Winter 2017 Quarterly by Gustavus Adolphus College

WINTER 2017 800 WEST COLLEGE AVENUE SAINT PETER, MINNESOTA 56082

HOW GUSTAVUS WORKS Beginning with students and faculty, this is how we do it

CLASS NOTES What your fellow Gusties have been up to

Management and art studio major Sarah Link ’19 renders Dr. Frankenstein in charcoal while College president Rebecca Bergman reads a passage from the classic novel. Frankenstein was this year’s Reading in Common book, which tied to this year’s Nobel Conference (on reproductive technology), which tied to the all-day live reading event of the novel, which incorporated art, literature, music, science (liquid nitrogen ice cream, anyone?), and President Bergman publicly sporting the green headband of “the creature.” That’s how we do the liberal arts experience at Gustavus. (Oh, and dance, too. See inside front cover.)

40 VESPERS As Joyce Sutphen retires, a poem on the rhetoric of snow

TWO TEAMS TWO COUNTRIES ONE OLYMPIC GUSTIE

MARISSA BRANDT ’15 Page 18

WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR STUDENTS TO SUCCEED? For Alumni, Parents, and Friends

IT TAKES ALL OF US.

WINTER 2017 | VOL. LXXIII | ISSUE 4 STA F F Chair, Board of Trustees The Rev. Dr. Dan S. Poffenberger ’82

42 percent of all gifts to Gustavus annually are between $25 and $100. Every single gift matters. All of us for all of Gustavus.

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 Brian Donahue | bedesigninc.com, Jill Adler | adlerdesignstudio.com, Sophia Warwick ’18 Contributing Writers Sophia Warwick ’18, CJ Siewert ’11, JJ Akin ’11 Contributing Photographers Ackerman + Gruber Photography, Nicholas Campbell ’18, Terry Clark Photography, McKayla Murphy ’16, John Noltner, Gustavus Adolphus College Archives Printer John Roberts Company | johnroberts.com Postmaster Send address changes to the Gustavus Quarterly, Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement, Gustavus Adolphus College, 800 W. College Ave., Saint Peter, MN 56082-1498 GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE Saint Peter, MN 56082 507-933-8000 | gustavus.edu Articles and opinions presented in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or official policies of the College or its Board of Trustees. 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.

“Out, Behind, Overlooked”: a dance choreographed by Allison Retterath ’18 and performed by Gustavus students in the Edwards Atrium of Anderson Hall. The piece focused on advancing technologies and inequities of access to them. “My project was one of humanization—an attempt to put a face on the differing experiences of people affected by a narrowly viewed science,” wrote Retterath in an essay on her creative process. It was yet another liberal arts exploration of this year’s Nobel Conference on Reproductive Technologies.

Gustavus Adolphus College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association.

GUSTAVUS FUND gustavusfund@gustavus.edu | 800-487-8437 Office of Advancement | giftplanning@gustavus.edu | 507-933-6043

IN THIS ISSUE

CABIN LIFE

Thanks to Arb-loving Gusties, the Borgeson cabin gets a much-needed restoration. HOW GUSTAVUS WORKS

Centered on students and faculty engaged in liberal arts

learning, and propelled by our new strategic plan, here’s how Gustavus is really working.

18 22

LONG SHOT

Former Gustavus hockey player Marissa Brandt ’15 is headed to the Olympics, representing South Korea.

IN EVERY ISSUE 4 VÄLKOMMEN

HEALED AND HUMBLED

5 ON THE HILL

Two years ago, Gustie athlete Kaitlyn Klein ’18 was

7 KALENDAR

severely injured in a game. The quick action of Gustie

SHINE PROFILES

trainer Ashley Krug ’12 saved her.

SPORTS

GRATITUDE

HERITAGE

GUSTIES

VESPERS

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

Cabin Life

Gusties came home to a renewed Borgeson Cabin during Homecoming 2017. “People don’t realize how close the cabin was to falling down,” says Scott Moeller, director of the Linnaeus Arboretum, where the cabin has resided since 1986. (It was a Swedish homestead somewhere near Norseland, Minnesota, 150 years ago.) The wood was rotting, the joints and chinking crumbling, the roof pushing down so the walls bowed out. No more, thanks to Arb-loving Gusties whose gifts made the cabin restoration possible. Now, the walls are stabilized with cables. The chinking has been replaced with a more weatherproof material. Rotted wood has been scraped away or replaced, and stained and sealed. And the gables are now a cement-based fiberboard. The pioneer Borgesons certainly didn’t have such advancements in building materials, though it’s likely they’d have welcomed them—it would have made their home more rodent-proof. “This should help deter the squirrels from chewing holes into the cabin,” Moeller says. Maybe even for another 150 years? Knock on wood.

Välkommen

G U S TAV U S A D O L P H U S C O L L E G E B OA R D O F T R U S T E E S The Rev. Jon V. Anderson (ex officio), Bishop, Southwestern Minnesota Synod, ELCA Scott P. Anderson ’89, MBA, Special Adviser, Patterson Companies, Inc.

EXCELLENT WORK.

One of our core values at Gustavus is excellence. And one of our defining qualities as Gusties is our willingness to work hard. Clearly these two things are connected. You don’t become excellent at what you do without purposeful effort. Like the old “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” adage, the answer to the question of how Gustavus became an institution of distinction is “Hard work!” In all of my actions, I aim to deliver excellence as Gustavus Adolphus College’s president. As we take the next steps in our Gustavus Acts Strategic Plan, I am focused on listening deeply to our Gustavus community so that our College reflects the best of all of us, developing and implementing robust plans of action that move us forward on our shared goals, and delivering on our promise that every Gustavus student receives an innovative liberal arts education of recognized excellence. I am humbled daily by the hard work and resulting excellence exhibited by our campus community (see page 12). As we head toward the Winter Olympics, I am particularly proud of Marissa Brandt ’15, who will play on the South Korean hockey team (see page 18). Hers is an incredible story, and the clear result of her years of practice in hockey and human relationships. Substantial work is ahead of us as we proceed through the next phase of the Gustavus Acts Strategic Plan. Gusties have never shied away from hard work. I am ready and excited for a new era of excellence for Gustavus. Go Gusties!

Catherine Asta ’75, JD, Attorney at Law and Past President, Gustavus Alumni Association Tracy L. Bahl ’84, MBA, Executive Vice President, CVS | Caremark Grayce Belvedere-Young, MBA, Founder and CEO, Lily Pad Consulting Rebecca M. Bergman (ex officio), President, Gustavus Adolphus College Suzanne F. Boda ’82, Senior Vice President, Los Angeles, American Airlines Daniel G. Currell ’94, JD, Managing Director, Advance Law Edward J. Drenttel ’81, JD, Attorney/Partner, Winthrop & Weinstine Bruce A. Edwards ’77, Retired CEO, DHL Global Supply Chain James H. Gale ’83, JD, Attorney at Law John O. Hallberg ’79, MBA, CEO, Children’s Cancer Research Fund Susie B. Heim ’83, Former Co-owner, S and S Heim Construction George G. Hicks ’75, JD, Founding Partner, V ärde Partners Linda G. Huett ’66, Retired President and CEO, Weight Watchers International, Inc. The Rev. Peter C. Johnson ’92, Executive Pastor, St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Eden Prairie, MN Linda Bailey Keefe ’69, MBA, Vice President, NAI Brannen Goddard Talmadge E. King, Jr. ’70, MD, Dean, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco Paul R. Koch ’87, Senior Vice President/Investments, UBS Financial Services Jan Lindman, MBA, Treasurer to the King, The Royal Court of Sweden Jan Ledin Michaletz ’74, Past President, Gustavus Alumni Association

Sincerely,

Thomas J. Mielke ’80, JD, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Kimberly-Clark Corporation

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

Marcia L. Page ’82, Founding Partner, Värde Partners

Rebecca M. Bergman President, Gustavus Adolphus College

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, Plymouth, MN The Rev. Dr. Dan S. Poffenberger ’82 (chair), Senior Pastor, Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church, Prior Lake, MN Christopher J. Rasmussen ’88, PhD, (ex officio), Independent Higher Education Consultant and Past President, Gustavus Alumni Association Beth Sparboe Schnell ’82, CEO, Sparboe Companies Ronald C. White ’75, President, RC White Enterprises The Rev. Heather Teune Wigdahl ’95, Senior Pastor, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Menomonie, WI

ON THE HILL

More than a fact. librarian-professor Julie Gilbert ’99 and Thia Cooper, professor of religion; peace studies; and gender, women and sexuality studies; partner closely in the course “Sources and Methods in the Studies of Religion.”

R E S E A R C H A S A C O N V E R S AT I O N

Gone are the days of raiding the Folke

leads in its approach to teaching students

Bernadotte stacks to write a paper.

how to create knowledge rather than

students the agency to create their own

Today’s Gusties encounter all sorts of

be simply information consumers. The

research questions.

information everywhere, from dorm

College’s librarians-professors partner

For professor Thia Cooper and

rooms to Dubai, and at all hours, and in

with other professors for deep research

her professor-librarian partner Julie

multiple platforms and formats.

instruction across the curriculum.

Gilbert ’99, this is liberal arts at its

The new model they’re using is a

best. Says Cooper, “Students become

thinking this box anymore,” says librarian-

“threshold”-based one. Explains Fister,

comfortable with the intersection of

professor Barbara Fister. “We’re thinking

“For every discipline there are concepts

disciplines, methods, their own voices,

about the whole world of information.”

that students must understand. Once they

and the scholarly voices around them.

Consequently, “Research is charged

cross a concept ‘threshold’, students learn

We’re focused on helping students find

with all of these political, economic, and

more profoundly and their research takes

their place in scholarly conversations.”

social factors that change and affect how

on energy. Students stop seeing right and

we receive and consume it.”

wrong answers, and start seeing more

the library teaches. This is something

ambiguity, subtlety, and perspective.”

we all teach.”

Among liberal arts colleges, Gustavus

Says Gilbert, “This isn’t something

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

“When we think ‘library’ we’re not

This intellectual opening then gives

ON THE HILL Jerome Myers, The Ash Can Artist of the Lower East Side The Hillstrom Museum of Art exhibit is a focused reassessment of the artist. Jerome Myers (1867–1940) was a tireless observer of immigrant life in the Lower East Side of New York City. He deserves to be recognized as an important Ash Can artist— that group of urban realists who revolutionized American art in the early 20th Century—but his reputation was maligned by art historical assessments that declared his work sentimental instead of truthful. This exhibit is a revision of that reputation. It draws from works in the Hillstrom Museum of Art, including a self-portrait donated by Richard L. Hillstrom, plus several works lent or given by the grandson of the artist and loans from the author of a 2017 monograph on the artist. The exhibit is presented as memorial; it is the Jerome Myers (1867–1940), Playground Scene, c. 1926, ink and pencil on paper,

150th anniversary of the artist’s birth. The exhibit will

7 1/2 x 10 inches, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Barry Downes (grandson of the artist)

run through February 2.

PRETTY GOOD NEWS Public Discourse, the signature course

The 2016 Christmas in Christ Chapel

Speaking of livestreams: This year’s

of the Communications Studies

livestream was named a Hermes

Nobel Conference 53: Reproductive

department, celebrated its 10th

Creative Awards Gold Winner in an

Technology was viewed in more than 30

anniversary. Every year, students each

international competition for media

states and 14 countries. A new feature:

target a community and create a project

concept, writing, and design. (You can

live submission of questions, which the

to address a real-world problem. Like

watch it on PBS this year! See page 9.)

expert panelists answered in real time.

