Luther College Magazine Fall 2022

Editor Kate Frentzel

Art director/designer Michael Bartels

Contributors

Sherry (Braun) Alcock ’82

Jessica Campos Arzate

Erin Dintaman ’23

Sara Friedl-Putnam

Armando Jenkins-Vasquez ’21 Kirk Johnson ’82

Ellen Modersohn

Katie Schweinefus

Rachel (Schutte) Vsetecka ’09 Luther College Photo Bureau

Luther magazine feedback, inquiries, and ideas may be sent to the Editor, Luther Magazine, Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, Iowa 521011045; magazine@luther.edu; phone (563) 387-1483

Class Notes submissions, changes of address, and alumni news may be sent to the Alumni Office, Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045; alumni@luther.edu; (800) 225-8664; (800) 2 ALUMNI.

us online at luther.edu/ magazine.

Contents

HAPPY RETIREMENT, KIRK!

Mayo mentors

Senior stories

I won’t forget

A giant thank you and fond farewell to Kirk Johnson ’82, associ ate director of alumni relations, who retired at the end of August after 38 years of service to Luther!

Cedar Summerstock Theater

Departments

A network

FOR LIFE

in meaningful ways that they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives. A Luther education isn’t some thing you try on and then hang in the back of the closet. It’s a way of thinking and being in the world that changes a person irrevocably.

Recently, on social media, I posted a photo of a Luther College tote bag I’d packed for a trip. I captioned the photo “Taking @luthercollege with me.”

Paul Hanstedt ’88 replied, “I always take @luthercollege with me, whether I mean to or not. ”

Paul’s wit made me smile, but it also gets at something deep about the Luther experience. During their four years with us, Luther students are shaped—and shape themselves—

Luther College is something you take with you in the world in another way too, because of how it connects people through its vast and impassioned network. Long after graduates leave campus, they continue to shape and be shaped by the Luther community—in work places, churches, schools, volunteer and hobby groups, and a thousand other places.

The stories in this issue of the Luther magazine illustrate the dynamic synergy of the Luther network. One piece outlines how music educator Nancy Nickerson Lee ’82 started a summer stock theatre in Mitchell County, Iowa.

She hired fellow alumna and current Luther faculty member Lynne Rothrock ’85 to help instruct, and this summer two Luther students were among the cast. “My whole teaching career has been about helping people understand their own humanity,” Nancy says, adding that musical theatre “helps people see how they fit within the larger context of the world, and it creates empathy with each other.”

That’s part of what Luther does too. As we continue to send new gradu ates out into the world, like the five profiled in this issue, I sit well with the idea that not only do they take Luther College with them—they also find it out there, in all of you.

Soli Deo Gloria, Jenifer K. Ward

AFTER GRADUATES LEAVE CAMPUS, THEY CONTINUE TO SHAPE AND BE SHAPED BY THE LUTHER COMMUNITY.”

President Jenifer K. Ward

COMMENCEMENT

On Sunday, May 22, Luther sent its newest graduates out into the world. A total of 413 students participated in Commencement. Of that number, 183 graduates received Latin honors, seven were fourth-generation Luther graduates, and more than 100 were first-generation college students. The graduates represented 32 different countries.

Nora Nyi Myint ’22, an international studies and women and gender studies double major from Yangon, Myanmar (Burma), received the Eliz abeth A. and Paul G. Jenson Medal. Nyi Myint served as the lead career peer advisor at Luther’s Career Center and lead outreach specialist at Luther’s Counseling Service. She was the president of the Model United Nations Club and Intersectional Feminist Club. Outside of Luther, she was a human rights activist as part of Sisters 2 Sisters Myanmar, which raises awareness and alleviates gender-based violence perpetrated by the Myan mar military.

“As I reflect on my time at Luther,” she says, “my heart is full of grat itude for the endless support and inspiration I received from faculty, staff, and my peers to pursue my dreams. I was able to share my light with others when they were burned out by the many adversities we face in this world today, and when the time came that I was burned out, plenty of people in the Luther community stepped up to ignite a flame in me that inspired me to do good, move forward, and fight on for peace, justice, and love. I will always treasure this experience and carry this priceless sense of community with me as I go on to serve the world to the best of my capa bilities as a leader.”

In June, Nyi Myint began her new role as program associate for Burma at the International Republican Institute, a nonpartisan nonprofit that advances freedom and democracy worldwide in Washington, DC.

Godson Sowah ’08 received the Young Alumni Award. After graduat ing from Luther with majors in accounting and management information systems, Sowah rose quickly in his field. He currently serves as senior manager in business consulting at Ernst & Young in Minneapolis. He’s received a lot of honors for his professional achievement, and he also works tirelessly to better his community.

Sowah is commited to addressing the education achievement gap and the employment gap among minorities, intentionally engaging women and people from minoritized populations to explore their career opportu nities. For five years, he has served as president of Avenues for Homeless Youth group. He has also been the president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants for the last six years.

About his professional and volunteer accomplishments, Sowah says, “Perhaps this is the Luther experience showing up in strong bonds between our values and our vocation. That is uniquely Luther, and I am proud to be part of this legacy!”

NEW CAMPUS LEADERS

Mary Duvall has been appointed vice president for development. She has 15 years of experience in nonprofit management, including mission-driven fundraising for Lutheran organizations. A graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College, she comes to Luther from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, where she most recently served as associate vice president of university relations. “I’m honored to serve in this capacity,” she says. “I can’t wait to hear your stories of care for this institution and how, together, we can ensure equitable access, meaningful oppor tunities and bold outcomes for students today and generations to come.”

Robert E. Clay has been appointed chief equity and inclusion officer and assistant to the president for community engagement. Clay comes to Luther from Governors State University in University Park, Ill., where he most recently served as the exec utive director of the Center for Student Engagement and Intercultural Programs. He has also worked in roles focused on equity and inclusion at Xavier Univer sity in Cincinnati and Slippery Rock (Pa.) University. He says, “I’m most excited about building upon the rich heritage of Luther College by developing innovative practices, policies, procedures, and programs utilizing best practices through an equity-mindedness lens that will help further the college’s mission.”

NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Alessandro “Sandro” Raniolo ’88 is former president of global commercial real estate for Ralph Lauren.

Leah Vriesman ’88 is associ ate dean of academic and faculty affairs at the University of Califor nia Los Angeles.

EMERITI PROFESSORS

Liang Chee Wee, a former Luther professor and dean, retired last summer from presidency of North east Iowa Community College.

Emeritus status was granted to David Faldet ’79, professor of English, and Gregory Peterson ’83, professor of music and college organist, both of whom retired from Luther in May.

FULBRIGHT WINNERS

Annika Dome ’22 and Soren Gloege Torp ’21 have been selected as Fulbright English teaching assistants to Germany for the 2022–23 academic year.

Dome, from La Crosse, Wis., graduated from Luther with majors in German, English, and Nordic studies. A participant in the 2020 Münster Semester (which was cut short due to the pandemic), she is “really looking forward to living in Germany again, meeting new people, and becoming a member of a German community.”

Gloege Torp, from Apple Valley, Minn., graduated from Luther with majors in German and political science. He says the Fulbright is “an excellent opportunity for organic political and cultural exchange, which is the key to long-lasting, healthy political relationships.” Gloege Torp also participated in Luther’s 2020 Münster Semester.

WRESTLING SUMMER CAMP

Last summer, Luther held its second set of girls wrestling camps. Girls wrestling was sanctioned as a high school sport in 2021 and is surging in popularity.

“Girls wrestling is growing in the Midwest, and we wanted to provide some more opportunities for girls to improve,” says Dave Mitchell, Luther head wrestling coach.

Ten campers ranging in age from sixth to 12th grade attended Luther’s girls commuter camp in June, and 40 campers attended Luther’s Quad Cities Train Like a Norseman girls team camp in July. Mitchell says, “I was really impressed with their positive energy and excitement to be wrestling. They were engaged and were a lot of fun to work with.”

Head wrestling coach Dave Mitchell, with Luther student coaches Elijah Mitchell ’24 (kneeling, left) and Donovan Corn ’23 (kneeling, right), helped young commuter camp wrestlers improve their technique over the summer.

FUNDRAISING FOR UKRAINE

Two fundraising efforts launched by Luther community members have found phenomenal success in raising money for Ukrainians affected by war.

The Ride for Ukraine fundraiser staged a 75-mile bike ride from Rochester, Minn., to Decorah on May 7. Anita Tamang ’22 organized the event with the help of Souk Sengsaisouk ’23 and their faculty advisor, associate professor of anthropology Maryna Nading, who is from Ukraine. The event raised nearly $7,000 for the oncology clinic in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine, where Nading’s mother works.

Last spring and summer, Karla (Sylling) Bloem ’94, founder and executive director of the Interna tional Owl Center in Houston, Minn., held a series of auctions that raised more than $231,000 for UNICEF, with the funds earmarked for Ukrainian kids.

Each year, during the International Festival of Owls, the owl center hosts an international chil dren’s owl art competition. Thousands of owl draw ings, watercolors, and pastels come in from all over the world, and there is never a shortage of Ukrainian student submissions.

When war broke out in Ukraine, Bloem, along with volunteers and staff, went into the archives and pulled out more than 300 pieces of Ukrainian art.

“It seemed like the perfect opportunity to hold a fundraiser to support the kids, using their own artwork,” Bloem says, noting that the response has left her speechless. “I am touched by how much people care and how generous and support ive they are. It feels wonderful to be part of something that can help in a pretty meaningful way.”

For those who missed a chance to buy the art, the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona is exhibit ing several pieces in their Oberton Education Room through the end of 2022.

by Ellen Modersohn

Katelyn Leiran ’22 is now a research intern at the Welsh Laboratory in the Pappajohn Biomedical Institute of the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa.

Hamid Ahmed Abdrabu ’22 is now an assistant clinical research coordi nator in the Department of Radiation Oncology, Division of Medical Phys ics at Stanford University.

Luther’s Rochester Semester is entering its third year, innovating as it goes. Despite beginning just as Covid19 was striking, this program that connects students with career-related internships has surpassed expec tations. That’s in large part because of the robust network of Luther alumni who have opened avenues of diverse opportunities for students, including direct mentoring of students in high-impact workplaces.

