Alumni News
1976 Jane M.
(Korsrud) Nelson of Cottage Grove, Minn., died Oct. 3, 2016, age 62.
Dale S. Russell of Dubuque, Iowa, died Aug. 25, 2016, age 62.
1977 Kari Liv
Lee of Stowe, Vt., died May 24, 2013, age 60.
1978
1983 Grace A.
Christina Louise Perrin Moorcroft of Fort Collins, Colo., died Sept.19, 2016, age 72.
(Heyden) Condon of Urbandale, Iowa, died Oct. 18, 2016, age 56.
1981 Susan
Pamela J. Snell of Decorah died Nov. 8, 2016, age 55.
(Austed) Gardner of Boise, Idaho, died July 17, 2016, age 57.
1982 Kim
MacInnes-Green of Anchorage, Alaska, died June 26, 2016, age 61.
1999 Maren
Rae (Aune) Zabel of Circle Pines, Minn., died June 15, 2016, age 39.
2017 Bjorn H. Norderhaug of Chanhassen, Minn., died Sept.18, 2016, age 21.
1996 Sarah
Elizabeth Hanson Nietz of Faribault, Minn., died Aug. 24, 2016, age 42.
Russell Rulon ’58 loved the outdoor life, helping students progress
Study of classics a lifelong passion for A. Thomas Kraabel ’56
Russell Ross Rulon ’58 was born April 26, 1936, in Hamburg, and passed away Nov. 22, 2016, in Decorah. Rulon was raised on the Gurney Nursery Farm in Yankton, S.D. It was where his love of outdoor life began. At Luther, he completed a biology and chemistry double major and then earned a Ph.D. in physiology from the University of Iowa in 1961. Rulon met his wife, Joan, while in Iowa City, and they were married June 8, 1963. They had three children together: Brita, Amber, and Ryan. When he returned to teach at Luther, Rulon became known for his incredibly detailed physiology handouts and his ability to intricately dissect within his physiology laboratory. For many years, Rulon was the health career adviser at Luther, where he wrote countless letters of recommendation for students heading on to graduate degree programs. In 2000, colleagues, friends, family, and former students gave $1 million to Luther to establish the Russell Rulon Endowed Chair in Biology. When not at work, Rulon loved to be outside gardening, fishing, or hunting. Rulon and Joan enjoyed spending as much time as possible at their summer cabin in northern Minnesota. Soon after retirement, Rulon was diagnosed with dementia, which steadily progressed for many years. Rulon is survived by his wife, Joan, of Decorah; his daughter, Brita (Rulon) Loynachan ’86 (Tim) and grandchildren Colin, Nathan, and Kirsten, of Marion; his daughter, Amber Myers (Eric) and grandchildren Annelise, Peter, and Anneka, of Charlottesville, Va.; and his son, Ryan Rulon ’95 (Elizabeth) and grandchildren Noah and Alexander, of Boise, Idaho. He was preceded in death by his parents, Russell Ladds Rulon and Laurine Newman Rulon, and sister, Janet Sue (Rulon) Pipho ’60 (Armin Pipho ’60).
A. Thomas “Tom” Kraabel ’56, Qualley professor of classics emeritus, died Nov. 2, 2016, at Aase Haugen Home in Decorah, after a 28-year journey with Parkinson’s disease. He was born on Nov. 4, 1934, in Portland, Ore., to Rev. Alf M. Kraabel ’17 and Marie (Swenson) Kraabel. Kraabel majored in classical languages and literature at Luther. He continued the study of classics at the University of Iowa, earning a master of arts degree in 1958. Kraabel earned a bachelor of theology degree in 1961 from Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. In 1968, Harvard awarded him a doctor of theology degree. While working on that degree, he received a Rockefeller doctoral fellowship in religion and the Harvard Divinity School’s Pfeiffer fellowship in archeology. He also served as assistant in Greek and lecturer in New Testament at Episcopal Theological Seminary, Cambridge, Mass., from 1966 to 1967. At Harvard, Kraabel’s lifelong interest in archeology began. He served as field archeologist in 1966 for the Harvard-Cornell archeological exploration of the site of ancient Sardis in Turkey. From 1969 to 1973 he was associate director, along with Eric Myers of Duke University, of the Joint Expedition to Khirbet Shema', Israel, an archaeological project of the American Schools of Oriental Research. In 1967, Kraabel joined the Department of Classics at the University of Minnesota. From 1983 through the 1995–96 academic year, Kraabel was Luther’s vice president and dean of the college as well as a professor of religion and classics. Subsequently, he taught religion and classics at the college until his retirement in 2000. In 1988, Luther named him to the Orlando W. Qualley Chair of Classical Languages. Kraabel is survived by his wife, Janice; son, Allen (Debra); son, Thomas Kraabel ’89 (Kristine); and daughter, Sarah (Kraabel) Kriewall ’87 (Dan); five grandchildren: Amanda (Charles) McCarty, Andrew Kraabel ’11 (Lindsey), Eleanor and Peter Kriewall, and Erika Kraabel; and three great-grandchildren: Maloa, Gabriel, and Alexander McCarty. He is also survived by his brother, Paul S. Kraabel ’58, and family.
Winter 2017 Luther Alumni Magazine
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