Johnnies Shine at Mayo Clinic and on the Field P. 10
SUMMER/FALL 2024 MAGAZINE
Share a story with a friend electronically at sjualum.com/saint-johns-magazine
10
In addition to their successful careers as pediatric sports medicine specialists at the renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, former Johnnie football standouts Aaron Krych ’01, David Soma ’04 and Luke Radel ’09 volunteer their team physician services at Rochester’s three high schools. Krych also serves as the NBA Minnesota Timberwolves’ team orthopedic surgeon.
Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage Brings Decades of Friendship Down a New Path P. 14
Six Johnnies who came together during the mid-1980s in Bernie Hall renewed their lasting camaraderie in June with a 150-mile, 11-day trek on the Camino de Santiago Portuguese route, a historical and spiritual journey that means different things to different pilgrims.
Athletic Tandem and Spiritual Colleagues Fought Cancer Battle Together P. 22
Half a century after they first connected as athlete and coach at Saint John’s, track standout Jim Schoffman ’75 and mentor Chuck Ceronsky ’70 bonded again before Schoffman’s passing after a long battle with colon cancer.
Alumni Celebrate 50 Years of Collegeville Memories of Steve Martin P. 26
On Oct. 9, 1974, a virtually unknown comedian came to Central Minnesota as a last-minute replacement on SJU’s Homecoming entertainment docket and completely stole the show. Steve Martin went on to become one of the world’s most renowned and celebrated stars, and Johnnies who were here in 1974 and again in 1976 still revel in what they saw. 14
SAINT JOHN’S MAGAZINE is the alumni magazine of Saint John’s University. It is published twice a year, in the spring and fall, by the SJU Office of Institutional Advancement.
PROJECT MANAGER
Sarah Forystek
CREATIVE DIRECTION AND DESIGN Gearbox Creative
EDITOR
Dave DeLand ddeland@csbsju.edu 320-363-3013
CONTRIBUTORS
Rob Culligan ’82
Dana Drazenovich
Eric Hollas, OSB
Ryan Klinkner ’04
Frank Rajkowski
PHOTOGRAPHY
Tommi O’Laughlin ’13
Tom Kreuzer ’79
UNIVERSITY ARCHIVIST
Peggy Landwehr Roske ’77
EDITOR EMERITUS † Lee A. Hanley ’58
ADDRESS CHANGES
Ruth Athmann
Saint John’s University P.O. Box 7222 Collegeville, MN 56321 rathmann@csbsju.edu
Medical Footprints Grow, Thrive at SJU and CSB
At the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, our mission extends beyond the classroom. It encompasses a deep dedication to the health and wellbeing of our communities, driven by our exceptional alumni and our impactful partnerships with leading medical organizations.
This issue of Saint John’s Magazine shines a light on our rich contributions to the medical field and community health, showcasing the remarkable contributions of our graduates and the dynamic programs that prepared them for lives of service and innovation in health care.
The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University have a growing footprint in health and health education. It is work squarely centered in our mission, calling us to instill values and aspire to lead lives of significance and principled achievement. Our commitment to health and health education isn’t just about producing skilled practitioners, but also about fostering a deep understanding of the human condition, genuine respect for the dignity of every person and a passion for serving the common good.
This commitment is evident in our current academic innovation focused on health and health education. It’s also evident in our strong partnerships with organizations like CentraCare, where we’re working together to address the unique health needs of rural communities in Central Minnesota. And, of course, it’s evident in the remarkable achievements of our alumni, who are making a profound impact in the medical field and beyond.
In this issue, you will encounter three Johnnies who exemplify the Saint John’s mission in action: physicians Aaron Krych, David Soma and Luke Radel, all distinguished members of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Not only are they providing top-notch care to their patients, they’re also giving back to the community as team doctors for Rochester’s high
The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University have a growing footprint in health and health education. It is work squarely centered in our mission, calling us to instill values and aspire to lead lives of significance and principled achievement.
schools, and Krych also extends his expertise as the team surgeon for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their dedication to both medicine and mentorship is a testament to the well-rounded education they received at Saint John’s.
In so many ways, Aaron, David and Luke are manifestations of our institutional learning goals: individuals who think deeply, embrace difference, engage globally, serve graciously and live courageously. Each, in his own way and across his own sphere of influence, adopts a stance of curiosity, seeking to live a life of purpose. They are the embodiment of professional excellence and compassionate care, enriched by their liberal arts education.
So many of our Johnnies and Bennies represent precisely what we expect of all our students: to not just achieve, but to live deliberate,
thoughtful lives dedicated to solving our world’s most urgent and complex problems. Their education in a liberal arts context has uniquely equipped them to approach their professions with a broader perspective, integrating diverse fields of knowledge and humanistic values. They are proof that a Benedictine, liberal arts education is not just a foundation for a career, but a launching pad for a life of meaning and purpose.
As we celebrate the achievements of our alumni and continue to grow our medical partnerships, we reaffirm our commitment to fostering a community where education and compassion intersect. I believe that our graduates will continue to lead the way in transforming health care, not only through their skills and knowledge, but also through their compassion, integrity and unwavering commitment to serving others.
President Brian Bruess
Together We Flourish: Johnnie-Bennie Couple Invests in Shared Future
Paul Krump ’82 and Anne Schmidt-Krump ’82 have always believed in the value of the unique relationship between Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict.
Now, inspired by the possibilities of Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s newly strengthened commitment to integration, the Krumps are investing in the shared destiny President Brian Bruess laid out so powerfully in his inauguration address last fall:
“Together, our future at Saint Ben’s and at Saint John’s has never been brighter. Together we can flourish. Together we will flourish.”
The Krumps have made a significant contribution to that luster with a $9 million pledge to be distributed evenly between Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s.
“We chose to split our gift equally because we see Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s as true partners,” Paul said. “Frankly, even way back when we were students, we viewed the schools as inextricably intertwined. Our many interactions with the schools over the last four decades have only strengthened that belief. Now, with the schools under the leadership of a single president, we are especially excited for new opportunities for efficiency and holistic growth.”
The first $2 million has come as a cash donation, with each institution receiving $1 million. The remaining $7 million is currently held in a Charitable Testamentary Lead Trust, with each school scheduled
to receive $3.5 million. When combined with their previously pledged $2 million gift — $1 million to each school — currently held in estate insurance, the Krumps’ gift totals $11 million, placing it among the top five largest gifts ever received by either school.
Paul and Anne know plenty about the power of a shared destiny. As luck would have it, they met on their first day of college, when their residence hall floors were paired for first-year orientation. Since then, they have had the full array of experiences with Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s unparalleled partnership — including cultivating a partnership of their own.
As students, social activities and classes continued to bring Paul and Anne together after first-year orientation, although he majored in business administration and she studied textiles, clothing and housing. By the time Paul finally asked Anne to go out, she was dating someone else and gave him a polite “no.”
He hadn’t given up on the idea when, out of the blue senior year, she asked if he would like to go out. By then, Paul was wondering if it was a good idea because they seemed to have so little in common. Could it go anywhere? He accepted anyway, and by the end of senior year they were engaged to be married.
Four years in a liberal arts environment matured them. What had seemed obstacles as first-year students were assets in the eyes of seniors. They had come to appreciate what made each of them unique, and they could value both their similarities and their differences.
One similarity the Krumps always have shared is their devotion to Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s.
Paul went on to serve as vice chairman of global underwriting and claims at Chubb, while Anne thrived in a variety of volunteer roles. Individually, they each served as trustees for their respective alma maters. Together, they raised three children, including their daughter Emily, who graduated from Saint Ben’s in 2006.
“We both learned a good deal while serving on the boards,” Anne said. “We learned a fair amount about the distinct nuances of higher education and how the schools strive diligently to be more meaningful to the changing needs of the students.
“For me personally, the opportunity to be a trustee was another enriching experience on the campuses. I first came to know the schools as a student, then as a parent of a student and finally as a trustee,” she added.
“We love the Benedictine tradition of nurturing both faith and effort,” Paul said. “These two broad pillars have been instrumental in our lives, adding depth and meaning along the way. It’s a tradition that has guided us as we think about our legacy and how we can best share our many blessings with others.”
Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s have benefitted tremendously from those blessings.
“Paul and Anne are an inspiring and big-hearted couple who have contributed to our campuses for many years and in many ways,” Bruess said. “We are so grateful for their remarkable dedication and pace-setting generosity, and the timing and impact of their gift couldn’t be better as the two schools continue to come together in strong integration and as we embark on our new strategic plan.
“The Krumps know us well, and they embrace and support who we have been, who we are and who we want to be — our past, present and future.”
Plamann, Nakasone Join SJU/CSB Boards
Two new
voting members
were named to the Saint John’s University and College of Saint Benedict Boards of Trustees, effective July 1
They are Joy Plamann, the executive vice president and chief operating officer for CentraCare and president for St. Cloud Hospital, and Gen. Paul Nakasone ’86, who retired in February 2024 from his position as commander of U.S. Cyber Command, director of the National Security Agency and chief of the Central Security Service, a position he took in May 2018.
Plamann started her career with CentraCare – St. Cloud Hospital in 1994. She previously served in a variety of roles, including vice president of Acute Care/St. Cloud Hospital chief nursing officer, Care Center director, core charge nurse and staff development nurse.
She is a member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the American Nurses Association, the American Organization of Nurse Leaders, the Minnesota Organization of Leaders in Nursing and other professional organizations. She has received numerous awards, including the Spirit of Advocacy Award from the Minnesota Hospital Association and the Emerging Leader in Health Care Award from the Women’s Health Leadership TRUST.
She serves on the Quiet Oaks Hospice House board and is the co-chair of the Leaders in Giving Cabinet for the United Way. Plamann also serves as an advisor to the CSB graduate nursing program. She received her BSN from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a health care MBA from the University of St. Thomas and a doctorate of nursing practice in health systems and executive leadership.
A native of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, Nakasone has held command and staff positions across all levels of the Army with assignments in the United States, the Republic of Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan. His most recent overseas posting was as the director
of Intelligence, J2, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command in Kabul, Afghanistan.
His awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal (with oak leaf cluster), the Defense Superior Service Medal (with three oak leaf clusters), Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal (with oak leaf cluster), Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal (with oak leaf cluster) and Army Achievement Medal (with four oak leaf clusters).
His election to the board came on the heels of an announcement by Vanderbilt University that Nakasone will serve as founding director and leader of the school’s new Institute for National Defense and Global Security, which is expected to officially launch in September of this year.
According to a release from the school, the institute will focus on fields like engineering, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity,
neuroscience, the humanities, biological science, emergency medicine, nursing, law and policy. It will be housed in Vanderbilt’s School of Engineering but will feature involvement from faculty, staff and students across a wide range of the school’s academic areas.
“One of the things that really attracted me to this position is that there are 16 times more people over the age of 50 working on national security issues today than there are under the age of 30,” said Nakasone, who also commanded U.S. Army Cyber Command from 2016 to 2018.
“That concerns me. Those 16 times more people over the age of 50 are people who, like me, are close to retirement. But the people under the age of 30 are the ones who are going to inherit these problems. So being able to build a new generation of people who can do this is very important to me.”
“One of the things that really attracted me to this position is that there are 16 times more people over the age of 50 working on national security issues today than there are under the age of 30…. So being able to build a new generation of people who can do this is very important to me.”
McGrane ’91, Sands ’23, Mullin ’14 and Michaud ’67 come together to relive their history at SJU/CSB
THE COLLEGE OF SAINT BENEDICT AND SAINT JOHN’S UNIVERSITY BOAST A LONG
TRADITION OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE – A TRADITION
PERSONIFIED
BY
THE FOUR GRADUATES OF THE TWO SCHOOLS WHO HAVE GONE ON TO BECOME
RHODES SCHOLARS.
BY | FRANK RAJKOWSKI
All four of those graduates returned to campus for a memorable visit on April 19.
“Being here today with all of the other Rhodes Scholars is a surreal experience because this multigenerational legacy that I’m now becoming a part of is so exciting,” said Jervon Sands, a 2023 SJU graduate who became the most recent member of that prestigious group when he earned the honor last fall.
