Summer 2019 Quarterly

SUMMER 2019 800 WEST COLLEGE AVENUE SAINT PETER, MINNESOTA 56082

Students

World OF THE

Inspired by his Religion and Ecology course,

+ ALWAYS LEARNING AT HOME & ABROAD

Alex Theship-Rosales ’19 “decided to make my whole trajectory in college about that,” he says. Then, after an inspiring internship with Zealandia Ecosanctuary in New

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Zealand, he made a documentary film about environmental spirituality, which debuted in the Nobel Hall of Science in March. “It’s said that New Zealand is not a small island but a big village,” says Theship-Rosales. Eight thousand miles away, Gustavus works to live by the same sentiment.

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RETIRING PROFESSORS Where they’re headed and where they hope you’re going

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THE G CHOIR IN EUROPE Learning and singing through its great musical capitals

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CLASS NOTES What your fellow Gusties have been up to

Writer Aaron Teasdale ’93 and his son, Jonah, in Nicaragua

For Alumni, Parents, and Friends SUMMER 2019 | VOL. LXXV | ISSUE 2

GIFTS OF GRATITUDE

STA F F Chair, Board of Trustees The Rev. Dan S. Poffenberger ’82 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 Managing Editor Stephanie Wilbur Ash | sash@gustavus.edu Alumni Editor Philomena Kauffmann | pkauffma@gustavus.edu Visual Editor, Production Coordinator Anna Deike | adeike@gustavus.edu Design Jill Adler | adlerdesignstudio.com, Sarah Hinderman ’20, Emma Leigh Myhre ’19 Contributing Writers JJ Akin ’11, Mara Klein, Emma Leigh Myhre ’19, Aaron Teasdale ’93, CJ Siewert ’11 Contributing Photographers JJ Akin ’11, Callie Benge ’19, Terry Clark Photography, Audrey Dontje Lindell, Emma Leigh Myhre ’19, Jon Smithers (johnsmithers.com) Aaron Teasdale ’93, CJ Siewert ’11, Sydney Stumme-Berg ’22, Ryan Weber ’22, 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

One of the hottest tickets on campus, Africa Night features food, fashion, and performances from East and West Africa and the Carribbean, including this Ethiopian dance from Hiwot Muluneh Sugebo ’21. The event is sponsored by the PanAfrikan Student Organization, a Gustavus student-led group dedicated to embracing and celebrating African culture.

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.

“We are Gusties.

We go together.”

ADWOA AFREH ’14 “I come from a collective,” she says.

Ghana, her country of origin, does not have an individualistic, go-it-alone culture.

“You’re a people, and as a member of that people you are accountable. You never do anything alone,” Afreh says. “At Gustavus, I was given a lot. People I don’t even know have given to support me. I always come back to that. The least I can do is give back.

I want to do my part.”

HER GIFT CONNECTS to the Financial Aid Office.

“I am grateful for Kirk Carlson every day,” says Afreh of the associate dean of financial aid. She sat in his office nearly every semester, and he helped keep her at Gustavus when it looked like she could no longer afford it. But he was always quick to note that it was the generosity of other Gusties who really made it possible. “He would say, ‘I want you to remember that when you leave Gustavus. Someone like you will sit in this seat.’”

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.

MAKE YOUR GIFT BY MAY 31 TO HAVE IT MATCHED. The Gustavus Fund | gustavus.edu/give

24 IN THIS ISSUE

2 12 14

#GUSTIESAROUNDTHEWORLD

Where have Gustavus students been recently? Take a guess rom a sample of their best Instagram posts.

“ONWARD!” SAY THE PROFESSORS

Six retiring professors on where they’ve set their sights for the future, and where they hope you’re going too.

ON BEING OUT THERE

Just weeks before his Gustavus graduation, Aaron

IN EVERY ISSUE

Teasdale ’93 had an epiphany. Grad school could wait.

4 VÄLKOMMEN

A life of adventure wouldn’t.

5 ON THE HILL 9 SHINE PROFILES

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HOW CAN WE KEEP FROM SINGING?

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SPORTS

Through five countries in Europe, the answer rang loud

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FINE ARTS

and clear from the G Choir: They can’t be kept from

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GRATITUDE

singing at all.

20

29

HERITAGE

30

GUSTIES

40

VESPERS

1

2 9

17

26

12

20

19

18

32

4 11

10

25

31

3

28

27

33

34

5

7

6 13

21

15

14

22 29

23 30

8 16

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#gustiesaroundtheworld Where have Gustie students been lately? In short, all around the world. They aren’t vacationing (though they’re having a great time). They’re immersed in experiences that change their lives, perspectives, and futures, studying everything from the geopolitical machinations of the Olympics to environmentally sustainable food production in Indonesia to the indigenous culture of the Sámi in Sweden. As the Gustavus Acts Strategic Plan advances the goal of producing students who can take on the great challenges of our time, studying different cultures—on the hill or at their source—will become even more prominent in the curriculum. “Travel,” Mark Twain wrote, “Is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”

Here’s just a small sampling of where our students have grown lately. Guess their locations; the answers

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are on page 39.

ON THE HILL

Välkommen WHEREVER WE GO, WE LEARN.

At Gustavus, I see learning all round me. Inside and outside the classroom, our students devote four pivotal years to learning—about their chosen field of study, about building relationships, about applying their knowledge to interdisciplinary problem solving so they’re ready to do the same for the world’s great challenges when they leave the hill.

And they learn about the world while out in the world, as this issue of the Quarterly illustrates. From the rice paddies of Indonesia to the far stretches of Arctic Sweden to the glaciers of Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador to the elementary schools of St. Paul, a Gustavus education opens doors to the world in all its beauty and complexity.

Consider the Gustavus Choir. I have sung in many choirs—my father was a Lutheran pastor, after all—and this winter I fulfilled a bucket list item of singing with the G Choir (see page 20). As the Choir toured through Europe, I joined up with them in Berlin and Stockholm, walking in the footsteps of Martin Luther at the Castle Church in Wittenberg and singing in the echoes of our College’s Lutheran ancestors in Sweden. All around me, I saw the sparks of learning glow in the eyes of G choir students as well as our alumni companions. We were not just performing music, we were learning about the history and culture of the cities we visited, diving deeply into life in the great musical capitals of Europe.

Gustavus helped ignite that same spark in Aaron Teasdale ’93 (see page 14), whose curiosity and passion for learning burns as brightly more than 25 years after his graduation as it did when he sat in his room and pondered his future. He decided to put graduate school on hold in pursuit of a greater connection with the world itself, then made curisosity and connection a career.

In today’s fast-paced global society, understanding our interconnectedness is more important than ever. Despite all the differences, despite all the inequities that exist in our imperfect world, it remains a beautiful home that we all share.

So go out and see it, Gusties! Learn and connect and be a good steward. And

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

after you’ve told the world your story, come back and see us on the hill.

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Sincerely,

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 Advisor, 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 Robert D. Brown, Jr. ’83, MD, Staff Neurologist, Professor of Neurology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, and John T. and Lillian Matthews Professor of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic 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 The Rev. Peter C. Johnson ’92, Executive Pastor, St. Andrew Lutheran Church Paul R. Koch ’87, Managing Director–Private Wealth Advisor, Senior Portfolio Manager, Koch Wealth Solutions, RBC Wealth Management Dennis A. Lind ’72, Chairman, Midwest Bank Group, Inc. Jan Lindman, MBA, Treasurer to the King, The Royal Court of Sweden Gordon D. Mansergh ’84, PhD, Senior Behavioral Scientist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (serving in a personal capacity) and Past President, Gustavus Alumni Association Jan Ledin Michaletz ’74, Past President, Gustavus Alumni Association Thomas J. Mielke ’80, JD, Retired Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Kimberly-Clark Corporation 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 The Rev. Wayne B. Peterson ’77, Pastor, St. Barnabas Lutheran Church The Rev. Dr. Dan S. Poffenberger ’82 (chair), Senior Pastor, Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church

Rebecca M. Bergman President, Gustavus Adolphus College

Beth Sparboe Schnell ’82, President and CEO, Sparboe Companies Ronald C. White ’75, President, RC White Enterprises The Rev. Heather Teune Wigdahl ’95, Senior Pastor, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church

ON THE HILL

“We do the Building Bridges Conference because we want to spark larger discussion, critical thinking, and long-term activism for whatever you may be passionate about,” says this year’s co-chair Daniella Habib ’19, (on right, in the white turtleneck), pictured here with this year’s Building Bridges committee and fellow co-chair Grace Tibben-Lembke ’20 (first row, far left).

T H E I M M I G R A N T E X P E R I E N C E , O N G O I N G A N D E V O LV I N G

Keynote speaker Julissa Arce opened

Conference co-Chair Daniella Habib ’19

to speak. She shared her experiences

this year’s Building Bridges Conference,

said Arce was chosen because “she really

about growing up as an undocumented

Immigration: Demolishing the Legacy

challenges this stereotypical and false

immigrant in rural Minnesota and as

of Bigotry in the Land of Opportunity,

perspective on undocumented people.”

a Gustavus student. Gustavus history

in front of a full house in Christ Chapel

Also keynoting was David Fitzgerald,

with the words: “No one comes to this

co-director of the Center for Comparative

her research on immigration family

country to take something from you.”

Immigration Studies at UC San Diego.

separation in U.S. history.

professor Maddelena Marinari presented

This year’s conference discussed the

He extended the dialogue by discussing

policies and experiences of immigration

policies that cause global displacement.

immigration was the subject of Building

and the challenges of becoming a U.S.

On choosing him, Habib says, “We really

Bridges—it was at the center of the

citizen. As the author of the book My

wanted someone who could speak directly

Conference in 2010. For 24 years, the

(Underground) American Dream, Arce

to the impacts of U.S. policies.”

student-led Building Bridges Conference

Filling out the Conference presenters,

has sparked open, respectful conversations

Her book focuses on her life’s journey as

Gustie alum Irma Márquez Trapero ’12,

about issues that face our world. It’s a

an undocumented immigrant through

a 2016 Humphrey School of Public

legacy of promoting global perspective,

her work as a Wall Street executive.

Affairs’ Policy Fellow, returned to campus

advocacy, and action.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

is a compelling advocate for immigration.

This was not the first time the issue of

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ON THE HILL

CLIMATE CHANGED

READING IN COMMON:

While Glaciers Slept In concert with this year’s Nobel Conference, the 2019 Reading in Common book weaves together the parallel stories of the changing climates of the planet

FACING OUR FUTURE

and of a family. Glaciologist and geographer Dr. M Jackson, a National Geographic expert, tells the story of her parents’ struggles with cancer while describing in

NOBEL CONFERENCE 55

CLIMATE CHANGED: FACING OUR FUTURE September 24 & 25 | gustavus.edu/nobelconference

detail planetary changes she’s seen. As Jackson conveys, hope and resiliency can and should be embraced as we face a climate

What tools are available, what research

Richard Alley

changed. By bringing humanity to

efforts do we require, and what kind of

glaciologist, Penn State University

glaciers and the issue of climate

people do we need to be to conceptualize

Amitav Ghosh

change, she engenders a positive

and address global climate challenges?

novelist, historian, essayist

approach to facing any challenge.

Seven leading-thinkers in climate change,

Gabriele Hegerl

will speak about paleoclimate studies,

statistical climatologist,

the book; the public is invited

climate justice, climate modeling, and

University of Edinburgh

to join them. The author will be

climate adaptation.

Mike Hulme

on campus September 10 for a

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

Four of this year’s experts served on

6

All Gustavus first-years read

climatologist/geographer,

public event. The book is available

the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

University of Cambridge

at the Book Mark (bookmark.

Change, a United Nations panel that

David Keith

gustavus.edu).

focuses on assessing the effects climate

climate geoengineering physicist,

change based on the latest science. The

Harvard University

panel won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007

Diana Liverman

for its work producing scientific reports

geographer, University of Arizona

for over two decades to broaden the

Sheila Watt-Cloutier

consensus about the connection between

Canadian Inuit advocate and

human activity and global warming.

political representative

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW

JULY 18 | LINNAEUS SYMPOSIUM

For the Nobel Conference, in a

The Changing Climate: Our Response.

variety of pricing, from $20 to $120.

With five of our state’s experts, learn

Tickets can be purchased for a single

about Minnesota’s changing climate

day or both, and for reserved or open

and explore strategies for mitigation

seating. High school student and

and adaptation, plus ideas for next

chaperone tickets are free, yet must

steps for individual citizens and a

be ordered. Call 507-933-7520 or

closing dinner. 1–7:30 p.m.; $25 – $40.

visit gustavus.edu/nobelconference.

visit gustavus.edu/events/linnaeus.

PRETTY GOOD NEWS

Advocating and networking at the Minnesota State Capitol: Violeta Hernández Espinosa ’07, Gustavus President Rebecca Bergman, Maripaz Álvarez ’19, and Andrea Olvera ’22.

