Saint John's Magazine Winter/Spring 2015 by CSB+SJU

W I NTE R / SPR I NG 2 015

Magazine

To Wall Street and Back

Bob Bell ’94 10

Justice for All: Mark Kappelhoff ’83 The New Reunion Rats!

14 20 22

Magazine WINTER/SPRING 2015

10 Features Back to College 10 An accident freshman year might have been the end of his SJU career. But now CSB/SJU is a career for Bob Bell ’94.

Order in the Court 14 Attorney Mark Kappelhoff ’83 pursues justice for victims of racial discrimination, hate crimes and human-trafficking.

Summer Beckons 20 Reunion 2015 calls Johnnies back to campus this June for summer fun with both SJU and CSB classmates.

Rat Attack 22 Forty-five years after its creation, a whimsical rodent adorns SJU merchandise of every description, much to his creator’s surprise. (L) Kurt Kaiser ’67, original Johnnie Rat artist, with Frank Berres ’57, the original Johnnie “rat,” and the Rat Pack at Reunion 2014.

SAINT JOHN’S MAGAZINE is the magazine of Saint John’s University. It is published in the spring and fall and the CSB/SJU Magazine is published with the College of Saint Benedict in the spring.

EDITOR Jean Scoon

STAFF CONTRIBUTORS Rob Culligan ’82 Brendon Duffy, SOT ’02 Jennifer Mathews Emery Leslie Hanlon Michael Hemmesch ’97 Ryan Klinkner ’04 Jean Scoon

DESIGN Lori Gnahn

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Julie Scegura

UNIVERSITY ARCHIVIST Peggy Roske ’77

EDITOR EMERITUS Lee A. Hanley ’58

LETTERS jscoon@csbsju.edu or Jean Scoon Saint John’s Magazine P.O. Box 7222 Collegeville, MN 56321

ADDRESS CHANGES

20 Departments My Perspective 2 View from Collegeville 3 Service to the Church 8 In Sight 18 Advancing the Mission 24 Johnnie Sports 27 Alumni Connection 28 Milestones 30 Inspiring Lives 36

Find-the-Rat Contest This little Johnnie Rat is hiding in this issue. (Hint: He’s not on pp. 22-23.) Find him—then email sjumag@csbsju. edu by April 15, 2015 with the page number he appears on and your name and street address. You’ll be entered in a drawing for cool Johnnie Rat gear. Three winners will be chosen. CSB/SJU students and employees of SJU, CSB and OSB prohibited.

Ruth Athmann Saint John’s University P.O. Box 7222 Collegeville, MN 56321 rathmann@csbsju.edu Find the Saint John’s Magazine online at csbsju.edu/sjualum/saint-johnsmagazine.htm. © 2015 Saint John’s University

COVER PHOTO BY Tommy O’Laughlin ’13

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My Perspective

Steve Woit

Michael Hemesath ’81, President

An undergraduate education traditionally has two parallel purposes. One is economic. A bachelor’s degree prepares students to begin their professional lives. It equips them with the skills and knowledge needed to launch a career that, ideally, is meaningful and successful. At Saint John’s, we have always taken this responsibility seriously—and based on the success of our alumni, we do it well. The second is moral. Four years of a traditional

undergraduate education has historically been as much about the formation of character and the search for meaning as about academics. While many institutions of higher education have become less comfortable with the concept of moral education, the Catholic, Benedictine tradition at Saint John’s continues to provide a solid foundation for young men seeking to develop their moral understanding and find meaning in their lives. While we have no formal curriculum for a moral education, embedded in the Saint John’s experience are many opportunities to explore questions of conscience. Visit any classroom, from first-year seminar to biology to economics, and you’ll find students exploring the moral and ethical context of their subject while they hone their writing, learn lab skills or grapple with theories of economic life. This search will also include interactions with monastic faculty residents in the residence halls. Or it comes in conversations and mentoring from faculty like Bob Bell (see p. 10), who shares his “tips for life” with students along with accounting. It can happen through interactions with fine coaches like Gary Fasching and Jim Smith. It can be found in men’s spirituality groups or in volunteer activities, in religious services on campus or in alternative spring break service trips. The goal of this kind of education is not to tell students what to think but to help them learn how to think—about moral challenges, tradeoffs and their own values, morals and souls. I am proud of the moral education Johnnies receive during their four years here. Not because it produces flawless citizens—one lesson I hope all students learn is that no one is perfect—but because it serves our alumni well throughout their lives. Mark Kappelhoff ’83 (p. 14) and Dave Huebsch ’59 and his son, John ’83 (p. 36) are good examples of this. Conversations with first-year faculty residents or guidance from a caring professor can last a lifetime. Countless alumni have told me that in times of personal or professional challenges, they find themselves referring back to experiences they had at Saint John’s for insight.

View from Collegeville

2018 P 4P Quiz This fall, 450 young men enrolled in the Saint John’s Class of 2018. These first-year Johnnies come from 25 states and eight countries. Eighteen percent of the class are American students of color, the highest in SJU history. But there’s more to these Johnnies than statistics. Take our Pop Quiz 2018, and you’ll feel proud of the latest additions to our ranks! Jonathan Beirne ’18 of Richmond, Virginia, was the state chief squire in what Catholic fraternal organization? Knights of the o a. The Round Table b. The Knights of Columbus o c. Dark Knights of the Soul o d. Saturday Knights o ANSWER

ANSWER

4 a. Passe, a double major in physics o and chemistry, founded and competed with the Redwood Valley High School robotics team. Charlie Schuweiler ’18 was selected to compete on a national team in what club sport that has been gaining in popularity in recent years?

4 b. Beirne served as the head of o kayaking o a.b. Synchronized the official youth organization of the Underwater tennis Virginia State Circle of the o c. Tibetan rugby Knights of Columbus. o o d. Ultimate frisbee He is a thirdgeneration CSB/SJU student. Josiah Passe ’18 of Redwood Falls, Minnesota, established the first competitive team at his high school in what event, designed for science and engineering students?

o a.b. Robotics Droning o c. Legonomics o d. Sustainability o

ANSWER

4 d. Schuweiler was selected for the o Team USA Ultimate Frisbee Open National Team while a senior at Cathedral High School in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He trained with the team in New York and Boston before heading to Italy for international competition. Obiora Obikwelu ’18 played football and track and field until a leg injury led him to get more involved in the arts. He received several honors for his acting and musical talents, including this prestigious Twin Cities honor:

Park Curtain Call Award o a.b. Como St. Anthony Falls o “Tony” Award of America Center o c. Mall Stage Award Hennepin Theatre Trust o d. SpotLight Award ANSWER

4 d. Obikwelu, a communication/ o theater major, received recognition from the Hennepin Theatre Trust and also was the captain of the speech team and member of all-state choir. Timothy Larson ’18 was the Minnesota state winner for the scholar-athlete competition sponsored by what fast food chain? Bell o a.b. Taco Jack in the Box o c. Wendy’s o d. Dorothy’s o ANSWER

4 c. Larson, a senior at Thomas o Jefferson High School in Bloomington, Minnesota, was named the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award state winner.

csbsju.edu/news

View from Collegeville

SJU and CSB Win Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict won the first Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge by a landslide. Ten schools competed in the eight-week challenge in which participants—students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends—reported their outdoor activities online with photos. The Challenge set out to reverse a drop in participation in outdoor activities among young Americans. Even though most of the colleges in the competition were much larger, CSB and SJU had more than twice as many activity points as the second-place Michigan Tech University. “Am I even remotely surprised?” said Jenny Kutter, department coordinator at Saint John’s Outdoor University. “Not at all. Team CSB/SJU did exactly what I knew it would.” SJU and CSB won a prize package including a scholarship for an outdoor program assistant, a custom gear library and an outdoor campus festival. In addition, SJU sophomore Pearce Jensen ’17 was named an “Outsider of the Year.”

Tommy O’Laughlin ’13

Memories from the Hood

4 csbsju.edu/news

Before the last group of students to reside in Edelbrock House said goodbye last spring, they had a tradition to fulfill. They had to sign the furnace hood. Since the 1980s when Edelbrock became student housing, everyone who has lived there has signed the basement furnace hood. Edelbrock had a storied history. It was built in the 1940s as a residence for George Durenberger ’28, SJU football coach and athletic director, and his family. His son, U.S. Senator David Durenberger ’55, was born and raised there. The building was moved in the 1980s to Fruit Farm Road to make way for the Seton Apartments. Since then, various groups of students have lived there in intentional community. When Edelbrock was torn down this fall due to the excessive costs to repair the building, Saint John’s removed and will maintain the furnace hood. It’s a fitting tribute to a long tradition of communal, residential living in various forms.

Christop Morlinghaus

Saint John’s Abbey and University Church was deemed one of America’s epic churches by photographer Christop Morlinghaus, who included the church in his photo project, Form/Faith. Morlinghaus included just 17 American churches and the list and photos were picked up by both CNN and Wired.

Head of the Class

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SJU and CSB were ranked highly in three different categories by Open Doors 2014, the annual report on international education published by the Institute of International Education. SJU and CSB ranked No. 3 among undergraduate schools with 563 students who studied abroad during the 2012-13 school year.

More than 6,400 alumni and friends have found us on Facebook—you can too! Go to facebook.com/SJUAlum to like our page and we’ll keep you up to date on all the latest alumni news and events.