“It’s also insightful because you’re learning from the best of the best. I’m joining those ranks now and hopefully carrying on that legacy.”
Sands was joined by Rachel Mullin ’14, who was named a Rhodes Scholar in 2016, Laura McGrane ’91, who achieved the honor in 1992, and Steven Michaud ’67, who became the first graduate of either school to earn the distinction in December of 1968.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Michaud said of the visit. “To (be able to) meet (Mullin, McGrane) and Jervon is so impressive. It’s incredible to see what they’ve gone on to do.”
Only about 100 students annually earn the opportunity to join peers from around the world in study
at the University of Oxford, a collegiate research university in Oxford, England with a history that dates back as far as 1096.
“Needless to say, we are extremely proud of our Rhodes Scholars,” said CSB and SJU President Brian Bruess, “You represent the long and strong heritage of academic excellence and scholarship that has characterized the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University for so many years now.”
The visit began with a welcome breakfast at the CSB and SJU Multicultural Center on the CSB campus. Each of the Rhodes Scholars then met individually with classes before a luncheon in the Founders Room at SJU.
Mass in the Saint John’s Abbey and University Church followed, and then all four took part in a panel discussion with Bruess as part of Saint John’s Day festivities that evening in Guild Hall.
“It’s been an amazing opportunity to remind ourselves, to remind our faculty and staff, of the impact these two institutions have on ambitious students,” said Heather Pieper-Olson, CSB’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement.
“And to see what that effort can become. It has been a demonstration to our students who share those ambitions of what their lives can be. And to see that in a multi-generational context, I think, is incredibly profound.”
“To have a single Rhodes Scholar is quite an accomplishment,” added Rob Culligan, SJU’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement. “To have had four over a span of time is remarkable. We start in the 1960s, continue in the 1990s, then on to the 2010s and today. That’s impressive.
“The fact that all four could come at the same time and on the same day was providence,” he continued. “The stars had to align
“I THINK IT SPEAKS TO THE CULTURE OF SAINT JOHN’S AND SAINT BEN’S THAT THIS SUCCESS HAS CONTINUED FOR ALL THESE YEARS.”
Rachel Mullin ’14
for us to be able to celebrate them like this. And as they’ve met each other, you see the interest they take in each other’s lives. They’re part of a select club. They’ve had shared experiences.”
Mullin said coming together with fellow CSB and SJU Rhodes Scholars was indeed an incredible experience and a celebration of their shared bond.
“We have very different stories, but we’ve all commented on the fact that this community played a role in how we were able to achieve this, the role our professors played in nudging us to try things,” Mullin said. “I think it speaks to the culture of Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s that this success has continued for all these years.”
“BEING
HERE TODAY WITH ALL OF THE OTHER RHODES SCHOLARS IS A SURREAL EXPERIENCE BECAUSE THIS MULTI-GENERATIONAL LEGACY THAT I’M NOW BECOMING A PART OF IS SO EXCITING."
Jervon Sands ’23
“COMING TOGETHER FOR THIS CELEBRATION HAS BEEN A REMINDER TO ME OF THE STAYING AND SHAPING POWER OF A CSB/ SJU LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION. I AM HUMBLED AND HONORED TO BE PART OF THE SHEER TEMPORAL AND GEOGRAPHIC EXPANSE THAT THESE INSTITUTIONS INHABIT.”
Laura McGrane ’91
“IT’S
A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EXPERIENCE ... IT’S
INCREDIBLE
TO SEE WHAT THEY’VE GONE ON TO DO.”
Steve Michaud ’67
JOHNNIES SHINE
Luke Radel (left), David Soma (center) and Aaron Krych (right) all played football at Saint John’s and have gone on to successful careers at the Mayo Clinic. They also serve as volunteer team physicians for each of Rochester’s three public high schools.
(Photo courtesy of Mayo Clinic)
SHINE IN MAYO CLINIC AND ON FRIDAY NIGHTS
BY | FRANK RAJKOWSKI
FORMER SJU FOOTBALL STANDOUTS KRYCH, SOMA AND RADEL HANDLE ROCHESTER’S HIGH SCHOOLS, PLUS THE TIMBERWOLVES.
It’s been a few years since Aaron Krych ’01, David Soma ’04 and Luke Radel ’09 put away their helmets and shoulder pads for the final time.
But the trio hasn’t left football behind entirely. When autumn comes to Rochester, Minnesota, the three former Saint John’s University players can be found on the sidelines most Friday nights, serving in their roles as volunteer team physicians for each of the city’s three public high schools.
The community is home to the world-renowned Mayo Clinic where Krych, Soma and Radel have all worked in sports medicine for a number of years. And, in those roles, they work often with athletes at local schools, which makes their roles on Friday nights a natural fit.
Krych, the chair of the Orthopedic Surgery Department and the Division of Sports Medicine at Mayo, handles team physician duties at Rochester Century High School. Soma and Radel, who both are pediatric sports medicine specialists, handle the same roles for Rochester Mayo High School and Rochester John Marshall High School, respectively.
“It’s an absolute privilege to be able to do it, honestly,” said Krych, a standout at Holdingford High School in the mid-1990s who went on to start in the backfield at SJU. That included his senior season in 2000 when the Johnnies advanced to the NCAA Division III national championship game before falling 10-7 to Mount Union (Ohio).
“There’s still something so special about being on the sideline on Friday nights. In this phase of my life, I obviously have a different perspective than the players wearing the helmets. But every time you go out there, you smell those familiar smells. You hear those familiar sounds. It brings you right back to the fall days when you were playing.”
PIPELINE TO MAYO
Krych, Soma and Radel are just part of a sizeable contingent of SJU and College of Saint Benedict graduates now working for Mayo Clinic, including a few other former Johnnie football players.
Mark Morrey ’90, who also played football at SJU, is an orthopedic surgeon who works with Krych, Soma and Radel. D.J. (Daryl) Kor ’96 is a doctor in the Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine department who serves as medical director of the Department of Data and Analytics for the entire Mayo system, which includes hospitals and clinics in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Florida and Arizona.
In that role, he played a key part in helping develop and refine the internal models Mayo utilized while dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s funny, because when I was playing at Saint John’s, we still had plays in the offense named after him,” recalled Radel, a backup quarterback during his time with the Johnnies. “D.J. left and D.J. right were screen passes, so I knew about him long before I ever got here.”
Soma said the common ground that exists between SJU and CSB and Mayo Clinic makes it a natural landing spot for former Johnnies and Bennies going into medicine.
“Saint John’s does a great job building leaders, and I think my experience as a football player there really amplified that,” said Soma, who was a senior on the 2003 SJU squad that defeated Mount Union to win the last of legendary former head coach John Gagliardi’s four national titles.
“I think people who want to be part of the best choose Saint John’s because it’s a great college. And people who want to be the best in medicine choose Mayo. Both places foster people who strive for excellence.”
LUKE RADEL ’09
AARON KRYCH ’01
DAVID SOMA ’04
ON THE SIDELINE
Krych attended medical school at Mayo following his graduation from SJU, then returned in 2010 after a stint in New York. He originally handled team physician duties at Rochester John Marshall but switched to Century once his children reached high school age and began attending that school.
Radel then took over Krych’s old role.
“I just love the environment,” said Radel, who played high school football at Redwood Valley. “It brings back a lot of memories, and it helps to be on the sideline when injuries happen. We do this in our free time. It’s not a requirement, or something we get paid extra for. But it’s something we want to do for the community.”
Soma, meanwhile, has been handling team physician duties at Mayo High School for over a decade.
“It’s wonderful,” said the Woodbury High School graduate. “Most of us don’t get to play football after we leave high school or college. And there aren’t many people who are lucky enough to get to still be around the football culture. It’s a unique and rewarding role. I really enjoy it. It energizes me.”
PROMINENT ROLE
Of the three, Krych has been at Mayo Clinic the longest and has gone on to become a nationally prominent figure in sports medicine and orthopedic surgery. Among his numerous awards and honors is the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s 2023 Master Award for Innovation and Impactful Contribution to Sports Medicine.
He also has been the team orthopedic surgeon for the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves the past five years, meaning he has the chance to work with superstars like Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns on a regular basis.
“It’s been really fun because you get to be there with some of these guys since day one,” he said. “You’re involved in evaluating them before they’re drafted or traded for. Then you have the chance to watch their journey –the growth and development and the highs and lows. You feel like you’re part of it in a way.”
Krych’s professional achievements are even more remarkable because of the health challenges he’s had to overcome himself. He was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma his second year of medical school, then battled a recurrence in 2010.
“That was my last year of residency,” he recalled. “I was chief resident that year and I was dealing with strong chemotherapy for nine months of that time. It was a tough year with a lot of adversity, but fortunately I’m doing very well now. It definitely helped me develop even more resilience, and I’m stronger for having gone through that experience.”
COMMON BONDS
Soma was a teammate of Krych’s during his freshman season at SJU in 2000, but Krych had already played with his older brother John ’00. Both Soma and Krych played with Radel’s older brother Jeff, who graduated in 2002.
“Jeff overlapped with both those guys, so when I first came to Mayo
and saw Dave, I thought he looked familiar,” Radel said. “Then, later on, it came up that he’d played football (at SJU) and I realized that’s where I knew him from.
“I can still remember coming to my brother’s games and watching Krych run people over, so I knew of him as well. It’s just kind of funny that we all ended up landing in the same place.”
And since all three work together during the week, they have plenty of time to discuss what transpired with each of their high school teams under the Friday night lights the week before.
“Mayo moved up to Class 6A last season, so a lot of their games are against Twin Cities schools now,” Krych said. “But those crosstown rivalries always get kind of friendly competitive and we’ll take that on a little bit too. Of course, Dave has usually had the most successful teams over the years, and he’s let us know that.”
But no matter which team wins or loses, all three say they are grateful to have the chance to work with young athletes during a time those players will remember the rest of their lives.
“Taking care of high school and college athletes is special,” Krych said. “You’re getting them at a time when an injury is devastating to them, not just physically, but socially and emotionally as well. There’s a lot going on in their lives, and being able to be part of their journey toward recovery and getting back in action is amazing.
“I think all three of us really enjoy that aspect of it."
“TAKING CARE OF HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE ATHLETES IS SPECIAL. YOU’RE GETTING THEM AT A TIME WHEN AN INJURY IS DEVASTATING TO THEM, NOT JUST PHYSICALLY, BUT SOCIALLY AND EMOTIONALLY AS WELL. THERE’S A LOT GOING ON IN THEIR LIVES, AND BEING ABLE TO BE PART OF THEIR JOURNEY TOWARD RECOVERY AND GETTING BACK IN ACTION IS AMAZING."
Aaron Krych ’01
REFLECTING & RECONNECTING
ON THE
SANTIAGO
40 YEARS AFTER FORMING THEIR BONDS AT SAINT JOHN’S, 6 JOHNNIES SHARE A PILGRIMAGE ON ‘THE WAY OF SAINT JAMES’
BY | DANA DRAZENOVICH
The housing lottery led them to “The Way.”
An oversimplification, perhaps, but 40 years after fate made a few of them floormates at Saint John’s University, a group of students who trace their bonds to Saint Bernard Hall Floor 3 remains so close that this summer six of them shared the deeply personal experience of a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, or “The Way of Saint James.”
The Johnnies who found themselves on Bernie 3 in 1983, ’84 and ’85 ranged from sophomores to seniors but became fast friends and quickly commenced efforts to amend Bernie’s reputation as the quiet residence hall.
“And here we are going on sort of a spiritual pilgrimage,” Chuck Johnson ’86, who organized the journey, said with a laugh a few weeks before their June 6 start.
They’re a long way from their days of “ripped jeans and faded Saint John’s sweatshirts,” as Tony Lewno ’87 put it. But when they donned their hiking boots and walking shorts, the Johnnie pilgrims discovered new depths within their friendships — and within themselves.
What the Saint John’s housing lottery brought together four decades ago, 11 days of walking the Camino de Santiago could not tear apart.
THE PILGRIMS
Jerry Albright ’86
Chuck Johnson ’86
Jim Krasowski ’87
Vic Kurpiers ’87
Tony Lewno ’87
John Taitt ’84
The six Johnnies are part of a group that calls itself the B-Team, named for its Bernie 3 origins and The A-Team television show so popular at the time.
