SUMMER 2018 800 WEST COLLEGE AVENUE SAINT PETER, MINNESOTA 56082
BERNARD POWERS ’72
ON FORGIVENESS AND FREEDOM Page 22
In a decades-long tradition, many Gusties spent spring break on Habitat for Humanity trips, including Alex Merrill ’19 and Ethan Forney ’18 (front) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Says Forney, “Some of us went back to see the houses we worked on last year and meet the
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RETIRING PROFESSORS On a perfect day of teaching
14
SCANDINAVIA, SALUTE! Liberal arts meets world travel meets the GWO
34
CLASS NOTES What your fellow Gusties have been up to
families living in them. That really warmed my heart.”
WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR STUDENTS TO SUCCEED?
For Alumni, Parents, and Friends SUMMER 2018 | VOL. LXXIV | ISSUE 2 STA F F Chair, Board of Trustees The Rev. Dan S. Poffenberger ’82
IT TAKES ALL OF US.
President of the College Rebecca Bergman Vice President, Marketing and Communication Tim Kennedy ’82 Vice President, Advancement Thomas Young ’88 Director, Alumni and Parent Engagement Angela Erickson ’01
Gifts to the Gustavus Fund make it
Managing Editor Stephanie Wilbur Ash | sash@gustavus.edu
possible for students like Tenzin to
Alumni Editor Philomena Kauffmann | pkauffma@gustavus.edu
discover more about themselves
Visual Editor, Production Coordinator Anna Deike | adeike@gustavus.edu
than they ever thought possible.
Design Brian Donahue | bdesigninc.com, Jill Adler | adlerdesignstudio.com, Sarah Hinderman ’20 Contributing Writers JJ Akin ’11, Charlie Barnhouse ’19, Sarah Hinderman ’20, Tim Kennedy ’82, Mara Klein, Emily Komperud ’18, Glenn Kranking ’98, James Patrick Miller, CJ Siewert ’11 Contributing Photographers and Artists JJ Akin ’11, Nick Campbell ’18, Corbyn Jenkins ’20, Glenn Kranking ’98, Leslie McKellar (cover), CJ Siewert ’11, SPX Sports, Michael Volgman-Mercuri ’20, Lorie Siebels, Gustavus Adolphus College Archives Printer John Roberts Company | johnroberts.com Postmaster Send address changes to the Gustavus Quarterly, Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement, Gustavus Adolphus College, 800 W. College Ave., Saint Peter, MN 56082-1498 GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE Saint Peter, MN 56082 507-933-8000 | gustavus.edu Articles and opinions presented in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or official policies of the College or its Board of Trustees.
It took a few hours of shoveling, but the Gustie baseball team was able to clear the newly renovated turf field in time to complete a 3-1 win over UM-Morris in the March 28 home-opener.
The Gustavus Quarterly (USPS 227-580) is published four times annually by Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint Peter, Minn. Periodicals postage is paid at Saint Peter, MN 56082, and additional mailing offices. It is mailed free of charge to alumni and friends of the College. Circulation is approximately 42,800. Gustavus Adolphus College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association.
TENZIN ’18, is the first in his family to graduate from college. As president of the Gustavus E. Terry Skone Investment Club, he is already giving back. The club has been able to transfer approximately $34,000 of its earnings into Gustavus scholarships over the last five years. Tenzin reflects, “Gustavus gave me an opportunity to rediscover myself as someone more than capable of being a leader if given an opportunity. I’m so happy that I chose Gustavus and Gustavus chose me.”
GUSTAVUS FUND gustavusfund@gustavus.edu | 800-487-8437 Office of Advancement | giftplanning@gustavus.edu | 507-933-6043
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IN THIS ISSUE
2 14
OLD CHUMS
Life is a Cabaret. Or it most certainly was this winter with the Theatre & Dance production. SCANDINAVIA, SALUTE!
It’s the 140th anniversary of the GWO—and a perfect time to take Gustavus music to Scandinavia, the liberal arts way. Here are the trip highlights.
26
An interview with Dr. Bernard Powers ’72 on the
IN EVERY ISSUE
African Methodist Evangelical Church and its legacy of
4
VÄLKOMMEN
freedom and forgiveness.
5
ON THE HILL
9
SHINE PROFILES
“ICING ON THE CAKE”
26
SPORTS
Gustie women’s basketball wrapped another season at
28
FINE ARTS
the NCAA tournament.
30
GRATITUDE
31
14
HERITAGE
32
GUSTIES
40
VESPERS
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
22
NO TESTIMONY WITHOUT THE TEST
1
2
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
Old Chums
“I think people are people...I really do,” declares Sally Bowles in Cabaret. It was as true a sentiment in 1931 Berlin as it was in Anderson Theatre in January, when Gustie people collaborated to produce this year’s musical. The cast numbered 25 (including, l to r: Ryan Huxford ’20, Allie Retterath ’18, Riley Stone ’18, Stephanita Zumberge ’19, Martha Scherschligt ’21, and Kayla Cardenas ’19). In addition, Emma Hunt ’18 served as lead choreographer, Georgia Bebler ’18 as lead costume designer, and Brandon Raghu ’19 as assistant director. Interwoven into the creative experience was an incredible amount of research into the cultural, political, and historical implications of the Cabaret scene in 1930s Berlin. And it showed in the layers and depths of the performances. Says director Amy Seham, “Well-written shows are filled with history. Studying a show through its history, and in a social justice context, doesn’t make it more academic. It makes it more alive.” Wilkommen to Gustavus theatre & dance.
Välkommen LONG LIVE THE LIBERAL ARTS.
For 155 years, the mission of Gustavus Adolphus College has been to offer students of high aspiration and promise a liberal arts education of recognized excellence. In this particular issue of the Quarterly, I can so clearly see the evidence of our success in this mission. On tour in Scandinavia this January, the Gustavus Wind Orchestra integrated history, culture, language, and international travel with music and performance. (See page 14.) College of Charleston pofessor and historian Bernard Powers ’72 studies the intersection of history and theology in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He was ignited to this purpose by his Gustavus studies in philosophy and political science. (See page 22.) Looking to the future, graduating senior Liz Toeben ’18 has paired psychology and biology with social justice to ensure she leads with compassion in her future work as a clinician. Senior Nick Campbell ’18 has melded English, visual art, and theatre and dance to ensure his eye as a filmmaker sees his subjects in many contexts, and artfully shows them to us. (See pages 9 and 10.) I am so proud to send them— and our entire class of 2018—out into the world. Their liberal arts education has positioned them to become excellent professionals and citizens. Speaking of the liberal arts—a new feature was recently added to the Gustavus skyline: a large crane towering over the Nobel Hall construction site. Phase One of the Nobel Hall of Science renovation and expansion includes a new science wing that connects to the Schaefer Fine Arts Center. Even in our physical spaces, we creatively explore the intersections across disciplines and integrate learning between them. What’s at the top of that crane over Nobel Hall? Proudly, it’s the Gustavus flag.
G U S TAV U S A D O L P H U S C O L L E G E B OA R D O F T R U S T E E S The Rev. Jon V. Anderson (ex officio), Bishop, Southwestern Minnesota Synod, ELCA Scott P. Anderson ’89, MBA, Special Adviser, Patterson Companies, Inc. Catherine Asta ’75, JD, Attorney at Law and Past President, Gustavus Alumni Association Tracy L. Bahl ’84, MBA, Executive Vice President, CVS | Caremark Grayce Belvedere-Young, MBA, Founder and CEO, Lily Pad Consulting Rebecca M. Bergman (ex officio), President, Gustavus Adolphus College Suzanne F. Boda ’82, Senior Vice President, Los Angeles, American Airlines Daniel G. Currell ’94, JD, Managing Director, Advance Law Edward J. Drenttel ’81, JD, Attorney/Partner, Winthrop & Weinstine Bruce A. Edwards ’77, Retired CEO, DHL Global Supply Chain James H. Gale ’83, JD, Attorney at Law John O. Hallberg ’79, MBA, CEO, Children’s Cancer Research Fund Susie B. Heim ’83, Former Co-owner, S and S Heim Construction George G. Hicks ’75, JD, Founding Partner, Värde Partners The Rev. Peter C. Johnson ’92, Executive Pastor, St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Eden Prairie, MN Linda Bailey Keefe ’69, MBA, Vice President, NAI Brannen Goddard Talmadge E. King, Jr. ’70, MD, Dean, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco Paul R. Koch ’87, Senior Vice President/Investments, UBS Financial Services Jan Lindman, MBA, Treasurer to the King, The Royal Court of Sweden Jan Ledin Michaletz ’74, Past President, Gustavus Alumni Association Thomas J. Mielke ’80, JD, Retired Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Kimberly-Clark Corporation
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
Sincerely,
Marcia L. Page ’82, Founding Partner, Värde Partners The Rev. Craig A. Pederson ’90 (ex officio), Assistant to the Bishop, Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA, and President, Gustavus Adolphus College Association of Congregations
Rebecca M. Bergman President, Gustavus Adolphus College
The Rev. Wayne B. Peterson ’77, Pastor, St. Barnabas Lutheran Church, Plymouth, MN The Rev. Dr. Dan S. Poffenberger ’82 (chair), Senior Pastor, Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church, Prior Lake, MN Christopher J. Rasmussen ’88, PhD, (ex officio), Independent Higher Education Consultant and Past President, Gustavus Alumni Association Beth Sparboe Schnell ’82, CEO, Sparboe Companies Ronald C. White ’75, President, RC White Enterprises The Rev. Heather Teune Wigdahl ’95, Senior Pastor, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Menomonie, WI
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Students from diverse faith traditions led the dedication of the Bonnier Multifaith Center in 2017. They are top: Ayushi Kalyani ’19; second row, l to r: Saad Tariq ’18, Ryan Prichard ’18, Matt Ouren ’19, and Huyen Nguyen ’18; bottom, l to r: Anh Thu Tong ’17, Josh Weisenfeld ’18, Gabe Grosshuesch ’17, and Herchran Singh ’17.
ON THE HILL
WIDENING OUR WORLD
Diversify and expand the Gustavus
inclusion) discussing with staff how our
brought hundreds of LGBTQ youth and
community. It’s one of the three major
Lutheran heritage calls upon us to seek
allies together to talk about supportive
goals of the Gustavus Acts Strategic Plan,
openness and acceptance.
learning environments, develop resiliency
Academically, Gustavus now has among
skills, and speak with legislators. (This
from what we serve in the Caf to how
its tenure-track faculty a specialist in
year’s student emcee, Madeline Sandish,
we engage our international alumni.
Islam and World Religion (professor Fuad
becomes a Gustie this fall.)
Here on campus, we’ve taken some big
Naeem) and this fall will add an endowed
steps recently to be a more equitable and
chair of Jewish studies. Additionally,
Council for Diversity, Equity, and
inclusive community, particularly for those
the Diversity Center greets both a new
Inclusion is doing the deep planning
historically underrepresented in American
director and assistant director this year:
to ensure such efforts will diversify and
higher education.
Tom Flunker and Janet Jennings ’17. The
expand our community in equitable and
New in 2017, the Bonnier Multifaith
And behind the scenes, the President’s
two created the first Critical Dialogue
inclusive ways. Says professor Rosenthal,
Center is a physical space reserved for
Symposium, where students, staff, and
“We want our College to reflect the world
diverse spiritual practices. Also in 2017,
faculty listened and learned from various
we live in. It increases the excellence of
an Interfaith Youth Corps grant saw
voices and identities on campus.
our students’ academic experiences, giving
chaplain Siri Erickson and professor Alisa
While recruiting high school students,
them greater knowledge of the world
Rosenthal (who is also special assistant
Gustavus co-sponsored this year’s
so that they can be active participants in
to the president for diversity, equity, and
OutFront Minnesota Youth Summit which
addressing its challenges.”
