Class Notes

1974

Warren Cook retired as an umpire, a role he’s had since 1980. Cook officiated every level except midgets and covered eight All-Star Games. His last game was June 26 at the Minnesota State Baseball Coaches Association’s All-Star series.

1979

Terry Culhane, MS ’00 retired from coaching the SMSU volleyball team after the 2021 season.

1985

Tom Jackson, president of Humboldt University in Arcata, Calif., received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Highline College, Des Moines, Wash.

1987

Justin Ingalls is the high school athletic officials coordinator for the state of South Dakota, a position he started in July 2021.

1988

Rhonda (Lembke) Fenner started a position in May as the senior vice president of operations transformation for AmeriLife Group, LLC in Clearwater Fla. Keith Helgeson was appointed by Gov. Tim Walz to fill the Eighth Judicial vacancy. He is chambered in the city of Granite Falls, Yellow Medicine County.

Jeff Schelhaas, MS ’00 retired in November from his teaching career of 33 years with 26 of them at the Pipestone Area Schools District.

1989

John Radzilowski received the Superior Achievement Award at the 2021 Best of Illinois History Award Ceremony for his book Poles in Illinois which he co-authored with Ann Gunkel. John teaches history at the University of Alaska-Southwest in Ketchikan.

1991

Rachel Wolter Mattson named interim middle school principal, Marshall, Minn.

John Sterner, MS ’99 created a sculpture to tie the city of Northfield to the native tribes that live there. The new sculpture is entitled “Wanbli Mitakuye Oyasin/We are all Related,” and stands 15 feet tall. It depicts an eagle in flight and is located at Hwy 3 and Third St. in Northfield.

1993

Becky (Timmerman) Degreeff became an assistant professor of communication at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menominee, Wis., on Aug. 2020.

1995

Jeff Loots was named to the College Football Hall of Fame ballot on June 3. Loots played for SMSU from 1990-92. His career was one of the most prolific quarterbacks in school history. Loots lives in Hugo.

Jennifer (Kaczrowski) Taylor started a new position as the principal of United South Central Elementary in Wells.

1996

Dr. Rhonda (Bartels) Bonnstetter joined the Worthington School District in Worthington as a secondary math teacher.She began the position at the start of the school year.

1998

Chris Hmielewski is the chief of staff with Benaiah Co., an insurance company in Sioux Falls, S.D. Kent Roers and his brother, Brian Roers, were named finalists in Ernest & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards recognizing them as the Heartland Region’s elite entrepreneurs.

1999

Jenifer (Kirsch) Goblish was presented the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award by the Communication and Theatre Association of Minnesota.

2000

Kindra (Witthans) Helin was selected to be the new activities director of North Branch Public Schools in North Branch, in Nov. 2021.

2002

Michael Daugs is the first principal at Tiger Elementary in Hutchinson and started this new position in the 2021-22 school year. Josh Turek, the most decorated wheelchair basketball player in program history at SMSU, competed as a member of the United States Paralympic basketball team, which won the gold medal at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo Aug. 24-Sept. 5. It was his second gold medal with the team.

2003

Jim Menton, MS is now superintendent of BOLD Public Schools in Olivia, Minn.

2004

Satyajit Dattaguta became Tulane University’s first senior vice president and dean of admission for enrollment management, graduate and pre-college strategy. Kyle Kooima is the head football coach and chemistry teacher at Lead-Deadwood High School in Lead, S.D. Zeb Prairie was promoted to senior vice president at North Star Insurance Company, Cottonwood, Minn. in July. He has been with North Star since 2005, most recently as vice president of investments. In his new role he oversees the Finance Department.

Angie (Bernard) Trygestad is now the solutions adoption manager with Riskonnet Inc., a risk management software solution provider, Kennesaw, Ga.