SJU tied for 73rd and CSB tied for 89th among the top 100 liberal arts colleges in U.S. News and World Report magazine’s 2015 college ratings. The report also listed SJU in a tie for sixth on the “Up-and-Coming” list of national liberal arts colleges. For the fourth consecutive year, CSB and SJU were both named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, which recognizes the role colleges and universities play in solving community challenges. csbsju.edu/news 5

View from Collegeville

Iconic Stella Maris Chapel Marks 100 Years For decades, students, alumni and visitors have made the pilgrimage around Lake Sagatagan to the Stella Maris Chapel. It has been the site of many tours, Masses and even marriage proposals. This June marks 100 years that the current structure—completed in 1915—has been part of the Saint John’s campus. Here’s a look back at a few of the highlights of its history.

DesJardins Named Ralph Gross Chair in Business and the Liberal Arts Joseph DesJardins has been named the inaugural Ralph Gross Chair in Business and the Liberal Arts. DesJardins joined the philosophy department in 1990, and served terms as academic dean and associate provost. He served as vice provost from 2011-14. He has been very involved in the Society for Business Ethics and was co-founder and co-editor of the Journal of Peace and Justice Studies. The Ralph Gross Chair was established at CSB/SJU through a generous gift from the estate of Ralph Gross ’65. Gross, a certified public accountant, became part-owner and later president and CEO of SPS Companies, a plumbing supply business in the Twin Cities. The chair celebrates Gross’s legacy.

csbsju.edu/news

1872 A small gothic red brick chapel with a white spire is built across Lake Sagatagan to honor Mary, the Mother of God, under the title of Stella Maris (meaning “Star of the Sea”). 1894 The chapel survives the destructive tornado that hit campus. 1903 The chapel is struck by lightning and burns down, leaving just the foundation and some underbrush for more than a decade.

1914-15 Young monks rebuild the chapel with red cement block and white stones brought by sled over the lake in the winter and by horse-drawn wagon in the summer. 1915 June 13, Abbot Peter Engel, OSB, blesses and lays the cornerstone for the rebuilt chapel. 1943 After some years of neglect, vandalism and misuse, the stolen cornerstone is replaced and some structural reinforcements are completed under the direction of

Cloud Meinberg, OSB. The young monks spend the summer creating new stained-glass windows. 1978 The Stella Maris is featured on a television special on Minnesota ghosts because of its rumored hauntings. 1989 A new roof and altar are added to the Stella Maris. 2007 As part of the Saint John’s Sesquicentennial, Don Hall ’59 and his wife, Marion, fund a modern renovation of the sacred space.

SJU Presents Adderley ’55 with Colman Barry Award President Michael Hemesath ’81 posthumously presented Leviticus (Lou) Adderley ’55 with the Colman J. Barry Award for Distinguished Contributions to Religion and Society at a gala on Feb. 7 in Nassau, Bahamas. Besides being both a championship athlete and a Catholic deacon, Adderley was a teacher and administrator at St. Augustine’s College in Nassau for more than 40 years and a beloved figure in the Bahamas. The award citation states that Adderley was honored “for embodying the Benedictine values of prayer and work, listening and community in all your interactions with your students, your athletes and your fellow citizens of the Bahamas.” SJU and CSB have established the Leviticus Adderley Scholarship Foundation to assist Bahamian students who attend the institutions. csbsju.edu/news 7

Service to the Church

Lilly Endowment Supports

COMMUNITY BUILDING at School of Theology and Seminary By Mike Killeen

John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Peanut butter and jelly. Tables and chairs. What do they have in common? They are great combinations. Another great combination is the Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary and the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. Since 1999, Lilly Endowment has provided more than $10 million in grants to the School of Theology and Seminary. Recently, the School of Theology and Seminary added to that total when it received a $997,135 grant from Lilly Endowment to help pastoral leaders strengthen their efforts to build and sustain Christian communities. The three-year grant will focus research on the nature of strong communities and the place of pastoral leadership in shaping their health and vibrancy. “Over the years, the Lilly Endowment has gotten a good sense of the pulse of religious life in America and the role of leadership,” says William Cahoy ’74, dean of Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary. “What they discovered is that, of all the skills that go into being a pastor or pastoral leader, the one that is least developed and least taught in seminaries is the skill of community-building. They wanted to address that.”

So did the School of Theology and Seminary. “Our mission in the School of Theology and Seminary is to take the Benedictine heritage, the living life of these two communities at Saint John’s and Saint Benedict’s and

translate that for life in the wider church,” Cahoy said. “I think we are uniquely positioned to do that, because we have two vibrant communities that are living the life. We have a monastic studies program that can really think about that life. And we have a pastoral ministries program that can take the fruits of that thinking and translate it into the parish and elsewhere.”

At the heart of the program, Cahoy says, is identifying “what we call the ‘maestros’ of community, pastoral leaders who are really good at this.” This latest grant has its origins in a program funded by a 2014 Lilly grant that brought together 12 people to discuss “the nature of community, how community is built, and the role of leaders in building,” Cahoy says. “What we learned there went into this larger grant, and now we’re trying to extend what we did there to more people.” Cahoy hopes to better equip the leaders of those parishes and congregations to strengthen their communities in three ways: • Learn from the “maestros” how they built community, how they learned to do this and how it can be taught. • Build an intentional community within the School of Theology of eight graduate students who will experience community in a laboratory-like setting on how to build community. • A think tank of academics and practitioners with expertise in community-building. They will take what is being learned from this grant and work being done elsewhere to advance understanding of community and how to build it. “Our hope is that Saint John’s will be the go-to place when people think about community,” Cahoy said.

“It’s a great opportunity. Saint John’s has a tremendous heritage of service to the church, far bigger than our size and location would suggest,” Cahoy said. “We were the center of liturgical renewal in North America, we were a pioneer in ecumenical conversations, we are the first Catholic seminary to open its classes to women anywhere in the world, and we’ve been very involved in the development of professional, non-ordained ministry. “I think this work on community could extend that heritage. It meets a hunger in society and the church. There’s a hunger out there, and there are resources here at Saint John’s to address this,” Cahoy says. “If we can bring these two things together, we have a chance to make a difference in the world. And that’s a great thing to be a part of.” Lilly Endowment, based in Indianapolis, has long had an interest in the role and purpose of religion in American life. It strives to create opportunities across the country to learn more about the subject through research, to encourage the development of a new generation of talented ministers, nurture the excellent ministers who practice their faith every day and build healthy and vibrant congregations. Mike Killeen is CSB/SJU director of content development. To apply to the Lilly Community Fellows program, email gradschool@csbsju.edu.

Bob Bell ’94 has seen a lot of life from his wheelchair. Now he shares accounting knowledge and life lessons with CSB/SJU students. He heard his neck pop three times. Then the hallway went ominously quiet. His friends watched in silence as Bob Bell ’94 fell to the floor of Tommy Hall, afraid to move but not yet aware he was unable to. Twenty-five years later, the moment remains vivid. “I can think back like it was yesterday,” Bell says, “like it was two minutes ago, what it was like to be on that floor.” It was Nov. 21, 1989, two days before Thanksgiving and three months into his first semester at Saint John’s. Bell had been horsing around with a dorm neighbor who put him in a full nelson and accidentally pushed it too far. Now he was lying in the hallway, recalling the Eagle Scout training that had taught him that moving someone with a spinal cord injury could cause more damage.

“I knew my neck was broken. I knew I had a spinal cord injury, but I had no idea what that meant,” he recalls. Bell’s C5 and C6 vertebrae were fractured. He left campus in an ambulance. When he returned two years later, it meant achieving the first goal he had set for himself since becoming a quadriplegic. “I went there because I fell in love with the place. When I got there, it changed me in that brief period of time—the friends I made, the types of people I was surrounded by.” Today, Bell regularly zips past his freshman dorm on his way to his office in Simons Hall, where he has taught accounting and finance since 2010. Most days, seeing Tommy Hall doesn’t trigger memories of the moment that changed his life.

Tommy O’Laughlin ’13

The Way

“But some days I see myself carried out on a gurney,” he says. His Saint John’s story could have ended there, at age 19, after one short chapter. Instead, he made a conscious decision to live life on his own terms. This ambition propelled him back up Abbey Road and into the second chapter of his Saint John’s story. He has faced plenty of hard times and humiliations, which he documents with unvarnished detail in his 2014 book, “Un Moving Four Ward: Tales and Tips for Keeping Perspective Despite Life’s Challenges.” But he has accrued more successes. He earned a degree in accounting. He worked on Wall

introductory accounting to corporate financial analysis. “He was able to relate while at the same time he came from a place with a ton more experience than you, so he was able to distill all of this experience into, he called them ‘pearls of wisdom,’ that he was able to pass on to us not only for school, but also for our career,” says Kevin Abbas ’12. Bell has his share of experience from which to string those pearls. He got his accounting degree and landed a job at Minneapolis accounting firm Arthur Andersen. He earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Minnesota and went on to work at the U.S. Securities

Bob R lls Street. He traveled the world. As one of his students recently pointed out, he chose to see himself as the hero of his own story. That choice ultimately brought him back for his third chapter at Saint John’s. He hopes this will be a long one. “My goal is to leave a legacy.”

By Dana Drazenovich

Tips for Life It’s Friday afternoon, and Bell’s First Year Seminar students are discussing a guest speaker visit. Bell felt they should have asked more questions. “Becoming invested in people is so important,” he tells them. “A life where you become genuinely interested in people, inquisitive about them, I guarantee you it will make people like you, make you better to be around.” Bell says that approach helped him stand out among the Ivy Leaguers he worked with in his financial career, and it’s one of the life tips he weaves into his courses, from Bell is a seasoned traveler. Here he celebrates Moscow, which is high on his list of must-see destinations.