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
and it touches all aspects of our College—
5
#whygustavus
ON THE HILL
The A.H. Anderson Hall renovation was awarded the prestigious LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The award is given to projects that are designed, constructed, and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.
The future Nobel Hall of Science
PRETTY GOOD NEWS
Director of Campus Activities Andrea Junso received the Patsy Morley
The Nobel Hall of Science renovation and expansion is
Outstanding Programmer Award
now in full swing. When complete, it will rival facilities
from the National Association for
at the nation’s top liberal arts colleges. The building’s
Campus Activities (NACA), for
footprint will nearly double, adding new laboratories and
outstanding achievement in the
teaching spaces, plus a connection between Nobel Hall and
field of campus activities advisement.
Schaefer Fine Arts Center and a laboratory theatre. The
Junso advises the Campus Activities
renovation intentionally focuses on the interdisciplinary
Board, supervises first-year orientation and
nature of a Gustavus liberal arts education.
the Gustie Greeters, oversees the Jackson Campus Center and Johnson Student Union, and advises Senior Week.
Communication studies professor Martin Lang ’95 and Noah O’Ryan ’17 debuted their documentary film, (Mid)West
In partnership with the city of Saint Peter, the College
of Somalia in March. It shares the stories of nine Somali-
commemorated the 20th anniversary of the tornado on March
American men and women seeking success in the United
29. The event, A Twist of Fate, was hosted by WCCO’s Don
States while also searching for a meaningful connection to the
Shelby, who covered the tornado when it happened. The evening
new homes they’ve built in rural southern Minnesota.
included photos, videos, and testimonies from those who lived through the tornado, including the man who refused to leave behind his bag of walleyes which had
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
been tossed from
6
his truck into a field while he lay in a ditch.
“God bless the city of Saint Peter.” —Don Shelby at the commemoration of the Saint Peter tornado.
NOBEL 54
LIVING SOIL: A UNIVERSE UNDERFOOT October 2 & 3 | gustavus.edu/nobel | Tickets Available Now There are more organisms in a handful of soil than there are humans who have ever lived on earth. And yet, science is just now uncovering soil’s secrets. Join us as the world’s foremost experts on soil discuss the research, history, and cultural and ethical issues surrounding life’s most fundamental resource. Learn as these experts discuss and debate questions such as: What is a healthy soil? How are all living things connected to soil? How does climate change affect soil, and how can soil mitigate it? What agricultural practices best protect soil as a resource? How might we re-imagine our relationship to soil—culturally, socially, and biologically? Yup. It’s all the dirt on dirt. And it’s as important as it
THIS YEAR’S EXPERTS: Raymond Archuleta, conservation
Suzanne Simard, professor, forest
agronomist, Natural Resources
ecology, University of British Columbia
Conservation Service Rattan Lal, professor, soil sciences, The Jack Gilbert, professor and group leader
Ohio State University, and member of
for the Committee on Microbiology;
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
University of Chicago
Change (IPCC) which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007
David Montgomery, professor, Earth and space sciences, University of
Claire Chenu, professor, soil science,
Washington, and 2008 MacArthur Fellow
AgroParisTech, France, and United Nations Special Ambassador for the
Frank Uekotter, professor,
International Year of Soils 2015
LIVING
SOIL A Universe Underfoot
environmental humanities, University of Birmingham, UK Can’t make it in October? Join us
KALENDER
in southern Minnesota July 12 and 13 for the Linnaeus Symposium on
Sat. June 2 Baccalaureate and Commencement, events begin at 9 a.m.
soil farm-to-table dinner, and soil
June 8–10 Reunion Weekend (See page 32.)
tour. Visit gustavus.edu/camps/
Aug. 23–Sept. 3 Minnesota State Fair, come visit Gustavus in the Education Building
nobelretreat for more.
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
is fascinating.
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ON THE HILL
CAMPUS SOCIAL Follow @gustavusadolphuscollege, @gustieathletics
INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK
Some fancy Gusties getting their pictures taken at this year’s annual President’s Ball held at the Verizon Center in Mankato. #gustieswillshine #gustieswilldance
The crane is up. Here we go, Nobel Hall of Science. Members of the Gustavus chapter of A Moment of Magic playing with a new friend. @amomentofmagicgustavus is a new
#gogusties #whygustavus Follow /gustavusadolphuscollege
organization on campus in which students dress up in princess costumes and visit hospitalized
children to bring a little magic to their day. #whygustavus @a_laina
weight training class at 8:30am during the blizzard this morning was well worth The Gustavus dance team took second place at
it because all the football players started
nationals held in Florida this year.
singing along to “don’t stop believing”
#gogusties
between their conditioning drills #whygustavus
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2 018
Follow @gustavus, @gustiealum
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10:00 a.m. Time for Reflection “We cannot silence the voices that we do not like hearing. We can, however, do everything in our power to make certain that other voices are heard.” —Deborah Prothrow-Stith, a public health advocate who established the first state Office of Violence Prevention. She was a keynote speaker at this year’s Building Bridges conference on the stigma of mental illness.
SHINE: LIZ TOEBEN ’18 Feeling the Unseen THE PAIN WE CAN’T SEE STILL NEEDS OUR ATTENTION AND HEALING.
Inspired by her sister’s experiences with a brain tumor, Toeben has long planned a career in pediatric neurology. With her psych major/bio minor and her incredible work ethic—she works five jobs, about 30 hours per week—she has positioned herself for her next step: grad school to become a clinician. And along the way, a passion for justice has been ignited. It was an inauspicious beginning. Her first year, some older students asked her about working on the student-led Building Bridges conference. “They were so passionate,” Toeben recalls. “I was like, wow, I need to come to this meeting!” She soon found herself leading the creation of an interactive audience experience focused on rape culture and consent. It was a crystalizing moment for Toeben. Not only was she in the midst of developing her identity as a feminist, she was healing from her own sexual assault. “It was a great growing experience for me to stand up to advocate for and support other women.” Within that new sense of purpose, she blossomed. Toeben has since held a Building Bridges leadership position during each of her years at Gustavus. This year, she co-chaired (with Quinn Andersen ’18) the spring conference on Mental Health: Exploring the Unacknowledged Civil Rights Journey. The two led the decision-making that chose the topic and the speakers. They chose student leadership, and met weekly with work teams and advisers. They utilized live polling technology to connect conference goers and create a sense of community. “I learned we have a long way to go when treating mental illness,” Toeben says. “We’re mostly looking at the clinical aspects of mental health. We’re not looking at the social justice aspects. You can’t treat an illness without recognizing that your entire wellness includes your mind.” This holistic, compassionate awareness is what Toeben plans to give her future patients. “If a patient comes in, they will have had to pass through so many things to
As the first in her family to go to college, “Gustavus really helped community, she credits her Gustie Greeter, who helped her during freshman orientation, and Dean of Students JoNes VanHecke, who encouraged her to speak up in Student Senate meetings. “So many people along the way made me feel like this was the place.”
JUSTICE
me find my voice,” Toeben says. In addition to her Building Bridges
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
get there. I will give them my full attention.”
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ON THE HILL
SHINE: NICK CAMPBELL ’18 Take a shot. Refocus. GUSTAVUS HAS TAUGHT HIM TO TRUST THE PROCESS, AND THE FAILURES.
He is the man of few words with the camera in his hands. If you’ve watched videos on the Gustavus Facebook page these past two years, you’ve likely seen his work. If you’ve been reading this magazine, you’ve certainly seen his photography. So ubiquitous is the third eye of his camera, he is known on campus as “Nick the video guy.” But he started as a psychology major. “I was thinking that photography and filmmaking were good hobbies, but I should go into a major where I could get a ‘real’ job,” he says. Then he failed his intro to psychology course. “It was good for me, though,” Campbell says. “I had to ask myself, what else can I do?” He learned Gustavus had the option of creating an individualized major. Very quickly, his passion for photography and film came into focus. “Visual communication is growing, lots of companies and organizations need it. I thought, maybe I could do something with this.” And so he did, and then some. With art professor Priscilla Briggs, English professor Sean Cobb, and theatre professor Micah Maatman, he created a course of study that merges art (photography, film, and editing), theatre and dance (lighting, movement, and scene), and English (film theory, analysis, criticism, and culture). Campbell shot and edited videos for the Gustavus Sports Information Office, then the Office of Marketing and Communication. Soon, the Gustie network, from firstyears to eager alums, began tapping him for a multitude of projects, from football games to fundraisers to short films. “I’ve been able to film so many types of things,” Campbell says of his four years here. “I’ve been able to try new things, experiment with different styles. I have had a lot of free space to be creative.” Plus, he says, he has learned a how to explore and communicate his artistic vision for a project while meeting the needs of a client. “I’m a perfectionist for things I care about,” he says. “Now,
10
on every draft.”
“The way you get better at film and photography is by shooting,” says Campbell. The way you build a career is by understanding the world around you and placing your vision in its context. By studying his chosen medium through the liberal arts, Campbell gained the skills to collaborate effectively as well as an awareness of the artistry in the interplay between audience, filmmaker, and message.
E XC E L L E N C E
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
I think about gearing my work toward an audience, and using that perfectionism
SHINE: JEFF JEREMIASON Heavy Metal Researcher HE’S GOT THE STUDENTS PLUGGED IN, TOO.
In the 1980s, Jeff Jeremiason was a big Metallica fan. Now he’s interested in a different kind of heavy metal. The Gustavus chemistry professor is a leading researcher on mercury and lead contamination in two northern Minnesota ecosystems: the Saint Louis River and its mouth on Lake Superior, and peat bogs in the Marcell Experimental Forest north of Grand Rapids. “These are complex issues,” he says of the effect of heavy metals on our environment. “Levels of these metals may be affected by a variety of factors, including mining, the use of leaded gas until the 1970s, differences in ecosystems, and climate change.” Jeremiason works with state and federal partners including the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), and the U.S. Forest Service. And like most Gustavus professors, he involves students in his research—collecting water and core samples and, back in the lab, measuring mercury and lead levels in those samples. “The students have to make a lot of interdisciplinary connections to understand the science,” explains Jeremiason. “This is not just lab chemistry or biology or hydrology, it’s about integrating all of the factors—environment, history, human impact, and scientific data—to develop an educated hypothesis.” The work Jeremiason and his students do informs Minnesota state agencies on methylmercury levels in fish so they can develop advisories for consumers. In the Marcell Experimental Forest, results help researchers understand how heavy metals move through the peat and persist in the ecosystem. Says Jeremiason, “This collaborative and interdisciplinary
COMMUNITY
work is key to understanding humans’ impact on the environment.”
Recently, the professor published a journal article in Environmental Science and Technology that includes co-authors (and former students) Erin Baumann ’17, Alison Agather ’13, Emily Seelen ’13, and Ben Carlson-Stehlin ’11. “It’s rewarding to see that the handson research our students do inspires them to continue on in science,” Jeremiason says.
THE BEST DAYS
This year’s retiring professors on the perfect moments of teaching, and what they’ll miss.
