 1980. Later on were moves to Cedar Falls and Waverly.

Over the years I’ve taught junior and/or senior high English in Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Texas, and New Jersey. In 1989, Don was offered a VP of Underwriting position in Boise; Idaho has been our home for 28 years.

I’ve happily spent 26 years at Boise State University (20) and the University of Idaho (6) working with TRiO grants serving first generation and limited income junior and senior high students, adults, and veterans. Initially I worked for BSU’s Educational Talent Search, then the Student Success Program (Student Support Services) and Upward Bound. For three years I taught English for BSU’s High School Equivalency Program (HEP), a GED program for migrant farm workers and their families. I started two grant programs: the TRiO Educational Opportunity Center at The University of Idaho Boise and BSU’s Veterans Upward Bound Program.

Right after retirement from BSU in 2015, I co-authored and taught an English curriculum that is still being used by a blessed refugee program, Full Circle Exchange, serving fabulous creative women from various countries who come to Boise from violent environments and war-ravaged countries. So this is my first summer not working!

My Luther College education degree opened doors allowing me to teach and to meet vastly talented and innovative people over the years. How blessed I’ve been to serve in numerous diverse educational settings. Wherever my involvement in education has led me, I strive to motivate individuals to realize their potential and to be aware of their options to learn and to succeed. I would tell my students, “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.” (Albert Einstein) But Paul Wassermann’s quote sums up my thoughts for current Luther students: “We advance toward our destiny when we encourage others to reach theirs.”

Of course, my major highlight at Luther was meeting Don, but a highlight year for me at Luther was my junior year, living in the French House where I was privileged to live with 16 fabulous and gifted women. Lovely Odile Rougnon-Glasson and Sophie Delpeche mentored us. French Professor Odell Bjerkness was always uplifting and encouraging! That year, Harry Belafonte, his wife, Nipsy Russell, and Nana Mouskouri performed a spellbinding concert at Luther. They then attended a post-concert reception at the French House as they all spoke French. What a magical evening! Don and I now frequently babysit our two youngest grandsons. Joyfully three of our four children and five of our seven grandchildren live in Boise; we are loving it! Our daughter, Ann, was in the Luther Choir and graduated from Luther in 1995.

Two grandchildren are in college, one in junior high, two are elementary students in Texas, and two 3-year-old are preschoolers.

Don and I enjoy walking, golfing, singing in our church choir, attending college football games and concerts, and gathering with family and friends. We celebrated 50 years of marriage, September 2nd. We have come full circle by returning to Luther where we first met and now looking forward to celebrating with the amazing Class of 1967 and many other Luther friends.

Soli Deo Gloria! Eileen (Tallman) Summers

Spouse: Jon Summers ‘63

Address: 174 SW The Pines Drive Depoe Bay, OR 97341

Cell: 541-961-4884

Email: [email protected]

------

After leaving Luther in ‘67, I received a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work at the University of Chicago, got married to Jon Summers (a ‘63 Luther grad), and worked as a social worker in Missouri for a time. Jon and I then wandered off to Afghanistan in 1974 as Peace Corps Volunteers and an immersion into a whole new way of experiencing the world. This started our 30-year sojourn living and working overseas in South Asia and Southeast Asia including Malaysia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Cambodia, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Along the way, we had two delightful daughters who attended international schools before heading off to college. Most of my work involved providing counseling services for the international communities in these countries either through a private practice I established, or small group practices with other international counselors. At times, this expanded into training and mental health workshops, being an educational advising consultant for South Asia, and even a stint in the Psychology Department of the Royal University of Phnom Penh. Jon worked in international development for The Asia Foundation. In 2010, we returned to the U.S.A. to retire and are now learning how to once again live in America. Thinking back to Luther, I realize that the ethics course I had in sociology, another that focused on the French Revolution, religion courses that encouraged us to look beyond religious dogma, and a history course requiring us to read “real time” testimony in the Congressional Record were all great preparation for the complexities of the life that followed. Julie (Johnson) Svanoe

Spouse: Atlee Svanoe ‘71

Address: 12408 E Bradley Road Whitewater, WI 53190

Phone: 262-473-3461

Cell: 262-215-3469

Email: [email protected]

------

It was at Luther that I met my husband of almost 50 years. Most of that time, we have lived in Wisconsin, where we raised our daughters, Erika and Liv. We built our own home in the woods outside of Whitewater and both worked as educators. Atlee taught at UW-Whitewater and I taught at Whitewater High School. Since we've retired, we've traveled in our RV to many National Parks and have also made some trips to Mexico, Canada, Europe, and Central America. We feel lucky to have had such a wonderful life together. Philip Svanoe

