APRIL 2017
FACES OF BETHANY
Join us for golfing fun!
June 9, 2017 Register at: blc.edu/joellaubegolf
August 7, 2017 Register at: blc.edu/sportsclassic
your BLC guide to
happy camping
Information and registration for BLC summer camps can be found at BLC.EDU/SUMMER-CAMPS
GIRLS BASKETBALL CAMP
HONOR CHOIR CAMP
MEDIA BOOT CAMP
BOYS BASKETBALL CAMP
SUMMER SCIENCE CAMP
VOLLEYBALL CAMP
BOYS BASKETBALL CAMP
VOLLEYBALL CAMP
BOYS SOCCER ID CAMP
TENNIS CAMP
GRADES 1–8 // June 5–9
GRADES 10–12 // June 11–15 GRADES 7–9 // June 12–15
GRADES 1–8 // June 12–16
GRADES 11–12 // June 15–17
GRADES 9–12 // June 17–22
GRADES 5–12 // June 26–30 GRADES 5–8 // July 10–13
GRADES 9–12 // July 24–27
GRADES 3–12 // July 31–August 3
B E TH A N Y Magazine
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table of
contents ATHLETICS ____________________________
4 FROM THE PRESIDENT
Sincere dedication to our mission
11 FALL ATHLETIC HONORS
SPIRITUAL LIFE ____________________________
Fall sports achievements and results
ALUMNI ____________________________
5 ONE THING NEEDFUL
Marking the 500th Anniversary of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses
12 DEFINING PATHS
FACULTY & STAFF ____________________________
Two alumni share their story of coming to Bethany and their paths to serviceoriented careers
6 GIVE TO BETHANY DAY
24 CELEBRATING 90 YEARS
Update on our big day
Learn more about Bethany’s humble beginnings
6 HONORING SERVICE Years of service recognition
27 RETROSPECT
Typing class was taught at the college level long ago. Who are these typers?
7 FROM OUR FACULTY & STAFF
Recent accomplishments of individuals employed at Bethany
22 DICKENS RESEARCH
Dr. Robert Hanna’s sabbatical took him to the British Library
ON CAMPUS ____________________________ 8 PETER KJEER
Bethany family loses a professor, friend
10 NEW MAJORS
Three new majors and one new certification are now offered ON THE COVER: Part of the class photo from 1929–30. History of Bethany story on page 24. Bethany archive photo
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SERVING OTHERS Judy Hed has been serving students on campus for over 35 years
e agazin
M ISSUE: 136
All contents © COPYRIGHT 2017 Bethany Lutheran College. Articles, images or photographs may not be reproduced without written permission. The Bethany
Magazine is published three times yearly by the Bethany Lutheran College Office of Institutional Communication and distributed free of charge.
editor, writer | Lance Schwartz designer, photographer | David Norris Please direct all correspondence, letters, news, corrections, and comments to: Bethany Lutheran College Bethany Magazine 700 Luther Drive Mankato, MN 56001-6163 Email: editor@blc.edu Phone: 507.344.7000 | 800.944.3066
Mission: Bethany Lutheran College is a Christian
liberal arts college owned and operated by the Evangelical Lutheran Synod and committed to the teachings of the Bible as expressed in the statements of faith known as the Lutheran Confessions. Bethany Lutheran College provides Christian higher education in a challenging academic environment where personal mentoring guides students to pursue knowledge, truth, and discernment for productive and fulfilling lives.
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from the
president
BY G E N E PFE I FE R • PR E SI D ENT, B E TH A N Y LU TH ER A N CO LLEG E
Sincere dedication to our mission I’ve come to appreciate the enthusiasm so many people at Bethany have for the Christian mission of this special college. Even more so, I treasure the true and sincere commitment so many have to that mission. It’s easy for someone to say, “we really appreciate the mission of [an institution],” but at Bethany it’s unquestionably true that the people who are connected in various ways to the school fully understand, embrace, and promote our devotion to the “One Thing Needful.” It’s that dedication to our mission that truly sets Bethany apart from other colleges and universities. This year, we are celebrating ninety years of Evangelical Lutheran Synod ownership and operation of Bethany Lutheran College. The real meaning of Bethany’s mission has not changed in the years the College has been in existence. Bethany’s key focus has always been on its students’ relationship with Christ, and how this bond directs a person’s life. Specifically, the mission states that “Bethany Lutheran College engages students with the saving knowledge of Christ, and assists them in developing their God-given talents and abilities for meaningful lives of service in the family, church, and society.” Bethany’s program of study grounded in the liberal arts, and taught through the discerning lens of a Christian worldview, equips students with knowledge, understanding, and adaptable skills. Reflecting on our longstanding mission, a group of people from across the campus recently worked on updating our documented mission statement. Their work will be presented to the Evangelical Lutheran Synod in convention this coming June. Throughout the process of fully reviewing and renewing our mission statement, I was able to personally observe the deep allegiance our faculty, staff, and Regents have to our existence as a Christian college. One of the tenets of Bethany’s mission statement places a high value in shaping our students into compassionate individuals who are, first and foremost, firmly grounded in Christian faith. This issue of the Bethany Magazine is focused on some of those special individuals who we
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believe exemplify some of those most valued traits of graduates and employees of Bethany Lutheran College. It’s a snapshot of just a few of the many faces that have studied at, and worked for Bethany Lutheran College. It’s a pleasure to share with you some of these stories about the special “Faces of Bethany.” Some of the stories about these people are heartwarming; some depict courage, some convey earthly sorrow, while others show the stories of graduates putting their Bethany training into action. And these stories are just a few of the many about the Bethany family we could share. Bethany graduates possess the gifts to lead meaningful lives of service in the family, church, and society. We always enjoy learning more about the lives our graduates are leading, and how the Lord is directing their paths. We encourage you to share your stories with us. We love to hear them, and we love to tell them. It’s my hope and prayer that the Lord continues to bless Bethany Lutheran College; and provides many others the opportunity to learn at this extraordinary place. It’s indeed His hand that encourages our students, faculty, and alumni in the saving, Christian faith. Through this training we reflect Christ’s love with integrity, character, and unshakable values.
B E TH A N Y Magazine
PU SLNLI E FE WS SCA PI RM ITUA
one thing
Celebrating the 500th anniversary of Luther’s 95 Theses
needful
BY D O N MO LD S TA D • B E T H A N Y LU T H ER A N CO LLEG E CH A PL A I N
A number of years ago, the A&E television network ran a series of biographies on the 100 most influential people of the last 1,000 years. On that list at number three, above Charles Darwin, Christopher Columbus, Thomas Edison, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington, was Martin Luther, the reformer. We may sometimes forget what a tremendous impact Luther had on so many areas of life: politics, culture, music, and education in addition to the historical significance of the break with the Roman Church. This year marks the 500th anniversary of Luther’s famous posting of the 95 Theses; which challenged the use of indulgences by the papacy. Though his desire was not to start a new church body, but rather reform his Roman Church back to the teachings of Scripture, its leaders were not willing to permit his teachings to stand. The primary pillars of the Reformation: Scripture Alone, Faith Alone and Grace Alone still uphold those who follow in Luther’s train today. In the front of our Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary is printed the Augsburg Confession, which became the culminating statement of the work started by the great reformer. Dedicated Christian laymen, willing to place their own lives on the line to ensure that the Gospel would be preserved among them, delivered this confession of faith before the Emperor Charles V. It is not simply an old, historical document, but a living, breathing expression of the Biblical truths for the church of today. What a blessed heritage we have. Though all these men are now dead and gone, the Holy Spirit has used their great influence and love for God’s doctrine of justification by grace alone to bring blessing to us. As the saying goes, “A confessor serves future generations.” “Remember those who spoke the Word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” - Hebrews 13:7
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FACU LT Y & STA FF
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Give to Bethany Day 2016 a success A special thank you to all of our alumni and friends who gave a gift to Bethany on our annual Give to Bethany Day held on Thursday, November 10, 2016. This was the sixth annual event, and it was another successful day for Bethany Lutheran College thanks to the support of so many generous contributors. The generosity of alumni and friends on Give to Bethany Day demonstrates the special connection that many people have with Bethany Lutheran College. The students, faculty, and staff know wholeheartedly that Bethany’s success would not be possible without the support of contributors. We are so thankful for these gifts as they allow us to make a lasting difference
2016 Facts: } Over 230 gifts were made during the 24-hour event } $83,375 was given by mail, phone, online, and in person } $101,375 was raised after the challenge grant was engaged once the $80,000 goal was met in the lives of all of our students on a daily basis. We look forward to another successful Give to Bethany Day on Thursday, November 9, 2017.