Florence Amamoto Associate Professor of English and Raymond and Florence Sponberg Chair of Ethics; Japanese Studies; and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies In a “best” day of teaching, the students come to class as excited as I am about the work they have read. The discussion is lively, with many students participating, including a quiet student speaking up for the first time or a student offering a new interpretation. Students leave the classroom still talking and thinking about the work and discussion. Advisees drop in to tell me how they are doing and to give me their latest news. Maybe I get an email from a past student telling me about their new job or grad school acceptance. On a really “best” day I’d have a chance for informal chats with department colleagues and a meal with other faculty friends. I will miss my colleagues, and especially the students. I have wanted to teach since I was in the first grade and feel lucky to have been at Gustavus, which allowed me to live my values and has supported not just my changing academic interests, but also my exploration of vocation, values, diversity, and churchrelated higher education.
Patric Giesler Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, LALACS, and African Studies I will miss these things: the struggling student who finally “gets it,” goes through a transformation, and excels; an exciting discussion with a student, who comes up with an original and dynamite thesis for a paper, so good it merits presentation at a conference; and in class, student presentations that blow me away; superb spontaneous class discussions; students saying they really want to hear about that field experience in Brazil, and then, when recounting it, the students crying out, “We’re not leaving until you finish this story!” I also will miss wonderful and collegial exchanges with close colleagues, and a million other things about the students, but especially the burgeoning of tremendous interest and excitement.
Kate Wittenstein Professor of History and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
I always enjoy a very successful Level 3 seminar with 10 to 12 history majors. When that goes well, I’m more or less in the
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background and the conversations are high quality. Perfect. That always makes my day. It’s always nice when I can advise students who get into very good grad schools, who go on to teach U.S. Women’s History—one of the things that I teach. I’ve had a number of those over the years. I think my classes attract quite a number of education majors, and that always gives me a little bit of hope that the marginalized groups I cover in my teaching will get a voice in high schools around the country. I’m really going to miss being around young people all of the time. I think it’s very important. It keeps me up to date culturally. I’ve learned a lot from them—not only SnapChat, but things of more importance, and what their lives are like today, and how higher education is functioning in our society today. Being around young people and hearing them talk about their lives—I am happy to have gained that perspective.
I will miss watching students grow, hone their thinking and communication skills, discover their talents, and
imagine their futures.” —Florence Amamoto, Associate Professor of English and Raymond and Florence Sponberg Chair of Ethics
When I tell stories about Brazil, students cry out, “We’re not leaving until you
finish that story!”—I will miss that.” —Patric Giesler, Sociology and Anthropology, LALACS, and African Studies
something of your teaching will be passed on to the next
generation. I hope students pass their knowledge along.” —Kate Wittenstein, History and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
It’s nice to think that
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Scandinavia,
Salute!
ON THE 140TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GUSTAVUS WIND ORCHESTRA, AN INTERNATIONAL TOUR BECOMES A LIBERAL ARTS ADVENTURE AND A
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
JOURNEY THROUGH OUR ROOTS.
14
Photos by Glenn Kranking ’98
Before they left campus, the students of the
Adolphus created the gymnasia—the
Gustavus Wind Orchestra worked to perfect 120
system of secondary education still
minutes of concert performance. They also took
practiced in Sweden today. And here
intensive instruction on Scandinavian history
we are, 400 years later, a college founded by
and culture. For international tours at Gustavus
Lutheran Swedes sending its wind orchestra back
are not vacations, they are immersive academic
to deliver the timeless beauty of music (while the
and collaborative performance experiences that
students receive the timeless beauty of Sweden
change students’ lives. Says music alum Jennifer
and Norway). What would Eric Norelius, our
Vickerman ’97, now a Gustavus gift planner who
college’s founder, think? The school named after
was on tour this year (and in 1995), “As I listened
the Swedish king flourishes, delivering a liberal
and watched these students making glorious
arts education of recognized excellence. Norelius
music, I remembered what it was like:
was 17 years old when he came to America. Our
intensive, transformative
students went to Scandinavia not much older.
liberal arts.”
Here’s to spreading music across the world! —Natalie Johnson ’21
Grace Tobin ’21 embraces the fjords of Norway on day 13 of the GWO’s tour of Scandinavia.
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
B
ack in the 1620s, King Gustavus
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the notes on the page. Our student staff rose to
FROM THE CONDUCTOR
every challenge with kindness, compassion,
JAMES PATRICK MILLER
and experience beyond their years. Our band staff cared for members and music, tending to all needs to ensure the
For years now, the Gustavus Wind
ensemble performed at its best.
Orchestra has filed off stage after tour
GWO alumni sent us encouragement
performances, joined hands, and sung
and attended several concerts. Alums
the “Remember Song.” It concludes
reminiscing with current members is,
with, “and the band belongs to you.”
perhaps, the best evidence of how GWO
I consider myself the luckiest person in the world to lead the GWO, but it does not belong to me. I am merely a shepherd protecting
lives on far beyond four years. James Patrick Miller
its legacy while encouraging the unrelenting pursuit of new horizons among our students. Who does the band belong to? Each of the 84 members of the ensemble performed a critical
And then there are our audiences, from the little girl who ran around the Oslo cathedral and nearly climbed onto the podium while I was
conducting to the elderly woman who shook my hand and cried, “It reached me. It reached me.” To performer and to audience member, to alumni and to the
role in making this a successful, life-changing tour, contributing
College, GWO gives the gift of music. And Scandinavia was no
their own beautiful sound to the ensemble and reaching beyond
exception. To all: The band belongs to you.
A Grand Performance
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
“Everyone walked in and just stopped to look, it was so breathtaking,” says fine arts director Mara Klein. The Grand Auditorium, an exceptional example of 19th Century Swedish architecture, looks much like what visitors encountered in the 1880s. Above the entrance are the words of the 18th century philosopher Thomas Thorild: “To think freely is great, but to think rightly is greater.”
16
FROM THE PROFESSOR
GLENN KRANKING While rehearsing and sharing music was a major aspect of the Scandinavian tour, the tour was also a course focusing on the history and culture of Sweden and Norway. Before leaving campus, students took a course with me on an overview of the region, paying particular attention to the places and museums we would be visiting and their place in the history of Scandinavia. Class involved a bit of language instruction, a sampling of music (Grieg, ABBA, Europe, A-Ha), and some highlights from major historical periods. Students also read Anu Partanen’s The Nordic Theory of Everything, which explores the Nordic mindset and approach to life. One of the assignments was a one-on-one conversation with
Glenn Kranking ’98
me in Scandinavia about their impressions of modern Scandinavia and how it related to Partanen’s insights. Students made note of
Ship Museum in Stockholm, where we saw a 17th century ship
the welfare state, multiculturalism, extensive parental leaves, and
from when Sweden was a major European power, or Edward
the place of the Nordic countries in international relations.
Grieg’s home, where we learned about 19th century Norwegian
Sweden and Norway became our classroom, whether it was at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, where we saw exquisite
nationalism and music. The tour provided the perfect in-depth teaching and learning experience.
examples of Viking-age craftsmanship and artifacts, or the Vasa
IT’S THE APPROXIMATE LATITUDE LINE AT WHICH THE GWO BOUNCED AROUND.
Voss Boats and trains across the dramatic fjords, including a ride on the Flåm Railway
Bergen A cable car up Mount Fløyen, an island restaurant overlooking western Norway’s archipelago, Edward Grieg’s home, and a performance in St. John’s Church
Falun The Falun Mine, the Jussi Björling Museum (in Borlänge), and a performance at the Falun Theater
Norway
Uppsala The Uppsala Cathedral and a performance at Uppsala University Grand Auditorium
Sweden Oslo Skiing, shopping, and the Viking Ship Museum, plus Vigeland Sculpture Park and its 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland, and a performance in Sofienberg Church
Karlstad Värmlands province, inspiration to painters and poets and musicians, Värmlands Museum, and a performance in Karlstad Cathedral
Stockholm The Vasa Ship Museum, the Royal Palace, and the Nobel Museum, a performance in the Royal Hall in the Royal College of Music, plus a Gustavus Chamber Winds performance at Mass at Sofia Church
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
60° N
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THE ROYAL PALACE OF STOCKHOLM The GWO was greeted by Jan Lindman, Treasurer to Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and member of the Gustavus Board of Trustees, as well as many images of King Gustavus Adolphus himself. As for the palace, “Subtlety isn’t the word,” noted Emily Komperud ’18.
JUSSI BJÖRLING MUSEUM
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
Here Gusties found an extensive exhibit of items relating to the worldfamous tenor from Borlänge, including his Grammy award and his honorary diploma from Gustavus Adolphus College. The costume right outside Björling Recital Hall on campus? It’s on loan from the Museum.
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CHILDISH MUSIC THE THEME WAS ONE OF WORLD PEACE, BUT THROUGH A CHILD’S EYES.
The musical program was called Children,
says conductor
Our Hope for the Future, with pieces by
Miller, including
Percy Aldridge Grainger and Andrew
the GWO, who
Boysen Jr. (with Heidi Johanna Miller
have also performed
conducting), Morton Gould (with Ryan
his Symphony No. 4.
O’Neil ’18 conducting), Richard Strauss
Says Jennifer Vickerman ’97,
and Antonín Dvořák (with Karrin Meffert-
“This five-movement work is like no other
Nelson conducting), David Holsinger,
piece I have ever heard. I am in awe of how
Anthony Plog, John Philip Sousa, Allen
emotionally involved the students were in
Houston, and Amilcare Ponchielli.
bringing it to life. Conductor Miller led
The heart of the program was a 25-minute piece called A Child’s Garden
them through more meter changes than I can count, with precision and intensity.”
of Dreams by David Maslanka. The composer took his inspiration for the piece from psychologist Carl Jung’s book, A Man and His Symbols and Jung’s stories of a little girl’s dreams before her death. “Maslanka’s music has touched countless wind and percussion performers around the globe,”
THE SOLOISTS
Kelly Neubauer ’18 clarinet, physics major (duet with professor Karrin Meffert-Nelson). “My musical and academic experiences share the need for dedication and hard work. Through both, I explore and share my passions.”
Ryan O’Neil ’18 guest conductor, physics major. “This band gives and gives—to everyone in it—in a deeply emotional way. I can only say how honored and humbled I am by what the GWO has given to me.”
McKenzie Perry ’18 flute, environmental studies and geology major. “The music is so much more than just playing an instrument. It acts as a means of common communication. No matter your language, music is international.”
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
THREE GUSTIES STUDENTS HAD THEIR INTERNATIONAL LEAD DEBUT.
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WHEN NOT MAKING MUSIC, STUDENTS ENJOYED SCANDINAVIAN LIFE WITH HIKING, CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING, SHOPPING FOR DALA HORSES (AND THAT PERFECT NORDIC SWEATER), AND EATING SCANDINAVIAN FARE SUCH AS SEMLOR AND SMOKED SALMON.
PREVIOUSLY IN SCANDINAVIA, the choir performed there in 1967. It was the first international tour of any of the Gustavus ensembles. (The photos here show performances at Stockholm City Hall, and for the King of Sweden at the time, King Gustavus VI Adolf.)
Clockwise from top left: Music everywhere in Bergen. Skiing in Oslo (with Justin Taylor ’21). Dala Horses in Falun, Lutefisk in Bergen; no one ordered it. Salmon at Grand Café, Oslo. Oslo City Hall.