I had to do a gut check—‘How are you going to deal with this?’” Bell says. He had other friends, but that feeling of being different left its mark. “These things you go through make you a lot stronger, make you a lot more sympathetic, make you deeper.” His injury matured him, as few know better than Cletus Connors, OSB, former Saint After graduating, Bell went on to earn his Juris Doctor and worked as a lawyer John’s dean of students. Before at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C., and on the accident, Fr. Cletus was on Wall Street, before returning to SJU to teach. the verge of kicking Bell out of school for a string of trouble Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C., and then as he’d gotten into. “Almost a Wall Street attorney. “He was up to so But his ultimate goal was to teach at Saint John’s. every advising much foolishness that “There are so many people in so many capacities session I have with I thought, ‘He’s never here who have had such an impact on my life that students is something going to pass.’” I thought ‘I want to go back. I want to be someone Everything I treasure and see who makes a difference in someone else’s life and I changed on that as an absolute want to be a part of them, these special people.’” November day in 1989. Now, it seems his office light is always on, his van privilege.” Bell could no longer walk. perpetually in its Mary Lot spot. He immerses himself in He had limited use of his campus life, from attending alumni events to being Saint arms and none of his hands. He Ben’s Senate’s faculty adviser. spent months in the hospital, endured grueling physical “You’ve got to find a way to contribute. Everything I rehabilitation and struggled with his daunting new reality. do is about making Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s better.” When he came back to Collegeville, he hired fellow Students often take advantage of his open office door to Johnnies to be his caregivers—an arrangement that took stop in for a chat or serious advice. empathy and maturity on everyone’s part. “Almost every advising session I have with students is Bell didn’t lose his penchant for fun, but he had turned something I treasure and see as an absolute privilege,” a page, and he approached his studies, and his life, with Bell says. more purpose. That approach earned him the 2013-2014 Advisor of Twenty years later, when he applied for the teaching the Year distinction. position in accounting and finance, Fr. Cletus provided a glowing character reference. In retrospect, Fr. Cletus believes Bell would have done well regardless. Shortly after his return to Saint John’s in 1992, Bell “He’s just got it in him, the drive to be successful, work was at his wheelchair-accessible table in the refectory when a friend from his first semester walked past him rather than hard, be a positive influence on other people and society.” But Bell’s circumstances put him on the fast track sitting down. for learning patience, humility and perseverance. Even “I sat there by myself for about five or so minutes, and

Accepting Challenges

Overcoming Obstacles A Buddhist temple sat perched at the top of a mountain in Mongolia, a stop on Bell’s three-month 2005 tour of Central Asia with his college friend Jeff Glover ’94. The precarious path up wasn’t exactly wheelchairfriendly, but Glover and the two caregivers Bell had hired for the trip weren’t going without him. “We spent probably the next hour like Sherpas

dragging him over these swinging bridges and up and down stairs where frankly if we would have dropped him he would have been screwed,” Glover recalls. Bell wrote the book on pushing boundaries during his travels in 38 countries. “The money, the humiliation, the frustration—when I come back it’s always worth it,” he says. He would rather endure the awkwardness of being carried places his wheelchair can’t go than limit his life, Glover says, “because that’s how Bob rolls.” In return, Glover gets a friend who knows a thing or two about loyalty and trust. Bell encourages students to study abroad because seeing their change when they return is among his teaching highlights. He has experienced the transformative power of travel. He also has learned plenty about adversity, success and humanity, knowledge he channels into his teaching. Bell made such an impression that former student Kevin Abbas asked him to officiate his wedding this May. “It’s nice now … starting to see some of the impact I’ve helped make on our alums,” Bell says. He has one more major professional goal, and that’s to spend the next 30 years making an indelible contribution to Saint John’s. “I tell students I’d like a chair endowed in my name, but instead of calling it the Chair we’re going to call it the Bob Bell wheelChair.” Dana Drazenovich is a freelance writer and former journalist and public relations practitioner who teaches First Year Seminar and communication at CSB/SJU.

Bell recently gave an informal talk at Family Weekend about his memoir, Un Moving Four Ward. Tommy O’Laughlin ’13

now, his daily routine requires all three. He owns two apartments in St. Cloud, one of them for his morning caregiver. Getting ready for work is a two- to three-hour process, complete with the suit and tie Bell wears most days. Other hired caregivers help him at night. He’s mobile thanks to his electric wheelchair and specially equipped van, and he can write and type because he is able to move his wrists. But many everyday tasks, like buttoning buttons, are impossible without help. “Some aspects of my life are difficult enough that I’m constantly reminding myself to make my life matter.”

Mark Kappelhoff ’83

A Tireless Crusade By John Rosengren ’86

A career protecting civil rights has taken Mark Kappelhoff, deputy assistant attorney general, onto the front lines of cases involving racial discrimination, hate crime and human-trafficking. In one of his first cases as an attorney with the Department of Justice, Mark Kappelhoff ’83 investigated a seven-foot cross burning on the lawn of an AfricanAmerican family living in Kansas City. Even though Kappelhoff won convictions against the three men who had set the cross on fire, the family had to move to another city because they no longer felt safe in their home.   “It’s such a powerful example of the impact of hate crimes,” Kappelhoff says “They victimize not just the individual but the entire community.”

Working on that case solidified his decision to pursue a career dedicated to protecting civil rights. “I could not have been more passionate to enforce the laws and vindicate families like that one,” he says. Since that first case 17 years ago, Kappelhoff has risen to the role of deputy assistant general, overseeing the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. Last summer, he delivered the opening statement at the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in Geneva. Last spring, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) invited him to

accompany her delegation to Mexico for discussions with leaders there on human trafficking and drug smuggling. He is currently overseeing the federal government’s policemisconduct investigations in Ferguson, Cleveland and Albuquerque. Along the way, his commitment to justice has only grown stronger.

A Passion for Justice How does a guy who grew up playing hockey on a backyard rink in Anoka end up as the federal government’s top crusader for civil rights? Kappelhoff does not take long to consider the question. Seated in his office at the University of Minnesota Law School, where he’s teaching a spring semester course, he looks every bit the attorney in his gray suit and tie, very much an athlete with his 6’3” muscular frame, and experienced with his brown hair turning gray. His eyes are sharp blue, steady, confident. He carries an earnest yet humble air. The answer comes simply, “Atticus Finch.”

His parents deserve credit for planting the seeds of his passion for justice. His father and mother raised their five sons to treat everyone equally and instilled the concept of fairness. Kappelhoff was the third of the five, “the peacemaker,” he says. His years at Saint John’s University, where he majored in psychology and minored in government, refined those values.   He had played varsity football at Anoka High School but opted for intramural flag football at Saint John’s instead of going out for Gagliardi’s team. “I knew football would not be a career path for me,” he jokes.   His career was launched instead by his studies, his conversations and his contemplation. Freshman colloquium introduced him to thinkers such as Alexis de Tocqueville, Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill, whose thoughts on government he examined with the same group of 15 students for the school year. “That was such a great springboard,” he says.   The intimate atmosphere of courses like that, and the

for Civil Rights The principled hero of To Kill a Mockingbird—who defends a black man against false charges of rape in a Southern town even though he knows the man’s fate is doomed—made a lasting impression on Kappelhoff when he read the book in junior high and again in high school. He uses trial scenes from it in his course. “Even though it sounds cliché, Atticus Finch became a role model, and I wanted to be an advocate for justice,” he says. “I became interested in a profession where I could help people, where I could give voice to people who didn’t have that voice.”

Kappelhoff was inspired early on by the book To Kill a Mockingbird and its lawyer hero, Atticus Finch, played by actor Gregory Peck in the 1963 film adaptation of the book.

U.S. Mission Geneva/ Eric Bridiers

As part of a senior multi-agency U.S. delegation, Kappelhoff gave the opening address at the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland last August.

“I became interested in a profession where campus, with its access to nature and professors, appealed to him. He met mentors in professors Carol Widick in the psychology department and Ken Jones in history, whose offices he visited for long conversations. He also spent time walking in the woods, reflecting on life and the career he envisioned for himself. The Benedictine values permeating the environment worked their influence on him.   Then he graduated and found himself back tending the baseball diamonds for the Parks and Recreation department in Fridley, Minnesota, where he had worked summers during college to afford tuition and now labored to pay off student loans. This was not the career he had imagined for himself on the banks of the Sag. He decided to volunteer in Congressman Gerry Sikorski’s district office (Minnesota’s 6th congressional district) and instead landed a job. After a few months, Sikorski invited Kappelhoff to work as a staff member in his Washington, D.C., office.

Making Things Happen  From there, Kappelhoff earned his Juris Doctor at American University’s Washington College of Law, worked

for a D.C. firm, served six years as a public defender in Maryland, and taught as an adjunct in the law schools at the University of Maryland, Georgetown University and American University. He landed at the DOJ in 1997. There he developed his specialties in handling cases that involved hate crimes, police misconduct and human trafficking.   Kappelhoff put together an elite group of prosecutors to create the DOJ’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit and supervised U.S. v. Kil Soo Lee, one of the largest human trafficking cases the DOJ has ever prosecuted. “It’s very challenging for a federal attorney to gain the trust of someone, often a young person, smuggled into the country and forced to do awful things,” says Secretary of Labor Tom Perez, who, in his previous role as assistant attorney general, was Kappelhoff’s boss. “Mark’s earnestness, sympathy, compassion and ability to listen allowed him to win people’s trust.”   Kappelhoff has achieved some significant results. He led the federal government’s investigation of the Rampart Scandal, which implicated 70 police officers involved in widespread corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department. He worked to secure passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act,

which expanded the scope of hate crimes and has resulted in the DOJ charging more than 60 defendants since it became law in 2009. “Mark has the ability to make things happen,” says Minnesota’s Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, who has worked with Kappelhoff to fight sex trafficking. “It’s a combination of his leadership, drive and passion. He has an innate ability to bend his passion toward victory.”