Students Take to the Capitol for

Luz Ruiz Ceronio ’22

Advocacy, Networking

(Albert Lea) was

In March, nearly 40 Gustavus stu-

GET YOUR CROWN ON THE 2019 ROYAL AFFAIR

selected as one of

Saturday, November 9

dents, along with President Bergman,

seven historically

Starting at 5 p.m.

descended on the Minnesota State

underrepresented

J.W. Marriott Hotel – Mall of America

students from across

$150 per person advance ticket price

Capitol to network and advocate for Minnesota higher education. Monali

the country to take part

gustavus.edu/events/royalaffair

Bhakta ’20 (Shakopee) also testified

in the National Institute for Innovation

to support of the program in front of

in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals

Get your festive party attire and

the Minnesota Senate Higher Education

(NIIMBL) exPerience Program this

your Gustie crown on! Enjoy

Finance and Policy Committee.

summer in Washington, D.C.

dinner, drinks, music, dancing,

’19 (Hayfield) re-

you and your friends won’t want

won a major study-away scholarship

to miss. Grammy Award-winning

ceived the Donald

from the Fund for Education Abroad

jazz vocalist Kurt Elling ’89 will

G. Paterson Award

to support his fall

perform throughout the night with

from the Minnesota

semester in Nepal.

actor Peter Breitmayer ’87 serving

Psychological Asso

Phounsith “Quincy” Yangh ’21 (St. Paul)

The study-away

as emcee. The fundraiser benefits

ciation. The award is

program he will

the Gustavus Library Associates

given annually to the

attend is titled

Endowment Fund and scholarships

top senior psychology student at a

“Tibetan and

for first-generation college

Minnesota college or university.

Himalayan Peoples.”

students with high academic ability and high economic need.

KALENDAR SATURDAY, JUNE 1 Class of 2019 Commencement, 1:45 p.m.

JUNE 7–9 Gustavus Reunion Weekend (see page 29) AUGUST 22–SEPTEMBER 2 Visit the Gustavus booth at the Minnesota State Fair

$400,000 AMOUNT RAISED AT THE 2017 ROYAL AFFAIR

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

and an auction at this Gustie gala Senior Kristen Eggler

7

ON THE HILL

CAMPUS SOCIAL Follow /gustavusadolphuscollege

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Gustavus Adolphus College

@Brizzie22

Bryden Giving ’16 has a lot going on. He just finished graduate school. He starts a new

A giant thank you to the @gustavus

job as an occupational therapist soon. Oh, and he was on The Ellen DeGeneres Show,

Physical Plant staff who are working

celebrating his coming out story and how it strengthened his bond with his mom.

tirelessly in frigid temps to keep the campus safe. We appreciate you! I would personally gift you with tropical vacations if I could! @MichelsonFRMS On this day in 2009 I went for a little dip in the English Channel off the southern coast of England during my @gustavus J-Term. The locals looked at the five of us like we were crazy. Good times.

ECUMEN Prairie Hill & Sand Prairie We had a great time with the Gustavus Adolphus College baseball team as they

@ZeeeMay

joined us for a competitive game of Bingo. Thank you for visiting us, we love having

Sometimes when I hear church bells

young professionals and athletes come to our community!

ringing I get hit with a wave of chapel break at Gustavus memories. Should I be finishing a reading for class? Am I late for a meeting? Do we sing in chapel today w/choir? Do I have time to grab more coffee at the Courtyard Cafe?

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

Follow @gustavus, @gustiealum

8

10:00 a.m. Time for Reflection “I became undocumented when I was 14. I wasn’t packing heroin. I was packing my books.”

—Julissa Arce, immigration advocate and author of the book My (Underground) American Dream, speaking at this year’s Building Bridges Conference

SHINE: CARLY OVERFELT It Starts With Voice THE MULTILINGUAL AND INTERCULTURAL PROGRAM COORDINATOR FILLS A NEW AND UNIQUE POSITION AT GUSTAVUS AND IN U.S. HIGHER EDUCATION.

“I haven’t seen anything like this position anywhere else,” says Overfelt of her job at Gustavus. A PhD who has studied attitudes and presentations of non-standard English, she has, she says, “the best job on campus,” and a unique one in the marketplace: teaching students and training professors from a multilingual perspective.

The student course she teaches is called Academic Success for Multilingual Learners. The goal is to help mulitlingual students further develop reading, writing, and presentation skills. “What makes the course unique is that it brings both domestic and international students together,” Overfelt says.

International students and multilingual U.S. students each have needs that differ from English-first students and overlap with each other. “Traditionally we think about international students and domestic students. In this class, we can see the spectrum of multilingual student experiences,” she says.

Consider, for instance, domestic students who aren’t U.S.-born citizens, or international students who are. And what of the student who came to the U.S. from Ethiopia at age 13 and just earned citizenship? How do they communicate in a college learning environment?

For Overfelt, the starting point is language, and the skills each student brings to it. “Sometimes our multilingual students have this idea that their multilingual-ness is a hurdle they have to get over,” Overfelt says. “But we have designed this class to make it a strength, to bring it forward. They already have this code-switching ability. College is just one more of those spaces where these students will be negotiating a linguistic identity.” Voice is a key term in the class, and the uniqueness of each voice is valued. “Not everyone has to speak and write in the same way to be smart and successful and academic.”

Overfelt herself is the first in her family to take a traditional, four-year route through college. Raised in Arkansas, “I’m more Billy Bob Thorton English than

Overfelt also leads “Writing Across Borders” workshops for faculty in JUSTICE

how to support multilingual, multi-ethnic students, bringing together campus entities such as the Writing Center, the Writing Across the Curriculum program, the Center for International and Cultural Education, and the Center for Academic Resources and Enhancement.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

Scarlett O’Hara English,” she says.

9

ON THE HILL

SHINE: ALEJANDRO LALAMA ’19 Connected. For Life.

FROM ECUADOR TO MINNESOTA TO CHINA TO TANZANIA, LALAMA HAS BUILT COMMUNITY—AND A BUSINESS—ALONG THE WAY.

He is no stranger to adventure, and his journey to Gustavus is no exception. As an exchange student from Ecuador in Cannon Falls, he loved the community that was fostered in Minnesota.

He decided to come back for college, but his friends and family at home weren’t convinced.

“They said, ‘Why so far? Why Minnesota?’ I tell them that no matter how cold it gets, people make you feel warm here. Being from another country, that means a lot.”

His sophomore year at Gustavus, Alejandro decided to push even further out of his comfort zone. He spent his spring semester in Shanghai, China, living in a neighborhood that didn’t have many English speakers. But he found community easily. “My first friend was a lady at the grocery store who taught me how to say chicken, pork, and beef in Mandarin.” He was in classes with people from all over the world, which challenged him to think critically in the classroom about himself and the business world. He stayed in China for the summer to teach English and Spanish.

Alejandro was so inspired by connecting communities that he created a start-up that helps indigenous communities in Ecuador be more environmentally friendly and promotes healthy living. Capakñan produces unprocessed, quinoa-based protein bars that are 100 percent organic and allergy free and give back to Ecuadorian farmers in need.

In his senior year, Alejandro took global engagement even further. He went abroad once more, to Tanzania. He felt transformed by the people he talked to and challenged to question his beliefs. “Tanzania changed my life completely. I have never experienced so much love and happiness.”

He came to Gustavus to major in international management. He will graduate in the fall with a second major in communication studies as well as minors in Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies and political science. “Gustavus gave me the opportunity to meet people that I will be connected with for life. They gave me the opportunity to build my startup.

In so many ways, they’ve shaped me in a way that I can understand how

Capakñan, the business Lalama has built, placed highly in the Gustie Entrepreneur Cup, with help from his friends Jack Morri ’19 and Can Thieroff ’19. Their pitch, plan, and financial projections won them $5,000. The funds are being used to help build a production facility in Ecuador.

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E XC E L L E N C E

the world around me works. It has opened up my perspective.”

SHINE: CAMRYN HECKEL ’19 Making Things Better. Wherever.

SPURRED ON BY HER GUSTIE SISTER AND ANCHORED BY HER COLLEGE, SHE’S SPENT FOUR YEARS VENTURING, LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE LIVES.

Camryn always dreamt of walking the streets of the world. And when she saw her sister, Madison Heckel ’14, going on multiple global adventures through Gustavus while studying psychology, it was simply a matter of making it happen for herself.

“My first year, I went to the J-Term Study Abroad Fair, and a professor asked me, ‘Where in the world would you want to go and why?’” After a long discussion, Heckel decided on Scandinavia. The next year, she embarked on the Olympic Quest January Interim Experience trip, which took her across five different northern European countries. She fed reindeer, learned how to drive a dog sled, and saw the Scandinavia’s top athletes train.

The travel bug bit her hard. As soon as she came home, Heckel began searching for a semester program that would be both transformative and challenging. The Center for International and Cultural Education pointed her towards the Czech Republic, and helped her figure out how to make it affordable. In the Czech Republic, she felt challenged to learn from everything that was around her. But, she says, she felt Gustavus with her: “I didn’t know I was going to learn how to be a part of something that was going to be much more than myself. Even when I was far away from Gustavus, I still felt connected.”

She came back to Saint Peter for the fall of her senior year and was ready to focus on making the Gustavus community better. But she wouldn’t let the grass grow under her feet. “I realized that after I graduate, I will never have a month where I can travel without work or other responsibilities again.”

Heckel headed to to Tanzania for the “With One Voice” January Interim Experience trip studying holistic health care in terms of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. Gustie students traveled the country learning about the Tanzanian health care system.

After graduation, Heckel will head to South Korea to teach English.

The meaning of being a global citizen is at the front of her mind as she preps for the next chapter, and she knows that Gustavus will keep her grounded. “Everywhere I will go for the rest of my life, Gustavus will

COMMUNITY

always be a part of me, and that’s so unique to this place.”

When the time came to make her college choice, Heckel was hesitant to choose Gustavus. Ever the trailblazer, she was afraid to follow in the footsteps of her sister. But during her first visit to campus: “I knew right away that Gustavus fosters human connections. I got that on a single tour.”

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“ Onward!”say the Professors.

WHERE OUR RETIRING PROFESSORS HOPE YOU AND THEIR CURRENT STUDENTS WILL GO IN THE FUTURE, AND WHERE THEY’RE GOING NEXT THEMSELVES.

CINDY JOHNSON 24 YEARS TEACHING BIOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, AND AFRICAN STUDIES HOPE FOR STUDENTS: My hope for my students, past and present, is that they will follow their heart and soul’s urging to guide their lives. If they do this with joy, laughter, and lightness in their hearts, theirs will be a hero’s life.

BRANCHING OUT: I am following my wild heart. I am moving to Anchorage, Alaska, where I will hike and climb mountains to my heart’s great joy. I will continue to guide safaris to Tanzania and expand my tree workshops, designed to learn about the biology of trees in a context of personal growth.

ERIC CARLSON

29 YEARS TEACHING THE HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL

AND REFORMATION EUROPE HOPE FOR STUDENTS: I hope that my students will use their appreciation for the importance of historical thinking to feel empowered to change the world for the better, and to use historical knowledge to inform their choices.

WHAT’S NEXT: I have intentionally not made any major plans other than to work in my garden, pick cherries in Michigan with my grandsons, and reread all of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman books. After that, I hope to get back to research and writing, but we’ll see.

MICHELE KOOMEN

19 YEARS TEACHING EDUCATION, MOST

RECENTLY AS THE LIND ENDOWED PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION HOPE FOR STUDENTS: I hope my former and current students will make a difference in

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

the world, especially to the youth that will be in their classrooms and under their care.

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I would like my students to understand what a joy it has been to watch their growth over the years, to observe the infectious and warm collegiality they have for each other and their love for children.

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE: I will continue to be involved with the University of Minnesota on the science teacher professional development and implementation research. I also will continue to work with the Minnesota Science Teachers Association in implementation of their strategic plan with emphasis on equality, inclusion, and accessibility.

BARBARA FISTER

32 YEARS TEACHING RESEARCH METHODS AND

AIDING STUDENTS IN THEIR RESEARCH WHAT SHE’S LEARNED: When we first moved to Saint Peter after living in the Middle East, our blond-haired children looked like everyone else for the first time in their experience.

In 2019 the definition of “everyone” has far more variety, and Gustavus students reflect the diversity of our world.

HOPE FOR STUDENTS: I hope the students I have worked with will sustain their curiosity and practice the art of asking good, hard questions.

NEXT QUESTION(S): I plan to draw on my own innate curiosity and continue my work as an engaged scholar and writer as the world of information changes and evolves.

DEBRA PITTON

24 YEARS TEACHING SECONDARY AND MIDDLE-LEVEL

EDUCATIONAL METHODS, INCLUDING 7 YEARS AS EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CHAIR HOPE FOR STUDENTS: This community is more diverse and open than when I started.

Increased interaction among students and more Gusties studying abroad has helped make for a more globally aware student body. I hope to see our education graduates out in schools across the state and nation, teaching the next generation of Gusties, and moving into leadership positions where they can positively influence all young people.

BIG NEW JOB: I am moving into an amazing new role—that of grandmother!

We are expecting our first grandchild soon, and I look forward to lots of grandma time. My husband, Jon, and I will also do some traveling.

MICHAEL JORGENSEN 28 YEARS TEACHING VOICE AND MUSIC HOPE FOR STUDENTS: The global aspect of my work is that my students come from all over. Each one is unique. Each one has a different voice. My hope for my students is that they continue to find their voice—their individual, unique, true voice. I am honored to maybe have helped in that journey. I hope they are usually happy and always love others and themselves.

THE MUSIC CONTINUES: I am going to Florida with the love of my life, Bonnie. I forward to the next chapter. I plan to keep singing and strive to be open to God’s will and God’s grace.