Albright and Johnson overlapped with Taitt in ’83-’84, when they were sophomores and he was a senior, and then with sophomores Krasowski and Lewno the next year. Kurpiers came into the fold in ’85, when he and Krasowski spent a semester studying abroad in Spain. He, Krasowski and Lewno all roomed in Joe Hall their senior year. Their connections expand well beyond Bernie Hall to several converging groups of friends, layers of Johnnies and Bennies
who have remained close since they graduated.
“We've intermarried with each other's siblings. We’re the godfather to each other's children. We continually count each other amongst our best friends, for whatever the occasion may be,” Krasowski said.
“It’s a group that is something special.”
Krasowski and Kurpiers studied abroad in Spain together their junior year. Albright and Johnson backpacked western Europe after graduation. The extended group has rented entire residence halls for Reunion and socialized, taken road trips and traveled internationally in various combinations.
“It’s not a backwards-looking, glory days kind of experience. We just enjoy each other’s company,” Lewno said.
But they had never undertaken a pilgrimage together, so the B-Teamers who walked the Camino de Santiago in June were travelling new territory.
SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
CAMINO PORTUGUESE
CENTRAL WAY
THE PATHWAY
MILES
JUNE
6-16
“I THINK EVERY ONE OF US HAS DIFFERENT REASONS FOR DOING THIS.”
Tony Lewno ’87
PORTUGAL SPAIN
The Camino de Santiago is a network of paths in Europe that lead to Santiago de Compostela in the Galicia region of northwestern Spain, where the remains of the apostle Saint James were said to be found in the 9th century at the site where the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral now stands.
The Camino, which traces back to the Middle Ages, is considered one of Christianity’s most important pilgrimages. Each year, thousands of people from around the world follow the yellow arrows that mark the pathways.
The Johnnie pilgrims walked the Camino Portuguese, traveling the 240 kilometers — about 150 miles — from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela June 6-16. They chose the older central rather than the coastal path because it’s shorter and quieter, with a more varied landscape.
“And it seems like a less popular route and a less touristy route would have more opportunity, too, for those kind of spiritual moments, for meaningful moments,” Lewno said.
It did, and while it soothed their souls, it battered their soles.
The constant pounding on rough terrain — rocky paths and particularly the ancient Roman cobblestone roads – took its toll on their feet as they covered an average of 14 miles a day. On their longest stretch, about 19 miles, Lewno logged 47,000 steps.
They walked through picturesque scenery, past UNESCO sites and into quaint villages for their multiple daily meals — was this fourth breakfast or second lunch? — and overnight accommodations.
They woke up and stepped back into their pattern of walk, eat, repeat and let the yellow arrows point their way.
Porto
THE PURPOSE
A hike is one thing, a pilgrimage a different undertaking.
Johnson, a recreational hiker, discovered this in 2021 when he and his wife Anne walked the 500-mile Camino Francés (“The French Way”), an experience so transformative he published a book about it.
He was describing it to some of the Johnnie crew who had gotten together for cocktails this winter.
“And I mentioned I want to go back, and these guys said, ‘We want to join you,’ and they all kind of committed,” Johnson remembered.
“I think the Camino kind of speaks to everybody in different ways, and it has an appeal.”
His Johnnie compadres agree.
“I think every one of us has different reasons for doing this,” Lewno said before they departed.
“Of course there's the bonding experience, absolutely, with good old friends that you've known for a million years. There's a meditative aspect to it that really speaks to me,” he said.
“I just thought it’d be a wonderful way for me to spend some quality time with people that I’ve always really admired,” said Albright, who
has lived on the East Coast for years and missed out on many gatherings.
“I actually kind of hesitated and then I pushed myself and said ‘You know, if you’re going to do this, go do it,’” Kurpiers recalled. “And it was getting back with a group of people that I haven’t seen a heck of a lot of the past several years, and it was going back to Spain.”
They would find that all of these things and more elevate a pilgrimage beyond taking a hike.
THE PRECIPICE
An uncertain path stretched out in front of the Johnnie pilgrims as all but Albright gathered in Porto two days before their departure. (He met them partway through their journey.)
Only Johnson and Krasowski had any experience with the Camino de Santiago, Johnson on the Camino Francés and Krasowksi on three prior pilgrimages. He walked with a group of Spanish pilgrims in 1982, before the Camino’s resurgence in popularity, and did two this spring — one with his wife Janet (Heid), CSB ’91 and daughter Casey, CSB ’22, and one by himself — before the other B-Teamers joined him.
But none of them had traveled the Camino Portuguese.
“I had been in a couple of the towns, but this was new terrain for us — new cities, new histories behind the towns, local customs,” Krasowski said. “So it’s not like any of us had an insider's knowledge that was really too great over anybody else.”
Only Krasowski and Kurpiers spoke Spanish. None of them spoke Portuguese.
They were contending with some physical question marks. Krasowski had a torn meniscus. Taitt had broken his ankle the summer before. Lewno hadn’t found time to train as much as he hoped.
They held diverse political and religious perspectives, potentially tricky to navigate through miles of concentrated togetherness in today’s polarized climate.
As they prepared to stride into the unknown, the Johnnie pilgrims couldn’t help but wonder how they would hold up — as individuals and as a group — through the possible challenges the next 11 days might throw them.
THE PARTNERSHIPS
They prevailed on all counts — with a little help from over-the-counter pain reliever and a lot of respect for one another — and, if anything, deepened their friendship.
“We really did gel. It’s not like it was without incident. We’re all very strong-willed people, but we navigated those really well,” Lewno said.
“It was refreshing to spend time with somebody with whom you disagree politically, yet find commonality in the task at hand, camaraderie and value in friendship,” Taitt said.
They shared a lot of fun and laughs, as they always do, and propped each other up when the trail got tough — sometimes literally.
Taitt had trained extensively but went down with heat exhaustion on a humid, nearly 90-degree day. Krasowski and Kurpiers backtracked three-quarters of a mile to help him, and Kurpiers, an on-call firefighter with the Maple Grove fire department, immediately knew Taitt was in the danger zone.
“When I got to him, I touched his arm. I said, ‘Hey, John, how's it going?’ His arm is cool, cold and dry. And it's like, ‘Oh crap.’
They rehydrated Taitt, cooled him
“We became the guys that met 40 years ago at university,” Lewno said. “And that is a powerful thing, and that it is a testament to Saint John's and Saint Ben's.”
THE POWER
“Everyone walks their own Camino,” Johnson likes to say.
A pilgrimage tends to be a deeply personal endeavor.
“You get out of Camino what you want to get,” he said.
“What you allow it,” Lewno added. “You’ve got to drop your skepticism and your cynicism and just let the Camino embrace you and take it wherever it's going to take you,” Johnson continued.
That held true for the six Johnnies. Sometimes they walked together, sometimes alone. Sometimes
Each was moved by a different aspect the pilgrimage presented:
Simplicity …
Taitt recalled the lucidity of a day he got up at dawn and walked alone. “It just happened to be some really beautiful landscape. For me that was most memorable in the sense that it was just plain walking and thinking and stopping and not being in a rush, and everything about it was a perfect day,” said Taitt, so taken that he’s already planning a pilgrimage next spring.
Kurpiers also felt that clarity.
“I thought it was an interesting adventure, with the same things to think about, trying to do the same things every day,” he said. “And ultimately what you’re just doing is walking from A to B.”
Serenity …
“There was a peacefulness. The meaning for me was really in the routine and the meditation and the release … the washing yourself off of your normal life,” Lewno said, borrowing a phrase from Johnson.
Reflection …
“There is a sense of accomplishment when you get done, but I think the biggest takeaway … it was an opportunity to just re-examine a bunch of things – not necessarily to change anything but just reexamine life,” said Albright, who turned 60 the day they arrived in Santiago.
“And that's a milestone and allows you to step back for a moment and kind of say, ‘You know what, I think for my next 30 or so years, if I'm lucky, life should be a collection of experiences.’ And this was a wonderful experience, not only to reconnect with each other, but also with myself.”
Connection …
“… It really puts you in a sense of place with yourself and what's around you, and what's your community, both familiar and those that are new to you,” Albright said.
They befriended other pilgrims whose paths they crossed again and again, strangers bound by a commonality of purpose, “But not commonality of background.
That’s the most diverse factor,” Krasowski said.
“And that singularity of purpose combined with the international pilgrim piece was really powerful,” Taitt said.
THE POSSIBILITY
The Camino so captivated the B-Teamers that they want anyone interested to know that a pilgrimage is a possibility.
You can be religious, or spiritual.
“I think it's more impactful if you're thoughtful and reflective, maybe spiritual, whatever that means (to you). But you don't necessarily need to be traditionally religious,” Lewno said.
You can walk with someone, or solo.
“Everybody looks out for each other. Single females are the largest single demographic of walker,” said Johnson, a board member for American Pilgrims on the Camino’s Minnesota chapter.
“And it's because of the infrastructure that's been built up around the Camino, including the great directional marking, and the esprit de corps of all people that have this mindset of
‘We are going to Santiago,’ that overlay of common goal, that pilgrims look out for each other,” Krasowski added.
You can walk long distances, or short.
Not everyone is up to 14 miles per day. “I guarantee that there are many people out there that have no training, and they just do fewer miles a day,” Krasowski said.
They take rest days. They walk shorter routes. They hire a luggage transfer so they only have to carry essentials on the path.
“There are people in their 80s doing this,” Johnson said. “Just do what your body tells you you can do, right?”
If you walk the Camino de Santiago, regardless of your distance or route, you’re probably going to want to talk about it with other pilgrims when you return, which is why Johnson connected with American Pilgrims on the Camino.
“It’s much more impactful to speak with people and share your stories and sort of continue your Camino post-Camino,” he said.
“Camino means journey, and it's a journey through life, and you want to keep that alive.”
Chuck Johnson’s first Camino de Santiago pilgrimage proved so transformational that it stirred his inner poet.
He didn’t intend to write a book, but he had so much material that in December 2023, he selfpublished So I Walk: Poems, Songs, Legends and Lore of the Camino de Santiago.
The book proved so inspirational that Johnson ’86 in July found out So I Walk had won best poetry book in the 2024 Speak Up Talk Radio Firebird Book Awards.
“I was thrilled. It was unexpected.”
Johnson and his wife Anne walked the 500-mile Camino Francés in August and September 2021, just a week after he had retired from his career as an attorney.
“You get back and your whole life is completely different and you’re trying to process it all.
“CAMINO MEANS JOURNEY, AND IT'S A JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE, AND YOU WANT TO KEEP THAT ALIVE.”
Chuck Johnson ’86
“Poetry has always been part of my life, and I started writing poems about the Camino,” said Johnson, who took influence from the poems his dad always wrote for special occasions.
Johnson shared some of his work with fellow members of the American Pilgrims on the Camino Minnesota chapter to positive response.
“And that gave me encouragement,” he said. “A fellow came up to me and said, ‘You know, Chuck, I walked this five years ago and I’ve never had the words to express it, and you gave me the words.’”
So I Walk is available on amazon.com.
Their Saint John’s University roots stretched 40 years behind them, their walking path 150 miles in front of them as six Johnnies embarked on an 11-day Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in June.
Jerry Albright ’86, Chuck Johnson ’86, Jim Krasowski ’87, Tony Lewno ’87, Vic Kurpiers ’87 and John Taitt ’84 took a leap of faith when they set off on the Camino’s Portuguese route from Porto, Portugal to Compostela de Santiago, Spain. They always had fun together, but would their friendship go the distance?
As they linked arms in front of the cathedral that holds the remains of the apostle Saint James, the six Johnnies knew they had not only reached their destination. They had accompanied one another through moments of introspection and spiritual reflection that added a new dimension to the connection they had formed at Saint John’s four decades ago.
THE FACE OF AN
Angel
BY | FRANK RAJKOWSKI
Chuck Ceronsky ’70
Jim Schoffman ’75
Almost 50 years after they first connected as coach and athlete, Chuck Ceronsky and the late Jim Schoffman formed a new bond
Jim Schoffman distinctly remembered the first time Chuck Ceronsky gave him a little guidance when he needed it as a perhaps too cocky first-year member of the Saint John’s University trackand-field team.