2005

Stacy (Weaver) Cole (MS) was inducted into the Riverside Community School District Hall of Fame, Class of 2021, for being a distinguished alumna of that school. Stacy currently is the superintendent of the Storm Lake (Iowa) Community School District. Chris Volzke accepted a new position in Oct. 2021 with the Casper Wyoming Community Department Authority as its Deputy Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer.

2006

Amy (Lackmann) Julius started a new position with Vanco as a Revenue Enablement Manager in April. Vanco provides financial services in the Twin Cities.

2007

Candie Baker, MS received the 2021 Friends of Public Schools award in Ripon, Wis.

Chris Nick, MBA retired at the end of the 2020-21 school year after 45 years as a music teacher, 42 of those years with Pequot Lakes Elementary.

2008

Angela (Bonczek) Volzke began work as creative specialist for the Visit Casper (Wyo.) Tourism Bureau doing digital marketing and design in Nov. 2021. Aguirre Reese is the St. Cloud Technical and Community College bookstore manager. She recently met with state officials who were promoting a new Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights that became law Aug. 1.

2010

Natasha (Thompson) Boe is the new Financial Aid Director at SMSU. Christina Boike earned her CPA and is manager in Accounting and Attestation Services with Christianson PLLP.

Tegan (Gullikson) Harris and her husband Brian welcomed Jude Ryder, March 19, 2021. David Luepke married Jenny Baldwin on May 2, 2020. Debra Mueske was appointed Court Administrator for the Seventh and Eighth Judicial Districts by the Minnesota Judicial Council and started her new position on June 30, 2021. Prior, Mueske served as Deputy District Administrator for the Eighth Judicial District. Kyle Pagel completed his Master’s of Music: Music Education in Fall 2020 from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

2011

Jordan Kerr is a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office in Orange City, Iowa. Kerr also serves as a full-time police officer for the Rock Valley (Iowa) Police Department where he is also a K-9 handler.

2012

Ralph Manyara has joined Leigh Consulting in Chesterfield, Mo. as the head of project management and cybersecurity. Yome Nguyen works at General Mills and developed a line of soft baked cookies: Pillsbury Soft Baked Cookies with five flavors launched in March.

2013

Noah Anderson, MS ’18 was appointed as the choir director at Martin County West H.S. in Sherburn. He began Aug. 20, 2021. Brian Bau is a social studies teacherat Prairie Elementary in Worthington.

Leah (Elsbecker) Box and her husband Kyle ’13 welcomed a girl, Madilyn Elizabeth, on June 21, 2021.

Mary (Groth) Buyan and Joel, welcomed Addy Rose, Mar. 26, 2021

Rachel (Serreyn) Krall and her husband Joe welcomed Cameron Joseph, Dec. 13, 2020. Chelsea (Bau) and

Luke ‘14 Lafrentz welcomed Layne Luelyn, Sept. 14, 2020.

2014

Macy (Oldre) Ellingson and her husband Matt welcomed Beckham Bryce, May 11, 2021. Derek Golberg was hired as a manager of the Granite Falls office of Westberg Eischens in Sept. 2021. Golberg oversees the day-today operations of both the Granite Falls and Montevideo locations. Caleb Heim was named the StudentAthlete Choice Award winner during the University of South Dakota’s 2021 digital version of The Charlies, an annual award ceremony that honors student-athlete achievements. Heim is currently the strength and conditioning coach for USD.

Michael Paulson started a new job at Optum, a health services company in Eden Prairie as a senior software engineer in Oct. 2021.

2015

Corey Boe became assistant middle school principal, Marshall, Minn.

Elizabeth Briones was promoted to Human Resources Manager at JBS USA in Worthington.

Nick Weinmeister started a new job in Aug. 2021 as the head softball coach at the University of Minnesota-Crookston.

Carley (Postma) Holmberg and her husband, Mike, welcomed a daughter, Emelia Elizabeth, on Oct. 27, 2021. Tanner Neale was hired as North Dakota State University’s assistant baseball coach for the 2022 season. He had previously been a volunteer assistant for the program.