Of course, when Luther students intern for Luther alumni, both partners gain from the experience. Kate lyn Leiran ’22 and Hamid Ahmed Abdrabu ’22, who interned last spring, provide two examples of this mutual benefit.

A biology major planning to become a physician, Leiran interned in Mayo Clinic’s Laboratory of Genet ics and Genomics, meeting weekly with genetic coun selor Anna Essendrup ’11. During an alumni reunion, Madeline Jungbauer ’11, a career coach and intern ship coordinator at Luther, had asked Essendrup if she would be interested in hosting an internship. It took time for Essendrup to work it out through Mayo, but the answer was yes.

Anna Essendrup ’11 is a genetic counselor for the Mayo Clinic Labo ratory of Genetics and Genomics in Rochester, Minn., but works from her home near Denver.

Leiran says that “for a while, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to stay premed or explore a different avenue in healthcare. The internship was a great way to prototype a career to find out what I really wanted to do.” She spent much of her time observing genetic counselors, those who see patients and those who do research. She and Essendrup met weekly to talk about what Essendrup was working on “as well as doing some broad education on genetics concepts that Katelyn would need foundationally to get the most out of what she was observing,” Essendrup says.

Because the lab had not hosted this type of intern ship before, Leiran kept a journal about her experi ence. “We asked her to document and give feedback regularly on what she was seeing,” Essendrup says. “It gave us a chance to explore a new area that we haven’t had a chance to provide education in before.”

As a result, Essendrup thinks the lab will offer more internships. For her part, Leiran says, “I’ve decided to continue on and apply to medical school,” ultimately seeing patients rather than doing research

but perhaps keeping a focus on genetics. “I really loved the field of genetics and how that’s working into personalized medicine, so I would consider special izing in that or keeping up the protocols to know how to work in a care team that helps people explore the options of genetic testing and counseling.”

Abdrabu discovered during his internship that he enjoyed research.

“It was almost career-changing,” he says. “I’m still interested in becoming a physician, but now I would also like to stay an active scientist.”

Abdrabu interned with Michael Ackerman ’88, a physician in the Department of Cardiovascular Medi cine and Pediatric Cardiology at Mayo Clinic who sees patients and leads his own lab.

“I read about his lab and the things they were doing, and it was just fascinating. I am very interested in cardiology. For me, the heart is more than just a blood pump. I think the heart is a living organ that reacts to whatever is going on in your life,” Abdrabu says.

He observed the research part of the lab, where

scientists were growing heart tissue from patients’ blood cells. “You can do experiments on that with out ever harming the patient. I thought that was mind-blowing,” Abdrabu says.

His main project was on the clinical side, however, analyzing data of patients who had undergone a particular surgery to relieve heart palpitations and arrhythmia. “I was looking at how they were doing before and after surgery, how they compared in terms of cardiac output, how is their health, how are they doing in terms of life quality, and so on. I was able to shadow Dr. Ackerman so I could see the way he works with these patients. I was reading his notes and the results of tests done on these patients, working very closely with him in that sense,” Abdrabu says.

Ultimately, the student’s work confirmed what the doctor’s work had already suggested, Abdrabu says, “which is that the surgery works amazingly. I found consistency with my study.”

Abdrabu sees his fellow alumnus as a role model in combining clinical and research work. Doing both, he says, will allow him to help not only people he’s with but “people you might never meet who can benefit from your research.”

Abdrabu (back row, second from the right) poses with students and workers from the Windland Smith Rice Sudden Death Genomics Lab at Mayo Clinic in spring 2022. They gathered around statues of the Mayo brothers. Dr. Michael Ackerman ’88 is behind the statue on the left.

Senior stories

photos by Hannah Pietrick

AN ENVIRONMENTALIST HELPS DECORAH CARS GO ELECTRIC

As gas prices climb, electric vehicles continue to gain the attention of energy-conscious consumers. And thanks in part to the efforts of Charlie Sylvester ’22—an envi ronmental studies major from Lino Lakes, Minn.—using electric-powered vehicles has recently become far more viable for residents of and visitors to Decorah.

During his sophomore year, Sylvester collaborated with two other Luther students on a class project that informed the city of Decorah about different types of electric-vehi cle charging stations. This past spring, he built on that research during a self-designed immersion internship with Decorah’s city engineer. Having secured funding for two dual-charge stations from Alliant Energy in 2021, the city of Decorah was seeking guidance on where to install those stations. Using skills honed in his Luther classes and a

junior-year sustainability internship with the city of Roch ester, Minn., Sylvester helped provide it.

“We researched where they should be located and ended up recommending that both be installed by the Oneota Community Co-op downtown,” he says of the stations, which became operational this summer. “It was so cool to be involved in both the beginning and the end of this proj ect.”

Sylvester credits childhood summers spent at YMCA Camp Menogyn in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota with igniting his passion for sustainability-related causes. “Working closely in a small group in the wilderness taught me resilience, teamwork, and the importance of our rela tionship with nature,” he recalls.

When it came time to choose a college, his mother— aware of his deep interest in the outdoors and Luther’s deep commitment to environmental sustainability—encouraged him to look at Luther. And as it turned out, Mom knew best.

“Luther taught me that I have a responsibility to others. Luther compelled me to ask lofty questions like what it means to be a human on a changing planet and how to be a thoughtful contributor to society,” Sylvester reflects, crediting his many Luther-related expe riences, including his leadership role in the ECO student organization. “I have loved being pushed to be a better, more engaged person in our world these past four years.”

After graduating this May, Sylvester once again returned to Camp Menogyn, this time as a counselor, to pass on the same life lessons he learned there years ago—lessons of acceptance and resilience, of teamwork and determination. He then headed to Norway to kick off a stint with World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), a network of organic farms across the world that provide food and shelter in exchange for work.

“It’s an affordable way to travel that will allow me to connect with the land and with people from across the world,” he says. “I hope this experience will help me further explore my interests and more deeply understand what I want to do with my life.”

—Sara Friedl-Putnam

A LEGACY STUDENT FOSTERS INCLUSIVITY

Maya Mukamuri ’22 is something beyond a third-gener ation Luther student—her parents (Ndambakuwa ’94 and Amy [Larson] Mukamuri ’90) and one grandfather (Godfrey Mukamuri ’74) are alumni, while her other grandfather (emeritus professor of theatre Bob Larson) taught here for 48 years. “Luther’s always been a part of me,” she says.

“Being a legacy was a huge part of my experience,” she continues. “I didn’t realize how much it would impact me until probably the end of my first year.” Mukamuri felt pressure to connect with her family legacy but was also eager to forge her own path. It turns out that she found a middle way.

After a rough first year in which she questioned whether Luther was really a fit for her, Mukamuri started to find community, largely through the music program and the Black Student Union (BSU).

“Navigating my racial identity has been so complex my whole life,” Mukamuri says. “And being a Luther legacy and being a biracial Black woman along with that is some

thing I’ve really had to learn to balance and understand. With the BSU, I always felt a home where I could express my Blackness and be comfortable in my identity and who I am.”

Mukamuri held several leadership roles in BSU, and her experience there also shaped her future career goals: to earn a major in sociology and a minor in identity studies and to work in a helping profession. “Realizing every thing my BSU friends and I were going through as Luther students at a predominately white institution—hearing their experiences of prejudice and discrimination—really motivated me to want to do something to benefit us,” she says.

While Mukamuri’s dad was also involved in BSU as a student, music was another Luther cornerstone for Mukamuri that she didn’t share with either parent. She was a three-year member of both Nordic Choir and a cappella group Beautiful Mess, and she sang for jazz worship services at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Decorah.

Mukamuri describes Beautiful Mess as “like a sister hood that I can’t really even put into words because it’s just so special. The girls in the group have created such a family for me, and I just know if I need anything I can text our group chat and one of them would run to me immedi ately.”

Her early experience with Nordic was a bit more of an adjustment. “It was hard to feel like we belonged as soph omores because we were brand-new to the choir, and that community had already been built among the upperclass men,” she explains. But she’d wanted to sing for Nordic since she was 16, so “It was a case where I wanted it so bad that I knew I had to find that community,” she says.

One of the goals of many seniors in the choir this past year—with the help of one of Mukamuri’s favor ite professors, Andrew Last ’97—was to make sure all the new members felt really welcome. “Knowing that I did my best to include people in whatever ways I could? I’m very proud of that,” she says.

Mukamuri is on track to continue her trajectory of help ing people feel seen and valued. In July, she was juggling four job offers mostly within client services and mental and behavioral health. She plans to attend grad school within the next year to pursue a career in therapy or mental health awareness.

—Kate Frentzel

CHAMPION STAYS THE COURSE

Matt Benson ’22 of Park Rapids, Minn., has never shied away from a challenge.

Competing for the Norse men’s track-and-field team last spring, he opted to train for not one but technically 10 events as he took on the decathlon despite the fact that he had never even tried five of the individual events that compose it. “I had always wanted to try the decath lon,” Benson says with a grin. “I ended up having a great time and even won one of the events.”

That same competitive spirit manifested itself in the pool last winter when Benson, a two-year captain of the Luther men’s swimming and diving team, contributed to two relay victories at the American Rivers Conference championships and claimed individual conference titles in the 400-yard medley and a very memorable 500-yard freestyle event that found him trailing by more than an entire lap halfway into the race. Whereas others might panic, Benson kept his cool. “I just stuck to my strategy and my pace and found my stride at the end,” he says. “I guess the moral of the story is ‘stay the course.’”

And that’s exactly what Benson, a biology major and chemistry minor, did during his four years at Luther, focusing on the sciences from the start.

“That was one driving force for coming here—being able to swim competitively was the other— because I knew that Luther had a strong biology program, and I knew that I would be well prepared if I did decide to apply to medical school,” he says.

Most college students would likely consider taking a pre-med slate of classes and participating on not one but two varsity teams more than enough, but Benson made room for plenty more on his proverbial plate while at Luther. He served on the Student Athlete Advi sory Committee (SAAC), participated in the Alpha Phi Omega (APO) co-ed service fraternity, and took part in the PALS youth mentorship program, all while maintain ing grades that earned him induction into the Phi Beta Kappa national honor society. How did he manage it all? “Believe it or not, I didn’t pull a single all-nighter,” Benson says. “Being so involved on campus really helped me manage my time.”