Recognizing Faculty And Staff Years of Service
The Board of Regents of Bethany Lutheran College and Seminary met in Mankato for their quarterly meeting, February 13 and 14, 2017. At this winter meeting, the Board set aside time to recognize faculty and staff, and make special mention of those who have anniversaries of employment. This recognition took place on Monday, February 13, 2017, at the conclusion of daily chapel. A reception followed in the Great Room of Old Main. Back row from left: Rev. Herbert Huhnerkoch (Chair, Board of Regents), Michael Smith (Seminary Faculty, Greek and New Testament – 15 years), John Sehloff (Director of Information Technology Services – 30 years), Denice Woller (Adjunct, Art, Communication – 15 years), Eric Woller (Vice President of Academic Affairs – 20 years), Jake Yenish (Adjunct, Theatre – 10 years), Paul Osterman (Head Athletic Trainer – 10 years), Juel Merseth (Director of Facilities – 10 years), Doyle Holbird (Professor, Biology – 10 years)
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Front row from left: President Gene Pfeifer, Gaylin Schmeling (Seminary President – 20 years), Erling Teigen, Religion and College Archivist – 40 years), Derick Lyngholm (Assistant Professor, Communication; Head Women’s Soccer Coach – 10 years), Timothy Tollefson (Assistant Professor, Music – 15 years), Jackie Lemmermann (Housekeeping Technician – 15 years), Sarah Harstad (Assistant Professor, Business Administration – 10 years), Connie Meyer (Advancement, Bookstore – 20 years) Not pictured: Christopher Kind (Director of Development – 10 years), John Merseth, Jr. (Adjunct, Theatre – 10 years), Ryan Kragh (Assistant Director of Athletics, Head Baseball Coach – 10 years)
B E TH A N Y Magazine
FACU LT Y & STA FF
From our faculty & staff Chad Heins, (Biology) served as a consultant and contributed a picture of a male Schizocosa ocreata for an article in the January 2017 Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine produced by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Chad Heins
Adrian Lo (Music) has announced his plan to retire at the end of this academic year. Adrian Lo
A study by Ryan MacPherson (History) entitled “Generational Generosity: Handing Down Our Faith to Our Children and Our Children’s Children” was published in the December 2016 issue of the Journal of Lutheran Mission. Commissioned by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS), this project debunks common misconceptions about church demography, identifies seven key factors that account for the numerical decline of LCMS membership over the past Ryan MacPherson 40 years, and suggests actions for boosting both evangelistic outreach and retention of current members. The findings are also applicable to many other church bodies. As Dr. Anthony B. Bradley, Chair of Religious and Theological Studies at
The King’s College, New York, said, “This is an outstanding report for the church catholic beyond the LCMS.” MacPherson also contributed a chapter entitled “United We Divide: The Convergence of Law, Politics, Theology, and Daily Life in the Production of No-fault Divorce” in Torn Asunder: Children, the Myth of the Good Divorce, and the Recovery of Origins (Eerdmans Press, 2017). This book is based on the proceedings of a multi-disciplinary conference held at Catholic University of America in 2012, seeking to understand the trauma that children of divorced parents continue to experience into adulthood and to chart a path toward lasting healing. Gene Pfeifer
President Gene Pfeifer together with Vice Presidents Dan Tomhave (Admissions), and Art Westphal (Advancement) attended the 2017 Christian Leadership Experience (CLE) in Orlando, Florida, in January 2017. The CLE exists to bring Christians together to discuss and learn how to be effective leaders in both congregations and organizations.
Dan Tomhave
Steven Reagles (Communication, Religion) presented two papers at the Media Ecology Association and Religious Communication Association Conferences coinSteven Reagles ciding with the National Communication Association Convention in November 2016. The first was a presentation by Dr. Reagles himself, the second was a panel presentation. An article by Reagles was published in an essay collection by Intellect Publishers, LTD, Britain, and distributed by the University of Chicago Press in America. The book is Taking Up McLuhan’s Cause; Dr. Reagles’ article is titled: “Anti-Environmental Art and its Role in Making Formal Cause Visible.” Timothy Schmeling (History, Religion) was interviewed by Concordia Publishing House (CPH). The interview focused Timothy Schmeling on the book he edited for them titled Lives and Writings of the Great Fathers of the Lutheran Church. The book is available at the Bethany Lutheran College Bookstore. Schmeling has accepted a call to teach Old Testament, Symbolics, and Church History at Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary beginning in the fall semester of 2017.
Art Westphal
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Professor Peter Kjeer 1965–2016
In December 2016, Bethany Lutheran College lost a dear colleague, friend, and gifted professor in Peter Kjeer. Kjeer taught at Bethany both part time and full time for ten years before leaving to pursue a terminal degree and teach at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. Kjeer returned in the summer of 2016 to establish a new bachelor of arts in engineering sciences program at Bethany. The program had just received approval from the Board of Regents one month prior to Kjeer’s passing. Professor Kjeer’s office door in Meyer Hall displayed a Scripture verse that began with the words, “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths” (Psalm 25: 4). President Pfeifer, in a message to the campus after learning of Professor Kjeer’s death, wrote the following: “How true is the verse on Peter’s door for us at this time, and how true is God’s infinite wisdom. As I reflect back over the past year, I see God’s guiding hand. After word came to us from the University of Minnesota that the dual degree engineering program was being eliminated, and just when we needed to develop our own program, Peter literally came back into our lives. He was present last April to help in the recruiting of prospective engineering students, and here to assure pre-engineering students already on the Bethany campus that they would have a major in engineering at Bethany from which to graduate.
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“But God in his great mercy for Peter had another plan, and we are again reminded that God’s ways are not our ways, so we again turn to the Scripture verse on Peter’s door, ‘Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths.’ God will do just that.” PR E S I D E NT G E N E PFE I FE R
B E TH A N Y Magazine
“Beginning last August, he taught a full load of engineering courses to about a dozen pre-engineering students, and also upper level engineering courses to approximately five students who put their trust in him that he’d lead them in their major. And then in less than a semester he developed and moved a bachelor of arts in engineering sciences through committees, faculty approval, and finally through adoption by the Board of Regents. Momentum for the program was building: the word was out, news releases were shared, and students were being recruited. “Earlier this fall, I asked Peter in terms of enrollment how big of a program in engineering sciences he envisioned for Bethany. He quickly responded, ‘A hundred.’ “But God in his great mercy for Peter had another plan, and we are again reminded that God’s ways are not our ways, so we again turn to the Scripture verse on Peter’s door, ‘Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths.’ God will do just that. The prophet Jeremiah assures us, ‘I know the plans I have for you … plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ (Jeremiah 29: 11). God has guided Bethany through challenges large and small over the past 90 years, and I’m more confident now than ever that he is guiding us with his Fatherly hand over Bethany today. I’m confident in God’s promise in Deuteronomy 31: 8, ‘The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.’ “While we as a campus family are deeply saddened by Peter’s loss, Bethany is moving forward with God’s blessings. It is our duty in the Lord as faculty, administration, and Board of Regents to see to it that the work, which Peter began, will continue. We honor the legacies in engineering sciences at Bethany through the Lester Goetzke endowed Chair of Engineering and Professor Kjeer who held the chair by moving forward. And indeed we are.” Kjeer was a well liked, personable, and downto-earth professor. Numerous graduates credited his gentle approach to teaching and mentoring as the impetus that led them to successful careers in engineering and applied sciences fields. A memorial service for Professor Peter Kjeer was held in Bethany’s Trinity Chapel on Saturday, December 10, 2016. Pastor Tim Hartwig from Peace Lutheran Church, North Mankato, officiated the service and Bethany Professor of Biology Doyle Holbird presented the
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Professor Peter Kjeer in class, 2007.
