2019 MMC Alumni Magazine

THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF MOUNT MARTY COLLEGE

2019

Rogelio Hernandez, Jr. C’17 proved it’s never too late to start learning.

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MOUNTMARTY.EDU 1

FROM THE ALUMNI DIRECTOR Dear Alumni, Thank you for all of the love and support you have shown Mount Marty this past year! I feel blessed to work with the graduates of Mount Marty High School, Sacred Heart School of Nursing and Mount Marty College every day.

My goal is to keep our graduates involved and engaged with their alma mater.

Whether you are interested in mentoring current students, helping recruit new students or reconnecting with former friends and classmates, I am always here for you!

The Alumni Council has been going strong for a couple of years now and continues to grow. We are currently looking to add a few new members. The council represents alumni from all of our schools and strives to improve the educational and alumni experience at MMC. If you are interested in becoming an Alumni Council member, staying connected to our alumni community or learning about other ways to be more involved, please contact me.

Blessings,

Ashley Gullikson 605.668.4020 | alumni@mountmarty.edu

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ALUMNI COUNCIL MEMBERS Judson Meeks C’06

S. Kathy Burt C’93

T.J. Smith C’06

Steve Wagner C’82

Brooke Swier-Schloss C’04

LuAnn Kathol C’82

Bernie Hunhoff C’74

Kevin Bohn C’90

Matt Ahmann C’95

Caleb Wilson C’17

Amy Bailey C’08

Carol Stewart C’95 & C’13

Stephanie Otto C’10

Anna Kollasch C’16

Kristen Shanahan C’16

Benjamin Lynch C’01

Mission Statement: The purpose of the Mount Marty Alumni Council is to assist Mount Marty in fulfilling the College’s Mission and to be a vehicle for each alumnus to continue to share in the life of the College.

IN THIS ISSUE

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IN THIS ISSUE

SEEING GOD AT WORK

Jill Orton C’92 PAGE 7 Travis Petermann C’05 PAGE 9

PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE

Rey Gonzales C’94 PAGE 15 Charlie Illg C’20 PAGE 17

ALUMNI WEEKEND

THE BIG LEAGUES

Luke Elliott C’10 PAGE 12 Michael Sadler C’17 PAGE 12

BECOMING SOMEBODY

Rogelio Hernandez, Jr. C’17 PAGE 19 Chun Wu, BRIN Research PAGE 21

Events and Alumni Awards Hall of Fame Inductees PAGE 22

ANNUAL REPORT

CLASS NOTES

Look Back at 2018-2019 PAGE 24 Honor Roll of Donors PAGE 26

Births/Weddings/Memorials PAGE 28

GIVING DAY

April 25, 2019 PAGE 30

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IN THIS ISSUE

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SEEING GOD AT WORK Jill Orton C’92

Regional Chief Executive Officer of The American Red Cross, Blair, NE

A life of service has always been in the cards for Jill Orton. She grew up in St.

Paul, Nebraska, where her father taught high school math and her mother taught K-12 art and English in a nearby town. “It

I didn’t have children of my own at that

a Civil War nurse who modeled it after the

time,” says Orton, who now lives in Blair,

organization in Switzerland. The Red Cross

Nebraska, with her husband Doug, a service

has an extensive history of serving people in

manager with Sid Dillon Chevrolet.

Their children are Zach, a

need, whether that be abroad during times of war or at home, in

sophomore studying

response to domestic

special education and

catastrophes. It has

coaching at Wayne

also grown in its

State College, and

138-year history to

Jaime, a high school

provide important

senior. “I was able to

training in areas

educate and provide

such as swimming,

them employment

lifeguarding and

opportunities, so

childcare and took

2,000 volunteers and a paid staff of 45.

they were in a

the lead in the 1940s

Orton, who graduated from Mount Marty

Working for the Red

in 1992 with a degree in biology and

Cross was like being part

chemistry, started at the ground level — by

of a family. It was a place

volunteering when she lived in Hastings,

where I felt important and that

Nebraska. She was coaching swimming

my work mattered.”

seemed natural for me to go into a career that had to do with service or helping others,” Orton says.