Ensembles have returned
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
many times since, touring
20
there—and throughout Europe—often in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. But until this past January, no ensemble had been to Scandinavia specifically since 2002.
NEXT UP, the Gustavus Choir tours
FROM THE STUDENTS
Charlie Barnhouse ’19
Emily Komperud ’18 GWO PRESIDENT
highlight historical and cultural
Through the GWO, I have been fortunate
Meeting Gusties thousands of miles from
sites with visits to locations where
to perform in cities such as Chicago,
home is always a treat. And we were spoiled
major composers and musicians
Detroit, New York, and Boston. Now I
by the hotels and the dinners we received
worked, including Beethoven,
can add Stockholm, Oslo, and Bergen to
every night. Each came complete with
Mozart, and Bach. Students will also
the list. While I greatly value all of the tour
multiple courses and great ambiance. I can’t
enjoy performances by European
experiences from my time in the GWO, the
begin to describe the beauty of the plating
ensembles. A companion tour for
tour of Scandinavia has been the most life
and taste of every meal.
alumni, parents, and friends will join
changing. Throughout
The main difference from the States is
seven musical capitals of Europe in January of 2019. The tour will
along. Jan. 24 - Feb. 8. Stay tuned.
the thoughtfulness that the Nordic region
the tour, I’ve
has for the environment. With the focus
OF THE 84 STUDENTS who
often wondered
on preservation and properly removing
traveled to Scandinavia on the
if the wonder of
waste, Sweden has become a leader in
GWO tour, the majority receive
the Norwegian
environmental protection. What is incredible
financial aid that made Gustavus
terrain becomes
is that they are able to support health care,
affordable for them. Ten received
“normal” for
transportation,
tour- and travel-specific financial
the locals,
and so much
aid, through the Gerald E. and Mary
particularly the stunning and humbling
more through
Iverson Anderson Endowed Band
mountains and fjords of Norway. I posed
their willingness
Travel Fund and through Gustavus
this question to a museum employee,
to pay taxes—
Friends of Music. For more on how
who said, “I don’t believe I’ll ever feel
with the highest
you can support music students,
‘natured out.’” Having now experienced the
tax rate in the
visit gustavus.edu/giving/
landscape for myself, I understand.
free world.
friendsofmusic.
IT WAS ALL ORCHESTRATED JUST A GLIMPSE OF WHAT IT TOOK TO GET 84 STUDENTS AND EVEN MORE MUSICAL
45
instruments or pieces of equipment rented in Scandinavia— most of them for the musical piece, A Child’s Garden of Dreams (including two sets of tom-toms and seven gongs)
14
clarinets
(+ nine trombones, eight flutes, eight French horns, four euphoniums…)
84
students over 10,428 miles and through three international airports
25°
average temperature (about what it was here in Minnesota)
16 days
2
with a smoked salmon entree or snack option offered (in other words, every day)
passports lost (found, eventually)
1
parent who flew to Norway, hid in the back of an Oslo church, and surprised her son
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
INSTRUMENTS THROUGH THREE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AND BACK TO CAMPUS.
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WITHOUT THE TEST. Dr. Bernard Powers ’72, professor of history at the College of Charleston, on what we can learn from the African Methodist Episcopal Church. • Three years ago this June, white supremacist Dylann Roof shot and killed nine members of Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Powers—a historian of Charleston and the AME church—found his life’s work at the center of our nation’s conversations on race, violence, history, and forgiveness. Here, he ruminates on the lessons of Mother Emanuel.
•
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018 | PHOTO BY LESLIE MCKELLAR
Your book, We Are Charleston, notes that “the Church’s story is America’s story.” That’s a large one.
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The AME church was established as a rejection of racism in the 18th century, and so that people of African heritage could control their religious lives. The church has a theological mission, but it has a social justice mission, which spun into existence the moment it was created. Some of us who have studied the social gospel call it “the gospel of freedom.” Mother Emanuel is the oldest AME Church in the Deep South. The story of the founder is important. Richard Allen is a slave who buys his freedom and becomes the founding bishop. Later, slave catchers try to kidnap him and return him to slavery. When the ringleader of this effort is captured and put in jail, Richard Allen mounts a plea for his early release. He does this as a dictate of his Christian practice. This is an early example of forgiveness in the AME church. It comes out of that whole notion of, well, how can I ask for forgiveness unless I am willing to forgive? “Ye who is without sin cast the first stone.” Another touchstone in the AME church, and—to be sure—the trajectory of the African-American experience, is the notion of freedom. For hundreds of years, slavery was the norm for African descendants in America. But the arc of the moral universe did transform their situation and freedom came. In the AME church, we liken that to the same kind of freedom Jews experience in the Exodus story. It is a tremendous source of strength and encouragement, and central to the AME church history, and Mother Emanuel’s story.
ON FORGIVENESS
CAN’T HAVE THE TESTIMONY
— Dr. Bernard Powers
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
T HERE IS FULFILLMENT AND DEFINITION IN SOCIAL JUSTICE WORK BECAUSE THIS IS HOW YOU DECIDE WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU STAND FOR.”
21
What do you remember about the day of the shooting and the weeks after?
Originally from Chicago’s south side, Powers discovered Gustavus through storied admission director Bruce Gray, and intellectual life through professors Fred Brown, Doniver Lund, and James Otteson.
I was in Trinidad with my wife. A friend from Charleston called me. I remember he said, “There’s been a shooting at Mother Emanuel.” I said, “What?” And the line dropped. We turned on CNN but didn’t hear anything for about two hours. Then the story came across: Mass shooting at Mother Emanuel. We were dumfounded. We have connections to that church and we knew the Reverend Clementa Pinckney. Shot and killed in a prayer service in his own church? Charleston is a holy city. How could this happen? I remember being with Reverend Pinckney just two months before he was murdered. He was the keynote speaker at an event dealing with the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War. Pinckney was extremely generous to the men in gray. I remember thinking, I do not have the capacity to be that forgiving. Then Pinckney was murdered by a neoConfederate. His generosity was rewarded with violence.
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
Watching victims’ families say to killer Dylann Roof, “I forgive you,” was a powerful experience for many who followed the story. It is difficult to imagine facing the killer of your family member with that response.
22
Powers’ book, We Are Charleston (co-written with a poet and a journalist), explores the historical context of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States, as well as its significance in the congregants’ response to the mass shooting there.
It is unexpected, it is daunting, and it is amazing. Those people showed us something to be emulated. They set the bar very high. But it is exactly what we are required to do as those who profess Christianity. Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, “Forgiveness is the price you pay to heal the world.” AME church founder Richard Allen did it. I think of his example, and the related example of Nelson Mandela, thrown in jail for 30 years for wanting his people to have freedom, emerging from jail having forgiven the people who sent him there, and becoming the first successful post-apartheid president of South Africa. It’s also something that is a part of the American civil rights tradition, among those who practiced philosophical non-violence. You know, not everybody forgave Dylann Roof. You have people who did and didn’t in the same families. You have people on a continuum. But these people who were at Mother Emanuel that day were in Bible study, after they had been in a long church meeting. This is the tradition that they came out of. One of the relatives said that “extending forgiveness” is how she was raised, and that she was following those lessons. These are the lessons taught in the
AME church, and by founder Richard Allen. These are biblical lessons, and those families took it to heart and lived by it. Justice is a core value at our College. Working for justice implies a dissatisfaction with the world as it stands. How can we reconcile, in an unjust world, our need for justice with our need to forgive? The only way is to appreciate the malleability of humanity. This is something I learned in studying the existentialists at Gustavus. They argued that human beings ultimately have the responsibility for who they are and what they claim to be. A spoon cannot change its nature, but human beings have the capacity to be what they are not in this present moment. One can extend forgiveness with the expectation, or at least the hope, that the person you are extending it to will evolve. The husband of one of the victims said to Dylann Roof, “I forgive you, and my family forgives you, but we would like you to take this opportunity to repent. Change your ways.” Exactly. And we can’t argue in any responsible or certain way as to the limits of what a person can become. Look at the example of Saul, who became Paul. Who could predict that? Who could have predicted Nelson Mandela of the 1960s would become Nelson Mandela of the 1990s? Even in my own personal experiences, I have become a more forgiving person and able to accept things today that I couldn’t have before. If you are a thinking and sensitive person, you’re going to want to grow. Even if you’re not, you can be put into a situation where you’re going to grow, whether you want to or not. As we say in the church, you can’t have a testimony unless you have a test. These people at Mother Emanuel had a test, and that gave them a testimony that has been transformative.
I know people get tired. But I think back on milestones I never thought possible—a black Miss America, for instance, and a black president—and I draw strength. I am encouraged to put one foot in front of the other and just keep going. Young people don’t have the kind of reservoir of experience to draw upon to make them as patient as someone my age. Maybe that’s a good thing. But it’s got to be frustrating. We live in a much more racially integrated society, we have a higher level of education than ever before, but nevertheless we still have situations where unarmed black men and women are shot down in the streets by policemen. Why does this continue to happen? Why do whites think they can control black bodies, even killing them? But historically, we have seen the inconceivable. My goodness, what it must have felt like to hear the guns of Fort Sumter, the guns of the Union Naval Blockade fire on Charleston for a year and half before it finally fell! It was black troops who were the first to liberate Charleston, riding in on horses, wearing blue uniforms, with guns on their shoulders. What that must have looked like and felt like to people who expected to live the rest of their lives in slavery! We don’t know when the ultimate victory will come, but we must continue to struggle toward the mark. The plight of the human condition is that we are all flawed. Flawed people are going to live in a flawed society. As we identify the problems and strive to fix them, we hopefully—to use Lincoln’s phrase—“release the better angels of our nature” and become better as ourselves. As the preachers frequently say, “I’m not what the Lord wants me to be. But thank God, I’m not what I used to be.” •
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
For those of us who are frustrated by the lack of change, or slow pace of it, where can we take our comfort?
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SPORTS
Mikayla Miller ’18 broke the school record for career points, all while leading the Gusties to their deepest NCAA tournament run in program history.
“ICING ON THE CAKE.”
After defeating Rose Hulman in the
points, surpassing Jess Vadnais with
opening round of the NCAA tournament,
1,779 (2004-08).
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
Gustavus women’s basketball coach
26
“I knew it was happening but at the
for most games played at 112. “Miranda is the hardest working kid I’ve ever coached at Gustavus,” Coach
Laurie Kelly kept uttering that phrase.
same time it wasn’t something I was
Kelly says. “She’s a perfect example of
Prior to the victory, Gustavus received
focused on,” Miller says. “It all comes
how commitment and tireless hours over
an at-large bid to the national playoff.
back to my teammates. I wouldn’t be
a long period of time will pay off.”
The Gusties then upset host UW-
able to shoot the ball if [one of my
Whitewater to advance to the Sweet 16
teammates] wasn’t doubled and I didn’t
came to an end in the third round
for the first time in program history.
get a kickout pass. I’m so grateful.”
against Thomas More, but the Gusties
Again, icing on the cake. And in the process of beating the
Key cogs in the Gusties’ unprecedented postseason run included Ava
The unforgettable postseason run
never gave up and fought tooth and nail until the final buzzer.
No. 12 ranked team in the country on
Gonsorowski (Esko), named MIAC
its home court, senior Mikayla Miller
Rookie of the Year, and Miranda Rice
great ride,” Kelly says. “It just makes you
(Goodhue) became the program’s all-
(Sr., Forest Lake), who finished her
want to work harder to hopefully be
time career scoring leader with 1,812
career as the program’s record holder
back there again.”