Megan Fillbrandt ’20, who saw a lack of transportation for elderly residents of her hometown of Watertown, Minn.

Are We Ready for Male Contraception?

The city’s council adopted her proposed

In a Gustavus-commissioned survey (in conjunction with the 2017 Nobel Conference),

system and now it’s up and running.

most of those surveyed said yes.*

Professor of Chemistry Dwight Stoll was named one of the top ten separation scientists in the world by the publication The Analytical Scientist. Of the 100

57% of men are willing to take a male contraceptive while in a short-term relationship

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

total selections from

academia and industry, Stoll is the only

65% of men are willing to take

honoree

a male contraceptive while in a

from a

serious relationship

private liberal arts college.

* A sample of 1,872 U.S. adults over the age of 18, identifying as heterosexual, were interviewed online in English.

FIRST-YEARS, NOW IN THEIR SECOND YEAR Checking in with three of last year’s first-years—what they learned, and what’s next. Stephanie Coe

Aleah Felton

Struggled “in calculus because

Decided (After job shadowing

Learned “what it means to be

I tried to study and practice

and soul-searching) “to take

independent. I was homesick a

everything without organizing.

the path to become a nurse

lot in the beginning of last year,

I learned that putting time in

practitioner. This will allow

but strong support at home and

Our rank among

is not as important as knowing

me to pursue my interests

from my peers and professors on

Minnesota’s

what and how to study.”

in the medical field but also

campus definitely helped me get

private colleges,

other passions. Also, I made

through.

according to

Will “do better this year. I’m sure I’ll make mistakes again, but

the decision to pursue a

as long as I learn from them, I’ll

religion minor.

keep having a great experience at Gustavus.”

Excited for “my classes and

the Wall Street

really digging into my major

Journal/Times

#whyGustavus

Christian Araya

[elementary education], getting

Higher Education.

the newfound life balance I

to know my residents in Norelius

We are 150th

discovered last year. I look

Hall 2E, choir and singing with

in the nation

forward to more adventures

such an amazing group of

(besting both

Excited for “really embracing

ahead and continuing to define

people, and definitely

myself as a Gustie and

for the personal

pursuing the best version of myself.”

growth that will happen.”

St. Olaf College and Saint John’s University/ College of Saint Benedict).

UPDATE: Strategic Plan Financial resources will then be

Strategic Plan has begun! The generous

allocated to these priorities moving

$40 million gift given to the College

forward.

this summer has already been used to

The months ahead are key, as

attract top students attending this fall.

important decisions will need to be

The Trustees, Cabinet, and faculty have

made to ensure the plan is implemented

provided their recommendations for

in a way the College community

prioritization of the 20 strategies.

sees best, and according to shared

Then, two public forums were held

governance preferences.

in early November to give all staff and administrators the opportunity to

—Kathi Tunheim, special assistant to the

TO LEARN MORE OR JOIN IN,

provide recommendations on prioritizing

president for strategy

visit gustavus.edu/gustavusacts

strategies in the plan, too.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

The Implementation Phase of the

ON THE HILL

CAMPUS SOCIAL Follow @gustavusadolphuscollege, @gustieathletics

INSTAGRAM

FACEBOOK

@sophiapiaaa

Welcome to the Moved-In Class of 2021.

When your College’s president, a former

They hail from 35 states and 14 nations,

biomedical executive, shares her birthing stories

and 20 percent earned a 4.0 or higher

before a conference on reproductive technology

in high school.

#nobel53 #whygustavus

@paigefwormer “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

Follow /gustavusadolphuscollege

#whygustavus

TWITTER @gustavus Prof. Peg O’Connor’s popular @lindseytibesar

@PsychToday blog on philosophy and

It was a pretty good day at The Great Gustie

addiction recently hit 1,000,000 views!

Gathering with our future little Gusties! It felt so

#gogusties

good to be back home on the hill. Thanks @gustavusadolphuscollege for the hospitality!

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

10:00 a.m. Time for Reflection

The wonderful thing about liberal arts colleges is the ability to merge questions of science with questions of ethics—to ask not just what we can do but what we should do. —Jacob Corn, scientific director of the Innovative Genomics Initiative at UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco, and a pioneer in using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to treat disease. He spoke on campus at Nobel Conference 53 on Reproductive Technology.

Follow @gustavus, @gustiealum

• Times and dates of events listed on this page are subject to change. Call to confirm.

Kalendar

• Up-to-date sports schedules may be found at gustavus.edu/athletics. For a printed schedule of the Gustie varsity athletic squads, see the website or send a selfaddressed, stamped envelope to CJ Siewert ’11, director of sports information,

DECEMBER 1, 2, & 3 Christmas in Christ Chapel

8, 9, 10 Physical Theatre Project;

2017 Life Abundant: A Celebration of

devised by the members of the

Christmas during the 500th year of

ensemble, come explore the expressive

the Reformation; Christ Chapel; $30

possibilities of the body in the

for service, $25 for buffet; tickets are

construction of

moving fast, visit gustavustickets.com

commonplace narratives; Black Box Theatre

College Ave., Saint Peter, MN 56082-1498. • You can listen to select Gustavus athletics broadcasts through the GameCentral livestream portal at gustavus.edu/athletics. • To receive a more complete fine arts schedule or more information on fine arts events noted in the calendar, contact Mara Klein, director of fine arts programs:

5 Gustavus Winds of Christmas; Christ

507-933-7013 or mara@gustavus.edu.

JANUARY

Chapel, 10:30 a.m.

Gustavus Adolphus College, 800 W.

• Tickets for the Gustavus Artist Series and Department of Theatre & Dance

15 Martin Luther 6 Gustavus Philharmonic Orchestra

King Jr. Memorial

Concert; Bjorling Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.

Lecture: civil rights

productions may be ordered online at gustavustickets.com. Tickets for Department of Theatre & Dance offerings

leaders Joyce 7 Festival of St. Lucia Christ Chapel,

Ladner; Christ

10 a.m.; Gustavus Library Association’s

Chapel, 10 a.m.

are available two weeks in advance of the Joyce Ladner

performances.

Lucia Luncheon, Alumni Hall, 11 a.m.; festival chapel service open to the

FEBRUARY

public, for luncheon reservations, call

17 Gustavus Wind Orchestra Home

MARCH

507-933-7520

Concert; concluding its tour of Sweden

2, 3, 4 Cabaret; a production based on

and Norway; Bjorling Recital Hall, 1:30

the play by Jon Van Druten and stories

p.m.; reception following

by Christopher Isherwood; Anderson

8, 9, 10 Currents: The 2017 Choreographers’ Gallery; celebrate

Theatre

the choreography and performance of

17 Gustavus Choir Home Concert;

Gustavus’ most highly skilled students;

concluding its tour of the Midwest;

3 Building Bridges: Mental Health—

Kresge Dance Studio

Christ Chapel, 7:30 p.m.

Exploring an Unacknowledged Civil Rights Journey; with Leah Ida

8, 9, 10 Dance Honors Showcase; senior

23, 24, 25 Cabaret; a production

Harris, keynote; beginning at 9 a.m.;

honors students in dance present a

based on the play by Jon Van Druten

gustavustickets.com

concert that showcases provocative

and stories by Christopher Isherwood;

original work; Kresge Dance Studio

Anderson Theatre

10 Gustavus Wind Symphony Concert; Bjorling Hall, 1:30 p.m.

Ubuntu Jesu: From the Cradle of Humankind to the Ends of the Earth, is showing now on national public television stations around the c ountry throughout this holiday season. On Twin Cities Public Television, it will show at 8 p.m., December 15, and at 8 a.m.,

25 Gustavus Symphony Orchestra Concerto/Aria Competition for High School Students Concert; Bjorling Hall, 1:30 p.m.

December 25 (among other times). It will show in other areas of the country as well; check your local listings. Deep

25 Gustavus Choir Concert Anglican

appreciation to the Paul and Susan Breckner family for

Vespers; Christ Chapel, 7:30 p.m.

underwriting the public television broadcast.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

Watch last year’s Christmas in Christ Chapel on PBS: The 2016 service,

ON THE HILL

SHINE: LINDSEY KLINE Committed to her goal. Living like it counts. CONFIDENCE, COMPASSION, AND A SOLID SENSE OF SELF DEFINE THIS DRIVEN SENIOR.

Gusties are known for their determined natures, but Kline showed up with a whole lot of determination already practiced. A middle school skiing accident meant two broken legs, 20 surgeries, and debilitating pain before her high school’s end. After a vivid dream of athletes running on prosthetic blades, Kline called her surgeon and asked him to amputate her right leg. “I believe it was a sign from God,” she says. She has had no regrets. The experience made her think seriously about becoming a trauma surgeon. But while shadowing one her first year at Gustavus, “It didn’t feel right,” she says. For once, says this clear-thinking Gustie, “I was kind of lost.” The liberal arts provided a light. “I discovered through my sociology classes that I wanted to help people,” Kline says. “Sociology can be applied to all things—including the amputee and disabled community.” She will graduate in the spring with a sociology and anthropology major and a biology minor. Her next step is graduate school to become a certified prosthetis and orthotist, the medical professionals who fabricate limbs and braces and study people’s gaits. As is her style—“leadership is one of my personality traits,” she says—she’s identified programs that align closest with her personal values, and she will pursue them until she is admitted. “I’ve never been more confident with a decision,” she says. Gustavus helped point Kline in the right career direction, and it has helped shape her communication style, too. “Gustavus has given me the tools to speak up in effective ways,” she says. “The whole campus is passionate about that.” “I am so much more than my leg,” she says. “It’s an important story. But that’s not what makes me a cool person.” What does? “Even if just one person feels that I was compassionate towards them, and met them where they’re at—that is a powerful way I can make someone’s life better. And isn’t that why we’re here? To make our lives count?”

Being a Collegiate Fellow (a residence hall leader) helped Kline be professor Elizabeth Jenner. “We debated the right way to educate people—half the class said you need to be rude and get in people’s way. The other half said they’re not going to listen if you’re rude.” Kline’s takeaway: “In the end, it’s not okay to not say something.”

JUSTICE

thoughtful about injustice, as did the course Body Perspectives with

SHINE: JAMES PATRICK MILLER Hello, Scandinavia! Here he comes. FOR THE CONDUCTOR OF GWO, THIS YEAR’S INTERNATIONAL TOUR IS ABOUT WAY MORE THAN THE MUSIC.