Spouse: Barbara Svanoe

Address: 8502 E. Dog Leg Drive, Carefree, Arizona 85377-2867 (winter) 3782 Doc Raymond, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86005 (summer)

Phone: 480-656-4895 (winter) 928-266-1942 (summer)

Cell: 515-778-8971

Email: [email protected]

------

I grew up in Decorah and on the Luther campus as my father, Harold, was the speech professor at Luther. Growing up in Decorah and then going to Luther was a wonderful experience. Little did I know that this would provide for me a foundation for navigating the trip-ups and turns in my life to come. Although the Decorah/Luther experience was somewhat sheltered, I think it was what I needed as I left Decorah in 1967 with a measure of confidence and a beginning set of skills.

Music and drama activities at Luther with Weston Noble and Robert Larson left a lasting impression. Life choices made thereafter were not always the best. However, my first life choice after college was to join the Peace Corps and that was an extraordinary horizon-expanding venture. Upon return, I taught junior high school students for a while in Cresco, Iowa.

In the 1970s, solar energy business ventures did not end well but provided valuable learning experiences. And that experience led to positions with Iowa State as well as the federal government dealing alternative energy and energy conservation. Divorce during this time was tough, but years later met my current wife; now married 31 years. After some post-graduate studies in the 1990s, my final career move was to build (with my wife Barbara) a successful fee-only financial planning and investment firm in Des Moines. With teaching experience, multiple business ventures, and experience within government, I was ready to be a comprehensive personal financial counselor and investment coordinator.

Retiring in 2009, I find myself playing golf, playing my guitar and singing on occasion for friends. We have been travelling to many parts of the world, recently returning to my old Peace Corps stomping grounds in Borneo. Two daughters and three granddaughters are a joy. I'm sucking up the year-round weather and enjoying new-found friends in Scottsdale and Flagstaff, Arizona.

So, I believe my liberal arts training at Luther was integral to my pursuit of a full complement of vocational endeavors. My life has been blessed and Luther College was an early part of that blessing. Dr. Gregory L. Totel

Spouse: Mrs. Mary E. (Carr) Totel ‘66

Address: 485 Bay Shore Drive Decatur IL 62521-5536

Phone: 217-423-3855

Cell: 217-853-0306

Email: [email protected]

------

Luther College is a great little place that impacted my life greatly. It gave me the tools to go on to a career in medicine and exposure to the arts, whereby I can enjoy life in a satisfying way. It was a neat place to start life. I married Mary Carr 49 years ago, and we have been blessed with three children and seven grandchildren. My three most influential professors were Russ Rulon, Richard Simon Hanson, and Weston Noble. What a wonderful combination—to learn about life and how to live it. Grant H. Trask

Spouse: Lila Trask

Address: Residence: 400 Second St. N. Petersburg, AK 99833 Mail: PO Box 1333 Petersburg, AK 99833

Phone: 907-772-3775

Cell: 907-518-0067

Email: [email protected]

------

Whew, fifty years is a long time! A quick summary is inadequate for each of us, but here goes . . .

Grant met failure for the first time shortly after graduation. I'd joined the Peace Corps, prepared to go to the Amazon area of and encourage cooperatives in farming for my two years. However, I didn't measure up to the challenge and was "de-selected" at end of training. So, I got drafted. I proved to be a good soldier and was made a medic serving in Vietnam with the 19th Combat Engineer Battalion in 1968 and 1969. I feel fortunate to have wound up saving lives and not having to shoot anyone.

After that, Alaska called again. I'd worked on fishing boats as a summer job between Luther years. My college degree as a sociology major was good, yet I liked being outdoors and a challenge. Spring in 1970 saw me once more at a little town in Alaska's Inside Passage - Petersburg. I commercially fished as a deckhand, did several years as a surveyor-engineer for the US Forest Service, and saved my money. Finding a traditional-built commercial trolling boat at Fisherman's Terminal in Seattle, Hazel B entered my life. Lots of work, lots of independence, lots of potential (and resulting) adventure, Grant began to fish salmon for a living in 1973. Hazel B was "home" and I fished every spring and summer for king salmon and coho salmon in both the protected waters of Southeast Alaska and in the Gulf of Alaska - big waves. Having been in the woods or out on a boat a lot, I didn't meet many young women, plus I was shy. Yet, love bloomed in my life when I got reacquainted with an Osakis (MN) High School "pal", Lila. I knew the value of a farm-raised gal, we picked up where we had left off, and I was fortunate that she was still available!