“It’s sad that we lost, but it was a
Men’s Basketball
Swimming & Diving
history, including a school record
The Gusties increased their wins by
Both the men’s and women’s squads
beam score. Sam Ardy (Jr., Thousand
seven games from 2017, finishing 12-13
finished the season second at the
Oaks, Calif.) and Amanda Malo (Jr.,
overall and 10-10 in the MIAC. Riley
MIAC Championships. Among the men,
Greenwood) represented the College at
Sharbono (Jr., Marshall) was named Third
Nolan Larson (Fy., West Des Moines,
the NCGA Championships, where Ardy
Team All-Conference after averaging
Iowa) set a school record in the 200
took 16th on bars and Malo placed sixth
a team-high 14.5 points per game,
IM. Tanner Sonnek (Jr., North Mankato),
in the all-around to earn All-America
while Kelsey Thomas (Sr., Wiesbaden,
Will Clark (So., Northfield), Sam Deyak
honors. Tyler Oare was selected as the
Germany) earned honorable mention.
(Fy., Iowa City, Iowa), Andrew Peters
West Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
(Jr., Montevideo), Locan Bican (So., Monticello), Josh Muntifering (Fy.,
Indoor Track & Field
The Gusties improved to 12 wins and
Buffalo), Zach Dawson (So., Eagan),
The Gustie men took sixth at the
reached the MIAC playoff championship
and Mack Christianson (Fy., Cottage
MIAC meet; the women took seventh.
for the first time in four years. Head
Grove) all earned All-Conference honors.
Taylor Rooney (Fy., Andover) led the
Coach Brett Petersen, who was named
Among the women, Maggie Webster (Jr.,
Gusties with a conference record time
MIAC Coach of the Year for the third
Apple Valley) set a school record in the
of 8.15 in the 60-meter hurdles. Rooney
time in his 18 seasons, guided the
50 freestyle and won the event at the
won his second event at the meet with a
Black and Gold to playoff wins over
conference meet. All-Conference honors
school record high jump of 6-8. Michael
Concordia and St. Thomas before losing
went to Kate Reilly (Sr., Hastings),
Hensch (Jr., North Branch) also won
to Augsburg in the title game. Chris
Kennedy Holwerda (Sr., Willmar), Alyssa
a league title in the shot put. Rooney
Amsden (Jr., Saint Peter) was named
Lokensgard (So., St. Peter), Hayley
and Hensch both earned All-Region
All-Conference, while first-years Robbie
Pesik (Jr., Eagan), Madeline Westendorp
awards and then competed at the NCAA
Goor (Anoka), Will LeNeave (Medina),
(So., St. Michael), Sydney Hallmark (Jr.,
Championships where they claimed
and Caleb Anderson (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Cedarburg, Wis.), Amelia Bjorkund (Fy.,
All-America honors. The women’s
were named to the All-Rookie Team.
Bloomington), Sophia Steinberg (Fy.,
distance medley relay team of Lydia
Faribault), and Alyssa Kohorst (Fy.,
Hayes (Sr., Decorah, Iowa), Megan Hill
Sauk Center). Holwerda, Lokensgard,
(So., Denver, Colo.), Abbie Schnabel
For the 15th time in program history,
Reilly Webster, Westendorp, and Sonnek
(Jr., Hamburg), and Tierney Winter (So.,
the Gusties were MIAC champs. With
represented Gustavus at the NCAA
Waterville) highlighted the MIAC meet
a record of 13-2-3, Head Coach Mike
meet, with Sonnek an All-American in
for the women with a first-place finish.
Carroll’s squad lost in the conference
the 100 breaststroke.
Alex Anderson (So., Sioux Falls, S.D.),
Women’s Hockey
playoff championship to Hamline,
McKayla Stowell (Jr., Le Sueur), Olivia
but got an at-large bid to the NCAA
Gymnastics
tournament. There it played the longest
The Gusties finished fifth at the WIAC/
Keelin (So., Burnsville) also captured
Division III women’s hockey game in
NCGA West Regional (which they
All-Conference honors. Stowell and
history, falling 3-2 to UW-Eau Claire
hosted) marking the best finish by
Anderson earned All-Region honors,
in triple overtime. Diana Draayer
Gustavus since 2004. Head Coach Aryn
while Stowell competed at the NCAA
(Sr., Deephaven), Kaitlyn Klein (Sr.,
DeGrood helped the squad achieve two
Championships in the 60-meter dash.
Plymouth), Erica Power (Sr., Lakeville),
of the top-five team scores in program
Rosenow (Sr., Maple Grove), and Katie
Amanda DiNella (Jr., Oakbrooke Terrace, Ill.) were named All-Conference. Klein and DiNella were named All-America.
NEXT
Kristen Cash (So., Roseville), and Sat. Sept. 8 Football hosts UW-Stout, 1 p.m. Wed. Sept. 12: Volleyball hosts Hamline, 7 p.m.
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
Men’s Hockey
27
FINE ARTS
Visiting jazz pianist, organist, and teaching artist Reggie Thomas (Count Basie Orchestra) breathed history into his instruction on the language of jazz and improvisation.
MASTERFUL JAMMIN’
Spring ushered in the first-ever Jazz
guest artist. Gustavus student musicians
pianist for the legendary Count Basie
Jamboree at Gustavus—the first jazz
assisted with managing the event.
Orchestra and one of the most in-demand
festival on campus in 20 years.
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
Led by Dave Stamps, professor of
28
In addition, master classes were held
pianists and educators in the country.
throughout the day. Students honed their
The 18-piece Adam Meckler Orchestra
music and director of the Gustavus Jazz
skills in jazz listening, rhythm section
performs regularly in the Twin Cities, with
Ensemble, the daylong event brought
techniques, and improvisation under
residencies at the Jazz Central.
young musicians and the region’s best
the instruction of Gustavus and visiting
musician/instructors of jazz to campus.
teaching artists. “It was a nice mix of
“To see students with that glow and
Jazz students and jazz musicians met,
group and individual instruction,” says
energy radiating afterward, and to see
listened, learned, and played together in a
Stamps. “All day, students were learning
them so excited about jazz, that was really
Gustie jazz playground.
and performing with each other.
special.” Says Stamps, “The Jamboree puts
Ensembles from five high schools
In the evening, everyone attended
Says Director of Fine Arts Mara Klein,
Gustavus into the statewide jazz education
visited campus. Each performed before the
a concert featuring the Gustavus Jazz
conversation, and it makes us an active
guest jazz artists, and then received written
Ensemble with Reggie Thomas and the
contributor to this great American legacy
feedback and a 30-minute clinic with a
Adam Meckler Orchestra. Thomas is a
and art form.”
In February, the Gustavus Wind Orchestra performed as a featured ensemble at the Minnesota Music Educators Association Midwinter Clinic in Minneapolis. Director of jazz studies Dave Stamps served as guest
NEXT
Music
May 5–June 2 Senior Studio Art Majors Exhibition, Hillstrom Museum of Art May 11–13 Falling Toward Beginning: The Gustavus Dance Company in Concert, times vary, in Anderson Theatre May 12 Gustavus Wind Orchestra 140th Anniversary Concert: Featuring the Gustavus Wind Orchestra and alumni band, 7:30 p.m. in Christ Chapel Through May 19 New Work by Howard Quednau – Dioramas, Schaefer Art Gallery
conductor of the 9th and 10th grade AllState Jazz Band and adjunct assistant professor of music Heidi Johanna Miller
deserved further exposure. The first
of Scharf’s work, Sexton discussed the
guest conducted the Intercollegiate
piece was choreographed by faculty
life and legacy of Scharf as well as his
Honor Band. The Honor Band included
member Sarah Hauss and performed
importance as an artist still producing
Gustavus first-year students Olivia
by Allie Retterath (Sr., Rosemount)
pieces today.
Lutter (clarinet, Eagan), Abigail Hamvas
and the second was choreographed by
(clarinet, Princeton), Jesus Trujillo
student Emma Hunt (Sr., Cedar Rapids,
(bassoon, Soso, MS), Emily Hitchings
IA) and performed by Annie Carlson
(saxophone, Isanti), and Thomas Prahl
(So., Savage), Alena Paulson (Fr.,
(french horn, Garden City).
Waconia), Maddie Bakken (Jr., Mayer), and Maddy Schwartz (Jr., White Bear
The Gustavus Symphony Orchestra
Township). A third piece choreographed
featured 2018 High School Concerto/
by Cate Rosvold (Jr., Inver Grove
Aria Competition winner, Kirill Nazarov,
Heights) and performed by Elaina
as a soloist at its spring concert in
McGrath (Fr., Rosemount), Maddi Miller
March. Nazarov, a sophomore at
(So., Northfield), Marissa Williamson
Shattuck-St. Mary’s Pre-Conservatory
(So., Chanhassen) was selected for an
Center of Excellence, is the winner
informal performance.
This dress, designed by Kenny Scharf, was worn by Kate Pierson of the B-52s.
of the second annual competition and performed the first movement of Edvard Grieg’s Concerto for Piano and
Art & Art History
Orchestra in A Minor.
August Moehrke (Sr., Hoyt Lakes) presented his first solo show, August
Theatre & Dance Cabaret (see page 3).
Henry: Hygge, in the Schaefer Art Gallery on campus. Through his 19 works in watercolor, oil, and acrylics
Several Gustavus dancers performed
Moehrke explored the idea of being
at this year’s American College Dance
present with one’s surroundings and
Association North-Central Conference
what it means to be home.
held at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Two pieces were selected
Kenny Scharf art collector Mats Sexton
for adjudication by nationally known
gave a gallery talk on the intricacies of
adjudicators because there was
the most recent Hillstom Museum of Art
something significant choreographically
exhibit Scharftopia: The Far-Out World
and performatively about them that
of Kenny Scharf. A long-time supporter
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
(some of which are large canvas),
29
Gratitude LOVE THEN. LOVE NOW. LOVE FOR THE FUTURE.
The 40-Love Campaign aims to raise four million dollars in 40 months to celebrate the 40th anniversary of one
IMMIGRANTS FROM CHINA AND LIFELONG PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS,
of the nation’s preeminent
BOY AND BETTY TOY GIFT $1 MILLION TO TENNIS & LIFE CAMPS.
summer tennis camps. The non-profit TLC has taught
In the years after World War II, Boy and
project, and supplement the couple’s
more than 60,000 campers
Betty Toy separately found their way from
two other Boy and Betty Toy Tennis &
top-notch tennis and the Three
China to the United States. They met in
Life Camps endowments—one for staff
Crowns philosophy of Positive
Duluth, worked in public education most
programming and development and one
Attitude, Full Effort, and Good
of their lives, and attended Tennis & Life
for scholarships.
Sportsmanship. Founded by
Camps once, way back in 1983.
“When you see people as kind as they
Steve and Barb Wilkinson,
are, who believe in their depths about
the camps were gifted to
they never forgot. And thirty-five years
giving back and that it’s a privilige to
Gustavus in 2010. Learn more
later, in 2015, Boy and Betty returned to
help others, it makes us reevaluate our
at tennisandlifecamps.org.