Almost 50 years later, Schoffman ’75 once again looked to Ceronsky ’70 for direction, this time for something far more consequential.
After taking track and field back up at age 47 in the late 1990s, Schoffman had gone on to become one of the top masters athletes in the nation, ranking as high as No. 2 in the U.S. in the 400-meter dash and 800-meter run.
But in August 2016, he was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer.
While his illness, amazingly, did not prevent him from continuing to train and compete at a high level for much of the next seven years, it did mark the beginning of a long battle – one that finally ended in midAugust when he died at 71.
Schoffman was already long engaged in his fight in February 2018 when he attended the SJU J-Club Hall of Honor induction ceremony for legendary longtime Johnnies head basketball coach Jim Smith.
Smith also coached cross country and track and field for a stretch in the 1960s and ’70s – a period in which SJU won five-straight MIAC titles in cross country (1968-72) and an additional four straight in outdoor track and field (1970-73). Ceronsky was in his first season as Smith’s assistant coach when he and Schoffman met.
It was at the ceremony for Smith that Schoffman, in search of spiritual guidance, again crossed paths with Ceronsky, just when he needed him most.
Face of an Angel
“It’s funny because when I walked in, I saw Chuck’s face and it seemed like the face of an angel looking at me. Literally. That’s truly how it felt,” Schoffman said earlier this year.
“In my years as a chaplain and the other roles I’ve had, I’ve had a lot of experience walking the walk with those who are battling incurable cancer,” said Ceronsky, who himself will be inducted into the Hall of Honor this October.
Schoffman had never forgotten his interactions with Ceronsky in spring 1971, when the Albany High School graduate, by his own admission, was getting a bit over his skis.
Ceronsky was there to get him back on the right track.
“I was still so young, and I had a mouth that needed a little correction at times,” recalled Schoffman, whose father Frank taught chemistry at SJU for over 50 years.
“I said something out of line – I can’t even remember exactly what –and he corrected me right then and there. I think he could tell I was a freshman who maybe needed a little help figuring things out, and he stepped in.
“He continued to offer guidance and I started to mature a little bit. He helped me grow in that way.”
They went their separate ways and didn’t see each other for more than four decades.
Schoffman graduated with a degree in business administration and settled into a long career as an operations manager at Lakeland Engineering Equipment Co. Ceronsky, a two-time All-American in track and field and the MIAC cross-country champion in 1968, originally planned on becoming a priest. After graduating from DeLaSalle High School he attended
“In my years as a chaplain and the other roles I’ve had, I’ve had a lot of experience walking the walk with those who are battling incurable cancer."
Chuck Ceronsky
Jim Schoffman
Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary in Arden Hills before transferring to SJU after his freshman year.
He decided ordination was not the road he wanted to travel but earned a master’s degree in theology at the Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary while helping Smith coach cross country and track and field.
He went on to serve as staff chaplain at St. Mary’s Hospital in Minneapolis from 1973-78, then founded the facility’s in-patient hospice program and took on the role as director of pastoral care. He later became the director of spiritual health services at University of Minnesota Health in Minneapolis before retiring in 2017.
Ceronsky was named the 2018 recipient of the Ezekiel Prophet of Hope Award, presented to graduates of Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary “who, through their example, have challenged students, alums and the entire Saint John’s community to promote the work of building collaborative environments in which lay, ordained and religious can live out their prophetic ministries to the church and the world.”
“What I try to provide, first of all, is someone who can listen to anything that individual has to say, and to be comfortable being there with them in whatever they need to say,” he said.
“Different people process things in different ways. But I try to hear what they’re saying and provide input the best I can. Then, much as they would with a therapist, they can take that and use it in whatever way they feel works for them. They may feel like I’m right on base, or they may feel I’m way off. I just try to listen and respond the best way I’m able to.”
Coaching Again
That, it turns out, is exactly what Schoffman was seeking. He’d already assembled his own support system but was looking for a spiritual coach to help him as he processed his ordeal.
“I’d been gathering my team to do this, and I’d just read the book Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds ,” Schoffman said of the book by Dr. Kelly A. Turner.
“That guided me a lot. I was already doing much of the stuff in there, but I was looking for someone and I knew what Chuck’s background had been. So when I saw him, everything seemed to click.
“We chatted a bit. I didn’t really go into anything there because that night was about celebrating Jim Smith. But I called him a week later and told him what was going on. I said ‘I’m looking for a spiritual coach to help me through this. Would you do that?’ And he said yes. That really meant so much to me.”
The two began meeting regularly for coffee and discussing what Schoffman was going through.
“He’s just so good at listening, digesting what you said and bringing it back to you,” Schoffman said. “I’m not always real articulate about everything, but he was able to hear what I said and come back with helpful advice. He’s really meant a lot to me.”
Ceronsky, meanwhile, could not have been more impressed by the courage and honesty Schoffman continued to demonstrate.
His passion for running was equally important.
He gave up track and field after graduating from SJU but got back into the sport in his late 40s, driven by the idea he hadn’t achieved his full potential.
“I always felt I was better than I showed, and once I started learning some of the newer training techniques that we didn’t have when I was in college, I felt like there was more to do,” he said.
“I’ve been working with people with cancer for almost my whole life, and in my experience, the best approach is to be realistic and hopeful at the same time. And that’s exactly what Jim was.”
Chuck Ceronsky
“I don’t have a lot of awareness in real time with what he described as his struggles to initially come to terms with his diagnosis,” Ceronsky said. “I wasn’t part of the process then. My experience comes after that initial struggle. But since that time, his attitude and approach were just exquisite.
“I’ve been working with people with cancer for almost my whole life, and in my experience, the best approach is to be realistic and hopeful at the same time. And that’s exactly what Jim was.”
Running for Life
It wasn’t just his conversations with Ceronsky that helped sustain Schoffman through difficult times.
“That was also when the internet was really taking hold, and I started to look around and saw there were college meets at the University of Minnesota and other places you could enter on an open basis.”
Gradually, Schoffman progressed, entering his first masters meet in 2004 in Illinois where he competed against former NFL standout Billy “White Shoes” Johnson in the 100-meter dash.
Eventually, he became among the best in the nation at his level, anchoring a gold medal 4x400 relay team at a World Masters event in 2011 and winning the 800 at the National Senior Games in 2013
“Life is full of boats. They’re always floating out there. But a lot of times, you don’t realize they’re there. You’re not looking for them. If you open your eyes, though, they’re there. They’re all around you.
“That’s why I say, the face of an angel. He’s been there at the times I’ve really needed him.”
He also became a guiding force in the Twin Cities Masters track and field community, helping organize practices and mentor other runners just getting started.
“I was a 40-something, middleaged mom when I came back to track,” said Susan Adams Lloyd, the former vice president and general manager at WCCO-TV in the Twin Cities and now the chief executive officer and president of the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota.
She and Schoffman are both part of the Mass Velocity Track Club.
“I never really had the opportunity to participate when I was younger,” she continued. “I ran a bit, but I was a pre-Title IX kid. I got back into the sport on a whim as a dare from a friend, and I had no idea what to expect. One of the ways people my age got involved was to go to an open meet and try our hand at it. But that can be really intimidating. Jim, at one point, came up and introduced himself. I was still a newcomer, but he was Mr. Positivity and Encouragement. He could not have been more helpful.”
Schoffman did not stop competing after his cancer diagnosis, instead doubling his efforts. In 2019, just days after ending another round of treatments, he finished third in the 800 at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships in Ames, Iowa.
As late as last year, he was able to compete at the Masters Outdoors Championships in Greensboro,
North Carolina, despite the fact he was also traveling to a cancer clinic in Skokie, Illinois every other week for treatment.
“He’s simply remarkable,” said Lloyd (who’s gone on to become an elitelevel competitor herself) earlier this year. “He’s just awesome. It’s the only way I can describe it. On a good day, it’s hard for all of us to do this in our 50s, 60s and 70s. And he’s kept at it throughout all he’s been going through. Not only that, but he’s done it with such poise and grace. He’s really an inspiration to us all.”
Schoffman said staying active was an important part of his cancer fight.
“If I hadn’t done that, I don’t think you and I would be speaking right now,” he said in that interview earlier this year. “There have been people who have come up and asked me if I was concerned about competing through all this. I’ve told them, it’s the best thing I can do for myself. It’s really helped keep me going.”
Unfortunately, his cancer battle ultimately brought an end to his running career.
“It’s been tough, and there are moments I struggle with it,” he said before his passing. “But then I have to rally and try to do things like just getting outside. You have to embrace the things that you can still do.”
Schoffman said continuing to develop and embrace spiritual resources was a big part of those things. His Catholic faith was long a bedrock of his life, and throughout
his cancer journey he sought out scripture readings and daily reflections, including the popular daily reflections of Fr. Don Talafous ’48, OSB. In addition, Ceronsky introduced him to Fr. Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations from The Center for Action and Contemplation.
“He was very intentional about strengthening his faith as a primary coping resource, and from my vantage point it both strengthened and matured,” Ceronsky said.
Such reflection helped Schoffman maintain his positive attitude, which Ceronsky said should still remain an inspiration for others.
“Jim was very up-front about wanting his story out there so that it could be helpful,” Ceronsky said. “Whether things were going his way or they weren’t, he’s approached things honestly and hoped his experience could help others. I really admire that.”
Schoffman, for his part, was grateful for the support Ceronsky provided –back in college and again during his cancer battle.
“Life is full of boats,” Schoffman said. “They’re always floating out there. But a lot of times, you don’t realize they’re there. You’re not looking for them. If you open your eyes, though, they’re there. They’re all around you.
“That’s why I say, the face of an angel. He’s been there at the times I’ve really needed him.”
LAUNCHING A
‘WIlD And Crazy Guy’
BY | DAVE DELAND
50 YEARS LATER, STEVE MARTIN HOMECOMING MEMORIES RESONATE WITH ALUMS
Steve Martin performed to raucous crowds in October 1974 and again in October 1976 in Warner Palaestra. Twenty-two days after his 1976 Saint John’s performance, he was the host on Saturday Night Live .
Four Johnnies were sitting together in a Saint John’s University dormitory room on a late
evening in September 1974 when they first saw the phenomenon.
“Tim Fristrom ’77 and I were drinking beer and watching The Tonight Show ,” said Mark Muedeking ’77. “I think it was the first time he had been on the show.”
“Fristrom, Muedeking, Bob Pazera ’78 and me were watching Johnny Carson in Bob’s room on Saint Patrick Hall’s second floor,” added Scott Becker ’77. “Tim was head of the SJU student government that year and had been charged with the responsibility of securing Homecoming entertainment.”
In that regard, it hadn’t been a good week for Fristrom and Muedeking as members of SJU’s Student Executive Council. The opening band for the Johnnie Homecoming’s headliner had abruptly cancelled, and they needed a quick replacement. But right in front of them, wearing a white suit and an arrow on his head, was their answer. The dorm room roared with laughter as the unorthodox banjo-pecking guy with the balloon animal hat lurched around the stage firing out one-liners.
“All of us thought he was hilarious, and Tim said he was going to try and sign him for Homecoming,” Becker said.
“Pazera shouted, ‘We’ve got to get that guy!’ ” Muedeking added.
Amazingly, they did.
And a few weeks later – on Oct. 7, 1974 – Steve Martin made his Collegeville debut as the comedian opener for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on Saint John’s Homecoming week.
Half a century later, Johnnie alumni still have vivid memories from the comedic legend’s performances at Saint John’s Palaestra in 1974 and again in 1976.
• “This was a fun memory for me which I often retell to my friends,” said Tim Lindsay ’76, who howled his way through the 1974 show.
• “I remember sitting in the auditorium’s balcony and laughing hysterically at his off-the-wall humor,” recalled Gary Mattison ’77.
• “I was there for both performances,” added Kim Beck ’78. “It’s been fun watching Steve Martin’s career unfold since his visits to Collegeville.”