His well-honed time-management skills will undoubt edly come in handy at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, where Benson began classes this August. Building on healthcare experience gained work ing as a CNA for the last three summers, he envisions a future as either a general surgeon or a family practice physician—he has job-shadowed doctors in both special ties—and hopes eventually to set up practice in a small rural community.

“The paramount thing for me is to form one-on-one connections in my profession,” he says. “My time at Luther—forging such tight connections with my team mates, my classmates, and my professors—drove home how important that is to me.”

—Sara Friedl-Putnam

SPREADS HIS WINGS

Growing up in Paraguay, Gabriel Palacios ’22 rocked the math-competition circuit. He started competing in fourth grade. By fifth grade, he made the National Olym piad of Paraguay. By sixth grade? He won it. The next year he participated in the physics equivalent. He won that too.

“I saw that the common ground was problem solv ing, not really math or physics,” he says. With this self-knowledge in tow, Gabriel set off for United World College of South East Asia in Singapore, where he continued solving problems. “But this time,” he says, “I learned and used high-level programming languages to solve problems.” Thus began his love of computer science.

At Luther, Palacios really leveraged opportunities to explore computer science through internships. In spring of 2021, he interned at Mayo Clinic’s Biomedical Imag ing Resource Core, where he developed a proof-of-con cept web application to anonymize and transfer patient records to a centralized database.

The following summer, Palacios interned in a totally different field, this time at Visa, reworking an internal testing platform of their Click-to-Pay feature to improve the user interface and add new capabilities.

“I had to learn new languages and processes and also how to work with a team of engineers. That was my first exposure to collaborative coding. I had to get feedback from a code, and I had to provide feedback for a code that wasn’t mine,” he says.

Palacios’s third and final internship was a ninemonth position as an engineering co-op member at Zendesk Inc., which builds custom software focused on customer relations. “What Zendesk does differently is that instead of providing an internship project, you work as any other engineer. So you pick up real projects for your work,” Gabriel says.

Through his internships, Palacios says, “I learned how flexible my major is. I can just go into a medical field, learn the basics, and apply everything that I know about computer science there. The next day, I can go into a sales team and do the same. So I’m into that idea that I don’t just have to go into a tech company—I can go in many other directions.”

But Palacios’s impressive intellect and experience

got him noticed by a tech company—namely Google, which recruited him for the Cloud Technical Residency, a program that includes rotations in technical, clientfacing, and leadership roles to determine best fit for a longer-term position there.

While Palacios immersed himself in his computer science major and data science minor at Luther, he also found time for fun. A lifelong folk dancer, he partic ipated in Luther’s Ballroom and Swing Club all four years—and even won the 2022 Dancing with the Luther Stars competition (professor Jodi Enos-Berlage was his partner). Last summer, before starting his Google resi dency this fall, he traveled to Europe with friends to add to his visited-countries list, which now tops 23!

How long that list will be a few years from now is impossible to tell. With a flexible skill set and problem-solver’s intellect, Palacios should be able to write his own ticket for wherever he sets his sights next.

—Kate Frentzel

A CAMPUS LEADER BUILDS COMMUNITY DURING PANDEMIC

Erin Keller ’22 has a knack for bringing people together.

“One of my favorite things to do is meet new people and hang out with friends,” she says.

So when she and her fellow Luther students returned to campus at the height of the pandemic in the fall of 2020, this Racine, Wis., native immediately set about combining her leadership role within the Luther Student Activities Council (SAC) and her ability to think outside the box to restore the sense of campus community that Covid-19 had splintered.

“We couldn’t have concerts or large gatherings,” she recalls. “We were spending so much time in our rooms that I knew it was important to have activi ties that could bring us together, even if it wasn’t in person.”

Enter virtual bingo, virtual trivia, virtual escape rooms, and virtual paint-and-sip parties, the latter complete with prepackaged paint kits, mocktails, and step-by-step painting instructions provided (virtually, of course!) by a professional artist. “The events were very well attended, and I think they did help students

cope with the challenges of Covid and all the changing campus poli cies around the pandemic,” says Keller. “They provided creative ways to get together when there weren’t many opportunities to do that on campus.”

Those efforts didn’t go unnoticed.

“Erin did outstanding work at Luther to build community in multi ple leadership roles, including as president of SAC and vice president of Outreach Ministries,” says Jake Dyer, Luther assistant dean and coordinator of new student initia tives. “She stepped up in uncertain times and found new ways to help her peers build community and engage with each other despite the constraints of the pandemic.”

Keller explored uncharted territory in her academ ics as well, becoming one of the first Luther students to graduate with a major in visual communication. (The major was launched during her time on campus.)

“Visual communication immediately appealed to me because I have always loved doing creative things,” says Keller, whose previous creative endeav ors include serving as head editor of her high school yearbook. “It combined so many disciplines in which I had an interest–like video editing, graphic design, computer science, photography, and marketing–and helped me develop a solid skill set.”

It didn’t take Keller long to put her newly acquired skills to work. After graduating last spring, she returned to Lutherdale Bible Camp in Elkhorn, Wis.—where she had helped run a giving campaign in September 2020—to take on the role of media and marketing specialist. She’s due to wrap up her work there by fall and ultimately hopes to return to Decorah, a place she says feels like home.

“I built so many relationships, learned and grew a ton, and made many great memories at Luther and in Decorah,” she reflects. “I honestly don’t think it’s time for me to leave this place for good quite yet.”

—Sara Friedl-Putnam

I won’t forget

by Kate Frentzel

A tribute to the late Rachel (Braaten) Studt ’89 resonates with many who suffered loss during Covid.

The Studt family began in the Luther music program. Larry Studt ’90 was a singer with Norsemen (now Norsk kor) and then Nordic Choir, and Rachel Braaten ’89 sung with Pike Kor (now Aurora) and Collegiate Choir and was a soughtafter collaborative pianist. Their dating life kicked off through French fries after music rehearsals for the annual Messiah perfor mances Rachel accompa nied.

After they graduated, married, and started a family in Eau Claire, Wis., music remained a focus of their lives. Rachel accom panied the children’s choir at Trinity Lutheran Church, where their three kids— Claire, Laurel, and Nathan—sang. Both she and Larry were members of the senior choir there. Larry also sang with Master Singers, a choral music group in Eau Claire.

“Music was always in the house growing up,” says middle daughter Laurel ’22. “Waking up in the house, my mom would be playing ‘Clair de lune’ on a Sunday morning, and it was just so nice to be surrounded by that because it really fostered my love for music. It was such a wonderful way to grow up.”

Laurel decided to continue the Studt family musi cal legacy at Luther, matriculating in 2018 and earning membership in Nordic Choir her sophomore year. On move-in day, Rachel stumbled on an acorn and broke her ankle, ironically behind the Jenson-Noble Hall of

Music. “I remember seeing them drive away and think ing, Oh my gosh, these next four years, I just don’t know what could happen,” Laurel says.

By then, the family already knew that some thing was off with Rachel. Earlier that year, she’d fallen going up the bleachers at a basketball game, after which she admitted that she’d been falling a lot. When he took the garbage out a night or two later, Larry says, “I saw my tracks next to her tracks in the fresh snow, and hers were dragging. I’d never seen that before.”

It took a couple of years and many tests and appointments, but eventually the Studts learned that Rachel was experiencing a rare form of young-onset dementia, progressive supranuclear palsy, a brain disorder with a typical lifespan of six to 10 years from onset of symptoms.

And then the pandemic hit, sending the two older Studt children back home to shelter in place with their parents and high-school-aged brother. “They came home and we had those months together, which was great,” Larry says.

“It was a blessing and a curse,” says Laurel. “I felt really blessed to be able to have that extra time with my mom before she went really far downhill. So that was nice just getting to go on walks and play cards and listen to music and watch movies—it kind of felt like how it was when we were kids again and a

Larry Studt ’90 with Rachel (Braaten) Studt ’89

normal family. But I would say by the summertime— like June, July—she really started to progress.”

Larry was working full-time as a physician—a stressful but essential endeavor in the early days of the pandemic—and the family had been having a part-time caretaker called a Visiting Angel help out with things. But with Covid precautions on everyone’s minds, Laurel offered to take on the role of part-time caregiver. While the changing dynamic of child caring for parent was sometimes uncomfortable, the experi ence illuminated for Laurel that she wants to become an occupational therapist. “It really sparked my love for what I want to do in the future,” she says. “It’s shaped me to be who I am.”

Rachel’s own father had suffered from a different kind of dementia. He wasn’t involved in any care or end-of-life decisions, and Rachel saw the toll it took on her family. So she became really proactive. She toured memory care facilities, and when it looked like the kids would head back to school in the fall, she announced that she was ready to move into one.

Because it was the height of Covid, this decision signaled a major letting-go for the entire family. They would be able to enjoy outdoor visits or stand outside Rachel’s window, but the days of close contact had come to an end.

Music to remember

Rachel passed on January 7, 2021. Later that month, as Larry tried to process his grief, he grabbed some tearoff calendar sheets destined for the recycling bin and started writing on the backs. “I was just trying not to forget certain things,” he says. “I don’t want to forget this. I don’t want to forget this. And so I wrote those

down and just set them aside.”

The family had been trying to find ways to memorialize Rachel. She’d been a children’s librarian, and they’d donated to the Eau Claire public library expansion in her honor, but it didn’t feel like quite enough. Larry had the idea to commission a piece of music as a sort of remembrance of this woman through whom music flowed. He reached out to a composer, Zachary Moore, whom he’d met in Master Singers. When Moore asked about words, Larry sent him his back-of-the-calendar jottings as a starting point. “We should use this,” Moore declared.

Around this time, Larry connected with Nordic Choir director Andrew Last ’97, who knew Moore’s work and thought the anthem, entitled “I Won’t Forget,” could be a fit for Nordic. “When I got the piece, I listened to it twice,” Last says. “It was just a computer-generated soundtrack from a computer program at that point, but I knew it was lovely. And just reading the text over as I followed along in the music, it became very, very evident that this would be not only on the tour program, but a really special part of the program.”

Nordic had recently received an invitation to perform for the American Choral Directors Associ ation conference in Chicago in February 2022. “Our whole story of that Chicago performance was what we called Our Covid Journey,” Last says. The program he arranged “told the story about how we made our way through the pandemic—the sadness, the anger, the frustration, the joy of getting to sing together again. And I thought, Oh my gosh, this is a part of the story as well. Because in the midst of this pandemic, people lost loved ones.”