It’s clear that Miller—on the eve of his first international tour with the Gustavus Wind Orchestra—is right where he wants to be. A Minnesota boy raised in Winona, Miller was still completing his doctorate at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, when Gustavus asked him to step in as an interim conductor in 2008 during a Doug Nimmo leave. For a year he drove back and forth between Minneapolis and Saint Peter, sometimes twice a day. But he fell in love with the campus, often working on his dissertation in the Linnaeus Arboretum. He and his wife, Heidi, eventually left for the University of Massachusetts, but the family returned in 2014. Heidi conducts the Gustavus Wind Symphony; he is the Douglas Nimmo Professor of the Gustavus Wind Orchestra. “We are Team Miller!” he says. It has been a homecoming to a place Miller loves to gush about: “Gustavus is the greatest college on Earth!” he says. “Students learn in band and music things that make them better in chemistry. They learn things in biology that make them better in band. That’s what the liberal arts should do.” This winter, Miller will lead the GWO through Sweden and Norway. Students will perform in historic venues and stay with host families. And, in true liberal arts fashion, they will take a companion Scandinavian Studies course with professor Glenn Kranking ’98. “All students will discover something applicable to their own studies,” Miller says. Holistic understanding of the world through music is the heart of Miller’s teaching philosophy. “We don’t play music without talking about the context with which it was written. And we place great importance on being global citizens. That’s what our music program is about.” For many students, this tour will be their first trip abroad. It will be Miller’s first in Scandinavia. But this too will be a homecoming, of sorts. In honor of those hours writing in the Arb, Team Miller gave their

E XC E L L E N C E

eldest daughter a Swedish name, Linnea. She’ll be on the tour too.

This upcoming GWO tour is an historic one: It’s been 15 years since the last Scandinavian music tour for Gustavus. It’s also the 140th year anniversary of the Gustavus Wind Orchestra, and the 50th Anniversary of international travel for Gustavus fine arts. Catch the GWO before they go at the Winds of Christmas, Dec. 5, in Christ Chapel or on livestream. See page 7.

LONG SHOT

Like any good hockey player, Marissa Brandt ’15 skates to where the puck will be. She never imagined it would be more than 6,000 miles away, in the country from which she was adopted. by Stephanie Wilbur Ash | photos by Ackerman + Gruber

It’s a story of Olympic proportions. A baby in Korea is adopted into a Minnesota family, grows up playing hockey, really good hockey, then returns to Korea to be a leading athlete on its Olympic team. It’s like the origin story of a Greek goddess. It is Marissa Brandt’s story, and she’s likely embarrassed by that comparison. The gracious, hardworking Gustie greets old friends warmly, and new folks with a quickness to connect. In person, she’s the exact opposite of “goddess-like” (not counting her current level of physical fitness). Instead, she is completely down-to-earth. “It was an easy decision. It is an amazing opportunity. I get to play hockey,” she says, summating her incredible story in that humble and straightforward way of hers.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

But press a bit and even she will admit there is more to it. She

is a Minnesotan, a hockey player, a Gustie, and, now (as before) a Korean. Her story is one of identity, community, family, sport, and excellence. Despite her best efforts to downplay it, she really is something special. She is former Gustavus hockey player Marissa Brandt. And she is current Korean national hockey player Yoon Jung Park. Come February, she will be an Olympian.

“When I was younger, I wanted nothing to do with Korea or being Korean,” Brandt says. She is in Lund Arena, quietly accepting her fate as an interviewee. She blushes when asked if she is a starter. (She is.) Brandt was adopted from Korea by Greg and Robin Brandt when she was four months old. The couple then became pregnant with her sister, Hannah. The sisters, only a year apart, did everything together. “We would actually go to Korean culture camp,” Brandt says. “I never wanted to go but my sister did.” Both sisters loved hockey. They started playing in elementary school, played on the same teams and for Hill Murray High School, and went on to play in college. For sister Hannah, it was the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. For Marissa, it was Gustavus. “I liked that it was a small school,” she says, “And of course the hockey program is great!” But it was a hard first year. “It was a rollercoaster of emotions. I sat a couple of games,” she says. She had to work to stay in the lineup. “She was a unique player in that she could play forward and defense, and she had great skating technique,” says Gustavus women’s hockey coach Mike Carroll. Plus, he says, “She had a gift that not many students have—she could talk to adults as well as her peers.” Says former assistant hockey coach Kirstin Peterson ’11, “She was a great communicator. She can change the culture of any situation.” A great relator, Brandt thrived in Kathi Tunheim’s human resources and organization behavior courses, and declared a management major. She also worked for women’s soccer coach Laura Burnett-Kurie. “She lived the life of an ideal student-athlete,” says BurnettKurie. “Marissa was committed to hockey, but she also got the big picture. She was trying to be the best in all aspects of her life. “Really, the Olympics are just the next step in her process.”

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

Top: Brandt’s sister Hannah will also play in the Olympics, for Team USA. Talk about a family vacation. “With two daughters going to the Olympics, we have very proud parents,” Brandt says. Her husband and fellow Gustavus student-athlete alum Brett Ylonen ’15, will be there cheering as well. Will the sisters play each other? Probably not. “We’d have to make a lot of upsets to make it to their pool.”

Bottom: She was number 22 at Gustavus. In Korea, she is number 23, Yoon Jung Park. Watch for her.

• “I wanted to get married, get a job, nothing crazy.” Brandt says of her life-afterGustavus plan. But during her senior year, Rebecca Baker, an assistant hockey coach at Bethel, called. Baker was consulting for the South Korean national team as it prepared for the 2018 Winter Olympics. (As host country, Korea’s teams are granted automatic entry into this year’s Olympics.) Baker had seen Brandt play. Would Brandt consider trying out for the Korean national team? “I was terrified,” Brandt says. Everything that was wrong with the idea went through her head: She didn’t speak the language. She didn’t know a single person. Maybe the call was a prank. Plus, Brandt says, “I was so shy about being Korean. I really didn’t want to tap into that side of myself. “But I found myself saying yes right away.” Within two weeks, Brandt was stepping off a 15-hour flight and into her birth country, one she’d not been back to since she was adopted from it.

“It was so surreal. I never thought I’d be back to Korea under those circumstances,” she says. It was a silent 90-minute car ride to the training center; she and the driver didn’t speak any of the same language. “I was crying nervous,” Brandt says. When she met her teammates for the first time, “They all bowed. I just bowed back! I thought, ‘How am I going to learn everyone’s names? How am I going to last here?’” The next day she met another English-speaking tryout from Canada. Later, teammates from Colorado and North Carolina joined in. In total, there are five “imports” with Korean ancestry on the Korean national team. Once their positions were established, “We decided the most important thing is to bring as much knowledge as we can,” Brandt says. • In general, Koreans don’t grow up playing hockey. There are only 200 registered players in Korea, says Brandt. Aspects of the game that American players and fans take for granted are growth areas there. “Even little things like jumping over the boards,” Brandt says. The team trains six hours a day—at least two hours in the gym, at least two hours on ice. The Gustavus student-athlete and culture-changer in Brandt has kicked in. “We made a community of our team. I wanted it to feel like it did at Gustavus,” she says. As a starting defensive player, a lifelong skater, and, at age 24, one of the oldest on the team, she is a clear leader. (The average age of the team is 20.) Her Korean teammates call her Mother Marissa and have soaked up as much knowledge about hockey as Brandt and the other imports can teach. In return, Brandt says, “They teach me Korean, and I learn And that, she says, has been the truly transformative aspect of her remarkable story. “Tapping into my Korean self—that is the most important thing. I’ve been able to accept it.” Case in point: The moment in April when the Korean national team won Division IIA World Championships for the first time in history and were promoted to Division IB. Korea was hosting,

Top: Brandt on Gustavus women’s soccer coach Laura Burnett-Kurie: “I see her as a teacher but also as a great friend.” Middle: Brandt on Gustavus women’s hockey coach Mike Carroll: “From him I learned to have a short memory and thick skin, to push through and work hard and see results.” Bottom: The team’s training schedule has the players traveling all over the world, including Duluth, where Brandt helped her teammates understand the local cuisine.

so it was a win at home. Says Brandt, “We were lined up and watching the flag being raised. I was, literally, in that moment, so proud to be Korean. I wasn’t ashamed about it in anymore. “I realized that it’s okay to be Korean and American. And I’m

Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang,

excited to do this with my family, with my team, and with my

South Korea, are Feb. 9. Korea

countries.” •

plays Switzerland on Feb. 10. See pyeongchang2018.com for more.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

about the culture.”

SPORTS

Hockey player Kaitlyn Klein ’18 and athletics trainer Ashley Krug ’12 are forever bonded by November 29, 2015—the day Klein broke her neck in a game.

HEALED AND HUMBLED

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

It’s a big anniversary for hockey player

When those words come out of

place finish at the NCAA tournament. “It

Kaitlyn Klein ’18 and assistant athletic

the doctor’s mouth, life takes a very

was extremely special,” Klein says of her

trainer Ashley Krug ’12. It’s been two

serious turn. Forget the fear of never

comeback performance last season. “But I

years since Klein crashed head-first into

playing hockey again—there was the fear

owe everything to my teammates.”

the boards during a game in Vermont.

of never walking again. “The surgeon

Krug was there, and “instantly I had a

said multiple times that almost every time

received the 2016 Minnesota Athletic

gut feeling that something wasn’t right,”

he does this surgery, it ends in paralysis,”

Trainers’ Association’s Outstanding

she says. Klein thought it was an injured

Klein says.

Athletic Trainer Recognition Award for

arm or shoulder, and wanted to keep

But six months and lots of rehab

And she owes a bit to Krug too, who

her quick thinking and care of Klein after

playing. Krug had her stay on the ice—she

later, Klein was not just walking, she was

suspected a spine injury. She helped spine-

cleared to lace up for non-contact ice

board Klein and called for an ambulance.

time. And six months after that, Klein

time, but I think she’s happy with me

At the hospital, doctors found

the devastating injury. “She wasn’t happy with me at the

led the Gusties with 11 goals during the

now,” Krug says. “I hope I’ve made

something far greater: a broken C7

2016–17 season. She helped guide the

Gustavus proud.”

vertebrae. A broken neck.

team to a MIAC championship and third

The word for that is yes.

Happy 50th to Men’s Soccer Skilled foreign students, restless hockey players, frustrated football players, curious first-years, and new faculty came together at Gustavus in the 1960s, playing pick-up soccer on improvised fields with jackets marking the goals. Those misfits organized, and in 1967, Gustavus added varsity men’s soccer. The ’67 group was molded into a team by German professor Horst Ludwig. “Their style of play was extremely awkward,” Ludgwig told the Gustavian

Jon Astry ’07

Dan Hanson ’73

Weekly in 1970. “We had trouble with players using their hands and attempting to bodycheck their opponents.” By year three, Ludwig had led the Gusties to their first MIAC championship and started a dynasty unrivaled by any conference foe.

Coach Ludwig

Fifty years later, Gustavus leads the MIAC with 14 conference championships and six playoff titles. The program has reached the NCAA tournament 12 times, including a national runner-up finish in 2005.

Coach Zelenz

1983 Celebration

2013 Celebration

Coach Middleton

David Lilly ’15

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

Aaron Paye ’74

2005 Celebration

Gratitude “There are potential Gusties who will change the world and they just need a bit of a boost to do it.” —KAROLINA STARK ’17

Where Does That Gold Envelope Go? IT GOES TO THE GUSTAVUS FUND. AND THIS YEAR, OUR GOAL IS $2.6 MILLION.

Good Stewards Gustavus is ranked fifth in the nation for operational efficiency among liberal arts colleges (according to U.S.

“Thivs is what keeps the pianos tuned.” —VIDYA SIVAN ’02

News and World Report). Stewardship is important to us, and gifts to the Gustavus Fund are used wisely and efficiently.

The Gustavus Fund is the engine that makes this College go. It’s our “right-now” account, our current-year dollars, impacting today’s current and prospective students and helping to fill the gap between tuition income and the College’s expenses. The Fund is for all of Gustavus, across all academic programs and aspects of student life, benefiting Gustavus as a whole. Each gift given links to another, which links to another, providing

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

a chain of support that runs through the lives our current and

future students. The envelope is between page 32 and page 33.

