2021 Retiree Appreciation by Concordia College

2021 RETIREE

APPRECIATION

Thirty-two members of the faculty and staff retired during the 2020-2021 academic year or will be retiring this summer. They have a combined total of 843 years of service to the college and their contributions are appreciated! Honored retirees include: Dr. Per Anderson, Global Learning/Religion, 34 years Susan Anderson, Dining Services, 12 years* Angie Bainer, Financial Aid, 13 years Ron Balko, Information Technology Services, 36 years Dr. Michael Bath, Political Science, 25 years Dr. Jean Bokinskie, Nursing, 24 years Penny Burgau, Registrar’s Office, 43 years Dr. Mark Covey, Psychology, 32 years* Paulette Dixon, Post Office, 25 years Dr. Mark Gealy, Physics, 30 years Dr. Debra Grosz, Education, 21 years* Dr. Patricia Gulsvig, Education, 20 years Vincent Hackey, Facilities Management, 26 years Dr. Roy Hammerling, Religion, 29 years Mary Hovelson, Facilities Management, 24 years Dr. Polly Kloster, Nursing, 20 years Dr. Peter Knudsvig, Music, 14 years* Dr. Joan Kopperud, English, 31 years* Dr. Hilda Koster, Religion, 15 years* Carol Krabbenhoft, Library, 11 years Connie Kubitz, Financial Aid, 28 years Cheryl Marvig, Advancement, 13 years Nicholas Maynard, Facilities Management, 35 years Deb Peschong, Athletics, 31 years Jeanette Ramsdell, Facilities Management, 22 years Dr. Donald Rice, CSTA, 33 years Lee Schott, Facilities Management, 44 years* James Simonson, Facilities, Concordia Language Villages-Bemidji, 33 years Dr. William Snyder, English, 25 years* Dr. David Sprunger, English, 28 years Dr. William Todt, Biology, 31 years Lucy Thrasher, Music, 35 years *preferred not to be included

Congratulations to all the retirees!

Dr. Per Anderson Per Anderson has worked in the Religion department and Global Learning for the past 34 years. As a teacher at a liberal arts college of the church with a strong religion program, Per has greatly enjoyed the opportunity to use his training and care for a specific subject, Christian ethics, to do his best teaching in the company of excellent colleagues with different passions and preparations for the study of religion. He has also enjoyed the challenge of teaching students who were in his classes mostly because of core requirements. This relationship required Per to be engaging and relevant and kept him on his toes. As s department chair and leader of the college’s global programming, he has enjoyed the opportunity to build something new and needed, again in response to challenges that require creativity and resilience. Per has been fortunate to collaborate with administrative colleagues who actively supported this work while entrusting him with freedom and responsibility to do something good with the resources of the college. We all need and want a change to make a difference through working. Per is concluding his work at Concordia with gratitude for many chances. Teaching at a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has afforded Per reason and support to participate continuously since 1987 in institution building and through formation of the ELCA (and the Lutheran World Federation for several years). ELCA involvements have included leader and member roles on the Work Group on Science and Technology (now Lutheran Alliance for Faith, Science and Technology), Board of the Division for Church in Society, Task Force on Human Sexuality, Social Statement Review Committee, Genetics Social Statement Task Force, Addressing Social Concerns Review Task Force, Theological Roundtable, and now the ELCA Theological Ethics Advisors Working Group of the Office of the Presiding Bishop. Participation in this work has been a most rewarding part of Per’s time at Concordia because of the excellence in social thought and community of moral deliberation of the ELCA. Per will miss the energy, intelligence, and intentionality of his staff and faculty colleagues as well as the bright, earnest, and open students that Concordia tends to attract. Concordia community, whether in the classroom, the department, the office, and other social spaces, has always been strong and life-giving in his experience. There are many good people at Concordia, and he will miss the daily interactions with them. Per plans to focus upon scholarly pursuits beginning with a project on the work of Lutheran higher education for our time. He looks forward to continued involvement with the network of ELCA ethicists and service to the ministries of this church. Per will absolutely develop new interests and skills to spend much more time in the natural world. He hopes to become a more engaged citizen and a good grandparent with his spouse, Sandra.

• • • 3

“Per is truly a dedicated colleague and scholar. He has a wealth of experience and information that has been such as asset to the college. I have come to count on Per for the most current thinking and information in the areas we work on together. He is always investing of his personal time to stay current and informed in his work. He takes his responsibilities seriously, pays attention to all the dimensions, is careful and deliberate in his thinking and always produces the highest quality work. Very few, if any, bring this level of study and professionalism to their work. I will absolutely miss that about Per. I am profoundly grateful for his loyalty to people and Concordia. He is always anticipating needs and mindful of his impact on the institution. I can trust him to act with the highest level of ethics and integrity in everything he does. He has transformed Global Learning throughout the course of his tenure including elevating the academic dimensions, streamlining access, addressing equity and managing risk. I am confident we would not be positioned to continue to advance this institutional priority if it wasn’t for Per’s leadership and vision. As we have worked to respond to the challenges of the pandemic and prepare for the years ahead, Per has been the most loyal supporter and advocate that I could imagine. He is always helpful and a joy to work with. Per is a kind, thoughtful, hardworking, ethical and wise. I am going to truly miss working closely with him.” – Dr. Stephanie Ahlfeldt

Angie Bainer Angie Bainer has worked at Concordia in the Financial Aid office for 13 years. During her time at Concordia, she enjoyed helping students attain their goals. She describes how wonderful it is to see students mature and grow during their college careers. Angie explains that the most rewarding project she worked on was getting Banner set up and working properly for Financial Aid. She reflects on the challenges of getting the program up and running and how rewarding it was when she overcame the challenge. Angie will miss the gracious, kind, and fun-loving staff at Concordia once she retires. She is looking forward to spending time with her kids and grandkids at the lake near Perham, Minn., this summer. She also is interested in planting a vegetable garden and traveling once the pandemic is over. Angie says she is looking forward to volunteering and keeping herself busy.

• • • “Angie has been an asset to the financial aid office and campus as a whole since the day she set foot on campus. She came to us as a seasoned financial professional with extensive Banner experience that was exceptionally valuable as we transitioned to Banner. She quickly embraced all of the technological adaptations needed to keep us up and running smoothly and has continued to do so ever since. She is extremely detail-oriented and knows the rules and regulations like the back of her hand. She has been a mentor to more than she likely realizes. Angie has served on numerous campus committees during her time at Concordia and always played a vital role in balancing compliance and compassion for students with her contributions. Above all, one of the most admiral qualities of Angie is her kindness. She treats everyone she encounters with kindness and confidence which is something to be looked up to as that combination doesn’t always go hand in hand. She will be dearly missed by our office and the campus as a whole not only for her professional work, but her friendship. I wish her the most wonderful retirement enjoying her family and some good ol’ fashioned much needed R&R.” – Eric Addington