Professor Peter Kjeer’s office door in Meyer Hall.
message of hope. For those who were unable to attend the service, you may still view it on the Bethany Lutheran College website. A scholarship fund in Professor Kjeer’s name has been established. Friends and former students have already contributed to the fund, and the College continues to receive funds for the memorial. For those interested in contributing to the Peter Kjeer Memorial Scholarship, you may contribute online at blc.edu/donate, or send a check to: Peter Kjeer Scholarship Fund Bethany Lutheran College 700 Luther Drive Mankato, MN 56001
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dawn of new majors BY L A N C E S C H WA R T Z • D I R EC TO R O F I N S T I T U T I O N A L COM MU N I C AT I O N
Students attending Bethany Lutheran College, and those looking at the school, have even more program options to choose from now since the Board of Regents approved the addition of three new majors at their November 2016 meeting. The new majors are: bachelor of arts in engineering sciences, bachelor of arts in graphic design, and bachelor of arts in biochemistry. In addition to the new majors, the State of Minnesota also approved Bethany to offer licensure in secondary math teaching. Bethany’s new engineering program is modeled closely after the bachelor of arts in engineering sciences program at Harvard University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Two concentrations or tracks are available: mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering. Professor Peter Kjeer, before his passing in December 2016, was the coordinator for the engineering major and was the architect of the program. Kjeer’s leadership and vision for the program laid the groundwork for an engineering program suited to match the growing trend within the engineering community to seek and hire well-rounded candidates with the ability to interact on many levels with a diverse group of professionals. Bethany will now also offer graphic design as a standalone major. Bethany students have previously had the option to pursue graphic design as a component of the College’s studio art program. The addition of the separate major allows the College to more accurately promote the graphic design program to prospective students. The new major will join the already-established studio art and media arts programs under the umbrella of the College’s Fine Arts Division. Professor Andrew Overn, coordinator for the graphic design major, noted, “Although Bethany has offered the coursework for a graphic design major for years, it was considered as part of the studio art major, allowing students to choose design from a list of optional emphases. It’s our hope that as students search for graphic design programs, the new major will help them to more quickly identify Bethany as a possible place to study. Knowledge is the source of creativity, and Bethany’s broad-based, liberal arts program is a terrific complement to a major with creativity as its core.” 10
Bethany’s new biochemistry major maintains the broadly based exposure to all areas of chemistry that are part of Bethany’s current chemistry major, and defines additional courses that further develop the students’ laboratory skills and knowledge base in biochemistry. Dr. Doyle Holbird is Professor of Biology at Bethany and will also teach in the biochemistry major. He says, “Students who are interested in pursuing positions in medical labs, environmental labs, and food science labs would be well served by the biochemistry program as well as students who hope to attend medical school or graduate programs in biochemical sciences.” The Education Department is also touting its latest curricular development. A joint endeavor of the Education and Math Departments, the College recently received final approval for secondary math licensure from the Minnesota Board of Teaching. Dr. Carrie Pfeifer (Education) and Prof. Laura Buch (Mathematics) led the effort to achieve the new licensure. Pfeifer explained the impetus for the math licensure approval. “There has always been great interest from Bethany students for a program in math education licensure, but the completion of paperwork and state requirements requires considerable work. We’re pleased that this team effort has led to another new program at Bethany with State of Minnesota approval. “The addition of this program is just the beginning of several efforts to create more opportunities for students to teach in an area they have a passion for. And with these new programs, more students will certainly see Bethany Lutheran College as an option for their college training.”
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WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY Three Vikings women’s cross-country athletes placed among the top fifteen finishers at the 2016 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) cross-country championship. Megan Sauer (Lismore, Minnesota) wrapped up her Bethany cross-country career by placing fifth overall with a time of 24:02.1. Her efforts garnered a first team allconference award, and she was the recipient of the 2016 UMAC women’s cross-country individual sportsmanship award. Morgan Sauer (Lismore, Minn.) and Lydia Hildebrandt (Mountain Lake, Minn.) earned second-team all-conference honors. Morgan Sauer crossed the finish line in twelfth place with a time of 24:45.3. Hildebrandt was close behind in the fourteenth spot at 25:05.0. The team finished in third place among the nine colleges competing.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY The Vikings men’s cross-country team also participated in the UMAC championships garnering a seventh place team finish. While the men did not earn any individual allconference honors, every runner set season best times at the conference championships and several athletes set personal records at the UMAC event.
WOMEN’S GOLF The Vikings women’s golf team earned a fifth place overall finish among a field of nine teams at the 2016 UMAC golf championships. Mackenzie Manthei (Belview, Minnesota) earned all-conference honors for the second
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consecutive year. Manthei also received the individual sportsmanship award for the Bethany Vikings. Manthei finished the 2016 UMAC Championship tied for fifteenth place overall with a three-day score of 305.
MEN’S GOLF The Vikings men’s golf squad finished in seventh place out of the nine teams at the UMAC Men’s Golf Championship. For the Vikings, Sam Havnen (Fairmont, Minnesota) finished in thirteenth place with an overall total for his three rounds of 242 (+26). Jordan Petzel (Arlington, Minnesota) was close behind with a three-day total of 251 (+35). Both the men’s and women’s golf teams return to the golf course this spring to conclude their seasons.
WOMEN’S SOCCER 10-10-2 (4-3-1 UMAC) Conference Tournament Qualifier Following the completion of a successful season for the Bethany women’s soccer team, four student-athletes were recognized with UMAC all-conference honors. Nicole Moldstad (North Mankato, Minnesota) and Rachel Bitter (Bemidji, Minnesota) earned all-conference second team recognition, while Averi Cash (Ottumwa, Iowa) and Sarah Paul (Chisago Lakes, Minnesota) were recognized with all-conference honorable mention distinction. Colleen Croy (Tacoma, Washington) received the 2016 individual sportsmanship award.
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MEN’S SOCCER 0-20 (0-8 UMAC) Matt Bitter (Bemidji, Minnesota), a goalkeeper on the Bethany men’s soccer team, was the lone recipient of postseason honors for the men’s soccer team. Bitter received honorable mention all-conference distinction for the third consecutive year. Jonathan Sehloff (Mankato, Minnesota) received the individual sportsmanship award for the Bethany Vikings. Sehloff is a freshman for the Vikings who played in all twenty contests, finishing with one goal and one assist on the season.