Martin’s performances delighted the Johnnie audience and left indelible images. They also helped launch a comedy career that within just a couple years boosted him to international superstardom as a standup comedian, TV and movie star, and writer, all things that he’s still doing today at age 79.
“Within months, Martin took off and was a national phenomenon,” Becker said.
“He was an up-and-comer. I thought he was hilarious,” added Harry Burns ’78, who attended both the 1974 and 1976 shows. “He really took off.”
A lot of people didn’t necessarily see that coming in 1974.
‘Well Excuuuuse Me’
In the five decades since his mid1970s breakthrough, Martin is widely considered one of the most successful comedians in the world.
His resume includes countless standup comedy tours … 55 movies over the last 52 years, highlighted by The Jerk (1979), All of Me (1984), Three Amigos (1986),
The advance story in the 1974 Record made a passing reference to Steve Martin playing on Oct. 7, but little else.
The advance clip in the 1976 Record was much more effusive, emphasizing that “special guest star Steve Martin ” should make this show “the best ever.”
Roxanne (1987), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) and Father of the Bride (1991) … numerous appearances on The Tonight Show and a record 16 appearances as host of Saturday Night Live and television work that began in 1966 as a writer on The Smothers Brothers Show and continues today as writer/producer/actor on Hulu’s Only Murders In The Building (2021-present).
There also have been record albums, books and theater. But in the fall of 1974, there was a struggling comedian in California trying to establish his identity and career.
“I opened for everybody: The Carpenters, Mimi Farina, Sonny and Cher, Poco, B.B. King, Sha Na Na, Merle Haggard, Black Oak Arkansas,” recalled Martin in an interview on STEVE! (Martin) A Documentary In 2 Pieces , currently available on Apple TV.
“I’d do a show, and I’d get paid $200 for the show. And it would cost me $250 to get there and get back. It was great for a while, but I realized I was going nowhere,” Martin said.
“What am I doing wrong? No matter how good I was, no matter how I went outward, nobody cared.”
A turning point in Martin’s early career turned out to be something that included his appearances at Saint John’s.
“I did a lot of college gigs early on,” Martin said in the STEVE! documentary. “You’re performing in all kinds of odd situations. I was in debt $5,000. College gigs just did not pay very well.
“And then things sorta opened up.”
Homecoming entertainment at Saint John’s during that era usually featured nationally known performers, including John Denver (1970), Neil Diamond (1971), Shawn Phillips (1972), Blood Sweat and Tears (1973) and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1974). An opening band was also usually included.
The originally scheduled 1974, headliner Gary Wright, whose song Dream Weaver became a hit in 1975, was a late scratch for the SJU Homecoming gig, putting the Student Executive Council in a bind.
But Nitty Gritty Dirt Band became the headliner, and band leader John
McEuen’s brother Bill McEuen was the band’s agent. He also was the agent of another client who could play the banjo – Steve Martin, who was John McEuen’s personal friend.
“My brother had Steve start opening for us,” John McEuen said in the STEVE! documentary. “He’d make $50 or $150 a night.
“Bill believed in Steve. Steve believed in Steve the least.”
Martin got the back-up gig. And at the Palaestra performance in 1974, he promptly became a rousing hit.
• “I’m sure we were only looking forward to the band but completely forgot about them after Steve Martin’s set had us roaring. In my memory, it became only a Steve Martin event. I became a lifelong fan immediately.” – Dave Redman ’75.
• “Steve Martin stole the show. My colleagues and me on the Executive Council were the target of much derision and disgust for this decision prior to the concert. Needless to say, after the performance we were heroes and no one was talking about the Dirt Band.” – Tim Lindsay ’76.
• “What a great memory! The guy in the white suit came out on stage (and owned it). One of the things I remember was him saying ‘Wild and Crazy Guy,’ ” – Charlie Brecht ’77.
In real life, Martin wasn’t particularly wild or crazy.
“I remember having a normal conversation with him before the show,” Muedeking said. “He asked if we were disappointed that he wasn’t funny in person.”
That wasn’t a problem in the show, during which Martin gave Johnnie attendees a little dating advice.
Recalled Muedeking: “I remember he said the balloon animal on his head was like birth control: No woman will ever talk to you if you wore it.”
An Encore with King Tut
Martin’s 1974 show was such a big hit that Saint John’s brought him back for Homecoming in 1976, this time to be the headliner.
Circumstances were different on campus. Fristrom, Muedeking,
Pazera and Becker were all still there and all members of the 1976 SJU football team that won its third National Championship under legendary head coach John Gagliardi. The Johnnies went 10-0-1 and crushed Augsburg 62-12 in the Homecoming game Oct. 2, the day after Martin’s second SJU appearance.
Martin’s circumstances were rapidly changing as well. Word about his inimitable performances was getting around, and Martin was making frequent appearances on national television shows.
Saturday Night Live made its debut on Oct. 11, 1975, almost exactly one year after Martin’s 1974 appearance in Collegeville. Much bigger things were about to happen as Martin’s nationwide career was about to skyrocket.
“We knew that he was up and coming and had been on with Johnny Carson and others,” said Alan Erickson ’77.
“Tim somehow found his agent and booked Steve for the princely sum of $2,000,” Becker recalled. (Martin’s current appearance fee starts at $200,000.)
“I believe Mark and Tim drove to the (Minneapolis) airport to pick up Steve on the day of the show.
Banjo-playing Steve Martin was the centerpiece of a collage of photos from 1976 Homecoming that appeared in the 1977 Saint John’s Sagatagan yearbook.
I think Mr. Martin asked Mark if he could find him some oranges for his juggling bit. This was the time of the ‘Well, Excuuuse Me’ bit.”
Martin was on the verge of national stardom, and Collegeville knew it. Johnnie Mark Flynn ’78 remembers Martin’s greeting: “It’s so great to be in Collegeville: I’m moving up in the world. Last week I performed in HighSchoolVille.”
“The show was hilarious, and he kept everyone laughing throughout his performance,” Erickson said. “He even continued the show for several minutes after he finally left the stage by carrying the microphone with him making jokes and disparaging remarks about the audience (which they all loved) while he was behind the curtain.”
Recalled Pat Kaiser ’78: “I was helping set up the stage for the show. I heard Steve give some kind of bizarre instructions to the lighting crew. He said, ‘Whatever I say or do during the show, don’t ever give me a blue spotlight’.
“Of course, the blue spotlight does not come on. Steve asks again, and gets nothing. He then goes from melancholy to rage. He rants, ‘I came all the way out to podunk Collegeville, Minnesota. You would think I could get a little cooperation here, but nooooooo!’ ” (Next, of course, came, ‘ Well Excuuuuse Me! ’)
Perhaps the best photographs from the show came from Tom Kreuzer ’79. (His most memorable image accompanies this story.)
“The photo of Steve is one I took,” said Kreuzer, an accomplished photographer for half a century.
“When I was going to Saint John’s, I sold pictures to Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s for their student newspaper.
“It wasn’t just him standing up there telling jokes for an hour. He was multi-talented with it. He put on the arrow through the head. He had a lot of visual gags going on. I believe he also did the ‘King Tut’ song and dance.”
Twenty-two days after his second Collegeville appearance, Martin made his national debut as host for Saturday Night Live on Oct. 23, 1976. It was his first of three appearances hosting the show that season and first of 16 in his career, both records.
John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Dan Akroyd, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman … and now Steve Martin. He had arrived, and Saint John’s had helped him get there.
• “After the SJU show we all gathered around the TV to watch his debut on SNL and were happy to note that most of his monologue on the show was bits we saw live a few weeks before on campus,” Erickson said.
• “A classmate of mine did get to drive him to and from the MSP airport, and I got a chance to briefly meet him,” Kaiser said. “What struck me was the difference in his personality. On stage he is this manic crazy man. In person he seemed so calm and reserved.”
• “Many of us had the pleasure of meeting and supporting Steve before and after the show,” Lindsay added. “He was among the kindest and most pleasant – almost shy –gentleman I’ve ever met.”
Thanks for the Memories
A lot of things have changed in the last 50 years, both with Martin and everyone who attended his 1974 Collegeville debut.
Martin married Anne Stringfield in 2007. They live a very private life with their daughter born in 2012. He remains active with Only Murders In The Building , but the ‘Wild and Crazy Guy’ has generally put standup comedy to rest.
“Tim Fristrom and Bob Pazera have passed away,” Becker said. “Mark Muedeking is a retired lawyer in Colorado Springs. All of us played on the 1976 National Championship football team for John (Gagliardi).”
But at any age, nothing will erase the memories of those nights when the Palaestra was rocking and –“excuuuuse me” – Martin was rolling.
“He’s accomplished so much: hosting Saturday Night Live , writing books, starring in memorable movies and his longtime love of the banjo,” Beck said. “There is so much more to him than just being ‘a wild and crazy guy!’ ”
“I have enjoyed his SNL appearances, his movies and his entire career,” said Jim Myott ’75.
“I am proud to have seen Steve Martin before he was famous.”
“Within months, Martin took off and was a national phenomenon,” Becker added.
“As always, the Johnnies knew him when.”
“He’s accomplished so much: hosting Saturday Night Live, writing books, starring in memorable movies and his longtime love of the banjo. There is so much more to him than just being ‘a wild and crazy guy!’ ”
- Kim Beck ’78
One Day. Two Ceremonies.
The 2023-24 academic year marked the first time scheduled commencement exercises at both the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University were held on the same day.
The ceremonies were held on Saturday, May 11, beginning with the 109th annual commencement at CSB in the morning in the Clemens Field House followed by SJU’s 167th commencement in the afternoon in the Abbey and University Church.
“We have a deep appreciation for everything you have given to the CSB and SJU communities and admiration for what you’ve overcome,” CSB and SJU President Brian Bruess, told the graduates at each ceremony.
“We are so proud of you and congratulate you and your families who helped you get to this day.”
Indeed, perseverance was a recurrent theme in both ceremonies, especially given this year’s graduating classes arrived on campus in the fall of 2020
at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic – when social distancing restrictions, mass testing and block scheduling rendered their first few semesters on campus anything but normal.
The theme of embracing the sense of community resonated at SJU’s commencement ceremony where student speaker Jackson May, a double major in economics and history, spoke of the early challenges his class faced. Despite those obstacles, he said he and his classmates have gone on to flourish and thrive.
“Why are we still standing?” May asked those assembled. “Because of those positive thoughts we constantly fed ourselves through times of adversity. Our journey through Saint John’s University has prepared us to face the worst life can throw at us.”
Paul Williams, a 1984 Saint John’s University graduate and president and CEO of Project for Pride in Living Inc., delivered the SJU commencement address. He too praised this year’s graduating class for perseverance in the face of adversity.
“(These have) indeed been tumultuous and transformative years at SJU,” Williams, who previously served as St. Paul’s deputy mayor, told SJU’s class of 355 undergraduates, as well as 38 graduates of the Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary. “Conflict, stress, remote learning, loss of friends and relatives, disconnection from community have all impacted our way of life. I applaud you for your resilience, creativity and patience in finding your way through that. And I applaud you for your accomplishments along the way. Bravo to each and every one of you.”
Williams encouraged this year’s senior class to venture forth into the world beyond “with hope, creativity and a sense of possibility.
“Cut through the noise,” he said. “Seek out truth and look for the light.
“Give of yourself to others,” he continued. “There is research that says giving of yourself actually improves health outcomes. Your time and treasure matter. And as I said earlier, treat that gift as an investment. It will generate returns for you and for all of us.”
The invocation at SJU was delivered by Douglas Mullin, OSB, abbot of Saint John’s Abbey. He was followed by a welcome from LeAnn Stewart, also the chair of the SJU Board of Trustees. Mullin then provided the final blessing.
The top five majors in this year’s graduating class at CSB were nursing (58), global business leadership (36), biology (34), psychology (32) and elementary education (31). The top five majors in this year’s graduating class at SJU were global business leadership (111), accounting (67), biology (29), communication (24) and exercise and health science (20).
Basten Award Honors Denis McDonough for Excellence in Leadership
The Bob Basten Excellence in Leadership Award description reads like a perfect synopsis of Denis McDonough ’92:
The award is presented annually to a former Saint John’s University football player who has exhibited outstanding leadership traits, been involved in his community and with his alma mater, carried a sense of fair play beyond the football field and demonstrated an overall commitment to excellence.