ALSO RETIRING THIS YEAR are Russian and European Studies professor Denis Crnkovic (after 35 years), biology professor Colleen Jacks ’79 (after 31 years) and music professor and conductor of the Gustavus Choir Greg Aune (after 24 years). For more on Jacks, see page 32. For more on Aune, see page 42.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

have enjoyed and been enriched by the students at Gustavus, and now am looking

13

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

On Being Out There 14

ESCHEWING GRAD SCHOOL, A HISTORY MAJOR TAKES OFF FOR GLOBAL ADVENTURES. HERE’S WHAT HE’S LEARNED. ESSAY AND PHOTOS BY AARON TEASDALE ’93

T

he Vietnamese military officer stepped onto the road, thrust his hand face-out in an unmistakable sign, and commanded us to stop. We grabbed our bicycle brake levers and I shot a glance at my father. He’d fought here during the war—we

were back to see what happened to the charismatic people he felt he’d abandoned—and had no love for his former opponents in the military. Things were about to get interesting.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

WHO ELSE PUT THEMSELVES OUT THERE RECENTLY? THE GUSTAVUS CHOIR. SEE PAGE 20

15

At Gustavus, the Minneapolis native played Ultimate, wrote music reviews, and graduated with history and political science majors. Today he is a two-time Travel Writer of the Year from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation, and a ninetime Lowell Thomas Award Winner, including best stories in Adventure Travel, Environmental Travel, and Investigative Reporting.

The moment that led me here, to this dirt road in the mountains of remotest northern Vietnam, came in my bedroom at Gustavus in 1993. I’d just taken the GRE, professor-dom in my sights. Yet there I sat, my inchoate future before me, imagining faraway places. My mind sparked and it hit me: Grad school could wait, I needed to see the world.

Twenty-five years later, grad school is still waiting and I’ve been happily exploring since. With a talent for landing in hair-raising situations, I began writing stories about my misadventures and magazines promptly published them.

Inspired, I studied photography and my peregrinations soon grew into a career as a writer and photographer. Living out of a Volkswagen van and seeking adventure, I roamed the land, pen and camera in hand.

The more I traveled and the more I wrote, the more I understood how my Gustavus education prepared me

“IN MANY WAYS, MY ADULT LIFE IS SIMPLY A CONTINUATION OF MY GUSTAVUS LIFE.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

family like nothing else.

Consider the jungle of Nicaragua.

by teaching me to think critically and

We spent days traveling down the Rio

put people, places, and experiences

San Juan in increasingly smaller boats,

into a larger context. Good writing is

the boys in a constant state of wonder

good thinking. As a history major, my

over the rainbow-colored birds and

education is foundational to my

buzzing intensity of tropical wilderness.

work—you can’t understand the present

There, amid the hemisphere’s largest

without knowing the past.

non-Amazonian rainforest, we stayed in

At some point, I met a cute girl at a

a small, simple lodge run by a former

I’M CONSTANTLY

Rainbow Gathering in New Mexico and,

Sandinista general. This woman, a

LEARNING AND I

after knowing each other for a week,

revolutionary who some considered an

we decamped to South America for two

enemy of America in the 1980s, didn’t

OFTEN STAY UP ALL

months. Progeny soon followed and

mind that we came from the country

NIGHT WORKING ON

we found ourselves living off the grid

that supported the dictator she risked

with two young children in a century-

her life to overthrow. Every night in

old homestead cabin in the wilds of

a simple kitchen she cooked food for

Montana, burning wood for heat and

my family. She pointed us to the best

chopping away creek ice for water. We

creeks for paddleboarding and told us

eventually settled into civilization’s

where to see crocodiles and tapirs. My

embrace in the college town of Missoula

boys learned more about people and the

and, as our two sons grew, we took six-

world on that trip than they ever could

week mountain bike tours through the

have in desk rows.

PAPERS DUE THE

16

wasn’t easy, but those trips bonded our

NEXT DAY.”

Canadian Rockies and skipped school for a year to roam Central America. It

I’m driven almost entirely by curiosity.

As a global writer, I’m essentially a

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

Among other adventures, Teasdale and his wife, Jacqueline, once mountain-biked unsupported from Glacier National Park to Banff over five weeks with their 11- and 7-yearold sons on a tandem bike with a trailer on the back. Later, they took the kids out of school for a year to explore Central America.

17

Teasdale and his son, Jonah, in Costa Rica during the family’s yearlong tour of Central America.

professional curious person. I always want

to throw a spear at a charging lion, or

to know what can be seen from the top

the Muslim men in Jordan who eagerly

of the mountain, what it’s like to paddle

cared for me when I injured my leg in

with whales, mountain bike with giraffes,

an accident, the vast majority of human

or ski with grizzly bears. What are people

beings on this planet are honest, caring

like in Guatemala, Jordan, and Kenya?

people who will go far out of their way to

Curiosity is one of the most important

help strangers in need. Or get you tipsy for

traits of a global citizen—it kills the

breakfast, which you might not need, but

“isms.” The more people you meet in the

will make for a good story someday.

world, the more disdain you will have for

Every day that doesn’t include

racism or classism or nationalism. We’re

something—a moment or interaction or

all making our way through this life the

sight that could make for a good story—is

best we can. The more you travel the

a day that feels in some small way wasted.

more you realize a fundamental truth:

As Mike Horn, famous for (among other

People are good.

things) completing a one-year, six-month

Whether it’s the man living in a

solo journey around the equator without

Bolivian cave who fed me quinoa soup

any motorised transport, once told me,

cooked over a fire at the end of a long

“We have 30,000 days to live in this life,

bike ride, the Hmong grandfather in a

so you owe it to yourself to live each

Vietnamese street market who cheerfully

one to its fullest.” It can be scary to be

insisted the strange-looking foreigner share

different, but if you’re open-hearted and

his corn liquor for breakfast, the Maasai

lead with kindness—something the caring

warriors in Tanzania who taught me how

community at Gustavus can cement in

“ONE THING I FIGURED OUT QUICKLY IS THAT THE WORLD ISN’T NEARLY AS DANGEROUS GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

AS THE NAYSAYERS

18

WOULD HAVE US BELIEVE.”

Teasdale with a Vietnamese military officer and his dad, Harold, a veteran of the Vietnam War, in the Ha Giang province during their father-son biking trip through Vietnam.

young adults—you will be embraced.

That’s the most important thing I’ve

Who Lives Abroad?

learned in my 47 years—get out there.

Whether it’s halfway around the planet

WE CAN’T EVEN BEGIN TO LIST ALL OF THEM, BUT HERE’S A SAMPLING OF

or to the state park down the road, get

GUSTIES LIVING LIVES OF PURPOSE IN A WIDE VARIETY OF INDUSTRIES

outside every day. I’m a nature writer

AND LOCALES OUTSIDE OF THE U.S. GO GUSTIES!

too, and I believe strongly that we all need time, as much as possible, in the

Sten Hammar ’59, opthalmologist in Denmark | Anne Shumate ’60, theater

natural world, the world we evolved in,

owner and director in Ireland | Gloria Floreen ’68, professor of solfeggio in

the world that soothes our nerves and

Switzerland | Jean Bjorling Young ’70, medical superintendent and surgeon

vitalizes our spirit in ways that being

in Ghana | Carol Manfred Sack ’72, music-based pastoral care in Japan | Mark

walled inside or in front of screens

Sallmen ’73, tour guide in Finland | Jan Lowrey Groves ’75, university researcher

never can. Whether we know it or not,

in England | David Olson ’75, bookstore manager in Norway | Enriqueta Salazar

it’s home.

’76, psychologist in Guatemala | Thad ’78 and Michael ’82 Peterson, safari tour company owners in Tanzania | Felipe Bernstein ’79, partner/president of a data

expectations has always left me a bit

company in Chile | David Schlenker ’80, owner of bakery and natural foods

of an outsider. I do not own a tie, nor

company in Germany | James Costello ’82, dentist in Hong Kong | Eric Lindberg

the neighborhood’s nicest car. I do,

’85, diplomat in Cuba | Terri Alexander Mahoney ’86, bank portfolio manager

however, have tents for every conceivable

in the Netherlands | Steve Hillmer ’87, English professor in Saudi Arabia | Cindy

combination of season, terrain, and party

Javoroski ’87, director of capital markets in Spain | Sven Thierhoff x’88 (exchange

size. I wouldn’t trade the experiences I’ve

student), entertainment licensing in Germany | Laura Westby ’88, general

had in those tents for any possessions. My

counsel in Switzerland | Tim Gilbertson ’89, controller in Republic of Singapore

ethos is simple: Spread love, get outside,

| Barbro Jonsson x’89 (exchange student), the Nobel Foundation in Sweden |

explore the world.

Tracey Schultz Connor ’90, human resources manager in England | Christian

That’s what we were aiming to do

Dummer ’91, pharmaceutical business operations director in Italy | Jon Oliphant

in Vietnam, as we biked through the

’91, nightclub owner in China | Jeff Ostman ’91, company director in France |

vaulting Karst mountains of the Ha Giang

Dinah Essilfie-Bondzie ’93, IT manager in Ghana | Ritsuko Morishita ’93, television

province. When the military man stopped

director and researcher in Japan | Benetus Nangombe ’93, secretary of health

us at the remote checkpoint, I braced for

and social services in Namibia | David Wiberg ’93, water management in Sri

the worst. I could see Dad go flinty-eyed.

Lanka | Kristina Hisey Fleming ’95, natural resource policy manager in Australia

He knew the man’s uniform all too well—

| Phil Miesle ’95, software architect in Ireland | Oageng Melato ’98, automotive

they were the ones trying to kill him. But

marketing liaison in South Africa | Kiril Avramov ’99, marketing director in

instead of a weapon, the man in green

Bulgaria | Tina Lohmann-Andrews ’00 publications production manager in

and red brandished a smile.

England | Elisabeth Olson ’00, general counsel in Canada | Piyush Sonpal ’00,

“Where you from?” he wanted to

real estate developer in India | Graziela Tanaka ’01, nonprofit director in Canada

know. Were we enjoying his beautiful

| Michael Formas ’02, banking operations manager in Bermuda | Irfan Rasiwala

country? I let him try my mountain bike,

’02, merchandising director in Canada | Nate Brase ’03, risk management in

which he pedaled with obvious glee. As

Hong Kong | Anne Wenstrom ’03, physical education teacher in Republic of

we prepared to say goodbye, he indicat-

Singapore | Baffour Appiah-Korang ’11, business manager in Ghana | Kelly Broady

ed he wanted a picture with us, his new

’11, genetics counselor in Germany | Chad Graham ’13, English teacher in China |

friends. We all stood together, former

Juan Luis Chu ’14, sales supervisor in Peru

enemies arm in arm, smiles on our faces and goodwill in our hearts. Turns out the people of Vietnam hadn’t lost the cheerful

Gusties in the U.S. and abroad: Have you checked in with us recently?

vitality my dad loved. We just needed to

We’d love to learn where you are and what you’re up to. Send us a

come and say hello. •

dispatch at gustavus.edu/alumni.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

My utter disregard for societal

19

“ HOW CAN WE KEEP FROM It’s the title of the Gustavus Choir’s tour through the MUSICAL CAPITALS OF EUROPE and one of the

Stockholm, Sweden

hymns they sang along the way. Their collective answer —from students and alumni companions both— rang harmoniously through five countries.

F

or some it was a baptism into Europe and touring. For Greg

Leipzig, Germany

Aune, it was a swan song. As the

retiring conductor of G Choir (see page

Prague, Czech Republic

40), “I thought about the students,” when designing the tour, he says. “What places would world travelers have on their musical bucket list?” It was a big list, rich

Berlin, Germany Wittenberg, Germany

ROAD

Vienna, Austria

Bratislava, Slovakia

with the history and cultural significance of Mozart and Bach and Brahms and Haydn and Martin Luther, covering performance spaces from Austria to the Czech Republic, through Germany, and on to Stockholm, Sweden.

In Europe, “there’s a long choral tradition,” Aune says, particularly a Lutheran one. Expectations are high.

“I am so proud of this choir—to sing GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

in those churches, to do music at a

20

really high level.” At Gustavus, you don’t

“A tour becomes a tapestry of music

have to be a music major to perform

and people and art and friendships that

at that level, which itself is a lesson in

weave together in a beautiful way,” says

purposeful living through a diverse

Aune. In one of the hymns, the choir sang,

community. Says incoming G Choir

“Rise up, follow me, I will lead you home.”

conductor Brandon Dean, “In choir,

Thousands of miles from the hill, in some

you’re contributing to a greater whole,

of the most sacred spaces in the world,

and everyone is valued.”

they came home to their music.

“ WHAT CANNOT BE SAID IN OUR DAY IS SUNG.” — Mozart (as The G Choir noted in his home in Vienna, now a museum)

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

The Gustavus Choir, conducted by Greg Aune, at St. Martin’s Cathedral in Bratislava, Slovakia. The Choir performed to a full crowd on a Monday afternoon when it was 39 degrees inside the cathedral—so cold everyone could see their own breath. Though the church is 567 years old—11 kings and queens of the Austro-Hungarian empire had coronations here—Slovakia has existed as a free republic for only 30 years. Before that, it was behind the Iron Curtain.

21

Pre-Tour Work Before leaving on tour, G Choir students studied music history daily with Gustavus cantor and assistant professor Chad Winterfeldt. Instruction spanned cities, time periods, and composers. For instance, he says, “We talked about Vienna and the composers there and how they related to St. Stephen’s Cathedral and the Hapsburgs.

We talked about the students’ own contexts, living and performing at this liberal arts college in Minnesota.” The best learning, he says, “came from the question of musical identity—how does your sense of place form your musical identity?”

(Winterfeldt fulfilled his own identity as a Bach-loving organist by performing Bach on the New Bach organ in the church where Bach is now buried.)

Performing their repertoire also required intense study and practice. “The students worked daily for five months to take their music abroad,” says incoming G Choir conductor Dean. “They were so invested in both the music-making process and each other. The life-giving experiences that happen on tour are a natural extension of that.”

Daily instruction pre-tour came from cantor and assistant professor Chad Winterfeldt (left), performing Bach in Thomaskirche in Leipzig, Germany. (Right) Greg Aune and Brandon Dean after a choir performance in Stephansdom in Vienna.