Ron Balko Ron Balko has worked in ITS for the past 36 years. Ron enjoyed that Concordia provided him a place to work and grow, both professionally and personally. He was given enough professional autonomy to chart his own course within his areas of responsibility. This was a godsend for Ron who prefers to identify and solve problems in as expeditious a manner as he could get away with. Ron is particularly proud of three accomplishments over the years. First, he was originally hired as a catalog librarian/media specialist with the primary cataloging task of completing the retrospective conversion of library collection records into the existing online catalog. Many long hours were spent turning paper records into digital format. All in all, the process took the better part of Ron’s first 10 years at Concordia. Second, as Instructional Media/Technology Services director, Ron took on classroom technology as an additional area of responsibility since no one else seemed interested in dealing with it in a comprehensive fashion. Over the span of nearly 30 years and with the help of our A/V technicians and facilities staff, they managed to equip all classrooms with some level of digital technology starting with old school projectors and ending with integrated presentation/ distance learning systems. They also put technology in many other campus spaces such as the Centrum, Barry Auditorium, and numerous conference rooms. Third, in 2007 Ron became a Moodle administrator simply because there was no one else left to take it on. He had minimal experience in this area but managed to keep it going during the early years as instructional designers came and went. During this time Moodle had grown from being an online depository for syllabi and class materials used by a few pioneers into a full-blown integrated learning management system used by a majority of our faculty and staff. Ron will miss the sense of accomplishment that comes from a successfully completed technology project. The satisfaction that comes from “rescuing,” a faculty member from a classroom technology glitch that allows the class to proceed with minimal interruption. Ron will also miss the enjoyment of taking ITS student workers on a “run with Ron” to work on technology issues around campus. He will also miss all of the impromptu conversations with faculty and staff while he was out and about. Ron plans to continue living in town and working on various projects around his house. He hopes to do some more extensive traveling around the country after the pandemic subsides some more. This would include visits with the grandchildren so he can spoil them in person. He also hopes to do some part-time paid and volunteer work as his time and inclination provides.

• • • “Ron has been steadfast in his time at Concordia supporting both students and faculty with their instructional needs from the early days of classroom ‘technology’ of overhead and slide projectors right up to today’s digital classroom. He has spent countless hours working directly with faculty to do what we can with our technical resources to provide what they need for their classroom success. There have been many lessons learned and missteps along the way, but always the goal is to move forward. Ron was often able to do much with little. In the 20+ years prior to centralized IT services on campus, Ron’s role of director of Instructional Media Services provided leadership and support for thousands of students and faculty with their latest technical needs of each era. Each era lasting a shorter amount of time and seeing a more dramatic change with one passing. Many alumni and former employees of the college would recall visiting with Ron if they had needs for checking out equipment to do presentations for class or needed help understanding how to use the language learning lab of the time.” – Erik Ramstad 6

Dr. Michael Bath Mike Bath has worked in the department of Political Science for the past 25 years. Mike has enjoyed the personal relationships he has developed during his time at Concordia. This includes working with students in the classroom, as well as interacting with his colleagues. Concordia makes much of the “community,” that exists in our campus environment. He has found this to be a tangible characteristic at the college that has made his time very rewarding. Mike will miss teaching the most. The interaction with young people who approach politics from a variety of perspectives has been very rewarding to Mike. He plans to spend time with his family and catch up on his reading list during retirement.

• • • “Mike will be remembered for his unfailingly positive attitude and deep commitment to his students. His downto-earth and very approachable personality put everyone around him at ease. Throughout his many years here, his stable and calm presence was appreciated by all. Mike made learning about American politics fun, which came naturally to him since he loves talking about politics. One of Mike’s greatest contributions to the department of Political Science, both as a professor and a colleague, was in promoting constructive conversations across ideological divisions. Through his courses and interaction with other faculty on campus, he has demonstrated time and again that people can hold different worldviews and disagree on issues respectfully, especially in the highly polarized world of politics. As a respected and principled conservative, Mike demonstrated for students the importance of ideological diversity. Of course, we cannot underestimate his single-handed contribution to the mean average height of the department! We will miss him dearly and wish him all the best in his new adventures in life!” – Dr. Rebecca Moore

Dr. Jean Bokinskie Jean Bokinskie has worked at Concordia in the Nursing department for the last 24 years. Jean has enjoyed the energy and the enthusiasm of the students. This includes the prospective high schoolers who are interested in coming to the college for their education, pre-nursing students, nursing majors, and alumni. Their passion and desire to serve others has brought much joy for Jean. Throughout the years, she has developed relationships with colleagues in other disciplines. These individuals have broadened her understanding of liberal arts education and become life-long friends. Jean believes that the most rewarding times at Concordia are the ongoing opportunities to connect with the program alumni and hear about the awesome work they are doing. Jean will miss the faculty relationships and the student engagement the most when she retires. Jean will continue to direct the Parish Nurse Ministry program for the college – facilitating on-going educational programming for practicing nurses who are beginning and maintaining health and healing ministries within a faith community setting. Jean and her husband plan to spend retirement with their family, participating in outdoor activities at the lake, traveling within the U.S. and internationally, and relearning how to play the piano.

• • • “The college and students will miss Dr. Bokinskie’s hard work and determination and her drive for perfection. She possesses an exceptional work ethic, and Concordia and her colleagues will miss her nursing abilities and expertise in ICU and Med/Surg. Jean is an incredibly positive person with seemingly endless energy. During her time as the department chair, she worked hard for the betterment of our department. She was often the first to be in her office and the last to leave working tirelessly in simultaneously fulfilling her leadership role while also being available to all faculty for questions and help. Jean is a faithful servant striving always striving to help others and lead by example. She embodies many concepts of the college through living out her vocation in nursing and nursing education while serving students, the college, the community, and our world. Faculty, staff, and students will miss being able to stop by Jean’s office for a chat and to tap into her wealth of knowledge and experiences!” – Dr. Stephen Stapleton

Penny Burgau Penny Burgau has worked in the Registrar’s Office for the past 43 years. Penny says that her years in the registrar’s office could not have been a better fit. She was blessed with great bosses during her tenure and terrific co-workers. The responsibilities of her position enabled her to work with all walks of campus life which included administration, faculty, staff, and students. All of this made working enjoyable for Penny and she looked forward to coming to work every day. One of the best things Penny experienced during her time in the Registrar’s Office was working with new students when they arrived on campus to register for classes. It was most rewarding when she helped prepare for the commencement ceremony and watched those same students walk across the stage and receive their diploma. Penny retired in September and misses seeing her co-workers every day. They always had a great team in the office, and she misses them all. Penny looks forward to getting back to a somewhat normal campus life and can’t wait to visit everyone. Penny knew that her retirement plans would include being an uber-grandma and the meter kicked in immediately the day after retirement began. The memories are priceless, and she has enjoyed every minute of it.