“I see its impact.”

Thank you for your gift to all of Gustavus.

—PROFESSOR JEFF OWEN ’92

Where do gifts to the Gustavus Fund go? Always where they are needed most. Here’s how it breaks down.

43%

SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID

34%

INSTRUCTION, ACADEMIC SUPPORT, AND RESEARCH

13%

STUDENT SERVICES

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT

PUBLIC SERVICE

Want to make your gift online? Visit gustavus.edu/giving.

Christmas in Christ Chapel, 1975. It was only the third CinCC in history, but from the beginning it was a celebratory showpiece— multiple services, multiple choirs and ensembles, a grandly decorated Christ Chapel, and a new theme every year. The service closed with O Come All Ye Faithful, as it had the previous two years. The hymn had such a powerful effect that every CinCC has closed with it since. (Except in 1979, when it closed with Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.” The negative responses made it clear that a tradition was firmly in place.) Forty-four years later and it’s still a showpiece, joyful and triumphant, with more than 350 students, faculty, and staff bringing it to life and more than 5000 visitors coming to campus to worship. What has changed? A new way to reach audiences: 2016’s CinCC reached thousands via livestream. This year, that 2016 service will also be broadcast on PBS stations around the country. (See page 7.) The 2017 theme for CinCC is Life Abundant, celebrating the nativity and the 500th year of the Reformation. It will be a brand-new CinCC, but know what we’ll be singing when we close.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

Heritage

G USTIES Greetings, Gustavus Alumni and Friends, Lately, the Gustavus Alumni Board of Directors has had many conversations about how to increase transparency in communicating the work that we do with the Alumni Association. With that in mind, I would like to share with you an update. Under my leadership and that of Vice President Kara Buckner ’97, the alumni that comprise our board engage in work on four committees and two task forces. We continue to align our work with the Gustavus Acts Strategic Plan, the National Advisory Boards and Crown Council, the “Blueprint for Progress” developed by the President’s Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and other critical initiatives of high strategic priority for the College. The Board executes its work in close collaboration with the College, primarily through the Office of Alumni & Parent Engagement and its Director, Angela Erickson ’01. Our current structure and charges include: • Volunteer Engagement Committee: reviews and revises alumni volunteer leadership structure, positions, and roles to empower our volunteers. • Affinity Committee: establishes alumni affinity-based priorities, pilots new projects, and implements sustainable infrastructure to support them. • Philanthropy Committee: reviews and revises philanthropic expectations of board members and other volunteer leadership and provides support for greater philanthropic goals of the College. • Recognition Committee: identifies and selects annual recipients of various awards and legacy banners on campus.

•G overnance Task Force: reviews and updates board roles and by-laws. •D iversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force: collaborates and coordinates alumni/student diversity-related efforts with College administration. A major priority for the Board has been to enhance alumni visibility on campus. To that end, three key initiatives have been progressing well: • The Alumni Legacy Banners Project along Hello Walk recognizes some of the highest-achieving alumni throughout Gustavus’s history. The first round of eight banners were installed April 2017 and a second round is anticipated for Spring 2018. • Phase 1 of the Alumni Hall Award Plaques Project was installed and renaming of Alumni Hall to the “Cec Eckhoff Alumni Hall” was announced at the annual awards banquet in September 2017; phase 2 installation will be completed in 2018. All award recipients will have their names and accomplishments recognized in permanence on the walls of the hall to honor the legacy of their accomplishments and celebrate their contributions to our alma mater. • The 2016 Alumni Survey results continue to be analyzed and disseminated both internally and externally, serving as a springboard for innovation in programming and policy as it relates to the Alumni Association. A published report will be available later this year. Go Gusties!

Gordon Mansergh ’84, president Alumni Board of Directors

Alumni Association

Angela Erickson ’01, director, Alumni & Parent Engagement

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

2017 ALUMNI BOARD MEMBERS Gordon Mansergh ’84 (president), senior behavioral scientist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Kara Buckner ’97 (vice president), marketing consultant J.C. Anderson ’82, partner/attorney, Gray Plant Mooty Rick Barbari ’91, head of enterprise data management, US Bank Lydia Benge-Briggs ’13, business analyst, Boom Lab Mary Booker ’91, assistant vice provost– student financial services, University of San Francisco Bob Brown ’83, staff neurologist/professor, Mayo Clinic Michael Bussey ’69, senior consultant, Donor by Design Group, LLC

YOU CAME HOME

Sara Schnell Elenkiwich ’10, operations, Sparboe Farms Theresa Gienapp ’97, director of planned giving, Macalaster College

The Great Gustie Gathering on September 23, otherwise known as Homecoming, was a success on all fronts. The Gustie football team beat the Hamline University Pipers 51-7. Kids and families had fun together at events and activities for all ages. Choir alums sang together. Smaller groups of Gusties from academic departments and those who shared commen experiences reconnected at special events. And the new Gustie Faire had Gusties doing business with Gusties.

86% rated their experience as above average or excellent.

73%

said attending the Great Gustie Gathering this year has increased the likelihood they will attend in the future.

Cathy Villars Harms ’85, vice president of marketing, Tecmark LLC Brenda Kardock ’90, account specialist, FOX 47 KXLT-TV Stephanie Kendall ’76, executive consultant, Smarter Workforce, IBM Corporation Peter Kitundu ’92, general counsel, Blue Cross Blue Shield Todd Krough ’85, vice president/financial advisor, Bernstein Private Wealth Management Damon Larson ’84, librarian/research coach, Chaparral High School Bill Laumann ’66, retired school teacher/ librarian, Albert Lea ISD 241 Jane Norman Leitzman ’69, teacher, retired Ginny Kirkegaard Leppart ’76, teacher, retired

What a great day. I don’t think I ever walked more than a few feet without running into Gusties that I wanted to talk with.” MOST ENJOYED ACTIVITIES ➞ Walking around campus ➞ Meeting up with old friends

➞ Family Fun Zone

ENGAGE in the mission-driven work of Gustavus, for the benefit of all information and to get involved, visit gustavus.edu/

➞ Sporting events

Jason Mischel ’96, vice president of sales and marketing, Valley Queen Cheese Kay Rethwill Moline ’56, (emeritus member), retired Gustavus nursing faculty Esther Mulder ’08, public defender, Hennepin County

Gusties. For more

➞ All-Gustie Lunch

Dan Michel ’90, digital content manager, Feeding America

alumni.

Leslie Nielsen ’81, owner/manager, Meloy Park Florist 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, print and online communications specialist, Harvard Kennedy School Catherine Asta ’75 (immediate past president)

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

Here’s what Homecomers said about the day:

Antonio Gomez ’14, senior analyst, UnitedHealth Group

GUSTIES

MY GUSTAVUS

Lydia Frances ’11

Theatre and art major “I REMEMBER WALKING INTO ANDERSON AND SEEING THE STAGE AND THINKING, ‘THAT'S MY STAGE. I’M AT HOME.’”

I chose to come to Gustavus because my high school drama teacher Emily Gill ’03 went here. She showed me around. The way that Gustavus handles theatre is so hands-on, I knew I would get the opportunity to do a lot of things here. I knew I would be a theatre major. But I was always a painter, a visual artist. I didn’t know how to put that together. Professor Micah Maatman taught the importance of set design to the theatrical experience. The combination of design and drama—that was what I was interested in. He taught me how to make things visually interesting, how to be a good artist. He made my path really clear for me. I started as Micah’s assistant, and as an actor. Then I designed three different Gustavus productions. Hamlet in particular was a big honor because it was Shakespeare. I did an honors theatre production where I designed, and acted with several classmates who are now working in theatre arts in some capacity. From there, I did an internship at the Guthrie learning scenic painting. I had enough experience from Gustavus to jump right in. When I got to grad school for scenic design [at the University of Maryland, College Park], I had so much experience: production meetings, how to talk to directors, the basics of design and theatrical language, things that others in my grad classes didn’t have. Today I am a scenic artist at the Guthrie Theater, plus a freelance set designer and instructor at Gustavus. Last year was my first Christmas in Christ Chapel set design. I did all of the sewing myself, and I hand-dyed it myself. It was a big challenge, but the whole team trusted and supported me. My Gustavus is growth and finding myself and what I want to do with my life, being able to mold that while I was here, then taking my experiences with me as a really strong base to grow on.

See It For Youself This year’s Christmas in Christ Chapel celebrates the 500th year of the Reformation. “We're planning stained glass windows with images of the Gustavus community then and now, ways that show how the Reformation still applies today,” Francis says. For tickets and other ways to view the production, see page 7.

NEW TO THE ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME Nine Gusties were honored on September 23, after the athletic and celebration events of the Great Gustie Gathering. Brian Bergstrom ’82 earned First Team CoSIDa Academic All-America honors twice, 2001 Hewlett-Packard AllAmerica honorable mention, and three consecutive MIAC All-Conference honors before receiving an NCAA postgraduate scholarship for football. He now coaches at South Dakota State University. Brian and his wife, Kate Reiman Bergstrom ’02, live in Brookings, SD.

running back for the Gusties, earning All-Conference honors twice. Britz

Brad Mazer, Lana Golembeski (mother of Alicia), Brenda Bagoba, Sarah Garrison Moe, Jerry Connolly, Brian Bergstrom, Ryan Britz, Rauha Rahkola, Chad Gusttafson

proved to be a receiving threat as well,

Chad Gustafson ’01 claimed

and outdoor in 1996, taking 10th at the

finishing his career with 1,260 rushing

All-America honors in 2000 and 2001,

NCAA Championships. Her shot put of

and 891 receiving yards. He played in

taking 12th and 10th place, respectively,

43-5.5 set the school record. She also

all but three games throughout his

at the NCAA Championships. Gustafson

earned two All-America honors. She

career, scoring 25 touchdowns. Britz

was named a Golf Coaches Association

lives in Philadelphia and is a domestic

is now a vice president at Berkley Risk

Scholar Athlete his senior year and

violence advocate.

Administrators. He and his wife, Jennifer,

All-Conference in 1999. He is now head

live in Plymouth.

golf at the St. Cloud Country Club., and

Rauha Rahkola ’97 owns the

lives in St. Cloud with his fiancé, Katie

program’s second-best finish at the

Erickson ’02.

NCAA Cross Country Championships,

Sarah Garrison Moe ’02 Was named the 2002 Women’s Hockey

taking 19th overall in 1995. He holds

College Division Player of the Year,

Brad Mazer ’02 was the first All-

claimed two All-America honors, was

American in Gustavus baseball history

and 5000-meter. Rahkola earned All-

twice named MIAC Player of the Year,

after claiming the MIAC Most Valuable

America honors once and All-Region

and earned three All-Conference awards.

Player award in 2002 as a catcher. He

twice. Rahkola is currently a senior

She holds program records for most

is the program record holder in season

software engineer for Nike. Rauha and

goals in a game, career goals, and career

doubles, season home runs, career

his wife, Sarah (McCormick) ’98, live in

hat tricks. She lives in Saint Peter with

doubles, career runs, and career home

Newberg, Ore.

her husband, Scott ’95.

runs. His .421 career batting average, 210

the school record in the 1500-meter

career hits, and 144 career RBI are second

Jerry Connolly ’77 was

best in school history. Brad currently lives

Gustavus gymnastics head coach

earned All-America honors in 2002

in Overland Park, Kansas, where he is

from 1992–2000 and claimed national

with fourth place at the NCAA Golf

completing a post-doctoral residency.

championships in 1993 and 1994.