McDonough, who helped lead the Johnnies to two MIAC titles, has served at the highest levels of government, currently as the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs and previously as former President Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff.
That public service record makes him an ideal choice for the award created in 2009 in honor of Basten ’82, who went to training camp with the Minnesota Vikings before embarking on a successful business career. He died in 2012 after a decade-long battle with ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
“It’s a huge honor to be associated with someone who was such a force on the field and was so beloved by everyone who played with him,” said McDonough, who will receive the Basten Award at halftime of SJU’s Homecoming game against Augsburg Oct. 5 at Clemens Stadium.
“I have so much admiration for his business acumen – especially founding Centerprise Advisers (now UHY Advisors) – and for the way he stared down adversity through his battle with ALS.”
McDonough graduated summa cum laude with a degree in history and Spanish and was his class commencement speaker. He played for legendary former head coach John Gagliardi on teams that advanced to the NCAA Division III national semifinals in 1989 and ’91.
“I learned a number of lessons playing at Saint John’s,” McDonough said. “We used to run a 5-2 read defense in which everybody had a gap to defend. If everyone defended their gaps, our opponents didn’t advance. That showed me that 11 men working together could make anything happen.
“The second lesson was the respect John accorded us by insisting we called him by his first name. I was floored by that. To me, it was such a great example of leadership and management. Here was a person who controlled access to our dreams in terms of deciding whether we saw the field or not, but he treated us as human beings and as people who had meaning.
“Then there was the general lesson you pick up at Saint John’s, which is to follow the Rule of Benedict and treat everyone as Christ. I don’t always do that. I fail at it. But it’s something I aspire to.”
McDonough earned a master’s degree from Georgetown University and launched a political career that led to leadership roles in the Obama Administration — including Deputy National Security Adviser, Chief of Staff for the National Security Council and White House Chief of Staff — and his February 2021 appointment by President Joe Biden as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He was named to the NCAA’s Board of Governors in 2019.
McDonough has kept strong ties to SJU. He received an Alumni Achievement Award in 2012, gave SJU’s commencement speech in May 2018 and presented the 12th annual Eugene J. McCarthy lecture that October.
“Denis has given a great portion of his life to making the world a better place and helping people from all walks of life,” SJU head football coach Gary Fasching said. “His vision of the world and how he can shape it is more than noteworthy. As one of our all-time great players, the Saint John's football community is proud of his career accomplishments and congratulates Denis on being the recipient of the 2024 Bob Basten Award.”
All-Sports Trophy
Saint John’s University won the MIAC’s George Durenberger All-Sports Trophy for the third-straight academic year in 2023-24. SJU claimed the MIAC regularseason title in basketball, its fourth in the last six seasons, and added four second-place finishes (baseball, golf, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field) and two third-place finishes (football and swimming & diving) in the conference standings. The Johnnies recorded a total of 83 points, followed by Bethel (77), Gustavus (76.5), St. Olaf (75) and Carleton (71). The MIAC All-Sports title is the Johnnies’ 17th since 1968-69.
Eighty Saint John’s student-athletes received 2023-24 Winter and Spring Academic All-MIAC recognition in June. For the fourth consecutive academic year, SJU led the MIAC in male honorees with 145 in 2023-24, followed by St. Olaf (136), Gustavus (122) and Macalester (111). The Johnnies had 65 fall honorees (cross country, football, soccer). Studentathletes must be sophomores, juniors or seniors with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale to qualify for Academic All-MIAC recognition. Transfers, like freshmen, must complete a full academic year to be eligible the following season. Athletically, student-athletes must be members of an MIAC-sponsored, varsity team and be academically and athletically eligible.
Baseball
The Johnnie baseball team tied for second in the MIAC with a 13-7 record (24-16 overall) and made its 14th consecutive appearance in the MIAC Tournament (16th overall). Third baseman Joe Becker ’24 was
named to the All-Region 9 third team by the American Baseball Coaches’ Association. SJU has now had 42 All-Region honorees on the diamond since 2010. Becker, second baseman Owen Dauk ’23 and pitchers Will Fazio ’25 , Connor Hartley ’25 and Quinn Krueger ’24 were named All-MIAC. In the classroom, five Johnnies achieved College Sports Communicators Academic All-District distinction: Dauk, Hartley, Krueger, outfielder Rodney Erickson ’24 and pitcher Griffin Larson ’24
Basketball
Saint John’s basketball (20-6, 18-2 MIAC) won its 11th MIAC regularseason title in program history and fourth in the last six seasons (no MIAC season in 2020-21) in 202324. The 20-win season was also the Johnnies’ 15th overall and fifth in the past eight seasons. Four of the Johnnies’ six losses were decided by three points or fewer. SJU finished as the NCAA Division III leader in shooting percentage (.516) and three-point percentage (.409), and fourth in free-throw percentage (.804). Guard Blake Berg ’24 , wing Ryan Thissen ’24 and guard Kooper Vaughn ’25 earned All-MIAC honors and Pat McKenzie ’04 was named the MIAC Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year for the third time of his career. Thissen collected his second consecutive CSC Academic AllAmerica distinction and was joined on the Academic All-District team by Vaughn, guard Luke Healy ’25 and guard Kyle Johnson ’26
Golf
SJU golf placed 12th out of 43 teams at the NCAA Division III Championship in Boulder City, Nev. The finish was the 17th in the top 15 at nationals for SJU, which made its seventh consecutive trip to the NCAA Championship and 21st in the last 24 seasons (since 2000). The Johnnies shattered their scoring average record for the third consecutive season in 2023-24 with a mark of 291.6 in 27 rounds. SJU averaged a 293.1 in 24 rounds last season (2022-23) and posted a 295.6 in 20.5 rounds in 2021-22.
Individually, Nate Loxtercamp ’24 tied SJU’s single-season record of 72.8 set by Joe Schoolmeesters ’09 in 2007-08. Andrew Boemer ’25 and Mark Longhenry ’24 joined Loxtercamp on the PING All-Region 6 team. SJU has now had 62 AllRegion honorees in the last 25 seasons (since 2000). Loxtercamp was also named to the CSC Academic All-America at-large second team.
Hockey
Saint John’s hockey tied for fifth in the MIAC with a 6-9-1 record (9-12-4 overall), which included two losses decided during the 3-on-3 overtime, in 2023-24. The Johnnies saw their streak of consecutive MIAC Playoff appearances end at five. Forward Matt DeRosa ’25 was named AllMIAC honorable mention after he played 22 games and led the team in goals (8), tied for first in plus/ minus (+6) and was second in points (13). DeRosa, defenseman Danny Eckerline ’25 , defenseman Jack Olsen ’24 and forward Jackson Sabo ’25 also earned CSC Academic All-District accolades.
Swimming & Diving
SJU swimming and diving placed third out of six teams Feb. 14-17 at the 2024 MIAC Championships. Eli Grabinski ’25 won the 3-meter dive and was named the MIAC men’s Diver of the Year for the third straight season, while Carter
Larson ’25 placed first in both the 100- and 200-yard freestyles and Brayden Slavik ’26 won the 400-yard individual medley and 1,650-yard freestyle to give SJU a total of five conference titles, the program’s most since 2003 (6). Grabinski competed at the NCAA Regional and just missed qualifying for one of the six NCAA bids and was an alternate for the NCAA Championships. He finished fourth in the 1-meter dive and sixth on the 3-meter board. Larson, Alex Heer ’24 and Colby Kern ’25 joined Grabinski outside the pool with CSC Academic All-District honors.
Tennis
The Johnnie tennis team tied for fifth in the MIAC with a 4-5 record (5-10 overall) and just missed its 10th trip to the fiveteam MIAC Playoffs in the last 12 seasons this spring. Ian Aadland ’24 and Sam Wolden ’27 earned All-MIAC honors in singles competition. Aadland, Cooper Anderson ’25 , Daniel Perez ’24 and Mark Rosen ’24 earned CSC Academic All-District honors.
Indoor Track & Field
SJU’s track and field team finished second out of 11 teams at the MIAC Indoor Championships. Kevin Arthur ’24 earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association secondteam All-America honors with a 15th place finish in the 60-meter dash at the NCAA Indoor Championships. He won the MIAC title in the event and broke his own program record with a time of 6.78 seconds Feb. 16 at Mankato. The Johnnies recorded four other MIAC indoor titles: Tommy Allen ’24 in both the 800 and 1,000 meters, Joe Charbonneau ’24 in the pole vault
and Zach Schaffer ’25 in the long jump. Allen earned the MIAC Elite 22 Award for having the highest cumulative GPA among the AllMIAC honorees.
Outdoor Track & Field
The Johnnies won six events and finished second at the MIAC Outdoor Championships. Arthur won the 100- and 200-meter dashes for the third consecutive season and was named the MIAC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year for the third straight year. Charbonneau (pole vault), Schaffer (long jump), Jaeden Frost ’23 (hammer throw) and Jackson McDowell ’25 (high jump) were SJU’s other conference champions. Two SJU outdoor records fell at the conference meet: Arthur in the 200-meter dash (20.68 seconds) and McDowell in the high jump (2.10 meters). Arthur achieved All-America honors with a fifth-place finish in the 100-meter dash and earned second-team distinction with an 11th-place time in the 200-meter dash, while McDowell reached the podium with an eighthplace height in the high jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Max Lelwica ’25 competed in the decathlon at nationals and finished 19th. Allen matched his MIAC Elite 22 Award from the indoor season – his fifth overall – and earned CSC Academic All-America honors for cross country/track and field. Allen received CSC Academic All-District recognition alongside Frost, Lelwica, McDowell and Lloyd Young ’23 .
Wrestling
Two Saint John’s wrestlers – Owen Herbst ’27 (174 lbs.) and Connor Krueger ’27 (141 lbs.) – finished eighth at the NCAA Upper Midwest Regional in March. Krueger totaled a team-best 22-11 record and Herbst was named a National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar AllAmerican, SJU’s 30th over the last 16 seasons. Ben Gilbertson ’24 , the team’s lone senior and team captain, earned CSC Academic All-District honors for the second consecutive year.
2024 Inductees Join Hall of Honor Oct. 5
Two went on to get their chance in the NFL. One landed a spot on the final roster.
Another played several seasons of minor league baseball before becoming one of the nation’s top political journalists.
Those are just a few of the achievements that will be recognized when the fifth full class of inductees takes its place in the Saint John’s University J-Club Hall of Honor in a ceremony to be held the evening of Oct. 5 in Guild Hall following the Johnnies’ Homecoming football matchup against Augsburg.
The Hall of Honor started in 2018 when legendary longtime head coaches John Gagliardi and Jim Smith were honored as the first two inductees in separate ceremonies. The first full class was inducted in the fall of 2019. Then, after a one-year pause brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the second full class was inducted in 2021. The third and fourth classes were inducted in 2022 and ’23.
“It’s one of those things where until we started it, I don’t think we realized how much we were missing it all those years,” J-Club President Dan Murphy ’05 said. “But with each passing year, it becomes more and more evident how important it really is to have a way to honor all these individuals and teams who have done such great things here.
“These are the people who’ve paved the way for the success our current athletic teams are now having.”
The 2024 inductees:
• Rick Bell ’83 (Football, Baseball)
• Chuck Ceronsky ’70 (Cross Country, Track and Field)
• Stacy Christensen ’76 (Hockey)
• Al Eisele ’58 (Baseball)
• Ernie England ’81 (Football)
• Bill Laliberte ’70 (Football, Hockey, Track and Field)
• Dick Matchinsky ’57 (Basketball)
• Tim Miles ’76 (Coach: Cross Country, Track and Field)
• Nathan Proshek ’04 (Golf)
• Luke Vestrum ’03 (Swimming and Diving)
• 1978-79 SJU Basketball Team
• Thom Woodward ’70 and Mike Fahey ’75 (J-Club Distinguished Service Award)
“One of the things I’m always impressed by is the diversity of the sports represented,” Murphy said. “If you look down the list, you see athletes from football, basketball, hockey, track and field, baseball, swimming and diving. It’s a testament to how strong our overall athletic department has been and continues to be to this day.”
