MAGAZINE
Building community in a pandemic
FALL 2020
CONTENTS Share magazine stories online: The Luther magazine is online in a mobile and shareable format. Share stories through email, Facebook, or Twitter at luther.edu/magazine. Luther Magazine Volume 54, Number 1, Fall 2020 Published by Luther College
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Making an impact
Five new grads from the class of 2020 demonstrate how Luther’s prepared them to shape the world.
Editor Kate Frentzel Art Director/Designer Michael Bartels Assistant Designer Julie Strom Hendrickson ’93 Contributors Sherry (Braun) Alcock ’82 Nick Bjerke Erin Dintaman ’23 Sue (Franzen) Drilling ’78 Kirk Johnson ’82 Judy Riha Rachel Schunder ’20 Luther College Photo Bureau Luther Magazine welcomes articles and signed letters to the editor; submissions may be edited for style, clarity, or length. Inquiries and submissions may be sent to the Editor, Luther Magazine, Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045; magazine@luther. edu; phone (563) 387-1350. Class Notes submissions and changes of address may be sent to the Alumni Office at the address above. Alumni news may be emailed to the Alumni Office at alumni@ luther.edu. Questions and concerns about the magazine may be emailed to magazine@luther.edu. Alumni Office (800) 225-8664; (800) 2 ALUMNI Admissions Office (800) 458-8437; (800) 4 LUTHER Web luther.edu luther.edu/magazine © Luther College 2020
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Shelter
Luther students and Decorah families broadened their horizons by sheltering together during the pandemic.
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A left turn for interns
Students in Luther’s inaugural Rochester Semester learn—and contribute—in the midst of COVID-19.
Departments 2 President’s letter 3 Campus news 20 Alumni 25 Class Notes 30 Marriages 31 Births/Adoptions 32 In Memoriam
Calendar back cover
This summer, Luther’s Roslien Woodlands was home to a local goat herd as part of a sustainable restoration project to reduce the abundance of invasive woody shrubs like buckthorn and honeysuckle. Photo and cover photo by Nick Bjerke.
PR ESIDENT'S LETTER
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I am heartened by the grace I see around me every day, embodied by all who identify with this place.”
This world is our home Dear Luther Community, “This world is not my home.” As many of you know, I have been a Lutheran for over 20 years, but I grew up in the South, the daughter of a Methodist mother and a Baptist father, with gospel music performers on both sides of the family. “This world is not my home” is an old song revered in both the Black and Southern (read: white) gospel traditions, and my friend Rev. Dr. Roderick Belin* and I use that opening line to introduce text messages to each other these days. The pandemic. The racial reckoning of this summer and the recognition that we have still not achieved the “beloved community” spoken of by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957. The political polarization in our nation. All are cause for lament, and yet both Roderick and
I use “this world is not my home” in the recognition that it most certainly is. This world is our home, and Luther College—both in Decorah, Iowa, and extending across the globe in our alumni community—is called to steward it. In this issue of the Luther magazine, you will read about some of the many and unique ways the “Lutherverse” cares for and stewards this home we share: from building community during a pandemic, to Decorah families opening their homes to international students when Luther went online last spring, to our Rochester Semester interns contributing their gifts and talents to their new neighbors to our north, to alumni working on the front lines of SARS-CoV-2 health care and research, and to activism seeking to advance social justice.
As I end my first year of stewardship and service as president of Luther College, even in these complicated pandemic times, I am heartened by the grace I see around me every day, embodied by all who identify with this place. Luther College, this world is our home. Let us care for it and each other. Soli Deo Gloria,
Jenifer K. Ward *Rev. Dr. Belin sang at my inauguration on November 2, 2019.
CAMPUS NEWS
During Virtual Commencement, Luther media staff re-created what’s affectionately known as “the gauntlet,” a lined procession celebrating new graduates as they exit the ceremony. Faculty donned their robes and, along with staff, submitted selfies expressing their warm wishes and excitement for Luther’s newest alumni.
VIRTUAL COMMENCEMENT On May 24, Luther celebrated a Commencement like no other in college history: entirely online. A total of 417 graduates watched from their homes with loved ones as they were honored and celebrated during the virtual ceremony. Of that number, 141 graduates received Latin honors, and 80 were first-generation college students. Speaking to the new graduates, President Jenifer K. Ward said, “I could talk about the last three months, but we’ve just lived them. I could talk about the meaning of Commencement, about new beginnings in your life after Luther, but I want to remind you about a different beginning instead. I want you to think back to the first few months here. . . Long after the experience of these last three months fades, those ‘firsts’ are what will live in your hearts, and they’re the reasons you’ll continue to connect to each other, to your advisors and mentors, and to this place where river, woodland, and
prairie meet, where you will return forever as Luther College alumni.” Asha Aden ’20 was awarded Luther’s Elizabeth A. and Paul G. Jenson Medal, presented each year to an outstanding senior, selected by the graduating class, who best demonstrates the ideals of the college through service to students and the college community. In her speech, Aden said, “I learned about what makes us human from Paideia, I traveled to Hawaii to study for J-term, and I made lifelong connections with the staff, faculty, and the administration. But the best part of college? It is undoubtedly the Luther community. This community uplifts you, encourages you, and is always there for you. This group of people is so extraordinary.” To view Luther’s 2020 Virtual Commencement, visit luther.edu/commencement.
Luther’s 2020–21 academic calendar Luther welcomed students back to campus in September using a phased, modular approach designed to be flexible and responsive to changing coronavirus conditions and directives from government agencies.
Term (four weeks; one course), a First Fall Quarter (seven weeks; two courses), a Second Fall Quarter (seven weeks; two courses), a Spring Semester (15 weeks; four courses), and a June Term (four weeks; one course).
The proposal was crafted by the Academic Planning Group, a subgroup of the Emergency Response Team and approved by President Ward and her Cabinet in consultation with faculty governance committees and the Board of Regents. This framework has also been shared with Winneshiek County Public Health. The plan allows Luther to fulfill its educational mission while taking into consideration the possibility of a local outbreak and the health of the Decorah economy, which relies on Luther students, faculty and staff being on campus.
During September Term, only first-year students will live on campus and participate in face-toface learning. This plan acknowledges the importance of the firstyear experience with respect to persistence and graduation rates while keeping the campus population down.
Luther’s 2020–21 academic calendar will include a September
All courses in the two Fall Quarters and Spring Semester will use face-to-face instruction with students residing on campus, unless shifts to online instruction are deemed necessary. The June Term will focus on study-away courses (domestic and international) that were originally scheduled for January Term 2021.
Mike Osterholm ’75, director for the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, chairs Luther’s Board of Regents Academic Affairs Committee. He advised the executive board of the American Council on Education on college openings this fall and considers Luther’s plan “thoughtful,” “aspirational yet realistic,” and “doable.”
Luther College has identified to provide quality student education and the means it has considered to quickly alter those plans if conditions with the pandemic suddenly change are right on the mark.” To learn how Luther plans to live, learn, and grow together during the pandemic, visit luther.edu/beingcommunity.
He says, “The creative ways that
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MARRIOTT GRANT The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation awarded a grant of $100,000 to Luther College in honor of Marriott International CEO Arne Sorenson ’80, who recently completed his third term and final year of service on the Luther College Board of Regents. “I was grateful to be asked to serve on Luther’s Board of Regents for the last 12 years. It is a special place to me,” Sorenson says. “As my service as a regent comes to an end, I was thrilled to hear about the Marriott family foundation’s grant. It Arne Sorenson ’80 will enable Luther to deepen the impact it has on its students, preparing many more for successful careers of meaning and impact.” The $100,000 grant will be used to establish a Marriott Success Award Fund for students who are recipients of the Morris A. Sorenson Family Scholarship. Established by Arne’s father, Morris Sorenson Jr. ’49, and generously endowed by Arne and his wife, Ruth, this scholarship supports
some of Luther’s most high-need students throughout their four years of college. “Our foundation shares a passion for creating opportunities for those who may not have the means to achieve their educational goals,” said J. W. Marriott Jr., trustee of the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. “We were delighted to honor Arne with this special grant to assist students at his beloved alma mater. Creating Marriott Success Awards at Luther College is a meaningful way of connecting our family’s philanthropy to a student scholarship created by his family’s philanthropy.” The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation is committed to sustaining vibrant, healthy communities where all people have the opportunities and means to achieve their dreams and make a positive difference in the world. Through its grants, the foundation supports effective organizations that are creating significant, lasting, and transformational change either through smart and innovative responses to today’s needs or through systematic solutions that address the root causes of economic and societal challenges.
BLACK ALUMNI ASSOCIATION SCHOLARSHIP Starting in fall 2021, a new scholarship will be available to African American students at Luther. The Black Alumni Association Scholarship was established this summer in memory of slain African Americans who fell victim to racist violence in America. “Emmett Till, George Stinney Jr., George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, Philando Castile, Elijah McClain, and other unknown victims of racism—these are only a few of the names of African American males
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and females, some of whom were still in their teens, murdered within the context of racism and injustice,” says Perran Wetzel IV ’79 and Loretta Dooley Wetzel ’80, co-presidents of the Luther College Black Alumni Association. “As supporters of Luther College and the liberal arts education it offers, it is time for us to take a stand for Black lives.” The Black Alumni Association Scholarship will be awarded annually to African American students who are in need of financial assistance, with preference given to those who are active in community engagement.
The endowment was established by Perran Wetzel IV ’79 and Loretta Dooley Wetzel ’80 and Willie ’84 and Denise Davismckennie ’82, co-presidents of the Alumni Council, along with Sherry (Braun) Alcock ’82, Rufus ’74 and Debra (Hopson) Glasper ’73, Douglas ’82 and Shelly Kintzinger, J. Robert ’78 and Barbara Paulson, Corey ’98 and Tonya (Schwers) Schmidt ’97, Arne ’80 and Ruth Sorenson, Jenifer K. Ward, James ’82 and Constance Whitesell, and through gifts from regents, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of Luther College.
So far, the college has raised just over $100,000 and welcomes additional gifts to support more students. Perran Wetzel IV and Loretta Dooley Wetzel note: “We must continue to expand our ways of thinking and replace self-serving concepts of truth and justice to fulfill a promise our country was founded upon over 200 years ago and never met—that all are created equal.” Learn more about this scholarship at luther.edu/ giving/priorities/BAAscholarship.
CAMPUS NEWS
BRIGHT FUTURES Two Luther graduates have received Fulbright teaching assistantships for the 2020–21 academic year. Given the coronavirus crisis and US State Department advisories against international travel, the Fulbright program has delayed the start of grants until after January 1, 2021. Shannon Baker ’20, an English and Spanish major from Duluth, Minn., was selected for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Peru. Her interest in teaching English began on a mission trip to Nicaragua her first year at Luther, during which she volunteered each day at local schools. “I absolutely loved it—the challenge of teaching one’s own learned-from-birth language, the job of connecting with the kids and watching them learn—I loved all of it,” she says. When not Shannon Baker ’20 teaching, Baker hopes to connect with her host community by volunteering in a children’s home or other youth organizations. After completing her year in Peru, she hopes to continue teaching, either in the US or abroad. “I could see this leading me on many paths: Spanish education, ESL education, linguistics . . . Whatever it looks like, I am excited to see how my passions for Spanish, teaching, writing, and sharing stories manifest within it all.”
Madeleine Flom-Staab ’20, a German and psychology major with a minor in social welfare from St. Paul, Minn., received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Germany. She has declined this award to accept an Austrian-American Educational Commission teaching assistantship in Austria, also administered by the Fulbright Commission.
Madeleine FlomStaab ’20
Flom-Stabb will serve as an English teaching assistant in two secondary schools in Berndorf, about an hour south of Vienna. She looks forward to living in Austria, she says, “to gain a new linguistic and cultural perspective on German.”
Outside of the classroom, Flom-Staab would like to participate in community theatre productions. After her year in Austria, she plans to continue her education to become a teacher or school counselor.
MUSICAL COLLABORATION Associate professor of music John Cord recently released a solo trumpet album that’s attracted a lot of critical acclaim. Beyond Borders, which spans 300 years of musical history, was reviewed favorably by the International Trumpet Guild Journal and The Instrumentalist magazine. It was also selected for consideration on the 2019 Grammy Award entry list. While the album has had far reach, it was made quite close to home, with the help of talented Luther students and faculty musicians. Each selection on Beyond Borders features a different set of collaborators, from brass ensemble students to current and former faculty members including Michael Smith (bass trombone), Ben Yates ’08 (trombone), Rebecca Boehem Shaffer (horn), Tony Guzmán ’90 (conductor), Brad Schultz ’07 (organ), Jennaya (Rogers) Robison ’96 (soprano), Jessica Paul (piano), and Philip Borter (cello). The
project was recorded in Luther’s Noble Recital Hall and Sundt Organ Room and at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Des Moines, Iowa. “An impressive collaboration spanning a wide variety of musical talent, style, and artistry,” writes the International Trumpet Guild Journal. “Beyond Borders provides a professional and refreshing collection of music performed masterfully by John Cord and friends.” The pieces on Beyond Borders range from baroque classics to modern music to jazz, flamenco, vocal, and even carnival cornet music. They include composers from Italy, Mexico, the US, Brazil, Spain, and other countries. “My love for a wide range of musical styles might be matched only by the joy I feel in collaborating with great musicians,” says Cord. “It was a wonderful experience, and I am so grateful to everyone who helped to make it happen.”
On John Cord’s new album, the brass ensemble that recorded the adagio from “Concerto de Aranjuez” by Joaquin Rodrigo was lifted up for special attention by the International Trumpet Guild Journal, which called the rendition “gripping and chilling.” Back row (left to right): Tony Guzmán ’90 (conductor), Anneliese Barton ’21 and Rebecca Boehm Shaffer (horn), Michael Winkler ’19 and John Cord (trumpet/flugelhorn), Ben Yates ’08 (trombone), Elena Zarecky ’17 (tuba), Tom Perkins ’20 (percussion), Michael Smith (bass trombone). Front row: Madison Ihde ’19 and Marya Haugland ’20 (trumpet), Jackson Churchill ’19 (trombone), and Sarah Lodge ’19 (trumpet).