Students It was the culmination of intense repertoire preparation, still each day was completely new for the 69 students in G Choir—a new country, a new history to explore, a new place to sing. It worked, says Emma Myhre ’19, a theatre and communication studies major.

“I learned so much by reflecting on the music differently at each place.”

Of course there was learning beyond performance: The Berlin Wall, the origins of Lutheranism in Wittenberg, Germany, a Verdi opera at the Vienna State Opera—“I’d never seen an opera, I’d only listened to them on Spotify,” says Ryan Weber ’22, who had also never left North America. There were many bowls of muesli and goulash, piles of buttered potatoes and sauerkraut, sausages and fresh-baked breads, and the

THEY SANG IN SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SPACES IN THE WORLD | Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral) in Vienna. Mozart’s marriage ceremony and funeral were both held in this nearly 900-year-old Romanesque and Gothic cathedral. Klementinum Mirror Chapel in Prague. Intimate and uniquely Baroque, the organ here was routinely played by Mozart. Schlosskirche (Castle Church) in Wittenberg, Germany. This is where Martin Luther posted the Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas Church) in Leipzig, Germany. A mash of Romanesque and Gothic and Baroque styles, Bach was music director and premiered several works here. Johannes Forsamling Church, Stockholm, Sweden. The Neo-Gothic design and site orientation were a break from tradition commissioned by Gustav III of

91 G choir members (including 22 singing alumni, parents, and friends)

Companions

Choir, companions, and President Bergman at the doors where Martin Luther nailed the Ninety-Five Theses.

Along for the ride were 48 companions, including alumni ranging from the class of ’18 to the class of ’59. For the alumni choir members (including President Rebecca Bergman), the tour was a unique testament that the song can go on after Gustavus: They sang with the Gustavus Choir, stepping into their sections during each performance and blending—musically and physically—with students.

There were some powerful moments for these “post-college” singers. The 1983 G Choir, including Paul Batz ’85, was denied entry into Thomaskirche in Leipzig, which was then in East Germany. This year his wife, Melinda Moen Batz ’81, and his daughter, Anna ’18, performed there with the choir to an eager audience. On her robe, Kris (Samelian) Potter ’81 wore the G Choir pin that belonged to her mother, Gloria (Anderson) Samelian ’52.

“It was always on my list to go on an international tour,” she says. Says her husband, Mike Potter ’81, “It’s always been on my list to keep singing.” He’s a Gustie. How can he be kept from it?

To read more about the tour directly from students and alums, and to view the program and the choir’s repertoire, visit touring.blog.gustavus/edu.

For other upcoming alumni and companion tours, see page 35.

17

pieces

14 days

11

formal and informal performances

9 different organs to play

essential fikas. There were conversations held across five languages, over strong coffee and a shared love of classical music. There were performances—almost daily—that required no explanation except the emotions the choir could evoke from audiences. “I was coming with selfish reasons for being on tour,” says management major James Santiago ’20, who had never traveled outside of the U.S. “But the strongest thing you can get in college is the ability to relate to others.” In the broadest and most intimate senses, that’s what students gained: how to relate to the world outside of Saint Peter, to different pieces of music, and to each other.” Says Gustavus professor emeritus (and veteran touring conductor) Doug Nimmo who was along as a companion, “These students on tour have been asked to do things as musicians they have never done before. And that is good.”

8

cities

5

flights

2

conductors

2

urgent care visits (viruses)

1

Sweden. Hedvig Eleanora Church in Stockholm, Sweden. One of the clocks at the top of this octagon church is a war trophy from the Kronborg Castle in Denmark. Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin. A dramatic example of modernism (see page 40), the original church was bombed in 1943; its damaged spire remains in remembrance. Performances also included informal sings at the Berliner Dom in Berlin, at Bach’s home church, Thomaskirche, in Leipzig, and the throne room (Hall of State) at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, where Swedish royalty has been crowned, married, and celebrated for centuries.

new tattoo (that we know of)

SPORTS

Tanner Sonnek ’19 placed third in the 200 breakstroke at the NCAA championships in March. His time of 1:58.8 also broke a Gustavus record. As a team, the Gustie men took home 17th in the nation.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

SUPER SWIMMING.

24

Stepping on to the deck of Vic Gustafson

“We were fourth in the conference when

not to mention his five All-America

Pool for the first time as a first-year four

I came into this program and now to win

awards and Gustavus Student-Athlete of

years ago, Tanner Sonnek (Sr., North

by 164 points, you love to see it. It’s such

the Year accolade in 2017.

Mankato) was nervous but at the same

a team effort to win the conference meet

time had a drive to help the men’s

as opposed to winning individual races. It

the team as a freshman, Sonnek’s outlook

swimming & diving team capture a MIAC

was a hard season, but everybody was in it

on what the future held was fulfilled

championship.

together.”

throughout his time on The Hill. “It’s

“I was looking up [at the MIAC

The North Mankato native played a

Going back to his first experience with

been everything and more,” he says. “I

banners in the pool] and saw the long

large part in the team’s success as one

came here because of how welcoming

drought. I wanted to bring that to an

of the most prolific swimmers in MIAC

the team was on my visit. I’ve loved every

end,” he says.

history, winning four consecutive 200-

second. The team culture is incredible and

yard breaststroke titles, three-straight

not many people can have that. We have

teammates did, as the Gusties won their

100-yard breaststroke championships, and

so much fun while we work hard. I’ve

first MIAC title since 2008.

setting conference meet records to earn

had a blast for four years and wouldn’t

two MIAC Swimmer of the Year honors,

change a thing.”

And four years later, he and his

“It was a long road,” Sonnek says.

Men’s Basketball

Team. DiNella finished her decorated

Men’s Golf

The Gusties reached the MIAC playoffs for

career as the program’s all-time saves

The Gusties took second place at the

the first time in four years. They finished

leader with 1,722 career stops.

MIAC Championships with a threeround total of 886. Jacob Pedersen (Fy.,

Marshall) earned MIAC All-Conference

Women’s Swimming & Diving

honorable mention and Nolan Malo (Fy.,

The Gusties finished second at the

71-210. Max Ullan (So., Blaine) joined

Owatonna) received All First-Year honors.

MIAC Championships. Maggie Webster

Pedersen on the All-Championship Team

(Sr., Apple Valley) won the MIAC title in

with an eighth-place finish at 221. The

MIAC for sixth place. Riley Sharbono (Sr.,

Women’s Basketball

Minnetonka) won medalist honors by a four-stroke margin, carding a 70-69-

the 50-yard freestyle and took second

Gusties started the fall season at the

The Gusties made an appearance in

in the 100 free. Sophia Steinberg (So.,

Transylvania Invitational against a field

the MIAC playoffs for a record 19th

Faribault), Haley Pesik (Sr. Eagan),

of nationally ranked opponents and took

consecutive season. They upset Saint

Alyssa Lokensgard (Jr., Saint Peter),

fifth of 17 teams.

Ben’s on the road before losing to St.

Alyssa Kohorst (So., Sauk Centre), Hanna

Thomas in the semifinals. They finished

Pokornowksi (So., Cokato), Hailey Auran

Women’s Golf

the season 15-12 overall and 11-7 in the

(So., St. Paul), and Michelle Simms (Sr.,

The Gusties took third place at the MIAC

MIAC for fifth place. Justine Lee (Sr.,

Inver Grove Heights) also had All-MIAC

Championships, turning in a three-round

Dawson) and Kendall Thompson (Sr.,

performances.

total of 971. Ellie Brandt (Sr., Wayzata)

Eden Prairie) were named All-Conference.

tied for eighth with a 77-80-83-240 to

Lee also became the 13th player in

Men’s Indoor Track & Field

program history to reach 1,000 career

Projected to take ninth place at the MIAC

Morgan Bleyhl (Jr., Elk River) finished 11th

points and set the record for career

Championships, the Gusties claimed fifth.

with a 244 and Sydney Regalado (Fy.,

games played with 113.

Taylor Rooney (So., Andover) earned

Rosemount) was close behind in 13th with

MIAC Most Outstanding Performance

a 246. Earlier in the fall season, the Gusties

for breaking his own meet record in the

competed at the Division III National

The Gusties finished the season 7-17-1

60-meter hurdles. Michael Hensch (Sr.,

Preview and took eighth of 18 in a field of

overall, finishing in eighth place in the

North Branch) also earned All-Conference

nationally ranked teams.

MIAC with a 4-11-1 record. The highlight

in the weight throw and shot put. Both

win of the season was on January 19,

Hensch and Rooney garnered All-Region

Gymnastics

when the Gusties defeated then No.

honors.

After competing in nine meets during

Men’s Hockey

4-ranked Augsburg 3-1 in Coach Brett

earn All-Championship Team honors.

the regular season, the Gusties took sixth

bench. Robbie Goor (So., Anoka) received

Women’s Indoor Track & Field

All-Conference honorable mention and

The Gusties took fifth at the MIAC

Calif.) took second in the all-around and

Toby Sengvongxay (Fy., Luverne) was

Championships. Tierney Winter (Jr.,

fourth on the bars to earn All-Conference.

named to the All-Rookie Team.

Waterville) won the MIAC title in the mile

Amanda Malo (Sr., Greenwood) also

and teamed up with Josie Blake (So.,

earned All-WIAC for her performance

Petersen’s 500th career game on the

Women’s Hockey

place at the WIAC/NCGA West Regional.

Samantha Ardy (Sr., Thousand Oaks,

Waukeegan, Ill.), Sara Moen (So., Blaine),

on the bars and floor. Ardy and Malo

The Gusties reached the MIAC playoffs,

and Abigail Schnabel (Sr., Hamburg) to

garnered NCGA All Championship

finishing the season 16-6-5 overall and

win the championship in the distance

Team honors while Brooke Merila (Fy.,

took fourth place in the MIAC with an 11-4-

medley relay. The relay team also broke

St. Michael) joined the two seniors at

4 record. Amanda DiNella (Sr., Oakbrook

the school record and earned All-Region

the NCGA Championship as all-around

Terrace, Ill.), Allie Stanger (Sr., Paynesville)

honors. Other All-MIAC performances

competitors. Malo and Merila earned All-

and Amelia Vosen (Jr., Nowthen) earned

included Katie Keelin (Jr., Burnsville) in

America honors at NCGA Championship,

All-Conference while Kayla Vrieze (So.,

the weight throw and Schnabel in the

while Malo was named West Region

Eagan) was named to the All-Rookie

1000-meter.

Gymnast of the Year.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

the season 8-12 (11-15 overall) in the

25

FINE ARTS

Studio art major Gunnar Van Guilder ’20 (Mahtomedi), left, receives feedback on his work from Virginia A. Groot Sculptor-in-Residence Andrew Hellmund.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

FOUND IN SCULPTURE

26

In high school, sculptor Andrew

The exhibit was part of his role as a

Hellmund found himself creating

sculptor-in-residence at Gustavus funded

semester he teaches a class for art and

sculptures constantly, going so far as

by a grant from the Virginia A. Groot

non-art majors alike. This fall, Hellmund

to carry around wire and pliers and make

Foundation. The grant, which is spread

took that class through the process of

small sculptures of people from the wire.

over three years, allows the College to

creating art from “found” items like

In 2010, he sold his first sculpted piece

collaborate with three-dimensional artists

plastic, cardboard, and steel—items

(made from elevator shaft and railing) for

to bring a more diverse art experience to

that might be garbage but can become

more than he realized was possible.

students. Hellmund is the second artist to

compelling art.

Since then, Hellmund has made a career making sculptures out of steel and

hold the one-year appointment.

As part of his role, Hellmund works

organic collaboration. And each

“I believe that by using recycled materials, we’re able to give people the

materials he finds. Several of his works

with students both in the classroom and

opportunity to see what’s around them

are large-scale public installations across

informally. He keeps a studio on campus

in a different light,” he says. “And maybe

North America. An exhibit of his smaller

and interacts frequently with students;

through this window we can see people

works ran through February 23 in the

the close proximity of his studio to the

or other things we’ve discarded in a new

Schaefer Art Gallery.

studios of senior art majors provides for

light as well.”

In Iphigenia and Other Daughters, Serena Schreifels ’19 (Brainerd), left, played Clytemnestra; Alicia Ehlringer ’19 (Randolph) played her youngest daughter, Chrysothemis. The production refocused the classic Greek tragedy around the women.

Music The second annual Gustavus Jazz Jamboree featured GRAMMY-nominated jazz violinist Sara Caswell in performance with the Gustavus Jazz Ensemble.

The festival doubled in size this year, welcoming nearly 200 students from 10 high school jazz ensembles around the state for performances, non-competitive adjudication with professional jazz clinicians, and masterclasses on various jazz elements.

Theatre/Dance Associate Professor of Dance Melissa Rolnick’s duet LEGACY 1: AND THEN THERE WAS ONE, performed by Maddie Bakken ’19 (Mayer) and Mia Massaro ’19 (Eagan) was selected for the gala performance at American College Dance Association’s NorthCentral Conference March 23. The piece included costume design by instructor Larissa McConnell and lighting design by technical director and instructor

the actors spent time learning Suzuki

February 21-24 and featured leadership

by visiting artist Matt Trucano, brought

and Viewpoints methods of acting.

from several current students including

the voices of women to the forefront in

Several innovative special effects were

set design by Nicole Meyer ’20 (St.

this re-telling of the classic story of the

incorporated into the show, including

Michael) and costume design by Julia

House of Atreus. Throughout January,

a flying set-piece. The production ran

Kugler ’19 (Oakdale).