She’s fulfilled that goal through her 19 years with the American Red Cross. Orton is currently the chief executive officer of the Kansas/Nebraska/Southwest Iowa Region, which includes 4 million people, more than

and diving, which led seamlessly to involvement in the Red Cross’s aquatics programs. “It was a perfect alignment.

safe environment.

That’s long been a goal of the American

by establishing the nation’s first civilian blood program. The Red Cross still provides more than 40% of the blood products in the country, collected largely through community blood drives.

Red Cross, founded in 1881 by Clara Barton,

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threshold. Altogether, it’s a big responsibility that requires finely honed people skills, critical thinking, good communication and problem solving — all of which, she says, were polished during her time at Mount Marty. Still, it’s the good works on the ground that nourish her soul.

During much of 2019, the Midwest saw devastating floods that required a lengthy response from the Red Cross. “We set up 30 shelters and we served people for at least six weeks until they could get back to their homes. That’s unprecedented,” she says.

Orton joined the staff in 2000 as a member of

to coach and to give our team what we need

the Health and Safety staff for the Heartland

to be successful in serving our community

Chapter in Omaha. She became the director

across our large geography. I get to build

of Health and Safety in 2006 and was an

relationships every day, and I get to see

executive for the Loess Hills Chapter in

God shine in different ways through these

Council Bluffs, Iowa from 2010 to 2013.

individuals that I work with.”

and needed what the Red Cross had to offer.”

school students could attend the annual

including Hurricane Sandy, which inflicted

spring formal and held a birthday party for a

nearly $70 billion in damages across the

little boy with firefighters as guests. “These

eastern seaboard, and the twin tornadoes

are the endearing actions that make me

that struck Pilger, Nebraska, in June of 2014.

happy, that we’re able to provide that help

Orton credits the Red Cross’s elaborate

and hope in times of dire need,” Orton says.

training process for helping her be prepared

“We give them those first steps toward what

to enter such intense situations.

in it, yet you know what you need to do to

and family or even their work, people did stay

could. They found prom dresses so high

in disaster responses across the country,

says. “You are orchestrating chaos. You live

able to get back to their homes, to friends

region replicated daily life as closely as they

in 2013. That role led to her involvement

disasters. Honestly, it is mass chaos,” she

and family that they can go stay with, but because of the inaccessibility and not being

Volunteers who deployed within or to Orton’s

She was appointed a region disaster officer

“You have to be calm when you go out on

“In the Midwest, most people have friends

She also oversees fundraising efforts that bring in on average $7 million each year for disaster responses and operational costs

a new normal looks like, and show them that life is going to be okay in a new and different way.”

while keeping expenses below a $3 million

help people figure things out. Be calm, follow your training and don’t be afraid. Be there, be confident and ask questions when you don’t know. That’s all part of responding to a disaster. People are very emotional, so our job is to provide stability, comfort, care and the information that they need at their time of desperation.”

As a regional chief executive officer, Orton oversees an $8.7 million operation that includes six chapter territories and seven boards of directors. “Being the leader of leaders is rewarding,” she says. “My job is

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AWARENES OF GOD

MODERN-DAY WARRIORS Travis Petermann C’05

President/CEO of Kid At Heart, 501C nonprofit in Sioux Falls, SD

Travis Petermann was in a rut. He’d always been energetic and athletic, but suddenly his workout routines had grown tedious, and he needed a change.

Then he heard about a new and exciting style of obstacle course racing called Spartan Race, set to take place at Raymond James Stadium, home of the National Football League’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and not far from his home in Florida. By the time he finished, the rut was busted and his life was forever altered. “It changed my entire perspective on eating, physical fitness, mental strength and confidence, and working through obstacles, not only physically but mentally,” Petermann says. “After that race, I knew I was hooked.”

Now, Petermann is using Spartan Race principles to foster success and

confidence in the youth of Sioux Falls through a new program called Kid at Heart.