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PROCESSING COVID AS A COMMUNITY As people around the world grapple with what it means to live in a pandemic, the Luther and Decorah communities are finding ways to come to terms with it together. Two new projects put this kind of work at the center. A COVID-19 archive project, spearheaded by college archivist Hayley Jackson, invites faculty, staff, students, alumni, and Winneshiek County community members to submit items—from photos and videos to masks and recipes—that document what it’s like to be alive in the Decorah region during this time.
A submission to the COVID-19 archive project shows a live stream of a socially distanced wedding.
In a second project, the Center for Ethics and Public Engagement asked Decorah and Luther community members to submit essays, stories, and poems that reflect on a world with coronavirus. These writings appear this month in a printed anthology, de-isolation: Voices from a Small Town in the Early Days of Covid. The anthology is edited by Luther faculty members Victoria Christman, Rachel (Andersen) Faldet ’78, and Sören Steding. Says Steding, “While writing and reading are both characterized by solitude, they are activities that thrive to connect—with other people, other ideas, other times and places. . . . As we have to celebrate community by being apart, as we have to show our love of others by avoiding them, we hope that with this book of stories, poems, and reflections we can reconnect and deisolate by sharing our experiences, fears, hopes, and laughter.” The anthology will be available in late September in the Luther Book Shop, at local bookstores, and on Amazon. All proceeds will be donated.
Excerpt from “I don’t know what I’m doing” by Becky Idstrom Sometimes the earth moves so slowly, I don’t recognize that I don’t recognize it. When did the world become so lonely that it’s afraid to be alone? When did sitting still become unbearable, and quiet become cold? This spring, I cling to the feeling of touching my own familiar hands, as I learn new habits of how to wash clean. I spot for the ground like a gymnast in the air, hoping I’ll land, when work is pulled away, when friends despair, when community judges, when children go hungry, when neighbors die.
The de-isolation anthology, a community writing project about living in a pandemic, will be published in late September.
But there’s that moment in all this uncertainty, that split second of flying, before the floor seems all too near. That brief sense of opening when space becomes home. I know this feeling like the memory flash of a dream. The black hole of everything finally finds room for itself – the frog song and the rain, the face masks and the gunshots, the dust swirling microbes in the sunshine. This is what I try to remember now, when I don’t know what to do, when it’s obvious, for once, that even breathing is precarious. This is what I try to remember now – the knowing of letting it all in and then the knowing of letting it all go. Over and over and over, the knowing of the gratitude that is already, unfailingly, naturally, always.
MORE SOLAR POWER
A new partnership at Luther will more than double the amount of solar energy serving campus. It will also provide an energy storage solution that will enable Luther to reduce peak demand, which is the most expensive electricity to purchase. Perry Novak Electric is installing the new solar photovoltaic (PV) facility on the north edge of campus. This facility is owned by a local firm, Nova Properties, and will include a battery storage system. The project is fully funded by the investor; Luther is leasing the land and will purchase the power from this facility over the next ten years. The new solar array is projected to produce about 10 percent of Luther’s annual electricity consumption.
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Prepared to make an impact Snapshots from the class of 2020 by Kate Frentzel with submitted photos
Each year, Luther is fortunate to graduate so many incredible seniors. This year is no exception. The five new graduates we profile here are motivated by social justice, intellectual curiosity, inclusivity, and building better communities through dialogue. They recognize the flaws in our societal structures and want to help repair them. They’re eager to use their strengths and interests in ways that benefit the world. Like all of us, these seniors and their classmates face an uncertain future. But it should give us all some hope that we’re sending students like these out into the world. They’re equipped to help solve problems, discover new knowledge, address inequities, start conversations, and build relationships that will make the world a better place for all.
A leader equips fellow students with tools to change the world on campus to just breathe, and I know BSU can be that space for them,” she says. Aden grew up in California and in Rochester, Minn., as the daughter of Somalian refugees. During the Syrian refugee crisis, she was bothered by the dehumanization of refugees and wanted to help shift perception by humanizing the refugee experience. Working with a professor, she co-delivered a 2018 Paideia Texts and Issues lecture—a rarity for a student—about her experience growing up in a refugee community in America. Aden was also a familiar face as a student worker in Luther’s Center for Intercultural Engagement and Student Success, which she says helped immensely with her intercultural competency and dialogue skills. “Luther grads have a great impact on the world,” she says. “I think it’s critical that we start here, at Luther, by having
Asha Aden
A religion and political science major, Asha Aden describes herself as “interested in anything that betters the world. Racial justice and religious freedom are at the forefront for me, but all the social justices are connected—so when you’re working for one, you’re inherently working for others.” Aden engaged these interests at Luther by bringing people together in dialogue. As president of Interfaith in Action, she made a welcoming space for all. “Luther is a very religiously diverse school, and nobody really talks about that,” she says. “My focus was on bringing together all these faiths—as well as agnostic and atheist people—to talk about current issues that impact all of us.” She also worked to include as many people as possible in the Black Student Union (BSU), for which she served as president for two years. After noticing that Black membership was limited to mostly African American students, she made an effort to reach out to African students too. She saw membership flourish as a result. “I want there to be a space for Black students
these dialogues and developing the tools to have difficult discussions to make the world a better place. Because if we can start it at Luther, we can continue it anywhere in the world we end up.”
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Anila Bano
Learning deeply, living fully Anila Bano is positive, reflective, and curious. “Anything I do begs the question: What am I learning?” she says. “I’m very fortunate to get opportunities that many people don’t have. So the maximizer in me thinks: How can I maximize learning from these opportunities?” This life philosophy— and the instrinsic drive to help others—has driven her broad involvement on the Luther campus.
Bano was born in Gilgit, a mountainous region of Pakistan. Reflecting on her childhood, she says,“I used to wonder: What would it be like to go on top of the mountain and look at the other side?” This curiosity led her to a United World College in Hong Kong and eventually to Luther, where she majored in biology and psychology. Bano pursued opportunities to learn more deeply in her majors. She worked as a lecture and lab assistant in the Biology Department and the Hoslett Museum of Natural History and conducted research in the college’s Laboratory for the Investigation of Mind, Body, and Spirit. She also made an effort to learn and grow outside of her science-based majors. “Science has a special place in my heart— it always will,” she says, “but the arts and humanities at Luther made me realize that science can only be strengthened if combined with humanities and art.”
During her time at Luther, Bano contributed a lot to campus and community life. She delivered a talk on climate change at Luther’s first TEDx conference. She was a resident assistant, an outreach student for Land Stewardship, the VP of fellowship in Luther’s service fraternity, a liaison in Student Senate, and she served on Luther’s Hearing Board. It’s little wonder she received Luther’s 2019 Krahn Family Student Life Service Award. But amid the bustle of involvement, Bano found time for deep contemplation, including about how she sees her place in the world. “I don’t think only about what I want,” she says. “It’s more: What does the world need? And then looking at myself and thinking: Do I have skills and abilities and strengths to contribute to that?” This summer, Bano interned virtually with Aga Khan Development Network, an organization focused on improving the quality of people’s lives, especially in the developing world. She looks forward to making further impacts wherever she can contribute.
A bridge-builder pursues an advanced degree in conflict resolution A transfer student from DePaul University in Chicago, Hansen has had a rich academic life at Luther. She found mentors across departments, from WGST to music to Africana studies. She was a 2019 Peace Scholar and a Fulbright semifinalist. She has studied and written in depth about women’s rights nonprofits in Rochester, Minn., and in Morocco. “While both research projects were big,” she says, “they weren’t more than I could handle. It gave me confidence that I could put together a project and execute it well.” She put some of these executive skills to good use through vice presidencies in two student groups—the Disabled Student Alliance and In-
Kristen Hansen
Kristen Hansen, a women and gender studies (WGST) major with minors in English and Africana studies, has a passion for building relationships to help move communities forward. From her scholarship to her extracurricular activities, her dedication to dialogue and communitybuilding has shaped her college years.
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terfaith in Action—and as social media coordinator for the Black Student Union. Her involvement in these activities stems from a desire to amplify underrepresented voices, spread awareness, and help people feel less isolated—in part through sharing experiences. Hansen puts a lot of stock in dialogue, which she believes has the power to conquer an “us” versus “them” mentality. It’s part of what’s driven her decision to pursue a master’s degree in conflict resolution and reconciliation at Trinity College Dublin in 2021. She says, “I’m excited about this program specifically because it takes a very dynamic approach, with a classroom and a field component in which students work with organizations that address the Troubles,” a thirty-year violent conflict in Northern Ireland. “I feel strongly that peacebuilding and dialogue are tools that can reach across socially constructed and geographic boundaries,” she says, “and I want to devote my life to the practice of peaceful relationship-building within and between communities.”
Emily Stifter
A music and French major fosters inclusion Emily Stifter loves the French language, and she loves making music. Throughout her time at Luther, these twin loves—and her warm and friendly personality—have led her to create spaces that welcome and value others. As a leader in the horn section of Concert Band and co-president of Collegiate Chorale, Stifter strived to make everyone feel valued. “I wanted every single person to feel included and like they have a space in the ensemble,” she says. Regardless of whether her peers plan to pursue music professionally, she says, “I tried to make it a home for everyone.” As a Residence Life worker in Olson Hall for three years, Stifter helped make a literal home for her fellow students. Simultaneously, she worked her entire time at Luther for the Facilities Office, under administrative assistant Megan (Arneson) Sherman ’09. ‘’She’s basically one of the second, third, or fourth moms I gathered on campus,” Stifter says. Stifter makes friends wherever she goes, and the goodwill she cultivated at Luther helped sustain her. “The community was
the best thing about Luther,” she says. “Friends and fellow students were always there for me. And I never had an interaction with a professor where they weren’t willing to help. With the Decorah community too—the people who showed up to concerts or lectures or about social justice issues—it was very clear that they were invested in Luther.” Stifter’s drive toward inclusivity extends to her scholarship. The theme of her senior recital (and the name of the piece she composed for it) was Underground, inspired by French composers who, she says, have been overlooked because of age or gender or other factors. Stifter’s been offered a job teaching English to university students in Brest, France, starting in September, though travel bans may delay her start. Her ultimate goal? “I’d love to find a way to connect French, Francophone culture, music, horn, composition, and minority composers—female and other composers who aren’t played or performed or studied
nearly enough. My dream job would be to combine all of that into one thing,” she says. Given her track record of bringing people together, she stands a great chance.
An academics-music-athletics trifecta While Weber’s physics experience runs deep, athletics and music have been equally important to his growth at Luther. Through athletics, he says, he’s learned valuable lessons about putting in the time and effort to achieve goals. “I carry over that process of goal-setting into other aspects of my life, and it’s been equally rewarding,” he says. Through music, he’s experienced sublime moments of creating something magical—for example at a Jazz Orchestra concert on the eve of a snowstorm in Spencer, Iowa, when the band played especially emotionally. He says, “I remember looking at everyone in the trumpet section, everyone in the band, and nodding: Wow, we created something special here individually, among ourselves, and among the audience. The idea that this is possible and can be possible in other aspects of life too has kept me playing
music and kept me learning from my experiences in music.” Weber spent the summer working for Green Iowa AmeriCorps. Ultimately, he says, “I want to go to grad school and study cosmology so that I can learn more about physics, create new knowledge through research, and distribute it through teaching.”
Colin Weber
Colin Weber came to Luther with a love for running, making music, and following his curiosity. These broad interests and an open-minded approach to learning led him to a double major in math and physics and a minor in Norwegian; a four-year involvement on the track and cross-country teams; and roles as ensemble officer and lead trumpet player in Luther’s Jazz Orchestra. Weber fell in love with physics from his first high school physics class. “I’m curious about the natural world, understanding how things work and how things are made up,” he says. But at Luther he learned that “being a scientist isn’t just about studying the natural world; it’s also answering questions through observation and experimentation.” Weber researched binary stars with professor Jeff Wilkerson at Luther. He interned at Maritime Applied Physics Corporation in Maine and at a startup in LA working to commercialize a Hyperloop. Last year, he received the Thomas D. Rossing Scholarship for Physics Education (ELCA), which recognizes physics students of exceptional merit.
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When Luther cleared out campus in March in response to COVID-19, many international students were unable to return to their home countries or find housing with stateside friends or relatives. So Amy Webber of Luther’s Center for Intercultural Engagement and Student Success put out a call for local families that might shelter these students, and the Decorah community responded in a big way. Two dozen 10
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host families stepped up to provide homes for nearly three dozen students during a global pandemic. During a time when many of us felt our worlds shrink after weeks and then months hemmed in by four walls, these newly minted families felt their horizons grow through cultural exchange, good conversation, and the pleasure of getting to know someone new.
“
They’re somebody’s kids, and we need to make sure that they’re safe and taken care of in a really uncertain time.” —LAUREN BONNEY
by Kate Frentzel
SAFETY FIRST
During the spring semester, when Luther shifted to distance learning, Decorah residents Lauren Bonney and John Kraus opened their home to student Rick Guha ’23.
