DANNY “ERLO” ERLANDSON: THE MAN...THE MIND...THE MEMORIES

By Bekah Johnson, Advancement & Alumni Relations

Punster. Quiz Bowl Guru. Teacher. Mentor. Friend. These are a few of the titles Danny “Erlo” Erlandson has held during his 25 years of teaching at LRCA. A man with an extraordinary memory who can punctiliously recite the graduating class, siblings, and some sort of anecdote about almost every student he’s ever taught. According to Babe Ruth, “legends never die,” but they do retire. In the summer of 2020, Erlo decided to hang up his teaching hat. While his departure leaves the high school with a permanent puncture, Erlo’s legacy at LRCA lives on. Across these pages, we hear from Erlo, as well as share just a few of the dozens of letters and notes of congratulations collected from former students who have been profoundly impacted by him over the years.

BJ: Why did you decide to become a teacher, and what led you to Walnut Valley Christan Academy?

DE: The push factor was that I had no other job prospects. Since I was too OCD to finish my doctoral dissertation, I never completed my Ph.D. Without a Ph.D., teaching college (my original ambition) was not a real option. The pull factor was that WVCA had a robust History program, which was my undergrad major. There was also a new curriculum called “Worldview” in which I could use much of the Bible, theology, church history, and philosophy I’d studied in grad school. BJ: What was the most rewarding part of the job? DE: Interacting with students and colleagues. I genuinely feel as if I learned more about the Lord, His word, theology, history, etc., from them than they learned from me.

BJ: What important lessons did you learn along the way?

DE: That students often care more about whether you care for them than if you’re an expert in your subject or have good teaching methods. I think the main reason I survived my first few years of teaching, even though I was then clueless about pedagogy (teaching method), was because the students somehow knew that all my teasing at their expense was borne of my love for them.

BJ: The student name pun you are most proud of?

DE: Let me share one from a “disciple” in the class of ‘12 (no, not punsters Ethan Burson, Steven Murphy, or Connor van Hemert, but Anastasia Peregrin). In AP European History fall of 2011, we were studying the significance of surnames—e.g., “Erlandson” is a patronymic, meaning “son of Erland,” while “van Hemert” is a toponym, meaning “from Hemert.” But some surnames tell what your ancestors did: Cooper = barrel maker; Chandler = candle maker; Miller = turned grain into bread; etc. Anastasia said after a long pause, “I wonder what Josh’s ancestors did?” It brought down the house! She was referring to Josh Hurlbut. Josh laughed hardest of all—he got his “revenge” by winning a 5A wrestling crown that year and becoming valedictorian.

NOTES TO ERLO FROM ALUMNI

I always appreciated your logical approach to theology and the fact you never presented your understanding of the topic as correct. Instead you would lay all the arguments, theories, and evidence before us and let us decide for ourselves. It made a huge impression on me then, and set me up for the future. Critical thinking and learning to make my own decisions about faith and theology instead of just believing what I am told is a skill you taught me and I’ll always treasure. - Heather Casey (‘10)

You were my favorite and most consequential teacher I had in high school. You went out of your way to be so engaging, instructive, entertaining, and caring. I’ll never forget that. In your European history and worldview courses, I remember first catching an interest in subjects which would aid the shape of my path. As a philosopher and religion scholar now, I still research and teach material for which I first picked up an interest from you. I hope at the end of my career that I too have so many students who remember me fondly. - Tad DeLay (‘04)

Thanks for not shying away from hard questions. - Heidi Denny (‘20)

You show kindness to everyone you encounter with no favoritism or exclusion. You treat everyone with such respect and gentleness, and you listen so well. And, even though your intellect and knowledge of Scripture impresses everyone around you, it is your humility that is so winsome. You value others’ opinions and are humble in word and deed.” - Lindsey Scholl Greenwald (‘05) “The most important thing I learned in your class is not to be afraid of questioning. You made it fun to play devil’s advocate and efficiently demonstrated that picking apart our beliefs and questioning the smallest details of theology will not destroy our faith. It strengthens it. I have also been influenced by your teaching style. I am a high school science teacher now and I have found myself following your example! As students, we felt you truly loved knowing us and loved being a part of our lives not just for those nine months we were in your class, but onward into life! - Caroline Groustra (‘12)

Erlo was one of the first teachers who really demonstrated to me the value of thinking critically, even about things you hold dear - like matters of faith. Between his worldview class(es), and quiz bowl practices, he deeply cared about teaching presumably insufferable know-it-alls like myself the importance of understanding the big picture. He demonstrated the difference between simply learning facts, and actually understanding concepts. - Paul Hinman (‘01)

Erlo, how I wish I could retake your worldview class. My 16-year-old self had no idea just how much biblical and historical wisdom there was to gain from sitting in your class! - Laura Wasson (‘15)