Back to Minnesota Despite his impact in Washington, Kappelhoff felt the tug to return to Minnesota after 30 years away. His family is here, and his mother kept sending him classifieds for lawyer jobs back home. The deciding factor may have been his fiancée, Cynthia Bauerly, a fellow Minnesota native and attorney working in D.C. as the head of the

the fall but did commit to commute to teach his spring semester course on human trafficking, one of the few such courses in the country. Although he doesn’t have a precise date yet, he’s eager to return permanently to his roots. And to his new life–he and Cynthia have set their wedding date for May.   Minnesota is in his blood. One of the first things he did when he moved back was buy Gophers men’s hockey season tickets. He had played hockey in a senior league in Virginia, but was happy to be able to put together a team with some brothers and friends for the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships on Lake Nokomis. He also shares a package of Twins season tickets. He joined a running group, composed of other attorneys and a judge who run three mornings around Lake Harriet, where he and Cynthia have bought a house. Fourth District Judge Thomas Fraser says Kappelhoff, who’s completed

I could help people, where I could give voice to people who didn’t have that voice.” Federal Elections Committee. Bauerly also wanted to return, so when the University of Minnesota Law School offered Kappelhoff a teaching role in 2012, and she found a position at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, they did. (Bauerly was named the state’s revenue commissioner this past January.) His mom and dad were delighted he was back. “They love Cynthia, and it’s an added bonus that she’s a Minnesotan,” he cracks.   But while he settled in, the DOJ was undergoing transition and reached out to Kappelhoff as a veteran who knew its ways, to provide some stability, asking him back to oversee the Civil Rights Division last summer. He agreed, figuring he would do so between semesters at the law school and return to teach in the fall. Then Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown, and Kappelhoff stayed to help with the federal government’s investigation. Additional cases involving police shootings in Cleveland, New York and Albuquerque further delayed his return to Minnesota. He had to skip teaching in

a marathon but now runs simply to stay in shape, has been a terrific addition, with his sense of humor, breadth of knowledge and Benedictine humility. Fraser can only guess when Kappelhoff will be back permanently. “He’s too valuable for the DOJ to let go,” Fraser says. “And, of course, he wants to finish up on the cases he’s involved in.”   The work for civil rights is hard and seemingly endless, says Kappelhoff, but it’s work he’s glad he chose. “The rewards are beyond what you can imagine,” he says. To rescue a victim who has been controlled by traffickers, to vindicate their rights and provide their freedom, to see them as a survivor and no longer a victim–that work is so fulfilling.” John Rosengren ’86 is the author of eight books, most recently The Fight of Their Lives: How Juan Marichal and John Roseboro Turned Baseball’s Ugliest Brawl into a Story of Forgiveness and Redemption.

In Sight

The old sugar maple by Simons Hall is magnificent in all seasons. Photo by Michael Crouser â&#x20AC;&#x2122;85

If you would like a reprint of this photo, please email sjumag@csbsju.edu with your name and address, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll send you a complimentary 8 x 10 photo.

Coming this Way

Summer Reunion 2015

By Adam Herbst ’99

Reunion 2015 makes history as SJU’s first in the summer. Dorms were our home away from home and hold many fond memories of our time together at SJU. —John Sipe ’65

JUNE 26-28

REUN

ION

TIME.

Summer reunion promises a lot more time with your Johnnie classmates. Three days to catch up! Plenty of unstructured time, as well as scheduled events with your class, meals, maybe a canoe ride or hike.

RELIVE IT! You can stay on campus in the residence halls. How much easier could it get to revisit some of the best years of your life? BENNIES, TOO. For the first time, there will be opportunities to celebrate with your Bennie classmates as they gather for their reunion on the same dates.

WHAT’S ALUMNI COLLEGE? Professors and coaches were a major

N’S UNI V OH

No memory is complete without Saint Ben’s in the mix somewhere. —Bill Marrin ’65

So…why are SJU class reunions moving to the summer? That’s an easy one.

influence in those four years. Now we’ll be able to bring you more activities that include more of them—Alumni College, which will feature sessions with personalities like Professor Ken Jones, Alumni Chaplain Fr. Don Talafous and Coach John Gagliardi. FUN. Lakes, trees, prairies, spacious green lawns—one of the most beautiful outdoor playgrounds in Minnesota is all yours for three days. Lots of parking spaces, too.

One of SJU’s greatest strengths is its time-honored traditions. We didn’t change this one hastily or thoughtlessly. It came as a result of internal deliberation, discussions with the Alumni Association Board and a survey of alumni. We had an enthusiastic response, with more than 3,800 alumni (about 30 percent) responding. The survey results revealed that Saint John’s alumni overwhelmingly supported the idea of having class reunions at the same time as CSB. SJU stands out among small liberal arts colleges in the upper Midwest for its Homecoming celebration. Alumni and friends pour onto campus every fall to enjoy Johnnie football in Clemens Stadium. The game is followed by the Celebration on the Tundra, with children’s activities food, beverages and social time. Although class reunions are moving to the summer, Homecoming will continue as one of SJU’s marquee events. This year’s Homecoming is Oct. 17 vs. Gustavus. The annual Alumni Association Homecoming Banquet will take place as always on the Friday night before the game. And everyone is invited to the Celebration on the Tundra after the game as usual. In addition, the Alumni Association Board of Directors and the alumni relations team are planning other events for Homecoming, including some on both campuses. All of us at Saint John’s look forward to welcoming Johnnies from the classes ending in 0 or 5 back to SJU for a great time this summer. See you on June 26!

I was skeptical of moving class reunions to the summer. It seemed fall and football were a big part of it. But after being on campus in summer, it was a much better time to enjoy campus and reconnect with classmates. —Brian Kelly ’99

Adam Herbst ’99 is Saint John’s director of alumni relations. He can be reached at aherbst@csbsju.edu.

A Rat for All Seasons… and the Man Who Drew Him By Glenda Isaacs Burgeson

Denise Gagner

Kurt Kaiser ’67

Forty-five years ago, at the request of a student, a Saint John’s art professor dashed off a cartoon to represent the school’s unofficial mascot. In short order, he scribbled a scraggly, bewhiskered, well-fed rat with beady, close-set eyes and oversized ears, sporting a red sweater with the letter J, and flashing the peace sign with his right forepaw. From this modest beginning was born what has come to be a beloved campus icon, a trickster known as Johnnie Rat. 22

urt Kaiser ’67 estimates he spent fewer than 20 minutes on the task. He says he never gave it another thought. A Saint John’s monk at the time, Kaiser was widely known on campus for other art projects. Johnnie Rat did not achieve immediate celebrity status. Shy by nature, the stealthy critter took years to fully emerge into the limelight. Meanwhile, Kaiser left the abbey in 1973, completed his graduate education at the University of Colorado and married. He and his wife, Mary, raised a family in Grand Rapids, Mich., where Kaiser taught art at Aquinas College until his recent retirement. The Kaisers had two children, John and Josephine. Then they adopted two children, Pete, from Guatemala, and Alex. Six years ago, they added one more, Rami, a foster son from Iraq. Rami has since reconnected with his family and is studying in the U.S. to be an architect. Back at SJU and unbeknownst to Kaiser, the quirky character he left behind had become synonymous with school spirit, his image adorning T-shirts, sweatshirts and coffee mugs. There was even a Johnnie Rat bobble head. As befits the status of Johnnie Rat’s fame, the details of his origin are murky. According to articles in The Record, the cartoon was the winning entry in a poster contest. But that’s not how Br. Alan Reed ’70, OSB, recalls it. Reed was Kaiser’s student from 1968-70. In his version, Johnnie Rat was a form of student protest about the lousy condition of the old gym. “Johnnies were complaining about it, calling it Rat Hall,” he says. “They said it was the worst facility in the conference.” As Reed tells it, “A student came to Kaiser and said, ‘We need a picture of a rat with the letter J.’ ” Kaiser complied. It helps to recall the era of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Reed says. It was a time of activism, and artists and their art took center stage at Saint John’s. There was performance art, as well as art installations all over campus.

Simons Hall, which housed the art department, was a magnet for creative students and was often a hive of activity among faculty and students until the wee hours, Reed says. He describes Kaiser as a brilliant, creative teacher who once turned what was then called Alumni Lounge (Quad 170, now Founders Room) into a wild disco lounge, with a giant picture of Queen Elizabeth and an 8-foot Hubert H. Humphrey with a motorized jaw. At Aquinas, Kaiser was known for his whimsical sculptures with moving parts constructed from odds and ends. He says he likes to find new uses for things other than their original function. One precarious sculpture collapsed shortly before the art exhibition opened. Kaiser blamed the calamity on a loose screw and set about reassembling it before the show opened. Fifteen years ago, Kaiser began to get an inkling of Johnnie Rat’s popularity at SJU. A colleague and fellow SJU alumnus, Brent Chesley ’79, had visited campus and commented about seeing images of Johnnie Rat. Then Kaiser’s son Pete ordered a coffee mug and T-shirt emblazoned with JR as gifts for Kaiser. That’s when he looked online and discovered the variety of Johnnie Rat merchandise available at the bookstore. Peggy Roske, CSB/SJU archivist, who was compiling a history of Johnnie Rat, contacted him. In the ensuing email exchange, she encouraged him to come to campus and see for himself. When he and Mary returned to campus last fall for his class reunion, he received a hero’s welcome. Adam Herbst ’99, director of alumni relations for institutional advancement at SJU, presented him with a bag of Johnnie Ratthemed merchandise. Over the years, there have been other artistic renderings of Johnnie Rat. But, like his creator, there is only one original. Glenda Isaacs Burgeson is CSB/SJU director of editorial services.