• • • “Penny made such an impact on the Registrar’s Office and this campus for the 43 years that she worked here. Her depth of knowledge and experience helped our office run smoothly, as did her can-do spirit, positive attitude, and joyful presence. Colleagues in the Registrar’s Office specifically highlight Penny’s patience, diligence, and care. We remember Penny sitting with office colleagues reading and verifying lists of graduates for the commencement program. Her attention to detail was astounding as was her desire to support every student on campus. Penny’s calming and reassuring demeanor was always appreciated among those she encountered. She is an excellent teacher, which we suspect is being put to good use caring for her grandchildren during retirement. We miss her laugh, her stories, and her presence in our office. Penny not only made significant positive impacts on our office, but also on the college. She is deeply respected and loved by many. The Athletics department can especially attest to the influence Penny had in supporting studentathletes and helping them be successful in their college careers. This support extended to coaches and staff members in the department as well. We miss you Penny! Continued best wishes for your retirement!” – Lisa Sjoberg

Paulette Dixon Paulette Dixon has worked at the Concordia Post Office for the past 25 years. Paulette described how much she enjoyed meeting new students each year and watching them grow and excel during the time they were at Concordia. Paulette’s most rewarding moment was being a part of not only the Campus Post Office, but also Dining Services, International Education and Campus Information. She enjoyed learning about the different countries that students came from. Paulette will miss the people, students, and staff when she retires. She will also miss the excitement of each fall with the arrival of new students and beginning of the sports year as well as the music and theatre programs. Paulette looks forward to relaxing during her retirement and living every day like it’s Saturday. She also plans to move to Austin, Minn., to be closer to her family.

• • • “I would like to thank Paulette for her dedicated service to the college for more than 20 years. Paulette was highly respected by students and employees for her firm, fair, and consistent service each day at Campus Information and the Campus Post Office. She was always willing to listen and to share stories with anyone who stopped by. Paulette was genuinely interested in each and every student she interacted with. On behalf of the college, I would like to congratulate Paulette on a wonderful career.” – Bill MacDonald.

Dr. Mark Gealy Mark Gealy has worked in the Physics department for the past 31 years. Mark’s dream was to work in a faculty position teaching and researching physics and astronomy at a church-affiliated liberal arts college. Mark felt that his position had been created specifically for him. In addition to the opportunity to teach classes and laboratories in a wide range of physics subjects, Mark was encouraged and empowered to explore other areas that he was interested in, such as music and religious studies. Along the way, he even picked up a bit of philosophy of science and folded that into his exploration classes for campus-wide audiences of liberal arts students. Mark believes his single most substantial project at Concordia was working with two Concordia students on a Centennial Scholars grant involving analysis of data acquired in a comprehensive sequence of atomic collision experiments he had performed at the J.R. MacDonald Laboratory at Kansas State University. The Centennial work included a memorable road trip with students to spend several days working with KSU researchers (who, incidentally, were quite impressed with our students’ grasp of the subject). Another particularly rewarding experience was the relatively recent opportunity for Mark to create and teach an advanced class in astrophysics. His richest long-term rewards have come from the extended time spent mentoring generations of students, which typically included at least one class with each major in each of their four college years. In addition to the everyday planning and leading of class and laboratory activities, Mark will actually miss advising. At least once per advisee per semester, he was tasked to share and help to shape plans for the futures of dozens of bright young scholars. Mark will also miss recruiting. He often and passionately counseled prospective students and their parents to invest in the power of a good liberal arts education to fashion them into responsible scholar-citizens. Mark never got tired of bragging about how well the college and especially our department achieved “influence by thoughtful and informed men and women ...” Mark intends to maintain a part-time presence on campus for the foreseeable future. He has been invited and plans to participate in some ongoing research in physical chemistry. Mark and his wife plan to spend time traveling when it is safe to do so. He also plans to spend his time in retirement actively participating in community choral music, practicing guitar, looking for some community service volunteer work to do, and spending more time reading fiction, religion, and philosophy.

• • • “It is my pleasure to express a few things about what Mark Gealy has meant for the college. I have been a colleague of Mark’s since 1998 and have collaborated extensively with him from 2004 through the present day. I really enjoy working on research projects and mentoring students with Mark. I appreciate being able to bounce ideas off of Mark and troubleshoot everything from calculations to plumbing leaks in the laser. Mark is especially skilled at scientific writing so that has been so valuable writing up our results into manuscripts. I think the students gain a lot from the back and forth of this process. Mark also loves to work up data. There are many times when we are generating data in the laboratory and he is working those data up as fast as we are sending them to him.

In addition to his collaboration with me on research, I have thoroughly enjoyed our conversations about teaching, recruitment, college policy, the role of the liberal arts, and many other topics. Mark is deeply committed to the liberal arts and has striven to create an ethos in the Physics department that captures precisely that. Mark is quick to remind people that physics is an original liberal art. What I particularly admire about how Mark applies this to teaching is how he always challenged his students to consider the historical context of when a particular piece of physics was developed. He explicitly emphasizes that one must always follow the question ‘What do we know?’ with ‘How do we know it?’ Of course, Mark’s greatest impact is on the many students who have taken his classes or worked with him on research projects. Mark is a talented teacher and has a real connection with students. Whether teaching physics majors the intricacies of electrodynamics or opening students’ eyes to the wonders of the cosmos in introductory astronomy Mark has always been able to engage and excite students. Mark’s musical talent came into play both in a formal way through his popular physics of music course but also in his entertaining (and teaching) astronomy students by his guitar performances of ‘The Galaxy Song’ and ‘Why does the Sun shine?’ (Probably the most popular day in any physics class.) Mark became chair of his department very early in his career at Concordia and his stated goal was to become the worst teacher in his department. Not, obviously, by being a bad teacher but by hiring colleagues of such excellence that his own wonderful teaching paled by comparison. As chair Mark did build a fine department; if he never met his goal, it was because he himself remained such a good teacher. Part of his excellence as a teacher is because he insists that students understand ‘why?’ How does that machine work to collect data? How are these variables interacting? Does that number seem reasonable (when students calculate a number that is greater than the number of atoms in the universe)? I close by saying that I along with all of Mark’s friends and colleagues send our thanks for his contributions to Concordia, especially his steadfast commitment to excellence. Mark has held all of us to a higher standard. We wish all our best to Mark and Diane in his retirement. – Dr. Darin Ulness

Dr. Patricia Gulsvig Patty Gulsvig has worked at Concordia in the Education department for the last 20.5 years. Patty has enjoyed getting to know the students and her colleagues over the years. She also loved Concordia’s sense of community. Patty’s most rewarding project was being the dean of the Grumeti Fund English Language Villages in Tanzania, a collaboration between Concordia College, Concordia Language Villages, and the Grumeti Fund. The program provides the opportunity for students and alumni to staff language camps for 5th-grade students at the northern edge of the Serengeti plains. She also enjoyed traveling with students, as it allowed for deeper relationships with students and the opportunity to see them adjust and thrive in unfamiliar surroundings. Patty plans to spend her time in retirement working with the Grumeti Fund English Language Villages and also spending more time with friends and family.