Alicia Golembeski ’02 Championships. She claimed All-

Connolly coached 16 gymnasts that

Conference honors and placed in the

Brenda Magoba ’97 earned 11

top-five at the MIAC Championships four

All-Conference awards during her indoor

four that earned five national event

times, including a senior year individual

and outdoor track & field seasons. She

championships. He and his wife, Oh

championship. She passed away in 2006.

claimed the MIAC shot put title in indoor

Sook, live in Schaumburg, Ill.

earned 39 All-America distinctions and

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

Ryan Britz ’00 was a workhorse

GUSTIES

THE LEGACY CONTINUES Move-In Day meant a new start and a return to the past for many Gustie parents and relatives who joined new first-years on their first day. Welcome, and welcome back! Astrup Lundquist: Susan ’84, Anna ’16, Peter ’21, John ’18, Erik ’88

55|

Buck Emberg, Tasmania, will retire next year. Meanwhile he and his wife, Joan, are publishing another book at the end of year, Living and Dying in Tasmania: A Social History of People and Selected Grave Yards of Victorian Tasmania.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

67|

John K. Anderson, Oregon City, OR, retired in 2008 after serving 35 years as the city/county administrator in four cities and two counties. Janet Williams Baron, Colorado Springs, CO, celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary in August. Warren Beck, Greenwood, celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary in August. Beate Hein Bennett, New York, NY, retired after more than 30 years of teaching. She now writes for two online theatre publications. R. Keith Hammer, Boise, ID, is a retired ELCA Pastor. Nadine Wiechmann Hunt, Fort Collins, CO, retired from the position of office manager at Raymond James Financial Services. Bruce D. Johnson, Dublin, OH, celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary in August. Dianne Larson Leider, Minneapolis, retired from ICU nursing after 44 years. Pamela Olson Lienke, Bloomington, is a retired English language teacher.

Barbara Calin Thomasson, Fridley, is a retired preschool teacher. Chip Weseloh, Toronto, ON, has retired from 35 years of working as a colonial waterbird specialist/ toxicologist for the Canadian Wildlife Service on the Great Lakes.

70|

Sandy MacKenzie Madsen, Hudson, WI, is a master gardener and leads the Garden Club at Houlton Elementary School, which was recently designated as a 2017 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School.

72|

Steve Maurer, Minnetonka, is senior counsel at Digi International.

74|

Jim Fisk, Gallup, NM, is a lecturer and public services librarian for the University of New Mexico, Gallup.

76|

Sandra Trygg Hulet, Plymouth, is a director of global product education at Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

77|

Karen M. Larson, Minneapolis, is regional housing director for Ebenezer Management Services. Brian Morris, Pine Island, is a mechanic and bus driver for Pine Island Public Schools.

Christy Anderson Morse, Wayzata, retired in July from the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP), the umbrella organization for Minnesota’s largest foundation. She will remain board chairwoman for the organization’s two grant-making foundations, the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and the Anne Ray Foundation. Scott Pohlman, Maple Grove, retired after working as a partner at RSM US LLP. David E. Potter, Boca Raton, FL is an intensive outpatient counselor at Hanley Center. Deb Thorset Ronglien, Eden Prairie, won the People’s Choice Award for her watercolor painting Beach Kids in the Minnesota Watercolor Society’s Spring 2017 Exhibition.

81|

Ed Rudberg, St. Paul, and Mark Apfelbacher ’04, have started CD3, a business creating cleaning stations that make it easier for boaters to clean up from invasive species after leaving a lake. The business was a semi-finalist for the 2017 Minnesota Cup.

82|

Jim R. Bjork, Chaska, is a consultant at Geronimo Energy. Kris Orson Jones, Maple Grove, is real estate agent for Century 21 Premier Group.

Tom Kassberg, Belvedere Tiburon, CA, is a chief business officer at Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical. David Olson, Maple Grove, is a partner at Lanners and Olson, P.A. Duncan R. Puffer, Hermantown, is a senior partner of Northern Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons serving communities of Duluth/Superior, Hibbing, and Ashland, WI. He also serves as diplomate of American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Mike Reutter, Minneapolis, is a biology instructor at Normandale Community College. Sue Johnson Sweeney, Keene, NH, is a behavioral health consult liaison RN at Cheshire Medical Center. Meredith Engwall Walsh, Minneapolis, is a senior investigator at Medica’s Special Investigations Unit. Nancy Taylor Zallek, Saint Peter, is the director of the Mankato Area Foundation and was recently recognized in the Mankato Connect Business Magazine.

83|

Nancy Phibbs Rogneby, Chanhassen, is a BIA accredited representative at Minnesota Council of Churches in Minneapolis. She represents refugees, immigrants, and those with political asylum as they transition in their immigration status.

84|

Duke A. Paluch, Superior, CO, has been the club manager/director of Rocky Mountain Tennis Center in Boulder for 28 years.

85|

Sheryl Anderson Bjork, Chaska, is an attorney at Bowman & Brooke. Todd Krough, Plymouth, is a senior investment officer at Tealwood Asset Management in Minneapolis.

87|

Joel M. Johns, Mendota Heights, is the director of operations at Cambria. Todd A. Zabel, Hugo, is the Managing Partner at Zabel & Co.

88|

Isabel R. Rogan, Omaha, NE, has joined the graduate faculty at Clarkson College. She mentors Capstone students through their projects as well as teaching in the nursing education program.

91|

Mary A. Booker, San Francisco, CA, is the assistant vice provost for Student Financial Services at the University of San Francisco.

92|

Connha Stevenson Classon, Woodbury, is a principal at South Washington County Schools.

Erika K. Lund, St. Paul, is a parent educator at AGAPE High School.

93|

Shannon Freer Banitt, Jupiter, FL, is a senior estate settlement advisor at PNC Wealth Management in Palm Beach.

94|

Darien Holznagel, Pleasant Hill, CA, is vice president, head of human resources for the fashion labels Joie, Equipment, and Current/ Elliott in Los Angeles, CA.

97|

Emily Botten, Rochester, is a CRNA at Mayo Clinic. Andy Gunsaullus, St. Paul, just finished a masters of applied exercise science in sports performance and nutrition at Concordia University of Chicago. Kimberley Pelzel Hillberg, Austin, is principal, National Assurance and Tech Group for Clifton, Larson, Allen. Stef Tucker, Bloomington, is and audit director at TCF Bank. Karissa Wicklander Kirvida, Hugo, is a sales team leader at Unilever. Dawn Quast Kratzke, Gaylord, is a social worker at Sibley County Public Health and Human Services. Jason F. McDonald, Shakopee, is an assistant football coach and substitute teacher at Shakopee HS.

Wiertsema Miller: Kathy ’90, James ’21, Lowell

Ross A. Mettner, Chanhassen, is an advanced workflow specialist at Ricoh Americas Corporation. Nichole L. Sterling, Katonah, NY, is an associate at Baker Hostetler. Jodi L. Justman, Federal Way, WA, is the music director/choir and band teacher at Evergreen Lutheran HS.

98|

Heidi Anderson Bonner, Wilson, NC, is an assistant professor at East Carolina University in Greenville, and a recipient of the 2016–17 Dean’s Early Career Award in the College of Arts & Sciences at ECU.

00|

Amanda Marotz Roemer, Chillicothe, OH, received her licensed professional counselor certification from the state of Ohio in April.

01|

Amanda Armstrong, Longmont, CO, started her new role as business reference collection specialist for the Denver Public Library. Kim Johnson Lo, Novi, MI, received a master’s of science in Human Resource Development from Villanova University. Randy Schmeling, West St. Paul, is an actor at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. He appeared in the most recent production of Jesus Christ Superstar.

02|

Morton Carr: Robert, Liam ’21, Ann ’85

Cindy Sonntag Dahl, St. Paul, is a physical therapist at Bethesda Hospital. Emily Dale, Atlanta, GA, is a public health analyst at the CDC. Joshua G. James, Minneapolis, is a vice president at Wilmington Trust, National Association. Katie Bartz Johnson, Sartell, is a private music lesson teacher. Blake Kane, Northfield, is a program manager, with the global sales incentives team for IBM. Katie J. Scheel, Eagan, is a nurse clinician at United Hospital. Erica Schmidt Krocak, St. Louis Park, is a labor and delivery nurse at Methodist Hospital in Minneapolis. Mara E. Michaletz, Anchorage, AK, is an attorney in Anchorage, practicing civil litigation. Brittany N. Miller, Folsom, CA, is a registered nurse in the oncology/stem cell transplant unit at UC Davis Health in Sacramento. Christine Weber, Prosper, TX, is the regional manager at General Mills. Jon Miller, Warrenton, OR, is an assistant professor at Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria, Dep. Fisica. Carl Nelson, Seattle, WA, is a principal for Real Estate Acquisitions & Development at Amazon Web Services.

Boyd Halvorson: Ellen ’88, John ’18, Jason, Samuel ’21

A (VERY) LONG LINE OF GUSTIES. The descendants of Rev. Lars Gustaf Almen held an extended family reunion in July, honoring the family’s long-standing connection to the College. Almen was a Lutheran circuit preacher employed by Gustavus to solicit funds for what became the first Gustavus Endowment Fund. All nine of his children graduated from Gustavus, the first one in 1899. Since then, 53 of his descendants have attended Gustavus, plus numerous spouses. The breadth and depth of the Almen connection grew throughout succeeding generations with several individual Gustie family legacies ensuing among the Almen siblings. Pictured are the 14 Gustavus attendees who were present: Ben Sandin ’99, Caroline Sandin Basley ’66, Don Benson ’66, Caroline Olson ’15, Ellen Almen Dale ’82, Susan Benson Rettke ’68, Andrew Olson ’85, Cathy Almen Nelson ’75, Diane Carlson Olson ’76, Susan Almen Whittaker ’93, Tony Almen ’52, Ardis Almen ’49, Howard Sandin ’69.

Katie Carlson Schoeppner, Minneapolis, is a patient services program coordinator at the national Marrow Donor Program/ Be the Match.

Tracy Vicory-Rosenquest, Plattsburgh, NY, recently opened a coffee and espresso bar located in the Plattsburgh Library called Chapter One Coffee & Tea. She also had two plays produced in 2016,

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

Calkins Gordon: Jack, Molly ’97, Johnny, Paula, Mark, Hannah ’21

GUSTIES

Roust Stapfer: JoAnn ’87, James ’21, Richard

Fong Lim: Catherine ’21, Jean, David ’15

one at SUNY Plattsburgh and at the Montreal Fringe Festival. Luke Weekly, Plymouth, is the director of business operations at Aerotek. Rachel Turzynski Zimmermann, St. Paul, is a laboratory supervisor at Minnesota Oncology.

04|

Donnie Berkholz, Eden Prairie, is vice president of Information Technology Service Delivery at Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

05|

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

Dana B. Barron, Fort Collins, CO, earned her Ph.D. in musicology from Indiana University in May 2017. Sara Dassenko Dolan, Eden Prairie, is an RN in pediatric mental health at Fairview/ University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital. Jessica M. Prody, Canton, NY, received tenure and promotion to associate professor of communication arts at St. Lawrence University.