Advancing the Mission

v i r r h e T v o t E s e tinu a rd

n o w C r Fo a m p a i g n

C l a t i C ap

d r a w r o e F

An Interview with Rob Culligan ’82, Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Saint John’s publicly announced its capital campaign during Homecoming weekend in September 2013. How has it been going?

It’s going very well, thanks to the generous support of alumni, parents and friends of Saint John’s. When we announced the campaign a year and a half ago, we had just crossed the $108 million threshold. Since then, we’ve raised an additional $27 million. To date we’ve received commitments of $135 million in cash, pledges and planned

student financial aid on an annual basis. We’ve also built a community center in Flynntown called the McKeown Center, which is a big hit with students. Academic programs are a major priority in the campaign, and we’ve received several large gifts to endow academic initiatives, such as the Ralph Gross Chair in Business & the Liberal Arts and the Cyprian Weaver Chair in Biomedical Sciences, as well as support for the Global Center and the McNeely Entrepreneurship Center. We’ve also made

Raised to Date: $135 million gifts, which puts us well on our way towards reaching our $160 million goal. We’re confident that we’ll meet or exceed this goal, but we don’t want to take anything for granted. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, and obviously we can’t do it without the continued generosity of our alumni, parents and friends.

significant progress on our athletic facilities, including the replacing the artificial turf in the football stadium, building a new soccer field and constructing a new baseball park.

Well, we began planning and counting gifts for the campaign in July 2008. This was a challenging era in several ways. That fall, SJU’s president, Br. Dietrich Reinhart, became ill and, shortly thereafter, he passed away. During this same period, the stock market plunged, and our nation slipped into the Great Recession. Needless to say, it wasn’t the best time to launch a campaign. There have been other complicating factors as well. We’ve had to conduct the campaign in the wake of the clergy sexual

What have been some of the notable accomplishments in the campaign?

We’ve made significant headway on a number of priorities that directly benefit students. The most noteworthy is scholarship endowment. So far we’ve raised more than $22 million in scholarship endowment. We’ve also raised nearly $20 million for the Student Fund (formerly the Annual Fund), which directly supports

Goal: $160 million

What have been some of the challenges and opportunities during the campaign?

Raised to Date

Goal

Undergraduate College

$90 million

$114 million

Saint John’s Abbey

$23 million

$20 million

School of Theology and Seminary

$9 million

$10 million

Hill Museum & Manuscript Library

$13 million

$16 million

abuse crisis, for one. Saint John’s also went through a lengthy process to establish Saint John’s University as a separate corporation. But we’ve kept the faith and forged ahead. Forward ever forward!

Q. A:

… and the opportunities?

First, during the campaign, Saint John’s has benefited greatly from strong and effective leadership, particularly the combination of Abbot John Klassen, and our university presidents, Dan Whalen, Fr. Bob Koopmann, and Michael Hemesath, as well as the chairs of the board during the campaign, Jim Frey, Ann Huntrods and Joe Mucha. Second, vision. Saint John’s has remained clear about its mission. We intend to stay true to our roots. We are a residential, Catholic, Benedictine liberal arts college. We not only seek to develop well-educated men, but to develop highly-engaged ethical leaders with a strong moral compass, leaders who think critically, act wisely and work collaboratively for the common good. At the same time, we are not strangers to embracing change, particularly when it comes to new technologies and pedagogies. We know that we need to continue to adapt and change to meet the needs of each new generation. Third, we are blessed with loyal, engaged and generous alumni. Our graduates care deeply about Saint John’s and want to see it prosper. When it comes to alumni affinity, we are the envy of colleges and universities around the country. As one of our graduates, Fred Senn ’64, puts it, “Saint John’s has a deep reservoir of alumni loyalty.” This makes a world of difference when it comes to the capital campaign.

What are the key priorities for the remainder of the campaign?

For the university, the top priority is the Learning Commons. We’ve raised about half of the funds needed, and if all goes according to plan, we’ll break ground on this new facility in spring 2016. We also have a few athletic facilities projects that we plan to wrap up, including the new tennis courts, concessions building and plaza, and a multipurpose field and seasonal dome. The Abbey’s main priority is to omplete funding for the renovation of the monastery residence. The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library and the School of Theology and Seminary are focusing on raising additional endowment support.

Q. What can alumni and friends do to help support the Forward Ever Forward campaign?

A: One of our most loyal and esteemed graduates, Frank Ladner ’48, recently passed away. When Frank received the Walter Reger Award in 1997, he called upon all Johnnies to give back to Saint John’s by contributing each year to the Student Fund, by supporting each capital campaign (as they are able), and by including Saint John’s in their estate plans. This blueprint, which we affectionately call “The Ladner Principles,” is the best way for alumni to support our capital campaign. Thank you! For more information about the Saint John’s capital campaign, Forward Ever Forward, visit csbsju.edu/forward.

Advancing the Mission

How Do We Create a Vibrant Learning Environment? A Reflection by William Kling ’64, Trustee of Saint John’s University I knew little about colleges when I chose Saint John’s. But it turned out to be an excellent choice for the way in which it nurtured its students and helped me mature. I responded best when I found the subject material and teaching compelling. Today, I sometimes find myself in meetings where it seems that everyone in the room went to colleges like Stanford, Princeton or Harvard. They clearly had opportunities that my generation at Saint John’s did not. I also realize that I had opportunities that they probably did not—personal connections with faculty and a residential experience with other students who brought differing perspectives to the process of learning. But those who follow us—today’s and tomorrow’s students at Saint John’s—could experience many of the opportunities that come from strong teaching and effective learning that contributes to the reputations of the country’s elite schools—along with the additional advantage of creating personal connections with faculty and the residential experience. I’ve been visiting colleges around the country with my grandson, and the visits have been instructive. What we are seeing is a small group of strong, residential, liberal arts colleges, much like Saint John’s, where the students are engaged and the faculty enjoys a spirit of learning emerging from the students. But there’s a difference. Many of these colleges have embraced visionary design in their post-classroom facilities—design that provides comfortable, engaging spaces along with accessible technology, where faculty

and students teach and learn together beyond the formal classroom. This is the kind of facility Saint John’s needs to ensure its students of today can reach their full potential. As a Trustee and a potential donor to the Learning Commons, my question to Saint John’s was, “How are you planning to create that kind of vibrant learning environment on our own campus?” The answer explained a new vision for learning beyond the classroom. It begins with the physical reconfiguration of Alcuin Library as well as the building of a new facility. This re-envisioned building includes engaging learning spaces and technology to facilitate local and global connections. It will be the “Learning Commons.” Its vision calls for collaborative learning in a manner that, in my view, is ahead of its peers. And, more importantly, Saint John’s ongoing examination of what should go on inside such a facility—with an emphasis on learning in a variety of ways, to make it effective for all of the ways Saint John’s students learn—will help lead the way to the future of education for colleges like Saint John’s. My wife, Sally, and I were excited to make a gift to a facility that would serve students like I had been— those who respond best to challenging stimulation in an environment with eager peers and engaged faculty—a place where small groups of students can engage with each other, with faculty, and, using technology, tapping expertise throughout the world. The Learning Commons has that potential. I wish we’d built it 50 years ago.

Johnnie Sports

Scorecard FOOTBALL (10-2, 7-1 MIAC) advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs to claim the program’s 32nd conference championship. It was the Johnnies’ first MIAC title and first Division III playoff appearance since the 2009 season. Second-year head coach Gary Fasching ’81 was named the MIAC John Gagliardi Coach of the Year, running back Sam Sura ’16 was named the MIAC Most Valuable Player and 11 others earned All-MIAC honors, including seven on the first team. A Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist, Sura ended the season with school records for rushing yards (1,769) and rushing yards per game (147.4), both held previously by Tim Schmitz ’78 in 1976 (1,475) and 1977 (138.2), respectively. Sura also broke six other school records. He became the first non-quarterback to lead the team in total offense (passing and rushing yards combined) since Dave Woodbeck ’88 recorded 869 yards (861 rushing and eight receiving) in 1987. His 120 points scored on 20 touchdowns (19 rushing and one receiving) is the sixthmost in an SJU season. Sura ended the regular season as the NCAA Division III leader in rushing yards and finished second in rushing yards per game despite not playing in the equivalent of two full games. Linebacker Carter Hanson ’17 earned the MIAC’s Elite 22 Award in 2014. Modeled after the NCAA Elite 89 Award, the MIAC Elite 22 Award for football is awarded to the studentathlete with the highest cumulative GPA among the conference’s top two teams. SOCCER (7-3 MIAC) won their final four MIAC regularseason matches and finished the season good for fourth place and a spot in the MIAC playoffs. There, SJU defeated Macalester (2-0) and top-seeded St. Olaf (4-1) to earn its second consecutive trip to the MIAC Playoff championship game, only to fall to Gustavus Adolphus by a 2-0 score. Midfielder Alex Niederloh ’16 was named to the NSCAA All-North Region third team. He was one of five Johnnies named All-MIAC, including fellow first-teamers Rocky Harmon ’17 and Zane Heinselman ’15. Defender Dylan Lehrer ’17 earned the MIAC’s Elite 22 Award for 2014,

which, in soccer, is presented to the student-athlete with the highest GPA among the two teams in the playoff championship match. As a team, SJU earnedits sixth consecutive NSCAA Academic Award for the 2013-14 academic year. CROSS COUNTRY finished fourth out of 11 teams at the 2014 MIAC Championship and eighth out of 27 teams at the NCAA Central Regional. The Johnnies now have 32 top-eight finishes at their last 33 NCAA Central Regionals (going back to 1982), including five titles and 23 top-five finishes. Thomas Feichtinger ’16 earned All-Region honors and a trip to the NCAA Division III Championship with an 11th-place finish (25:16) to lead SJU (259 points) at the regional. He then went on to finish 77th out of 280 runners at the 2014 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship in Mason, Ohio. GOLF finished third at the 2014 MIAC Championship with a three-day total of 917 (+53), 11 shots back of MIAC-champion Bethel. Ryan Gallagher ’17 finished second individually, three shots back from first, with a 220 (+4) to earn AllMIAC honors (top 10, including ties). Drew Lynch ’15 tied for eighth at 228 (+12) to post his third consecutive All-MIAC distinction. SJU earned GCAA AllAcademic team recognition for the sixth consecutive season in July. The Johnnies were one of five programs to earn the academic honor and finish in the top 15 at the 2014 NCAA Division III Championship in May. gojohnnies.com 27

Alumni Connection

Refer

Help CSB/SJU find its next generation of students. Go to www.csbsjurefer.com and tell us about a high-schooler you know who would make a great Bennie or Johnnie. Our goal is 100 referrals by midnight March 20. Thank you! 28 sjualum.com

Johnnies in the Media

Steve Lepinski ’70, CEO and executive director of the Washburn Center for Children in Minneapolis, was interviewed on both MinnPost and WCCO about the organization’s completed capital campaign. Lepinski led the charge for their new mental health building, which will better serve the more than 3,000 children they see each year.