• • • “My memories of Patty Gulsvig as a colleague are a little dated because I have been retired now for several years, but I still miss the conversations that Patty and I had about films, musical theatre, and global issues. Each time we talked about films, Patty had recommendations of something obscure that she had viewed on one of the streaming services or at the Fargo Theatre. I was impressed by her wide-ranging interests and especially appreciated her thoughtful suggestions for me around anything having to do with history or global perspectives. Mondays were always particularly entertaining when she shared what films she had binged on over the weekend or attended at the local cinemas.” – Dr. Mike Wohlfeil

“Patty has a long-standing interest and intense curiosity about anything global and international. If there was a way to experience any part of the world, Patty took advantage of it. Her colleagues, her students, and her friends benefited from her continual travel, research, and study of diverse populations and places, and experiences that Patty shared willingly and incorporated into her curriculum and instruction. No doubt, this knowledge and perspective will be missed.” – Dr. Cassie Glynn

“Patty’s dedicated service to so many facets of the college will also be missed, including her contributions as chair of the department of Education, her committee work for the college, and her commitment to international education, leading programs in China, Africa, India, and others.” – Dr. Karla Smart-Morstad

Standout qualities of Patty Gulsvig: Patty’s love of maps. Patty’s ability to act out scenes, or become an animal character, when playing with children – or adults! Patty’s stick-to-it-ness. Even if a project took a while, she got it done! “Patty deserves recognition for her work as a Concordia Language Village dean and leading three study abroad trips to Tanzania where Concordia students ran English immersion camps for Tanzanian 5th-graders at the Grumeti Fund’s Environmental Education Center. Patty’s sense of humor will be hugely missed, as will be her many sayings and phrases such as ‘It remains to be seen!’” – Dr. Anne Walker

“Patty brought a love of learning to our department and our students. She was always open to thinking about things in different ways and exchanged ideas regularly with colleagues. From the time I first started at Concordia as an adjunct, Patty’s door was open to me to listen, to offer advice, and to share materials/resources. She offered the same to students as she did to her colleagues – her door was open to them to listen and to offer advice when needed, though she excelled at asking the right questions to get students to come to the answers on their own. I appreciated how she pushed her students to think about teaching in different ways and to consider things from another angle. She, ultimately, wanted her students to become the best teachers they could be. I miss ‘nerding out’ with Patty over pedagogy, but I’m so grateful to have had the chance to learn from and to work with her for as long as I did. Now I get to just have her as a lifelong friend and feel incredibly lucky!” – Dr. Darrell Stolle

“I will miss her smile and laughter, her knowledge of good movies and travel tips, and my lap swimming and sauna buddy. She brought her passion for the Tanzania program, her passion for her social studies expertise: geography and maps and her willingness to take her turn for department responsibilities.” – Dr. Sue Ellingson

Vincent Hackey Vince Hackey has worked in Facilities Management for the past 26 years. Vince has enjoyed working with a lot of great, dedicated people. He worked on many interesting projects and enjoyed learning new technologies and controls as part of the job. Vince describes how the most rewarding part of his role was obtaining learning experiences throughout the years. He will miss the comradery of all the trades and workers. Vince plans to spend his time in retirement fishing, resting, working in his yard, and spending time with his grandkids.

• • • “Besides having excellent technical and organizational skills, I would have to say Vince Hackey has Good Sense …

A sense of purpose

A sense of humor

A sense of adventure

A sense of right and wrong

A sense of acceptance

A sense of pride with a humble attitude

A sense of helpfulness

Etc… etc…etc…

This and more will be remembered, celebrated, and missed …”

– Scott Swedberg

Dr. Roy Hammerling Roy Hammerling has worked at Concordia in the Religion department for the last 29 years. Roy enjoyed not only inspiring students, but also being inspired by them. He recalls his talented and compassionate colleagues that taught him the meaning of “kindheartedness” and taught him with sagacity. He also enjoyed the adventure of each new day. From classroom engagements to hallway conversations, working together with others for the common good of humanity and appreciating life amid an invigorating environment of a love of learning. Roy’s most rewarding moments at Concordia include getting lost in the wonderful world of study with those who care about it as much as and more than himself. Whether it is a classroom or traveling abroad, it has been like a fellowship of the ring – people from all different walks of life (humans, elves, dwarfs, hobbits, etc.) – on a dangerous and joyful journey of educational enchantment. Roy will miss seeing the people he has come to love and Concordia. When asked about his plans for retirement, he stated, “To live without a why or wherefore …”

• • • Reflections from current and former Religion Department Faculty in honor of Professor Roy Hammerling “Roy Hammerling is a gifted teacher and scholar of religion and of the humanities more broadly. He combines these talents with a knowledge of and passion for the arts, especially film, music, and literature. His gifts in teaching and scholarship and his interests in the arts emanate from who Roy is as a person. Each of us has experienced his hospitality, generosity of spirit, insight, and openness to wonder. Roy sees the study of religion and the humanities as a powerful way to open the minds and hearts of his students and his colleagues to the wonder, beauty, complexity, and mystery of human life and the cosmos. In his classes, medieval history comes alive as Roy shows students the way in which great thinkers such as Julian of Norwich, St. Augustine, Hildegaard of Bingen, Eckhart, Tauler, and Luther wrote about the world connected to personal experiences of this wonder and beauty, and the transformation this discovery brought about in their own lives. For Roy, the study of medieval Christian history and thought is an invitation for student self-discovery and transformation. Roy’s teaching has also led students to seek out and evaluate the riches of other medieval and contemporary Christian traditions, most notably the Orthodox faith and practice of the churches of the East. Among Roy’s gifts as a teacher – and why he has inspired so many students to pursue the study of religion, history, and the humanities – is that he communicates in creative and accessible ways how a critical questioning can awaken self-reflection and a conscience tied to wonder. In Roy’s view, the wonder and beauty of the world go hand in hand with facing the cruelty and injustice that occur in the world. Part and parcel of experiencing that wonder and beauty is the capacity to see the world as it could be, by re-imagining it, and then by making it anew. The creative arts – including film, music, and literature that Roy has been so deeply engaged in – do not merely reflect the world but reveal what it could be. The arts open up portals of possibilities. We all know about Roy’s love of the literary works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Near the end of ‘The Last Battle’ in the Narnia series, the characters are beckoned to go ‘further up and further in.’ The more inward one goes in reflection, the more one approaches the true land, opening the heart to compassion and the soul to wonder. For Roy, this is the wonder of a reenchanted and compassionate world – the beauty and goodness of the world as it is, but also as it could or should be, figured in poetry, literature, music, and film, and made real by people acting for justice.

Beyond the campus, through weekend, weeklong and month-long seminars, Roy has provided Concordia students and alumni profound and transformative first-hand experiences with varied religious communities, and diverse ancient and modern cultures around the world. Roy has been an extraordinary mentor to countless students, not only encouraging and guiding them in their aspirations, but modeling collaboration and honoring their experience as he has invited them to be part of his scholarly work. Roy has manifest admirable leadership in numerous faculty committees and as chair of the Religion department. In the best of times and in the difficult and contentious situations, he has modeled personal integrity, thoughtful wisdom, and compassionate care for those with whom he has served, navigating difficult conversations with a blend of both grace and forthrightness. Moreover, as department chair and in positions of responsibility across the college, Roy has made a point to use his seniority and authority with deep openness and intention toward those around him. He has been a voice of conscience, leveraging his privilege in service of others. Roy’s diverse interests in history, film, music, feminism, and literature, combined with his ability to communicate have made him a brilliant teacher – in the classroom and beyond. His colleagues have also been beneficiaries. Roy’s curious mind and habit of formulating stimulating questions, have sparked rich conversation in department colloquia and led to the improvement of many scholarly arguments. His colleagues are inspired by his intrepid ventures into fields of inquiry and professional activity beyond his formal academic training. To read Roy’s curriculum vita is to behold a life-long learner breaking boundaries of time, culture, and space in search of what Rudolph Otto called the ‘numinous,’ the experience of the mysterious terror, awe, and majesty of being in the presence of the divine. Through his study of the Lord’s Prayer, his librettist collaborations with Dr. René Clausen, teaching Shūsaku Endō, finding Joan of Arc abroad, spirited discussions of ‘The Last Temptation of Christ,’ – as just a few examples – Roy has expanded the worlds of students and colleagues, enabling us to fulfill our humanity. Martin Luther praised the liberal arts for engendering ‘people of wondrous ability, subsequently fit for everything.’ Roy has been a student, teacher, and exemplar of the liberal arts and of the mission of Concordia College. We are deeply grateful for the privilege of having been his colleagues, and for his friendship. We wish him joy and wonder in the years ahead.” – current and former Religion department faculty