Laurel, who describes herself as a private person,

Last May, Laurel Studt ’22 (center left) performed with her dad, Larry Studt ’90 (in blue), when Nordic Choir sang with members of the Stand in the Light Memory Choir in the Studts’ hometown of Eau Claire, Wis.

remembers the day the piece, including her family story, was handed out to the choir. “I always get places early—my mom instilled that in me—so I was one of the first people in the choir room. I remember opening the copy and starting to read it and just feeling really overwhelmed because a lot of people knew what had happened, but a lot of people didn’t. I had people coming up to me afterward saying, I had no idea that this happened. It was an emotional thing because people can connect to it. People have also lost loved ones, especially during Covid—several members in the ensem ble lost members of their family. So that was really hard. I thought I was ready and I knew it was coming. I knew it was getting handed out. And I just had to take a moment and leave because it was emotional to feel the support, yes, but also the grief and the sadness of everyone.”

Last says, “I think the students were able to invest in the piece in a way that they could all recognize something that happened during the pandemic—maybe the loss of a loved one while not being able to fully involve themselves in the departure of that person.”

Larry has been able to watch Laurel and Nordic Choir perform this piece three times—including once in the Studt family’s home community of Eau Claire (Larry has since moved to Ankeny, Iowa). There, the performance involved singing with the Stand in the Light Memory Choir, which includes people with memory loss and their care partners. Proceeds from the performance went to that choir and to the Eau Claire Aging Disability Center and Resource Center.

As far as singing “I Won’t Forget,” Laurel says, “The words are so personal, and the piece basically tells the story of the timeline from the first warning signs to my mom pass ing and our grieving. So it feels like we’re all acknowledg ing that this has happened for my mom—but this has also happened for so many people.”

“It was really important for us to tell this story,” Last says. “And the piece was received with tons and tons of ovations. I think it really resonated with a lot of people.”

Watch Nordic Choir perform “I Won’t Forget” at youtube.com/ watch?v=OeRtPyX9msA.

I WON’T FORGET

Zachary J. Moore

Text by Larry Studt

The courtship, our wedding day, our children and families our time spent together, all difficult to forget.

Our jobs and vacations, Bike rides, walks, and board games. Our life, our plans derailed. But I won’t forget.

I won’t forget.

The fall at the ball game

A light bulb then denial

The beginning of an illness

Unrecognized.

The scans, tests, and studies Sugarcoating and reality

Our bucket list and future Why did we wait?

The bruises, denial, the distance, the chasm And seeing you fight until the end.

The falls and the fractures Amidst the pandemic

The loneliness and mem’ry loss But I won’t forget

I won’t forget

Abundant blessings we have had! A journey I’m not worthy of. Thank you. I will never forget.

My love for you. I will never forget.

CEDAR SUMMERSTOCK THEATER

by Kate Frentzel

Nancy Nickerson Lee ’82 builds community and trains young performers by bringing an East Coast tradition to rural northern Iowa.

As a music education major at Luther, Nancy Nick erson Lee ’82 had a goal: to become a high school choral director. “And I did that,” she says. “That was part of my journey through life.”

But when she was asked to step in and direct a musical, she says, “What I realized is that I was a better fit in the theatre world than the straight choral world. To me, it felt much more collaborative, and that’s where I thrive—in collaboration.”

Over her 35-year teaching career, Nickerson Lee has garnered an incredible track record as a perform ing arts educator. At Southwest and Washburn high

schools in Minneapolis, she started robust choirs and musical theatre programs from scratch. Among many other accolades, she’s been recognized four times by the Tony Awards for Excellence in Theatre Education.

As a high school educator, Nickerson Lee strove to create performing arts communities that reflected the school population. She actively recruited immigrant and minoritized students. She directed shows that featured diverse characters, like a bilingual produc tion of In the Heights and a staging of West Side Story that included second-language learners who learned their roles through stage directions translated into

Cedar Summerstock Theater performed Matilda the Musical last summer.

Spanish. “We used that show to create a bond between two communities and two cultures within our school,” Nickerson Lee says.

During this time, Nickerson Lee was also an adjunct instructor at St. Olaf College, teaching music education students to prepare young learners, she says, “to use the performing arts as a means of explor ing the total education that every kid deserves.”

Through this, Nickerson Lee discovered that she really enjoyed working with college-age students who’d already committed to a career in music.

Bringing summer stock theatre to the rural Midwest

Around this time, two of Nickerson Lee’s sons were training for lives in the performing arts, in part through participating in summer stock theatre on the East Coast. “It’s everywhere there,” she says. “And kids who do it get to really hone their skills. We have a little bit of it in the Midwest, but not like that. It really inspired me to think, Maybe this is the next journey I want to take.”

Nickerson Lee started to hatch a plan to bring the sorts of opportunities she’d created for students in Minneapolis to rural settings like the one in which she’d grown up. She also felt drawn to preparing future performing artists who were committed to their craft.

“I’ve seen my sons’ journeys,” she says, “and I just want to give other kids at that level the opportunity to really hone their skills so that when their ticket comes up, they’re ready to go.”

Innovating in Mitchell County

Nickerson Lee founded Cedar Summerstock Theater in 2017. She set up in her hometown of St. Ansgar, Iowa, in the old elementary school building, which had been abandoned the year before and was scheduled for demolition.

“We’re in a town in a rural county in Iowa that is not a tourist destination. It is a farm community, an agriculturally based community, but with a beautiful auditorium. The infrastructure was already here to do this type of program,” she says.

College students—about a dozen actors, three tech nicians, and two musicians—live and rehearse in the old school building but perform ten minutes away at the Cedar River Complex in Osage, Iowa.

This dual-building setup is critical to Cedar’s modus operandi. The company takes just 10 days to learn and rehearse a show in St. Ansgar. They launch it in Osage, then the following day begin practic ing the next show in St. Ansgar while continuing the current run in Osage.

The fast clip has been a real learning experience for Natosha Guldan ’23, one of two Luther students in the 2022 cast (Gabe Goeddeke ’24 is the other). “Cedar moves at a much faster pace than Luther productions and functions with smaller casts,” Guldan says. “We have less time to get direct feedback from our direc tors, so it’s important that we come with lines memo rized, music learned, and that we’ve thought of acting choices to choose from.”

In addition to introducing young actors and tech nicians to a different production pace, Nickerson Lee

Natosha Guldan ’23, performing here in Beehive: The ’60s Musical , was one of two Luther students at Cedar last summer. She says, “The community surrounding the Osage area is bountiful in Luther alumni. Even though my cast is from all over the country, after every show I am greeted by someone who went or knows someone who went to Luther. I’m currently beginning rehearsals for Matilda the Musical in which our young actress who plays Matilda has two Luther parents! Luther students are more than welcome in this area, and Decorah is only an hour away!” Photo by T homas John Wallace

Gabe Goeddeke ’24 performed as Warner Huntington III in Cedar Summerstock Theater’s production of Legally Blonde Photo by Payton Tabb.

makes the point that they also experience another culture. Most of Cedar’s students come from urban theatre programs. Learning about a way of life in rural Iowa helps them develop empathy and build a deeper well of experience from which to draw.

Their presence in town also helps revitalize the community. Not only does it offer high-quality live theatre in a place that normally doesn’t have close access to it, but it also has a multiplying effect. Cedar’s presence in the old St. Ansgar elementary school building has attracted other new tenants. It’s become a multipurpose space called South Square, which hosts live music, a history center, a gallery, classes, workshops, and community events.

Music as a vessel for something bigger

“The first thing that drew me to the field of music education was how it has an impact on communities and individuals,” says Nickerson Lee. In fact, Cedar’s tagline is “creating artists, connecting communi ties”—and it certainly does that.

But in the process, it’s set into motion something else. It’s created a chain of mentorship that has a trickle-down effect. Cedar brings in industry profes sionals—directors, choreographers, and techni

cians, mostly from the Twin Cities—who teach Cedar students. Cedar students, in turn, run a two-week summer camp for local kids, who also play child roles and help with tech during summer productions.

Nickerson Lee sees the effect this has on the local curriculum. “I’m seeing that they’re doing more musi cal theatre, and even the quality of the kids who are coming into our camp is really growing—every year they’re getting stronger.”

This is exactly what Nickerson Lee was aiming for when she founded Cedar in the middle of Mitchell County, Iowa. “It’s really about opportunity,” she says. “I noticed that rural kids have less opportunity to do this level of work than the kids in the city have— it’s just not there for them.”

Of course, it’s also about something less tangible. “I always saw music as a vessel for something bigger,” says Nickerson Lee. “My whole teaching career has been about helping people understand their own humanity, but it also helps the community at large. It helps people see how they fit within the larger context of the world, and it creates empathy with each other. Music was the vessel to do that.”

To learn more about Cedar Summerstock Theater, visit cedarsummerstock.org.

DRAWING ON THE LUTHER NETWORK

Lynne Rothrock ’85 studied music education at Luther, then went on to forge her own path. She earned a master’s degree in classical voice at Western Michigan Uni versity, in a program that offered training in a wide range of styles. She moved to Nashville, but, she says, “I wanted to perform more and got tired of waiting for theatre companies to produce shows that I might be right for.”

So she started putting together her own shows. “If you’re a caba ret singer, you can sing anything,” she says. “I started collecting songs that I love, and I discovered that my personality was suited to entertaining an audience between

songs. In the jour ney, I discovered that performing as myself was another avenue that actually was much wider open.”

Rothrock’s taken this niche she’s carved out to venues and colleges across the country. She tours widely but calls Cedar Rapids, Iowa, home and teaches at Luther in the musical theatre program. Now she teaches at Cedar too.

In addition to its slate of traditional musicals, Cedar runs two travel ing cabaret shows each summer that Rothrock helps create and train students to perform. These outreach shows act as market ing—allowing nearby communi

ties to see the quality of performers that Cedar draws— and also help the young actors develop more skills.

They’re a way to build connection too. Rothrock says, “The primary goal of being that kind of artist is emotional connection to the audience. So whether you’re singing songs or telling stories or whatever, the primary goal in what is truly the art form of cabaret is making an emotional connec tion with the audience, being in conversation and sharing yourself emotionally through music and storytelling.”

