Sorensen remembered for his unconditional commitment Frank Sorensen, emeritus professor of education, died on June 28, 2011, at the age 73 in Fort Collins, Colo. He taught at Monmouth College as a full-time professor for nearly 30 years, retiring in 2002 and receiving the college’s Distinguished Service Award a year later. Of his tenure at the college, former colleague George Arnold, who is now president of Silver Lake College, said, “Frank was truly a difference-maker to students. He was unconditionally committed to helping them fulfill their goals and dreams.” In 1960, Sorensen earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Wheaton College,
where he met his future wife, JoAnne, who survives. The couple celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2010. Prior to coming to Monmouth in 1973, Sorensen served actively in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of captain in the reserves. He attended Northern Illinois University, receiving a master’s degree in guidance and counseling, and the University of Illinois, where he received a doctorate in special education. He was a special education administrator for several years before shifting to higher education at Monmouth. In addition to his college duties, which included chairing the education department, Sorensen served on the board of the Warren Achievement Center and was chairman of the board for the Warren County United Way. “Because of chance scheduling, I had Dr. Sorensen for all of my lower level education
classes,” said Ann McClung Klungseth ’99. “He was an incredible example of caring, involved teaching. The information he taught us was valuable, the teaching methods he modeled for us invaluable. He was modeling authentic assessment and care for the whole child/student before they were buzzwords and popular educational concepts. Upon learning of his passing, I have no idea how to honor him, except to get into the classroom, look each child in the face, and try to give them what they need, knowing, all the while, it’s not just facts from a book.” Also surviving are his three sons—Steve, Chris and Pete Sorensen ’91. A memorial service was held at Monmouth College on Aug. 13. The family requests that memorials be in the form of donations to the Monmouth College educational studies department.
her adult life in Vienna, W.V., where she worked for WTAP-TV. Woodland was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years.
1949
teaching job was in Des Moines, Iowa, and, after marrying the man who would be her husband for 57 years, she moved to California and resumed teaching after her children were older. She earned a master’s degree from Azusa Pacific University and was a finalist for San Diego’s Teacher of the Year in 1993. She also traveled extensively, visiting all 50 states and 103 countries.
1945 Lois Acheson Barnes of Castle Rock, Colo, died Dec. 18, 2010. She graduated with a degree in sociology, minored in English and was a member of Kappa Delta. Survivors include her husband, Robert Barnes ’45, and a daughter, Charlene Barnes Potts ’66.
Lewis Fullerton, 85, of Hoffman Estates, Ill.,
died Oct. 8, 2010. He was a World War II vet and received the Presidential Unit Citation for service in the Pacific theater. He was preceded in death by a son, Robert Fullerton ’72.
Edward Sachs, 86, of Brownsville, Texas, died
Mary Alice Prescott Marth, 87, of Henrico,
Jan. 1, 2011. He served in the 5th Division as a staff sergeant in the Army Air Corps during World War II before studying business at Monmouth. He worked in furniture sales.
Va., died May 28, 2010. She was a member of Alpha Xi Delta and graduated with a degree in English. She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years.
Joyce Treleaven Walsons, 83, of Arlington Heights, Ill., died Feb. 8, 2011. She studied English and was a member of Alpha Xi Delta. Walsons was a retired legal secretary.
1946
1950
Ralph Tingley, 90, of Sioux Falls, S.D., died
April 25, 2011. He studied history at Monmouth before earning his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He was a professor at the University of Sioux Falls for 33 years, teaching history, government and political science.
1948 David Hill, 84, of Biggsville, Ill., died May 28, 2011. Prior to attending Monmouth, he served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. At MC, he was a member of the track team and Tau Kappa Epsilon. After receiving his degree in chemistry, he farmed for 58 years. Mary Brooks Holterman, 83, of Wilmington, N.C., died Nov. 18, 2010. She studied history and was a member of Kappa Delta. She completed her undergraduate studies at Coker College and went into teaching.
Bill Davis, 84, of Monmouth, died Jan. 5, 2011. He majored in geology and was a member of the football team and Tau Kappa Epsilon. He received a master’s degree from Western Illinois University, and his career in education included several years as principal at Monmouth’s Central Junior High School. Survivors include his wife of 57 years, a sister, Betty Davis Vance ’49, and two children who graduated from Monmouth, Jon Davis ’79 and Lynn Davis Holtzhouser ’81.
1951 Anna Dykhuizen Lorey, 81, of San Diego,
Calif., died May 25, 2011, from pulmonary fibrosis. She followed her mother, Helen Biddle Dykhuizen ’12 and her late sister, Helen Dykhuizen Anderson ’50, to Monmouth, and studied elementary education. Her first
1954 Delores Wachsmann Child, 78, of Oklahoma
City, Okla., died May 17, 2011. She graduated cum laude with a degree in business administration and was a member of Alpha Xi Delta and women’s sports teams. She later did graduate work at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., and the University of Oklahoma. Her first post-college job was in the accounting department at Ralston Purina, where she landed Elvis Presley for a staff performance. She then became the bookkeeper for her husband’s dental practice. In the late 1970s, she started a new career as a stockbroker, rising to vice president of investments at Prudential Securities. One of the many honors she received was the AAUW’s Outstanding Woman of the Year in 1990.
1956 Sarah Wraight Black, 77, of Fayetteville, Tenn., died May 4, 2011. She majored in classics and went on to teach Latin. Black also held several positions within the Republican Party in Tennessee and Alabama.
Janice Embree, 76, of Elgin, Ill., died Feb. 4, 2011. She graduated with a degree in
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clan notes
monmouth | summer 2011