Mary Hovelson “Mary is a valued team player of our custodial group. She always keeps her area of responsibility in the best condition/shape possible. When she is gone, her coworkers just have to touch up and not spend a lot of time cleaning to make it look presentable for the day. Mary also is more than willing to help out in other people’s areas when they are gone and does it cheerfully. She is well liked by coworkers, students, administrative staff, and faculty. They often seek her out and are willing to help her as they know she works hard to keep the areas they work in clean. She also goes out of her way to get to know the students who live in the area she works. The last couple of years, she has not had a dorm area so has reached out to the students in the ISC building as she thrives on the student interaction. She also thrives on the interaction with professors and administrative assistants, getting to know them and their families. She is well respected by anyone she works with and often the professors seek her out to see how she is doing. One professor mentioned he would miss her as she wouldn’t be around to bring him different types of insects from various places she has been. Mary will be greatly missed for her cheerful attitude, her can-do work ethic, and her friendship. Best wishes in retirement Mary!” – Donna Preston

Dr. Polly Kloster Polly Kloster has worked in the Nursing department for the past 20 years. She has appreciated the many opportunities she was given to engage in administration and education in the nursing department. These allowed Polly to support and grow the program to retain the solid reputation Concordia has always had for excellence in the preparation of baccalaureate nurses and its strong foundation for advanced education in the discipline. Polly has also enjoyed the benefits of working in a community where interaction with faculty in other disciplines is encouraged. The relationships she has developed with staff and faculty members across campus will extend beyond her time at Concordia. She has appreciated working with faculty outside of the department to develop curriculum plans that provide a strong foundation for students in the nursing major, to develop and support interdisciplinary opportunities, for her own professional growth, and in developing personal, lasting friendships. Polly has also been blessed to be actively involved in global education throughout her years at Concordia. She enjoyed planning, developing, leading and co-leading Exploration and May Seminars, and Summer Study programs for students as well as alumni global travel, all of which integrated service components. These opportunities allowed Polly to blend her passions for expanding her own understanding about global health issues, traditional and integrative health practices, and the impact of social determinants of health on population groups in other countries. Polly values the partnerships that developed with universities and organizations she worked with abroad. These collaborations resulted in personal relationships that brought about incredible learning opportunities for her students. Development of lasting relationships through experiences in global education is perhaps the most rewarding aspect of Polly’s time at Concordia. Across 20+ years at Concordia, she was able to develop sustained partnerships with faith-based organizations in Haiti, China, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The most rewarding has been collaborative, interdisciplinary work with Dr. Gay Rawson and Miquette Denie McMahon, a Concordia nursing alumna. Miquette was a student of Polly’s who stood out in Community Health Nursing. She was passionate about returning to Haiti to make a difference. Polly says that it was so rewarding to reconnect with her to support the TeacHaiti organization she developed. Planning with Drs. Jean Bokinskie and Gay Rawson resulted in creative, cross-disciplinary service opportunities that included divine intervention to work with the Pure Water for the World organization. It was incredibly rewarding to address their identified need for health education in Creole. Our students experienced what it means to have knowledge and understanding beyond their chosen disciplines through positive, active engagement in this world. Students in Dr. Rawson’s French courses worked side by side with nursing students to obtain information for health assessments and develop and teach health promotion to primary school children. As she observed Concordia students collaborate on active

learning plans, teach hand hygiene by singing in French and Creole, and spontaneously lead a courtyard of Haitian children during their chapel time in singing “This Little Light of Mine,” Polly was a witness to liberal arts education in action. This was both affirming and rewarding. She has enjoyed times of laughter and comradery with department colleagues over the years. Polly will miss working with colleagues across campus. She was a part of the Global Education Committee and will miss collaborating with faculty members on projects. She will also miss traveling all across the world and watching students experience new cultures for the first time. She will miss walking through Offutt Concourse onto the inner sanctum of campus; the view and sounds of the campanile always made Polly feel like she was “home.” Polly plans to spend her time in retirement traveling with her family, actively participating in community organizations, engaging in book and Bible studies, and seeing her friends. Polly has also enrolled in a graduate study program on integrative health practices, which was the focus of her master’s and doctoral research. She looks forward to incorporating many of these self-care practices to gain a more sustainable balance in her own physical, mental, and spiritual health. Polly is also excited about expanding her vocation beyond a career in nursing. She has also taken on a full-time position in her church. Polly’s new role allows her to expand global missions, strengthen and build community partnerships to address identified needs, grow creative outreach programs, and engage in congregational care ministry through faith-community nursing.

• • • “The college, students, and colleagues will miss Dr. Kloster’s sense of humor and witty personality. We will all miss her strength of character, her sense of self and strong faith. We will miss her commitment to growth and family, and her unending drive for global outreach in bringing health and new programs to young mothers and children in Asian countries. Polly is a wonderful mentor. We all could sit with Polly whenever we needed a good pep-talk. Polly enjoyed traveling the world and learning about new cultures. One of Polly’s greatest strengths is her ability keep things in check with the overall purpose of our mission as educators while at the same time also maintaining a necessary realism to every situation.” – Dr. Stephen Stapleton

Carol Krabbenhoft Carol Krabbenhoft has worked in the Library for the past 11 years. Carol explains that a lot has changed since she started working at Concordia, but there’s never a dull moment. She has always enjoyed the opportunity to learn new things and grow. The library is there to serve the students and faculty and they have been Carol’s motivation for making the resources she is responsible for accurate and accessible. Carol can think of two major milestones that stand out while she has been at Concordia. First, she worked in the library for five years from 1999-2004 as the assistant to the director. It was during this time that Carol was encouraged to take advantage of that benefit of taking classes as an employee. She then stepped away from her position and enrolled full time at Concordia. She graduated in 2007 with a major in office administration and a minor in environmental studies. Carol was then able to return to the Concordia Library in 2010 to take on new responsibilities as the serials coordinator. Second, the library began the process of migrating to a new integrated library system in 2016. This was a huge undertaking and there was much training, trials, and improvements to be made before the project went live in 2017. The entire library staff worked together to make this a reality with one common goal in mind – the success of the students. Carol will miss the people she was worked with and the day-to-day relationships that she developed. She knows that there are new relationships to build and more to do that will fill the void once she retires. She looks forward to the next stage in her life. Carol plans to spend her retirement with her family. She has five grandchildren between Minnesota and New Jersey and looks forward to visiting them as often as she can. She enjoys biking, camping, skiing, and traveling and looks forward to spending more time doing more of those activities. Carol also enjoys gardening and will be more involved with Growing Together – a local community garden group. Carol also wants to volunteer for Meals on Wheels and various other organizations in the community.