“THE THEOLOGY I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR”

Menzi Nkambule ’18 knew before Luther that he wanted to bring positive change to communities. What surprised him at Luther was what shape that change would take.

Nkambule grew up in Eswatini and attended Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa. The thoughtful curriculum and leadership opportunities— centered especially on economic and social change—got him think ing about ways to serve his commu nity through a business leadership role.

At Luther, Nkambule majored in management, but his first day on campus, he attended a Campus Ministries community-service event during orientation. “I was like, Oh, so Campus Ministries is about service. I connected with that imme diately.”

Nkambule had grown up in an evangelical faith tradition that stressed fundamentalism and the prosperity gospel—a difficult thing, he says, to connect with as some one who grew up in a financially disadvantaged household. He put faith on the back burner for a while, but when he was taken under the wing of a family that paid for him to

go to junior high school, he says, “It was quite an impactful gift of grace, which completely changed the way I think about God. I was like, Maybe God is not up there, as the preacher might say, waiting to judge us when he comes back. Instead, God is here among us. God is present in each of us. God is present in this woman who adopted me.”

But, Nkambule says, “I didn’t have the language that Lutherans might have for that until I got to Luther. Then I was like, Here is the theology I’ve been waiting for!”

Nkambule became heavily involved in Campus Ministries, holding leadership roles in Congre gational Student Council, volun teering with Habitat for Humanity, and fundraising for things like the Syrian refugee crisis.

During this time, he’d been thinking about management and accounting as his primary vehicles for social change. “But of course,” he says, “when you hang out too much with Pastor Mike Blair or Pastor Anne Edison-Albright or Pastor Amy (Zalk) Larson ’96, you find yourself thinking about minis try.”

Luther College Ministries and its leadership provided Nkambule with a space to think about discernment and whether he might want to work in a faith environment.

“I ended up saying yes. I knew for sure by the end of my senior year

that I was going to go to seminary,” he says. He was baptized into the Lutheran faith at Good Shepherd, which also sponsored his candi dacy at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn.

During his four years at Luther Seminary, Nkambule worked in the admissions office. “That was a really formative experience for me,” he says, “because it put me in conversation with people, listen ing carefully, hearing their stories, and pointing them toward the right resources.” It felt like a lower-stakes version of pastoral care.

He also interned at Redeemer Lutheran Church and Salem Lutheran Church, both in north Minneapolis, and he worked as a capacity-building coordinator at the Center for Leadership and Neighbor hood Engagement, which partners with community organizations to increase cultural competency and asset-based development. He hopes to carry the skills and mindsets he fostered there into his next role: leading a congregation of his own.

Nkambule graduated from Luther Seminary last spring. This summer, he answered a call to become solo pastor at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Jersey City, New Jersey.

—Kate Frentzel

A powerful encounter with faith leads to a major life pivot.

Walking

Andrew Boddicker ’08 of Lansing, Iowa, has been teach ing music to kids for nearly two decades. But a transformational experience when he lived in Europe encouraged him to add another sort of (re)education to his docket. During the summer, he turns his attention to the busi ness he founded, Walking Space, which offers fully supported long-distance walks to help people slow down, take stock, reconnect, and rejuvenate. Here, he tells us a bit about the call to start Walking Space and the draw of walking with intention.

trail, the idea of Walking Space was hatched. After a few years of planning and saving, I returned to Iowa from London in 2018 and began building a space where people would use walking as an outlet toward healing and recon nection. Like the Camino, it is designed to support every need (food, trail support, accommo dation) so participants can focus on personal growth and selfunderstanding.

My first long walk, in the summer of 2015, was the 500-mile Camino de Santiago in north ern Spain. Walking saved my life that summer. During that experience and through conver sations spanning days on the

At its core, Walking Space invites those seeking to recon nect, reinvent, and rediscover their true, core being. With each footfall that we take, we feel more grounded in our bodies. With each conversation, we feel a welcome for who we are in that moment. Over time, slowly and with persistence, walking in nature helps us regain clarity, find our natural pace, and remind us of our wild roots. Our fast-paced living and domestication discon nects us from the cycles of nature and the senses that we honed there. We need to plug into that connection regularly for rebalanc ing so we feel less anxious and more at ease in life.

To date, Walking Space has held about two dozen multiday

walks lasting from two to six days, as well as single-afternoon expe riences. Everything I do through this endeavor is aimed at provid ing moments for people to (re) experience a core part of them selves that they were seeking or that was lost. On a recent after noon, with a very fresh group of six people, we went on a silent mindfulness walk through a valley of pines, oaks, bluffs, and a coldwater stream. We were satu rated with connection. One of the women recalled similar pine trees in her childhood home and was drawn back to that place in her mind, recalling her father and her joy of being in the scent of pines. She wept. It was ONE HOUR. She hadn’t spent time like that in nature for years, and on that day she renewed and revived her joy in that place, forever changed.

This happens on every walk. Nature has a way of working on us and reminding us of what is important and at the core of who we are. I hope in my work to provide an avenue for people to delve into that space and slow down, finding flow with their footsteps and doing it right here, in the Driftless.

Class Notes

by Erin Dintaman

’60 Kathy (Fjone) Richard

son teaches memoir writing, poetry, and novels at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Cincinnati (Ohio).

’68

Mike Ruzek was hon ored as a pillar of the commu nity by the city of Austin, Minn., in a ceremony held at Bandshell Community Park on July 4, 2022. Mike established Spruce Up Austin and served as its president for 12 years. He was also a founding member of the Austin High School Alumni and Friends Association and helped to establish their Distinguished Alumni Program. As a founding member and chair of the Austin Area Foundation, he served as their representative on the Hormel Foundation Board. Mike has been active with the Development Corporation of Austin, Austin Area Chamber of Commerce, Austin Athletic Club, YMCA, and the Mower County Veterans Memorial.

’69

David Ellingson pro duced a documentary, Headwa ters: Paddling through Climate Change, about his recent Paddle Pilgrim adventure on the Mis sissippi. It can be viewed on his website, paddle-pilgrim.com.

Judith Gwinn Adrian of McFar land, Wis., published her fifth book, Walking the Line: There Is No Time for Hate

’72

Nancy Gates-Lee of Green Cove Springs, Fla., is the director of consultant relations at RingCentral.

Jerry Maland of Harrison, Ark., retired as CEO and chairman of Community First Bank and as an owner/operator of McDonalds. He is currently a board member of Equity Bancshares in Wichita, Kan.

Blaine Meyer and his wife, Debo rah, live in Princeton, Minn., after living in Folsom, Calif., for 38 years. They are retired and own

and operate Wakan Spirit Ranch and Golf Course.

’73

Robert Hill was elected mayor of Independence, Iowa, a community of 6,000 people, in Nov. 2021, after serving 12 years as an at-large member on the Independence city council. Robert is married to Audrey L. (Happel) Hill ’73

’74

Don Wurtzel of Calmar, Iowa, is development director at Wurtzel Consulting.

’79

Carolyn (Bartz) Grisen of Alma, Wis., is a retired middle school teacher.

’80

Barb (Perry) Lutz of Redmond, Ore., retired last May from F&G Annuities and Life after six years in the role of AVP life operations and chief under writer. In honor of her retirement, F&G contributed $5,000 to her nonprofit of choice, Luther College. The contribution was given to the Regents’ Promise Scholarship, which is distributed based on student financial need.

’81

Rich Allen of West Hart ford, Conn., is a senior principal engineer in structures at Pratt & Whitney. He was granted his seventh US patent for tur bomachinery devices. He is a board member of the Hartford Professional Chapter of Engi neers Without Borders, assisting the current water project in Tanzania.

Kari Sena Gordon retired last Feb. after 40 years of teaching elementary music, the last 27 years in the Kenosha (Wis.) Unified School District. She and her husband, Rod, have moved to Washington Island, Wis.

’82

Marshall Anderson was recently named professor emeritus of theatre/dance, retiring from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater after 36 years, 18 of which were spent as department chair. He is also a professional costume designer,

having designed 150 produc tions during his career.

John “Omar” Bradley of Moline, Ill., is controller at R3 Compos ites.

’84

Elaine Geiger is a software solutions specialist III with Johnson County in Iowa City, Iowa.

Tim Lecander of Decorah is running for Iowa House of Rep resentatives District 63 in the general election in Nov.

Pam (Christensen) Nelsen retired from teaching elementary English as a second language. She moved with her husband, ArMand, to Duluth, Minn., to pursue activities in the great outdoors, entertain visitors to their home, and develop more of her interests in the arts.

’85

John Anderson of Washburn, Wis., was appointed associate dean to the Wisconsin Judicial College.

Tracy (Shepard) Smalley is PMO director of Lifespace Communi ties in Des Moines, Iowa.

’86

Dale Kruse was pro moted to associate professor of practice in music at St. Olaf College, where he teaches voice and leads the Lyric Theatre pro gram. Next Jan., he will coteach a new course, Opera in Context, which will travel to Vienna, Flor ence, and Milan, Italy.

’87

Chuck Ellingson is office manager at Ascension Lutheran Church in Milwaukee.

Kris Fadness, known as “Fads” in Minnesota boys’ basketball circles, retired from coaching after 29 years as a high school coach—and 37 years in coach ing overall—with more than 500 wins and one state title. He guided his Austin (Minn.) High School teams to fifteen consec utive winning seasons, six Big 9 Conference Championships, and three Class 3A State Champion ship appearances.

Todd Hegseth was named se nior vice president of business operations at TimelyMD, a lead ing virtual health and well-being solution in higher education. Scott Lien is the cofounder and CEO of GrandPad. He was

named Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 Heartland Award winner by Ernst & Young.

Tim Pinnow was named pres ident of Finlandia University in Hancock, Mich.

’88 Sharon Betsworth is vice president of academic affairs and dean at Saint Paul School of Theology in Leawood, Kan.

Sreenu Raju of San Ramon, Calif., is associate director of risk technology at DTCC.

’89 Ann (Dahl) Welsh was appointed vice president and commercial loan officer for First National Bank Coastal Commu nity in Wellington, Fla.

’90 Michelle (Snitker) Bolhuis is senior fiscal manager of the East Colorado Small Business Development Center in Greeley.