Petermann grew up in Sioux Falls and graduated from Roosevelt High School. He played basketball at Mount Marty from 2001 to 2005 and earned a degree in business administration management and recreation management with plans of someday managing a resort in Florida. Instead, he landed a job with Daktronics of Brookings, working in large sports venue contract sales and traveling extensively through the southern United States. In 2008, the company transferred him to Florida, moving him closer to his dream career. But he discovered the resort management lifestyle didn’t appeal to him, so he took a job with Wells Fargo at about the same time he discovered Spartan Race.

Spartan Race is the brainchild of Vermonter Joe De Sena, who created the program in 2010. It’s inspired by the ancient warrior society of Sparta, and presents competitors with several different levels of running combined with obstacles. Courses include The Stadion and The Sprint (3 mile run and 20 obstacles), The

“THE HARDER YOU WORK, THE MORE YOU CAN GET THROUGH THINGS.” Super (8 miles and 25 obstacles), The Beast (13 miles and 30 obstacles) or The Ultra (30 miles and 60 obstacles). Guided by specific fitness, nutrition and lifestyle plans, Spartan

AWARENESS OF GOD

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Races are designed to challenge the limits of each racer, pushing them beyond comfort zones and allowing them to accomplish feats they otherwise might have considered impossible.

Petermann was committed to the philosophies behind Spartan Race when he and his wife, Megan, and daughter, Ellison, moved home to Sioux Falls in 2015 (they’ve since been joined by another daughter, Sutton). Once back in South Dakota, Petermann re-engaged himself in his local community by volunteering and joining service clubs, all the while looking for ways to incorporate his new knowledge in his new home. “I would hear of different needs in the community,” he says. “Right now, there’s a huge void in youth having access to programs such as this. I knew there had to be a way to incorporate all of this knowledge from fitness, mental strength and resiliency with my volunteering and these kids.”

He started working with Spartan Race organizers on a youth-oriented version called Spartan Edge, open to kids ages 6 to 16. It’s a curriculum-based program that includes 10 lessons that are combined with physical activity. In 2019, Petermann launched the nonprofit Kid at Heart, partnered with Spartan Race and began offering camps.

A typical lesson begins by showing students a series of problems or questions related to one of the 10 Spartan Race philosophies. “So if it’s self-awareness, they learn about their true north, and what they are truly passionate about in everything they do,” he says. “We get kids to think and construct knowledge versus us telling them what to do or what to think.”

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AWARENESS OF GOD

Then comes an outdoor obstacle challenge and a workout. “They’re doing army crawls, bear crawls, carrying sandbags, at the same time they’re learning the correct body movements. They’re challenging their minds and bodies.”

After the physical and mental exertion, students are then presented with the original problems and asked how they might work through them differently. “Grit and resiliency are related to happiness,” Petermann says. “The harder you work, the more you can get through things, the happier you are. We get them engaged first, and that truly empowers them with confidence to get through life’s obstacles.”

He’s already seeing changes in kids who, upon completing a Kid at Heart camp, create their own physical fitness plans. “It’s so hard to express that feeling you get when a child looks at you and they get it,” he says. “They have worked themselves through their own obstacle. They’ve empowered themselves to get through a challenge, and all of the students thus far have said, ‘I could not believe my body or my mind could do what I just did.’”

By 2023, Petermann hopes to have reached 2,000 children in Sioux Falls and the surrounding area. It’s an opportunity that he does not take for granted. “It’s one thing to think about now and then, but to really embrace that God is in everything, the direction that God has given me to pursue what I’m doing today, I don’t know if there’s a big enough thanks that I could send His way for putting me in a position to go out and help my community.”

A W A R E N EC SO SM M OF U NGIOT DY

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THE BIG LEAGUES Michael Sadler C’17 Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Seattle Mariners Luke Elliott C’10 Manager, Business Operations for the L.A. Clippers

Baseball brought Luke Elliott and

Michael Sadler to Mount Marty, but both of them knew that their playing careers were likely finished upon graduation. That hasn’t stopped either of them from making an impact within the highest levels of American sports.

Elliott is beginning his 10th year with the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, while Sadler just completed his second year as a strength and conditioning coach within the Seattle Mariners minor league system.