Lila Hanson and Grant Trask got married at Osakis Lutheran on a winter day in 1976 and Hazel B had to take second place. Lila had given up her math teaching job in St. Cloud, sold her house and we soon found a nice, Norwegian-built house in Petersburg. Erik came along, then Sarah, and in turn, we all would go out fishing on the ocean. Our kids learned how to get along in a small space, how to work, how to keep mentally stimulated, how to be responsible at an early age; they became tough, growing up on a fishing boat every summer.

They devoured books while aboard Hazel B and developed keen minds too. Every Trask but Grant became a HS valedictorian. Erik achieved National Merit Scholar, went to Pacific Lutheran University, and UC Irvine for his doctorate. He is a plasma physicist at Tri-Alpha Energy in Lake Forest, CA where they seek capturing all the twinkle in billions of stars and producing a new source of energy for our planet - fusion. Erik met Kim at PLU and they have Sam and Katie, along with Zaylon, a foster child.

Sarah lives in Stockholm and teaches math and advanced English at a charter school. She had also gone to PLU, then was a Fulbright scholar in Karlsruhe, Germany, got two Master's degrees, taught math and English (in German) at Bremerhaven for the prior two years. Sarah is single, but runs, cooks, kayaks with Swedish friends - especially a handsome young man.

Hazel B went to a caring owner after 38 years of being a dominate factor in Grant's life. Life after trolling is good: lots of social life, travel, building a garden and greenhouse, church janitor, B&B owner, - I even do "dock walks" when small cruise ships land in my small town. I get to tell visitors about commercial fishing and the well-managed resources of Alaska's sea life.

Act III brings reminiscence to Grant. I'm very grateful to have gone to Luther. I treasure the classmates who stay in touch. I was so fortunate to have made Nordic Choir and known Weston Noble - "I will sing to the Lord as long as I live . . ." I have sought God's Spirit in my life and He blesses me in so many ways. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by current events, or the rendering of our nation's culture and politics. However, there's a lot to do nearby when it comes to sharing God's love with His children, so I keep busy. By the way - come up and see us. There's a big discount at Das Hagedorn Haus B&B for Luther College folks.

Soli Deo Gloria. Oz Twedt

Spouse: Linda twedt

Address: 6 Petra Lane Grand Marais, Mn. 55604

Phone: 218-388-2247

Cell: 715-418-1211

Email: [email protected]

------

I graduated from Luther Seminary in 1972 and served three calls in Sharon, ND., Valders, WI., and Prairie Farm, WI. In 2007, I retired and we moved north to the Gunflint Trail out of Grand Marais, MN on Clearwater Lake, a boundary waters lake. We have five daughters - Jessica, Sara, Kari, Twedt (her birth name was Erika, but changed her first name to Twedt when she got married), and Emily, who are scattered across the U.S. and one in Asia. We have five grandchildren, and so we manage to do a lot of traveling to see the family and to see the world. I have been fortunate to have a lot of great and varied experiences these past 50 years with family and friends. I will mention just two. The first has to do with me being the photographer for the Hay River Review, the local monthly newspaper in Prairie Farm, WI. I applied for press credentials to the 2008 National Democratic Convention and to the surprise of my editor and myself, I received them and had an amazing experience getting to be on the floor of the convention with the delegates. The second was in 2014 when I traveled with my college roommate - Mark Reinsmoen - and three others on a bike trip from Tromso, Norway, to Olso, Norway, over 14 days. Rolf Wangberg

Spouse: Patricia Wangberg ‘69

Address: 2994 Bandel Dr NW Rochester Mn 55901

Cell: 701-371-6256

Email: [email protected]

------

I married the young woman who worked at the Whippy Dip and had invited the Luther Track team members -- who were staying after the end of school to attend the national meet in Chicago -- to her home for supper. Gene Tackle, his now wife Miriam, and I were going to go run near Effigy Mounds in Prairie du Chien and have a picnic. But it rained all day, so at the last minute I got Pat Hein's number from one of the other team members and called to ask if I could come too. She said yes -- they could handle one more. So I went, we married, had four children, and now have eight grandchildren. Thanks, Luther, for making this a reality for us.

I graduated from Luther Seminary in St. Paul in 1971 and served parishes in Lake Andes, SD; International Falls, MN; Underwood, MN; and interims in Oklee, MN; Grand Forks, ND and East Grand Forks, MN (disaster response); Fergus Falls, MN; Ada, MN; Moorhead, MN; Rushford, MN (disaster response); La Crescent, MN; Albert Lea, MN; and LeRoy-Ostrander, MN. I was bishop in the NWMN Synod from 2001 to 2007.