’92

Laura Hetrick is manager of sales engineering at Charter Communications in Independence, Ohio.

Erik Mundahl is human resourc es director at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Todd Travaille of Omaha, Neb., is a financial advisor at Cobalt CU.

Chaney (Carr) Yeast received the 2022 Iowa Medical Society’s John F. Sanford Award. The award is given by the Iowa Medical Society each year to honor a layperson who has made outstanding contributions to the public health or in the field of healthcare. The IMS board of directors cited Chaney for many accomplishments, including ex cellent leadership and being an active voice for children’s health across the state of Iowa.

’93 Nathan Potter is digital and media director at Ware house Twenty-One in Cheyenne, Wyo.

’94 Sarah Tobiason is the primary elementary school prin cipal for the Center Point-Urbana (Iowa) School District.

’95

Mariah Bringer Smith earned a master of science

Last spring, three Luther alumnae celebrated Taylor Romeo ’18 (left) as she earned her MDiv degree at Wake Forest University School of Divinity. Katherine Shaner ’98 (center) is associate professor of New Testament at the School of Divinity and was thrilled to have Taylor in her classes over the past three years. Taylor’s sister, Kylie Romeo ’16 (right), was also in town for the celebrations. Katherine says, “Any Luther graduates looking for a multicultural, community-building MDiv degree (or a dual degree in counseling, law, sustainability, or education) should definitely come down to see us!”

Three Luther alumnae graduated from Harvard University on May 26, 2022. Left to right: Julia Reimann ’16 earned an MDiv degree from Har vard Divinity School. Betsy Fawcett ’17 earned a master’s degree from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Maggie (Steinberg) Hagen ’15 earned a JD from Harvard Law School.

Cristina Brusa ’05 (left) and (Alison) Lindy Buck ’05 (right) reunited in Italy last summer, 18 years after first meeting there while studying abroad during their junior years.

Luther alumni and friends met in Kihei, Hawaii, in March 2022, where the men were vacationing and where Lea Ann lives. It’s been more than 30 years since they were all together! Left to right: Lael Weselmann ’79, Steve Stricker ’79, Lea Ann Kjome ’80, and Gerald Berkeland ’79.

Tom Maakestad ’80 was commissioned by Viking Cruises to paint a large landscape, Bean Fields at Dusk, for the reception area on level one of its new Mississippi River riverboat, which launched last June. Tom’s landscape sets the scene for places the cruise visits during its route between St. Paul, Minn., and New Orleans. The commission is based on an oil pastel that Tom originally donated to the Luther College Fine Arts Collection in the 1990s entitled Northfield Landscape

At a recent gathering of Centracare pediatricians in St. Cloud, Minn., Luther alumni made sure to snap a photo. Left to right: Janelle (Watter mann) Johnson ’93, Marilyn Peitso ’74, Elaina Lee ’94, Denise (Flumer felt) Lenarz ’92, Bruce Broman ’84, and Cindy (Jensen) Melloy ’77

Cory Wirth ’17 and Emily Starman ’18 graduated from the University of Iowa Dental School last May.

Luther alumni met in the Minnesota Northwoods near Bemidji, Minn., for biking, boating, golfing, gourmet dining, endless euchre playing, and reminiscing about friendships that began in the fall of 1973. All are en joying retirement and that special Luther friendship that began 49 years ago. Left to right: Dave Hennings ’77, Dave Hanson ’77, Tom Hansen ’77, Mike Savre ’77, and Randy Noecker ’77 (not pictured is Kim Arndt ’77).

This group of Luther alumni joined a group of 30 other friends who traveled to Norway for ten days last summer. This photo, taken in Alesund, includes (left to right): Judy (Broadhead) Stromwall ’85, Amy (Brunberg) Hellie ’88, Joe Hellie ’88, Pam (Christensen) Nelson ’84, Bob Ronning ’85, Sean Taylor ’84, and Anne (Lysne) Taylor ’88

Two photographs by Aaron Lurth ’08, Luther assistant professor of art, have been added to the permanent collection of the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa. The photos are from a series called My Paper Tiger: Carl, which explores anxiety through a figure wearing a ghillie suit. The series explores, Aaron says, “comedic ways that I wanted to depict moments throughout my life where I have felt anxious, uncomfortable, and out of place.”

Quite a few Norse were involved in a concert in Madison, Wis., as the Norwegian Singers Association of America (NSAA) celebrated its bien nial Sangerfest at the Marriott Madison West in Middleton last June. For the grand concert, ALL the directors, the pianist, and the soloists were either retired Luther music professors or Luther alumni! They include professor emeritus and conductor-in-chief David Judisch, assis tant conductor Ed Kramer ’68, assistant conductor Linda (Bergsgaard) Svanoe ’66, tenor soloist Jim Svanoe ’66, professor emerita and pianist Jessica Paul, baritone soloist Brian Leeper ’82, and saxophone soloist Anders Svanoe ’91

Nordic Choir alumni Dan Kallman ’78 (left) and Scott Humrickhouse ’78 (right) reunited at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis on April 10 for a concert by the St. Olaf College Orchestra. The concert honored Steven Amundson ’77 (cardboard cutout in center), who led the orchestra over a distinguished 40-year career. Amundson retired last spring.

degree in clinical mental health counseling from Viterbo Univer sity. She is director of parent and family engagement and special projects at Luther College.

’96

Sara (Franzen) Nelson is interim director of the NASA Iowa Space Grant Consortium (ISGC). The ISGC strives to im prove and inspire Iowa’s STEM future, supporting aerospace re search, education, and outreach activities for all Iowans through NASA internships, fellowships, scholarships, competitions, and grants. Nelson will oversee the Established Program to Stimu late Competitive Research. She’ll continue to teach classes at the School of Education at Iowa State University as well as devel op STEM educational materials and experiences in her role as Iowa 4-H STEM specialist.

’97

Christy (Long) Boyd is director of programs and data for the Eunice (N.M.) Public Schools.

Krisanne Pederson is a physical therapist at New York–Pres byterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City.

James Southwell is clinical associate professor and division chief of community neurology at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Ali (Brooks) Weber is a specialty RN at Unity Point Health St. Luke’s Heart Care Clinic in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

’98

Heidi (Jacobsen) Sea berg is a hospice NP at Seasons Hospice in Rochester, Minn.

Tracy (Weiss) Voye of Largo, Fla., is data entry manager at the Center for Special Needs Trust Administration.

’00 Kelly Nye-Lengerman earned a PhD degree in social work from the University of Minnesota and is director of the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire in Durham.

Valerie (Recker) Radner of Lan tana, Texas, is client care and marketing coordinator for the Dave Oswald Homes Team.

Adam Richards is market president at MBT Bank in Dodge Center, Minn.

Kenny Wheeler of Bettendorf, Iowa, is the co-head girls track coach for the Pleasant Valley School District. He was awarded the 2022 IGHSAU Golden Plaque of Distinction Award, which honors an Iowa coach who has demonstrated a successful career while making notable contributions toward school, community, and the coaching profession.

’01 Kimberly Eversman of Rochester, Minn., is the diversity, equity, and inclusion learning and development consultant for the state of Minnesota Manage ment and Budget’s Enterprise Talent Development program.

Randi (Timmer) Heisler was named editor for both the Butler County Tribune-Journal and the Clarksville Star newspapers by the Mid-America Publishing Corporation.

Jennifer (Lindemann) Hoefer of Hopkins, Minn., is director of talent management at Freeman Company.

Tara Kuckkan earned a master’s degree in legal studies in human resources and employment law from Northeastern University School of Law and is a human resources manager at HM Cragg in Edina, Minn.

Katie Sopoci Drake is general manager of the Washington School of Ballet in Washington, DC.

’02 Anna Heineman is co-owner of Cypress & Grove Brewing Company in Gainesville, Fla.

Melissa (Nash) Ladd is the volunteer chapter leader for the Maryland chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Their chapter has more than 120 volunteer leaders and thousands of supporters in Maryland. They do advocacy and education work as well as support community partners in Baltimore with their City Gun Violence team.

Christin Larkin is the lead preschool teacher and assistant director at Story Book Childcare and Preschool in Story City, Iowa.

Laura (Zamzow) Lynch is project manager at Youth Frontiers in Edina, Minn.

’04

Sara (Goudschaal) and Terry Blessing ’06 live in Lamo ni, Iowa. Sara completed a DMA degree in choral conducting and pedagogy from the University of Iowa and is director of choral/ vocal activities and music department chair at Graceland University. Terry is the executive vice president for operational integrity at Visiquate.

Lee Clagnaz is co-owner of Culver’s in Jacksonville, Fla.

Emily (Lukasek) Strong is the affordable products manager at Bell Bank Mortgage in Blooming ton, Minn.

’05 Elise Bieri Patzke is project manager of BioPharma Diagnostics at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Jackie (Denison) Getchius of Eden Prairie, Minn., is owner of Wellspring Women’s Counseling.

As a psychotherapist, she works with the perinatal population. She also published her first book, That’s My Mom: Healing from Emotional Neglect: A Memoir

Irene (ErkenBrack) Green was named executive director of the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minn.

Tim Holcomb is a podiatric surgeon at the Dallas County Hospital in Perry, Iowa.

Katie (Chambers) Kaduce is a project manager, capital alloca tion, for John Deere in Moline, Ill. David Zelinskas was featured in the spring 2022 edition of Hampton Roads Physician. He is a family physician at TPMG Indian River Family Practice in Chesapeake, Va., as well as a lieutenant commander in the US Navy Reserves Medical Corps. He was called to active duty for two months at the Javits Center in New York City in 2020 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

’06

Lindsay (Stolen) Brennan is a hospice chaplain at Advocate Aurora Health in Kenosha and Racine, Wis.

Courtney (Kupfer) Rakkaus earned a master’s degree in counseling from the Adler Grad uate School and is admissions coordinator for the school in Minnetonka, Minn.

’07

Michael “Coz” Lindsay of St. Paul, Minn., is volun teer services coordinator for Ramsey County. He also serves as president of the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators.

Chantel Olufsen-Lepa was named vice president for ad vancement at Coe College.

Chris Sorenson of Verona, Wis., is a technical project manager and software engineer for the American Immunization Registry Association.

’08 Kelly (Moeller) Haus child is a trisomy 13/18 care coordinator and single ventricle nurse navigator in cardiology at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, Neb.