06|

Daniel M. Sellers, Minneapolis, is executive director of EdAllies, a group of Minnesota educators. Ben Sherer, Denver, CO, completed a fellowship in laparoscopy/endourology and minimally invasive urologic surgery at the University of California in San

Francisco, and has joined Colorado Permanente Medical Group in Denver, Colorado, specializing in the management of kidney stones and kidney abnormalities.

07|

Katherine Johns Bergman, New Brighton, is a composer. Tiffany Butterworth, Austin, TX, is an assistant studio director at Dance Xlosion. Brian J. Evans, St. Paul, is a professional performer and teaching artist. Melanie Baker Gunderson, St. Paul, is a quality review specialist at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Bridget L. Hoesley, Hermitage, TN, is an ultrasound technologist at HCA. Brianna L. Monahan, Hutchinson, is an elementary teacher at Hutchinson School District. Brian W. Laumeyer, Grand Rapids, MI, is a national sales manager at Dubarry of Ireland. Melissa Vickerman Murphy, Minnetonka, works for Space 150, an advertising agency in Minneapolis. Drew P. Nelson, Maple Grove, is an advisor sales executive at Concur. Emma Jaeger Newman, Minnetonka, is a visual manager for Target Corporation. Allison Helland Sill, Minneapolis, is a nurse practitioner at Allina Health.

Olson Varanasi: Ben, Srikanth, Isabella ’21, Peter ’18, James Olson ’60, Melissa

Tena Pulver Ulvin, Minneapolis, is a reading specialist for Twin Cities International Elementary School, Concordia-St. Paul campus. Nicole Gergen Villapiano, Cortland, NY, is a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar in internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Michigan, Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation. Lauren E. Wallerius, Edina, works at Marketplace events. Patrick S. Wand, Rosemount, is a project manager at the Mall of America.

08|

Lynn Herrick, Seattle, WA, is a software development engineer at Amazon. Michael J. Johnson, Mankato, is a teacher at Mankato West High School. Lisa Johnson Sansgaard, Bloomington, is a clinical development specialist at Fairview Southdale Hospital. She received the Alison Hadden Excellence in the Practice of Nursing Award in 2016.

09|

Jennie A. Andersen, Minneapolis, is a tax manager for ABILITY Network. Kat Coughlin Coda, Chicago, IL, graduated with a degree of Veterinary Medicine in May 2017, from the University of Minnesota.

St. Dennis: Grady ’92, Isabel ’21, Anna ’18, Angela

Hultgren Frederick: Espen ’21, Kristina ’96, Nora, Kris ’96

Andy Haaheim, Minneapolis, is an instructional leader and general biology teacher for Fridley High School, an International Baccalaureate school. Sarah Komperud, Minneapolis, is the planetarium programs coordinator at the Bell Museum in Minneapolis and an astronomy professor at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Anna Schuh Renner, Baltimore, MD, is a safety engineer for the Army Public Health Center in Baltimore. Brittani A. Seagren, Elkhorn, NE, completed her doctorate of nursing practice at Nebraska Methodist College. Jing Han So, Watsonville, CA, is a high school physics teacher at Ceiba College Prepatory School in Watsonville. Kiersten Sward, Lino Lakes, was promoted to business process analyst II, Cardiac Rhythm Management at Boston Scientific.

10|

Mark T. Huberty, St. Paul, works in investor relations for 3M.

11|

Kiera Braun Bridley, Siren, WI, is DVSA manager for St. Croix Tribal Health and Human Services.

12|

Megan M. Lundin, Buffalo, is a physician assistant at Allina Health.

Molly Beckstrand, St. Louis Park, is an internal audit consultant at UnitedHealth Group. Ben Bickel, St. Paul, is a software engineer for FastBridge Learning. Nick Breckner, Minneapolis, works in Business Development at Data Sales Co. Bobby Elwell, Windom, is a teacher and head football coach at Windom Area School District. Emma L. Foley, Chicago, IL, is a manager of technical services and integration at Intelligent Medical Objects. Billy Hauer, Shakopee, is a pre-algebra teacher at Upper Mississippi Academy. Holly J. Hoffmann, Prior Lake, works for Open Access Technology International as lead compliance. Allie Schwab Johnson, Bloomington, is an RN at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital. Maria A. Lofstuen, Minneapolis, is a fourth-grade teacher at Castle Elementary. Andy Phillips, Malden, MA, is a customer service representative at Wash Depot Holdings. Emily Green Schumacher, Lakeville, is a TRIO Student Support Services Advisor at Hennepin Technical College.

13|

Jordan Knoop, Shoreview, is a senior actuarial analyst

Allen: Robin, Mark ’86, Ashley ’21

for HealthPartners. Lauren Rothschiller Reed, Eden Prairie, is a first-grade teacher at Laketown Elementary in the Waconia School District.

15|

Joseph L. Bies, New Hope, works for SAP America. Jenny Marquette, Seattle, is a community resources coordinator at Compass Housing Alliance, a local nonprofit that focuses on homelessness. Rosa Repke, Minneapolis, is a project coordinator for Best Buy Company.

17|

Coursey N. Edwards, Eden Prairie, is a registered nurse at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital. Hannah G. Heacox, Stillwater, works as a physician extender for Allina Health. Janet I. Jennings, Inglewood, CA, was recently hired as assistant director of the Gustavus Diversity Center. Bradley A. Rice, Saint Peter, is a maintenance contract coordinator at Datatrend Technologies in Minnetonka. Kristine E. Rogers, Rogers, is an RN in the Family Birth Center at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital in Minneapolis. Michaela R. Schulz, Elk River, is employed at Smiths Medical in Plymouth.

Baumann Croonquist: Zachary ’19, Ellen ’21, Cara ’91, Scott ’85

Harstad Urdahl: Jill ’89, Torben ’21

Grams Gustafson: Mark, Marisa ’21, Debby ’85

Setterlund: Megan ’21, Marc ’89, (mom is Katherine Holm '89)

Annalise L. Wolff, Eagan, is a graduate student at the University of Minnesota in veterinary medicine.

RAN INTO A GUSTIE—

WEDDINGS

In June, four Gusties spontaneously connected at the Minnesota Academy

Karen Larson ’77 and Richard Murray, Minneapolis Kelli K. Koob ’86 and Richard Stenstrom, 01/15/17, Minneapolis Katie Howe ’02 and Brian Graeb, 09/03/16, Brookings, SD Sara Sonnabend ’02 and Ryan Paul, 06/06/15, Minneapolis Chris Wagener ’02 and Emma Wilson, 07/09/16, Boise, ID Carmen Mayo ’03 and Aaron Johnson, 03/21/15, Ham Lake Kimberly Lutz ’03 and Kyle Sweet, 06/10/17, Minneapolis Lesli Huettl ’05 and Adam Gregory, 07/21/17, Battle Creek, MI Noelle Salmonson ’06 and Kevin Carlson, 07/08/17, Cedar Mollie McFaggen ’07 and Nick Boland, 12/03/16, South Saint Paul Nicole Gergen ’07 and Joe Villapiano, 07/23/17, Cortland, NY Michael J. Johnson ’08 and Keri Ellingson, 07/14/17, Mankato Sarah Thon ’09 and Jaron Haggbloom, 06/24/17, Minneapolis Katherine McGowan ’09 and Andrew Leer ’09, 08/09/14, Edina Carl J. Miller ’09 and Shannon Smith ’09, 05/20/17, Minnetonka Anna Schuh ’09, and Ethan Renner 06/24/17, Baltimore, MD Eric C. Cronin ’11 and Ava

AT A WELCOME EVENT FOR NEW DOCTORS of Family Physicians’ welcome event for incoming first-year residents in Family Medicine. Mara Edison ’13, Lee Kenyon ’12, Dania Spies Kamp ’97 and Tara Loftus Owens ’04. Edison and Kenyon are new residents in Family Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Kamp is a family physician in Moose Lake and the immediate past president of the MAFP, and Owens is member engagement director for the MAFP.

ON THE BLOCK These seven Gustie grads got together on National Night Out on Aug. 1 because they all live within 15 houses of each other on the same two-block long street in Bloomington. Front: Beth Nelson Boyum ’00, Dawn Stueven Fadden ’97, Chris Lundahl Lunz ’69. Back: Ken Boyum ’97, Griffin Geisler ’99, Christina McAndrew ’99, and Rob Lunz ’70.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

Hart Peterson: Rick ’91, Kristine, Tate ’21, Aaron ’18

GUSTIES

Case: Lora, Allie, Troy '93, Hailey '21

Johns: Marietta ’21, Melissa ’94, Derek ’92

Goepfert ’14, 07/29/17, Fort Collins, CO Ben Batz ’12 and Sarah Jabar ’10, 7/29/17, Minneapolis Elizabeth Shay ’12 and Kavon Martin, 05/20/17, Minneapolis Dane J. Mellgren ’12 and Amanda Corrigan, Columbia Heights Lydia Benge Briggs ’13 and John Cloeter, 08/19/17, Minneapolis Megan Kaderlik ’13 and Jared Conklin, 04/22/17, Lakeville Dane J. Erickson ’13 and Kelsey Swanson ’12, 06/02/17, Saint Paul

Price Wright: Chloe, Cara ’90, Caitlin ’21, Scott ’90

Ben Miller ’13 and Elizabeth Schmidt ’13, 04/29/17, Chanhassen Anna Schulte ’14 and Jason Cook ’12, 04/22/17, Waconia Alecia Woods ’14 and Wilson Hooper, 8/19/17, Eagan Heidi Ide ’16 and Jordan Bussler, 09/02/17, Glencoe

BIRTHS Mason to Shannon J. Sinning ’98 and Amy Sinning, 09/01/17 Jean-Marie to Jessie Johnson Robinette ’99 and Michael Robinette, 06/08/17

Kewitsch Johnson: Peter ’92, Alex ’21, Michele ’91

Gustav to Amanda Marotz Roemer ’00 and John Roemer, 04/24/17 Sarah to Kyle Momsen ’01 and Nicole Annis Momsen ’05, 05/26/17 Annalina to Daryn C. Collins ’02 and Amber Erickson Collins, 04/27/15 Theo to Kara Fox Galvin ’02 and Daniel J. Galvin ’02, 04/28/16 Graesen to Sara Sonnabend Paul ’02 and Ryan Paul, 04/29/17 Miles to Ellie Roscher ’02 and Daniel Ruth, 12/27/16

Carlson: Lisa, Eric ’21, Kirk ’95

Twins, Lily Claire and Ava Elizabeth, to Michael Durfee ’00 and Sarah Horner Durfee ’03, born on 5/13/16 Timothy to Carmen Mayo Johnson ’03 and Aaron Johnson, 10/10/16 Connor Allen to Christopher Renne ’04 and Leah Neal Renne, 7/2/17 Malin to Lynnea Piotter Myers ’05 and David J. Myers ’05, 06/19/17 Finley to Kelsey Rohde ’05 and Scott Rohde, 04/10/17

Jungas Engbrecht: Kristen ’91, (aunt) Karna ’93, Madison ’21

Quinn to Jennifer Burke Keener ’06 and Dennis Keener, 12/03/15 Liam to Katie Fillius McClave ’06 and Graham McClave, 02/08/17 Theodore to Dorea Ruggles ’06 and Joel Abrahamson, 09/05/16 Lucia Marie to Erin Green Smith ’06 and Daniel J. Smith ’06, Lucas to Lisa Kvamme Guptill ’07 and David M. Guptill ’09, 03/23/17 Hudson to Kara Meyer Haus ’07 and Jeremy Haus, 12/01/16 Twins, Dorothy and Audrey to Melissa Vickerman Murphy ’07 and Dan Murphy, 1/17/17

2017 SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENTS 25 YEARS OF SERVICE Jolene Christensen, assistant to the president and secretary to the board of trustees Naomi Quiram ’78, director in print and mail services Donald Scheese, professor in English and environmental studies Patricia Snapp, associate professor in music and voice area coordinator

Jolene Christensen

Donald Scheese

Barbara Fister

Bruce VanDuser, associate professor in health and exercise science

30 YEARS OF SERVICE Barbara Fister, professor in library science

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

Michael Hvidsten, professor in math, computer science and statistics

40 YEARS OF SERVICE

Michael Hvidsten

Naomi Quiram ’78

Bruce VanDuser

Patricia Snapp

Al Behrends ’77, director of fine arts

RETIREES Al Behrends ’77, director of fine arts Professors Deborah Goodwin, Doug Huff, and James Welsh were featured in the Summer 2017 issue of the Gustavus Quarterly.