NEXT

Iphigenia and Other Daughters, directed

May 4–June 1 | Senior Studio Art Majors Exhibition, Hillstrom Museum of Art May 18 | Song Go Ever On: A Choral Celebration featuring the Gustavus Choir, Choir of Christ Chapel, Gustavus Symphony Orchestra, and Gustavus Alumni Choir, with soloists Michael Jorgensen and Melissa Williams, conducted by Gregory Aune; 3 p.m. in Christ Chapel; $15 at gustavustickets.com May 17–18 | Title and Deed, 8 p.m. and May 19 at 2 p.m. in Anderson Theatre May 31 | Gustavus Wind Orchestra Finale Concert, 7 p.m. in Bjorling Recital Hall Through May 24 | Imprecision, Schaefer Art Gallery

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

Terena Wilkens.

27

Gratitude

MAKING IT POSSIBLE Thanks to many generous alumni and friends, students who never imagined

SPREADING HER WINGS

they could study away get the

EXPERIENCE THAT FIT PERFECTLY.

There are more than a dozen

opportunity to do so.

A SCHOLARSHIP, A CURRICULUM INNOVATION, AND A STUDY-AWAY scholarships for Gustavus students who

Skylar Abrego ’20 thought she couldn’t

learning about the country’s culture and

study away and for non-U.S. students

afford the time to study away considering

Haitian relations. “As someone who is

who wish to attend Gustavus. Awards

her course load, her student employment,

of Latin American descent, it was an

differ, but most are between $500 and

her internship, and her campus sports

awesome opportunity,” Abrego says.

$3,000.

show, which she launched this year. She

“And as someone who had never been

also thought she couldn’t afford the cost.

on an airplane, or outside the U.S., I

different. So is each student’s financial

But thanks to a curricular approach

Each study-away program is

really got out of my comfort zone. I

situation. But there is one commonality:

that embedded a study-away opportunity

had to adapt quickly and communicate

Study away opportunities have some

within her Public Memory course,

across a language barrier.”

costs that sit outside the scope of

and a scholarship given through the

Students at Gustavus study away in

traditional financial aid packages. The

College, Abrego had a 10-day immersive

a variety of scenarios: for a semester,

instruction for most programs is usually

experience in the Dominican Republic,

during January Interim, during touring

covered—but beyond that, travel, living

and training weeks. They attend classes,

arrangements, meals, and incidentals

immerse themselves in a culture, and

often must be paid out-of-pocket,

complete service, research, and career

creating financial barriers that are hard

preparation projects. Embedding a

to make up, especially for students

study away trip within an on-campus

whose families are already striving to

course creates even more flexibility

afford Gustavus. Because of this, says

for students, allowing more students

Roger Adkins, director of international

to experience the growth that comes

and cultural education, “Students must

with studying outside of one’s

sometimes withdraw from opportunities

dominant culture. “It’s so important

because they can’t make it work

to get outside of this dome we have in

financially.” Or, he says, students don’t

America,” Abrego says. “I now realize

even consider studying away, assuming

how much is out there.”

there is no way they can afford it.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

That’s why these gifts are so

28

Would you like to help Gustavus students looking to study away, either

important. They help domestic students

domestically or internationally? Reach out: gustavus.edu/giving.

get out there and international students get here, which in turn helps make our community smarter, more vibrant,

WHAT IS GAINED BY STUDYING AWAY?

more diverse, more equitable, more

Significant development in intercultural skills, flexibility and

empathetic, and more worldly.

adaptability, self-awareness, curiosity, confidence, problem solving,

Being here. Coming here. Going away

and interpersonal skills, notes a study by the Association of American

from here. Returning here. All make our

Colleges & Universities. An entire body of research shows similar results.

here better—all help our Gustavus grow.

Heritage

DIG IF YOU WILL THE PICTURE. It’s undated, but judging by the sweaters, the hair, and that totally rad Purple Rain-era poster of Prince, we’re guessing this photo is from 1984. It’s been 35 years since the summer Purple Rain was released, and three years since Prince’s death. Yet he lives on in more than just our Gustavus Adolphus College Archives and our dusty cassette tapes (and Spotify playlists). During this year’s January Interim Experience, history professor Misti Harper Revolution: Race, Masculinity, and Purple Reign. Interest among the new (power?) generation was to the max; the class filled almost immediately. And not because of the promise of watching Prince videos all day. Says Harper, “Given that I study women’s and gender history, and Black history, Prince offered me a wonderful chance to use the ultimate pop culture icon who was also a social and cultural chameleon.” Through Prince, students delved into issues of gender fluidity, racial equality, and masculinity. Says Harper, “By the end of the course, I had students referencing W.E.B. DuBois’s ‘double consciousness’ theory while they talked about the film Purple Rain, and discussing Prince’s feminine alter ego when they dissected his on-stage wardrobe.” Dearly beloved, you can gather here on campus for Reunion Weekend, June 7–9. It’s a reunion year for classes ending in 4s and 9s, so you can party like it’s 1999, or 1984, or both. And if you’re in this photo, let us know. We’ll send you a Gustavus mug. Bonus points if your name is Wendy or Lisa.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

taught one of the first college-level courses in the U.S. devoted exclusively to the Purple One, titled Class, Prince, and the Sexual

29

2018–19 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

G USTIES

Kara Buckner ’97, (president), marketing consultant Michael Bussey ’69, (vice president), senior consultant, Donor by Design Group, LLC Dan Michel ’90, (treasurer), director of digital media, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Greetings Gusties, What a year it’s been! From overflowing support for Gustie career endeavors to an unheard of increase in alumni giving, Gusties have committed to making sure the Gustavus experience continues to be life-changing. And it’s that commitment that ignited a sense of gratitude and pride among us in the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement.

We’ve made commitments too. We’ve promised to think critically about what we offer you for being a member of this unique community. We are doing more to inspire you to enthusiastically give to the College when we know you’ve got plenty of options for which causes you support. And we’ve listened to your feedback, both formal and informal, making sure to deliver everything you expect from a place like Gustavus.

With all that in mind, we’re excited to reach higher and do more in service to the mission of the College. For example, the Gustavus Fund provides more than 2.6 million mission-critical dollars to support the day-to-day work of the College and our Gusties. These dollars flow directly to students through scholarships and financial aid, faculty support, research, and student services.

In terms of opportunities to gather and connect with other members of the Gustavus community, we’ve continued to refine our new Reunion Weekend and Homecoming offerings, enhanced our virtual programming (including a new platform for career development and networking), and

Esther Mulder ’08, (secretary), public defender, Hennepin County

added exciting events like Gustavus Night at Target Field to our over 60 options offered worldwide each year. We’ve also grown our pool of talented, dedicated volunteer leaders and provided them with additional resources and support to facilitate their connections with you.

We are so proud of our alumni and friends for giving back to the College. In the last two years, we have seen a significant increase in alumni giving.

Gusties are donating in honor of reunions, on Give to Gustavus Day, during Phonathon, and in response to specific tasks throughout the year. In fact, more than 50 percent of the Class of 2018 gave to their senior class legacy gift. There is momentum at this wonderful place, and members of all ages are feeling it, joining it, and building upon it.

However you choose to give—whether it’s to the Gustavus Fund or to support something dear to you on campus through your philanthropy, time, or talents—we’re grateful that you are investing in our current and future Gusties. Because when you invest in our Gusties, your impact goes further than you can imagine.

J.C. Anderson ’82, partner/attorney, Gray Plant Mooty Rick Barbari ’91, head of enterprise data management, US Bank Mark Bergman ’79, president/owner, Bercom International Mary Booker ’91, assistant vice provost– student financial services, University of San Francisco Jen Brandenburg ’02, pharmacist, Abbott Northwestern Hospital Sara Schnell Elenkiwich ’10, operations, Sparboe Farms Theresa Gienapp ’97, director of planned giving, Macalester College Cathy Villars Harms ’85, vice president of marketing, Tecmark LLC Stephanie Kendall ’76, executive consultant, Smarter Workforce, IBM Corporation Peter Kitundu ’92, general counsel, Blue Cross Blue Shield Todd Krough ’85, Sr. investment officer, Tealwood Asset Management Damon Larson ’84, librarian/research coach, Chaparral High School Bill Laumann ’66, retired school teacher/ librarian, Albert Lea ISD #241 Ginny Kirkegaard Leppart ’76, teacher, retired Jason Mischel ’96, vice president of sales and marketing, Valley Queen Cheese Kay Rethwill Moline ’56, (emeritus member), retired Gustavus nursing faculty

Go Gusties!

Stay Connected Facebook: /gustavusalumni Twitter: @gustiealum #gogusties #whygustavus

Karl Self ’81, clinical associate professor/ director of division of dental therapy, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry Daniel Sellers ’06, executive director, EdAllies Vidya Sivan ’02, digital communications specialist, Harvard Kennedy School Marcia Stephens ’73, financial advisor, retired

Katie Ackert Schroeder ’03, Director of the Gustavus Fund

30

Alumni Association

Angela Erickson ’01, Director, Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement

Gordon Mansergh ’84, (immediate past president), senior behavioral scientist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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

GUSTIES

MY GUSTAVUS Colleen Jacks ’79 CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY “I REMEMBER IN MY FIRST SEMESTER I GOT A C IN MY RELIGION COURSE. IT WAS LIKE, OH, GEE, THIS IS SOMETHING NEW.”

I grew up in St. Paul and I thought I could never afford a place like Gustavus. I was thinking I would go into pharmacy. When I looked at the Gustavus catalog they actually had a pre-pharmacy curriculum. Then, when I got accepted and the financial aid package said it would be doable, I came to look at campus. I was the oldest of six kids. The idea of going away to school instead of being at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, was really attractive.

In high school, I was always one of the top students. Here it was certainly… different. Part of the adjustment is something students still face: wanting to be a part of everything. Sometimes I wanted to go to bed at night but I was afraid to because I might miss out on something happening on my floor. I was involved with the Student Senate, I was in the forerunner to the Lucia Singers, and I got involved in dance. I had always wanted to take a dance class. It’s been a lifelong avocation.

I realized that it was actually genetics that I was interested in. I went to the University of Minnesota to do my doctorate in the genetics program.

I was in graduate school near the start of when people were cloning genes and doing DNA sequencing. While at the University of Chicago for a post-doc, this position at Gustavus became open.

It was my dream job. I’ve had it for 31 years. I retire this year.

This is going to be my 40th reunion this summer. It’s been fun and interesting to see how the institution has evolved, and how I’ve evolved. Students are more engaged in the classroom and less passive than 40 years ago. Back then most classrooms were designed around the “sage on the stage.” I was the only woman in a tenure-track position in Nobel Hall when I came here. There is a lot more diversity in the faculty today, and not just in ethnicity or gender. There is not that same kind of sense that, “We are Gustavus and we do it this way.” Now, other viewpoints are appreciated. I think that’s what the liberal arts are about, the lifelong learning, not getting too set in your ways, being able to move with the way the world is moving.

The Work Continues When Jacks’s partner, Gustavus math professor Jeff Rosoff, passed away last year, he gave a gift through his estate that will be a Heritage Scholarship and an endowed student-faculty research fellowship in the math department. “He had a very good career here and he loved the community of Saint Peter,” Jacks says. For more on giving, visit gustavus.edu/alumni/give.

GUSTIES

64|

Nicky Kerpen Bredeson, Edina, is a psychotherapist and owner of her business, Nicky Bredeson and Associates.

Larry Churchill, Faribault, has retired from Goodyear Tire and is now working part time as a transportation deputy with the Rice County Sheriff’s Department.

Jon Romer, Cass Lake, music professor emeritus at Gustavus, is now teaching Native American flute at Bemidji State University.

65|

Charles Rodning, Semmes, AL, is professor emeritus, department of surgery, College of Medicine & University Hospital, University of South Alabama, Mobile. He will soon begin an education for ministry program, via the School of Theology, University of South, Sewanee, TN.

69|

Gerry Hippensteel, Vincennes, IN, is working as a physician at the Medical Center of Vincennes.

Jan Horak, Tofte, is the owner and operator of Cobblestone Cabins.

71| GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

Richard A. Boyum, Washington, DC, is a retired foreign service officer consulting on international education.

32

Allen Magnuson, Dalton, retired from pediatric practice after 40 years at Lake Region Healthcare in Fergus Falls.

Sandra Dickmeyer Magnuson, Dalton, continues to work at Victor Lundeen Company.

73|

William Beslock, White Lake, MI, is semi-retired and guest teaches at a local school.

Mark Matuseski, Duluth, retired after 35 years as an anesthesiologist with Essentia Health.

74|

Bonnie Ostlund, Golden Valley, has changed from full-time to part-time work at Robbinsdale School District, and is now in the business office of Adventure Club School Age Care.

Thomas Turnquist, Madison, WI, has retired from his career as a real estate agent.

Carl Wicklund, Edina, is a selfemployed criminal and juvenile justice consultant.

75|

Dick Fuller, Apple Valley, sold his dental practice last September after 40 years of practicing dentistry.

Mark Helgeland, Thief River Falls, is a retired ELCA pastor serving on the Bishop Election Committee for the Northwestern Minnesota Synod and spends time in his woodshop.

Ron Rude, Tucson, AZ, retired January 2019 after 17 years as a Lutheran campus pastor at the University of Arizona-Tucson. Future plans include teaching (Holden Village, OLLI, Diakonia), writing, travel, and volunteering.

Jane Stenehjem Timmerman, Saint Peter, retired at the end of August, after 31 years as the director of the Saint Peter Recreation and Leisure Services Department.

76|

Julie Benson Italiano, Merriam, KS, retired in July 2018 from Nail Avenue Baptist Church as the communications/ membership secretary.