VOLLEYBALL 9-17 (4-4 UMAC) Conference Tournament Qualifier The Bethany Lutheran volleyball team earned a spot in the UMAC postseason tournament. Following a first round loss to Martin Luther in five sets, three student-athletes were named to the 2016 all-conference list. Megan Rutt (Le Center, Minnesota) received all-conference first team recognition while teammates Jasmine Carlson (Windom, Minnesota) and Kristen Mielke (New Germany, Minnesota) earned all-conference second team honors. Shelby Sicheneder (Watertown, Minnesota) received the 2016 individual sportsmanship award.
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B E TH A N Y Magazine
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Laura Harstad’s Story Laura Harstad’s arrival at Bethany comes by something close to a matriculation birthright. She cites a list of relatives a mile long who’ve attended Bethany including her parents, three brothers, and two sisters. If the encouragement of family wasn’t enough to convince her that Bethany was the right choice, Harstad was also influenced by positive experiences she had while attending both the Honor Choir Camp and Art Camp at Bethany as a high school student. Harstad is a snapshot of many who’ve attended Bethany Lutheran College throughout its ninety years—two, three, even four generations of the same family in some cases. She grew up going to a small Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) church and school in Scarville, Iowa, although the family farm was just across the state line in far southern Minnesota. Harstad went on to attend Alden-Conger High School (Minnesota), one of the smallest high schools in the state with an enrollment of approximately 140 students. By all accounts this was a life Harstad loved, and Bethany being a small college founded on the beliefs she learned as a child, was in her words “the best choice for me.” Harstad loves music, and her blueprint coming to Bethany was to strengthen that connection to the musical experiences that were shaped in her home, church, and schools she’d attended. She hit the ground running and soaked up all of the music opportunities she could at Bethany. She sang with both the Concert Choir and the Mary Martha Singers, and performed in Bethany’s annual musicals with the Choraliers. Bethany still offered the associate in arts degree (A.A.) when Harstad attended, earning her A.A. degree in 2000. After Bethany, she went on to attend Minnesota State University, Mankato, where she majored in music. She was a member of the University Choir at Minnesota State,
Photos courtesy of Laura Harstad
Laura gave a guitar lesson to Linda (left), a member at Open Bible Lutheran Church (WELS) in Whiteriver, Arizona, as part of an adult music workshop in 2016.
tutored fellow students in conducting there, and also found time to tutor students in music theory at Bethany. Harstad’s love for all that is music played a role in her marriage to Eric Harstad (’95). The two met at Bethany, although Eric is a few years older and was a resident assistant (RA) while she was a student. The couple both earned degrees in music and went on to teach K-12 vocal music over the years at schools in central Minnesota. Laura also taught 7-12 instrumental music for a couple of years.
“Even as a kid, my parents or my church would take us to BLC plays and concerts, and I was so excited when I could finally be in them myself!” L AU R A H A R S TA D
“[At Bethany] I loved being surrounded by so many Christians, and I was doubly blessed to meet my husband there. I also enjoyed being part of the music program at BLC – singing in choirs, participating in Choraliers, and taking organ lessons. Even as a kid, my parents or my church would take us to BLC plays and concerts, and I was so excited when I could finally be in them myself!” explained Harstad. This love for music was certainly part of the couple’s journey, but for Laura finding her ultimate career path, we’ll have to take a pit stop of sorts. During her college years, she responded to a request for help from an organization called Kingdom Workers. The request was for college students to help with a spring break canvassing project for a start-up church in Florida. Eager to visit Florida and help with a worthy project, Harstad signed up. “Volunteering for that mission project gave me more confidence and experience in sharing my faith. It helped me realize that even people who say they are Christian might not understand, or have heard the Gospel message. Since then, I’ve volunteered for multiple Kingdom Workers projects in the USA and
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abroad. Those experiences have not only given me the opportunity to connect with and be inspired by brothers and sisters in Christ around the world, but they have opened my eyes to the countless opportunities to share Jesus’ love in my own community,” said Harstad. This early involvement with Kingdom Workers set the stage for what turned out to be a series of experiences assisting with projects around the world. One of those ventures brought the Harstads to Asia for a year of teaching English as a second language. The couple loved the experience, and it led to others in places such as Mexico, Malawi, and Arizona. The scope of these experiences varied, but a common thread of compassion and love for humans around the globe and the ability to share their faith set Harstad on a path she’d never predicted while teaching K-12 music. A life-changing event occurred in 2011, while Laura and Eric were in Vietnam helping with a school start-up project. Laura’s father, Jim Faugstad (‘76), had been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2004. Multiple Myeloma is a form of bone marrow cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. When her father’s health began to decline again after years of fighting and treatment, Laura knew that being in Vietnam wasn’t going to work. “In 2011, we actually ended up living with my parents for a few months, so I could stay with my dad in Rochester while he went through his second stem cell transplant. Going through an eleven-year cancer journey as a family brought us all closer together. It also helped us focus on God as our source of strength. My dad lived out his Christian vocation in what some would consider a simple way – raising his family in the same house that he grew up in on a southern Minnesota farm. Dad never passed up an opportunity to help someone, and his faith was easily seen through the kindness he showed everyone, family devotions,
Laura with her dad, Jim Faugstad.
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and being actively involved in church. His ‘ready to help’ nature impacted hundreds of people. He passed away in 2015, and at his funeral, the church was packed with friends, family, and acquaintances from every single part of his life. “My dad’s mission field was a small farm in southern Minnesota, and he helped me see that we don’t have to travel very far to make a difference in people’s lives. People need Jesus in every single part of every single country in the world. Look around! It’s not hard to find someone in need of a Savior and a little kindness.” After her father’s passing, Laura Harstad was determined to continue helping others through her connection to Kingdom Workers. With no immediate expectations, she contacted the organization to simply see if “they needed any help.” To her amazement, she was offered a part-time job helping recruit volunteers for international projects. Harstad recounted the opportunity, “It’s interesting how God guides your path. Kingdom Workers was hoping to expand their volunteer program, and I was hired to help develop that system. This involved all aspects of the volunteer process: recruitment, vetting, placement, and on-going support for volunteers serving around the world.” “When I contacted them to volunteer again, I never in my life expected to be offered a job! I had been a teacher for many years and had no plans to change careers, but I’m so thankful that Kingdom Workers gave me this opportunity. It’s an amazing privilege to help hundreds of volunteers serve communities around the world.” Harstad’s love for helping others now has become a full-time position with Kingdom Workers as the organization’s Director of Volunteer Management. Kingdom Workers is structured as a non-profit organization. Its mission is to share the Gospel through sustainable programs serving the needs of people in communities around the world. Harstad is one of sixteen full-time staff at Kingdom Workers. These employees work with local ministry partners and hundreds of volunteers. Kingdom Workers partners with churches that are part of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC), which is a group of twenty-five Lutheran church bodies around the world. The ELS, which owns and operates Bethany Lutheran College, is a member of the CELC.
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Laura helped with a vacation Bible school outreach program at one of the Lutheran Church of Central Africa-Malawi Synod congregations along with local church members and Kingdom Workers teammates.
Laura with her husband, Eric, and a picture of Leo, whom the couple is working to adopt.