It’s one thing to host a stranger in your home. It’s quite another to host a stranger in your home for an indefinite period during a global pandemic when you’re generally not supposed to leave your house. With so much unknown about COVID-19 transmission, the length of its incubation period, how long people remain contagious, and what it means to safely distance from others, it’s easy to view the outside world—and the people in it—with fear and suspicion. So why risk bringing another unknown—like a longterm guest you haven’t met—into your house? John Kraus and Lauren Bonney are newish parents to three-year-old Juniper and one-year-old Sylvan. Lauren says, “We were definitely looking at the situation through the lens of being parents and thinking about the people at Luther as kids—they’re somebody’s kids, and we need to make sure that they’re safe and taken care of in a really uncertain time. We had space, and it wasn’t really a question. We got the email and we basically looked at each other and were like, Well, yeah, we’re doing this. Of course we are. We have space, we have stability in terms of access to food, so we should share that.” Lisa and Steve Zittergruen share a similar commitment to hospitality. They decided to take in not one but two students, Juni Deshar ’22 and Vanu Nagarwalla ’21, and this was in part for the social benefits. Steve, a full-time homemaker, says, “As an extrovert, part of me was just really terrified about the idea of quarantine with my
children all day every day, not seeing any people but my family. So the idea of temporarily growing our household size and adding two more people who are interesting to talk to sounded like a great move. And it turned out that way.” Of course, students and host families checked in about shared safety values right off the bat. Phil ’87 and Sarah (Henning) Iversen ’87 hosted a junior, Firdavs Atabaev ’22. Phil remembers picking him up: “He reached out to shake my hand, and I declined. And I had hand sanitizer and I asked him to use it when we got in the car. I also asked him to keep some of his luggage in the car for a few days that he didn’t need right away. And he agreed to all of that. We just kind of broached it in real time, and it turned out he was very amenable to our way of being safe.” Lisa, who hosted Juni and Vanu, says, “For the first several days, none of us knew if the other people were a carrier for the virus or not. So we were especially careful with the idea of hand washing and hygiene and things, and we have continued to be cautious,” especially since Lisa works as a physician at Winneshiek Medical Center. The first night Juni and Vanu joined the family, Steve says, “We talked about quarantine rules and about how important it was that if we were doing something that was troublesome to them to let us know, and that we would share things we wanted done differently as well.” Vanu says, “That conversation was open enough that we could have those conversations again and again. It was not
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Rick Guha ’23 spent the spring semester with Lauren Bonney and John Kraus and their kids—one-year-old Sylvan (top left) and three-year-old Juniper (above and bottom left). Asked whether he was nervous about joining a new family, Rick says, “Once I got here, I had no doubts whatsoever.”
only one time of checking in, it was multiple times of checking in.” This open dialogue about safety measures was typical among the new households. Lauren says, “We’ve been having ongoing conversations about what it means to be safe in our interactions with the public and then coming home, because it’s an evolving situation as we find out more information and learn how to manage our risk. We just have to keep talking about those things and give each other the opportunity to say, I’m not comfortable or That makes sense, that sounds good.” While the risks of growing your household—for both hosts and students alike— are many, what about the rewards? FAMILY LIFE
Tanuj Guha ’23, who goes by Rick, was delighted at his placement with John and Lauren, who live on a farm seven miles northeast of Decorah. “I couldn’t imagine having as much access to the woods, to the river, to an incline or bluff in any other situation living anywhere else in Decorah, even at Luther,” he says. As a philosophy and computer science double major, he’s valued the opportunity to sift through ideas as he takes long walks around the property. He’s also loved interacting with Juni-
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per and Sylvan, who clearly love him too. And, Lauren says, it’s been a hopeful feeling watching the kids interact with Rick during a time when their access to other friends and family is so limited. Juni was also really excited at the prospect of living with a family with children. “I didn’t grow up with younger siblings—I was the youngest. But I always loved kids, so I really wanted a family where they had kids. Or pets. Or both,” she smiles. Steve, who is father to four-year-old Vera and seven-year-old Soren, says, “It’s been really nice that if I’m frenetic or having a hard day, either Vanu or Juni will let Vera crawl into her lap and read a book or practice ukulele with the kids. They’re gentle and patient and kind and have appropriate boundaries. It’s just really nice to trust them, and we do. They deserve our trust. It’s been great.” In addition to the fun of living with kids, Vanu notes that during a pretty atypical semester, “The family feeling gives you a lot more routine. The whole family, including Juni, was very helpful in keeping the semester feeling like a semester.” Firdavs says that he learned a lot through the way the Iversens live their ethics, like donating to those in need and shopping in the local economy. And as a student who hasn’t declared a major yet, he started to hone in on some career
possibilities through talking to Sarah, who co-owns Blue Heron Knittery in Decorah, and especially Phil, a current Luther math faculty member and former senior research advisor and statistician at Eli Lilly. “Talking with him and listening to his experience, I really started seeing the value of making sense out of data. He had a good influence in that way,” Firdavs says. Rick, too, gained a lot through conversation with John, a natural resource technician with Winneshiek County Conservation, and Lauren, a freelance illustrator. “Both Lauren and John are very passionate about the things that they do. It’s really a template for me to gauge what I want to do with my life,” he says. He also found fellowship with Lauren, whose parents live ten hours away by car, over being apart from family during a stressful time. “It doesn’t matter if one’s family is 10 hours away by car or 24 hours by flight,” Rick says. “What it means is that ultimately we’re not with them, and we have to process that.” BREAKING BREAD TOGETHER
Whoever you are and wherever you come from, food is important. Cultures around the world celebrate and grieve with it, and Juni Deshar ’22, pictured below with fouryear-old Vera Zittergruen, didn’t grow up with younger siblings and was excited to spend the past several months living with a young family. “I always love being in a family environment,” she says.
during this pandemic, it’s become even more significant to many of us. “Meals have been so central to our relationship,” Steve says. Every day around 4:30, after finishing their studies, he says, “Juni and Vanu come down, and we cook and laugh together for a good hour. And we make really delicious foods.” “It’s like restaurant food every night,” Juni says. “And it’s always interesting to have different conversations at the table. We talk about all kinds of things from our home countries or from here. We talk about everything.” Steve says, “One of the tragedies of coronavirus is that there’s so little to look forward to and so little that changes. So to build a new relationship around the dinner table night by night is its own kind of exploration. As we cancel vacations, at least we can ask each other about contexts and cultures and homelands. It’s been kind of exciting.” As a resident assistant who goes above and beyond, Vanu is used to cooking for her 43 residents. At the Zittergruens’, about once a week, she and Juni happily
During quarantine, food brought many Luther students and Decorah families closer together. In the Zittergruen household, eating nightly family dinners was a favorite ritual. Juni (left, and below with Vera) and Vanu Nagarwalla ’21 (right) loved helping Steve prepare meals, including homemade pizza. Sometimes the students also cooked meals from their home countries.
During the spring semester, Firdavs Atabaev ’22 (right) stayed with Phil ’87 and Sarah (Henning) Iversen ’87. He especially enjoyed doing home-maintenance projects, like building raised gardening beds, with Phil. And he says that the naan Sarah (above) learned to cook tasted just like the kind from his home country, Tajikistan. “I’m grateful for every moment I spent with them,” he says.
prepared food from their respective homelands of India and Nepal. “The culture exchange has certainly gone both ways,” Steve says. “They’ve learned from me about cooking, but I’ve learned a great deal from them about cooking as well. They’ve made us wonderful Nepalese and Indian cuisine from scratch. I tell Lisa every time, We ate the best meal in Decorah tonight.” At the Iversens’, Sarah learned how to make naan that, Firdavs says, tastes like the kind he eats back home in Tajikistan. And over dinner, the family enjoyed good conversation about everything from physics experiments to the stock market to pharmaceutical manufacturing to whether future robots will be able to read minds. “A lot of questions he asked were really good questions,” says Phil. “They really made me stop and think, and I learned a lot from that too.” GROWING COMMUNITY
While many of the students who lived with host families moved back to campus in late May or June, some, like Juni, stayed with their families for the summer (Vanu moved back to campus to comply with her work visa, or she also would have stayed).
“We told Juni that it’s her choice, obviously, but we also told her that our preference would be that she stay here if she wanted to, and it seems like she does, so we’re glad,” Steve says. “When we signed up for this, we didn’t know if taking students in would be better or worse. It turned out to be so much better.” During a quarantine, when it feels like so much is closing down and closing in, the value of feeling like something is opening up—a new friendship, a cultural awareness, a homegrown palate—cannot be understated. “This is someone we’re getting to know for the first time, and we had this leap of faith together. It has felt very hopeful,” Lauren says. “Rick’s being here has helped us continue to have a sense of being connected to a community that otherwise we would have lost during this time.” And that’s really the gift that three dozen Luther students and two dozen Decorah-area families gave each other during this part of the pandemic: the feeling that their community—and their world— is growing bigger rather than smaller.
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ROCHESTER SEMESTER
COVID
by Kate Frentzel
A left turn for interns
LEFT TURN ONLY
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When COVID-19 hit, students in Luther’s new Rochester program found high-impact ways to learn and contribute. We’re eager to give you a grand introduction to Luther’s new program in Rochester, Minnesota—and we will, in a future issue. It’s a beautifully designed experience that combines classroom learning with real-world internships, and it came together through the teamwork of visionary employees and our incredible network of alumni. But given the amazing pivot—and truly meaningful impacts—our inaugural group of students made during the COVID-19 pandemic, we feel compelled to start the story here: with a group of Rochester Semester students who deeply learned—and contributed—during a global pandemic.
A DYNAMIC PLACE TO INTERN
One thing to know about Rochester is that it has big ambitions. The city is five years into Destination Medical Center (DMC), a 20-year plan that will pour $5.6 billion into developing the city into a global destination for health and wellness. This development is expected to reach across sectors and create more than 30,000 new jobs. In short, Rochester is an opportune, dynamic place to intern right now. The inaugural group of 14 students in Luther’s Rochester semester are pursuing majors in data science, neuroscience, visual communication, environmental studies, and beyond. From helping with crisis communications to creating COVID-related AI, they used their classroom knowledge in their internships to make an impact. In many cases, the pandemic shaped their learning in ways that allowed them more access, more opportunity, and more real-world experience than they would have gotten otherwise. In the process, they were able to help shape the city of Rochester—and sometimes the wider world—for the better.
whether he’d enjoy working in a clinical setting. “Mayo helped me confirm that,” he says, “so now I’m planning on going to grad school, which I hadn’t been before.” During the first part of his internship, Chavez worked with anaerobic bacteria in one of Mayo’s gastroenterology labs. When Mayo researchers were no longer able to work onsite, he approached his supervisor with the idea of doing data analysis on an older project that hadn’t been completed. This led to Chavez learning a whole new data analysis program, R Studio, that’s a real asset to know as a researcher. “I definitely wanted to be working in the lab my whole internship,” he says, “but figuring out how to analyze data and run programming software ended up helping me a lot, and it’s something I can put on a resume that shows I actually have experience with programming. I’m really grateful for the ability to have done that on a professional level.”
Noelle Drapeau ’21 began her internship conducting research in a Mayo Clinic wet lab. When the pandemic hit, she pivoted to leading a literature review for her team.
Neuroscience major Noelle Drapeau ’21 also pivoted from the lab bench to analytical work. As an intern in a Mayo Clinic pediatric neuro-oncology lab, she learned essential lab procedures and was able to observe a nine-hour surgery and participate in a workshop for graduate and medical students during which participants practiced surgical techniques on cadavers. When COVID
hit, she found a niche for herself researching literature that describes how to get a drug into a target tissue using different vesicles (fluid-filled sacs). Once she’d cataloged a variety of methods, Drapeau and her supervisor decided the result would be publishable, and this summer Drapeau’s been working with her team on a review paper on which she’ll be primary author.
MOVING MEDICAL RESEARCH FORWARD
Growing up thirty minutes away in St. Charles, Minn., Jorge Chavez ’20 has always been curious about the Mayo environment. He’d conducted
Jorge Chavez ’20
research at Luther over the summers but was looking for a lab experience off campus because he wanted to find out
When COVID-19 sent his Mayo Clinic research team home, Jorge Chavez ’20 picked up a whole new skill set by learning the data analysis program R Studio, which he used it to analyze data from an older project. “It’s something I can put on a resume that shows I have experience with programming,” he says. “I’m really grateful for the opportunity to have done that on a professional level.”
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“It’s nothing I could have expected,” she says, “but I’m grateful for the experience— not only to work with my mentor on this project but also on a different skill—writing— that I haven’t had a chance to develop lately. It’s not very often that you get the opportunity to work as one of the primary authors on a research article for a major lab.” SUPPORTING A ROCHESTER CORNERSTONE
Juli Nguyen ’21, a data science and visual communication major who interned in the Visual, Social, and Digital Communications Department at Mayo Clinic, began her internship supporting content
Juli Nguyen ’21
creation for an online community peer-support channel called Mayo Clinic Connect. Once the pandemic hit, she became part of the crisis reWHY ROCHESTER?
Luther has had a longtime presence in Rochester because of its nursing program, and the nursing program’s infrastructure has been key to the new program’s success. And with more than 1,000 Luther graduates in the Rochester area, the college has an extensive alumni base there to help identify and support internship opportunities for students of all majors. In addition, five years ago, a private/public partnership launched a 20-year, $5.6 billion initiative to develop the city into a world destination for health and wellness. This will bring more tech entrepreneurs, biomedical innovators, hospitality businesses, arts and culture organizations, and other industries to the area, providing exciting new opportunities for Luther students, just 65 miles north of Decorah.
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Madeline Pope ’21 and Grant Morton ’21
sponse effort, responding to COVID-related inquiries as they came in on Connect and Mayo’s other social media channels. “I really got lucky that I was able to witness the process of how Mayo Clinic came up with a crisis communication plan for COVID-19. They work fast, and it’s eye-opening,” she says. Madeline Pope ’21 also supported Mayo as it responded to the crisis—but from a different angle. She and Grant Morton ’21, both data science majors, interned with the Mayo Clinic Health System Finance Department. They were asked to optimize the way the department interacted with different financials related to time- and pay-tracking. To get there, they networked with people across the Mayo enterprise. “The access was there as long as you were willing to ask for it,” she says. “That’s one thing we learned: it’s always worth it to send that email and ask the questions.” Ultimately, says Pope, with the widespread input they received, “We were able to take this flat Excel document
that we started with and create a tool with an interactive dashboard you could play with based on what you wanted to see.” Their work took on huge significance when COVID hit and workloads fluctuated and Mayo needed increased awareness on employee timekeeping and pay rates. In fact, their Tableau tool went over so well that they were asked to present it to the CFO of Mayo Clinic Health Systems, Sharon Kelley. Kelley was so impressed that she asked them to present it to regional Mayo CFOs and planning groups in Florida and Arizona. Kelley called Tableau “a significant improvement to our capabilities” and said that “their [the students’] work will have a lasting impact on our analytics capabilities.” The tool is now being utilized throughout the Mayo Clinic Health System. Seeing the tool have value in real life has been rewarding for Pope. “They didn’t just give us a project because we were interns,” she says. “They gave us something really meaningful, and that encouraged us to really run with it.”