Cathy Carlson, Minneapolis, was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in recognition of her research on osteochondrosis, a developmental disease affecting both animals and humans, and her teaching.

She chairs the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota.

Greg Ovrebo, Beltsville, MD, retired after working for 35 years as a physicist with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory in Adelphi, MD.

77|

Dean Wolf, Mankato, is a retired pastor from Centenary United Methodist Church in Mankato. He preaches every Sunday and keeps a vintage shop.

78|

Janet Valo Ditmanson, Grand Marais, is a pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church.

Gregg Gamble, Pequot Lakes, is owner and operator of the Emily Greens Golf Course.

Eric Zilley, Eagan, has retired from 3M after more than 36 years, where he worked as the senior corporate intellectual property liaison.

79|

Kathy Truran Bernhardson, Eden Prairie, is a caregiver at Eden Prairie ISD #272.

Felipe Bernstein, Santiago, Chile, is a partner and president of Solnet, a digital technology company.

Martin H. Borchardt, Woodbury, has retired from his career as a dentist.

Mark Buss, Marshall, longtime employee of Bremer Bank, has retired from his position as vice president of Bremer Investments.

Jane Burman Cummings, Aitkin, retired from her career at Cummings Oil. Kathy Meuser Nickleby, Woodbury, is retired from a career as a teacher and physical education specialist.

David Schauer, Winthrop, is the county attorney for Sibley County.

Randy Schmalz, New York, NY, is a psychologist with SCO Family Services.

Mark Tiemann, South Haven, is the president of Tiemann Construction Services.

Sandra Haack Willson, Maple Grove, is a clinical supervisor at the Institute for Athletic Medicine.

81|

Mary Rolf Bodin, Roseville, retired in January 2018 after a 37-year career in nursing, most recently as transplant coordinator at the University of Minnesota Medical Center.

Richard Waller, Brainerd, is a hospice chaplain for Good Samaritan Society in Nisswa.

82|

Eric Timm, Burr Ridge, IL, has been appointed chief executive officer of Sivantos following his tenure as the company’s chief operating officer.

84|

Mike Bishop, Plymouth, is the director of risk management at The Mosaic Company.

Elaine Ito, Minneapolis, is working as a physical therapist for HealthEast Care System.

Jim Kapoun, York, PA, is the library director at York College of Pennslyvania.

Brian Koski, Barnum, is the finance manager at JMR Financial Group.

John V. Owens, Pembroke Pines, FL, is working as an advisor to the Alliance for Financial Inclusion and their 95 member countries.

He is also working with various multilateral banks like the World Bank and the ASIAN Development Bank as well as the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion.

Betty Wannarka Ringeisen, Sherburn, is teaching high school health and physical education at Jackson County Central High School.

Phil M. Skow, Saint James, is a self-employed chiropractor.

Chris Steele, Excelsior, is a dentist at Ridge Park Dental.

Marilee Buss Zalewski, Holmen, WI, is a receptionist at Johns, Flaherty & Collins Law Office.

Bret N. Smith, Lexington, KY, is a professor at University of Kentucky College of Medicine and has been appointed Chair of the Department of Neuroscience.

86|

Daniel P. Felton, Laurel, MD, is director, state and local government affairs for Iron Mountain.

87|

Brian L. Pickering, Sammamish, WA, is a senior security specialist for The Walt Disney Company in Seattle, WA, leading development of automation and services related to IT security.

Melissa Radeke, Slayton, is principal for grades 4–6 and director of teaching/learning for Windom Public Schools.

88|

Dave Pieper, Caledonia, works as a financial advisor for Mutual of Omaha, and along with his wife, Betsy, owns and operates Betsy’s Bed and Breakfast.

89|

Rebecca Bystol, Gurnee, IL, is a training manager at AbbVie. Tom Harjes, Eden Prairie, is a partner with the accounting firm of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause.

Char Henn, Red Wing, is the museum director at the Pottery Museum of Red Wing.

Michael Ketterling, Inver Grove Heights, is a pilot for Southwest Airlines.

Jennifer Buzzelle Medernach, St. Paul, is a business agility coach at Thompson Reuters.

Eric Shover, Barrington, IL, is working for C.H. Robinson Company.

90|

Nicole Menz, Vero Beach, FL, was re-elected last November as the Indian River County Court Judge for the State of Florida.

91|

Erik Iverson, Madison, WI, is the managing director of UW-Madison’s Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).

The foundation manages income generated by the patents obtained by their researchers.

92|

Tracy Griffin Collander, Plainfield, IL, who works in behavioral health, has joined Accreditation Guru, Inc. as an accreditation consultant.

93|

Laura R. Grow, Seattle, WA, is a physical education teacher at Orca K-8 Public School.

94|

Brad R. Anderson, Staples, is vice president of strategy development at Lakewood Health Systems.

Staci Johnson Bauer, Elk River, is director of program management for United Healthcare.

Laurie Anderson Blaschko, New Prague, is the sales operations manager for Sprint in Minnetonka.

GUSTAVUS NIGHT AT TARGET FIELD Join more than 1,000 Gusties, parents, and friends for a night game versus the Boston Red Sox. A range of price options includes your seat and a co-branded Gustie-Twins baseball hat. A portion of each ticket will support the Gustavus Alumni Association. Bring a friend, or two, or 20—we welcome Gusties and friends of Gusties alike. Questions? Email assistant director of alumni and parent engagement Marissa Haeny at mhaeny2@gustavus.edu.

Monday, June 17 • $27 – $80 • twinsbaseball.com/gustavus

Rachel Burr, San Ramon, CA, is the senior manager of strategy planning operations at Cisco.

Karen A. de Boer, Glencoe, is a senior executive assistant for The Nature Conservancy.

Lisa Halbur Hogan, Rochester, is a clinical value analyst for the Mayo Clinic.

Brad Chamberlain, Decorah, IA, is Luther College interim dean for institutional planning mission and professor of chemistry.

Elsa Jo Ellison, Wanamingo, is a self-employed artist.

Missy Thomas Johns, Stillwater, is a financial field operations manager for Thrivent Financial.

Lisa Clark, Minneapolis, is a senior academic advisor for the University of Minnesota.

Nikki Olson Cooley, Liberty, MO, is a minister for First Presbyterian Church in Liberty.

Jessica O’Connor Crone, White Salmon, WA, an attorney, is a Wranglerstar YouTube creator.

Dan Currell, Washington DC, was appointed the national Deputy Under Secretary of Education.

He manages regulatory reforms relating to Federal Student Aid and the Office of Postsecondary Education. Previously he was a corporate legal risk management consultant and served on the Gustavus board of trustees.

Mark A. Ensrud, Northfield, is a high school counselor at Northfield High School.

Laura Timm Frese, St. Paul, is a library associate at the St. Paul Public Library.

Kellie Johnson, Buffalo, works in global privacy legal counsel for Ceridian Corporation.

Ross Kiehne, Harmony, is a veterinary consultant for Swine Vet Center in Saint Peter.

Tim Gunderson, St. Paul, is a financial advisor and partner with Tradition Wealth Management Investment.

Erik Kulke, Milwaukee, WI, is the director of education abroad at Carthage College.

Alan Guthrie, Blockley, England, is the transformation director for Johnson Matthey.

Meg Lojek, Caldwell, ID, is a librarian for the McCall Public Library.

Tina Hallberg, Wesley Chapel, FL, is a senior executive lead consultant for GE Healthcare.

Renae Munsterman Lokpez, Minneapolis, is a licensing executive for MHS Licensing.

Tracy Otterness Helgerson, Jordan, is in her 19th year teaching at New Prague Middle School. She recently hosted a Gustavus student teacher.

Janelle Olson McVay, Fort Myers, FL, is owner of Sky Source Aerial and Florida Drone Supply.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

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GUSTIES

Mary Crippen Miklethun, Minneapolis, is a senior vice president of consumer banking product support for U.S. Bank.

Greg Munson, Mendota Heights, is a managing principal at Transwestern.

Knute T. Nelson, St. Louis Park, is vice president, enrollment services for N-Gage Worksite Solutions.

Rebecca M. Ninke, Cottage Grove, WI, a Lutheran pastor, has co-authored a book with her 10-year-old daughter, Kate Watson, that was published by Beaming Books in February 2019.

Eric J. O’Denius, Burnsville, is a deportation officer for U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

Dave Olson, St. Paul, is a team doctor (Family Med/Sports Med) for the Minnesota Vikings, University of Minnesota, and U.S. Soccer. He also volunteers as team doctor for Roseville and Minneapolis North High Schools and recently led a sports medicine conference to teach family medicine doctors, residents and students sports medicine basics in Accra, Ghana.

34

Nikki Wingert Pavlish, Savage, is an office assistant for Life Development Resources.

Mark A. Petersen, Stillwater, is the president and owner of Sawbill Companies, Inc. Paul E. Peterson, Saint Peter, is superintendent of Saint Peter Public Schools.

Tony Reid, Burnsville, is president of Premier Dental Lab. Bryan Ripken, Blaine, is a senior vice president of investment for Wells Fargo.

Emily Rova-Hegener, Cummaquid, MA, is a teacher at the Oslo International School.

Emily Krippner Shandley, North Haven, CT, is the university registrar at Yale University.

Steph George Slavik, Saint Louis Park, is a hospice care consultant for Ecumen.

Paula Spoo, Estherville, IA, is the children’s librarian for the City of Estherville and 1 of 75 chosen

by NASA for the nationwide My Library Partnership.

Xavi Torres, Rochester, is a sales representative for Southern Glazier’s Wine & Spirits.

Kris Koehler Vogel, Edina, is the senior wellness consultant for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota.

Jennifer Anderson Warwick, Oconomowoc, WI, is co-owner and principal of Anderson Warwick Consulting Services, Inc. Scott M. Warwick, Oconomowoc, WI, is a manager for Deloitte Consulting, LLP.

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Kathy Patton, Genoa, WI, is a kindergarten teacher at International School of Bern in Bern, Switzerland.

Emily Pohland Schultz, Bethesda, MD, is managing director of debt and structured finance for Newmark Knight Frank.

Joel C. Stoltenow, Lincoln, NE, is the public relations/development director for Lutheran Family Services.

Steve Nys, Duluth, has joined the law firm of Fryberger, Buchanan, Smith & Frederick, P.A. in their Duluth office.

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Todd Walden, Apple Valley, is a technical writer at a.Muse.

Vidya Sivan, Boston, MA, is the digital communications specialist at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.

Sarah K. Bouska, Livingston, MT, is a law enforcement park ranger at Yellowstone National Park.

Jennifer Byrnes, Victoria, is company founder of Connect & Achieve.

Jennifer J. Carlson, Minneapolis, is the annual giving and grants manager for Mount Olivet Careview Home.

Emily Johnson Coleman, Prior Lake, graduated from Saint Catherine University in December 2018 with an MBA. Kerry S. Dernbach, Schofield, WI, is a podiatrist at Marshfield Clinic.

Kerry Eisenbarth Feyder, Minneapolis, is an elementary teacher at Edina Public Schools.

Jessica Tlougan Honsey, Stewartville, is a high school band director at Stewartville ISD #534.

Benjamin J. Lipari, Madison, WI, is the director of project development at Alliant Energy.

Caitlin Christensen Miller, Maple Grove, is an associate account director at Nina Hale.

Lisa Rodenkirchen, Minneapolis, is a special education teacher at Minneapolis Public Schools.

Amy Valek Zasoski, Lonsdale, is a digital and media specialist at Tri-City United School District.

00|

Cameron Kelly, Stillwater, attorney for Lommen Abdo, P.A., was made a shareholder with the law firm in January 2019.

Jill Liljestrand, Moorhead, is working for Fargo Public Schools Nutrition Services and is a caregiver for an elderly woman.

Rachael McKinney, Sacramento, CA, is the CEO for Sutter Davis Hospital in Davis, CA.

02|

Brandon Dahlquist, Chicago, IL, performed in The Guthrie Theater production of “As You Like It.” He played the part of Charles the wrestler.

Ryan Kath, West Newton, MA, is a national award-winning investigative journalist for NBC10 Boston. He has earned 16 regional Emmy Awards, five regional RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Awards and has been nominated for an outstanding investigative reporter Emmy for the past eight years.

Cullen Nelson, Carver, has been selected as the head football coach for Chanhassen High School. He is a teacher for District 112 and was the former defensive coordinator for Chanhassen High School.

03|

Jay P. DeLaRosby, West St. Paul, is the CT/ special procedures supervisor for Allina Health.

Kirstin M. Kellaher, New Richmond, WI, is a chaplain for HealthPartners Hospice.

Leslie Wilcox Rosedahl, St. Paul, recently founded Rosedahl Public Affairs, a full-service government relations consulting firm that helps clients influence decisionmakers by utilizing strategic communications in the media and through various grassroots advocacy tactics.

04|

Ellen B. Andersen, Tofte, is a veterinarian at North Shore Veterinary Hospital.

John Cook, Park Rapids, is working as an instrumental music instructor for Park Rapids IDS #309.

Julie Lorentz Cook, Park Rapids, is a math teacher at Park Rapids Area High School.

Sarah Crane, Des Moines, IA, is working as a district court judge for the State of Iowa.

Ami Cervin Dalton, Golden Valley, is a meeting and event planner at Aimia.

Jesse Meyen, Chaska, teaches math at Minnetonka Public Schools.

Jayme Wilking Schoevers, Nicollet, is working as a child protection specialist with Nicollet County.

Katie Sundby, Minneapolis, is a tech project manager at ICF Olson.

Paul Wynveen, Chaska, is a staff research development scientist at Beckman Coulter.

