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100 FOR 100 Roger Lucas, Ph.D. ’65 2012 Distinguished Alumnus, chair of the board of Envoy Medical, co-founder & vice chair of the board of TECHNE Corp., board member of ChemoChentryx, Inc. & Discovery Genomics, Inc. Hometown: Minneapolis, Minn. Major: Biology Dr. Roger Lucas has enjoyed a successful career in scientific research and development. Dr. Lucas received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Institute of Technology, and was the recipient of National Institutes of Health pre- and post-doctoral fellowships. He is one of the founding shareholders of Envoy Medical Corporation, the first company to design, manufacture and bring to market a fully implantable hearing restoration device that doesn’t use a microphone or speaker. He co-founded TECHNE Corporation in 1985 and it has grown into one of the world’s largest suppliers of biotechnology products. As a way to give back to his alma mater, Dr. Lucas funds summer internship collaborations between R&D Systems (a subsidiary of TECHNE Corporation) and Saint Mary’s so that current students can gain the same exceptional practical experience he had as a student.
However, a few years earlier he was inspired by John F. Kennedy’s challenge to university students to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries. Therefore, from 1965 to 1967, Paape left Minnesota and served in Nigeria as a member of the United States Peace Corps where he taught mathematics and African history. After returning to the United States, he attended the University of Minnesota and earned an M.A. in journalism/mass communication. From 1968 to 1987, and again from 1989 until 1999, he taught at Grace High School (now Totino-Grace High School) in Fridley, Minn., where he became one of the most respected teachers in the school’s history. He was granted a two-year leave of absence in 1987 in order to do another term in the Peace Corps – this time at the Universite Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco. In 1996, he received the Teacher of the Year Award from the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. In 1999, after a year working at the American Refugee Committee in Minneapolis, Bud began another career at Saint Mary’s of Minnesota in Minneapolis where he serves as the administrative assistant for the M.A. in Education Wisconsin program. “Saint Mary’s showed me a path from Winona to a most interesting world,” he said. “The universality of Lasallian educational philosophy served me well in suburban St. Paul, in the bush of Nigeria, at the university in Morocco ... and beyond.”
Benjamin Murray ’96 Certified Public Accountant, co-founder & president of San Miguel Middle School of Minneapolis, volunteer ESL instructor, vice president for financial affairs for Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Hometown: Austin, Minn. Major: Accounting While a student at Saint Mary’s, Ben Murray was in the Lasallian Honors Program, led S.O.U.L. Mission Trips and Buddies (a Campus Ministry organization that works with developmentally delayed adults), was voted Outstanding Senior Male in 1996, and played an influential role representing the student body when Saint Mary’s transitioned from a college to a university. Throughout college, he also worked a minimum of 20 hours a week as part of the work-study program. Upon graduation, Murray became a licensed CPA and worked as an auditor for Virchow Krause (now Baker Tilly). After four years he left to lay the groundwork in founding San Miguel School of Minneapolis (an urban Lasallian middle school), eventually becoming its president. In 2011 he earned a master’s degree in Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. He currently serves as chair for both the Saint Mary’s Press Board of Directors and the Holy Rosary Catholic Church Finance Committee. “Saint Mary’s University has helped me to weave knowledge, ethics and spirituality into the fabric of my life, connecting my values with my vocation. The Lasallian charism draws me into a deeper understanding of community and the importance of engaging others to work for the common good,” he said.
Emil “Bud” Paape ’62 High school teacher, Peace Corps volunteer, university instructor Hometown: Winona, Minn. Major: History From 1962 to 1965, Bud Paape taught history, mathematics and English at Hill High School, a Lasallian (Christian Brother-affiliated school) in Maplewood, Minn.
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George Speltz ’32 Priest, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Winona, bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud Hometown: Altura, Minn. Major: Philosophy Upon graduation from Saint Mary’s, George Speltz continued his studies at the St. Paul Seminary and was ordained to the priesthood in 1940. In 1944 he earned a doctorate in economics from the Catholic University of America (D.C.). Beginning in 1944 he served the Winona Diocese in many capacities which included: assistant pastor, pastor, vice chancellor, superintendent of diocesan schools, professor at Saint Mary’s, and the first rector of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary. Bishop Speltz also attended the final three sessions of the Second Vatican Council (1963-1965).
Sarah Bellingham Laitinen ’07 Middle school teacher, Lasallian educator, Lasallian Volunteer Hometown: Harmony, Minn. Major: Childhood/Early Adolescence Education K-8 From August 2007 to June 2009 Laitinen was a Lasallian Volunteer at San Miguel Middle School for urban boys in the Greater Providence, R.I. area. This school is dedicated to the belief that education is key to breaking the cycle of poverty, a philosophy Laitinen strongly embraces. In June 2009, she was hired full-time as a 6th grade teacher and was asked to co-moderate the Lasallian Youth Group and the school dance team. Her desire to be part of the Lasallian world continues as a participant in the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies and work on an M.A. in Education. In 2010, Laitinen was invited to participate in the Regional Young Lasallian Formation Program for the United States and Canada, and in 2011 she was asked to be a delegate at the District of Eastern North America’s Mission Assembly. She is currently a member of the coordinating committee of the Rhode Island Lasallian Association. Laitinen is a proud FALL/WINTER 2013