Al Behrends, '77

Everly to Sara J. Olmanson ’07 and Lucas D. Martin, 03/01/16 Sophia to Tom Zera ’07 and Kristina Portz Zera, 04/24/17 William to Matt Busacker ’08 and Amber Fletcher Busacker, 05/27/17 Henry James to Ben Brandt ’10, and Lauren Brandt, 7/12/17 Calliope to Andrew Griesman ’12 and Radonna Gasior Griesman ’11, 07/06/17 Aubrey to Terrece Mesenbring ’15 and Chad Mesenbring, 03/08/17

IN MEMORIAM Bob Clemens ’46, St. Paul, on 06/06/16. A former self-employed financial consultant, he is survived by his wife, Mary, and two children. Shirley Hulterstrum Luettinger ’46, Lake City, on 06/23/2017. A retired music teacher, she is survived by her two daughters. Shirley Ledin Medin ’46, Minneapolis, on 2/7/17. She was a retired editor for Augsburg Fortress Publishers and is survived by a nephew. Geneva Nygren Anderson ’48, Colorado Springs, CO, on 03/08/17. A retired teacher, she is survived by her three daughters and their families. Walter C. Johnson ’49, Mankato, on 07/01/17. A military veteran and former business owner, he is survived by his wife,

Moscatelli: Tess, Liz, Gari ’83, Tia ’21

Maurine ’49, and three children, including Kim ’78. Chris Christensen ’50, Morgan, on 005/27/17. A retired farmer and school teacher, Chris is survived by five children, including Janet ’84. Jeanette Seibel Almen ’50, Kerkhoven, on 06/08/17. A former home economics teacher, she is survived by four children, including Catherine ’75, Ted ’80, and Ellen ’82. Ethel Olson Johnson ’50, Milaca, on 08/04/17. A retired school psychologist, she is survived by her husband, Fred, and five children. Floyd E. Keller ’50, Bayport, on 07/31/17. Former superintendent of Stillwater Public Schools and director of elementary and secondary education for the State of Minnesota, Floyd is survived by his wife, Ruth (Uleberg ’50), and three sons. Ruth Church Mahoney ’50, Redwood Falls, on 7/20/17. A wife and mother she is survived by four daughters. Dorothy Orn Olson ’50, St. Peter, on 06/01/17. A retired office manager for Olson & Olson, she is survived by two sons. Graydon Boeck ’51, Minneapolis, on 3/31/10. He is survived by his son, Graydon ’72. Lois Zirk Hansen ’51, Racine, WI, on 05/25/17. A retired nurse and office worker, she is survived by her four children.

Chase Ericson: Gail ’88, Tyra ’21, Ken ’84

Duong Topp: Kari ’89, Anna ’21, Peter, Tung

RAN INTO A GUSTIE— AT TRIVIA NIGHT Jillian Hiscock ’05 was running a trivia night in Eagan when she noticed a Gustavus sweatshirt in the crowd. Turns out it was a whole team of Gusties. L to r: Lisa Koenig Wolff ’85, Andy Gladitsch ’16, Brad Wolff (A Minnesota State University–Mankato grad, he is husband of Lisa and father of Nick and Anna), Nick Wolff ’16, Derek Schmitz ’16, Anna Wolff ’17, and Julia Rydberg ’17.

AT A VIETNAMESE CANTEEN IN INDIA Susan Johnson Nelson ’91 was having a pho lunch at the Vietnamese embassy in New Delhi, India, when she noticed the server’s Gustavus shirt. It was Tram Nguyen ’19, a current biochemistry major whose mother works at the embassy.

Ruth Heine Springer ’51, Cannon Falls, on 07/20/17. A retired teacher, Ruth is survived by her two sons. Virgil E. Carlson ’52, Minneapolis, on 5/9/17. Former owner of Richfield Hardware, he is survived by two sons.

Paul E. Johnson ’52, Jonesborough, TN, on 06/08/17. A Navy veteran, general practitioner, and a radiologist, he is survived by three sons, including Daniel ’79. Janet Kuhnley Ohm ’52, Oconomowoc, WI, on 5/4/17. A retired elementary librarian, she

is survived by three children, including Karen Eckenrode ’79. Janet Lovold Hersch ’53, Osseo, on 5/8/17. A retired elementary teacher, she is survived by three children and a brother, Dean ’55. Lowell C. Larson ’53, Southern Pines, NC, on 4/14/17.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

Johnson Donoughue: Tim ’91, Mitchell ’21, Katrina ’90

GUSTIES

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

Wilson Lutter: Patrick ’90, Olivia ’21, Jacqueline ’90

Fleming Nelson: Nancy ’81, Thomas ’21, Richard ’77

A former personnel manager for Chesebrough-Pond’s USA, he is survived by his wife, Norma, and five children. Joanne Runez Lindau '53, Beaver Dam, WI, on 06/20/17. A retired teacher for over 30 years, she is survived by her husband, Rev. Paul Lindau '52, two daughters, and a sister, Bev Carlson ’56. Duane Goese ’54, Buren, Switzerland, on 05/15/17. A military veteran, he later worked as a computer programmer in Switzerland. He is survived by a son. LouBerne “Bunny” Winberg Nuss ’54, Bozeman, MT, on 05/24/17. A retired employee for National Park Service, she is survived by two daughters. Paul G. Peterson ’54, Willmar, on 06/09/17. An Army veteran, he had a career in banking and retired in 1994. He is survived by his wife, Sharon, and a son. William Dean Sausele ’54, Eden Prairie, on 06/10/17. A military veteran, Dean serve the St. Paul School District for more than 30 years. He is survived by his wife, Arlene, and two daughters. Diane Grove Johnson ’55, St. Paul, on 05/21/17. A retired OB/ GYN nurse, she is survived by two daughters.

Bregi McGregor: Michael, Kate ’21, Suzanne ’90

Ronald Schneider ’56, Willmar, on 07/10/17. He served as a Navy aviator and had a law career for many years. He is survived by his wife, Betty, and two children, including David ’88. Vada Peterson Carlson ’57, Anoka, on 6/23/17. She was long-time media specialist for Anoka Hennepin Schools and is survived by her husband, Dennis ’57, and a daughter. Ruth Ann Lundgren Hutchins ’57, Scottsdale, AZ, on 05/27/17. Ruth worked as a flight attendant for Capital Airlines and is survived by two daughters, three stepsons, and a sister, Mary Hauck ’54. Carol Lindig ’57, St. Paul, on 07/14/17. Past president of the Minnesota Dental Assistants Association, she is survived by many relatives and friends. Carl Johnson ’58, Sheboygan, WI, on 7/17/17. He was a long time high school history and German teacher and is survived by his wife, Betty, and three sons including Timothy ’93. Richard “Red” Olson ’58, Minneapolis, on 6/21/17. He was a motivational trainer for InsideOut Development and is survived by two children. Janice Carlson Strand ’58, Sparks, NV, on 12/4/16. A retired dietician for the Food Service

Arndt Lundgren: Britta ’21, Wendi ’93, Ben, Alex, Kylie, Aliyah

at 7500 York Cooperative, she is survived by her husband, Lynn ’58, and four children, including AnnMarie ’87. Patricia McLane Olson ’59, Minneapolis, on 05/10/17. A wife and mother, she is survived by two children. Joanne Swenson Iverson ’59, Wayzata, on 04/17/17. A former business teacher and executive assistant at Monsanto and Solutia Corporations, she is survived by two daughters and a sister, Marilyn Richter ’65. Ben A. Johnson ’59, St Cloud, on 06/07/17. He served as former professor and Dean of theology at Wittenberg University, as professor and president of The Lutheran Bible Institute, and as a senior pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in St. Cloud. He is survived by his wife, Suzanna (Wasgatt ’60), and four children, including

Krister ’88 and Jesse ’91. Morris Lundgren ’59, Staples, on 08/13/17. He was a financial director at the Staples Technical College, and owned and operated the Kentucky Fried Chicken in Staples. He is survived by five children, including Trevor ’89, as well as a brother, Nathan ’60. Richard Loomer ’60, Vancouver, BC, 7/4/17. He was an orthopaedic surgeon and is survived by a son. Glenn R. Schleede ’60, Lanham, MD, on 5/7/17. A former Air Force veteran, he was a retired federal civil servant, utility executive, and energy policy analyst and critic who served under six presidents. He is survived by his wife, Sandra, and three daughters. Eileen Johnson Delk ’60, on 08/07/17. A former piano and substitute teacher, Eileen is survived by two children,

Fox: Amy Welshons Fox ’06, Nick ’06, Annie ’21, Jen ’12

including Michael ’91. James G. Duck ’61, Arlington Heights, IL, on 07/07/17. A veteran of the US Army and retired general manager/chief pilot of the Stick & Rudder Flying Club of Waukegan, he is survived by a son. Carmen Jones Knoble ’62, Estero, FL, on 05/07/17. A former English teacher, she is survived by her two daughters including, Bethany ’89. Bette Churchill Thorstenson ’62, Redondo Beach, CA, on 04/03/17. A retired social worker property manager, Bette is survived by a brother, Bruce, and nieces and nephews. Vernon E. Sisson ’62, Carthage, IL, on 08/01/17. Retired from the field of beekeeping, he is survived by wife, Sharon, and two children. Janet Bramsen Gerecke ’63, Minnetonka, on 05/26/17.

REMEMBERING J. DON SLARKS J. Don Slarks, Mankato, on 7/27/17. A World War II Navy veteran, he came to Gustavus after graduate school and was an assistant professor of psychology and head wrestling coach. He was also the sports information director, and an administrator, until his retirement in 1992. He enjoyed sports—especially Gopher football. He loved playing golf, playing poker with his Gustie group, and writing sports stories for the St. Peter Herald. He is survived by his children, Gary Slarks ’76, Randy Slarks, and Sandra Rose Rheaume, six grandchildren, and nieces and nephews.