Thoughts of careers in professional sports had long been in the minds of both men, but their dreams slowly became reality at Mount Marty.

Sadler grew up in Mitchell, where he played Legion ball for Post 18. He joined the Lancers in the fall of 2013, where his knowledge of strength and conditioning began to grow, thanks to the baseball team’s assistant head coach, Jason Nelson. “He taught me during my freshman year how they did things, and I just fell in love with it,” Sadler says. “When I became a sophomore, I did more research and offered a few ideas for what we could do as a team. As a junior and senior, he even asked me to help write the workouts. He was an important part of introducing me to the strength and conditioning aspect.”

At the same time, Sadler began taking the steps toward a career in sports. After his junior year, he

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COMMUNITY

completed a summer internship working with the football and track and field teams at the University of South Carolina. He also volunteered to work with the baseball team. “Through that experience, I didn’t really know what sport I wanted to be a strength and conditioning coach in, but I knew that football wasn’t the right atmosphere for me,” he says. “I’m more of an interactive guy. I’m going to get to know people on personal level, and you can’t really do that in a football atmosphere.”

Baseball remained a possibility, so during his senior year he did a fourmonth internship at Cressey Sports Performance in Jupiter, Florida, working with minor and major league baseball players as well as general clientele. “I got to interact with people. I like learning about their

lives, family, work ethic, goals. That was a turning point for me.”

He also became fast friends with Eric Cressey, a strength and conditioning coach known throughout Major League Baseball. After Sadler graduated in 2017, he contacted Cressey about getting a job with a major league team. That October, the Mariners offered him a position within the organization.

Sadler is currently the performance coach for the Modesto Nuts in Modesto, California, the Mariners’ high-A affiliate. He programs all of the team’s workouts and is in charge of nutrition.

For Elliott, landing a job with the Clippers was the fulfillment of a

career goal and a homecoming. Elliott grew up in Santa Clarita, a suburb about 35 miles north of Los Angeles. He graduated from Mount Marty with a business administration degree in 2010, after playing baseball for the Lancers for four years. He planned to stay with the baseball team as a grad assistant while attending graduate school at the University of South Dakota, but got some life-changing career advice from family friend Darryl Dunn, who serves as general manager of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. “Don’t you want to work in sports?” Dunn asked him. “You need sales experience.”

“So I went home, knowing that I wanted to work for a sports team, but I didn’t really know how,” Elliott recalls.

The answer came when Elliott attended a career fair. “The Clippers — like many other teams, which I didn’t know at the time — hire inside sales reps to make calls, sell season tickets, group tickets, those kinds of things,” he says. “So I was hired in bulk, if you will.”

He began as an inside sales executive in October of 2010 and moved through the ranks before becoming the team’s manager of business operations in January 2019. His responsibilities include managing the team’s youth basketball program, analyzing and improving guest experiences at the STAPLES Center and what he calls, “the fun stuff” — organizing off-site games, such as this season’s preseason games in Honolulu and the Canada Series, an annual matchup of NBA teams held in various Canadian arenas. The 2019 series pitted the Clippers against the Dallas Mavericks in Vancouver, British Columbia. “The buck stops with me on those,” Elliott says. “I have a ton of support and a lot of people are involved, but in each case it’s my project to make sure it all comes together.”

Both Sadler and Elliott believe their time at Mount Marty taught them to make meaningful connections with other people within their respective organizations. “When I get a new player, I try to make them feel at home with the team and with what they need to be doing with me,” Sadler says.

“I sit down with them and ask them what they want to get out of this. What are their goals, what have they been doing, what haven’t they been doing, where can they succeed. Getting to know them on a personal level and creating that community feel will help them perform better in the weight room, and that will translate on the field. I’ve gotten amazing results from some players. They already had the strength, but me being able to have them buy in and have them feel like I care about them was the biggest part.

Most coaches don’t have that, but I found that fine line.”