These partnerships result in mobilizing local church members and visiting volunteers to serve people in specific communities and countries all while sharing the Gospel. Harstad’s efforts to recruit volunteers helps support projects that are administered throughout the world. Recent locations where Kingdom Workers volunteers have served are Canada, the Caribbean, Chile, Japan, Malawi, Southeast Asia, and throughout the United States. Some of the efforts have included helping local church members with endeavors ranging from disability services, clean water access, to church and
school construction projects. With the collaboration of her Kingdom Workers teammates, she organizes and helps direct the labors of over 500 volunteers every year, and also presents the Kingdom Workers story to groups everywhere. “It’s so exciting to see the impact that’s being made. I recently heard our Malawi Field Assistant, Davie, talk about villages he visits in Malawi where people with disabilities used to be hidden away and ostracized. Now, those same people are a visible and valued part of the community. Regular Christians like you and me are making this happen. How amazing is that! Every day at Kingdom Workers, we see Christians reaching out into their community with something as simple as helping people with disabilities, starting a community garden, or building a clean water source – all while sharing God’s Word. It inspires me to ask – what can I do in my community?” Coming full circle for Harstad, her office is now located on the Bethany campus. A place she says really suits her work perfectly. “I have the ability to connect with students and professors, many times discussing volunteer opportunities with them. We’re fortunate right now to be planning a summer volunteer project on the Apache Reservation in Arizona with a faculty member at Bethany.” The Harstads lives are about to embark on another exciting adventure soon as they are especially thrilled to be in the final stages of adopting a 9-year-old boy, Leo, from China. “It has been a long journey as we prayed for the blessing of children, but all of the difficult times combined will never come close to the unbelievable joy we felt at the moment God helped us find him! Thinking about that joy reminds me of how much joy God must have when we become his adopted children through faith.” Leo will be their first child, and the couple couldn’t be happier about this opportunity to be parents.
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Alfonso Mayfield’s Story A common desire to affect change for others is the bond that Alfonso (Fonzie) Mayfield shares with his fellow Bethany alumna, Laura Harstad. However, Mayfield’s pathway to Bethany, and his career focused on human service, was just a little different than Laura Harstad’s route. Mayfield attended Brookfield (Wisconsin) Central High School with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. But it wasn’t in Brookfield, a Milwaukee suburb, where Mayfield lived and grew up. Mayfield’s home was in the urban core of Milwaukee. It’s well documented that inner city Milwaukee has its problems, and the opportunities for Mayfield in the Milwaukee public school system were a bit more muted than in a suburban high school. Through an opportunity to open enroll at Brookfield Central; Mayfield was able to experience education and life outside of the inner city neighborhood he was raised in. “My mom always encouraged us to seek out more education,” explained Mayfield. “She was a big influence, and she always told us to get out of our comfort zone.” So that’s what Fonzie Mayfield did while attending Brookfield Central, and along the way he developed exceptional basketball skills as well. The love for the sport of basketball ran in the family. A brother had played for Purdue University, Fonzie and another brother also had the skills to play the game at the collegiate level. That ability on the court led to an eventual visit from then Bethany basketball coach Art Westphal, who recalled his first conversation with Mayfield at Brookfield Central. “I think I did all of the talking,” explained Westphal. “I don’t think [Mayfield] said a word to me during our visit. I left there thinking there’s no way he’s coming to Bethany.” But the silence wasn’t because Mayfield wasn’t interested in hearing what Westphal was saying about opportunities at Bethany. It was because Mayfield’s high school coach didn’t tell him who was coming to visit. Mayfield explained that he was “shocked” to say the least. He knew that he always wanted to go to college. His mom stressed education continuously. The problem, explained Mayfield, was that he really hadn’t put much thought into how that was going to happen. “It’s funny to me now, but I didn’t know what [going to college] really meant and what steps I needed to take in order to get there. I thought that going to college was the natural next step, so I didn’t even fill out any applications—I didn’t know that was necessary. If it hadn’t been for basketball, I may not have gone at all. I was very fortunate.” Mayfield’s family convinced him that he at least ought to take a look at Bethany Lutheran College. So, Alfonso, his mom, and brother made the six-hour trip to Mankato to see what this place was all about. “Mankato was a whole different world than what I was used to,” said Mayfield. “It was like this utopia, it was so beautiful, and it seemed so perfect!”
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Photo by David Norris
Alfonso Mayfield at his office in St. Paul.
Photos courtesy of Alfonso Mayfield
Alfonso’s mother, Marilyn Bartee.
“Mankato was a whole different world than what I was used to. It was like this utopia, it was so beautiful, and it seemed so perfect!” A LFO N S O M AY FI E LD
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Yet, even after the positive first impressions and spending a day on campus, Mayfield still wasn’t sure. It took a little encouragement from his family, mostly from his mother to convince him to “step out of the comfort zone.” Somewhat reluctantly, and with the idea that his brother was going to attend with him and play basketball, he enrolled at Bethany in the fall of 2002. “My brother was supposed to come with me, but actually, the day before we were supposed to leave, he decided to go to the community college in Brainerd (Minnesota), where he got a scholarship to play basketball. I was devastated. I was in this brand new place, all by myself and I was miserable. I received a very, very, warm welcome, but I was terrified to be away from home. I didn’t want to be away from my family. I wasn’t very big on change. For the first couple of weeks, I didn’t want to leave my dorm room. “I didn’t bring much with me. I had a TV, my clothes, and a VCR. I think it took about one trip up the stairs to get unpacked. I sat down in my room and wondered, ‘What am I doing here?’” If it wasn’t for some teammates who made a point to reach out, Mayfield explained that he might not have come out of his room those first few weeks on campus. Those experiences with teammates helped Mayfield through the social adjustment, but then there were the classes—another fear that needed conquering. Mayfield explained, “College classes were a lot different than high school. They were small, they were tough.”
Afonso’s wife, Kathryn, and his daughter, Peyton.
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But unlike his high school of 1,500 students, there was a big difference with the college classes he was taking at Bethany. That difference was the factor that helped him become comfortable and succeed in the classroom. “I learned to talk with my professors. I asked the questions that helped me understand. And the professors at Bethany were so open to that. I developed close relationships with many of my professors, and they all helped me a lot.” Positive role models in the classroom and on the basketball coaching staff began to affect the way Mayfield looked at life. His outlook, desire, and drive took off in the way that he hoped it would. Mayfield talks candidly about what life was like in Milwaukee and the contrast to his experience at Bethany. “Growing up, I was used to an impoverished home and community, and I was used to unhealthy relationships—as I look back, I can call it that now. I was used to single parent families, to abuse, crime and drugs. And that wasn’t present in Mankato, and I started to look at life a little bit differently. I began to ask all these questions: Maybe the way that I was brought up wasn’t right, maybe the things I saw weren’t right?” It’s not that he didn’t feel loved at home in Milwaukee, or that things were so awful, but it was what he experienced at Bethany that set his course in a direction that brought him onto a path of success both on the court where he was an All-Region and All-American, in the classroom, and now in his work helping others find their places in life. “The biggest impact was that I started to see professional men—family men—and how they interacted. I can’t really say that I had a positive role model growing up. There were men that I looked up to—mostly my brother. But other than that they were people that I could never get a hold of: celebrities, movie stars, and artists. I didn’t have that positive influence when I grew up: the men in my life were alcoholics, pimps, and drug dealers—they were abusive. There were no happily married couples in my family, or even in my view. But when I was in Mankato, I began to see that. I began to see men with dreams. I began to see men take care of their kids and be loving husbands. It was beautiful, but as simple as it may seem, it was brand new to me. I really admired it. “So, I started to really question everything: what was I going to do with myself? I knew I couldn’t go back to Milwaukee. It wasn’t necessarily bad, and it wasn’t like everybody was in the streets, but everybody struggled. Everybody was living below poverty level and no one was really trying to break out of that. And I wanted more for me, and my future kids. I didn’t want them to struggle. All I wanted was to have confidence. “After my first year at Bethany, I was happy to have gotten out of the city and be in college. Now, when I look back at it, it was the best decision I’ve made in my life.” Mayfield graduated from Bethany in 2007, and while he felt ready to take on the world, he struggled a bit with just what it was that he wanted to do. His degree from Bethany was in business administration,
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admired her. During that time, I left the clothing store, because I just wasn’t happy there. A friend of mine told me about a position at the Boys and Girls Club. I’d always wanted to do something for my community, my neighborhood, and neighborhoods like mine, but I didn’t know exactly what that meant. The position was a significant pay cut, but I needed to do something different. So I went for it, and I began working with high school kids, helping secure internships and jobs for them, and giving them training and workable skills. It was great—I loved it! I fell in love with those kids, and I fell in love working with them, and I said: Okay, well this is something that I can do.” While the loss of his mother hurt, that tragedy was followed by the deaths of a brother and an aunt in the same year. Mayfield did his best to carry on and spent a couple of years working with the Boys and Girls Club in Milwaukee. But deep inside, after all the personal pain, he believed that Milwaukee wasn’t his home any longer.