A long-time manager of S & S Warehouse, she is survived by her three children. James E. Harder ’64, Edina, on 02/16/17. A retired manufacturer’s representative and owner of Harder Sales, James is survived by his wife, Jill, and two children. Wilma Johnson Oberg ’64, Moorhead, on 06/24/17. A wife and mother, Wilma farmed with her husband. She is survived by her husband, Ernie, and four sons. Gordon D. Olseen ’64, Tipton, IA, on 07/26/17. A military veteran, he had a career with State Farm Insurance as a claim adjuster. He is survived by his wife, Susan, and two children. Edmund D. Olson ’64, Walnut Grove, on 05/07/17. A retired biology teacher, he is survived by his wife, Norma, and two sons, including Brian ’96. Thomas W. Holm ’65, Duluth, on 05/31/17. Tom served as an Army medical doctor during the Vietnam War, and worked as a dermatologist in Duluth for 36 years. He is survived by his wife, Karen, and three sons. Daryl J. Batalden ’66, Dayton, on 05/19/17. He had a successful career as a medical surgeon, chief of surgery, and chief of staff for various hospitals. He is survived by his wife, Carla

DeRemee: Catherine ’21, Bo ’85

(Anderson ’67), and four children, including Melissa Mendez ’93. Trudy Harris Ferschl ’66, Park Ridge, IL, on 06/27/17. A retired clinical specialist in cancer nursing and former instructor at the School of Nursing at University of Wisconsin, Trudy is survived by her husband, Robert, and two children. Sheryl Anderson Menge ’67, Long Lake, on 05/06/17. Co-founder, along with her husband, of JEM Technical, a U.S. manufacturing business. She is survived by her husband John ’66, and two children, including Andrea Tysdal ’98, and sister, Sandy ’71. Lee E. Petersen ’68, Spring, TX, on 06/03/17. A former exploration advisor for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, he is survived by his wife, Virginia (Hendrickson ’67), and four children, including Jon ’92, and Jill ’96. Lyle W. Clark ’68, Tupper Lake, NY, on 11/22/16. A Navy veteran, he worked as a controller for various companies and participated in community theater groups throughout his adult life. He is survived by a niece. Stefan P. Guttormsson ’69, Duluth, on 05/24/17. A longtime obstetrics and gynecology physician at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth, he is survived by wife, Rosemary (Lange ’69),

Maim: Ted, Eva ’21, and her grandmother, Elisabeth ’55

and three sons. Nancy Rippel Miller ’70, St. Peter, on 08/16/17. A former English teacher for 34 years, Nancy is survived by husband, Jeff ’69, and daughter, Anne ’90. Keith Burau ’72, Houston, TX, on 3/27/13. He was an associate professor of biostatistics at the UT School of Public Health in Houston’s Medical Center. He is survived by his wife, Monika, and two children. Reid Larson ’72, Cambridge, on 05/25/17. A former employee of SACS in Cambridge, he is survived by three siblings, including Kurt ’73 and Barry ’81. Ross D. Handahl ’75, St. Cloud, on 05/18/17. Co-owner and operator of Agency 128, he is

Hemme: Susan ’90, Taylor ’21, Eric ’90

survived by his wife, Marcia, and three daughters: Sarah Ahlberg ’03, Stephanie Benson ’05, and Stacie ’08. Stephanie Skodis Havemeier ’91, on 04/19/17. A former human resources administrator for Business Card Service, she is survived by her parents, George and Martha Skodis, and a daughter, Anna. Sarah Mullins Leonard ’00, Washington, DC, on 8/15/17. She was a program assistant for Sidwell Friends School and is survived by her husband, Keith, two children, and her parents, Richard and Cleone Mullins. James Albrecht ’01, on 5/7/17. He was a national board moderator for Wells Fargo and is survived by his wife, Tiffani, four

Kerbeshian: Jack ’92, Nicholas ’21, Sarah ’92

children, his parents, Janet Nelson Spielman ’70 and James Albrecht ’72, and four siblings including Vanessa Albrecht ’02. Stephen Brown, former staff, Huntley, on 5/7/17. A Gustavus dining service worker, he started his college education at age 60 and graduated from Minnesota State University at age 70 with a degree in geography. He is survived by a son. Virginia Farrell, former staff, Mankato, on 5/7/17. A long-time employee of Gustavus, she is survived by a daughter. David Ferch, former staff, Mapleton, on 7/31/17. He was a Gustavus dining service manager for 14 years and is survived by his wife, Christi, and three children.

REMEMBERING ARNE LANGSJOEN Arne Langsjoen ’42, Saint Peter, on 9/28/17. A former head of the chemistry department at Gustavus Adolphus College, he was an athlete and a scholar during his time as a student, winning the state tumbling championship and graduating valedictorian of his class. He served in the Army during WWII, and joined the faculty at Gustavus in 1948, becoming head in 1954. He loved to teach, and received both the Edgar M. Carlson Award (1977) and the College Chemistry Teacher Award from the American Chemical Society (1985, the year he retired). He and his wife, Carol Gaustad ’42, started the Arne and Carol Langsjoen Chemistry Endowment at Gustavus. He is survived by his sister Alma ’53, daughter Karen ’67, son Peter ’69, and 11 grandchildren.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

Ohr Lundgren: Heidi ’83, Britta ’21, Dean ’81

GUSTIES

GUSTIES GATHER

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

1. Omega Kappa Gusties from 1966-1970 gathered at the home of Rick Zweig ’68. Front (l to r): Bob Bennet ’66, Blake Shelton ’69, Lea Casperson ’68, Russ Sharp ’68, Ian Frykman ’69, Bill Carroll ’71, Ron Witter ’68, Rick Zweig ’68. Second row (l to r): Kenric Johnson ’68, Jim Krieger ’68, John Moorhead ’68, Al Barnes ’70, Chuck Lewensten ’68, Denny Jepsen ’69, Ron Hobart ’69, Terry Ische ’66, Dan Kagol ’70, Mark Bernardson ’71. Back (l to r): Ken Losch ’68, Marlin Rudebusch ’68, Jim Henrichsen ’68, John Menge ’66, Mike Karels ’68, Jim Lindberg ’68, Bruce Anderson ’70, Bill Salinger ’67, Paul Strandess ’69. Not pictured: Bob Maland ’70 and Phil Carlson ’68 (who took the photo).

2. Donald Carlson, Norman Flaaten, and Gerald Emholtz got together to remember their years at Gustavus as roommates and ’51 graduates at Don’s residence on Lake Minnetonka. 3. Members of the Class of ’95 gathered in August at Breezy Point Resort for their 23rd Annual Gusties Gone Gull Weekend. Back (l to r): Susie Boeder Hoheisel, Gina Kronback Sazama, Shanna Behrens Fink, Sarah Reed Schreiner, Sarah Cox Bowman, Jenna Peik Peters. Front (l to r): Katie Olstad Gilles, Jennie Hainlin Lindstrom, Shannon Rafftery Treichel, and Roxy Wagener Myhre.

4. Physics majors Sarah Komperud ’09, Anna Schuh Renner ’09, and Jing Han Soh ’08 reunited in Honolulu for Anna’s wedding. 5. Five 1983 Gusties met up with Charlie Conn ’94 in Montana for a fly fishing trip. (L to r): Tim Peterson, Charlie Conn, Mark Hanson, Scott Gilyard, Craig Yotter, and Bob Gazzola.

6. From the Dan Burnett ’13 and Rachel Johnson ’13 wedding. Front (l to r): Adwoa Afreh ’14, Dan Burnett ’13, Rachel Johnson-Burnett ’13. Second row (l to r): Sarah Jabar ’10, Ben Batz ’12. Third row (l to r): Jasmine Porter ’13, Emily Hassenstab ’13, Allie Kalkman ’14, Hollie Edlund ’13, Andrea Morgan ’13, Kathryn Scott ’13, Brit Barkholtz ’12, Rush Benson ’13, Kelsey Hanstad ’14. Fourth row (l to r): Wade Underwood ’12, Cassandra Quam ’13, Andrei Hahn ’13, Eric Halverson ’13, Anders Spidahl ’13, Nathan Dexter ’13, Karla Leitzman ’13, Claire Curran ’13, Sophia OgrenDehn ’13, Kimmy Hinman ’13, Maja Johnson ’13. Back row: Kelly Broady ’14, Scott Broady ’13, Ethan Bjelland ’12, Max Buyer ’12, Ben Kolis ’12, Teige Cudahy ’13, Josh Connell ’13, Seth Schramm ’13.

7. 100 Years Young. Miriam “Mim” Manfred ’39 celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends. Pictured are her children David, Carol Manfred Sack ’72, Mark, Jean Thompson Manfred ’68 and Peter Manfred ’66. Also helping to celbrate were may nieces and nephews including Gustie grads Pattie Mead Kroug ’61, Pamela Mead, Gutawski ’71, Drew Peterson ’69, and Rick Peterson ’79. 8. Former roommates Melissa Habedank ’04 and Jill Hubers Haspert ’04 enjoyed a mini-reunion in Napa Valley, CA, in April.

9. At the celebration for the life of Stephanie Skodis Havemeier ’91. Top (l to r): Susan Thorager Goede ’92, Julie MaynardJohnson ’91, Lois McBroom ’91, Tim Flatt ’91, Sue Snyder ’91, Lori Anderson Bui ’92, Kari Erickson McSherry ’92. Bottom (l to r): Bussie Ibrahim DeVries ’89, Missy Litzau Quinn ’91, Missy Ryan McMillan ’91, Beth Kueppers Martin ’92, Paula Helfmann Vestin ’92.

GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2017

Vespers

The Rhetoric of Snow By Joyce Sutphen It never expects an answer. The answer is implied and then repeated a thousand times. When I look up it is still coming down, and even later, nothing has changed. Once it has convinced This semester marks the Gustavus retirement of professor Joyce Sutphen, one of the Midwest’s most beloved poets. Raised on a Minnesota farm, she earned a PhD in Renaissance drama from the University of Minnesota. For 23 years she taught writing and literature at the College, from Shakespeare through contemporary women poets. Says

us, white is the only color we know. Just when we begin to let go, the sun comes back,

colleague (and former student) Matt Rasmussen ’98, “I came to Gustavus interested in poetry, but she turned that interest into a passion and encouraged me to pursue poetry when I was uncertain I was any good.” Sutphen leaves a mass of poetry lovers and poets in her wake. And the poems keep coming. This is from the latest of her eight collections, The Green House (Salmon Poetry), published in 2017.

persuading the world into greenness, leaving us with an emptiness we can’t begin to explain.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR STUDENTS TO SUCCEED? For Alumni, Parents, and Friends

IT TAKES ALL OF US.

WINTER 2017 | VOL. LXXIII | ISSUE 4 STA F F Chair, Board of Trustees The Rev. Dr. Dan S. Poffenberger ’82

42 percent of all gifts to Gustavus annually are between $25 and $100. Every single gift matters. All of us for all of Gustavus.

Gustavus Adolphus College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association.

GUSTAVUS FUND gustavusfund@gustavus.edu | 800-487-8437 Office of Advancement | giftplanning@gustavus.edu | 507-933-6043

WINTER 2017 800 WEST COLLEGE AVENUE SAINT PETER, MINNESOTA 56082

HOW GUSTAVUS WORKS Beginning with students and faculty, this is how we do it

CLASS NOTES What your fellow Gusties have been up to

40 VESPERS As Joyce Sutphen retires, a poem on the rhetoric of snow

TWO TEAMS TWO COUNTRIES ONE OLYMPIC GUSTIE

MARISSA BRANDT ’15 Page 18