Tennis & Life Camps. (It is perhaps the
own beliefs,” says Tennis & Life Camps
longest stretch between camp attendance
director Neal Hagberg ’81. Back in
in TLC history.) They saw exactly what
1983, Boy said to TLC founder Steve
was there three decades ago: A sense of
Wilkinson, “I don’t know where you
unity in a time of great division, and a
found these people, but this gives me
It was a transformative experience
hope and renews my faith in America.” Tennis & Life Camps continues to renew that faith for its campers. So does this gift.
community that appreciates and celebrates everyone for where they are in life, and who they are as human beings. The Toys want that legacy to continue. The couple’s gift creates the Boy and Betty Toy Endowment Fund, which will support maintenance, improvements, and expansion of the College’s first-class tennis facilities. The gift will also support
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
the Swanson Tennis Center renovation
30
The bottom line is we not only learned how to play better tennis but also how to be better people in life. We learned to control the things we can control, accept the things we cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference.” —Boy and Betty Toy
A Hall By Another Name The caption for this photo from the 1968 Gustavian reads, “Dick Morgan sets the mood for an open forum on new dorm policies.” The mood he’s setting appears to be a somber one, though it shouldn’t have been. This forum took place in the newly opened CoEd Center, now Norelius Hall. It was the first residence hall at Gustavus to house both men and women, though many will remember the days when metal gates were pulled down in the evening to separate the men’s and women’s sections. Today, Norelius/Co-Ed houses up to 372 students, mostly first-years. It’s still a social hub on campus because of its size and pod-style sections and close proximity to Lund Center and the Jackson Campus Center—though the winter trek across the parking lot (aka “The Tundra”) can be an adventure. And it still has the sunken fireplace and sitting area known as “The Pit.” Other residence halls began going “co-ed” in the fall of 1972, and now all house students of all gender identities. Happy 50th Co-Ed, and RIP gender-separating metal gates.
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
Heritage
31
FRIDAY
G USTIES Head Back Home JOIN YOUR CLASSMATES FOR REUNION WEEKEND, JUNE 8–10. WELCOME BACK, CLASS OF ’48, ’53, ’58, ’63, ’68, ’73, ’78, ’83, ’88, ’93, ’98, ’03, ’08, AND ’13.
Last year’s new format for Reunion Weekend was a hugely successful one. This year, we repeat it for you. With students gone for the summer, alums get the whole campus for their own. It means dorm stays, Dive dances, and your very own Alumni College. Plenty of current Gustie students will still be on hand to help you explore what college is like today. But it is your Gustavus (and your classmates) that is waiting for you. Come re-engage your relationships, revisit your best college experiences, and make some new memories, too. See you soon!
CLASS GATHERINGS
ALUMNI COLLEGE
RISE AND SHINE
Each class makes
Gustavus history. The
From walks through
plans that highlight
Saint John's Bible.
the arboretum to yoga
their uniqueness. Hog
Asia-U.S. Relations.
and even a 5K, (or
roast, kickball, Frost-
Shakespeare. Experts
simply a chat and a
Your-Owns... It's all
give you the chance to
cup of coffee), early
decidedly Gustie.
learn something new.
risers are covered.
Shuttle service will be provided to off-campus venues, and golf cart transportation will be available on campus throughout the weekend. For more information and to register, visit gustavus.edu/reunionweekend.
9 a.m.
Registration
11:30 a.m.
50 Year Club luncheon
2 – 4 p.m.
Campus tours
2 – 5 p.m.
Memorial services
2 p.m.
All-reunion golf scramble
2 – 5 p.m.
Alumni College
4 – 7 p.m.
Opening reception and dinner
8 – 11 p.m.
Class gatherings
10 p.m.
Dive dance
SATURDAY 7:30 a.m.
Registration
7 – 10 a.m.
Breakfast
8 – 11 a.m.
Rise and shine activities, master classes, and Alumni College
8 – 11 a.m.
Campus tours
11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Class lunch gatherings
1 p.m.
Alumni/faculty reception
1 – 4 p.m.
Saint Peter community events
3:30 – 5 p.m.
Donor appreciation reception
5 – 6 p.m.
Our Gustavus: Past, Present, and Future, and the President’s Message
6 – 8 p.m.
Class dinner gatherings
8 – 10 p.m.
Community concert, featuring alumni musicians and music for all ages
SUNDAY 7 – 10 a.m.
Continental breakfast
8 – 10 a.m.
Rise and shine activities, master classes
9 a.m.
Alumni Choir rehearsal
10:30 a.m.
Reunion worship and remembrance service
11:30 a.m.
Closing brunch and send-off
PRICING
32
Alumni Association
Half-day block $50 per person per half day (Friday, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, or Sunday)
Dorm room stays Air-conditioned (for 40- through 60-year reunion classes) $45 per night
All-inclusive $175 per person
Non-air-conditioned $25 per night
CLASS NEWS and information to be included in the Alumni section of the Quarterly should be sent to: Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement, Gustavus Adolphus College, 800 West College Avenue, Saint Peter, MN 56082-1498 alumni@gustavus.edu | 800-487-8437 | gustavus.edu/alumni
MY GUSTAVUS Charlie Conn ’94 "I'VE TRAVELED A LOT OF MILES. WHAT I'VE LEARNED IS THAT
I was involved in both music and athletics growing up in Rochester, but I came to Gustavus to play hockey. I wasn’t going to keep playing music, but I walked into Coach Don Roberts’ office and he said: “You’re going to be the first Gustie hockey player in the orchestra,” so I guess I didn’t have much of a choice. I ended up playing hockey for two years, but the music department is where I bloomed. I became a conductor’s assistant in the music building, and I played guitar at Willy’s Bar most Thursday nights as a member of the “Chickenwire 5.” Majoring in political science really helped me think about the interconnectedness of our world. Eventually, I caught the travel bug and spent J-Terms in the Galapagos Islands and Mexico. Throughout my time at Gustavus, I also had a “fish bum” problem. I’d sneak off for a day here or a weekend there to go fly fishing. I didn’t have a clear plan for the future, so I worked as a fishing guide for the summer after graduation, then volunteered in a Rwandan relief camp and orphanage. When I got back from Rwanda, I got a regular fishing guide gig in Montana and also led trips in Alaska and Northern Minnesota. Now, more than 20 years later, I take fly fishing enthusiasts on trips out west throughout the spring and guide on the Amazon in Brazil every fall. In 1998, I had the chance to fish in Mongolia, where I was introduced to taimen—the largest fish in the salmon family. It can grow to nearly 60 inches long and weigh up to 80 pounds. It’s a vulnerable species, and I started the Taimen Fund to protect them. When I think about it, I can clearly see how my liberal arts education—music, athletics, political science, study abroad, environmental studies—came together to make me who I am now and allow me to give back and make a difference. That’s what Gustavus is about: those unexpected journeys you take during college that end up shaping your life. And thanks, Coach Roberts, for making me stick with music. I still play my old guitar.
Guiding Stewardship Conn created the Taimen Fund (taimenfund.org), a nonprofit that’s devoted to conserving the wild taimen population in Mongolia by promoting sustainable fishing practices, protecting watersheds, maintaining natural reproduction, and alleviating poaching.
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE JOURNEY."
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GUSTIES
53|REUNION YEAR Save the Date June 8–10, 2018
Chuck Leistico, Arlington Heights, IL, celebrated his 90th birthday in June 2017 with his wife, Beverly, his children, and four grandchildren.
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Kent and Carol Lindberg Musser, Mound, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last summer with a family gathering at Izaty’s Resort on Lake Mille Lacs. They continue to winter in Arizona. Inger Bjorck Ruin, Stocksund, Sweden, is working on a research project concerning Swedish literary translations and last summer traveled to Hurtigruten in Norway, from Tromso to Kirkenes, and enjoyed the spectacular scenery of snowclad mountains by the Arctic Sea.
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REUNION YEAR
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
Save the Date June 8–10, 2018
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Mary Bradford Ivey, Sarasota, FL, is an author/consultant with Ivey Associates. She and her husband, Allen, enjoy life with Florida snowbird winters and Lake Sunapee, NH, summers, though they are still involved part-time professionally. The ninth edition of Intentional Interviewing and Counseling just came out; and they speak at national conventions and
guest lectures. Their emphasis continues to be communication skills, wellness, and social justice. Rose Omodt Jost, Richfield, is a visiting instructor of public health nursing at Gustavus. Steven G. Larson, Austin, TX, is a self-employed project developer. Lee A. Miller, Ryslinge, Denmark, is an associate professor emeritus for the University of Southern Denmark, Odense. Susan Moen Perry, Philadelphia, PA, enjoys being a volunteer.
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Nancy L. Brink, Yelm, WA, is retired from her adult day care business.
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J. Randy Beahrs, North Oaks, has retired after 36 years of practicing urology in St. Paul.
73| REUNION YEAR
Gayle M. Petty, St. Paul, retired from 30 years with the U.S. Postal Service.
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Joan Perman Bertelsen, Eagan, recently retired as health nurse coordinator of School District 196. Kim Hayday McConnell, Plymouth, is a neurodevelopmental pediatrician for Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare.
78| REUNION YEAR Save the Date June 8–10, 2018
Heidi Handahl Anderson, Nashville, TN, is the director of business development and relations for Building Ideas Architecture. Steve Hamrick, Lakeville, is a self-employed artist. Robin Rich Ivanoff, Volcano, CA, is a library technician at the Amador County Library in Jackson, CA.
Lori Larson, Puyallup, WA, is a registered dental hygienist for Meridian South Family Dentistry. Ann Onkka Leuer, Eagan, is a third-grade teacher for the Pinewood Community School ISD 196. Rick Lund, Mankato, is an adjunct professor in the Elementary Education and Early Childhood Department at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Naomi Lorentz Quiram, Saint Peter, serves as the director of print and mail services at Gustavus Adolphus College. Julie Nielsen Reid, Brandon, SD, is an administrative support assistant for Lutheran Social Services in Sioux Falls. Deb Sommerfeld Stapek, Minnetonka, is a self-employed CPA. Caryn Froland Wood, Culver, is a first-grade teacher for St. Louis County Schools.
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Mary Bergh, Brooksville, FL, retired with her husband, Duane, from Rosemount Family Dentistry where they were office manager and practicing
dentist, respectively. Nancy Rohwer Symens, Fergus Falls, is a physical therapist at Lake Region Healthcare in Fergus Falls and music director at Hilltop Celebration Church.
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Diane Warner Nihart, Albuquerque, NM, is a teacher of disabled students.
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Beth Green Almquist, Plymouth, is a sales representative for TYSA Direct.
83|REUNION YEAR Save the Date June 8–10, 2018
Coleen Andruss, St. George, UT, is a self-employed physician, owner, and life coach at Healthy Lifestyles Wellness Center. Mark C. Austin, Greenville, WI, is an ophthalmologist for Fox Cities Eye Clinic.
Save the Date June 8–10, 2018
Medtronic scientist Kelly Coleman ’79 was inducted into the Gail Wohlman Ahern, Purcell, OK, is a mediator for Early Settlement Dispute Resolution. Bruce Boyce, Waseca, works part-time in early childhood education. Ruth Trimbo Heilman, Madison Lake, is a visiting assistant professor of education at Gustavus.
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Bonnie G. Ostlund, Golden Valley, works at Cooper High School.
company’s Bakken Society in August. The society formally recognizes Medtronic employees who have distinguished themselves in furthering the technical and scientific progress of Medtronic and who have made significant contributions to the lives of patients, the corporation, physician customers, and the biomedical industry. Hope College’s associate dean for health and counseling Kristen
Gray ’83 has received the national President’s Award from the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors. In addition to her role as dean, she directs the Counseling and Psychological Services office at Hope College.