Megan (Craven) McCreesh of Aurora, Colo., is a partner of 6–12 world languages for the Cherry Creek School District.

’09 Stephanie Lim is the group chief strategy officer for the Palm Beach (Fla.) Health Network.

Laura (Bandfield) McGrath is da tabase coordinator at the Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Darin Monroe is the head softball coach and sports coor dinator at Rock Valley College in Rockford, Ill. His team won its eighth consecutive national championship in New York last May.

’10 Stephen Nilsen earned an MDiv degree from Wartburg Theological Seminary and is a pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Pleasant Valley, Iowa.

’11 Brett Epperson is director of choral activities and assistant professor of music at Hastings (Neb.) College.

Kim Horner of Minneapolis qualified for the 2024 US Olym pic team trials in the marathon. She ran a personal best time of 2:36:41 at Grandma’s Marathon

in Duluth, Minn., in June. Kim earned a master’s degree in migration studies from Oxford University in England and is a doctoral student in public policy focusing on US immigra tion policy at the University of Minnesota.

Tyler McCubbin earned a mas ter of science degree from the State University of New York–Buffalo and is a high school social studies teacher in the Webster City (Iowa) Community School District.

William Morris is the court re porter for the Des Moines (Iowa) Register and a member of the Des Moines Choral Society.

’12

Jason Block earned an MD degree from the Universi ty of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and is an intensivist at Allina Health in Minneapolis.

David Clair of Davenport, Iowa, earned an MBA degree with a finance certificate at the Univer sity of Iowa.

Lauren Griffin is a social scientist in the Division of Data and Improvement at the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), contracted

through VPD Government Solu tions. OPRE is housed within the Administration for Children and Families, a branch of the US De partment of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC.

Hilary (Garringer) Klyn earned a master’s degree in science ed ucation (teacher effectiveness and professional development) from Drake University and is a kindergarten teacher in the Marshalltown (Iowa) Community School District.

Amy (Sandager) Lobas is a client relations coordinator—re search grade mRNA at Aldevron in Fargo, N.D.

Emily (Schroeder) Rickertsen earned a master’s degree in counselor education from Western Illinois University and is a professional school counselor for the Bellevue (Iowa) School District.

Katie Wagner earned an MDiv degree from Luther Seminary and is a chaplain resident at MHealth Fairview in Minneap olis.

Jake Wittman earned a PhD degree in forest entomology at the University of Minnesota and is a new and emerging plant

pest specialist at the Wisconsin DATCP in Madison.

Xiao Xie of Sunnyvale, Calif., is a data scientist at LinkedIn.

Jenna Yeakle of Duluth, Minn., earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of Minnesota.

’13

Katherine Anderson earned an MDiv degree from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago.

’14

Becca (Dugdale) Co chrane of Grayslake, Ill., is the finance lead at AbbVie.

Madeline (Davidson) Didier is senior acoustic consultant at Jaffe Holden in Norwalk, Conn. (working remotely from Minne apolis).

Rachel (Selvig) Lundeen of Otsego, Minn., is the director of media analytics at Marketing Architects.

Aubrey (McElmeel) McCardell is business systems analyst at National Guardian Life Insurance in Madison, Wis.

Regina Preston is senior finan cial data analyst at Alvarez & Marsal in New York City.

Hannah (Josephson) Scott earned a DPT degree from Duke University School of Medicine. She is certified in neurodevel opmental treatment of children with neuromuscular disorders. She is a physical therapist at Red Door Pediatric Therapy in Grand Forks, N.D.

’15

Andrea (Malek) Ash earned a master’s degree in educational measurement and statistics and a PhD degree in science education from the Uni versity of Iowa in May. She is a research consultant with Gallup.

Maggie (Steinberg) Hagen of Cambridge, Mass., earned a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School.

Julia Joseph is content coordi nator for NFIB in Washington, DC.

Sophia (Ristau) and Henry Jungbauer ’15 live in Duluth, Minn. Sophia is the plans exam iner for the city of Duluth. Henry

is a DES sales manager at DBS Residential Solutions.

Karly (Karst) Smith is a regis tered nurse at MercyOne Medi cal Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

Connor Mattison of Minneap olis is a global talent mobility specialist at Edelman, a PR and communications firm based in Chicago.

Caitlin (Olson) Petersen is a school social worker for the Oregon (Wis.) School District.

’16 Kaley Lestrud is a reading specialist at Legacy Traditional Schools in Surprise, Ariz.

Moran Lonning was named head women’s basketball coach at Central College in Pella, Iowa.

Emily Mueller of Fort Collins, Colo., earned a PhD degree in chemistry from the University of Michigan and is senior program associate at SciLine with the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Julia Reimann of Somerville, Mass., earned an MDiv degree from Harvard Divinity School. Caroline (Pedersen) Shearer of El Paso, Texas, is a nutrition educator at WIC.

’17 Callie Baumeister is an associate buyer at Target in Minneapolis.

Cade Bolen earned a master of science degree in science, tech nology, and environmental policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Anna Brauch earned a BSN degree from Augustana Uni versity and is a research nurse coordinator at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Betsy Fawcett of Somerville, Mass., earned a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Elise Heiser of Minneapolis is a home infusion RN at Park Nicollet Healthcare.

Bethany Noltner earned an MBA degree and SHRM-CP from the University of Wisconsin–Mad ison.

Allison (Martin) Pieper is an ac countant at Lyngblomsten Care Center in St. Paul, Minn.

Emma Radtke works in mem bership, continuing education, and marketing at the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association in St. Paul.

Kirby Stalley is a professional musician and church music director at Good Shepherd Lu theran Church in Westborough, Mass. For the past three years, he has also conducted the Ver non (Conn.) Chorale.

Elizabeth Stay earned an MBA degree from Western Governors University and is digital commu nications coordinator for the city of Rochester (Minn.).

Brandon Whitish earned an MM degree in vocal performance from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.

Emily Wick earned a DDS degree from the University of Minne sota. She is a DDS at Midwest Dental in Red Wing, Minn.

’18

Elizabeth Bonin is a communication specialist at the

Hennepin Healthcare Founda tion in Minneapolis.

Mason Montuoro earned an MA degree from the University of Iowa and is a loan manager at the Federal Savings Bank of Chicago. He has been involved in multiple choruses including as principal tenor with the GLOW Lyric Theatre and the Lawrence (Kan.) Opera Theatre. He has performed with the Grant Park Chorus, the Chicago Choral Artists, and the St. James Ca thedral in Chicago.

Emily Starman earned a DDS degree from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and is a pediatric dental resident at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

’19 Xavier Conzet of St. Paul, Minn., is a supply chain analyst at Medline Industries. He is also a graduate student in business analytics at Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas.

Emily Linder earned a master’s degree in refugee and forced migration studies from DePaul University and is an immigration

legal assistant at the Interna tional Institute of Minnesota in St. Paul.

Sheila Lowery teaches fifth grade at Fowler Elementary School District 45 in Phoenix, Ariz.

Ryan McKnight earned a DPT degree from Northern Illinois University and is a physical ther apist at Woodwinds Hospital/ Fairview Minnesota Health in St. Paul.

Hannah Reuss of Norwalk, Iowa, is a software engineer at Princi pal Financial Group.

Thomas Specht earned an MS degree in environmental policy from the University of Denver. He is a researcher for Treehouse Management, a boutique mi nority-owned renewable energy investment and operation firm in Minneapolis.

Tyler Zeimet earned an MS degree in speech-language pathology from St. Ambrose Uni versity and is a speech-language pathologist with the Aurora (Colo.) Public Schools.

’20 Kelsey Stine of West Des Moines, Iowa, is a tax asso ciate with Eide Bailly.

’21 Kristen Erickson earned an MSW degree from the Univer sity of Wisconsin–Madison.

Gabby Fritz earned a master’s degree in public administration from Drake University and is a talent acquisition specialist at ChildServe in Johnston, Iowa.

Thawdar Zin is a bioprocess operator at SolarBiotech in Norton, Va.

’22 Kinsey Greenlee is a DJ and content creator for Kat Kountry 105 KRFO-FM radio station in Owatonna, Minn.

Alison Merrill is a youth minister at First United Methodist Church in North Liberty, Iowa.

Abigail Toussaint is a middle school band director at the North Fayette Valley Community School District in Elgin, Iowa.

the date!

Births & Adoptions

’05

Hugo, Jan. 26, 2022, child of Bethany Seedorff and Sarah Roepke

’10

Nolan, April 8, 2021, child of Sarah (Luloff) and Kyle Lilly ’09

’11

Reagan and Callen, March 31, 2022, children of Alicia (Woodhouse) and Alex DeFrance

’03

Emma Rose, April 17, 2022, child of Anya and Tim Fink Hunter Justin, May 5, 2022, child of Vicky Maleski and Justin Jaeger

’07

Reese Alice, Nov. 30, 2021, child of Amanda (Ellson) and Leif Madsen ’08

’08

Emily Marie, March 15, 2022, child of Kelly (Moeller) and Ross Hauschild

Micah, March 10, 2021, child of Deanna and Nathanial Youngq uist

’09

’04

Louie, March 29, 2022, child of Stef (Dickens) and Chris O’Keefe

Killian Thomas, April 28, 2022, child of Melissa (Conibear) and Ross Schultz ’10

Charlie, Aug. 11, 2021, child of Abby (Herman) and Kevin Gadek

Lucas Andrew, May 16, 2022, child of Camille (Stenhaug) and Sean McVenes

’13

Nathanael Richard, May 26, 2022, child of Katrina (Han son) and Seth Rumage

Eliza Marion, May 2, 2022, child of Christina (Storlie) and An drew Weckwerth ’12