Tickets for the event are $75 per person before Sept. 29, and $100 afterward. Children ages 6-12 are $35 and those ages 1-5 are admitted free. All proceeds go to the J-Club to be used for its support of SJU athletics. Tickets include dinner and beverages. They can be purchased through the J-Club link at gojohnnies.com, or in the SJU Alumni section on the main CSB+SJU website ( csbsju.edu ).
Milestones
1962 Jim Randall, a retired judge, joined his former colleagues for the 21st year of offering a BBQ cookout at Catholic Charities Dorothy Day Place May 24 in St. Paul. The Memorial Day weekend tradition began in 1982 as an unofficial launch of summer at St. Paul’s most public-facing downtown shelter and resource center for the homeless. Randall was among the first gubernatorial appointments to the Minnesota Court of Appeals after its creation by constitutional amendment in 1982.
1977
Mike Bosanko recently published the book Joe and Mike Cantillon: Firebrands of Baseball . The Cantillon brothers – Bosanko’s great-great uncle and greatgrandfather, respectively – were prominent baseball players in the Midwest, including the Minneapolis area, for many years starting in the late 1890s.
1983 Willie Willette and Bob Pfefferle have combined to open Willie Willette Works, a custom furniture studio. Pfefferle, who graduated from SJU with a degree in government, and Willette, whose SJU degree was in English, have collaborated on a variety of projects, most recently a 24-foot solid white oak table for the new North Loop Green building that overlooks Target Field in Minneapolis.
1985 John Gathje will be inducted into the Mount Michael Athletic Hall of Fame this November. Gathje has been both a coach and teacher at Mount Michael Benedictine High School in Elkhorn, Nebraska since 1991, inspiring and helping students in the classroom and on the trails. His cross-country teams have qualified for state 25 times, including six state titles and three runner-up finishes. In track and field, Gathje has helped coach sprinters, throwers, jumpers, middle distance and distance runners, and his athletes have set five school records.
1985
Victor Kisob recently published Abdicated Intelligence , a book of selected poems on global societal issues. The former United Nations assistant secretary and Nairobi, Kenya resident invites readers into a world where intellect meets empathy and policy intersects with passion.
1986 John Rosengren and his book The Greatest Summer in Baseball History: How the ’73 Season Changed Us Forever were nominated for the Minnesota Book Award as a finalist in the General Nonfiction category. Rosengren has written 10 books, mostly on sports.
1989
Steve Hoffman recently published his book A Season for That: Lost and Found in the Other Southern France , which chronicles the six months he and his family – wife and fellow author Mary Jo and their two children – spent immersed in a small winemaking village in southern France more than a decade ago. Hoffman graduated from Saint John’s with a degree in French and modern and classical languages. He works as a Minnesota tax preparer and food writer and is a French speaker and Francophile. His writing has won multiple awards, including the 2019 James Beard M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award.
1993
Ted Schmelzle has been promoted to Assistant Vice President of Retirement Plans and Services at The Standard, a family of companies dedicated to helping customers achieve financial well-being. The company has been in business since 1906, and Schmelzle joined in 2023 as second vice president in retirement plans. He has 28 years of financial service industry experience and brings a wealth of expertise and strong relationships to his role at The Standard.
2010 Dr. Daryl Fields II has been selected as a new trustee at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Fields, who was the youngest captain of the Saint John’s Fire Department while he was a student, is also a neurosurgery resident and postdoctorate research fellow at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (See story, Page 38)
1967
Jon A. Theobald (right) was honored by the Minnesota Twins early in the 2024 season on the Target Field video message board. Long-time Twins announcer Dick Bremer (left) and son Jon F. Theobald (center) also participated. Jon A. Theobald died Feb. 13.
Marriages
1988 Carrie O'Connor to Patrick Lynch , May ’24
1989 Saralyn to Phil Wilder , Feb. ’20
2002 Missy to Pete Mohs , May ’24
2008 Liz Fiedler to Brent Mergen , April ’24
2011 Mette Brink to Andrew Rotschafer , July ’23
2012 Kailyn (Wilcox ’13) to Rob Stiller , Oct. ’23
2013 Courtney (Kelley ’13) to Stephen Gross , Jan. ’24
Taylor (Hamilton ’12) to Jordan Stanek , June ’24
2017 Ellen (Reidt ’17) to Jack Gorman , Dec. ’23
Lauren (Rabe ’18) to Benjamin Steitz , April ’24
2018 Megan (Dolan) to Jack Cummings , March ’24
Emma (Backes ’19) to David Franta , Feb. ’24
Andrea (Jirges) to Brady Kalla , June ’24
2019 Katherine (Hird ’19) to Ben Frederickson , Aug. ’23
Hannah (Holst ’18) to Joshua Gavin , Oct. ’23
Jessica (Stanslaski ’19) to Zachary Gerlach , Sept. ’23
Emily (Baker ’19) to Eric Johnson , Aug. ’23
Claire (Hasselman ’19) to Chris Lecy , July ’24
Elsa (Fering ’18) to Ryan Meany , June ’23
Claire (Benz ’19) to Jason Rodriguez , Oct. ’23
Sarah (Lommel ’19) to Connor Thury , July ’24
Bailey (Alter ’19) to Matthew Tschida , June ’23
2020 Emily (Nelson ’20) to John Hicke , Sept. ’22
Maria (Van Hove ’21) to Kyle Kipka , July ’24
2021 Paige (Nathe ’20) to Joe Lara , June ’23
Morgan (Belting ’21) to Joe Larson , Nov. ’23
Kristen (Rezac ’21) to Luke Zweber , June ’24
2022 Madison (Verhelst ’22) to Carter Howell , July ’24
2023 Miranda (Lijewski ’23) to Luke Voorhies , June ’24
2024 Rena (Henrich ’24) to Jacob Omtvedt , July ’24
Births
1999 Jennifer Willis & Kevin Jost , boy, Landon, Feb. ’24
1937 Donald Schmid , father of Robert ’70, Feb. ’24
1945 Roger Landwehr , Dec. ’23
Morris Virnig , March ’23
1947 Vernon Ebnet , April ’24
Sylvester Theisen , father of David ’78 and Marcel ’93, March ’24
1948 Julia Ladner , spouse of deceased, Frank , March ’24
Kathleen Martin , spouse of deceased, James , mother of John ’77 and James ’79, June ’24
1949 Irene Gleason , spouse of deceased, James , Feb. ’24
1950 Arthur Severson , Feb. ’20
1951 Shirley Bauer , spouse of deceased, Norman , Jan. ’24
Ray Colwell , father of Tim ’90, Aug. ’23
George Finnegan , Oct. ’23
Robert Fridgen , March ’24
Glen Happe , brother of John ’49, Dale ’54 and deceased brother, Eugene ’57, June ’24
DeLaine Moriarty , spouse of deceased, John , May ’24
1952 Walter Backes , Feb. ’24
Dr. Donald Chisholm , father of John ’82 and Tim ’92, July ’23
Ardeth Duthoy , spouse of Everette , June ’24
Clifford Ebert , Feb. ’24
1953 Maxine Fashant , spouse of deceased, Ron , and deceased sons, Tom ’76 and Chris ’81, Feb. ’24
1953 Francis Roehl , May ’24
1954 Michael Donahue , father of Gary ’79 and William ’84, Feb. ’24
Ronald Jaeb , brother of Tom ’56, Feb. ’24
1955 Robert Aufenthie , Feb. ’24
Norbert Berg , father of Mitch ’82, brother of deceased, Rev. Donald ’44, Tom ’60, July ’24
Susan Hunn , spouse of deceased, John , May ’24
James Sheridan , brother of William ’50, Dec. ’23
1956 Barbara Gretsch , spouse of Russ , June ’24
Harold Harrison , July ’24
Margie Ann Thurin , spouse of deceased, David , mother of Gregory ’89, April ’24
Robert Verkuilen , Feb. ’24
1957 Mary Galvin , spouse of James , mother of Patrick ’90, June ’24
Robert Hennen , father of Tim ’84 and Gregg ’86, brother of Richard ’61, June ’24
John Herder , Feb. ’24
Jerome Klepper , father of Michael ’85, June ’24
Carol McElroy , spouse of deceased, Bob , March ’24
Harvey Spanier , father of Mike ’83 and Tom ’89, May ’24
1958 Jacob Balda , brother of deceased, Anthony ’60, Oct. ’23
Anthony Ehresman , father of John ’92, Sept. ’23
Julie Hughes , spouse of deceased, Keith , mother of Mark ’86, Tim ’88 and Matthew ’96, May ’24
Terrence McKenna , father of Tim ’79, Feb. ’24
Rev. Maynard Nagengast , OSB , May ’24
Gerald Pahl , March ’24
Frank Saurman , May ’24
Robert Tschida , father of Robert ’83 and Bill ’86, Feb. ’24
1959 Henry Fischer , father of Tim ’85, June ’24
Marie Picard , spouse of Emy , Nov. ’23
Barbara Roche , spouse of deceased, Paul , March ’24
Anita Scully , spouse of deceased, James , SOT/Sem ’63, May ’24
Jay Theder , Nov. ’20
1960 Donald Exner , brother of Tony ’70, July ’24
Virginia Hoeschen , spouse of Richard , April ’24
Kathryn Jarvinen , spouse of deceased, Richard , mother of Calbe ’87, May ’24
Thomas Piazza , Jan. ’24
Edward Zganjar , Feb. ’24
1961 Daniel Carle , April ’24
Joseph Fraune , brother of John ’71, June ’24
Richard Marshik , Feb. ’24
1962 Donald Basch , June ’24
Ronald Bisson Sr ., father of Ron Jr. ’94 and John ’96, Feb. ’24
Philip Murphy , father of Chris ’89, Tom ’00 and brother of John ’73, July ’24
Richard Rolfson , Dec. ’23
Joseph Tembrock , July ’24
Roys Willenbring , June ’24
1963 Kenneth Adler , May ’24
James Judge , brother of Paul ’64 and Tom ’66, April ’24
Richard Meyer , June ’23
Mary Ann Renner , spouse of Richard , mother of Mark ’97, May ’24
1964 David Jenkins , March ’24
Donald Thielen , June ’24
1965 James Johnson , father of Bill ’97, May ’24
James Polglase , March ’24
1966 Patrick Barrett , Nov. ’23
Richard Spano , May ’24
1967 Richard Dawson , brother of John ’70, Kenneth ’65 and Thomas ’70, Feb. ’24
Jon Theobald , father of Tom ’90, Feb. ’24
1968 Dr. William Luckemeyer , April ’24
Robert Russell , June ’23
1969 Greg Immel , Feb. ’24
1970 Linda Lintgen , spouse of Frank , March ’24
1971 Patrick Dorn , April ’24
1972 Kevin Scott , brother of Wilbur ’67, July ’24
Leighton Swenson , April ’24
1973 S. Lorraine Bruegemann , CPPS , SOT/Sem, Feb. ’24
1974 Paul Brenner , April ’24
Michael De Lisle , June ’23
1974 Terry Moen , July ’24
1975 Milosh Bozanich , father of Alexander ’75 and Peter ’81, July ’23
1977 Tom Cummings , May ’24
1978 Russell Anderson , father of Rev. Kevin , SOT/Sem ’83 and Peter ’91, Jan. ’24
Keith Kerfeld , father of Michael , June ’24
1979 Christopher Braun , June ’24
Patrick Murphy , April ’24
1981 Mary Tadch , spouse of Mike Bauer , April ’24
Dr. Jim Suel , April ’24
1982 Mary Boggie , SOT/Sem, April ’24
1983 Patty Murphy , spouse of Timothy , Oct. ’23
1984 David Key, spouse of Christopher Bannochie , May ’24
Patrick Calvert , May ’24
Paul Glotzbach , Nov. ’23
Mark Lies, brother of Fr. William , June ’24
1985 Tom Flock-Johnson , son of Dick ’58, brother of Lee ’84 and spouse of Trish ’85, Aug. ’23
1986 Tamara Belland , spouse of Joe ’86, July ’24
Rosie Zumwinkle , mother of Mik e, Feb. ’24
1989 Gerald Erickson , March ’24
June Kattar SOT/Sem, May ’24
1991 Craig Johnson , March ’24
1993 Patricia McGrane , sister of Brian , Feb. ’24
1995 Thomas Hoffman , SOT/Sem, June ’24
1997 Max Blair , July ’24
1998 Patty Durand , mother of Carla Durand , SOT/Sem, March ’24
1999 Nicholas Wirtz , July ’24
2002 Dennis Duggan , SOT/Sem, July ’24
2008 Linda Kramer , spouse of Gene , SOT/Sem, March ’23
2009 Jason Skogseth , March ’24
2010 Paul Breen , father of Jared , brother of Charles ’86, Mike ’88, Casey ’92, son of deceased, Don ’56, July ’24
2012 Michael Hensley , SOT/Sem, Jan. ’24
2017 Bill Baxan , father of Jessie , SOT/ Sem, March ’24
Work for Saint John’s Fire Department Lights Fields’ Path to Neurosurgery
BY | DANA DRAZENOVICH
Responding to campus fire alarms ignited Daryl Fields’ interest in medicine.