BUILDING COMMUNITY
Environmental studies major Sletsy Dlamini ’21 interned with the city of Rochester/ DMC Economic Development Agency. He focused on sustainability, researching and presenting environmental initiatives from around the world and adding his voice to the city’s Sustainability and Resiliency Task Force, a diverse cross-section of the Rochester community developing environmental, economic, and social resilience strategies to help the city with future decision-making.
bring to their intern providers. In addition to confirming that he wants to do this kind of work in the future, Dlamini says that his internship helped grow the way he thinks about sustainability. “Now when I think about it, I think about the interconnectedness of environmental, social, and economic sustainability,” he says. “They are not just stand-alone pieces but things that impact each other and are interconnected.” Nordic studies major Levi Bird ’21 interned with Diversity Council, an organization working toward civic, educational, and health equity for the entire Rochester community. He began his time revitalizing the Human Library, a project that allows people from all backgrounds to tell their stories, educating fellow humans and sparking conversation in the process.
Sletsy Dlamini ’21
Dlamini’s ability to do his work didn’t change because of coronavirus, but, he says, the crisis “definitely makes you look at things through a different lens. COVID-19 affected different people in disproportionate ways, and we’re thinking about that when we’re building this sustainability and resilience plan. What can the city put in place for a future pandemic and climate disaster that does not disproportionately affect certain groups more than others?” Dlamini is one of several Rochester program students who’ve continued their paid internships through the summer. During a time when many employers need to furlough or lay off staff, this is a huge signifier of the value and contributions these students
WHAT IS THE ROCHESTER SEMESTER?
The Rochester semester is an immersive study-away program that combines a 20-hour-per-week internship with two classroom courses focused on the Rochester community and the changes it’s undergoing as it takes on an ambitious city-growing initiative. As the college envisions how it will best serve students in the years to come, innovations like the Rochester semester will be critical. really loved making sure that whatever program or product we’re offering is actually working for people,” he says. “I didn’t leave the experience 100 percent knowing I’m going to be a UX designer, but I came to the realization that I want to be working with people on the communication side of things to make sure that their needs are being met somehow.” CREATING AI TO ADDRESS COVID-19
As an intern in Mayo Clinic’s Division of Digital Health Sciences, computer science and math major David Oniani ’21 has made an impact in ways that directly relate to COVID-19. Working alongside artificial intelligence researchers Feichen Shen and Yanshan Wang, and under the direction of world-renowned AI scientist
Levi Bird ’21
Simultaneously, he worked on redesigning the organization’s website. When the pandemic struck Rochester, he concentrated on that work, which he’s been continuing over the summer. Bird doubts that he would have been able to focus so much time and attention on website redesign if COVID hadn’t shifted the workloads of his team. And he’s grateful for this, since he learned that he really enjoys the field of user experience (UX) design. “I
David Oniani ’21
Hongfang Liu, he has helped code several COVID-response resources and platforms. The first was in the early days of the outbreak, when Mayo medical personnel were getting slammed with phone calls.
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David Oniani ’21, a computer science and math major, interned with artificial intelligence researchers to code several COVID-response resources and platforms. Above is a visualization of a tool he co-created that allows researchers to quickly discern connections that certain COVID-related terms might have with one another.
Oniani and Wang created an online screening tool—in just three hours—to automate the screening process. Before the pandemic began, Oniani had been helping Wang create a conversational chatbot that would answer questions related to Alzheimer’s disease. This work involved natural language processing—programming to analyze human speech or text. Once COVID became a growing concern, they used the groundwork they’d already laid for this project to create a COVID-19 chatbot. To do this, Oniani and Wang used the COVID-19 Open Research Dataset, a collection of 9,000 (at the time)
full-text scholarly articles on the virus. Oniani and Shen used a similar dataset to tackle a third COVID-related project: creating a co-occurrence network that gives researchers and health practitioners a shortcut to learning more about the virus. Their tool allows a user to type in a term and find the top ten strongest associations of that term with other related terms. It allows users to quickly discern connections that certain diseases, chemicals, mutations, or genes might have with one another. Oniani’s team published the result of this work in the top-tier Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association—with Oniani as pri-
GET INVOLVED IN THIS NEW PROGRAM!
Maybe you’re a Luther friend or alumnus in Rochester who can connect students with internships, or maybe you can offer hospitality to the next group of students to study in the city. We welcome your help! Contact Jodi Enos-Berlage, enosbejo@luther.edu. If you don’t live in Rochester but still want to contribute to the success of this vital new program, please contact the Luther Development Office at 800-2258664 for more information.
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mary author. Oniani has also co-authored (again, as primary author) a paper on their chatbot work that’s been accepted to the Association for Computing Machinery’s flagship conference on Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, and Health Informatics. And his team will submit at least two more papers for publication before his internship ends in September. PIVOTING TOGETHER
Jodi Enos-Berlage—who, along with Robert Christman, is one of the faculty masterminds of the Rochester program—is thrilled by how the inaugural semester weathered a global pandemic. “I couldn’t
be more pleased from both a student and internship provider standpoint,” she says. She recognizes that this wasn’t owing to luck. When the pandemic struck, she says, “These students had already had seven weeks to establish a relationship with their mentors and establish that they could bring something to the table. And their mentors were people who were committed to the development of students. That was not random— that happened in the development of these opportunities, because those were the sorts of folks that we searched for to be mentors.” She continues, “The relationships and the projects were already going, and the students had been doing well and engaged positively with their environments. The people on the other end were more interested in and willing to make the pivot happen. I’m beyond appreciative of that, and I also recognize that the students themselves played a significant role.” As the city of Rochester makes headway on the DMC initiative, it positions itself as a place where forwardthinking, innovative, visionary things can happen. And now, through the Rochester semester, Luther students across majors can help make those things happen—even during a pandemic.
ALUMNI NEWS
Thank you for supporting Luther students when we needed you most!
$2,050,757
Total gift receipts to the Luther Fund
$530,177
raised from gifts under $500
8,725
total Luther Fund donors
$5–$100,000
range of gifts
Because of gifts to the Luther Fund (June 1, 2019, to May 31, 2020), we were able to act nimbly to support our community in so many ways during an unprecedented spring semester.
return home safely, to purchasing personal protective equipment, to securing new technology to aid remote learning, your support has been invaluable.
We didn’t know in advance what our needs would be. But we knew we could meet those needs thanks to your generous and continued support to the Luther Fund. From helping students
This past year was a true testament to the strength of this community. Gifts to the Luther Fund continue to make a big difference in supporting students.
Make a gift supporting students at givenow.luther.edu.
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Left: Hailey Abbey ’22 from Johnston, Iowa, history and political science major Right: Sitsandziwe Simelane ’22 from Nhlangano, Kingdom of Eswatini, neuroscience major
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ALUMNI NEWS
Class of 2020 graduates 60 children of alumni CONNECTICUT West Hartford: Rachel Schunder, parents Deb (Savage) ‘89 and Steve Schunder ILLINOIS Deerfield: Sara Suri, parents Joanne Bjerga ’82 and Mark Suri ’82 Sterling: Evan Lobdell, parents Lisa (Schrader) ’88 and Brian Lobdell
Arden Hills: Benjamin Kottke, parents Carrie and Marty Kottke ’87 Centerville: Emily Toensing, parents Marcy (Kittelson) ’91 and Jeff Toensing ’90
IOWA Altoona: Daniel Suhr, parents Jennifer (Lutz) ‘92 and Matt Suhr ’90
Sophia Haugland, parents Anne (Skundberg) ’89 and Dave Haugland ’88
Cedar Rapids: Jessica Carpenter, parents Stacie (Olson) ’90 and Kevin Carpenter ’87
Eden Prairie: Stephanie Kaare, parents Sharon and Steve Kaare ’86
Coralville: Noah Tiegs, parents Carolyn Laxson and Richard Tiegs ’79
Hannah Stenoien, parents Kirsten (Reigle) ’89 and Peter Stenoien ’89
Decorah: Winter HawleyBourcier, parents Jane Hawley ’87 and Guy Nave and Tom Bourcier, Saginaw, Mich.
Johanna Welter, parents Kjersten (Lund) ’93 and Scott Welter ‘94
Erik Johnson, parents Bonnie and Chris Johnson ’87
La Crescent: Anna Peterson, parents Caryn Humble Peterson ‘87 and Brad Peterson
Trevor Phillips, parents Lori (Butikofer) ’90 and Bradley Phillips Phillip Ramsey, guardians Kathleen and Tom Stark ’76 Jada Vanden Brink, parents Krista (Wogsland) ’93 and Steve Vanden Brink Dubuque: Taylor Fishwild, parents Amy and Steve Fishwild ’91 Mason City: Kelsey Stine, parents Linda (Block) ’85 and David Stine North Liberty: Adam West, parents Jill Johnson-West ’87 and David West Sioux City: Hannah Gross, parents Janet and David Gross ’85 Spillville: Benjamin Klimesh, parents Kate (Spencer) ’92 and Mike Klimesh ’91
FALL 2020
MINNESOTA
Cologne: Marya Haugland, parents Anne (Skundberg) ’89 and Dave Haugland ’88
Keaton Meyer, parents Chelle (Sullivan) ’89 and Daniel Meyer
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Waukee: Meghan Anderson, parents Karen Staves Anderson and Andrew Anderson ’87
Kasson: Stephanie Meyer, parents Ann and Lee Meyer ‘79
Lakeville: Alec Olson, parents Joan and Neil Olson ’84 Austin Reese, parents Charlotte and Bob Reese ’84 Maple Grove: Andrew Avila, parents Leesa (Tomlinson) ’85 and Brice Avila Montevideo: Aimee Hampton, parents Beth (Hawkinson) ‘88 and Dan Hampton ‘87 New Prague: Emma Busch, parents Mary Hanson-Busch ‘89 and Michael Busch Northfield: Luther Prestemon, parents Kari (Rotto) ’87 and Brad Prestemon ’84 Oronoco: Kristen Hansen, parents Mary (Iverson) ’83 and Ray Hansen ’83 Owatonna: Luke Berkley, parents Becky (Partington) ‘96 and Scot Berkley
Underwood: Tyler Privia, parents Christine (Bergstrom) ’90 and Jeffrey Privia
Richfield: Alexander Moe, parents Liz (Papa) ’92 and Lynn Taylor and Monica and Kris Moe ’93, Minneapolis, Minn.
Urbandale: Robert Muller, parents Kim (Latzke) ’93 and Eric Muller ’91
Rochester: Meredith Gade, parents Marne and Chris Gade ’86
Vinton: Kendra Peterson, parents Julie and Randy Peterson ’80
Savage: Christine Wattermann, parents Sally and Lyle Wattermann ’88
St. Charles: Derek McCready, parents Ann and Scott McCready ’90 St. Cloud: Isaac Logeman, parents Connie (Foxworthy) ’88 and Larry Logeman ’87 St. Hilaire: Leah Wittenberg, parents Deborah (Tostenrud) ’84 (deceased) and Dick Wittenberg St. Paul: Emily Anderson, parents Kathy (Eckblad) ’92 and Eric Anderson ’92 Waterville: Aubrey Highum, parents Sonja (Heeler) ’93 and Andy Highum ’93 White Bear Lake: Logan Morrison, parents Tara Rypka Morrison ’90 and Marc Morrison Winona: Elissa Hemker, parents Karen (Klagge) ’90 and Thomas Hemker Maya Upton, parents Erica UptonWurst ’96 and Anthony Wurst Worthington: Rachel Koller, parents Tammy (Christianson) ’88 and John Koller WISCONSIN Green Bay: Alaina Wittig, parents Tricia and Michael Wittig ’92 Hortonville: Karina Hoff, parents Lisa (Schulz-Fincke) ’83 and Barry Hoff ’83 McFarland: Hannah Wollack, parents Jodi (Eriksson) ’93 and Jim Wollack Onalaska: Benjamin Davidson, parents Jill and Mark Davidson ’81 Abigail Saner, parents Jennifer (Munn) ’89 and Todd Saner ’90 Osseo: Julia Simpson, parents Jane (Ohlrogge) Simpson ’87 and Ted Simpson, Strum, Wis. Seymour: Madilyn Heinke, parents Melody and Jon Heinke ’86 Shell Lake: Charles Trombley, parents Kris (De Genaro) Trombley ’93 and Michael Trombley, Fredericksburg, Va. Wauwatosa: Noah Manke, parents Donna Gardner-Manke and Chris Manke ’89 WYOMING Sheridan: Susan Wold, parents Laura (Holcomb) ’83 and Phil Wold ’82
ALUMNI NEWS RYAN COIT
Finding her voice Activist Alexandra Gray ’95 receives a 2020 LGBTQ Legacy Leader Award.