Butkowski Digital Imaging

Fr. Wilfred Theisen ’52, OSB and Fr. Alberic Culhane ’52, OSB were profiled in the St. Cloud Times for their unwavering support of Saint John’s athletics. Theisen has been to every SJU home football game—and most away games—since 1955. Culhane often accompanies Theisen to the games. “I want to live for one more football season,” says Theisen. “And then it’ll be another one and another one and another one.”

Mike Setzer ’68, CEO of Transdev in Nassau County, New York, was dubbed one of the most influential people of the decade in the public transportation industry by Metro magazine. Setzer has more than 30 years of industry experience, heading up public transportation in Minneapolis, Cincinnati and now, Long Island. He was selected for his innovation and mentorship to new industry professionals.

Leo Yurek ’87 was crowned Titan, Prince of the North Wind, at the 2014 St. Paul Winter Carnival. Yurek’s crowning was covered by WCCO and various Twin Cities newspapers, and involved a year-long commitment as a goodwill ambassador for the City of St. Paul, often in costume.

Jack Ryan ’95 was the featured innovator on NASA’s website in late 2014. Ryan, a controls engineer for NASA, coinvented a peak-seeking algorithm for which his team received a patent. This algorithm can minimize an aircraft’s fuel use, but may also have applications for cars, energy and manufacturing.

Nick Hansen ’10 was named new journalist of the year by the Minnesota Newspaper Association (MNA) in the daily newspaper category. Hansen, a sports reporter at the Marshall Independent, began writing for the newspaper last July. A judge for MNA said that Hansen has “a knack for catching onto details that separate good writing from great writing.”

Abdul Kulane ’12 was profiled in Business Central magazine, a publication featuring Central Minnesota business people. Kulane shared his journey from Somalia to the United States, including receiving his bachelor’s degree from Saint John’s. He started his own business in St. Cloud called Language-Bank LLC, which provides interpretation and translation services in five languages. sjualum.com 29

Milestones

Stay in Touch! Just married? New child? New job? Another degree? Awards and recognitions? Your fellow alumni love to hear what you’re up to. And we can help you stay in touch. Alumni marriages, births and deaths are listed in the Milestones section in the twice-yearly Saint John’s Magazine. SJU also publishes more comprehensive class notes online. Go to sjualum.com/classnotes for news from and about your classmates. There, you can enter your own class note anytime, or send your news to aherbst@csbsju.edu, and we’ll enter it in class notes for you.

MARRIAGES ’61 Lian Chang to Paul Winter, June ’14 ’88 Teresa King to Alex Dascalos, May ’14 ’91 Andrea to Joe Bren, Sept. ’14 ’00 Jen Berens to Will Gibson, July ’14 ’02 Melissa McNamara to Alex Siebenaler, Nov. ’14 ’04 Heidi Kommes to John Costello, May ’14 ’05 Anna (Burgason ’11) to Andy Dirksen, Nov. ’14 ’05 Amy (Hogerton ’10) to Jason Stading, Sept. ’14 ’06 Cassandra Nelson to Brian Adamek, Nov. ’14 ’07 Kyrsten Klein to Justin Theodotou, Aug. ’14 ’08 Samantha (Schmidt ’09) to Stephen Foertsch, Oct. ’14

’08 Alison (Roeder ’09) to Joe Mailander, Nov. ’14 ’08 Gina Danielson to Kyle Vanselow, May ’14 ’08 Kelly to Eric Wohleb, July ’14 ’09 Anna (Roach ’09) to Michael Orts, July ’14 ’09 Amanda Lieser to Joey Polingo, Aug. ’14 ’09 Emilee (Parsons ’09) to Jeff Schnobrich, May ’14 ’09 Leslie (Van Cleve ’10) to Keir Stiegler, Oct. ’14 ’10 Angela (Tate ’10) to Andy Aebly, Aug. ’14 ’10 Annalese (Henderson ’10) to Matthew Bartholomew, Nov. ’14 ’10 Katy (Torchia ’12) to Ryan Noack, Aug. ’14 ’10 Elizabeth Steeves to Kyle Schroeder, Sept. ’14 ’11 Laura (Andersen ’11) to Nicholas Alonzi, June ’14 ’11 Katie (Windschitl ’11) to Matthew Brolsma, Aug. ’14 ’11 Jessica (Mault ’11) to James Darcy, June ’14 ’11 Jeni Leukam to Logan Gruber, Oct. ’14 ’11 Kayla (Becker ’13) to Paul Johnson, Aug. ’14

’11 Sara (Lang ’13) to Dusty Raygor, Oct. ’14 ’11 Ellory (Eggermont ’11) to Ben Rosek, Aug. ’14 ’11 Caitlin (Schnettler ’11) to Brian Skluzacek, July ’14 ’12 Kelley (Knapek ’12) to Dalton Buysse, Nov. ’14 ’13 Kristen (Peterson ’13) to Andrew de St. Aubin, July ’14 ’13 Joan (Van Grinsven ’13) to Robert Doss, Oct. ’14 ’13 Karissa Parker to Tyson Euerle, June ’14 ’13 Brenna (Miland ’13) to Joseph Pekarna, Sept. ’14 ’14 Constance (Berger ’14) to Dakota Huseth, May ’14 ’14 Megan (Voss ’14) to Mitchell Schulte, Sept. ’14

BIRTHS ’86 ’86 ’89

Kitty Ngan & Francis Ng, boy, Savio, Oct. ’14 Tara & Pete Radosevich, girl, Eleanor, July ’14 Laura & Timothy Lebens, girl, Ella, Oct. ’14

’92 Lisa & Sharm Scheuerman, boy, Tyler, Aug. ’14 ’96 Kindra & Chris Englund, boy, Felix, Sept. ’14 ’96 Joy & Jon Ruis, girl, Olivia, Aug. ’14 ’98 Shannon & Luke Hattenhauer, girl, Tessa, Oct. ’13 ’98 Betsy (Dynan ’00) & Aaron Schmucker, boy, Blake, July ’14 ’99 Karen & Keith Gallus, boy, Nathan, Aug. ’14 ’00 Steph & Tim Foley, girl, Maureen, Jan. ’14 ’01 Katie & John Borgen, twin boys, Abraham and Isaiah, Sept. ’14 ’01 Karine (Nelson ’01) & Tom Lewandowski, girl, Elizabeth, Sept. ’14 ’01 Larissa (Omann ’01) & Kyle Mrozek, girl, Veronica, Nov. ’14 ’01 Megan (Quale ’02) & Daniel Stepaniak, boy, Benjamin, July ’14 ’02 Alice & Aaron Bidle, boy, David, June ’14 ’02 Jessica (Weber ’02) & Mark Horning, boy, Isaac, Apr. ’14 ’02 Meghan & Zach McBroom, boy, Grant, June ’14 ’02 Melissa & Patrick Reichert, girl, Samantha, May ’14 ’02 Kelli & Joe Reitzel, girl, Evelyn, Sept. ’14 ’02 Emily (Tretter ’12) & Charles Walters, boy, Camden, July ’14 ’02 Kristin & Luke Witt, twin girls, Ella and Grace, July ’14 ’02 Susan & Robert Yankovich, girl, Mya, Aug. ’14 ’03 Vanja (Sinanovic ’05) & Michael Absmaier, girl, Pia, May ’14 ’03 Crystal & Russell Boe, boy, Charles, May ’13 ’03 Kate (Johnson ’03) & Luke Doubler, boy, Jacob, Oct. ’14 ’03 Katherine & John Mathews, girl, Eloise, Nov. ’14 ’03 Kelli & Andrew Maurer, boy, Oliver, June ’14 ’03 Laura (Guetter ’04) & Matthew