“I decided a while ago that I wanted to be a role model for inner city youth. I wanted to be that guy that I saw when I went to Mankato. That Mayfield playing basketball for Bethany in 2006.
and he was offered and accepted a management job with the Kohl’s department store company. He enjoyed the new challenge, was making a comfortable living, he even dreamed of taking his knowledge and management experience and starting a business of his own. Then reality hit. His source of encouragement and support, his mother, was experiencing some serious health issues. “My mom had been sick for most of my life: she battled cancer, and even though she beat that, she was always in the hospital. My mom was our support system. If it hadn’t been for her, we wouldn’t have had much. So I quit my management job at Kohl’s, and moved back to Milwaukee to take care of my mom. I began working with a marketing company, working for clients like Sears and other companies. Afterwards, I went back to retail and managed a clothing store. Again, I was thinking: This is good, it will help me run my own business some day. “I was working there for a little less than a year, and then my mom passed in 2010, which hit our family very, very hard. My mom was the glue for our family—she brought everyone together, and everyone
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someone who can inspire kids, and that tells them that they can be more than their past.” A LFO N S O M AY FI E LD
So, Mayfield packed a trailer and moved to the Twin Cities without a job, but with the knowledge that he loved working with kids. He wanted to continue making a difference for others. He was aware of an organization called Urban Ventures, and looked into an opening with them. The offer didn’t come right away, but eventually, he did hear from them and was offered a job, albeit not the one he was hoping for. “I wasn’t working with kids but with adults who had some sort of barrier to employment, whether it was addiction, lack of skills, or a previous conviction.” Once again, the experience of helping others
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proved to be something Mayfield really enjoyed. He was promoted twice: first from job developer to supervisor, and then to director. Mayfield stayed busy with this work, and also became involved with community initiatives including Oasis for Youth, an organization that finds resources for homeless youth. After three years with Urban Ventures, he wanted to get back to working with kids and started a new position as a director with Rêve Academy, helping set up student-run businesses. It was another great fit for Mayfield, he was happy to work with students, while also calling on some of his business training and knowledge. This experience eventually brought Mayfield to a new venture with 180 Degrees in St. Paul. 180 Degrees, like the other organizations that Mayfield has helped, exists to “assist clients achieve their full potential.” This includes work with youth advancement programs, family support programs, and residence programs for trafficked girls, and adult men re-entering society from correctional facilities. Mayfield is also actively building his own start-up nonprofit called SAFE Homes. SAFE is an acronym for Saving Adolescents From Endangerment. He’s just launched this venture, and is building the program from the ground up. “I decided a while ago that I wanted to be a role model for inner city youth. I wanted to be that guy that I saw when I went to Mankato. That someone who can inspire kids, and that tells them that they can be more than their past. And that’s the truth. It’s tough hearing that when you are a kid in the inner city, because you don’t see it, and it doesn’t become real to you. A lot of the issues and the problems you see in the inner cities stem from fatherless homes, and that’s another reason why I want to be that role model for all sorts of kids. I am not trying to be someone else’s dad, but I want to be that positive male influence. It takes commitment, and it takes the willingness, and if we just begin to think in those ways we can start to break our own cycles.” And all the while Mayfield was building his passion and career helping others, he found the time to earn an MBA. He received his master’s from Cardinal Stritch University in 2014. As was the case with enrolling at Bethany, Mayfield was inspired to earn that master’s degree while remembering his mother’s encouragement to “step outside of the comfort zone.” Mayfield is married now. His wife works in the
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Safehomesmn.com website reaches out to help save adolescents from endangerment.
health care industry. He also has a four-year-old daughter who inspires him every day to be his best. “I want to do all I can to provide for my own family. Being a father is the most important job on this earth.”
Divergent Pasts, Focused Futures While Harstad and Mayfield’s stories of growing up and finding Bethany are quite opposite, the similarities are obvious. Fonzie and Laura are both driven to help others, and their life experiences clearly shaped a desire to become beacons in their professions helping others. They’re both making the world a better place by bringing hope, love, and the message of the Gospel to people that need it most, whether it’s in the urban core of the Twin Cities, in Malawi, or the Apache Reservation in Arizona. A section of Bethany Lutheran College’s listed objectives states that graduates should: “Demonstrate Christian stewardship with regard to their talents and abilities that they be used for the glory of God and the welfare of mankind.” We’re proud of both of these Bethany Lutheran College graduates as they strive to help those in need in the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. LEARN MORE BY VISITING: KINGDOMWORKERS.COM SAFEHOMESMN.COM | 180DEGREES.ORG
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Beauty in Judy Photo by David Norris
BY M E G A N C AVA N AU G H • B E T H A N Y S EN I O R
Beloved Bethany fixture Judy Hed recently celebrated her 80th birthday.
Judy Hed has created a lasting bond with current, former students To a woman whose dedication to serving students goes beyond the normal, to a woman who refuses to retire because “these kids are my life,” to a woman who brings a smile to each student just by being in the cafeteria: Bethany Lutheran College is grateful for Judy Hed’s many years of service. The campus recently took the time wish Hed a happy 80th birthday! Hed has been an employee of Bethany’s cafeteria for over 35 years and she is still going strong. Hed first came to Mankato when her husband was transferred as the plant manager for Johnson Fishing. It wasn’t easy leaving Port Washington, Wisconsin, at first. Hed’s two daughters and one son stayed behind and continue to live in Wisconsin. “I came up here and I didn’t know anybody and it was just awful for me,” she said. “My husband said, ‘Well, why don’t you find a part-time job to keep you busy.’ So I said, ‘Okay.’” Hed came to Bethany because their apartment was close by. She got a job working in the cafeteria. Hed admits the first week was a little rough, but she figured she would give it a try.
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“After that first week I said, ‘Well, I’ll stay one more week,’ and now I’ve been here 35 years, and I just don’t know where the time went,” she said. Since moving to Mankato, Hed’s husband has retired and now works part time at Land-to-Air Express, a local bus service with trips to Minneapolis and Rochester. Her children now have their own children—who’ve graduated from college—yet Hed finds herself longing to stay in college, working in a college cafeteria, that is. A normal day for Hed in the cafeteria begins by arriving at 5:45 a.m., preparing, setting out, and cleaning up breakfast and then baking dessert for lunch and dinner. When finished with baking and eating lunch, Hed leaves her Bethany job and heads to another—cleaning at Mount Olive Lutheran School until 5 p.m.