2016

Brittany Glidden married Adam Rasmussen, July 31, 2021.

Kaitlyn (Austin)

Steichen and her husband Dylan welcomed Payten LaVonne, April 13, 2020. Becky (Koepp) and husband Joshua welcomed Brooks Aaron, Aug. 18, 2021.

2017

Shelby (Horner) Dickhausen started a new job in Detroit Lakes with Rural Minnesota CEP Inc. as MFIP Job Counselor in Aug. 2020. Shelby married Nate Dickhausen on Aug. 7, 2021.

Mathew Ferris MBA ’19 joined Billion Auto, Rapid City, S.D. as Sales and Leasing Consultant, Dec. 2020. Megan (Will) ’17 and Collin ’15 Nickel, welcomed Carter Will, Dec. 9, 2020.

Jen (Keohen) Packard ’17 and husband Matt welcomed Hunter Michael, Nov. 2, 2021. Erin (Nelson) married Josh VanderVeen, Oct. 3, 2020.

2018

Matt Ellinghuysen (MS) named the interim head baseball coach at Bemidji State University on May 2.

2019

Brook (Sorenson) married Bryce Bruner, Aug. 29, 2021. Aryn Moura (MBA) is an assistant volleyball coach at the University of Arkansas. This was its first year as a varsity sport.

Emily Hofmann, MBA ’21 is now Assistant Activities Director with Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa.

Sayana Shrestha started a job with Apple as a software engineer in Austin, Texas in June 2021. Tarah Young joined the University of Minnesota Hubbard County Extension Office in Park Rapids as an Interim Extension Educator in agriculture, food and natural resources in Sept. 2021.

2020

Kelli Wentz married Jared Kaul ’21 on June 26, 2021. Rhea Melby started a new job as a Special Education teacher at Prairie Elementary School in Worthington on Aug. 31.

Amanda (Stafford) Nelson started a new position as a financial services representative for the Mankato office of Primerica.

Kali Tomlinson started teaching kindergarten at Lynd Elementary in Lynd.

2021

Vanessa Abudei is a graduate student at Niagara University in its clinical mental health program.

Tanner Differding and a friend are raising a herd of buffalo near Minneota. The biggest challenge they have faced in the last year was higher hay price due to the dry weather.

Amber Hausmann won the title of Miss Morris Area in August which includes scholarships of $1,500 and entry in the Miss Minnesota contest.

Melissa Hawkland started an internship at Pinepoint Marketing Firm, Marietta, Ga., in July 2021 as a corporate trainer.

Maerius Jean Porter performed with the Fox and Beggar Theater, based in Minneapolis, for the production of Goodnight, Absalom! The production opened in Duluth on Sept. 3, and toured through Oct. 3, closing in Detroit, Mich.

Meghan Sullivan started a new job as marketing coordinator with American Enterprise Group in Des Moines, Iowa. Tyler Thielges is a registered nurse for Prairie Home Hospice and Community Care in Marshall.

Lana Warning accepted position as a 4th grade teacher at St. John Neumann Regional Catholic School, Lilburn, Ga.

In Memoriam

Waldemar Anderson ’74, May 30, 2021.

Tom E. Boerboom ’74, Jan. 31, 2021 Jim Hayes, retired Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, Aug. 14, 2021.

Thomas R. Hanson ’72, Aug. 24, 2021.

Jo A. Goodell- Holmes ’74, Oct. 22, 2021.

Harry Jones, retired professor, Wellness & Human Performance 1970-2010, Oct. 31, 2021.

Paul Kooser ‘74, May 30, 2021.

Melissa (Oakland) Larson ’04, Jan. 18, 2021.

Gregory Lenz ’72, Sept. 22, 2021.

Dorothy (Thomssen) Madsen ’71, Sept. 23, 2021.

Kathy (Rudolph) Raine ’73, Aug. 12, 2021.

Michelle (Micki) Ann Williams ’18, Biology, July 2, 2021

LET US KNOW!

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