Novak, boy, Xavier, May ’14 ’03 Anna (Kokesch ’03) & Eric Reeve, girl, Eva, July ’14 ’03 Katie (Holloway ’03) & Ben Sowieja, boy, Emmett, May ’14 ’04 Laura (Burgett ’04) & Rick Burtzel, girl, Melody, Feb. ’14 ’04 Anna (Zauhar ’05) & Cole Deibele, boy, Easton, Oct. ’14 ’04 Lori & Barry Folkens, girl, Kennedy, Nov. ’14 ’04 Melinda & Derek Tamm, boy, Connor, June ’14 ’05 Beth & Kenneth Bechtold, Jr., boy, Grady, June ’14 ’05 Kari (Burns ’06) & John Moore, boy, Willem, Mar. ’14 ’06 Kristen & Jeff Bye, girl, Olimpia, July ’14 ’06 Amanda (Kack ’07) & Lance Flannery, boy, Jacob, Aug. ’14 ’06 Jennifer (Fasnacht ’07) & Joshua Pope, boy, Elijah, Oct. ’14 ’06 Tamara (Hoese ’06) & Noah Retka, girl,Eleanor, Nov. ’14 ’06 Ashley & Matt Reubendale, boy, Emerson, Sept. ’14 ’07 Kim (Matteson ’08) & Justin Evander, girl, Evelyn, Nov. ’14 ’07 Sarah (Haberman ’07) & Jacob Hartman, girl, Grace, Oct. ’14 ’07 Jennifer (Gray ’07) & Nathaniel Leppanen, girl, Ava, Sept. ’14 ’07 Alexandra (Nedelcu ’08) & Jeff Ross, girl, Charlotte, Sept. ’14 ’07 Tamara (Slivnik ’07) & Kyle Shaughnessy, girl, Layla, June ’14 ’07 Gretchen Fenske & Jimmy Wesp, girl, Evelyn, Nov. ’14 ’08 Laura & Paul Eich, boy, Leo, June ’14 ’08 Jessica (Guentzel ’05) & Rob Himmerick, boy, James, Apr. ’14 ’08 Nora (Kain ’07) & Tyler Tholl, girl, Ada, Oct. ’14 ’09 Chelsey (Knabe ’08) & Trent Novotny, boy, Brody, Sept. ’14

Tom O’Connell ’69 Family tradition brought Tom O’Connell ’69 to Saint John’s. The Benedictine commitment to social justice inspired his life’s path. His father and brother were standout Johnnie athletes, but polio at age 6 had paralyzed O’Connell’s right leg and weakened his left. “I wasn’t going to be a leader on the football field, but maybe I could be a contributor in another way,” says O’Connell, a retired Metropolitan State University political science professor. He threw himself into campus activism and leadership. “It was a time when a lot of stuff was fermenting,” he says. “I grew up in a period of civil rights, Black Power, women’s rights.” He was class president and then, his senior year, part of the experimental Bennie-Johnnie community “The Farm.” “The thing that really changed my life was the last year, though I loved St. John’s in every way.” His dedication to community building continues today as O’Connell volunteers with neighborhood development efforts and human rights issues, primarily in south Minneapolis, and does a weekly radio show on Twin Cities station KFAI-FM.

Milestones

’09 Dana (Scheppmann ’09) & Alex Wieme, boy, Jack, Aug. ’14 ’10 Rebecca & Dan Backes, girl, Magdalena, June ’14 ’10 Alora (Walterman ’11) & Kellen Blaser, girl, Addison, May ’14 ’10 Natalie (Perl ’11) & Jeff Regan, girl, Brigid, Mar. ’14 ’10 Kelen & Adam Sohre, girl, Laila, Nov. ’14 ’11 Courtney (Christenson ’11) & Luke Opsahl, girl, Lena, Aug. ’14

DEATHS Scott C. LaBarre ’90 Scott LaBarre ’90 grew up fast after losing his vision to a virus at age 10. But it wasn’t until he came to Saint John’s that he realized his role in society. “I think what Saint John’s imbued in me was the sense of community and the responsibility to make my community better, and all of the work I’ve done since being at Saint John’s is with that in mind.” Accommodations were less structured 25 years ago, but he worked with professors to get his coursework into audio formats and felt well prepared when he entered the competitive University of Minnesota Law School. Now, he uses his legal expertise—and Benedictine background—to help his profession and other people. In addition to his work through his Denver-based LaBarre Law Offices, P.C., LaBarre also dedicates his time and skill to the National Federation of the Blind, the National Association of Blind Lawyers and the American Bar Association. “There are so many ways to give back to society that, in my case, are not dependent on vision.”

’36 ’40 ’40 ’40

Mary Mahoney Roeder, spouse of deceased Eugene ’36, mother of Michael ’69, Nov. ’14 Jim Daily ’40, Sept. ’14 John Gauvin ’40, Mar. ’13 Bettye Luckemeyer, spouse of deceased, Eugene ’40, Nov. ’14 ’41 Louis Howitz ’41, Sept. ’14 ’41 Mary Lou Smith, spouse of Bill ’41, mother of Dan ’74 and Tim ’77, Nov. ’13 ’41 Norbert Vos ’41, father of Leo ’74, Daniel ’75, brother of Ralph ’50, Oct. ’14 ’43 Evelyn Morrow, spouse of deceased Dr. Thomas ’43, mother of Kevin ’75, June ’14 ’46 Lorraine Cesnik, spouse of deceased, Robert ’46, mother of John ’70, Sept. ’14 ’46 Donald Conway ’46, father of Mark ’74, Oct. ’14 ’46 Thomas Matejcek ’46, father of Thomas ’76, Sept. ’14 ’46 Dr. Anthony Pollock ’46, father of Steve ’72, Nov. ’14 ’48 Sydney Gross ’48, father of Patrick ’90, Michael ’90, Peter ’79, Aug. ’14 ’48 Raymond Huelskamp ’48, Mar. ’14 ’48 Frank Ladner ’48, Nov. ’14

’48 Ethel McCarthy, spouse of deceased, Joseph ’48, mother of Kevin ’70, sister of Eugene Hanauska ’61 and Kenneth Hanauska ’64, Nov. 14 ’48 Laila Miller, spouse of deceased Francis ’48, mother of Tom ’73, July ’14 ’49 Donna DeGrood, spouse of Jim ’49, Nov. ’14 ’49 Robert Doerner ’49, brother of Daniel ’59, Jan. ’14 ’49 Joseph Harren ’49, father of Richard ’76 and deceased son, William ’77, Aug. ’14 ’49 Ted LeGare ’49, Nov. ’13 ’49 Vincent Maliszewski ’49, Sept. ’12 ’49 Vincent Morrison ’49, Aug. ’14. ’49 The Rt. Rev. Claude Peifer, OSB ’49, May ’14 ’49 Donald S. Peterson ’49, May ’14. ’49 Cal Wilfahrt, spouse of Eldor ’49, mother of Tim ’76, Oct. ’14 ’50 James Coyle ’50, June ’14 ’50 Mary Dressen, spouse of Michael ’50, Sept. ’14 ’50 Dr. Roger Greer ’50, Nov. ’14 ’50 Bill Kauffman ’50, Oct. ’14 ’50 Anna Lawler, spouse of Kevin ’51, May ’14 ’50 Mike O’Brien ’50, Dec. ’14 ’50 Rev. Alvin Quade ’50, Oct. ’14 ’51 Rev. Henry Fritz, OSB ’51, July ’14 ’51 Frank Lozar ’51, Sept. ’14 ’51 Richard Wilger ’51, brother of deceased Norbert ’49 and deceased Francis ’52, June ’14 ’52 Edgar Harthman ’52, Oct. ’14 ’52 Dennis Quinlivan ’52, deceased brothers of Richard ’48 and Roger ’52, June ’14 ’52 John Weimerskirch ’52, Oct. ’14

’52 Marianne Weyandt, spouse of Bill ’52, mother of Will ’87, July ’14 ’53 Joseph Collison ’53, May ’14 ’53 Donald Lamm ’53, father of Charles ’87, Aug. ’14 ’53 John “Jack” Schneider, Jr. ’53, Aug. ’14 ’53 Bill Wendlandt ’53, Sept. ’13 ’53 Francis Wilger ’53, brother of deceased Rev. Norbert Wilger ’49 and deceased Richard ’51, Oct. ’14 ’54 Robert C. Johnson ’54, Aug. ’09. ’54 Joanne Mock, spouse of Jim ’54, Dec. ’14 ’55 Bernard “Fuzzy” Marsnik ’55, father of Tom ’91, Jan. ’14 ’56 Bill Hobday ’56, Dec. ’14 ’56 Ronald Howard ’56, brother of Jerry ’56, June ’14 ’56 Rev. Msgr. Robert Wyffels ’56, Nov. ’14 ’57 Rev. James Hahn ’57, Aug. ’14 ’58 Tom Barron ’58, Sept. ’14 ’58 Rev. Raymond Deisch ’58, Jan. ’14 ’58 Darlene Gaebel, spouse of Jim ’58, Aug. ’14 ’58 Rev. Thomas Geelan ’58, Sept. ’14 ’58 Thomas “Nolan” Hurt, Sr. ’58, Dec. ’13 ’58 Edward Pasch ’58, July ’14 ’59 Bill Edelbrock ’59 Dec. ’14 ’59 Dr. Raoul Kunert ’59, brother of deceased, Paul ’57, Oct. ’14 ’60 Donna Haggerty, spouse of deceased, Robert ’60, Nov. ’14 ’60 Paul Juettner ’60, brother of Fred ’67, Apr. ’14 ’60 Joseph Weimerskirch ’60, brother of Arnold ’58 and Dennis ’62, Aug. ’14 ’60 Rev. George Wertin ’60, Aug. ’14 ’60 Lawrence Wollerming ’60, Aug. ’14

