L AUREN HANSEN

1972

Frank Columbus — Libertyville, Ill., and his wife, Elaine, have four grandchildren living in Arizona: Alexi, 5; Frankie, 4; Ben, 2; and Gisella, 1.

1974

Kent Gaertner — Aurora, Ill., recently was named a hearing officer for the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. Kent is an attorney in Wheaton, Illinois, concentrating in bankruptcy matters. He is a past president of the DuPage County Bar Association and a member of the Illinois State Bar Association Assembly.

Sarah Bryan Miller — St. Louis, is the classical music critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She also writes about visual arts and reviews books and the occasional movie for the Post-Dispatch. A two-time breast cancer survivor, Ms. Bryan has written about various aspects of the disease and works with women who recently have been diagnosed. A licensed lay preacher in the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, Ms. Bryan is active in her home parish of St. Peter’s/St. Louis. She lives in suburban St. Louis with her younger daughter, Eleanor Rix, and a spoiled orange cat named Iris.

www.carthage.edu

S14_CARTH_class notes.indd 39

Beacons of change “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” – Charles Dickens During Spring Family Weekend, our Alumni Council hosted the inaugural Beacon Award ceremony, which honored six remarkable alumni: Dr. Gregory Bergner ’71, Juliana Blum-Newkirk ’98, Anthony D’Souza ’95, David Maack ’88, Timothy Rucks ’83 and Rebecca Steinbach ’85. It was a beautifully special evening. The 2013-14 chairman of the Carthage Board of Trustees, Jeff Hamar ’80, said in his remarks, “President Harold Lentz began ‘The Miracle of Carthage’ with these words: ‘Three basic ingredients have comprised the story of Carthage College: faith, courage, and imagination. It required an abundance of all three in the late 1830s and early 1840s to believe that a small band of Lutherans in central Illinois could found a college and bring it to maturity.’ These three words continue to be the basic ingredients that make up our College, and certainly tonight they are reflected in lives of the six alumni we are here to honor.”

Full of affection and laughter and joy, each recipient shared the role Carthage played in his or her journey. To be in a room full of alumni and friends celebrating six of our “family members” was one of the highlights in my young life. A few of Gregory Bergner’s fraternity members who he hadn’t seen in 20 years drove in from St. Louis. Two of Tony D’Souza’s former professors, Associate Provost David Steege and Professor of Asian Studies and Religion Jim Lochtefeld, came to support him. Tony, author of award-winning novel “Mule,” joked during his speech that he only earned a B+ in one of Prof. Steege’s classes. The warmth between Tony and Prof. Steege was undeniable. In her award speech, Becky Steinbach summed up the sentiments in the room saying, “The windows and walls may have changed over the years, but Carthage still feels like home.” Throughout the evening, alumni recalled faculty members and friends who impacted their lives forever. That was one of those nights that reminded me how blessed I am to be a Carthage alumna and to meet alumni from across the nation. To see how our alumni were designed with specific gifts and dreams, and to celebrate them in a room full of Carthage family, was simply a treasure. We all are a part of a very special place. Joyfully yours,

Lauren Hansen ’10 Director of Alumni and Parent Programs lhansen@carthage.edu, 262-551-5816

Learn more about staying connected, upcoming events, and ways to give back at www.carthage.edu/alumni.

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