CARLY APLIN ZUCKER ’07 HEADS INTO OVERTIME In February, Zucker debuted “Overtime with Carly Zucker,” FM 100.3 KFAN’s first woman-led program in a decade. The sports talk show centers on what players are like off the field, when they don’t have
93|REUNION YEAR Save the Date June 8–10, 2018
their game faces on. The show dives into players’ passions, what makes them tick, and the philanthropic work they’re doing locally and Previously, Zucker was an on-air host at The CW Twin Cities, and a reporter for KEYC-TV Mankato. She also created the Minnesota’s Red Dress Collection, a fashion show to benefit The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women program. And she and her husband, Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker, launched the #Give16 campaign to fund a Zucker Family Suite and Broadcast Studio at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital. The show airs Friday evenings at 6:30 p.m.
Joel Garrison, Monroe, WA, is the building administrator of Monroe School District. Paul W. Gerberding, Reston, VA, is teaching at the American Embassy School in Moscow. Cynthia L. Hendricks, Minneapolis, is assistant to the president and secretary to the Board of Trustees for Macalester College. Lori Holt Huska, Duluth, is a self-employed scholarship administrator. Jean Wilson Kane, Excelsior, is the CEO of Colliers International – Minneapolis/ St. Paul. Jim M. Krenik, Excelsior, is the president of General Sheet Metal. Jeff Mauston, Virginia, is a teacher and coach for the Virginia School District 706. Schelli Olmanson McCabe, Saint Peter, is a podiatrist for Foot and Ankle Clinic.
Randall Stuckey, Saint Peter, is the director of athletic development and engagement at Gustavus Adolphus College. Grant Wacker, Arden Hills, is a private wealth manager for Merrill Lynch in Wayzata. Jane Purse-Wiedenhoeft, Oshkosh, WI, is chair of the Theatre Department and associate professor of theatre for the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh.
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Michael Dorweiler, Tampa, FL, is senior project manager at Dewberry.
88|REUNION YEAR Save the Date June 8–10, 2018
Jeffrey Derscheid, Kenyon, is the owner of Trigon Trading Company, an e-commerce gem and jewelry shop on eBay.
Karyn White Hansen, Columbus, OH, is a kindergarten teacher at Tree of Life Christian Schools. Jean Roback Kramer, Fargo, ND, is a librarian for Minnesota State University, Moorhead. Christine Middlestadt Warga, Westminster, CO, is a software engineer for ReedGroup. Robert Miller, Alexandria, VA, is the senior vice president of 340B Health in Washington, DC. Sarah Robinson Nichols, Eagan, is a client executive for Quantum Health. Scott Nichols, Eagan, is a health teacher and coach for the Rosemount/Apple Valley/Eagan school district. Henrik W. Nordstrom, Minneapolis, is a translator for the Scandinavian Translation Service. Kara Heley Quist, Excelsior, is a pediatric physical therapist for Minnetonka Pediatric Therapy Center. Sharon K. Ringsven, Grand Canyon, AZ, is the deputy chief
of commercial services for the National Park Service at Grand Canyon National Park. Sven Thierhoff, Oberursel, Germany, is vice president international for International Management Group in Berlin.
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Mark Mayer, Maple Grove, was inducted into the Sauk Centre High School Athletic Hall of Fame for golf. While at Gustavus, Mayer won the Bemidji Invitational in 1990 and the Saint John’s Invitational in 1991, and the team placed second in the NCAA Division III National Golf Championship (1991).
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Nathan Tolzmann, Chicago, was featured in a newly released documentary series featuring one person from each state. Tolzmann represents Illinois. See it at statefilms.com/state/ Illinois.
Marta Hemmingson VanBeek, Iowa City, IA, was appointed as the chief of staff for the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
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Kaaren Williamsen, Ann Arbor, MI, is the director of the Sexual Assault and Prevention Resource Center at the University of Michigan.
98|REUNION YEAR Save the Date June 8–10, 2018
Stephen A. Berg, Arlington, TX, is the associate director for Apartment and Residence Life at the University of Texas at Arlington. Becky Blanton, Houston, TX, is a handwork teacher at Great Oak School in Tomball, TX. Amanda Peterson Caspers, Eden Prairie, is the director of operations for the U.S. Compliance Corporation. Matthew Christenson, St. Paul, is a behavior specialist for the Spring Lake Park Schools, ISD 16. Krista Benson Cook, Maple Grove, is the directorU.S. Microsoft Alliance of
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
throughout the world.
35
GUSTIES
Rachael Albertson McKinney ’00, a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, has been named chief executive officer at Sutter Davis Hospital in the Sacramento, CA, area. She began her new role in November.
Moved by the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy,
Ferial
Mohamed Pearson ’01 engaged the students at the school where she worked to secretly carry out small acts of kindness at school. “Secret Kindness Agents” has since been implemented in more than 350 schools across the country, and was a featured segment on the Hallmark Channel airing of The Christmas Train in December. Pearson was a recipient of the Kennedy Center/ Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award in 2016.
the director of business intelligence for 1517 Media. Nathan Krause, Cottage Grove, is the quality and data specialist for HealthPartners in Maplewood. Julie Pfaender, St. Louis Park, is the senior digital marketing manager for Regis Corporation. Jennifer Robe Reiland, Oshkosh, WI, is an optometrist for Marsh Family Eyecare. Mike Strong, Akron, OH, is the dean of students at the University of Akron. Matt Weier, Minneapolis, is the technical director/cg artist for Pixel Farm.
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Kristin Lorentz Klassert, Poulsbo, WA, opened a Nordic housewares and gift shop in historic Poulsbo in October.
A book co-edited by three Gusties was released this January. Landscapes of the Itza:
01|
Elizabeth McAlister Allen, Saint Anthony, has been named the new behavioral health associate director at UCare.
Archaeology and Art History at Chichen Itza and Neighboring Sites was edited by Travis Nygard ’02,
Kaylee Spencer ’98, and professor
03|REUNION YEAR
emeritus Linnea Wren. Chichen
Save the Date June 8–10, 2018
Itza is one of the largest ancient Maya cities, has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is one of the most visited
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
archaeological sites in the world.
36
Pricewaterhouse Coopers in Minneapolis. Bruce Dahlman, Blaine, is a physical therapist and clinic supervisor for Fairview Health Services. Jess Meistrell Fickbohm, Fremont,
NE, is a relationship manager at First State Bank & Trust. April Smith Goodman, St. Louis Park, is the senior account specialist for Willis Towers Watson in Minneapolis. Anne E. Haddad, Northfield, is the owner of Haddad Consulting.
Ryan Hagemeier, Batesville, IN, is the QA/RA director, Global Quality Systems for Hill-Rom. Dave Johnson, Ann Arbor, MI, is a physical therapist/clinical specialist for Michigan Medicine. Jennifer Koehnen, Plymouth, is
Lindsay Larson Abraham, St. Paul, is the manager of Barrel Theory Beer Company. Erik Brekke, De Pere, WI, is an associate professor of physics for St. Norbert College. Jessica Heiden Dennis, Eden Prairie, is an attorney for Meagher & Geer in Minneapolis. Jody Anderson Gabler, Ithaca, NY, is an English-as-a-second-language (ESL) instructor at Cornell University.
Samuel Henschen, Eden Prairie, is the director of Twins Productions for the Minnesota Twins. Anna Felkey Lovas, Minnetonka, is the director of Clinical Affairs for Becton Dickinson (Lutonix) in New Hope. Mike O’Brien, Minneapolis, is the senior manager of KPMG. Jared Phillips, Saint Peter, is the assistant director of athletics at Gustavus. Douglas Pugh, Camp Lejeune, NC, is a NE ASIA foreign area officer for the U.S. Marine Corps. Tom Ramy, Excelsior, is the owner of Hewn & Forged. Erika M. Royer, Hopkins, is an independent benefits consultant in the Brainerd Lakes area. Tom Scott, Shakopee, is a broker associate with ReMax Advantage Plus. Hans Sviggum, Rochester, is an anesthesiologist for the Mayo Clinic. Kari Vickerman Taintor, Plymouth, is the associate ITQ manager/sales manager of In-Context Experimentation for General Mills. Kyle Tollefson, Appleton, WI, is a teacher for the Appleton Area School District. Nicole Guimond Van Patten, Orono, is an account manager for Philips. Chris Vaubel, Mapleton, is an orthodontist for Southern Minnesota Orthodontics in Mankato. Kate Hansen Watkins, Chornton, CO, is an epidemiologist for Jefferson County Public Health in Lakewood, CO.
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Lindsay Hadtrath Keller, Minneapolis, is an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas Law School.
Hailey Harren Hollenhorst, South Haven, is a financial planner for Midwest Financial Partners. Laura Kojetin Ingalsbe, Eagan, is a clinical professor of nursing at Gustavus.
08|REUNION YEAR Save the Date June 8–10, 2018
Chad M. Anderson, Los Angeles, is an actor and tennis instructor.
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Adam T. Risland, Osseo, is a pipeline operator for Flint Hills Resource Pipeline.
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Brady Skaff, St. Michael, is the rewards & talent specialist for Great River Energy.
13| REUNION YEAR Save the Date June 8–10, 2018
Wes Baish, St. Paul, is an instrument services specialist for Pace Analytical. Lisa Beacher, Eden Prairie, is an epidemiologist and consultant for Thrive Corp. Chad R. Graham, China, is an English teacher at Zhengzhou University. Emily Lindberg Knoop, Shoreview, is a school social worker for the Fridley Public Schools. Ellen J. Liebe, Grand Rapids, is a speech language pathologist. Carolyn J. Miller, Eagan, is the
office manager assistant/trading assistant of Roy E. Abbott Futures. Kelly A. Peterson, Mankato, is a behavior therapist and mental health practitioner for the Minnesota Autism Center. Lauren Rothschiller Reed, Eden Prairie, is a first-grade teacher for Waconia Public Schools. Mallory Shellum, Minneapolis, is the senior tax preparer for Sawmill Private Management.
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Rachel M. Smetana, Minneapolis, is a science teacher at Farmington Public Schools.
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Rachel Meier, Santa Fe, NM, graduated in December with a masters of the environment degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder and is a conservation information manager at The Nature Conservancy.
WEDDINGS Robert L. Smith ’53 and Marlys Benshoof, 9/22/13, Shoreview Kerri Doyle ’88 and Steven Bavier, Delano Jennie English ’96 and T.C. Dumont, 1/19/17, Chicago, IL Kari Smith ‘99 and Ralph Cena, 10/7/17, Las Cruces, NM Chad Gustafson ’01 and Catherine Erickson ’02, 12/2/17, St. Cloud Katherine Ellsworth ’04 and Timothy Sundby ’01, 12/9/17, Minneapolis Lindsay Hadtrath ’04 and Ethan Keller ’03, 12/28/17, Minneapolis Anne Betcher ’11 and Jalaal Madyun, 8/27/16, Minneapolis
DON’T JUST GRADUATE, GET MARRIED ON CAMPUS. Gustavus is excited to host your wedding and wedding events. Dining service staff can help you plan and execute dinners, special parties, and wedding receptions, all around your special day. Gusties (and their families and friends) can rent Christ Chapel, Alumni Hall, the Arb, even the Evelyn Young Dining Center (the Caf), for wedding meals and parties. “You can customize your menu with your favorite Caf meals like cheesy bread or Swedish meatballs,” says Margi Willmert, assistant director of Gustavus Dining Service. You can also grill out with yard games, and surprise your guests with Frost-Your-Owns at the end of the night. “We are here to accommodate all types of weddings and give each couple a specialized evening,” says Willmert. Bonus anniversary gift: Says Willmert, “If the Gustavus bakery makes your cake, you can come back at your one-year anniversary and the bakery will remake the top for free.” For more on weddings at Gustavus, contact Margi Willmert at mwillmer@gustavus.edu.