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Jillian Hiscock, Minneapolis, is the senior manager of college and career success for Genesys Works.

Laura Pieper, Glencoe, is a marketing data and CRM specialist at All American Hearing in Eden Prairie, a subsidiary of Starkey Hearing Technologies.

Shawna Weaver, Duluth, is a curriculum development director at Argo Films in Boston, MA, writing curriculum for the Emmy awardwinning film, The Last Pig.

06|

Jen Harry Huerd, Maple Grove, is a life coach and registered yoga instructor.

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Austin Letcher, Brandon, SD, is the senior clinical research specialist for Sanford Research.

Kristine Retka Mitchell, Big Lake, is the academic program manager at American Academy of Neurology.

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Katie Goodpaster, Minneapolis, is the lead viennoserie pastry chef at Patisserie 46 and one of three U.S. bakers to be named to Team USA for the Bakery Coupe du Monde.

Ashley Martin Hubbell, Dassel, is a mental health professional for Aspire Counseling.

Asitha Jayawardena, Nashville, TN, is in residency for otolaryngology (head and neck surgery) at Vanderbilt University.

David Pearson, Maple Grove, is an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota.

Kaleb Rumicho, Minneapolis, received his JD from Howard University and is an attorney at Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.

Melissa Wygant Mokry, Cheyenne, WY, is an outreach forester at Wyoming State Forestry Division.

Kristine McLean, Eagan, is assistant Olmsted County attorney at the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office.

Rhett Schwichtenberg, Edina, has recently joined the Gislason & Hunter Law Firm in New Ulm.

Mela E. Shah, Minneapolis, works for Saint Paul College as a Pathway Advisor-Business Programs.

Andrea L. Rosenberg, Lauderdale, is a medical scribe at the Children’s Hospital of Minnesota.

Dave Wang, Rock Rapids, IA, has opened Wang Acupuncture Clinic.

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Kelly Dumais, Minneapolis, is a project coordinator with Dakota County.

Dane Knudsen, Minneapolis, is a law clerk for the Honorable Paul A. Magnuson, United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Bethany Davidson, Minneapolis, graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School and is practicing with Faegre Baker Daniels in the finance and restructuring group.

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Sydney Bakken, Plymouth, is an RN at UC Health, Memorial Hospital Central in Colorado Springs, CO.

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Claire Laakso, Minneapolis, is a process engineer for Wells Fargo.

TOUR AS A GUSTIE, WITH GUSTIES Join fellow Gusties for world-class performances and cultural experiences around the world, with the ease of a well-planned tour with transportation, theatre tickets, entrance fees, gratuities, and many meals included.

Singapore and Malaysia

Anthony M. Spain, Minneapolis, is a project manager/product owner at Target.

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Kelsey Cowdin, St. Paul, works for Teachers On Call as a client services specialist.

January 24–28, 2020 With the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble From Kuala Lumpur to Penang to Malacca to Singapore, companions will tour through Malaysia’s culture and natural world with Gustavus students and attend the musical performances of the GSO and Jazz Ensemble. Visit the Batu Caves, the Islamic Arts Museum, the Strait of Malacca, and the Singapore Night Safari. Take a cooking class at the Tropical Spice Garden, explore temples and museums, and enjoy music from home and the other side of the world.

Peder Hoffman, Oakdale, is the coordinator for ESOL Center at Century College.

A Symphony of Music, Culture, and History: Oberammergau Passion Play and Central Europe September 13–24, 2020

Gee Ouedraogo, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, works for the United Nations.

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Chris Duhaime, Chicago, IL, is the senior central operations manager for Uber Technologies in Chicago.

With professor emeritus David Fienen Experience the enrichment, education, and fellowship of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity experiencing the 2020 performance of the Oberammergau Passion Play, plus musical performances in Salzburg, Prague, and Berlin. Learn about local culture and history from Dr. Fienen, plus an English-speaking European tour manager and local guides. Dr. Fienen served as cantor of Christ Chapel and professor of music at Gustavus for 38 years, traveling numerous times to Central Europe with the Gustavus Band and Gustavus Brass Ensembles.

For more on each trip, including approximate costs, see gustavus.edu/ president/tours.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

Robert Handler, Houghton, MI, is the operations manager and senior engineer at Michigan Technological University.

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GUSTIES

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

WEDDINGS

36

Deborah Conover ’89 and John Vermeersch, 10/18/18, Bruno Suzanne Temple ’05 and Shawn Gumm, West St. Paul Esther Mulder ’08 and Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse, 11/10/18, Minneapolis Colette Brandt ’09 and Martin Lipchik, 10/06/18, Eagle River, AK Jennifer Broman ’10 and Maxwell Moreland, 06/09/17, Bloomington Katie Conroy ’12 and Todd Kremmin ’12, 09/15/18, Minneapolis Emily Klatt ’12 and James Piper ’12, 05/06/18, West St. Paul Estee Berg ’14 and Beau Bachman ’14, on 7/7/18, Grantsburg, WI Anna Torborg ’14 and Justin Hellevik, 09/07/17, Waite Park Sidney Dirks ’16 and Mitchell Elofson ’16, 10/06/18, Saint Peter Jonathan Gale ’17 and Christine Peterson ’17, 07/08/17, Minneapolis Jamey Xiong ’17 and Test Thao, 06/02/18, Maplewood

Edison to Ami Cervin Dalton ’04 and Jim Dalton, 10/12/18 Ellie to Robert Handler ’04 and Shannon Handler Sullivan to Tom Hutton ’04 and Gina Hutton, 11/01/18 Fall to Tara Owens ’04 and Daniel Owens, 07/08/18 Ziggy to Charlie Seitzer ’04 and Emily Kopfmann Seitzer, 11/19/18 Evelyn to Kristin Holsworth ’07 and Christopher Holsworth ’04, 10/31/18 Laurenna to Kristine Retka Mitchell ’08 and Christian Mitchell, 05/05/18 Calvin to Kat Coughlin Coda ’09 and Nathan Coda, 01/18/19 Jane to Mike DesLauriers ’09 and Meghan DesLauriers, 8/13/15 Della to Chelsie Hansen-Stratton ’11 and Kat Hansen-Stratton, 12/17/18 Augustus to Sondra Winters Tschumperlin ’12 and Kiel J. Tschumperlin ’12, 11/20/18 Caleb to Anna Torborg Hellevik ’14 and Justin Hellevik, 8/22/18

BIRTHS

IN MEMORIAM

Elle to Knute T. Nelson ’94 and Jasmine Nelson, 12/28/16 Finn to Marnie Nicholson Kemmetmueller ’99 and Gregory Kemmetmueller ’99, 7/29/17 Jacoby to Caitlin Christensen Miller ’99 and Nick Miller, 10/25/17 Sylvia to Daryl Vavrichek ’99 and Becky Vavrichek, 02/16/17 Liam to Tim Sundby ’01 and Katherine Ellsworth Sundby ’04, 11/18/18 James to Owen Thoele ’01 and Kathryn Galloway-Thoele ’01, 04/20/18

Irma Olson Lundquist ’40, Minneapolis, age 100, on 11/22/18.

She was an active wife, mother, and volunteer and is survived by her four children, including Karen Meyer ’62.

Charles G. Lusk ’41, Wickenburg, AZ, age 100, on 10/6/18.

A World War II Navy veteran, he later worked as an industrial arts teacher in the San Diego area.

Doreen Borgstrom Johnson ’42, Woodbury, on 12/2/18. She was an active wife, mother, and volunteer and is survived by her

four children including Lee ’68, Mary Dee Hicks ’75 and James ’82.

Lorraine Swenson Hasselquist x43, Minneapolis, on 1/27/19. After receiving her nursing degree, she served in military hospitals in Austria, Poland, and Germany.

She is survived by two sons.

Norman Metcalf x45, Becker, on 12/17/18. A Navy veteran, he went on to medical school and had a long career in family practice medicine. He is survived by four children.

William Behrends x46, Woodbury, on 12/2/18. He was a World War II Navy veteran and an active volunteer. He is survived by one son.

George W. Olson x46, Baton Rouge, LA, on 5/24/17. He was a World War II Navy veteran, then an engineer for Shell Oil Company for 38 years. He is survived by five children including Linda Laughlin ’72, and Craig ’78.

Marie Johnson Holmberg x47, Columbia Heights, on 4/6/18. A wife and mother, she is survived by two children.

William Jennings x47, Bellingham, WA, on 7/13/17. A Marine veteran of World War II, he later taught at various high schools and eventually established an alternative high school. He is survived by three children.

Eugene Kristof x47, Overland Park, KS, on 4/19/17. A Navy veteran of World War II, he participated in atomic bomb testing at Bikini Atoll. He later held engineering and supervisory positions with Solo Cup Company, Westinghouse, and Bendix/Allied Signal. He is survived by five children.

Erik Albihn ’48, Gavle, Sweden, on 8/1/2018. The former

manager of Abihn Inredningar A/B, he is survived by his wife, Gerd, and three children.

Richard Horn x48, Morrison, CO, on 3/27/18. The former vice president of operations for Applebee’s International Inc., he is survived by seven children.

John A. Kilby x48, Golden Valley, on 2/6/18. After serving in both World War II and the Korean War, he co-owned the business, Skarnes, Inc. (now RMH Systems).

He is survived by his wife, Alice, and two children.

Arthur J. Edhlund x48, Sebastian, FL, on 4/4/18. A Navy veteran, he worked for 37 years for 3M and was also a pilot, ham radio operator, and writer. He is survived by five children.

John L. Johnson ’48, Ankeny, IA, on 1/1/19. A former missionary, pastor, and prison chaplain, he is survived by his wife, Audrey (Salmonson ’48), and five children.

Anna Olson Olin ’48, Cloquet, on 12/11/18. She taught speech and English for many years and was an avid world traveler. She is survived by three children.

Caroline Johnson Buckley x50, Redwood Falls, on 1/26/18. A wife and mother, she is survived by her husband, John, and four children.

David J. Gustafson ’50, Silver Bay, on 1/13/19. He was a retired price analyst for Honeywell Inc. and is survived by four sons.

Alpha “Lolly” Flaaten Hann ’50, Twin Falls, ID, on 1/18/19. She was a devoted English teacher for years and is survived by two daughters.

Merle Sellman x50, Naples, FL, on 1/16/19. A World War II Navy veteran, he owned and operated Sellman Feed Service for many

years before retiring to Florida.

He is survived by his wife, Leila, and two daughters.

Ralph Truax x50, Fountain Hills, AZ, on 4/23/18. He served in both World War II and the Korean War and was active for many years with the VFW. He is survived by one daughter.

Bert L. Carlson ’51, Walker, on 12/8/18. A veteran of the U. S. Army Intelligence Unit, he later was a car dealer for the family business and is survived by three children.

Marilyn Street Turner ’51, Santa Rosa, CA, on 1/9/19. Marilyn taught home economics for many years.

She is survived by her husband, Ransom “Buck,” four children, three step-children, and two sisters including Lynette Flato ’59.

Lois Isaacson Holzerland ’52 Owatonna, on 1/24/19. Lois had a long career with Federated Insurance and is survived by her husband, Harlan, and five children, including Scott ’85.

Donald Wallensberg ’52, Sartell, on 12/7/18. A U.S. Navy veteran, he attended Yale Drama School and worked as a singing waiter in New York City and as a security guard at the United Nations. Don is survived by a sister.

Mae Olson Anderson x53, Sierra Vista, AZ, on 12/22/18. A wife and mother, she is survived by two sons including Craig ’79.

Donald “Jake” Jacobson ’53, Grand Rapids, on 1/23/19. Donald had a career as a principal, assistant principal, teacher, and coach for three school districts.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley (Lund ’55), and five children—all Gusties: Tony ’79, Robin Allen ’81, Ginger Baldwin ’83, Amy Carter ’86, and Tania Prochazka ’89.

had a long career in development with Lutheran Social Services.

He is survived by his wife, Dana (Knobel ’60), and three sons.

Dorothy Palm Chilkott ’58, Auburn Hills, MI on 12/28/18. A substitute teacher and expert knitter, she could also sew, quilt, crochet, embroider, needlepoint, tat, and create hardanger. She is survived by three children, including Gretchen ’82, and Andrea ’87.

Lynn Strand ’58, Eden Prairie, on 12/16/18. He was a retired Lutheran pastor, most recently serving at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park. He is survived by four children, including AnnMarie ’87, and two brothers, Peter ’60 and Richard ’63.

C. L. “Lou” Everett ’59, Monroe, WI, on 12/19/18. Lou co-founded Delta Records, and recorded and distributed choral music from Christmas carols to favorite hymns. He is survived by his wife, Sandy, and a brother.

Frederick “Fred” Rogers ’60, Denver, CO, on 12/15/18. A former stock broker and president/owner of Major Financial Services, he was also an avid outdoorsman.

He is survived by his wife, Andrea (Noren ’60), and three children, including Katherine Reuder ’89.

Merwyn E. Larson ’61, Mason City, IA, on 12/8/18. A former U. S. Army Captain, he went on to medical school and served as a physician/anesthesiologist for many years at Mercy Medical Center in North Iowa. He is survived by his wife, Beverly, and two children.

Gayland Hokanson ’62, Raleigh, NC, on 12/1/18. A former advisory programmer for IBM

REMEMBERING AMADO LAY Aurora, CO, on 2/4/19. Born in Remedios, Cuba, professor emeritus Lay taught spanish at Gustavus from 1965 until his retirement in 1996.

He is survived by his wife, Miriam ’86, and a son.

Corporation working on the air traffic control system for the FAA, he is survived by his wife, Cecelia Perry, and two children.