In a context in which Black trans women struggle against increased odds of murder and suicide, even the act of staying alive is a victory. In her journey to beat those odds, and to fight the injustice her community faces, Alexandra Gray ’95 has raised her voice so that others might have an easier time. For her advocacy and everyday activism, she recently received a 2020 LGBTQ Legacy Leader Award from DSM magazine/One Iowa. Gray speaks on behalf of LGBTQ people of color, for example, at a recent Black Lives Matter rally in Des Moines, Iowa, and at the state capitol when the Iowa Senate removed trans healthcare coverage from Medicare/Medicaid. But Gray, who also goes by her given name, Teddy, locates her real activism in the ordinary business of living: “Simply being. And being seen. It’s literally that. I live
in a community where people know Miss Alexandra, they know Miss Teddy. It’s not uncommon for somebody to say hi at the grocery store or bring their queer teenage kid over and tell them, This is somebody who’ll look out for you.” Gray is one of eight or nine people in her family to attend Luther, including her father, Teddy Gray ’75, and her aunt Phyllis Gray ’73 (deceased), who directed Luther’s Upward Bound program for nearly four decades. “I was wearing Luther College merchandise at six months old,” Gray says. “Luther is ingrained into my soul; it’s ingrained into my person.” While she has many good memories and lifelong friends from her time at Luther, Gray, a music and theatre/dance major, also pinpoints the roots of her activism in the racism and homophobia she experienced there, from being attacked
verbally and threatened with physical violence to efforts to erase her Black identity and delegitimize her musical traditions. While conversations about these experiences can be hard, Gray is willing to have them if it means moving the needle forward. “If we want to be better,” she says, “it’s time to have some ugly conversations. Sometimes you need to get uncomfortable to learn something.” Gray now lives in Des Moines, where it seems like she’s found her stride. After two decades away from the stage, she auditioned in 2016, on a whim, for Des Moines Community Playhouse’s staging of Sister Act—and was offered the lead role. She’s performed with the company several times since, and she recently landed the role of Calpurnia in Iowa Stage’s Julius Caesar. She works in
early education, in a classroom of four-year-olds, and loves it. “My little munchkins are a hoot and a half,” she says. “They keep me sane.” She also designs for her own clothing line and is writing a cabaret show. At almost 48, as an activist and advocate, Gray’s come to a powerful place. “I understand that I have a presence,” she says, “that when I speak, it makes people nervous. But I also understand that when I speak, it inspires people. It causes people to get steel in their backbone. But if I walk into a room and haven’t opened my mouth and already you’re nervous? That says more about you than it does about me. That’s the power of where I am now.” —Kate Frentzel
LUTHER MAGAZINE
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On the front line Denny Amundson ’73 leads the largest COVID ICU in the San Diego area.
“
This work is about learning how to be safe in an environment that’s not safe.” —Denny Amundson ’73
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FALL 2020
Heading up a COVID ICU takes a special kind of doctor, but in facing the challenge, Denny Amundson ’73 is cool, calm, and collected. A veteran physician of the US Navy, Amundson provided medical support during some intense military situations. His operational time was spent with special forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the southern Philippines, among other places. On the invasion force during the Iraq War, he entered Baghdad on the second day of US involvement and stayed there for the next nine months. “Interesting times for an Iowa farm boy,” he says with his typical good humor. The rest of Amundson’s resume reads like a highlight reel of some of the worst disasters of the past several decades. It includes humanitarian trips to Banda Aceh during the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia; Indonesia again for the 2006 earthquake in Yogyakarta; Haiti for the 2010 earthquake and devastating aftermath there; and
Liberia during the 2014 Ebola epidemic. It’s clear that Amundson remains cool under pressure, and this mindset extends to his current role as head of the ICU at Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista, the largest COVID care unit in the San Diego area. As head of the unit, Amudson seems to pull strength— and metaphors—from his military background. “This work is about learning how to be safe in an environment that’s not safe,” he says. “And you do that as a team. It’s called battle rhythm. You go into chaos, and you’re not sure what you’re dealing with, and you’re scared. Over time that fear tends to become chronic, but it tends to decrease because you look left and you look right and everyone else is doing their job. So you hunker down and you do your job too. You put on your protective equipment, you go into the room, you do the things you need to do, and you carry on.”
While Amundson admits that this work can cause fatigue, he says there are bright spots too, like when his staff gets to send a patient home. “When somebody leaves the ICU, we have them pick their fight song and we all gather and play it as we see them off,” he says. “That’s a fun time for everybody to watch these people survive and go on. Those are happy times.” Indeed, it’s the positives that Amundson seems to focus on during this global pandemic, saying, “I feel that this is one of my times in the sun, to be able to help in this epidemic. It’s an honor to work with the people I work with and watch professionals do a job in an unsafe environment. It’s like war, it’s like battle—it brings out the best and the worst in people. But quite frankly, the people that I see are doing the best job they can. And that’s the kind of people that I want to be attached to.” —Kate Frentzel
ALUMNI NEWS
Searching for a vaccine Jon Temte ’80 advises the CDC on one of the biggest global health crises in recorded history.
Jon Temte ’80 jokes that he’s the rare medical doctor with a PhD in zoology, but it turns out there’s a logical connection. His research on seals, sea lions, and photoperiodism—the response of an organism to light and dark periods—got him interested in seasonality, which got him interested in influenza. This set him off on a decades-long career path that now has him advising the CDC on COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. As a working physician and professor in the Madison, Wis., area, Temte splits his time between seeing patients, doing research, administering, and occasionally teaching. Starting in 2004, he served as a liaison between the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). After four years, he was nominated as one of ACIP’s 15 voting members, and he’s served as the group’s chair. Since resigning from those roles in 2015, he’s continued to serve on ACIP work groups that make vaccine recommendations. Temte has also been involved for decades with the
Wisconsin Council on Immunization Practices, and he has a lot of research and policy experience with respiratory viruses including SARS and MERS. So when COVID became a growing concern, he was a natural choice to once again serve as the AAFP’s representative on a new ACIP work group formed specifically to make COVID vaccine recommendations. Essentially, its members weigh the pros and cons of potential COVID vaccines and plan for implementing nationwide vaccination efforts. To do this, they have to consider a complicated web of factors. Temte says, “We’re very interested in the burden of illness—so asking who gets sick and what happens to them. Across age span and across various coexisting diseases and other factors, illness can present very differently, with very different outcomes. So you look at all that and at every available and prototype vaccine. Is it safe? Is it effective?” In recommending vaccines, Temte’s group also considers accessibility. He explains, “If you have a safe and effective vaccine for the public, is it feasible? What is the costeffectiveness? What are the values and preferences of the
people who will be receiving it? And how do you most appropriately and fairly and ethically allocate that vaccine— which will most likely be in short supply—to potential recipients?” The vaccines currently on the market are exceptionally safe, and Temte wants that trend to continue with any COVID vaccines, which unfortunately takes time. Two of the first steps in vaccine development are determining whether a vaccine encourages a subject to produce an antibody, and determining the correct dosage. These, Temte says, are the easy part. Three challenges loom much larger in his mind: (1) testing the vaccine ethically in the real world; (2) proving that a vaccine is safe and effective not only for young and healthy people but also for older people and those with preexisting conditions; (3)
making sure that any side effect is exceedingly rare. Uncovering side effects usually involves very large numbers of subjects. “If there’s a rare event that occurs one out of every 100,000 vaccine recipients, you won’t catch that in a clinical trial,” Temte says. “All I can say is that for a vaccine you’re aiming at giving to 250 million people in this country, you have to be very, very cautious that you don’t cause any problems with it.” In early June, Temte was simultaneously holding hope and skepticism over the possibility of a timely vaccine. But he puts a lot of faith in ACIP, calling himself “one of its biggest cheerleaders.” He’s confident that once there are vaccine options to work with, ACIP will steer the CDC in the right direction, recommending a treatment that is safe, accessible, and effective. —Kate Frentzel LUTHER MAGAZINE
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ALUMNI NEWS
Moving the country forward
CAMELA LANGENDORF/VARITAY STUDIO
Kara (Skatrud) Baylor ’92 is a campus pastor at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis. She delivered a version of this speech at an event on the Carthage campus and posted it on July 4 on her blog, Pissed-Off Pastor, which addresses racism in the US. The speech has been edited for length. For the full text, visit pissedoffpastor.org.
The scripture text that many churches are using this weekend is from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 11.
The words of Jesus that start the reading are these: “To what shall I compare this generation?” Jesus goes on to tell those gathered that their generation is basically a bunch of whiny children who push back when confronted with uncomfortable truths. Jesus points out that when the people hear prophets that hold up mirrors to their faces to show them their broken ways, they run away to jump rope or dance. They avoid the pain or they discredit and invalidate the prophets with insults and slander, to hold on to the status quo. The movement for basic human rights, for civil rights for Blacks in America, has been going on for hundreds of years. And in every century there are examples of the pushback that happened when white people were faced with the uncomfortable truth of the full humanity of Black people. ...
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FALL 2020
During this moment in time, during this movement, the prophets of the day are calling us to all recognize that in America, Black lives are still not equal. Those uncomfortable with this truth call the Black Lives Matter Movement a terrorist organization or organized crime or a mob or rioters or whatever other words will stir up fear. Those desperate to hold on to the status quo close their eyes tightly and say they cannot see any racism in the world today because we conquered it 50 years ago. Those who want to discredit and invalidate the movement say, “All Lives Matter.” Those who want to dehumanize us pull out the N word and hold on tightly to the symbols that they think affirm their misguided belief in white supremacy. Sadly, words spoken by Jesus over 2,000 years ago continue to hold true today. We have been studying these words for centuries. We claim these words have changed our hearts and our minds,
but still when prophets come to speak truths that make us uncomfortable, we continue to undermine their work, we discredit their integrity, and ultimately we kill those who get closest to changing the status quo. Yet, I do have hope standing here today. Because while there are many who are pushing back against this moment in time, while there are many who want to deny systemic racism, while there are those who are hoping for a race war, there are more who want real change to come. There are more people who want America, for the first time, to actually live into the ideals on which this country was founded: that all people are created equal. There are more people, of all stripes, who are saying the status quo has to go, because it is killing Black people and it is killing the soul of our nation. So I do stand here with hope because of Generation Z. . . . This is a generation willing to see the sin, see the pain of
the history of slavery and racism in this country, and not be whiny children but rather strong advocates for change. I stand here with hope today because of Generation Z, who are demanding change, who know their voices matter, who are clearly articulating a vision for a United States that owns its history, openly and honestly, because only the truth will set us free. I stand here with hope because of Generation Z, because you will and you are building a coalition of all generations to help our nation grow up, to mature, to let go of fear and see the beauty of the diversity of the people gathered on this land. I stand here with hope because of Generation Z, who are moving this country toward the day when the words “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” truly apply to us all.
ALUMNI NEWS CLASS NOTES By Erin Dintaman ’23 and Rachel Schunder ’20
’58 Philip Rogers
of Lanesboro, Minn., is a retired history teacher at Albert Lea Senior High School.
’67 Carol Birkland
of Decorah was appointed to the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum and Heritage Center Board of Trustees.
’68 Gary Johnson
has retired from Johnson & Johnson Land Company in Cumberland, Wis.
Janice (Brankin) Leonhardt is a retired physics teacher at New Trier Township High School in Wadsworth, Ill.
’61 Deanna (Blunt) Roen
was chosen by the Music Teachers National Association as the 2019 Foundation Fellow for the state of Wisconsin. She has directed church and community choirs for over 50 years and handbell choirs for over 30 years. She has also been a private vocal and piano instructor and music teacher in private and public schools for 58 years. Deanna currently directs the English Hand Bell Choir in Prescott, Wis.
’75 Michael Adams
is a retired project director for the Department of Defense in Lutherville, Md.
Mary (Edson) Gerzema is a retired teacher in Buffalo Center, Iowa.
Cathie (Striemer) Bergstrand of Eden Prairie, Minn., is a retired secondgrade teacher at Waconia School District.
Kathleen (Grothe) Grogan is a retired CPA at the Indiana Historical Society in Lafayette.
is a retired medical records clerk. Bill is a retired medical director at OSF Healthcare System and member of the board of trustees for the American Medical Association.
Roger Kruger is a retired financial systems administrator in Canal Winchester, Ohio.
Michael Goze is the chief executive officer of the American Indian Community Development Corporation in Minneapolis. During the Black Lives Matter protests, Michael and Frank Paro, the president of the American Indian Movement (AIM), helped protect the Indian community businesses from potential damage. The two men along with volunteers created the AIM street patrol in order to protect local stores if looting were to happen. The pair were featured in a story, “American Indian patrol in Minneapolis credited with saving buildings during protests,” by Jean Hopfensberger in the June 11, 2020, edition of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
’76 Sonya Forseth
retired as a paralegal with a focus in child protection and family support at the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis.
’77 Bradley Haugen
of Northfield, Minn., retired as controller at Pearson.
Medford, Ore.
retired travel consultant in Knoxville, Iowa.
Lani (Morf) Vabulas is a retired French teacher in Arlington Heights, Ill.
’72 Lois (Anderson)
and
Bruce Garbisch ’70 live in Cook, Minn. Bruce is a retired medical director at Cook Hospital.
Texas, is a retired teacher from the Department of Defense Schools.
’73 Peggy (Smith)
and Steve Sorensen ’71 live in Woodbury, Minn. Peggy is a retired second-grade teacher. Steve is a retired financial planner.
’74 Gary Esboldt pastor in Wilmar, Minn.
is a retired
Douglas Lohafer of San Jose, Calif., is a health physicist at New World Environmental. Doug is an essential worker during the COVID pandemic and still travels for his job despite the risks. Lohafer has been serving at various nuclear power facilities around the country including those in Mississippi, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Virginia.
Linda Harris is a retired physician in
Diane (Lebakken) Nelson is a
Joyce (Szymkowiak) Gunderson of Georgetown,
, born on a leap day in 1934, still works as a substitute teacher for the Allamakee (Iowa) School District. Students from the middle and high school helped celebrate his 86th birthday on Feb. 29, 2020.
in West Yorkshire, England.
a retired research biologist and biology professor at the University of Wisconsin–Fox Valley and is currently involved in three environmental groups at state and local levels.
Carolyn (Peterson) and Bill Kobler live in Rockford, Ill. Carolyn
’63 Harvey Estebo
Barbara Schultz is a retired pastor
of business development in Boulder City, Nev.
Allhiser of Appleton, Wis., is
retired educational consultant in Port Angeles, Wash.
was music professor and department chair at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston. In retirement, he wrote a book titled Norwegian Mountains to Minnesota Farmland: Tom O. Rannai [Fosse] Lee, Their Ancestors and Families, 1620– 2004. The book focuses on the life, family, and ancestors of Tom Lie (later Lee), who in 1879 left his family farm in Sogn, Norway, which is still owned and operated by the family today, to start a new life in the less hilly and more fertile soils of Minnesota.
account executive at Amazon Web Services in San Jose, Calif.