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Hed says she would be lost without these jobs. She’s grateful that her husband makes dinner every day so she can be at the places she loves, working jobs she never thought she’d continue years ago. Though her daughter wants her to retire, Hed doesn’t want to slow down, she wants to keep up with the students. The students even oblige her by including her in activities. One such activity is an annual bonfire, held at Hed’s home, that takes place in October. “One day Mike Lendt (a former student) came in and said, ‘I wish we had a place to have a bonfire.’ I said, ‘Oh, you can have one at my house.’ ‘Really?’ he goes,” she said. “So I made hot dogs and beans. Thirty people must have come to the first one. The kids sat around the fire and made hot dogs and s’mores. Now it’s an annual thing.” Before that first bonfire a few years ago, Hed had never had a s’more. “They asked if I had had a s’more before and I said, ‘No, what’s a sah-moore?’ They made me one and it was really good,” she said. In fact, Hed thought this new-found treat was so good she had more than one! Lendt and his friends became fast friends with Hed, and tried to help her in little ways. “Michael and his friends Joel, Jake, and Scott, those boys, would come over and decorate my Christmas tree and offer to decorate every year,” she said. “They would even offer to cut wood.” Lendt has since graduated, but whenever he comes back to Bethany, he often pays Hed a visit. “My house is always open, so kids who come back to visit have come and stayed the night at my house.
“After that first week I said, ‘Well, I’ll stay one more week,’ and now I’ve been here 35 years, and I just don’t know where the time went.” J U DY H E D O N FI N D I N G WO R K AT B E TH A N Y
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BLC Archives photo
Judy Hed (center), along with other kitchen staff, from the late ‘90s.
Michael has done that,” she said with a smile demonstrating a unique bond with Bethany students. Over the years Hed has collected many memories of past students who now work at Bethany. One such person is Mary Jo Starkson, Bethany’s registrar. “Mary Jo came here as a student. She did the baking for me in the cafeteria on the weekends and here she is now the registrar. Pete Bloedel would come through the line juggling his tray and now he’s a professor and his kids come here. Andy [Overn], Pete’s best friend, I could remember him coming through the line; he was so funny. Brian [Strom] wooed his wife right here in the cafeteria,” she said staring off into the distance, deep in a memory and a smile. I remember seeing Brian out here talking with her a lot.” Hed still gets letters from Bethany alumni. She looks forward to hearing about the updates in their lives. Hed says she doesn’t expect much on birthdays, it’s just another day, but on January 20, 2017, she said the best present was to see her students. “I don’t know what to talk about,” she said regarding birthdays, “I’m getting old.” Judy Hed really is the glue that holds the cafeteria together, and to say that she is loved is an understatement. Every year, Bethany commemorates employees’ years of service to the College. Hed remembers her most recent recognition clearly. “After my name was called, and I came up, the students started clapping and they wouldn’t stop,” she said laughing. “It was the funniest thing. The president looked at me like ‘make it stop,’ and I just looked at the students and looked at him like ‘I can’t help it.’ The clapping went on for a long time.” Bethany students’ appreciation for Hed continues to go on. Throughout her 35 years of service (and counting), one thing is certain: there is only one and could never be another Judy Hed. 21
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Great Expectations
FROM DICKENS INVESTIGATION Bethany archives photo by David Norris
Professor of English at Bethany, Dr. Robert Hanna.
Dr. Robert Hanna expounds on research, publication, and teaching Dr. Robert Hanna (Professor of English) was on sabbatical leave during the Fall 2016 semester. Now that he is back on campus, Bethany Magazine recently discussed various topics with him, starting with his sabbatical.
or book will be of interest to others. However, in this case, AMS Press in New York contacted me and asked me to write a reference book for Nicholas Nickleby. So, I’m already under contract for this project.
Was this your first sabbatical? This was my first sabbatical at Bethany. For several summers, I have been working on a reference book for Charles Dickens’ third novel, Nicholas Nickleby. I finally needed an uninterrupted period of time for completing the largest section of the book, literary criticism from 1838 through 2015. Bethany’s sabbatical program is ideal for this kind of scholarship.
Does researching and writing a book prevent you from pursuing other projects? Only larger projects. This past summer, I discovered the only biographical article that Dickens cooperated with and approved for publication during his lifetime. It was overlooked by other Dickens scholars because it was written and published in France. Dickens didn’t want his personal information published in any English-speaking countries.
Your book sounds specialized. Are you confident that you can find a publisher when you complete it? Usually what I write starts out as my own idea. I research, write, submit, and then find out if any editor or publisher agrees that my article
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What are you doing with this French article? Before my sabbatical started, I translated it. My college French teachers would be pleased. This is another example that I’ll be able to share about the value of a liberal arts education. Anyway, when I translated the article, I discovered that Dickens deliberately provided misleading information about his childhood. I added commentary on why Dickens wanted to prevent newspaper reporters from discovering things like gaps in his formal education. He was also ashamed of his father’s imprisonment for debt. Will you complete this project after your book on Nicholas Nickleby? I already sent my translation and analysis to The Dickensian journal, and the editor has accepted everything for publication. Do you have any other publications to report? Yes. Before I began my work on Nickleby, I located an unpublished play by Dickens’ friend and fellow novelist, Wilkie Collins. The play entitled A Court Duel was Collins’ first play, from 1850. The only surviving manuscript is in the British Library. I had earlier transcribed and published another Collins play, The Storm at the Lighthouse, so I had a head start in reading what I like to call his challenging cursive handwriting. Do unpublished plays by Collins generate the same interest as, say, an unpublished play by Dickens? All of Dickens plays have been published, but Dickens scholars are typically interested in anything by Collins, because he and Dickens sometimes collaborated on fiction. That’s why I submitted A Court Duel to Dickens Studies Annual. I included my analysis of themes in A Court Duel that Collins reused in many of his short stories and novels during the next ten years. Both the play and my findings were published this past December in the 2016 volume of the Annual. Was A Court Duel a success? Yes, but not in the way one would expect. There was only one performance. Collins and his friends asked a well-known professional London actress to take the play’s only female part. Then they rented a London theater and gave a charity performance. They donated all the profits to the Female Emigration Fund, which helped poor seamstresses escape poverty in London. Dickens and Collins first met because a mutual friend recommended Collins to Dickens as a
Charles Dickens portrait from the 1860s.
talented amateur actor who would be ideal for Dickens’ own amateur acting company, which also raised money for charity. In a sense, A Court Duel was also successful because it indirectly brought two of the most popular novelists together for future collaborations. Does your research affect your teaching at Bethany? Definitely. I keep learning additional research skills, and I teach many of them to my students. I also include some of my findings in my literature courses. Right now, I am teaching a topics course on the life and writings of Dickens. My students are reading Nicholas Nickleby, and they are experiencing the novel much in the manner of the novel’s very first readers. How do you accomplish this? Dickens wrote and published Nickleby in monthly installments of thirty-two pages, from April 1838 through October 1839. My students read one installment for each class meeting. They critique only thirty-two pages at a time. I supplement their critiques with my sabbatical findings of published critiques written when literary critics had read no more than what my students have read. Thank you for taking time to share your in-class and out-of-class pursuits with our readers. I’m always delighted to discuss my work at Bethany with anyone who is interested, especially students who are considering attending Bethany and their parents. 23
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‘I MOVE WE TAKE OVER THE SCHOOL’
Bethany Archives Photos
BY E R LI N G T. T E I G E N • PR O FE S S O R E M ER I T U S , B E T H A N Y LU T H ER A N CO LLEG E A R CH I V I S T
Old Main as it was around 1922.
During this 2016-17 academic year, Bethany Lutheran College is recognizing the 90th anniversary of ownership by the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS). The ELS was once called the Norwegian Synod. The article that follows first appeared in the ELS’ Historical Society publication Oak Leaves. The 1927 convention of the Norwegian Synod was held at the Lime Creek Lutheran Church, five miles north of Lake Mills, Iowa. Lime Creek was the site of the organizing convention of the synod in 1918. This one too was to be of momentous importance, but not all went smoothly. There may have been some disagreements and closely divided votes among the brethren before, but on the matter to be acted upon at this convention, there were two, rather strongly positioned sides. A notice of the proposal by the Bethany Association to turn Bethany over to the synod had been sent in May to the editor of the Luthersk Tidende to be printed before the convention. Through an oversight, the editor failed to print it, so it was not certain that the convention could properly discuss and act on the matter. After hearing an explanation, the assembly permitted the proposal to come before the convention, and it was given to the floor committee for deliberation. 24
Pastors and their wives gathered for a photograph outside Lime Creek Lutheran Church in 1927.