David L. Keith ’62, Lincoln, NE, on 2/4/19. He was a retired professor and extension entomologist at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He is survived by his wife, Brenda (Pick ’62), and four daughters.

James R. Stephan ’63, Minneapolis, on 1/18/19. A former U.S Air Force Captain, he went on to become a hospital administrator, and consultant. Jim is survived by wife, Martha, two children and three step-children.

Janet Ryan Tidemann ’63, Minneapolis, on 2/20/19. A former associate pastor at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, she is survived by four children.

Lynne Kirchoff Torkelson ’64, Saint Peter, on 12/30/18.

Lynne worked a number of jobs in the medical profession and at Gustavus and Scholarship America. She is survived by her husband, Mike ’64 and a sister, Juliette Edstrom ’68.

Dwayne P. Daehler ’65, West Lafayette, IN, on 1/25/19. A Lutheran pastor, he served various parishes throughout his career and was co-director at ARC

Retreat Center in Cambridge, as well as a photographer. He is survived by his wife, Marcia (Nelson ’67).

Alvar W. Gustafson ’68, Quincy, MA, on 10/13/18. Al served on the faculty in the department of anatomy and cellular biology at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.

He is survived by his wife, E. Yvonne (Kittelson ’68), a son, his mother, Viola Holmes Gustafson ’43, and two sisters including Marcia Kirchoff ’70.

Susan McNamara Showalter ’69, Minneapolis, on 12/15/19. A Bush Fellow scholar and healthcare analyst, she worked as a grant writer. Susan is survived by her husband, David ’69, and two daughters including Kira Weier ’98.

Christine Field Marsh ’71, Aitkin, on 1/18/19. She worked in billing and accounting with various companies for over 25 years. She is survived by her husband, Marcus, two sons, and her father.

Rebecca Hake Anderson ’76, Minneapolis, on 1/31/19. She worked in law administration for 27 years and is survived by her husband, Thomas ’73, two children, and two siblings, Jonathan ’80 and Deborah ’81.

Eric D. Lavanger ’76, Excelsior, on 11/4/18. For 41 years Eric worked for International Dairy Queen, retiring as vice president/design architecture. He is survived by his wife, Jaimie (Boone ’78), and their two children.

Thomas J. Adolphson ’80, Evanston, IL, on 1/20/19.

He spent his career teaching history and the humanities in Washington, CT, and in Lake Forest, IL, and he was a community service officer at Northwestern University for nearly 20 years. He is survived by his wife, Qing, a son, and two brothers, John ’70 and Erik ’73.

Elizabeth Rosenow Heggem ’80, Brainerd, on 1/3/19. A former elementary school teacher and volunteer, she is survived by her husband, Mark ’80; three sons, Joshua ’04, Andrew ’05, and Nathan ’09; her parents, and three brothers.

Kathleen Allen, former staff, Saint Peter, on 1/12/19. A former kindergarten teacher, Kathy had a beautiful singing voice that she shared at various events over the years. She worked in the Career Center at Gustavus for nearly 30 years and is survived by two children including Emily ’01.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

Richard Lindholm ’53, Woodbury, on 1/23/19. Richard was a retired senior account representative for 3M. He is survived by three children, including David ’84, and two brothers including Gerald ’55.

Valeria Nelson Schroeder x53, Chanhassen, on 12/24/18. A farm wife and mother who later entered the workforce in bookkeeping and tax preparation for various companies, she eventually started her own tax service. She is survived by four daughters.

Lois Norman Myers x54, Osseo, on 1/23/19. Lois was a self-employed watercolor artist and is survived by four children.

Marilyn Tuttle Johnson x54, Kirkland, WA, on 12/29/18. A former bank teller and homemaker, she is survived by three children.

Merrill Widmark ’55, Grand Rapids, on 12/15/18. A former math and physics teacher at Hibbing Community College, he also operated the Adams House B & B and is survived by four children, including Ellen ’85 and Stuart ’86.

Keith M. Carlson ’56, Saint Louis, MO, on 1/22/19. After serving in the Army Reserves, he spent time teaching at St. Olaf College before he started a long career as an economist for the Federal Reserve Bank. He is survived by four children.

Lee Anderson ’58, Burnsville, on 12/1/18. He worked as an environmental chemist until his retirement. He is survived by his wife, Susan, and two children including Philip ’99.

Gerald F. Hesser ’58, Dassel, on 1/25/19. He was director of development at Gustavus and later

37

GUSTIES

GUSTIES GATHER AROUND THE WORLD

1

2

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

4

38

1. In September, Kristine Haataja ’73 and Suzanne Tank ’76 met on a Roads Scholar tour of St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia. Since there were only 18 people on the tour, it was pretty amazing that there were two Gusties!

2. First-year student Hannah Congdon ’22 (right) in the Daintree rainforest in northern Australia with her parents Tammi Wenstrom Congdon ’93, Robert Congdon ’93, and Marcus (’28?).

3 5

3. Class of 1986 Gustie alumni Meri Lapp Nielsen, Kelly Lorentzson Alexander, Jan Jetland Murphy, and Dianne Olson are pictured visiting classmate Terri Alexander Mahoney in her home in Den Haag in The Netherlands. Here they are in front of the Hofvijver (pond) near the government buildings in The Hague.

4. Gusties gathered at an alumni event in Tokyo in December. Attendees included Paul Hoff ’72 and Kayu Shishido ’17 (and her parents, Junko and Carl Shishido).

5. Professor Pamela Kittelson (biology) with former student, Catherine Keith ’12 in Switzerland. Catherine was a student in the India semester abroad program that Kittelson led in the fall of 2009.

Keith works as a translator and airline representative at the Zurich Airport and lives in Zurich.

KEY TO PAGE 3, #GUSTIESAROUNDTHEWORLD:

1 Lucy Thompson ’20 and Judith Hepburn ’20 at Stonehenge | 2 Corinne Stremmel ’21 at the Arctic Circle (Sweden) | 3 Alex Theship-Rosales ’19, Emma Myhre ’19, Joy Dunna ’20, Olivia Ward ’18, and Charlie Barnhouse ’19 in Fort Frances, Ontario | 4 Josie

Schieffert ’20 at the Great Barrier Reef | 5 Sarah

Hinderman ’20 in Warsaw | 6 Zander Boettcher ’20 at the Port of Flamm in Norway | 7 Will Clark ’20

in Old San Juan 8

| Johanna Anderson ’18, Sarah

Hemstad ’18, and Professor Lisa Dembouski in Barrow, Alaska

| 9 Zach Diedrich ’20 in Carson National

Forest | 10 Brianna Menssen ’20, Linnea Anderson ’20, and Bailey Jackson ’20 in Interlaken, Switzerland

| 11 Madi Sinclair ’20 in Tanzania | 12 Jake Krull ’20, Matthew Meier ’21, Kolt Gorg ’20, Tommy Jech ’19,

6

Adam Hoff ’20, Luke Schavey ’19, and Alex Griffith

7

’20 at Kensington Palace | 13 Grace Tibben-Lembke ’20 and Bri Jol ’20 in the Western Ghats mountain

| 14 Lydia Kalenze ’21 in Mora, Sweden | 15 Sarah Hinderman ’20 Tintern Abbey, Wales | 16

range in India

A Gustie at the door of Schlosskirche (Castle Church)

| 17 Gusties on an Olympic | 18 Alejandro Lalama ’19 and James Miller ’21 in Tanzania | 19 Jana Blomberg ’20 in Ho Chi Minh City | 20 Katie Keelin ’20 in Copenhagen | 21 Thomas Fitzloff ’21, Andrew in Wittenberg, Germany

Quest trip at the Great Wall of China

Peters ’19, Tanner Sonnek ’19, and Ryan Sklar ’20 at Mount Hood | 22 The Gustavus Choir in front of St.

Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna | 23 Liz Geerdes ’20

in the Central Java province of Indonesia | 24 Greta Dupslaff ’20 at La Pichincha in Quito, Ecuador | 25

Sarah Knutson ’20 at Machu Picchu

| 26 Gusties in

the Dominican Republic | 27 Anastasia Rutz ’19, Julia Isberner ’19, a fellow traveler, Grace Tibben-Lembke ’20 and Bri Jol ’20 in Munnar, Kerala in India | 28

Emily Scroggins ’20 in Northern Ireland | 29 Rachel

7. Three Gusties from the Class of 1991 traveled to India to visit classmate Susan Johnson Nelson, who works for the State Department. She is stationed in Delhi with her husband, a Foreign Service Officer. Pictured in front of the Taj Mahal, l to r: Susan Johnson Nelson, Kari Clark, Amy Millette Close, and Alyssa Bruns Hammar.

Lund ’19 in Hiroshima, Japan | 30 Marie Osuna ’21 in Hawaii | 31 Axel Hallin ’20 in Yosemite National

| 32 Abby Anderson ’20 in Barcelona | 33 Liza | 34 Sarah Hinderman ’20 in Vatican City | 35 Gustavus Jazz at Trinity United Methodist Church in Grand Island, Nebraska | 36 Park

Johnson ’21 in Stockholm

Olympic Quest trip in Pyeong Chang, South Korea

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2019

6. Mitchell Winiecki ’06 and a friend recently ascended and traversed North America's third highest point, Pico de Orizaba (Citlaltépetl) in Mexico, unassisted and unsupported.

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Vespers

At Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, retiring Gustavus Choir conductor Greg Aune waits for his choir to assemble themselves so that they may begin rehearsal.

Find something you’re passionate about. Surround yourself with people and things that interest you. And be kind.

He is a collaborator with the choir, he says. He has always thought of his singers as colleagues. Missing daily interaction with them is the most bittersweet aspect of Greg Aune’s retirement after 24 years at Gustavus, he says. “I’ll miss Christmas in Christ Chapel. I’ll miss touring. But some of our best moments happen when it’s just the choir and me. No one sees it, no one hears it. The choir gets something, and—aha!—that’s it! That’s what I’m going to miss the most.” The Jon and Anita Thomsen Young Distinguished Endowed Chair in Music has worked hard to teach artistry, the greatness of chorale music, and the value of hard work to achieve excellence.

“I’ve tried to wear my musical heart on my sleeve,” he says. Thousands of former students who collaborated with him daily, sometimes for all four of their years at Gustavus, know his oft-repeated mantra: “What matters most to me is my faith, my family, and my choir.”

As far as the advice the conductor offers above, let us all follow his suggestion and conduct ourselves as such, and with harmony.

For Alumni, Parents, and Friends SUMMER 2019 | VOL. LXXV | ISSUE 2

GIFTS OF GRATITUDE

STA F F Chair, Board of Trustees The Rev. Dan S. Poffenberger ’82 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 Managing Editor Stephanie Wilbur Ash | sash@gustavus.edu Alumni Editor Philomena Kauffmann | pkauffma@gustavus.edu Visual Editor, Production Coordinator Anna Deike | adeike@gustavus.edu Design Jill Adler | adlerdesignstudio.com, Sarah Hinderman ’20, Emma Leigh Myhre ’19 Contributing Writers JJ Akin ’11, Mara Klein, Emma Leigh Myhre ’19, Aaron Teasdale ’93, CJ Siewert ’11 Contributing Photographers JJ Akin ’11, Callie Benge ’19, Terry Clark Photography, Audrey Dontje Lindell, Emma Leigh Myhre ’19, Jon Smithers (johnsmithers.com) Aaron Teasdale ’93, CJ Siewert ’11, Sydney Stumme-Berg ’22, Ryan Weber ’22, 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

One of the hottest tickets on campus, Africa Night features food, fashion, and performances from East and West Africa and the Carribbean, including this Ethiopian dance from Hiwot Muluneh Sugebo ’21. The event is sponsored by the PanAfrikan Student Organization, a Gustavus student-led group dedicated to embracing and celebrating African culture.

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.

“We are Gusties.

We go together.”

ADWOA AFREH ’14 “I come from a collective,” she says.

Ghana, her country of origin, does not have an individualistic, go-it-alone culture.

“You’re a people, and as a member of that people you are accountable. You never do anything alone,” Afreh says. “At Gustavus, I was given a lot. People I don’t even know have given to support me. I always come back to that. The least I can do is give back.

I want to do my part.”

HER GIFT CONNECTS to the Financial Aid Office.

“I am grateful for Kirk Carlson every day,” says Afreh of the associate dean of financial aid. She sat in his office nearly every semester, and he helped keep her at Gustavus when it looked like she could no longer afford it. But he was always quick to note that it was the generosity of other Gusties who really made it possible. “He would say, ‘I want you to remember that when you leave Gustavus. Someone like you will sit in this seat.’”

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.

MAKE YOUR GIFT BY MAY 31 TO HAVE IT MATCHED. The Gustavus Fund | gustavus.edu/give

SUMMER 2019 800 WEST COLLEGE AVENUE SAINT PETER, MINNESOTA 56082

Students

World OF THE

Inspired by his Religion and Ecology course,

+ ALWAYS LEARNING AT HOME & ABROAD

Alex Theship-Rosales ’19 “decided to make my whole trajectory in college about that,” he says. Then, after an inspiring internship with Zealandia Ecosanctuary in New

Page 14

Zealand, he made a documentary film about environmental spirituality, which debuted in the Nobel Hall of Science in March. “It’s said that New Zealand is not a small island but a big village,” says Theship-Rosales. Eight thousand miles away, Gustavus works to live by the same sentiment.

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RETIRING PROFESSORS Where they’re headed and where they hope you’re going

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THE G CHOIR IN EUROPE Learning and singing through its great musical capitals

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CLASS NOTES What your fellow Gusties have been up to

Writer Aaron Teasdale ’93 and his son, Jonah, in Nicaragua