Elliott, the California kid who spent four years in Yankton, hopes to impart the combination of Midwestern and Benedictine values that he learned in South Dakota. “Those can be tough things to hang onto in this world because it can be pretty cutthroat and ruthless, but staying grounded and having been brought up the right way at home and at Mount Marty has certainly helped,” he says. “I hope I’ve been able to bring those into the professional sports world.”

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CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE From a new fieldhouse to a new football team, Mount Marty’s athletic program is on the rise.

The landscape of the Mount Marty campus — and Yankton as a whole — continues to change as construction on the Ruth Donohoe First Dakota Fieldhouse progresses along Eighth Street. The 100,000-square-foot, $15 million fieldhouse is projected to open on Aug. 1, 2020. It will feature a 74,000-square-foot event space including a 200-meter eight-lane track and a 7,500-square-foot weight training and fitness facility open to both Mount Marty students and Yankton community members through a partnership with GreatLIFE. “The field house is going to dramatically change the way this department operates,” says Chris Kassin, Mount Marty’s athletic director. “We will now have the necessary space for our athletes to train at a high level. It is raising the level of expectations for our sports teams.” Donohoe, the fieldhouse’s namesake, came to Mount Marty in the 1930s as the school’s first lay instructor. She taught geometry, stenography and accounting, among other classes. Donohoe died in 1983, and two of her sons, Jim and Jerry Donohoe, contributed a generous gift to the project in her memory. First Dakota National Bank has been a strong and long-time supporter of Mount Marty. They employ many Mount Marty alumni and their gift to the fieldhouse is another example of their continued generosity.

In addition to the fieldhouse, Mount Marty’s venerable Cimpl Arena recently got a facelift, thanks to a donation from the Charlie Bender family. The $1 million project included new seating that replaced the wooden bleachers, updated flooring and entry, a relocation of the “Lancer Landing” to the east side of the arena and a new court dedicated to Charlie Bender. “Cimpl Arena has been, for years, the seminal athletic facility at Mount Marty,” Kassin says. “The recent renovations have brought new life to the historic building. It has a ‘wow’ factor that everyone notices the minute they walk in the door.” Bender was the longtime owner of Welfl Construction. He served on the Mount Marty board of Trustees from 1994 to 1999 and was a member of the building and grounds committee.

And for the first time since Yankton College closed in 1984, college football will be played at the city’s Crane-Youngworth Field. Mount Marty announced the addition of football to its slate of varsity athletics in the spring of 2019. The team’s head coach, Mike Woodley, has a record of success when it comes to establishing football programs. He became the first head football coach in Grand View University’s history in 2008 and led the Iowa school to an NAIA national championship in 2013. He amassed a 93-35 record in 11 seasons at Grand View. The Lancers are projected to play their first season in the Great Plains Athletic Conference in the fall of 2021.

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COMMUNITY

PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE Rey Gonzales C’94

Business Broker/Valuation Expert, Murphy Business in Sioux Falls, SD

A couple was nearing retirement age and needed help navigating the murky and uncertain world of selling their business. Another couple from California sought a new way of life for their three children and hoped to find a business opportunity in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

In both instances — and in countless others during the course of his career — Rey Gonzales was there. That retired couple is now spending more time with their grandchildren, and the California family of five are now full-fledged South Dakotans.

Through his roles as a commercial lender, property valuator and business broker, Gonzales has helped more than 1,500 entrepreneurs start, purchase or expand businesses. He’s assigned values or assisted in the transfer of more than 250 businesses and helped his clients secure over $30 million in financing. There are plenty of I’s to dot and T’s to cross, but it’s the

satisfaction of helping a family complete one chapter of life and move on to another that sticks in Gonzales’ memory. “Every deal we do is unique and fulfilling in its own special way,” he says.

Gonzales grew up in Ingleside, Texas, along the Gulf Coast near Corpus Christi. He came to Mount Marty in 1991 on a baseball scholarship. He was a middle infielder and pitcher on some tough early ’90s baseball teams before earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing and management in 1994.