We now live in Rochester, MN and at Strawberry Lake, MN (north of Detroit Lakes, MN). We enjoy spending time with family. Our son and his wife both graduated from Luther.

My most meaningful travel was to India -- twice -- to visit the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church, our companion synod. One of the memories I have is of members of that synod visiting our synod. We went to Bemidji, stayed in my brother's house, and went shopping at the grocery store about 11 pm to buy tea. (I have yet to drink tea.) They were surprised that in my brother's neighborhood, all the homes had "carpets of grass," had only one family living in each house, and I could buy products using only a plastic card. I was most surprised in India when I went to get money from a bank and had to meet with the president who used a paper ledger to record the transaction, no one I met had home phones because there were very few phone lines, but many had cell phones, and getting a withdrawal at an ATM machine was easier than at home. We visited the delivery room in a hospital after which I was about to tell my wife how thankful I was she didn't have to deliver our children there when the person walking with us, turned and faced us, and with a smile on her face and with great pride said, "I was born there." Spruiell Douglas White

Spouse: Nedra Weber-White

Address: 2666 East 73rd Street/#7W Chicago, Illinois 60649

Phone: 773-374-1122

Email: [email protected]

------

After graduation in 1967 and following the choir's European tour, I returned home and began work at the Chicago Tribune in various jobs over the next three years involving advertising and editorial assignments. In 1970, I relocated to the West Coast for fourteen years, ten in San Francisco and the last four in Seattle. I worked principally for Urban League organizations in both cities beginning as a job developer and leaving as the president of the Seattle Urban League. My wife Nedra, also a Chicago native, joined me in marriage in 1976. We returned to Chicago in 1983 with our two sons, Albert and Adam. A continued career in social services followed including executive assignments at the United Negro College Fund, the Chicago Jobs Council and last, at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation where I served as a Senior Program Officer through retirement in 2011. In 2001, I received a Masters of Arts in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago and have continued involvement in various community and professional vocal groups. Friendships formed at Luther have enhanced the life journey and continue through present involving such folks as: Carol Birkland, Ed Marsh, Karen Helland, Bob Dahlgren, David Ellingson (who married us), Jeannete Baja, Charlie Jones, Carol and George Orness, Janet M. Snider, Eli Williamson, Roy Jones, Karl Norem, Emory White and James Bohn. Jeanne (Engler) Zaske and Robert Zaske

Address: 8019 4th Avenue Lino Lakes MN 55014-2035

Phone: 651-786-2852

Cell: 612-310-3556

Email: [email protected]

------

Choosing to attend Luther College after high school certainly changed our lives for the better! We met on campus the first day of orientation and just months later began a freshmen-graduates romance, getting married shortly after graduation.

With both of us having Elementary Ed majors, one of our most influential professors was Dr. Helen Strand who helped us understand the importance of making a positive impact on the lives of the children we would teach. [Much later we would be able to attend her 100th birthday at which she gave a talk challenging us all to find ways to help those we encounter in our lives.] Other professors and leaders at Luther making a positive impact on our lives were Weston Noble, Dr. Barbara Bahe, Dr. Farwell,

After our Luther days, we both became elementary teachers in Racine, WI. Two years later we moved to the northern Twin Cities (MN) suburbs where we began a family and Bob taught in the Mounds View schools. Jeanne chose to be an at home Mom as our family grew to four children. Later Jeanne became a preschool teacher for 20+ years, and Bob joined an educational publishing company, AGS also for 20+ years working as a consultant, sales person, manager, and marketing/product manager. [AGS was co- founded by another Luther grad of the 1930s era.]

We have been blessed with four children. We have two biological sons, Andy and Tim and two adopted, Korean daughters Kristi and Karin. They have blessed us with 10 grandchildren and many, many happy experiences and memories.

We enjoy traveling (especially since retiring) and seeing and experiencing new things and new places. We like to do this with our children and their families and with our friends and other relatives, too. We try to “get away” from the MN cold for a time each winter, but not too long to miss out on too many family and grandchildren activities. One of our favorite places to return to is Sedona, AZ where we enjoy hiking on the beautiful red rock trails.

We have been retired for awhile already and we like to say that initially we were “boar-d”serving on church boards, hospital auxiliary boards, volunteer boards, -you get the picture. We enjoy busying ourselves with volunteerism in many different ways. We are thankful that God has given us good health and opportunities to help those around us.

In our retirement, we have a saying close to our hearts, and one that our children found on a clock for us,: “A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove¦but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.” There are many philosophical quotes that one thinks about as “advice for Luther students,” but this kind of summarizes our thoughts well.