• • • “What will we miss most when Carol retires this summer? Probably her positive attitude and willingness to help others. Even on a bad day, Carol can find some ray of hope to get us through to tomorrow. I think back to the times she has stepped up to help – taking a student to the grocery store to buy food, organizing library events, taking on tasks when another staff member is unavailable, volunteering at the community gardens, and sharing the bounty of her garden. We have all come to rely on her quick response – ‘Sure, I can do that!’ In her position, Carol interacts with all of the library staff, and we rely on her mastery of the complexity of managing library serials. Her work makes it easier for all of the rest of us to do our work. We’ll miss her expertise and her deep knowledge of the library’s systems and collections. We celebrate her curiosity and persistence in solving problems and puzzles. We admire her commitment to lifelong learning. We are grateful for the care and attention she has shown all of us. We’ll miss you Carol!” – Laura Probst

Connie Kubitz Connie Kubitz has worked in the Financial Aid office for the past 28 years. Connie enjoyed meeting all the wonderful students and families that she has been able to work with over the years. Connie says that she experienced great joy working with them as incoming freshman and getting to know not only the students but their families and watching them walk across the stage and receive their diplomas. Connie explains that she feels like she had a hand in watching students succeed. Connie will miss everything at Concordia, including the students, her friends, coworkers, the families, and the Concordia community. She plans to spend her time in retirement gardening and spending time with her family.

• • • “Connie Kubitz is a Concordia College staple that is well known campus-wide with staff, students, and families. Her caring and compassionate personality make her a super standout. She is an unbelievable advocate for our students not only just for their financial aid, but for their overall success as people. She goes above and beyond day in and day out to make sure the campus experience is top notch. Connie has impacted countless Cobbers during her time here at the college in extraordinary ways. She is a difference maker in the truest sense and has this incredible ability to connect with students in a genuinely effortless manner. Her ability to calm a worried student or make a parent feel confident and at ease is something truly special that few people possess. The students on campus absolutely love Connie and frequently stop by just to visit with her. How often do you find that in a Financial Aid office that students actually want to come by to visit? She adores the students and she loves cheering them on. She has been the biggest cheerleader for so many students, especially those who struggle and just need someone in their corner. Her uncanny ability to make students feel at ease will be dearly missed. Concordia College has been privileged to have Connie with her listening ear, her wise words, and the humor and joy she brings to those around her. I wish her the best in retirement as she will have the time to keep busy tending to her incredible garden, doting over her chickens, cheering on the Twins, and enjoying the time she will have for her family.” – Jess Christianson “Someone once told me that Connie Kubitz is one of those people that make a college go. That statement couldn’t be more true. The work she has done for countless students past and present is amazing. When you talk to any student on campus who has visited the Financial Aid office, they all know Connie. I have always been impressed with Connie’s desire to help every single student who either attends Concordia or is a prospective student. The college is going to miss Connie a lot. Her passion for helping students is second to none. A side note, I will really miss her horrible parking jobs in the WC lot. I will have to find a new person to pick on now.” – Ryan Rude

“Connie goes above and beyond the call of duty each and every day at work. Her listening skills are second to none and she builds such wonderful rapport with all she meets. There are many current students who will only work with Connie because of the relationship they have built. In all my years working in financial aid, I have never witnessed a better person in this front line position – she is beyond awesome and will be truly missed by Concordia and students.” – Angie Bainer “Connie is the most caring person you will find on campus. She has a way to make students comfortable. Her mothering was unbelievable always taking care of the kids on campus. She did come up with the idea of PB & J day.” – Terri Vandyke “Connie has been a steadfast member of the Concordia financial aid team for many years. Her sense of humor, upbeat attitude, and endless energy are contagious – and often needed in our often stress-filled days. Students are attracted to her compassion and empathy and her baking! It’s not uncommon to find students simply hanging out in our lobby just to chat with Connie. She’s got an uncanny ability to put students and their families – many of whom she’s never met before – at ease during a very difficult and anxiety-inducing part of the college experience. The number of students who she helped decide to attend Concordia, and the number of students she helped stay at Concordia are too many to count – she’s truly an asset to Concordia College and will be missed!” – Eric Addington

Cheryl Marvig Cheryl Marvig has worked in Advancement for the past 13 years. Cheryl has enjoyed all of the wonderful people she worked with in both Advancement and at CLV. She plans to spend her retirement collecting information for her family tree. This is a project that she has been working on for many years and she looks forward to having time to finish it. She also has a stash of craft projects that she looks forward to finishing.

• • • “Cheryl Marvig began her Concordia career with Concordia Language Villages in 2008. Juggling complex spreadsheets with all the CLV scholarship details, Cheryl masterfully managed the allocation of awards across 15 languages and multiple sessions and dates. She took excellent care of all the villagers and their families in the scholarship awarding process, answering countless questions and nervous inquiries. In the end, she ensured that thousands of young people were able to embark on their language-learning journeys. Her CLV colleagues commented that Cheryl is quietly competent and meticulously careful. Her no-nonsense work ethic contributed to all projects staying on time and on task, and she could always be counted on to lend a helping hand. Cheryl transitioned to Advancement in 2013 and we are forever grateful that she did! Cheryl Marvig is the underdog of Advancement, and why she was the recipient of the “Mighty but Meek” award at our 2017 all-staff retreat, which is still proudly displayed in her office. Cheryl is hands down the hardest worker I have ever met and completely rock steady in her work, day in and day out. Did you know that she has single-handedly completed over 7,500 gift batches? She is diligent, attentive to detail, crazy accurate, a wealth of institutional advancement knowledge, and a delight to work with. It has been my privilege to be her supervisor for the past six years. Cheryl has taught me so much, and some of my favorite memories are when we’ve had to do some “sleuthing” to figure out a complicated or mysterious gift item, which occasionally even involved going to the basement. Not only was it a joy to work side by side with Cheryl in this way, and oh so satisfying to solve the problem or discover the missing piece to the puzzle together, but also a testament of the care and respect she gives to each donor’s gift. You just know, that when our donors gave us their treasure and trust us to be good stewards of those funds, that they are in good hands with Cheryl. Through the years we have shared a love of dark chocolate, cats and dogs, going to movies, Papa Murphy’s Pizza and Noodles and Company. Oh, and let’s not forgot the love of a good spreadsheet either – preferably with gridlines and totals that tie out to whatever it is your balancing to! We will miss Cheryl for so many reasons, but I think the biggest might be her steady and calming presence. There was rarely (if ever?!?) a time that she was ever flustered – even if there was complete chaos all around her, Cheryl remained calm and that has been a gift to me personally and to the entire team. 24