’14

Nora Jo, May 3, 2022, child of Becca (Dugdale) and Jim Cochrane

Sonja Jill, May 21, 2022, child of Madeline (Davidson) and James Didier

Owen Joe, March 25, 2022, child of Taylor (Johnson) and Ryan Ledvina

Marriages

’64 Jim Pofahl and Susan Cangurel, April 2, 2022

’93

Marne Evenson and Derek Hanrehan, Aug. 18, 2021

’97 Jennifer Boomgaarden and Fouad Daoud, Aug. 6, 2021

’98 Tracy Weiss and Mat thew Voye, June 16, 2022

’02

Christin Larkin and Kev in Bresnahan, May 28, 2022

’05 Mark Peterson and Marisa Puppe, June 24, 2022

’07

Tyler Schwaller and Will Green, June 4, 2021

’09

Melissa Berg and Adam Hough, June 12, 2022

’10

Alicia Hale and Rick Ernst, May 28, 2022

Stephen Nilsen and Leah Hollo way, May 30, 2020

’13

Callie Bergan and Jake Schmitz, June 10, 2022

Leslie Palmer and Tommy Elliott, April 9, 2022 Austen Smith and Christina Culbertson, Dec. 18, 2021

’14

Hannah Josephson and Thomas Scott, Oct. 30, 2021

Aubrey McElmeel and Will Mc Cardell, Oct. 17, 2021

’15

Karly Karst and Robert Smith, June 11, 2022

’16

Katelyn Evenson and Evan Woodard, May 22, 2022

Phillip Lapointe and Amberlee Conley, April 2, 2022

Matthew Lunning and Abbey Inglis, Oct. 16, 2021

’16 Henry Jon, Dec. 1, 2021, child of Jenna and Zach Hendrikson

Leo Stewart, May 9, 2022, child of Saydi (Stewart) and Josh Olson

’17 Haley Jensen and Nick Fortmeyer, May 7, 2022

Gabi Meirick and Ryan Pribyl, April 30, 2022

’18 Danielle Dunn and Evan Scheck, May 8, 2021

Erin Runquist and Elliot Maire, April 2, 2022

’19 Janet Irankunda and Noah Satern, July 1, 2022

In

’41

Richard Dinger of Dec orah, died July 15, 2022, age 103.

’46

Irene Struxness Ulvilden Sawatzky of Peoria, Ill., died June 6, 2022, age 97.

’48

James Reinertson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, died May 27, 2022, age 95.

’49

Merlin “Dean” Hagen of Decorah died May 2, 2022, age 94.

Rachel E. (Noer) Spencer of Pigeon Falls, Wis., died April 26, 2022, age 96.

Ruth (Mikelson) Ziemann of Hudson, Wis., died May 11, 2022, age 95.

’50

Marjorie (Olson) Hove of Decorah died July 12, 2022, age 95.

Robert Edward Lee of Waverly, Iowa, died June 24, 2022, age 93.

Thomas Rossing of Palo Alto, Calif., died July 14, 2022, age 93.

Eunice Joanne (Johnson) Swig gum of Roseville, Calif., died April 2022, age 92.

’51

Elsie (Nesset) Kittleson of Decorah died June 27, 2022, age 92.

Milo Arthur Thompson of Carm el, Ind., died Oct. 6, 2021, age 94.

’52

Melba (Deter) Hughes of Mabel, Minn., died Feb. 15, 2022, age 91.

Phyl (Breen) Krueger of Sioux Falls, S.D., died May 3, 2022, age 91.

Colleen (Toenges) Politz, of Northwood, Iowa, died July 12, 2022, age 90.

’53

Charles “Chuck” Irwin Danielson of Hamilton, Ill., died April 17, 2022, age 90.

Donna Marie (Skurat) Ellefson of Rochester, Minn., died April 17, 2022, age 90.

Ramona Jeanne (Wheaton) Johnson of Somers, Wis., died June 15, 2022, age 91.

Horace John “Ole” Olson of Jackson, Minn., died June 4, 2022, age 91.

’54

Phyllis (Larson) Emery of Mabel, Minn., died May 15, 2022, age 87.

Norlin Rober of Marshalltown, Iowa, died July 11, 2022, age 91.

Søren Strat Urberg of Fort Wayne, Ind., died May 16, 2022, age 90.

’55

Jon Griffin Torkelson of Cashton, Wis., died July 10, 2022, age 88.

’56

Charles Williams Hulsether of Viroqua, Wis., died April 26, 2022, age 95.

’57

Eli A. “Coach” Crogan of Watertown, Wis., died July 16, 2022, age 87.

Emmett M. Gaunitz of Apple Valley, Minn., died March 22, 2022, age 86.

Joanne (Doerring) Kramer of Manchester, Iowa, died July 14, 2022, age 86.

’58

Marjorie E. “Margie” (Ol son) Dehmlow of West Dundee, Ill., died June 6, 2022, age 86.

John “Jack” Nordgaard of Red Wing, Minn., died June 7, 2022, age 88.

Irvin Maurice Alfred Rotto of Bemidji, Minn., died July 8, 2022, age 91.

Lou Ann Jane (Russ) Van Ger pen of Garner, Iowa, died June 7, 2022, age 85.

’59

Howard M. Tollefsrud of Omaha, Neb., died April 28, 2022, age 90.

’60

John Dahle of Decorah died April 27, 2022, age 84.

Carol Eleanor (Hanson) Wangs ness of Anoka, Minn., died May 13, 2022, age 83.

’61

Sharon (Neas) Rolstad of Plover, Wis., died Oct. 26, 2020.

David Kent Wold of Lilydale, Minn., died July 16, 2022, age 82.

’62

John “Jack” Daniel Bronner of Eagle River, Alaska, died March 24, 2022, age 82.

Carol D. (Johnson) Nelsen of Stewartville, Minn., died April 3, 2022, age 82.

Peter A. Olson of St. Petersburg, Fla., died April 29, 2022, age 82.

Bruce Jacob Pfister of Wiscon sin Rapids and DeForest, Wis., died Jan. 20, 2022, age 81.

’63

David Lee Amundson of La Crosse, Wis., formerly of Houston, Minn., died June 19, 2022, age 81.

Leroy Donald “Don” Aspenson of Tulsa, Okla., died April 11, 2022, age 79.

Linda (Svebakken) Lambert of Decorah died July 5, 2022, age 80.

’64

Catherine (Wolhowe) Reistrup of Annapolis, Md., died July 9, 2022, age 78.

Marilyn Rose Stoa of San Diego died March 24, 2022, age 79.

’65

Margaret “Maggie” (Peterson) Dixon of Owatonna, Minn., died May 28, 2022, age 78.

Janet Vivian (Hedstrom) Eubanks of Madison, Wis., died July 25, 2022, age 79.

Peggy Lee (Kindell) Wright of Decorah died June 17, 2022, age 98.

’66

Bruce Forde of Decorah died Nov. 15, 2021, age 78.

’67

Howard Duane Omdahl of Algona, Iowa, died April 19, 2022, age 78.

William “Bill” Roger Saetveit of Centennial, Colo., died May 3, 2022, age 76.

Marilyn Jean (Amundson) Sears of Rochester, Minn., died Jan.11, 2022, age 76.

’68

Eric Wulfsberg of Colo rado Springs, Colo., died June 1, 2022, age 76.

’70

Lana Marie Lewison of Evanston, Ill., died April 5, 2020, age 72.

Richard A. Meyer of Baldwin, Wis., died April 29, 2022, age 74.

Ralph M. Thompson of Shell Lake, Wis., died May 1, 2022, age 73.

’71

Kathryn L. (Selzer) John son of Florence, Wis., died June 11, 2022, age 73.

Royce Thompson of Indianola, Iowa, died April 23, 2022, age 73.

’75

Nancy L. Raines of Schaumburg, Ill., died April 22, 2022, age 67.

’80

Richard Marvin Mar quardt of Mantorville, Minn., died June 7, 2022, age 62.

’83

Kristin Marie (Nolte) Sperry of St. Anthony Park, Minn., died March 10, 2022, age 60.

’86

Michael Robert Hatha way-Madison of Nevada, Iowa, died June 25, 2022, age 58.

’88

Mike Bruess of Peoria, Ill., died May 28, 2022, age 55.

’92

Wendy Jo Eliason of Cromwell, Minn., died March 2, 2022, age 57.

’95

David A. Heaton of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, died May 22, 2022, age 49.

HOMECOMING

Friday, October 7–Sunday, October 9, 2022 Luther College

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NOTTINGHAM PROGRAM

Saturday, October 8, 2022 Luther College

NORDIC CHOIR 75TH ANNIVERSARY

CELEBRATION

Saturday, October 8, 2022 Luther College

HOSLETT MEMORIAL LECTURE

Mark A. Magnuson ’75

Saturday, October 8, 2022 Luther College

IRONSIDE DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI LECTURE IN NURSING

Peter Strube ’94

Saturday, October 8, 2022 Luther College

PHI BETA KAPPA SYMPOSIUM ON THE LIBERAL ARTS

David Crowe ’82

Saturday, October 8, 2022 Luther College

ONE TEAM DAY

Thursday, November 3, 2022 Luther College

CHRISTMAS AT LUTHER

Thursday, December 1–Sunday, December 4, 2022 Luther College

DECORAH HAPPY HOUR

Thursday, January 12, 2023 Luther College

GIVING DAY

Thursday, March 9, 2023 Luther College

ALL BAND

ALUMNI REUNION

Friday, June 30–Sunday, July 2, 2023 Luther College

In June, members of the class of 1972 who are serving on Luther’s 50-year reunion planning committee gathered for a photo on campus. Front row (left to right): Dee Runnels, Sheila (Olson) Merrell, Kathleen (Rickard) Gentes, Barbara Fuller, Kathy (Es tenson) Carlson, Carol (Kershner) Olson, and Bev (Ulstad) Borgstrom. Back row: David Nordstrom, Kerry Knodle, Jim Haemker, Bernie Peeters, Todd Smith, John Strand, and Rick Theiler.

Plan your Legacy Today!

AFFIRM THE DREAMS OF FUTURE LUTHER STUDENTS AND ESTABLISH A PLANNED GIFT FOR LUTHER COLLEGE.

Simply name Luther College as a full or partial beneficiary of your will, IRA, retirement plan, life insurance policy, trust, or donor advised fund. There is no minimum amount required, and all individuals and couples who have established a planned gift for Luther College qualify for membership in the Heritage Club.

The Luther College Heritage Club, currently more than 1,300 members strong, is an association of persons with the vision and inclination to build bigger dreams for future students, ensuring generations to come will benefit from a truly transformational Luther education.

For more information or to notify us about your future gift, please contact Kelly Sorenson, assistant director of legacy and gift planning, at (800) 225-8664 or kelly. sorenson@luther.edu, or visit legacygiving.luther.edu.