’61 Charles “Chuck” Crausam ’61, July ’14 ’61 Elaine Fraune, spouse of Joe ’61, Nov. ’14 ’61 Gregory Plante, brother of Dr. Julian Plante ’61, Oct. ’14 ’62 Joseph Scoblic ’62, June ’14 ’63 Patricia Nugent, spouse of Patrick ’63, mother of Scott ’88, Nov. ’14 ’63 Rev. Donald Slaven ’63, Sept. ’14 ’64 James Cassidy ’64, Oct. ’14 ’64 Timothy Cronin ’64, brother of Joe ’68, father of Mike ’89, June ’14 ’64 Cathy Danielson, spouse of John ’64, Dec. ’14 ’64 Kathy Ebnet, spouse of Larry ’64, Nov. ’14 ’64 Joseph Eitter ’64, Aug. ’14 ’64 Sandy Garrity, spouse of Mike ’64, Oct. ’14 ’64 George Mullally ’64, brother of John ’59, July ’14 ’64 Mark J. Spinner, brother of Bob ’64, Nov. ’14 ’64 Dennis “Mike” Sullivan ’64, Mike ’96, Tom ’66, and the brother of Gene ’58, July ’14 ’64 Bill Thissen ’64, July ’14 ’65 Dorothy Anderson, mother of Richard ’65, Feb. ’14 ’65 Honora Benda, spouse of Joe ’65, Jan. ’14 ’65 Tom Bierman ’65, Aug. ’14 ’65 Michael Bonovich ’65, Nov. ’14 ’65 Michael Hayes ’65, brother of Abbot Giles Hayes, OSB ’61, Mar. ’14 ’65 Michael Lyons ’65, Oct. ’14 ’66 Mike Collins ’66, Sept. ’14 ’66 James Gerber ’66, Sept. ’14 ’66 Robin Poppel, spouse of Joe ’66, Sept. ’14 ’67 Warren Bishop, father of John ’67 and James ’79, Sept. ’14 ’67 Augustus “Gus” Stuhldreher, III, ’67, May ’14

Luke Szczech ’12 Luke Szczech ’12 was a junior at Rocori High School and just figuring out where he fit in and what he wanted to do with his life. Then, that July, a swimming accident paralyzed him from the chest down. He came to Saint John’s in fall 2008 needing to find himself all over again. “Coming out of my shell here was, I would call it, an intense process.” He felt shy and a little awkward given he always had a personal care attendant with him. “However, after going through all of my classes, even though I didn’t live on campus, I felt I was able to have the experience a normal college kid would have.” Szczech graduated with a psychology degree and is now on the job hunt after getting his master’s degree in counseling from St. Cloud State University in May 2014. He left his shyness behind and created a lot of lasting friendships with his professors and classmates. “That was probably the most rewarding part, actually making connections I still keep today.”

Milestones

Stanton Charlton ’18 Even before Stanton Charlton ’18 had chosen Saint John’s, he felt Saint John’s had chosen him. “I really felt attached to the school and really wanted by the school before I made my decision.” Charlton jumped right into campus life after moving here from Nassau, Bahamas this fall. He joined the campus Caribbean club Archipelago Association and the debate team, a natural fit because he’s been involved in debate since middle school. “It really helped me become a leader, become sure of myself, become comfortable in my own skin.” He’s exploring majors and is likely to choose one that lets him take advantage of his analysis and speaking abilities. However, music also has its appeal. “Music was a really important part of my life growing up,” Charlton says. He played piano, guitar and drums when he was younger and DJs in his free time. For now, he’s enjoying the exploration process and the independence college brings. “You get to start making decisions that impact your future, experiment, find out what works, find out what doesn’t.”

’68 Bob Holig ’68, Oct. ’14 ’69 Deacon Vitas Paskauskas ’69, brother of Denis ’77, Dec. ’14 ’69 James Steinhoff ’69, brother of Glen ’79, Nov. ’14 ’71 James A. Dady, father of Michael ’71, Oct. ’14 ’71 Beatrice Forsythe, mother of Jeff ’71, John ’74 and Larry ’76, May ’14 ’71 Daniel Patterson ’71, brother of Michael ’72 and Thomas ’73, Sept. ’12 ’72 James Carlson, Jr. ’72, Aug. ’14 ’73 Lawrence Bredemus ’73, May ’14 ’73 Sister Maria Tasto ’73, July ’14 ’73 S. Cabrini Walch ’73, May ’14 ’75 Bob Braco, brother of Dennis ’75, July ’14 ’75 Joe Hayes ’75, Nov. ’14 ’75 Rudolph Maurine, Jr. ’75, Aug. ’14 ’75 Eileen Schroepfer, mother of Larry ’75, Oct. ’14 ’76 DeVona Kurpiers, mother of Ron ’76, Oct. ’14 ’79 George Ridge, father of David ’79, Aug. ’14 ’79 Candy Rinowski, spouse of Dr. Joseph ’79, Oct. ’14 ’79 Mary Lou Weydert, mother of Brad ’79, June ’13 ’80 Mark Christianson ’80, Nov. ’14 ’81 Thomas Cusack, Jr., father of Dennis ’81, June ’14 ’81 Dave Evans ’81, brother of Robley ’80, June ’14 ’81 Jerome Halloran, father of Shaun McElhatton ’81, Oct. ’14 ’82 Carol Hogan-O’Keefe, spouse of Mike O’Keefe ’82. July ’14 ’83 Richard Crouser, father of Dan ’83, Michael ’85 and Peter ’94. ’83 John Huebsch ’83, son of David ’58, brother of David ’88, July ’14

’83 Belen Rillo, mother of Arnel ’83 and Arthur ’86, May ’14 ’83 Vincent Thul, father of Mike ’83, Sept. ’14 ’86 Suzann Breen, mother of Casey ’93, Chuck ’86 and Mike ’88, Nov. ’14 ’86 James M. Dwyer, father of Jimmy ’86, Oct. ’14 ’87 Rev. Michael Richel ’87, Aug. ’14 ’87 Diane Swedal, mother of Scott ’87, Nov. ’14 ’88 Rev. Richard Walz ’88, Sept. ’14 ’91 Ben Marczak ’91, May ’14 ’92 Kathleen Kaluza, mother of Dave ’92, Nov. ’14 ’93 Paul Schaffhausen, father of John ’93, Sept. ’14 ’94 Thomas Foley, MD, father of Patrick ’94 and Tim ’00, May ’14 ’99 Marilyn Murray, spouse of Deacon Thomas ’99, mother of Michael ’88 and Timothy ’80, Aug. ’14 ’05 Connor McGee ’05, June ’14 ’12 Anna Madison, spouse of John ’12, June ’14 ’13 Mitchell Thune ’13, Aug. 14

Fine Arts Calendar

Cherish the Ladies Saturday, March 14, 7:30 p.m. Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, SJU

Black Violin Saturday, March 28, 7:30 p.m. Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, SJU

Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas Featuring the CSB/SJU Orchestra Friday, April 10, 7:30 p.m. Escher Auditorium, CSB

Two Men Talking Saturday, April 18, 7:30 p.m. Gorecki Family Theater, CSB

Matt Haimovitz Saturday, April 25, 7:30 p.m. Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, SJU

Inspiring Lives

The Huebsch Family By Donald M. Hall

They could have continued working on the farm in Perham, Minnesota, enjoying the seasonal changes and a tranquil life amid nature’s bounty. But David ’59 and Betty Huebsch chose instead to dedicate their lives to others. They could have chosen to take up that life of good works in the richest country in the world, enjoying its seductive benefits, but they chose Pictured above are Bina instead to work in one of the world’s and David Huebsch ’59. David poorest countries. And they could have co-founded The Godchild John Huebsch ’83 continued chosen to concentrate on their own Project (now Common Hope) in his parents’ work with children’s education, thus assuring Guatemala with his late wife, Betty. Common Hope in Guatemala society’s approval. But they chose until his death in 2014. instead to concentrate on the education of children in a country with 75 percent illiteracy. further engaged their American friends to bring supplies These choices took them to Central America and the and to stay and help in the work. Together they built a small country of Guatemala. community called The Godchild Project. As the children It was a place of magnificent natural beauty, home to were helped, so were the parents. descendants of the Mayan Indians, radiantly dressed in In time, Betty and Dave’s son, John, took over their bright yellow-, red- and blue-patterned clothing that could work. Like his father, John was a Saint John’s University be called raiments of art. It was a country of overflowing graduate. Today the program they started is called sunshine and greenery. In a sense, it was paradise. But Common Hope. It works with more than 11,000 it was also home to a people divided—a few lived well children and adults in 26 communities. Its impact and while the majority struggled in desperate poverty. It was embroiled in a civil war turned especially vicious because of reach are astonishing. God’s ways are mysterious, but the Huebschs found a the suspicion of Communist influence. way to direct His light to both a group of people in Central The Huebschs did not choose sides. They did not America and to the North Americans who bring improved proselytize. They set about trying to bring education to health and education to them. its youth. To help make that happen, they asked their American friends and associates to send money and then to come and see for themselves. These friends discovered that in giving, they received, learning that lives of deep poverty can still be rich in grace. To concentrate on their studies, the youth needed to be in good health and have adequate housing, so the Huebschs

Donald M. Hall ’59 lives in Minneapolis and has recently written a book, Generation of Wealth, about Control Data and innovation in the Upper Midwest. He has twice been to Guatemala on Common Hope missions.

A Desire to Help Others

atrick Strey ’16 volunteers with Boys & Girls Clubs, pitches for Johnnie baseball and is looking forward to student teaching next year. Patrick, a recipient of the Luckemeyer Family Endowed Scholarship, dreams of teaching in an inner city high school. And thanks in part to the Luckemeyer Scholarship, his dreams are becoming a reality.

Gene ’40 and Bettye Luckemeyer established the Luckemeyer Family Endowed Scholarship Fund with a gift from their estate. Gene, a World War II veteran, landman and proud SJU alumnus, and Bettye, an advertising professional, both volunteered for years at their church and at the Colorado Welcome Center. Their legacy comes to life in students like Patrick.

It’s your will. To learn more about making a bequest to Saint John’s, contact Jim Dwyer ’75, director of planned giving, at (800) 635-7303 or jdwyer@csbsju.edu

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