’70 Carin (Malmanger)
Barbara (Franklin) Heil is a
’62 Ron Lee
Joel Mjolsness is a strategic
Terry Johnson of Jefferson, Iowa, retired as CEO of Genesis Development after 40 years at the helm of the not-for-profit rehabilitation organization that provides support for people with physical and intellectual disabilities. With a staff of nearly 500, the organization serves more than 4,750 people annually across Iowa, with facilities in 16 locations. Upon his retirement, the Jefferson Rotary Club named Terry the Professional of the Year.
Karen (Brandt) Monsen was inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame, which recognizes nurse researchers who have achieved national or international recognition and whose research has improved the profession of nursing and the people it serves. Karen is a methodological expert, and her methods have been applied and adopted internationally, advancing knowledge discovery using large terminology datasets. She leads the international Omaha System Community of Practice and Research Network. Karen is professor, Population Health and Systems Cooperative, at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing in Minneapolis.
David Nichols is a pediatrician at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Topeka, Kan. He was appointed to the board of directors for Special Olympics Kansas.
Mark Nixon is the retired director
LUTHER MAGAZINE
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ALUMNI NEWS
’78 Cindy (Anderson)
and Shawn Bina ’87 live in Ely, Minn. Cindy retired from her career as a mental health counselor and now designs and creates jewelry under the name Natural Inspiration. Shawn is a provost at Vermillion Community College.
Karen (Kurth) Dunn is a private piano and voice instructor at Curious Chords Music Studio in Buda, Texas.
’84 Steve Hopkins
, CPM, is nonpoint source coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in Des Moines and author of the DNR’s Earth Day blog.
Solveig (Eiler) Perrett is a Tom Maakestad is the owner and artist at Maakestad Studio in Marine on St. Croix, Minn. Tom has upheld his studio for over 20 years, and his paintings have been shown in exhibits and publications worldwide. His recent series for the Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, Minn., are based on the northern boreal forests of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (pictured here is Two Fly Fishermen). An article in the June edition of Norwegian American featured these paintings and Maakestad’s career.
Anne (Koch) and Wayne Minske Linda Short is retired from performing, university teaching, and private business. She spends her time as a tour guide at the Red River Zoo in Fargo, N.D., and at campaign headquarters in Moorhead, Minn.
’79 Steven Corson
live in Chanhassen, Minn. Ann is a paraprofessional with the Shakopee Schools. Wayne retired as a district court administrator in Hennepin County.
Amy (Johnson) Pollitt is a retired vocal music teacher in Belmond, Iowa.
is a retired funeral director at Kaiser-Corson Funeral Homes in Waverly, Iowa.
middle school teacher at Valentine (Neb.) Community School and works seasonally as a national park ranger.
Tina (Koenig) Ray is a spiritual and grief counselor at Agrace Hospice in Madison, Wis.
Michael Dorigan is principal at Conversion Financial Services in St. Louis, Mo.
David Gross is an enrollment coordinator at Siouxland PACE, Unitypoint Health in Sioux City, Iowa.
Steven Reeves is a physician and the internal medicine department chief at Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston, Iowa.
David Shook is the associate dean for undergraduate studies in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. He is also an associate professor of Spanish in Georgia Tech’s School of Modern Languages.
Karen (Antons) Sindelar is a holistic health practitioner in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, area.
Judy (Iverson) and Peter Ylvisaker ’84 live in Marion, Iowa. Judy is a medical technologist at UnityPoint Health. Peter is the senior director at GoDaddy.com. Peter has also written a book titled Growing Up Decorah: A Short Story, reminiscing about his experiences living within the Decorah community. He shared his experiences of writing the book with alumni in July as part of the Luther College Alumni Book Club/Paideia III series.
Rebecca (Skaar) Grabow of
Jean Solberg of Dixon, Ill., retired as a correctional sergeant with the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Cassandra Warner is the chief financial officer and senior vice president at Weis Builders in Minneapolis. She was named one of the top women in finance of 2018 by Finance & Commerce and also serves as the board treasurer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota.
Madison Lake, Minn., is a retired music specialist.
Diane Wiese-Bjornstal is a
’80 Mary (Christainson)
Hansen of Rochester, Minn., is the president and CEO of Mayo Employees Federal Credit Union. She was selected as one of the top women in finance of 2019 by Finance & Commerce. Mary was given the Minnesota Icon Award and the Circle of Excellence Award, which is given to only five Minnesota women in the financial field per year.
Kathleen (Smith) and William Kalsow live in Shoreview, Minn. Kathy is a retired project manager at Hewlett-Packard. Bill is a retired computer programmer at PCT.
Barbara (Perry) Lutz of Waverly, Iowa, is the chief underwriter at F&G Annuities and Life. She is a fellow in the Academy of Life Underwriting and former president of Home Office Life Underwriters Association.
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FALL 2020
professor of sport psychology and associate director of the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. She was inducted as a fellow into the National Academy of Kinesiology.
’81 Dirk Darnell
is senior clinical research nurse at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.
’82 Christine Alpers Holm is a payer relations manager at OrthoLoneStar in Austin, Texas.
Karen DeBauche retired as band director at Urbana (Iowa) Middle School after teaching for 30 years. She was selected to represent Illinois for the 2019 School Band and Orchestra magazine’s Annual Directors Who Make a Difference Award.
’83 Sally (Roloff)
and James Peters ’80 live in Independence, Iowa. Sally is office manager at Peters and Longmuir. James is an attorney at Peters and Longmuir.
Paul Weatherly is a commercial
’85 John Petter Anderson
of Washburn, Wis., is the deputy chief judge of the 10th Judicial District. He was the recipient of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s 2020 Judge of the Year Award. His peers note that “Judge Anderson embodies the ideals we all hope for in a judge. His dedication is palpable, and his energizing community engagements bring community faith in his courtroom.” Outside of the courtroom, Anderson is the Washburn High School boys’ basketball assistant coach and a local history buff.
Laura Brandt is the director of foundation services at the North Hennepin Community College Foundation in Plymouth, Minn.
Brenda (Bertelsen) Burke is a clinical nutritionist and a certified diabetes educator for UW Health/ University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, Wis.
pilot for Central Air Southwest in Kansas City, Mo. The owner of the company gifted Paul with a new airplane on his 20th anniversary with the company. Following a suggestion from classmate Jay Kamin ’85, Paul named the plane Spirit of Decorah and had it custom painted with the Norse logo. Kamin, a former stand-up comedian, has also dubbed the airplane The Enola Nas in honor of Luther coach Bob Naslund ’65.
Gordon Weber was named senior vice president of legal, general counsel and secretary for SurModics in Eden Prairie, Minn.
’87 Kristin Musgjerd
of Holmen, Wis., is a retired assistant director of pharmacy.
ALUMNI NEWS He is the director of the Minnesota Department of Human Services in St. Paul.
Sara (Anderson) and Bryan Doherty ’97 live in St. Louis Park, Minn. Sara is the senior designer at CH Robinson. Bryan is the senior vice president at Ameriprise Financial.
’92 David Bartelt Dean Pribbenow was named the vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Elmhurst (Ill.) College.
Rachel Reitan of New Orleans is a physician with the Louisiana State University Healthcare Network in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is a medical reporter and editor on the local ABC News segment Dr. Rachel: The Teaching Doctor. Rachel was appointed to the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum and Heritage Center Board of Trustees.
is a medical doctor and has been caring for COVID-19 patients at the Medical Center of Aurora in the Denver metro area since the start of the pandemic. He writes, “We are past the peak now, but it is still impacting the hospital environment, and we are in anticipation of if, when, and how big will be the next peak. In the midst of it all, I was able to make a trip to Decorah to bring my son Milan ’23 [above, right] home from Luther.”
Thomas Hueser is an oral surgeon
Emily (Lawrence) Meyer is the
occupational therapist at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital in Boise, Idaho.
director of the ministry lab, a joint ministry of the UCC, UMC, and Presbyterian churches in Minnesota, located in United Theological Seminary in St. Paul.
’93 Jennifer (Afdahl)
at Mississippi Valley Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Davenport, Iowa.
Samuel Kivi is an acupuncturist Chinese medical practitioner at ACME Body Health in Edina, Minn. He has a master’s degree in Chinese medicine acupuncture and applied associate science degree in massage therapy body work.
Ann (Stensaas) Short is an
Cuneyt Soydas is a managing
Immunization Services Division and also the Pandemic Influenza Vaccine Response Program deputy for the Vaccine Task Force at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. She is the lead of the Influenza Working Group for the National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit and also a captain in the U.S. Public Health Service. She is the technical lead of several multimillion-dollar contracts and cooperative agreements focused on improving adult immunization and decreasing disparities.
Sarah Updegraff earned an EdD degree in education from Drake University. She is principal for Lansing Kee High School and Middle School in Lansing, Iowa.
Tricia Walker earned an MBA degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is the head of digital operations at MassMutual in Springfield, Mass.
partner at Dale Carnegie in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
and
Sean Coleman live in Clarksville, Ark. Jennifer is a professor of nursing at Arkansas Tech University. Sean is the dean of natural health sciences at the University of the Ozarks.
Mark Lees is captain and team
’88 Callista (Bisek)
Gingrich (pictured with her husband, Newt), US ambassador to the Holy See, received the title Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius IX by Pope Francis. It is the highest distinction conferred by the Vatican on laypersons.
Kari (Schneider) Vara is an interactive learning designer at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland.
’89 Missy (Halverson) Bratland earned an EdM
degree with reading emphasis from Augustana University. She is the reading and math specialist/ interventionist for the Spring Grove (Minn.) Public Schools.
Ann Marie (Knecht) Potter is the program director of occupational therapy at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa.
’90 Diane (Olson)
and Dan Hinderaker live in Ames, Iowa. Diane is executive director at Boone County Probation and a chairperson on the Boone County Human Services Council. Dan is a mortgage specialist with Wells Fargo.
’91 David Heine
is a family medicine physician at MercyOne Albert Lea (Minn.) Clinic.
leader of the technical rescue team at the Elk River (Minn.) Fire Department.
Tia (Johnson) Stringer earned a doctorate in nurse anesthesia practice from Missouri State University in Springfield. She is a certified registered nurse anesthetist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
’94 Allison (Walker) Allen
is the senior specialist for the executive office at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Amanda Corbett is a program evaluation specialist on the fiscal analysis and performance measurement team at the Minnesota Department of Human Services in Minneapolis.
Maria Dewey earned a DNP degree from St. Catherine University. She is director of clinical services at Pediatech Nursing in Minnetonka, Minn.
’95 Caytie (Jorgensen)
Joe Waterman of San Francisco
Kirsten (Olson) O’Quinn is
’96 Jennifer (Nielsen)
associate at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta.
and Matt Snow live in Spring Green, Wis. Jennifer is the choir director and Bryan is the band director in the River Valley School District.
’97 Erin Felten
is an associate attorney at Hoversten, Johnson, Beckmann, and Hovey in Austin, Minn.
degrees from Augsburg University.
a board-certified family medicine physician at Full Circle Family Medicine in Germantown, Wis.
April (Johnson) and Brian Remfrey live in Bülach, Switzerland. April is the founder and special education consultant of Remfrey Educational Consulting. Brian is the partner development manager at Microsoft.
Scott Steffen is the development
’99 Bradley Herrick
is the ecologist and research program manager at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum..
’00 Megan Stull
and Kevin Deeny ’98 live in Dubuque, Iowa. Megan is the assistant to the vice president of advancement at the University of Northern Iowa. Kevin is an attorney with Kane, Norby, and Reddick.
’01 Katie (Sopoci) Drake
is the administrative director at Maryland Youth Ballet in Silver Spring.
Amy (Raddatz) Buch is the
Steve Dahl earned MBA and MSW
is pastor at Decorah Lutheran Church.
designed a number of items featured on Junction City Mercantile, the merchandise website for John Cameron Mitchell, creator of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Joe’s designs include a David Bowie–inspired T-shirt (modeled above by Rob Kleinendorst ’95), and proceeds from all sales of the site’s merchandise benefit the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Trust Fund to fund a scholarship in the names of Breonna Taylor and David McAtee.
and Mark Anderson ’97 live in Minneapolis. Caytie is the administrative team lead at the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities. Mark is project director at the Science Museum of Minnesota. law operations manager at Adams County Communications Authority in Commerce City, Colo.
’98 Peter Kowitz
Dana Sandstrom Keating Amy Parker Fiebelkorn is a senior epidemiologist in the
is the senior director of business development and partnerships at Management Sciences for Health in Arlington, Va. LUTHER MAGAZINE
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ALUMNI NEWS Peter Schletty is the technology services project manager at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in Center City, Minn.
manager and landscape architect at Marmol Radziner.
the trail, which gains 2,987 feet in elevation.
Matt Carpenter is CEO of the Good
Dana (Norris) Kruse is a social
Neighbor Home in Manchester, Iowa.
studies teacher at Wake County Schools in Youngsville, N.C.
Rachel (Friedrich) Harken is payroll manager at CRH Americas Materials in Des Moines, Iowa.
Ryan Luhrs is director of choral
’03 Houda Abadi
is executive director with Our Three Winners Foundation in Oakland, Calif. The foundation’s mission is to reduce prejudice toward American Muslims and marginalized communities by addressing individuals’ implicit biases and sources of implicit discrimination.
Becky (Johnston) Bole is a psychiatric–mental health nurse practitioner working in community mental health at Human Supports of Idaho in Boise.
activities and assistant professor of music at Lenoir-Rhyne University. He directs the A Cappella Choir and College Singers, coordinates the Sacred Music Program, and mentors choral music education majors. Last December, he was also chosen as the new conductor of the Hickory (N.C.) Choral Society.
’05 Catherine (McCormick)
and John Deaton live in Maple Grove, Minn. Catherine is a physician and child psychiatrist at Allina Health. John is a surgeon at Fairview Health Services
Phuong Dau of Irvine, Calif., is the senior scientist at Advanced Sterilization Products.
Alysa Davis completed an emergency medicine residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and is an emergency medicine critical care fellow at the university hospitals in Iowa City, Iowa.
Allison (Kirchoff) Gans is a teacher for the Hibbing (Minn.) Schools.
Joseph Harwick works for the Rochester (Minn.) Public Schools.