He began work on a master of business administration degree at the University of The Incarnate Word in San Antonio but transferred to the University of South Dakota in Vermillion after a semester. He took a job at a credit card company in Sioux Falls and took classes at night, finishing his MBA in about three years. “After three years, the credit card world is so daunting,” Gonzales says. “Every day, every month you have goals that you’re

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working against, and I was ready to make a change.”

A professor encouraged him to apply for a consulting position with the Small Business Development Center, a program hosted by USD. It was a new world, and Gonzales wasn’t sure he would fit. “My parents were blue collar workers,” he says. “They never owned a business and we didn’t know many people who did.”

Still, Gonzales was hired from a pool of 52 applicants.

He began learning about valuation, transferring businesses, dealing with partners and acquiring financing. “I was helping people primarily start and expand small businesses, so that’s where I got exposed to the world of entrepreneurship.”

After seven years Gonzales moved into business banking, but he still felt drawn to the work he had been doing with the SBDC. “I felt I could do more,” he says. “I had been doing more through the different clients I saw. I probably saw 300 people a year who had an idea for a patent, or they wanted to buy a small business, or expand or start one. So I think it was the diversity of people, the dreams, the hopes of individuals wanting to be self-employed.

At the end of the day, it was just helping individuals solve problems and accomplish goals.”

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HOSPITALITY

Gonzales went out on a limb and started his own business called Great Plains Business Advisors in March of 2006. After four years of valuating businesses and helping secure financing, he bought into Murphy Business, a brokerage firm based in Clearwater, Florida, with 140 locations and 300 brokers across

North America. His Sioux Falls location launched in September of 2010, and he expanded to Rapid City in January 2013.

Most of his clients are regional, with various motivations for selling or relocating. Some transactions hit a little closer to home. “A few years ago, a neighbor of mine passed away from a heart attack in his mid-40s,” Gonzales says. “It was startling in that he was so young, but also because he was the same age I was.

He owned a niche retail business in Sioux Falls that he started with his father almost 30 years earlier.

His wife didn’t work in the business or really have much knowledge about the day-to-day operations, so she wanted to sell. I met the family shortly after his passing, marketed the business and about six months later successfully transferred the business to a wonderful couple who continues to own and operate it today. We were able to bring solace to a grieving family, while also providing opportunity to a young couple looking to buy their first business.”

Such deals can be difficult to navigate. That’s when Gonzales looks to the Benedictine values so important to the educational experience at Mount Marty. “I encounter individuals in various stages of their lives, some good and some not so good,” says Gonzales, who lives in Brandon with his wife Jennifer, a 1995 Mount Marty grad, and their sons, Gabe (17) and Jacob (13). “The average business sales transaction lasts almost a year, so I get to know my buyers and sellers very well. They’re looking to me to provide a bit of clarity on what their future may look like. It’s during these conversations when I find myself relying on the Benedictine values I garnered while at the Mount.”

CREATING AN OPPORTUNITY Charley Illg C’20

Accounting Major at Mount Marty College

A moment inside his father’s office building in Sioux Falls turned out to be a life-changing experience for Charley Illg.

“He showed me all the cubicles and said, ‘That’s what you have to look forward to unless you create your own opportunities,’” Illg recalls. “So ever since then, I’ve been looking for ways to build for myself, so I can take control of what I want to do.”

He began thinking about starting his own business when he a was student at Sioux Falls O’Gorman High School, but it wasn’t until he came to Mount Marty in the fall of 2016 that his company, Digital Plains Media, really got off the ground.

“That’s when we put some money into it and really made the commitment to start,” says Illg, a senior accounting major.

“That was probably the hardest part, because there are a lot of days where you don’t really see any progress, but I knew that if I just kept stacking great days on top of each other, something great would happen.

And I think we’re really starting to hit our stride.”

Digital Plains Media is a marketing firm whose mission is to combine art and analytics to help businesses grow. “We tell their brand story using videography and other sources of media along with analytics on the back end to help them create revenue from the content that we create,” he says.