A scorched dinner kindled his impactful friendship with a monk.
Serious self-examination as a Saint John’s University undergraduate helped Fields ’10 define his direction to his current positions as a senior neurological surgery resident and post-doctorate research fellow at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Fields diverted from the initial plan of being a management major and instead let his passion point the way.
Four years with the Saint John’s Fire Department and a Benedictine backdrop guided this path.
“When I became a firefighter, 80 percent of our fire calls were actually medical calls. When I saw the interactions we have with patients and the capacity to impact their life, I fell in love with it.”
That led him to a medical degree and a doctorate in molecular neurobiology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he found his calling for research as a surgeon-scientist.
“There's no (college) major that prepares you for this career path. You don’t set out with the intent of being innovative. You stumble upon innovation by chasing your passion. I was fortunate to build that awareness while at Saint John's, to ask ‘What is my purpose?’ discover it, and then chase it with full intent.”
Fields emphasized that idea in April when he delivered the commencement ceremony keynote speech at Pittsburgh’s Point Park University, where he recently became a trustee.
“My message was that there are things in your life that you haven't experienced yet, that you can never expect or brace yourself for. These
experiences will shake you to your core and redefine your purpose in ways you can’t predict. The challenge is that when you have this manicured path set before you, such as a certain career path, it's tough to stray towards a new, uncertain direction.
“Despite this, I say, ‘stray from that path. Chase what gives you purpose.’”
Fields strayed and strayed again. He started Saint John’s as a management major, became the youngest captain in the fire department’s history and felt destined for a firefighting career.
“While I loved being a firefighter, I realized that the reality of being a firefighter wasn't something that
was aligned with my personal goals. I had to take a risk.”
He is thankful for his time as a firefighter because it provided him opportunities to engage with patients, but the more time he spent caring for patients as a medic, the more he appreciated his calling was in patient care.
Fields found himself halfway through his junior year with zero management courses but plenty of science, so he switched to a biochemistry major with no intention of becoming a physician.
“I would have never found my current position if I had focused on being a doctor,” Fields said. Instead he focused on service to community, respect for persons and
The intellectual curiosity and sense of community SJU fostered in Daryl Fields ’10 helped him find his passion for treating and researching solutions for paralysis.
hospitality — all of which are core Benedictine values that he continues to reference today.
“I focused on taking care of people. I focused on empathy and improving quality of life. And that enabled me to open my eyes to the current research that I do, where I care for patients with devastating neurological injuries and research innovative treatments for paralysis –treatments that help individuals care for themselves.”
Fields is directing a neural restorative laboratory as he completes his neurosurgery residency. He’s accrued impressive accolades and earned the support of organizations like the National Institute of Health and the National Football League, but he isn’t in it for prestige.
“I've been fortunate to find opportunities to continue to give to the larger community,” he said. “That's really what's opened the door for my current positions.
“How I became a surgeon-scientist and how I became a member of the Board of Trustees for Point Park University is by staying humble, working hard and constantly seeking opportunities to help and empower others.”
He explained that these roles are merely an extension of his service to his community, again referencing the Benedictine values he first discovered while at Saint John’s.
“One big part of what's helped guide me and kept me grounded is my very close relationship with Fr. Bob Koopmann.”
Fields met Fr. Bob, then Saint John’s president, when he responded to a fire call in the president’s suite.
“Burnt toast led me to Fr. Bob,” he joked.
When Fr. Bob found out Fields was bound for medical school in Madison, where he has monastic and musical connections, he offered to take Fields out to dinner.
“And so from that serendipitous communication, he and I sparked a relationship. I would say he is one of my closest, closest friends,” Fields said.
“He has been a great, great support for me throughout multiple challenges.”
Fields credits Fr. Bob for helping him stay focused on his mission through the 14-plus years of schooling required to become a surgeon-scientist.
“My purpose in neurosurgery is not just to have the honor of caring for patients through surgery, but it's to challenge the status quo through research.”
Finding this path, first to firefighter and then neurosurgeon, took luck and pluck.
Early in his first semester at Saint John’s, Fields tagged along with some Tommy 1 floormates on their way to take the fire department’s physical exam, though he had missed the email notice and hadn’t done the prerequisite interview with the fire chief.
“And then (the firefighters) were like, ‘Well, this guy apparently can't operate an email address, but he did a bunch of push-ups, and he ran a good mile time, so we'll take a chance on him.’ And that's how I became a firefighter,” he recalled.
“There are so many things that should have been a hindrance to me finding this path. I don't know if it was fate or something else, but I seem to get lucky over and over again. I know my purpose, and I’m very grateful to have been able to discover a career that enables me to pursue it.
“The single most impactful thing to who I am today was my time at Saint John's and my time holding the responsibility of not just being a firefighter, but seeing it as a opportunity to serve others. I carry that same sentiment today as a surgeon-scientist. Being a surgeonscientist is a position of service — service to the patient, family, medical-field and community.”
Daryl Fields ’10 (right), a senior neurological surgery resident and post-doctorate research fellow at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, considers his Ph.D. adviser Gorden S. Mitchell (left) and long-time friend Fr. Bob Koopmann, OSB among his key mentors.
Tom Egerman ’59 and the Feast of Reason
BY | DON HALL SJP ’55/SJU ’59
We’re down to seven attendees now (see picture). It would have been eight at our latest meeting had Tom Daly not missed because of medical issues, but we’re in our late 80s and things like that happen.
Still, each month we gather over lunch for reasonable discussion, recollections, ribbing and wonderment. We marvel at still being able to drive the Twin City freeways — Johnnies all, from the late 1950s
About 35 years ago Tom Egerman ’59 started this group. He called it “The Feast of Reason,” a line taken from the poet Alexander Pope who wrote: “There Saint John mingles with my friendly bowl, the feast of reason and the flow of soul.”
Perfect, for Tom was a man of erudition. He invited his Saint John’s friends and he set the rules, beginning with “we’re not going to talk about football.” Tom didn’t like sports and the celebrity it received. He had negative attitudes about anything that interfered with his desire to celebrate creativity and intellect.
For many years we met at Rudolf’s, a south Minneapolis restaurant featuring murals of Rudolph Valentino, the leading man from Hollywood’s romantic past, plus the alluring Greta Garbo and other leading ladies. Perfect, for Tom loved the romance and intrigue of movies. He was an artist by profession.
Twelve to 15 people attended the early luncheons, with maybe 30 to 40 different people coming over the years. The initial invitees were friends from Tom’s youth in
St. Cloud: Bob Spaeth (who became SJU dean) and Larry Poston (physician), and his later friends Jon Hassler (author/professor), Dave Hutchison (professor), Dan Conlon (doctor) and numerous others. John Brandl (University of Minnesota dean) also attended, and so did South Dakota Native American Ed McGaa (author), track star and calypso musician Cyril Paul (teacher), John Uldrich (entrepreneur, intellectual), Vern Rausch (judge), Terry Fruth (SJU regent and lawyer) and Jim Randall (judge). Johnnies all. Wives and female friends were always welcome and sometimes showed up.
Unfortunately, many of the attendees are now dead. And Rudolf’s is closed.
Still, we who remain continue the conversation at the Olive Garden in
Bloomington. It’s a chain restaurant, but the ambience is fine. We talk about flammable political issues in reasonable tones, including abortion, about religion and changing customs, and (of course) about old times. The conversation re-directs itself onto many subjects. We’re slow to bring it to a close.
At one point in his life, Tom Egerman did book reviews for the StarTribune, work that fit his intellectual skills perfectly. If he were alive today, he would still be coming to our luncheons bringing his insights – and if the conversation got too heavy, probably lighten it with a bawdy joke.
It’s our Saint John’s experience that brings us together, and our liberal arts education that makes it interesting and fun. Tom’s initiative made it so.
The “Feast of Reason” lunch group includes (from left) Dave Pfeffer ’57, Jim Bassett ’58, Bob Hunt ’56, Vince Hunt ’56, Bob Huberty ’59, Gordie Bailey ’57, Don Hall ’59 and Dave Hutchinson ’83.
Pilot Conn ’64 Helping Others Take Flight at Saint John’s
Flying has been a lifelong passion for Jim Conn. But it isn’t merely the desire to be airborne that beckons the Alexandria native to the skies.
The calling goes deeper than that.
“A lot of guys fly just because they love to be in the air,” said Conn, who attended Saint John’s University for two years – from 1960 to ’62 – before joining the Air Force, then completing work on an engineering degree at the University of Minnesota in 1969.
“I do too, but I must have a mission. I don’t like to just go up there and burn holes in the sky. There’s always been a mission behind what I’m doing.”
Today, that means volunteering as a pilot for several organizations – LifeLine Pilots, Mercy Flights Southeast and Angel Flight Central – which help transport individuals by air who might not be able make long car drives to their medical appointments.
“I heard something several years ago, and I wish I could attribute who I heard it from,” said Conn, who spent four years working for the Navy on weapons systems as part of a test team aboard fast-attack nuclear submarines and destroyer-class surface ships, before going on to spend most of his career in leadership positions at several different businesses.
“But we as individuals go through three trimesters of life,” he continued. “You can break it down in terms of age – 30-60-90. The first phase you’re learning, the second phase you’re earning and the third phase is returning. Obviously, I’m in the third trimester now, and I was fortunate enough to do some decent things during the earning phase. I’ve come to the returning phase, and I want to find ways to give back.”
It was another, more personal, calling that led Conn, with his wife, Anita, and their family, to establish the Brian Conn Memorial Fund at SJU in late 2017. The fund is named after their son, who died in October of that year after battling opioid addiction.
It supports students at SJU and the College of Saint Benedict who have struggled or are struggling with addiction. Among the initiatives funded are preventative education, outreach, marketing, counseling and various projects or programs that address student substance misuse and/or promote healthy, responsible decisionmaking about substance use.
It can also be used to support students participating in chemical dependency treatment programs or who otherwise seek to maintain their sobriety.
“Brian was a wonderful human being,” his father recalled. “It’s a time-worn expression, but he really would give you the shirt off his back. He fed homeless people in the Twin Cities. He got injured in an accident at work and he was prescribed opioids. They got a hold of him, and he couldn’t wean himself off. It led to stronger drugs, and it was fentanyl that ultimately took him from us.
“We thought, what better way to honor his memory than to put together this endowment in his name.”
Conn said choosing to do it at SJU was easy. He and his wife are football season-ticket holders and return to campus often.
“Saint John’s has always been really close to my heart even though I didn’t graduate here,” he said. “The two years I spent on campus became very important to me as my life developed. I came away with incredible values that have helped guide my decision-making ever since.”
That connection is also what led Conn and his wife to set up a charitable gift annuity through Saint John’s earlier this year – a decision he said he couldn’t be happier with.
The residual from the annuity will go to Brian’s memorial fund.
“We looked at going with a brokerage we felt was really ethical, but in the end, Anita and I decided we wanted to have our annuity at Saint John’s,” he said. “It all goes back to the values I came away with that have lasted a lifetime. I think it’s important to continue to support that and sustain it into the future.”
Jim Conn and his wife Anita use their wings to help remote patients in need.