Eric Lake recently left his job at Group Benefit Partners to be a fulltime father to his two young kids, Harrison and Sienna.
Kristen Haug is project manager at Blackbaud Corporate Solutions in Minneapolis.
Andrew Hillertz is the animal
Karin Maxey is a language
caretaker manager at All about Animals Pet Clinic in Mahomet, Ill.
pedagogy specialist at the University of Chicago Language Center.
Yuji Isobe is the chief technology
Erin (Radke) Flaherty is director
officer at Emotion Intelligence in Osaka, Japan.
Kristen Lindholm-Nelson earned
of development communications at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
an EdM degree from Regis University. She is a first-grade teacher at Boulder (Colo.) Country Day School.
’06 Kirsten Aherron
is the Main Street coordinator for Altavista, Va.
Larissa (Curtis) and Erik Iverson ’08 live in Quito, Ecuador. Emerald-Jane Hunter was featured in a Forbes article, “15 BlackOwned Businesses You Should Check Out on Juneteenth.” She is the founder and CEO of myWHY, a Chicagobased marketing agency in the health and wellness space.
Larissa is the third- through fifth-grade music specialist and Erik is the physical education and health teacher at Academia Cotopaxi International School.
at the inpatient pharmacy at Trinity Regional Medical Center/UnityPoint Health in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
is director of intercultural life at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa.
Beth Willer is associate professor
of Mahtomedi, Minn., is senior project
28
FALL 2020
corporate trust services practice of the Minneapolis office of Greenberg Traurig.
Erik Malmquist was named
Mary (Ites) and Michael Stuart ’03 live in Hopkins, Minn. Mary is the
Jocelyn (Winter) McDonnell is
’10 Maria Carr ’07 Hemie Collier
’04 Lindsay Buck
Seeley is of counsel in the
founder and CEO of Stuart Consulting. Michael is the supplier business development manager at Quality Bicycle Products.
Adrianne Peters is staff pharmacist
and director of choral studies at the Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She is also the founder and artistic director of Boston’s Lorelei Ensemble, championing new music while fulfilling a mission to elevate and expand the repertoire for women’s voices. Beth has led the ensemble in more than 60 world, national, and regional premieres since its founding. Recently, Lorelei collaborated with Grammynominated ensembles A Far Cry and Cantus.
’08 Allison (Bouslog)
earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of Louisville and a master’s degree in nursing at Frontier Nursing University. She is an advanced practice midwife and certified nurse midwife at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa.
executive director of the Elgin (Ill.) Symphony Orchestra. an early childhood education teacher at Dakota Valley Learning Center in Apple Valley, Minn.
Nicholas Nolan is a trader and CFA at Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, Iowa.
Kelly (Vanek) Peterson is the lead paralegal at Karam Law in Bloomington, Minn.
Carson Christen is owner and head coach at Torden Multisport Professional Endurance Coaching in Schweinfurt, Bayern, Germany.
Alisyn Christensen earned the MM degree in conducting from Central Washington University and is the youth theatre director at the Tacoma (Wash.) Little Theatre.
Adam Frye is the head cross country and track and field coach at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash. During the pandemic, Adam established the fastest known time on the 14.8-mile Tiger Mountain Trail in the Issaquah Alps. It took him two hours and 16 minutes to complete
Megan (Hamann) Coffield is an application specialist at Corteva Agriscience in Johnston, Iowa.
Kelsey (Mans) Crusinberry is an ESL teacher for the St. Paul (Minn.) Public Schools.
Jill Phillips is a voice teacher at Wyoming (Ohio) Fine Arts Center and a doctoral student at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Brandon Reed is a strategist at Sterling-Rice Group in Boulder, Colo.
Darin Schneider is a supervisor at Autumn Transport in Woodbury, Minn.
Ben Schott earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Olivet Nazarene University. He is a
ALUMNI NEWS Olivia (Mitchell) and Brian Paulsrud live in Iowa City, Iowa.
paramedic for the Chicago Fire Department.
Kristi (Holmberg) and Jonathan Grieder live in Waterloo, Iowa. Kristi
Aaron Shatzer is lead associate
is a pastor at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. Jonathan is a history teacher in the Waterloo Community School District. He was elected to the Waterloo City Council for the Second Ward last November and is the youngest city councilor in Waterloo history.
Olivia is a dental student at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry. Brian is the regional sales manager for Garmin.
Lisa Richter earned the PhD
Brianna Shelly is the owner and
actuary at PacificSource Health Plans in Springfield, Ore. He is an associate of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
Krista Solie is an early education specialist at the Minnesota Department of Education in Minneapolis. supervisor at Humboldt (Iowa) North Care Center.
degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She is a scientist I at Georgiamune in Gaithersburg, Md.
Rachel (Grippen) and David Storlie ’95 live in Spring Grove,
’13 Sophia (Brown)
Minn. Rachel is an alumni guest lecturer in music at Luther. David is a network administrator at Deco Products Company.
advisor at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester, Minn.
Sarah Sprecher is the RN
Lizbeth Winter is the coordinator of academic affairs and institutional effectiveness at Upper Iowa University in Fayette.
Engelman is an academic success
Chelsey Kohnen is a recruitment outreach associate at Doctors Without Borders in New York City.
Tyler Reece earned a DMA degree in vocal performance from the University of California–Santa Barbara. He is director of admissions and student services at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Mass.
Katrina (Hanson) and Seth Rumage live in Chewelah, Wash.
Sara Zanussi is founder and executive director of ComMUSICation, a 501c3 nonprofit in St. Paul, Minn., that gives young people a safe and caring environment where they can express themselves. She works with youth and their families to ensure equitable access to music making, both in schools and in after-school time.
’11 Katie Mae Deaver
is the director of music and communication director at Marquette (Mich.) Hope United Methodist Faith Community.
Luke Hanson earned an MBA degree from Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn. He is a gift planner at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn.
Victoria (LaCroix) Norris is
Cody Orr earned an MBA degree
regional director for Carnegie Dartlet in Neenah, Wis.
’12 Andrew Becklin
earned a PhD degree in mathematics from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and is a visiting assistant professor of mathematics at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
Michelle Boursier is the senior associate scientist at Amgen in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
joined the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) as a summer associate in the Operational Evaluation Division of IDA’s Systems and Analyses Center in Alexandria, Va. She is also a doctoral student in statistics at Cornell University.
Kristianna Harris is new stores project specialist at Sleep Number in Red Wing, Minn.
Emma Hartmann is the K–5 general music teacher for the Jeffco Public Schools at Vanderhoof Elementary School in Arvada, Colo.
Robert Helgason is a forestry technician with the US Forest Service in Des Moines, Iowa.
Karl Nilsson is the exhibits technician at the Children’s Museum in West Hartford, Conn.
from Fontbonne University and the master’s degree in business data analytics from Maryville University. He is business intelligence developer at True Manufacturing in O’Fallon, Mo.
Rachel (Woolsey) Perry earned an MFA in arts leadership from Seattle University. She is executive director for the Auburn (Wash.) Symphony Orchestra.
music instructor at Carefree School of Music in Scottsdale, Ariz.
’17 Alexandria Erickson
earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Sioux Falls and is a registered ICU nurse at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Sidney Larsen earned a master’s degree in peace studies and conflict resolution from the American University School of International Service. She is a research assistant with the Public International Law and Policy Group in Washington, D.C.
Elena Zarecky is K–5 general music teacher at Colorado Springs (Colo.) School District 11.
’18 Kate Bohn
and Jack Hendricks live in Rochester, Minn. Kate is a registered nurse at Mayo Clinic. Jack is the territory manager at Ecolab.
Elizabeth Bonin is a staff writer for Ocean City (Md.) Today.
Christen Foster-Thomas and Grant Foster-Thomas live in
and Dylan Essing live in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Alex is a RedCard consultant and Dylan is a senior engineer at Target Corporation.
intervention specialist at Youth Villages in Jamaica Plain, Mass.
Kelsey (Anderson) Wilson is
’15 Megan Gelsinger
’14 Alexandra (Dallman)
Peter Magnuson is the family
student in multidisciplinary studies at SUNY Buffalo.
Mass., is a graduate assistant at Harvard Divinity School.
Seth is the pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church and chaplain for Providence Health Stevens County Hospitals.
an elementary music teacher at the International School of Basel, Switzerland.
Tyler McCubbin is a graduate
Julia Reimann of Somerville,
Rachel Skolaski earned a doctor of optometry degree from Indiana University School of Optometry and is an optometrist at Tashner Vision Clinic in Platteville, Wis.
’16 Matthew Gausmann
Estherville, Iowa. Christen is an eighth-grade science teacher and middle school quiz bowl coach and Grant is an English teacher for the Estherville Lincoln Central School District.
Mauriah Hernandez of Springfield, Ore., is a customer service representative for Reliable Credit Association.
McCoy Matthias of Santa Rosa
is a special education teacher and assistant high school track coach at Columbus (Wis.) Middle School.
Beach, Fla., is a realtor at Keller Williams Emerald Coast.
Jesslyn Hendrickson earned
band director at St. Albert Catholic School in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
a master’s degree in biomedical sciences from Iowa State University and is a medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin–Central Wisconsin in Wausau.
Breanne (Pierce) Hocker is a compliance coordinator at ChildServe in Johnston, Iowa.
Timothy Radermacher is the
Mariah (Olson) and Sean Trewin live in Winona, Minn. Mariah is a registered nurse at Gundersen Lutheran Health System. Sean is a secondary school teacher at Wabasha-Kellogg High School.
’19
grades 5–12 and choir director for grades 7–12 at HLV Community Schools in Victor, Iowa.
Natalie Delcorps is orchestra director for grades 6–8 for the Dubuque (Iowa) Community Schools.
Alayna Nelson of Aurora, Colo., is
Libby Fischer is choir director at
Tyson Lund is band director for
a high school history teacher at GOAL Academy.
Craig High School in Janesville, Wis.
LUTHER MAGAZINE
29
ALUMNI NEWS
Chase Gilson is the plant quality and process control manager at Hormel Foods in Alma, Kan.
Arwen Inman is an assistant teacher at OKC Heartland Montessori School in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Ben Johnson is an accountant with CliftonLarsonAllen in Rochester, Minn.
John Kuntz is a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Memphis.
Anna Restemayer is a special education paraprofessional at Heritage Middle School in West St. Paul, Minn.
Emma Schlabach is marketing coordinator at Fortress Press in Minneapolis.
Become a Luther Alumni Ambassador
Drake Schuring was named head
Students who enroll with an Alumni Ambassador referral receive $4,000 in scholarships.
basketball coach at West Delaware High School in Manchester, Iowa. He is also assistant director and clinician for TNT5 Basketball Development.
’20 Rachel Schunder
is an educator with Orangetheory Fitness in Rochester, Minn.
To begin referring students as a Luther Alumni Ambassador, scan the QR code or use the online form at luther.edu/ambassadors.
Christine Wattermann is a workforce engagement VISTA at College Possible in St. Paul, Minn.