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In the 1920s, much of the convention time was devoted to the discussion of doctrinal papers and not quite so much to business. The convention that year began on Tuesday, June 16 and ran until Monday, June 22. Aside from the doctrinal papers, the committee arrangement was similar to that followed by the ELS today — convention committees were appointed to review the president’s message and report and the reports of the permanent committees, including Høiere Skoler (Higher Education). The committees, composed of pastors and lay-delegates, met to review the reports of the standing committee, and prepare appropriate resolutions to be discussed and decided by the assembly. On Friday, the committee on the President’s report was taken up. The proposed resolution concerning the Bethany matter read: 1) This synod meeting should seriously consider whether or not the time has come that the Synod must establish its own institution of higher learning; 2) This synod meeting should carefully and seriously consider the offer, which comes from the Bethany Lutheran College Association. Recognizing the importance of this discussion, the secretary, L P. Jenson, recorded more detail than is usually found in the convention reports, which might be explained by the fact that he had strong feelings about the matter. Following is a translation of the secretary’s description of the proceedings from the Beretning (Synod Report). On Friday afternoon, the memorial which had not been printed in the Tidende as required, was accepted for discussion and was read: To the Norwegian Synod of the American Evang. Luth. Church: The Bethany Lutheran College Association was organized a year ago for the purpose of acquiring and holding for the Norwegian Synod the Bethany College property at Mankato, Minnesota. During the past year the Association has secured a clear title to this property, which consists of about 16 acres of land in the geographical center of the city of Mankato, and buildings and equipment, all conservatively valued at $400,000. The Association is agreed that the time has come to offer this school to the Norwegian Synod, and by formal resolution, adopted at its annual meeting, May 25, 1927, makes this offer now through its officers. We
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The Convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (formerly Norwegian Synod) was held at Bethany Lutheran College in 1930.
respectfully ask that this convention consider this matter and take over the ownership and control of Bethany Lutheran College, in order that it may serve the Church as it could and should. For the Bethany Lutheran College Association and its Board of Trustees, S. C. Ylvisaker, President N. A. Madson, Secretary On Friday afternoon, the proposals of the Committee for the President’s report were taken up. The fourth point was in reference to the Committee for Higher Education. The discussion of the matter began with a presentation by the Bethany Association, arguing that having its own educational institution was essential for the synod to carry out its mission and to survive as a confessing church body. Should the Norwegian Synod have its own school? That this is an absolute necessity if we will continue as a synod ought to be clear for everyone who has the least familiarity with the church’s history…. Many of our dear congregation members have already shown by their gifts to the school that they have a view of the necessity of the institution. It is already embraced with affection and interest in the greater number of congregations of the Synod. But the school will not come into its own right among us until it becomes the Synod’s school. And the Synod needs just such a school to gather itself around. Without its own school, the Synod simply cannot hope to continue as the Norwegian Synod. If, therefore, we want to continue as the Norwegian Synod, then it is important not to stand in the way as a hindrance, but to support with affection and true Christian zeal Bethany Lutheran College. The matter was debated at the Saturday morning and afternoon sessions. On Monday afternoon it was taken up again, and Pastor S. C. Ylvisaker read a report of the financial position of Bethany with some of the following information: Assets $314,600.00, conservatively estimated, and liabilities $51,800.00 as they stand. Pastor H. M. Tjernagel made the following motion: “That the matter at hand be referred to the congregations for thorough study and that each 25
CA M PU S N E WS
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A school photo was taken with students, faculty, and the joint-board in March of 1928.
congregation report its decision in the matter to the Synod President before the end of this year. Furthermore it is requested of the congregations that they so far as possible look at both sides of the matter under consideration so that their final decision can have the greatest possible significance.” The time for speaking was limited to five minutes and when Pastor G. A. Gullixson had the floor, he made the following motion: “I move we take over the school” [This quotation was printed in English, in the midst of Norwegian text]. Both motions were seconded. On Tuesday morning, the Bethany discussion continued. Pastor A. J. Torgerson presented the following amendment to Tjernagel’s motion: “The Synod recognizes the necessity for an institution of higher learning and is thankful for the generous offer from Bethany Lutheran Association. The risk however, is not to be accepted just now; but [we] ask the Bethany Lutheran College Association to operate the school still longer and promise our moral and financial support. The resolution was voted on when those on the speakers’ list had spoken. The assembly agreed to vote on Gullixson’s motion first, now formulated thus: “The Synod accepts the offer from Bethany Lutheran College Association.” For the resolution, 33 votes; against, 21 votes. Two gave as reasons for not voting for the resolution that they were not against taking over the school, but that they preferred that Pastor A. J. Torgerson’s amendment would be accepted. A temporary Board of Regents of seven members was elected to take care of the transfer and the schools needs and operations. It consisted of J. A. Moldstad, O. M. Gullerud, A. J. Torgerson, E. J. Onstad (Madison, Wis.), H. R. Hanson (Leland, Ia.), and G. G. Vaala (Lawler, Ia.). One part of the proceedings that would certainly draw quick objections today is the fact that there were two motions on the floor at once, one made by Tjernagel to have the congregations study the matter before the next convention, and the other by Gullixson. The secretary notes that both were seconded, but the assembly agreed to take up Gullixson’s motion first, even though it was made after Tjernagel’s. In the months after the convention, Tjernagel met with the joint Association board and the new Bethany board (Regents) to discuss his objections “to the manner in which the acceptance of Bethany was brought about.” However, in those minutes the discussion was not on the matter of the 26
two motions, but about the failure to inform the delegates beforehand of the matter to be discussed, and that matter was resolved. In any case, it appears that for the most part, after the convention was over, everyone rolled up their sleeves and started to promote the college and work for its success. The 1928 meeting of the Synod was held for the first time at Bethany. The Bethany committee, A. J. Torgerson, secretary, reported on their work. During the past year they had worked closely with the Board of Trustees of the Bethany Association operating the college and making arrangements to officially transfer the property to the synod. They also had prepared “Rules for the Government of Bethany College” which was referred to the Board of Regents for further work. An enrollment of sixty-three was reported, double that of the previous year. The floor committee on Higher Educational Institutions presented a series of eight resolutions having to do with the college. The most important resolution was that the Board of Regents and the synodical officers were to “accept the conveyances of the Bethany Lutheran College in the name of the Synod.” Members of the temporary Board of Regents elected at the 1928 convention were S. C. Ylvisaker, J. A. Moldstad, J. E. Thoen, A. J. Torgerson, G. G. Vaala, K. T. Dahlen. C. S. Olson, and G. A. Gullixson. In 1929, when “Regulations for the Governance of Bethany Lutheran College,” were adopted, the same men were elected to staggered terms as the permanent Board of Regents. So the matter was done. The synod now had “just such a school to gather itself around,” as Ylvisaker had written in the Association’s proposal. Today the synod preserves that purpose when it says that the college is to “function as the synod’s visible center” (Handbook of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, Section 412, I, C, 3).
B E TH A N Y Magazine
Bethany
retrospect
Remembering a campus moment from years gone by.
Typing class on manual typewriters (not electric). Well, we still have QWERTY keyboards... Do you recognize anyone from this undated photo? Send your response to editor@blc.edu. 27
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