Bradley Kluver ’13 and Katherine Eslinger ’13, 6/18/16, Wayzata Karolyn Peirson ’13 and Seth Rasmussen, 10/28/17, New Richmond, WI
BIRTHS Berline Clara by adoption, to Jennie English ’96 and T. C. Dumont, born 4/13/13, adopted 1/12/17 Sophia to Jason Smerdon ’98 and Rachel Solomon, 12/16/15.
Grant to Anne Spence Harris ’01 and Travis Harris, 1/6/17 Sigmund, to Becky Lipka ’01 and Alex Lipka, 7/7/17 Mikayla to Becca Anderson Campbell ’03 and Colin Campbell, 10/16/17
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
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GUSTIES
Ruby to Kallie Lundmark Norton ’03 and Benjamin Norton ’03, 2/15/17 Jack to Jonah Evenson ’04 and Erin Krempel Evenson, 8/4/17 Elnora to Evan M. Burgart ’05 and Anne Michaletz Burgart ’05, 12/26/17 Daniel to Laura Palzer Dahlstrom ’05 and Robert Dahlstrom, 7/10/17 Natalie to Julie Miller Goodmundson ’05 and Charles Goodmundson, 6/16/17 Vincent to Kim Hardy ’05 and Joshua C. Hardy, 6/22/17
Marek to Becky Kuehl Hybbert ’05 and Adam Hybbert, 6/21/17 Elinor to Marissa Wold Uhrina ’05 and Joe Uhrina, 9/24/17 Sophie to Kevin Freund ’09 and Johanna Olmstead Freund ’10, 10/29/17 Myles to Shawn M. Syverson ’09 and Jenna Syverson, 10/19/16 Johnathan to Rachel Guptill Strehlow ’11 and Derrick Strehlow, 6/24/17 Natalie to Adam Bischoff ’13 and Katherine Betcher Bischoff ’13, 6/14/16
IN MEMORIAM Eleanor Prust, xStaff, Estherville, IA, on 10/10/13. A 30year employee of the Gustavus Dining Service, she is survived by six children. Vernis Olander Strom ’47, Beaver Dam, WI, on 8/18/17. She was a long-time junior high school English teacher and is survived by her two sons. Verna Anderson Nelson ’48, Shoreview, on 9/26/17. A former employee for the State of Minnesota, she is survived
KNOW SOMEONE WHO WOULD MAKE A GREAT GUSTIE? There is a $4,000 scholarship waiting if you recommend them. High school students—particularly juniors—who choose Gustavus under the endorsement of an alum receive a $4,000 scholarship from the College. It’s that simple. How do you refer someone? Go to gustavus.edu/alumni/referral, or call 507-933-7676. Students must apply by November 1, 2018. They must choose to attend by May 1, 2019. (Note: Students with immediate family members who have graduated from Gustavus are instead awarded a Gustavus Legacy Scholarship.) So far, more than 158 high school students have become Gusties under your endorsement, and with our financial aid help. Thank you for helping us shape the future of Gustavus by finding the best and brightest young people
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
to join our community.
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by her husband, Lennart, and three children, including Nancy Nelson ’78. Eleen Bloom Bengtson ’50, Grants Pass, OR, on 1/1/17. A wife and mother, she is survived by her two sons, including Peter ’80, and a sister, Marilyn Taylor ’53. Irene Carlson Moore ’50, Brooklyn Park, on 1/12/18. A former employee of Lutheran Brotherhood, she is survived by three children. Edward Takala ’51, Virginia, on 7/19/17. A former junior high history teacher and football coach, he is survived by three children. Vale C. Pengra ’52, Minneapolis, on 1/13/18. A retired construction employee for H. J. Roadfeldt Company, he is survived by his wife, Carol (Roadfeldt ’51) and three daughters. Joan Onkka Peterson ’52, 1/17/18. A retired legal secretary for Sutherland, Ashill & Brennan, she is survived by her husband, David ’50, and two sons. Kurt Luhmann ’63, Wayzata, on 12/16/17. A long-time employee for International Multifoods and Spurrier Chemical, he is survived by his wife, Patt, five children including Scott ’86 and Jennifer ’95, and a sister, Gracia Hegener ’66. Kathleen Murphy Casmer ’70, Eden Prairie, on 2/1/17. She held various roles as a long-time educator and is survived by her three children and a brother, Paul Modean ’84. Mary Ellen McGinnis ’81, Mound, on 1/1/18. She was a dispatcher for Life Link III and is survived by a longtime partner, Dan Krieg, her mother, Dolores, and three siblings including Molly ’88.
REMEMBERING VERONA C. GORDON 2/13/18. A graduate of the Swedish Nursing School in Minneapolis and a Gustavus nursing professor from 1971– 1978, she developed the honors program in nursing, courses and programs for studying nursing in Europe, and a cognitive therapy program for women with depression. The mother of five children, she achieved her doctorate in mid-life, and was a professor at the University of Minnesota in addition to Gustavus. She was the first woman recipient of the Edgar M. Carlson Award for Innovative Teaching, in 1975. She is survived by four of her children including Beth Sachs ’76.
GUSTIES GATHER
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1. Seattle area Gusties gathered in January for a fun get together. Pictured l to r: Lucien Truong ’02, Andy Vu ’03, guest of Gary’s, Kari Petrasek Merz ’99, guest of Gary’s, Mark Merz, Mike Kelly ’92, Gary Braun ’81, Erin Schadt ’99, Karrin Daniels ’00, Nate Torgelson ’88, Katherine MedberyOleson ’02, and Tim Oleson. 2. Classmates got together for the Lutefisk Dinner at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. L to r: Bob Neuman ’80, Keith Knutson ’78, Brad Bostrom ’78, Bill Satterness ’78, John Bergstrand ’78. 3. John Mattke ’80 and Paul Holbach ’80 continued their doubles partnership by trekking eight days in Zion National Park.
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4. Members of the Class of 2000 gathered at Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge in October for the annual Kauffman Cup, a golf tournament put on by mutual friend Joe Kauffman. Front (l to r): Matt Thomas, Charlie Wilfahrt, John Youngdahl. Back (l to r): Ryan Walters, Ollie Major, Kris Kooiman, Paul Whitney, and Dustin Thomas. 5. Alec Donnelly ’19 with his cabin neighbor, Wayne Farnberg ’52. Alec had always known Wayne was a Gustie, but when Wayne found out Alec was an Eppie, he not only dug out his Eppie sweater but he gave it to him!
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6. Kristen Burson ’08 and Brian Collins ’03 met for the first time recently while attending a workshop on building thriving undergraduate physics programs. Kristen is assistant professor of physics at Hamilton College. Brian is assistant professor of physics at Washington State University. Their passion for teaching physics was instilled by their Gustie professors, Collins says, “and now we are doing our best to spread that Gustie Spirit to our students.”
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
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GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2018
Vespers
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Sarah Anderson ’20 has been creating crop art since she was five years old. Last summer, she was inspired while staying on campus during her firstyear biology research to make crop art about Gustavus. Using lentils, wild rice, millet, chia seeds, and flax seeds to render Old Main Hill, this 20-time entrant to the Minnesota State Fair crop art competition took a third-place ribbon. Today, you can find this work hanging in her dorm room in North Hall. This summer, find Gustavus in the Education Building at the Minnesota State Fair, August 23–September 3.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR STUDENTS TO SUCCEED?
For Alumni, Parents, and Friends SUMMER 2018 | VOL. LXXIV | ISSUE 2 STA F F Chair, Board of Trustees The Rev. Dan S. Poffenberger ’82
IT TAKES ALL OF US.
President of the College Rebecca Bergman Vice President, Marketing and Communication Tim Kennedy ’82 Vice President, Advancement Thomas Young ’88 Director, Alumni and Parent Engagement Angela Erickson ’01
Gifts to the Gustavus Fund make it
Managing Editor Stephanie Wilbur Ash | sash@gustavus.edu
possible for students like Tenzin to
Alumni Editor Philomena Kauffmann | pkauffma@gustavus.edu
discover more about themselves
Visual Editor, Production Coordinator Anna Deike | adeike@gustavus.edu
than they ever thought possible.
Design Brian Donahue | bdesigninc.com, Jill Adler | adlerdesignstudio.com, Sarah Hinderman ’20 Contributing Writers JJ Akin ’11, Charlie Barnhouse ’19, Sarah Hinderman ’20, Tim Kennedy ’82, Mara Klein, Emily Komperud ’18, Glenn Kranking ’98, James Patrick Miller, CJ Siewert ’11 Contributing Photographers and Artists JJ Akin ’11, Nick Campbell ’18, Corbyn Jenkins ’20, Glenn Kranking ’98, Leslie McKellar (cover), CJ Siewert ’11, SPX Sports, Michael Volgman-Mercuri ’20, Lorie Siebels, Gustavus Adolphus College Archives Printer John Roberts Company | johnroberts.com Postmaster Send address changes to the Gustavus Quarterly, Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement, Gustavus Adolphus College, 800 W. College Ave., Saint Peter, MN 56082-1498 GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE Saint Peter, MN 56082 507-933-8000 | gustavus.edu Articles and opinions presented in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or official policies of the College or its Board of Trustees.
It took a few hours of shoveling, but the Gustie baseball team was able to clear the newly renovated turf field in time to complete a 3-1 win over UM-Morris in the March 28 home-opener.
The Gustavus Quarterly (USPS 227-580) is published four times annually by Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint Peter, Minn. Periodicals postage is paid at Saint Peter, MN 56082, and additional mailing offices. It is mailed free of charge to alumni and friends of the College. Circulation is approximately 42,800. Gustavus Adolphus College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association.
TENZIN ’18, is the first in his family to graduate from college. As president of the Gustavus E. Terry Skone Investment Club, he is already giving back. The club has been able to transfer approximately $34,000 of its earnings into Gustavus scholarships over the last five years. Tenzin reflects, “Gustavus gave me an opportunity to rediscover myself as someone more than capable of being a leader if given an opportunity. I’m so happy that I chose Gustavus and Gustavus chose me.”
GUSTAVUS FUND gustavusfund@gustavus.edu | 800-487-8437 Office of Advancement | giftplanning@gustavus.edu | 507-933-6043
SUMMER 2018 800 WEST COLLEGE AVENUE SAINT PETER, MINNESOTA 56082
BERNARD POWERS ’72
ON FORGIVENESS AND FREEDOM Page 22
In a decades-long tradition, many Gusties spent spring break on Habitat for Humanity trips, including Alex Merrill ’19 and Ethan Forney ’18 (front) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Says Forney, “Some of us went back to see the houses we worked on last year and meet the
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RETIRING PROFESSORS On a perfect day of teaching
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SCANDINAVIA, SALUTE! Liberal arts meets world travel meets the GWO
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CLASS NOTES What your fellow Gusties have been up to
families living in them. That really warmed my heart.”