MARRIAGES
’75 John Savre ’80 Ann-Marie Mellon ’83 Lori Beckman ’84 Deanna Chesnut ’90 Lisa Martzke ’97 Bobbie Torgerson ’99 SiriAnna Strommen ’00 Heidi Rebischke Jeff Freidhof ’01 Anna Roeder ’05 Kathryn Armstrong
and Marie Ann Faelnar, Aug. 16, 2018 and Mikhael Ladyzhensky, Aug. 15, 2019
and William Koehn, April 26, 2019 and Rhonda Hockney, June 9, 2020
and Bruce Deemer, Nov. 24, 2018 and Andy Hillery, April 4, 2020 and Derek Schmidt, Jan. 5, 2020
and
, April 4, 2020
and Damon Johnson, October 27, 2018 and Mark Samuolis, Sept. 14, 2019
Cassidy Baker and Zach Reff, June 20, 2020
’08 Steve Bailey
and Rebecca Emmons, Dec. 31, 2019
Mary Ites and Mike Stuart ’03, Oct. 26, 2019
30
FALL 2020
’09 Morgan Marolow ’12 Britanni Buechler
and Tim Fechner, June 27, 2020 and Herbert Weiss, May 18, 2019
Hannah Han and Jacqueline Davisson, April 20, 2019 Kelsey Hunerdosse and Ryan Lode, Oct. 12, 2019 Chelsea Sailsbury and Isaac Bright, April 29, 2019 Lindsey Weaver and Greg Shirbroun ’10, June 27, 2020
’13 Tyler Reece
and Matthew Downey, Aug. 27, 2019 Peter Sandstedt and Wenet Wu, Aug. 31, 2019 Paige Schneider and Aaron Wies, June 2, 2018
’14 Chloe Benjamin
and Nathan Converse, June 19, 2020 Katie Gaudian and Samuel Mueller, June 6, 2020 Tori LaCroix and William Norris, Dec. 29, 2018 Rachel Woolsey and Alex Perry, July 20, 2019
’15 Neal Abbott
and Hannah Buchl, Oct. 12, 2019
Brianna Blum and Conner Herman, Oct. 13, 2018 Kyrie Dailey and Mark Lopez, Sept. 21, 2019 Allison Feltes and Pat Fagan ’14, April 25, 2020 Kayla Gregg and Matt Scheidle, July 14, 2018 Kathleen Kennedy and Ryan Cox, Aug. 24, 2019
ALUMNI NEWS MARRIAGES
Logan Kochendorfer and Tyler Carpenter, March 30, 2019 Nicolle Martin and Gage Truelove, Jan. 26, 2019 Ali Smith and Josh Lohmann, Dec. 29, 2018 Kasey Thorson and Derek Ellis, Aug. 17, 2019
’16 Amanda Jenkins
and Timothy Walch, April 24, 2020 Tyler Moon and Amy Greene, Jan. 4, 2020 Brianna Shelly and Daniel Simmons, May 2, 2020 Saydi Stewart and Josh Olson, June 15, 2019 Katie Wolter and Steve Sorenson ’15, Aug. 24, 2019
’18 Kaitlin Bohn
and Jack Hendricks, March 27, 2020 Megan Broadbent and Ryan Rush, June 20, 2020 Mary Ferrel and Michael McClelen, Aug. 18, 2018 Christen Foster and Grant Thomas, June 6, 2020 Christina Van Nevel and Jack Benson, June 27, 2020
’19 Anna Helt ’20 Megan Gmitro
and Garrett Blythe, June 22, 2019 and Alex Sekora ’19, March 21, 2020
’17 Miranda Gumpert
and Evan Deutmeyer, June 8, 2019 Greta Schmitt and Ethan Harris ’18, June 20, 2020 Molly Wettach and Jeremy Redmond, Dec. 6, 2019
BIRTHS AND ADOPTIONS
’01
Rae Marie and Leo Adrian, April 2020, twins of Catherine (Docken) and Jake Dyer
Margaret Linnea, March 2019, child of Britt (Winter) and Tim Moore
Isaac Joseph, April 2020, child of Brie (Kunkel) and Joe Iverson
William, January 2019, child of Amber and Peter Schletty
Margaret, May 2020, child of Jennifer and Peter McLellan
Maeve Bernadette, June 2020, child of Meredith (Miller) and Dana Tenneson Larkin Hannah, March 2020, child of Jenarah (Tekippe) and Christopher Wojcik
’07
’02
Burzlaff ’08
Elowen Bleu, February 2020, child of Rachel (Stein) and Chris Hadfield Malone Elizabeth, April 2020, child of
Ann (Jorstad) Huber
’03
Eleanor Claire, April 2020, child of Erin (Clark) and Nick Benedict
’05
Brooks William, April 2020, child of Lesley (Hiebing) and Brian Friedhoff Alice Genevieve, April 2020, child of Jaimee and Phil Hoesing Jacob William, August 2019, child of Maren (Hadley) and Dylan Kioga
’06
Miles Alexander, June 2018, child of Rachel (Ware) and Kevin Carlton Oliver Ryan, February 2020, child of Amanda (Novak) and Mark Miller Gabriel Luciano, July 2019, child of Polly (Clark) and Nathan Potratz Kaylin, July 2018, child of Heather (Arneson) and Gareth Roberts
Mabel, January 2020, child of Paige (Brant) and Patrick Mariah Marie, June 2019, child of Amanda (Pohlman) and Michael Janke Jemma Kathryn, January 2020, child of Katie (Merrifield) and Brett Jones Martin, October 2019, child of Carly (Elmgren) and Daniel Kragthorpe Maci, December 2018, child of Jenny (Johnson) and James Laszewski
’08
Noelle Laurel, May 2020, child of Christa (Fiedler) and Drew
Engquist ’06 Graeme, March 2019, child of Emily and Dan McAdam Leighton Thomas, April 2019, child of Justine (Allen) and Chancy Nordick Vada Marie, January 2020, child of Kelly (Wood) and Chris Robertson Grace, October 2019, child of Danielle (Knealing) and Raymond Swanson
’09
Weston, November 2019, child of BreAnn (VanDeer) and Matt
Drees ’10
’13
Sullivan Jean, February 2020, child of Emma (Hellmann) and Tommy McCormac Elijah Ellis, March 2020, child of April and Danny Robb
Edward, January 2019, child of Beth (Nimmo) and Matthew Nord Sterling, June 2018, child of Amanda and Matt Orth
’10
Everly, November 2019, child of Kristin (Mattes) and Brian Dahl Clara Ilene, March 2020, child of Jill (Bohle) and Dale Grauman
Ariella Ruth, March 2020, child of Katrina (Hanson) and Seth
Lizzie, April 2020, child of Kristen (Lindholm) and Taylor Nelson
Rumage ’14
’11
Torben, April 2019, child of Kelsey (Balk) and Jordan
Grimm Otto, January 2020, child of Abbie and
Kyler Maxfield Thea Rae, January 2020, child of Rachel and Paul Meyer Penelope Lucille, March 2020, child of Emily (Rasmann) and Don Stein Max, March 2020, child of Jenny (St. Clair) and Alex Tomesch ’12 August, October 2018, child of Maggie and Rick Westermann
’12
June Irene, June 2020, child of Kate (Schletty) and Nik Barkve Sula, July 2019, child of Paige (Lenoch) and Ashleigh Miller Benjamin Lester, April 2020, child of Sarah and John Stender
Sawyer Rae, September 2019, child of Paige (Schneider) and Aaron Wies
’14
Everett Joseph, May 2020, child of Anna (Derdzinski) and Alan Banks Brenley John, March 2020, child of Hannah (Delzer) and Paul
Christenson Arthur, June 2020, child of Katherine (Ollman) and Alex
Gisleson ’11 Nora Mae, March 2020, child of Taylor (Johnson) and Ryan Ledvina
’15
Sadie Rae, December 2019, child of Velvet (Warne) and
Andrew Chittick Avery Rae, December 2019, child of Kelsey (Sorensen) and Nick Motzko Silas, June 2018, child of Caity (Nowosatka) and Caleb Sander
LUTHER MAGAZINE
31
ALUMNI NEWS IN MEMORIAM Obituaries are posted at luther.edu/in-memoriam.
’44 Evelyn Sue (Fesenmeyer) Noble
of
Riceville, Iowa, died Feb. 3, 2020, age 94.
’45 Eva Alice (Unseth) Johnson
Beverly Joyce (Waller) Hyzer of Nacogdoches, Texas, died July 14, 2020, age 84.
Merlin K. Norris of Lake Mills, Iowa, died May 29, 2020, age 84.
of La
Helen (Olson) Remington of Waunakee, Wis.,
Crosse, Wis., died Oct. 7, 2019, age 94.
Elva C. (Sorenson) Steffenson of Rochester, Minn., died May 2, 2020, age 96.
’47 Jean Elizabeth (Liabo) Oxley
died July 2, 2020, age 84.
Waldemar “Wally” Slotten Sundet of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, died July 25, 2020, age 88.
of Cedar
Rapids, Iowa, died March 29, 2020, age 94.
’59 Loren W. Blumhagen
of Council Bluffs,
of White Bear Lake, Minn., died April 2, 2020, age 93.
Layne Nathan Haugen of Edina, Minn., died May
Alice Irene (Lund) Buschkopf of Juneau, Wis.,
Frances Levora (Larson) Helms of Elgin, Iowa,
died Feb. 23, 2020, age 93. died April 12, 2020, age 94.
’49 Luther Forde
Marinette, Wis., died Dec. 25, 2019, age 80.
age 94.
Gary D. Olson of Sioux Falls, S.D., died June 30, 2020, age 80.
’50 Beverly (Bruns) Wheatland
Helen J. (Sand) Schaeffer of Decorah died June
of Greensboro, N.C., died June 23, 2020, age 91.
’51 Matthew W. Fardal
7, 2020, age 94.
of Des Moines, Iowa,
died Jan. 22, 2020, age 92.
Sarah “Sally” (Bauder) Peterson of Stoughton, Wis., died March 14, 2020, age 88. of Greenfield, Wis., died Oct.
19, 2019, age 92.
Doris B. (Lind) Fritz of Mason City, Iowa, died May 24, 2020, age 94.
’54 Helen Elizabeth Jensen
of Austin,
died May 20, 2020, age 85. of Willmar, Minn.,
Raymond B. Haugland of Waconia, Minn., died March 31, 2020, age 86.
Joan Colleen (Bravick) Larson of Rochester, Minn., died April 14, 2020, age 86.
’56 Beverly Elizabeth (Eggen) Lee
’63 John T. Cleveland
of Guthrie Center, Iowa, died April 12, 2020, age 82.
Marshall Bertram Lundberg of Portsmouth, R.I., died Nov. 24, 2019, age 78.
Wayne Medlang of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, died May 10, 2020, age 79.
died June 15, 2020, age 85.
’57 Gordon Roland “Rollie” Nesheim
New Brighton, Minn., died Feb. 14, 2020, age 85. of Laguna Woods, Calif., died May 12, 2020, age 83.
2020, age 69.
’74 Jean M. Davidson
of Edina, Minn., died
June 28, 2020, age 68.
’76 Russell E. Peterson
of Coronado, Panama, died Sept. 11, 2019, age 66.
’77 Steven Bryce Inbody
of Houston, Texas,
died June 29, 2020, age 65.
’79 Craig Lee Jensen
of Marion, Iowa, formally of Greenfield, Iowa, died May 26, 2020, age 63.
’82 Eugene Johnson Jr.
of Chicago died
June 25, 2020, age 60. April 5, 2020, age 59.
’84 Juan DuFauchard
of Chicago died July
1, 2020, age 58.
Suzanne Lee (Pilgrim) Kittelson of Golden, Colo., formerly of Decorah, died June 24, 2020, age 63.
’85 Margaret “Marge” A. (Bratrud) Dorchester, Iowa, died March 18, 2020, age 90.
Lois Marie (Korsness) Darrington of Brookings, S.D., died June 28, 2020, age 57.
Jonathan Kevin Schoer of Cedar Falls, Iowa,
Sybil J. (Brown) Pavey of Omaha, Neb., died
formerly of Valparaiso, Ind., died May 30, 2020, age 57.
’65 Mary (Kaasa) Ulland
of Lake City, Minn.,
’87 Scott Allan Crabb
’66 Gordon Wayne Eddy
of Cresco, Iowa,
’90 Sharon Adonna (Delaney) Storlie
died May 6, 2020, age 76.
of Decorah died July 19,
Don H. Johnson of Liberty Township, Ohio, died April 20, 2020, age 75.
of
March 31, 2020, age 69.
25, 2020, age 78.
2020, age 74.
Robert “Boob” C. Weller Jr. of Waupaca, Wis.,
Nancy (Nelson) Johnson of Decorah died
Bjorn Karl Monson of St. Paul, Minn., died July
’67 James A. Falck
of
of Northfield, Minn.,
died May 13, 2020, age 68.
Bulman of Spring Grove, Minn., formerly of
died May 29, 2020, age 76.
Mankato, Minn., died July 16, 2020, age 85.
’58 Duane Allen Berg
7, 2020, age 85.
April 13, 2020, age 77.
died Nov. 13, 2019, age 91.
’73 Brent Christianson
David Christopher Usgaard of Decorah died of Decorah died June
of Stewartville, Minn., died May 12, 2020, age 78.
Wallace Dean “Wally” Storhoff of Mabel, Minn.,
’55 Mervin O. Ellwood
’62 J Bruce Goetsch
’64 Shelva Jean (King) Giordano
Texas, died April 23, 2020, age 87.
FALL 2020
of Westby, Wis.,
Laurene Karen (Olson) DeWitt Davidson of
of Plymouth, Minn., died
Loren Lee of Northfield, Minn., died Aug. 8, 2019,
32
’61 Sue (Theige) Bjerke died May 22, 2020, age 80.
May 18, 2020, age 95.
’52 Earl Duewel
24, 2020, age 83. died June 15, 2020, age 82.
Astrid M. (Johnson) Hilker of Spokane, Wash.,
of Minnetonka, Minn., died May 13, 2020, age 68.
Larry F. Wenthold of Atkinson, Ill., died July 10,
Iowa, died May 15, 2020, age 84.
’48 Donald Robert Bendickson
’72 Robert “Bob” Henry Baker
’70 Karen Joanne (Flugum) Johns
’91 Christopher John Conrad
of La Crosse, Wis., died April 30, 2020, age 53.
’92 Kristin Marie Helmstetter Peterson
of
of Seminole, Fla., formerly of Rotterdam, N.Y., died Nov. 21, 2019, age 71.
of
Spring Grove, Minn., died June 2, 2020, age 81.
Golden Valley, Minn., died July 19, 2020, age 50.
Forest City, Iowa, died Jan. 29, 2020, age 71.
’71 Michael J. Stephens
of Des Moines, Iowa,
died April 10, 2020, age 55.
Regent emeritus Ron Calgaard ’59 of San Antonio, Texas, died April 10, 2020, age 82.
of
Art major Iris Cäzilia ’20 created this poignant and relatable piece for her English 130 course, Picture This: Storytelling in Graphic Form, taught by assistant professor of English Marie Drews.
NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID DECORAH, IA PERMIT NO. 148
Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045
Connect virtually this fall with your Luther community! Virtual Alumni Book Clubs—Paideia III luther.edu/alumni/events/book-club
Speaker series and webinars for alumni, parents, and friends luther.edu/alumni/events/speakers
Virtual Friday Chapel Series with Alumni Guest Speakers luther.edu/ministries/worship/chapel
Parents and Family Town Hall with President Ward Thursday, Sept. 24
Christmas at Luther 2020: For Everyone Born Friday, Dec. 4 luther.edu/christmas2020
Giving Day Thursday, March 11, 2021
We hope to see you in spring 2021! Kent Finanger ’54 Golf Classic Saturday, March 20, 2021 Tuscany Falls Golf Club Goodyear, Arizona
Vietnam/Bhutan Alumni and Friends Tour
Virtual Homecoming 2020
Saturday, March 27–Wednesday, April 14, 2021 Hosted by Ann Highum and Jerry Freund
Friday, Oct. 9–Sunday, Oct. 11
Alumni Council Meeting
Alumni Council Zoom meeting
Saturday, April 10, 2021 Luther College
Saturday, Oct. 10
Black Alumni Association Zoom meeting Saturday, Oct. 10
Farwell Distinguished Lecture Thursday, Oct. 15 Speaker: Michael Osterholm ’75
One Team Day Thursday, Nov. 19 Norse Athletic Association event in support of Luther’s student-athletes
Milestone Class Reunions 1970, 1980, 1985, 1995, 2010 Friday, May 28–Sunday, May 30, 2021 luther.edu/reunions Luther College
Class of 2015 Five-Year Class Reunion Friday, July 23–Sunday, July 25, 2021 Luther College
Luther alumni events are open to all alumni and friends of the college, including parents and other family members of graduates and students. Please note that some dates listed are tentative; specific information about upcoming events will be mailed or emailed to alumni, friends, and parents who live near the event sites. If you need more information or if you’re interested in planning an event in your area, call the Alumni Office at (800) 2258664. We’d love to hear from you!