The words which come to mind as many of us think about Cheryl and her service to Concordia are dedicated, faithful, committed, and conscientious. Those who have worked with Cheryl, know and appreciate her quiet and gentle nature. You might never know all the ways in which she has served the mission and people of Concordia, but there is no doubt that we are better because she did. No matter what lies ahead, Cheryl will approach it in her own steady way, and all will be well. Best wishes on retirement ~ you are a one-of-a-kind Cheryl Marvig, and you will be dearly missed, not only for your amazing work, but for who you are and the joy you brought to our Advancement Family.” – Rachel Clarke

Nicholas Maynard Nick Maynard has worked as a mechanic at Concordia for the past 35 years. Nick has enjoyed walking through campus the most. The buildings/landscape make for a great view on the way to and from work every day. The most rewarding thing that Nick experienced at Concordia was becoming self-sufficient. Nick was the only mechanic that Concordia had when he started at only 24 years old and learned a lot from the experience. Nick will miss the coworkers that he had become friends with throughout the years. In retirement, Nick plans to work full time at his motorcycle shop that he has owned for 15 years. He also plans to take more trips with his wife, Mary, and spend time playing guitar.

• • • “Over the 35 years that Nick has worked at Concordia as a mechanic, he has kept much of our equipment serviced and repaired. Nick has the aptitude and skill to work on varied equipment from string trimmers and floor scrubbers to large diesel front-end loaders. I often heard equipment dealers’ comment that our equipment was well-maintained for the number of hours that the equipment has been used. One of Nick’s favorite pastimes is riding his motorcycles. He has several and has built motorcycles from scratch. He also enjoys driving his Camaro, which he routinely works on during the winter to add more horsepower. His love of motorcycles has transpired into a business for himself servicing and repairing motorcycles. Over the years, Nick has put in his time at Concordia and then went straight to his motorcycle shop and worked many additional hours into the evenings. Mondays and mornings were not Nick’s favorite thing. For the last 10 or so years, I heard a weekly countdown on how many more Mondays Nick would have to come to work before he could retire. With retirement, Nick can set his own hours and take some of the motorcycle rides he didn’t have time for even though he is still working at his own business. Thanks to Nick for all the years of keeping our equipment running so that we could get our jobs done. I wish him well in his retirement.” – Jerry Raguse

Deb Peschong Deb Peschong has worked in the Athletics department for the past 31 years. Deb says the work environment has been challenging yet rewarding. The range of activities from being involved with the department budget to supporting students and staff at Concordia have kept the job rewarding and enjoyable. Deb looked forward to coming to work where she was greeted by warm and welcoming staff. She explains that providing assistance to students and staff and helping them find success meant the most to her. She enjoyed watching student workers grow from tentative freshman to mature, hardworking and focused graduates. Deb will miss the comradery in the Athletics department and hearing from the student workers years after they have graduated to fill her in on their lives. That attachment is priceless. Deb hopes to spend more time with her grandchildren and go to their various activities. She hopes to volunteer in the community and travel to a warmer climate for a winter vacation.

• • • “Warm and welcoming Accountable Ethical Trustworthy Dependable Competent Sincere Deb has worked in the Athletic department for almost 32 years. There isn’t a day that goes by where we don’t need Deb’s expertise or listening ear. Deb was the calm to our chaos. Every single student, employee, alum, or campus visitor that comes into the athletic office is greeted with her genuine compassion and willingness to help. Deb is our MVP and will be missed dearly.” – Rachel Bergeson

Jeanette Ramsdell Jeanette Ramsdell has worked in Facilities Management for the past 23 years. Jeanette has enjoyed getting to know her coworkers and meeting the new students each year. She says that the most rewarding part of her time at Concordia was creating friendships with her coworkers. Jeanette will miss her colleagues the most after she retires. She plans to spend her time in retirement with her grandchildren and enjoying her hobbies.

• • • “Jeanette was a very great coworker; she did her job well. She was always there to help out. She was always so resilient and was always willing to give a helping hand. Jeanette was good fit for this college; she took great pride in her work and she got it done. She is a very positive fun-loving person that did her job well. I wish her well in her retirement. Have fun and always remember the package has been delivered.” – Cynthia Hilber

Dr. Donald Rice Don Rice has worked in Communication Studies and Theatre Arts for the past 33 years. Don has enjoyed teaching in the classroom the most and watching the students grow and succeed in their careers and personal lives. He has also enjoyed his colleagues in the friendly and supportive department of CSTA. He was happy to have the opportunity to participate in a broad range of teaching and leadership roles. From classroom teaching to advising media activities to leading global excursions, Don feels he has had rich experiences throughout his career. Also, as department chair, and later as division chair for Fine Arts, it was very rewarding to see initiatives get accomplished. In recent years, Don was happy to make a connection with a film professor in Germany. He describes how it was a pleasure to have him and his students visit our campus in 2019, and Don hopes to make a visit to his campus in Germany sometime soon, when travel allows. Don will miss classroom teaching and working one on one with students and advisees. He also will miss his colleagues in CSTA, and all his friends around campus. Don plans on continuing to pursue his musical interests, in and out of his Irish band. He also hopes to travel a lot with his lovely wife and daughters, and to pursue an interest in voice acting, which he has already begun.

• • • “I’m going to miss your wit and your wisdom. I am going to miss seeing my colleague and friend on a daily basis. I am going to miss asking you for advice. I am going to miss the way you knew just how to make a situation better by knowing exactly what needed to be said. We’ve worked together for over three decades and WOW has the time flown by. What a legacy you will leave with us and not just our department but also the college. I know many of us will be asking ourselves, what would Don say or do? You are our trusted colleague. Don, you are an outstanding teacher and scholar. You are well respected by students, faculty, and staff. Our students in the rhetoric, film and media area look up to you, and see you as a trusted mentor. One of the qualities I most admire about you is the way you challenge the best students, but how you also work with students who have more difficulty. This is the mark of someone who has a commitment to teaching. One of the first words that is coming to mind as I think about you retiring is – gratitude. Gratitude for how you always looked out for this department and your colleagues and your students. It is evident to all around you that you loved teaching, scholarship and your discipline. You were quick to give of your time and your creative talents. So, Don I wish you well on what lies ahead. Don’t be a stranger and we hope you stop by often for a visit and I hope you do not mind if I continue to seek your advice. One final blessing: A wish that every day for you will be happy from the start and may you always have good luck and a song within your heart.” – Dr. Cindy Larson-Casselton

Dr. David Sprunger “When David Sprunger’s colleagues were asked to describe him, the first quality that stood out in their responses was how friendly and collegial David is. Words like ‘welcoming,’ ‘caring,” and ‘supportive’ showed up repeatedly, tributes to the fact that at heart David simply is a good and kind person. He has always been mindful of his Mennonite heritage and convictions in his interactions with others. As a result, people praised his generosity and willingness to help in all sorts of ways, be it as a mentor on dissertation work or as an advisor when purchasing a table saw. One person wrote, ‘I remember one year in particular when students not-so-secretly referred to David as the ‘department dad,’ because they knew he would take care of them, watch over them, and help them as needed.’ David was always concerned about how both faculty and students were doing in their whole lives, not just in their graded work. Colleagues and students also fondly remember David’s sense of humor, which sometimes can be shamelessly punishing (the ‘Fifty Shades of Grammar’ poster for his course on the English language) but more often dry and subtle. In graduate school, for instance, during a time when a lot of people he knew were getting married, his standard wedding gift was a fire extinguisher. One faculty member wrote, ‘I watched him teach many times and loved to watch his jokes sneak up on students, who always seemed amazed at his combination of intelligence and wit.’ But David also took gleeful delight in his collection of medieval-ish play weapons, including a three-foot catapult, which he demonstrated by shooting golf balls into Prexy’s Pond. As you might guess, David’s care for students and his sense of wit and humor meant that he was a popular teacher, and his courses were a real draw for students. However, students were also inspired by David’s own love of learning. One colleague wrote, ‘For as long as I have known David, he always is learning something new. Simply stated, learning is his very nature.’ His ability as a teacher, his devotion to scholarship, and his enthusiasm for his subject matter were suitably recognized with the Flaat Teaching Award in 2007. But David was also recognized as an excellent leader who, in three different terms as department chair, guided us through the maze of assessment processes and through two different overhauls of our curriculum. Colleagues praised his patience and unflappable manner in these occasionally trying times, as David always kept a clear focus on the need to identify our priorities clearly and then to take steps to ensure that those priorities governed what we did, both in our classes and in our majors. One person wrote, ‘As chair, he was the epitome of what I would have ever hoped: attentive to all, kind, wise, good-humored, logical, organized, fair and caring.’ But we cannot conclude this tribute without mentioning his immense service to the college as a whole in several areas. He was a key member in an early task force that outlined what would become the current curriculum; he served as a Writing-Across-the-Disciplines Consultant, helping colleagues in other departments think about how they could use writing to help students learn in any discipline; he oversaw several revisions of the Faculty Handbook, which was a minutely detailed and painstaking process; and as the public face of our department, he even tried to explain plural possessives to Kevin Wallevand in a news story for WDAY. David has already taken his toy medieval weapons and his massive collection of CDs to the dream house that he and wife Charlotte Siemens had built in Kansas, which they always viewed as home. But he (and she) are and will be missed here.” – Dr. James Postema 30

James Simonson James Simonson has worked at Concordia Language Villages in Facilities Management for the past 33 years. James enjoyed the fact that he had a diversity of duties during his time at Concordia, most notably as CLV’s master electrician. He enjoyed the opportunity to meet people from all over the world every year as new students arrived at the Villages. James will miss the shop access and all of his colleagues when he retires. He plans to spend his retirement relaxing and sleeping in.

Dr. William Todt Bill Todt has worked in the Biology department for the last 31 years. Bill really enjoyed being a member of the biology department. He says the department has been united with the desire to help students learn and succeed. It has been rewarding, challenging, and fun to work with such dedicated and talented co-workers. Bill says that Concordia has been such a fantastic place to work. He appreciated the opportunity to discuss not only academics, but also issues of faith. The college has so much to offer not only the campus community, but also the larger Fargo/Moorhead community, the annual Symposium, concerts, and athletic events. Bill was delighted to see the college’s commitment to the sciences at Concordia. Throughout the years, Bill was able to watch not only his department, but all other departments on campus grow and expand. He enjoyed moving to the Integrated Science Center a few years ago and was delighted to teach in a new space. Bill will miss the daily interactions with colleagues and students the most. He will also miss teaching anatomy at the Integrated Science Center. He will not miss teaching classes over Zoom. Bill plans to move to Colorado temporarily before heading off to Eastern Tennessee when the pandemic comes to a close. He looks forward to spoiling his grandkids and spending time with family. Bill is interested in taking up woodworking as well as continuing to cycle. He can hardly wait to be able to ride up and down in altitude instead of just going into or with the wind.

• • • “Bill is a man of integrity who lives out his faith commitment in how he treats all people in all situations. He is always ready to help, whether it is helping a fellow colleague with a microscope issue, or helping a student navigate the Dental Co-op, always with kindness and patience. Nearly every faculty member who has taught Bio 101 in the last 30 years has learned or reviewed fetal pig anatomy with Bill. His willingness to mentor colleagues has been much appreciated. Bill’s enthusiasm for anatomy is high but not as high as his enthusiasm for microscopes. This is another area where Bill has been willing to help troubleshoot, if not outright fix, every microscope problem encountered in the department. When you come to him with a microscope problem, he leaps into action, as if nothing could be of more interest to him at that moment. The only thing that might rival Bill’s enthusiasm for microscopes is his enthusiasm for bicycles. He always amazed us when he would ride to Eagle Lake from Moorhead (some 80-90 miles) for the department’s annual retreat, leaving early in the morning so he could meet us there. This enthusiasm motivated him to develop a course for students to try and keep up with him. Bill has long been one of the technology leaders in the department. He taught Bio 222 lab once and we still use his animated PowerPoint. The first time he taught Bio 121, he designed a beautifully formatted Excel spreadsheet that doesn’t just perform calculations but looks good and is easy for students and faculty to interpret. His technological ability and love of microscopes came together in his amazing interactive online histology library that will be a long-lasting legacy for Concordia students. Bill served the department in the true sense of the word. Many times, he stepped forward for some thankless job when no one else would volunteer (department chair, HHMI grant administrator, countless spontaneous visits with prospective students). – Dr. Bryan Bishop 32

Lucy Thrasher Lucy Thrasher has worked at Concordia in the Music department for the past 35 years. Lucy has enjoyed singing and teaching students how to sing more than anything. She also loved that she was surrounded by music every day. She has had curious and dedicated students and passionate and talented colleagues with whom to work. The most rewarding experience was working on two collaborations: The performance of Britten’s “War Requiem” and the premiere and performances of Clausen’s “The Passion of Jesus Christ.” These are but two of scores of performances, including work with FM Opera and solo recitals in Hvidsten Hall which have greatly enriched Lucy’s life. Lucy will miss introducing great music to young singers, as she has been able to re-engage with works of art in each voice lesson. She will also miss walking into Hvidsten Hall every day, with the noise of music practice and performances filling the halls. Lucy described how performance halls are sacred spaces and being allowed access to them, including backstage spaces, is something she will miss terribly. Lucy plans to spend her time in retirement reading, gardening, and seeing her granddaughter.

• • • “Lucy has been a constant voice of reason for her colleagues and students, which has contributed greatly to the development and success of the vocal area. She has given generously of her time and talents to Concordia and the Fargo-Moorhead community with a multitude of outstanding performances for which she has become, for all of us, a truly treasured artist. She will be missed!!! An excellent teacher, she is beloved by her students developing wonderful singers and engaging performers. She was instrumental in starting our Lyric Opera Theater program and has sustained that program over many years. It has remained a very popular program with our top singers and has given them invaluable experience in developing their stagecraft. Lucy has made my work here a daily joy – besides being a first-class artist-teacher and mother she brings an uncanny sixth sense to each activity – totally aware of the needs of each collaborator.” – Dr. Nat Dickey