The company officially launched in May of 2018. Since then, Illg has grown his clientele to include 10 businesses with more hopefully on the way. He credits his Mount Marty professors — Charlie Gross in business, Joseph Sejnoha in marketing and Lori Hofer in accounting — for helping him create a workable business plan and seeing it through. “I’ve probably spent the most time with Charlie, but they’ve all helped me along the whole way.”

Illg says that combining the responsibilities of a full-time student, business-owner and student-athlete (he’s an outfielder for the Mount Marty baseball team) has taught him a lot about himself. “It’s definitely not easy,” he says. “I’ve been pushed in all areas.

Blocking out my time has probably been the number one way to keep me on schedule. I block it out to 15-minute segments, and I really have to write everything down to understand what I’m doing with my time.

I think that’s probably the best thing I’ve learned. When I think I’m doing a lot of something, I’m really not. I can always be doing more.”

After graduation in the spring of 2020, Illg plans to attend graduate school for accounting while continuing to grow Digital Plains Media.

HOSPITALITY

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BECOMING SOMEBODY Rogelio Hernandez, Jr. C’17

AA in Business and BA in Business from Mount Marty

Rogelio Hernandez dreamed of working at Western Iowa Tech Community College. He knew it the moment his

junior high class visited the school in Sioux City, and he spoke with a counselor, whose message resonated with the young Hernandez. “I was inspired by his words,” Hernandez recalls. “He told me he had struggled a lot. He’d been in trouble, but he got his life together and loved what he did. He loved being a counselor, and he loved helping others. Being so young, that had an impact on my thinking. I wanted to do something.”

But when Hernandez was arrested on drug charges and sentenced to 30 years in prison, his dream seemed very much in doubt. Despite years of adversity, Hernandez eventually did find a job at Western Iowa Tech and now has his sights set on even higher goals, thanks to a personal dedication to lifelong learning and the professors at Mount Marty who helped steer him down that path.

LIFE LONG LEARNING

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immediately, he decided to turn his life around. “The first thing that I searched for was education, because I’d always wanted to become somebody,” he says.

Hernandez was born in Mexico. His parents divorced when he was 6, and he moved with his father to South Sioux City, Nebraska. His father remarried, and Hernandez grew up the oldest of six siblings.

He learned English in school and played soccer with neighborhood friends. It wasn’t until he graduated from high school and talked to his

parents about attending college that Hernandez learned how tough things had really been. “They couldn’t help me because of the financial situation we were going through at the time,”

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he says. “We didn’t know much about what was going on until we were older, and they told us about how there were times when there was hardly anything to eat because they didn’t have the money. There were days when they went without eating because they wanted to make sure we had something to eat.”

Instead of enrolling in college, Hernandez’s life turned the wrong direction. “Being Hispanic and coming to the country at a young age and not really knowing the culture, I had started hanging out with the wrong crowd,” he says.

It led to U.S. Marshals arresting Hernandez at his Sioux City apartment in the spring of 2000 and charging him with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He was found guilty and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

“That was my life,” Hernandez says.

Because of the lengthy sentence, Hernandez was sent to a high security facility in Colorado. Almost

LIFE LONG LEARNING

He completed an AutoCAD drafting program and kept himself busy reading books. Eventually he was transferred to a prison in Wisconsin, where college courses were offered through the University of Wisconsin at Baraboo. Hernandez explored sociology, psychology, English composition — even the history of jazz. “I started loving education,” he says “When I took sociology, I remember reading about how we behave, how we think. My way of thinking, and how I was seeing things in the world, started changing.” By 2009, he’d accumulated enough credits to earn an associate degree.

In the meantime, Hernandez learned how to research and argue criminal law, which led to an appearance before a federal judge. He won a series of arguments and successfully had his sentence shortened to 17 years. That also meant he was eligible for a transfer to a lighter security institution. In 2010, he arrived at the Federal Prison Camp in Yankton, just 60 miles away from his family in Sioux City.

Once again, he took advantage of the available educational opportunities, this time through Mount Marty College. Among the professors he still considers mentors and friends are Charlie Gross, Paul Anders, Terry Stull and Joseph Sejnoha.

“Thanks mostly to Charlie Gross and his dedication and persistence to believe, and help, people like me, I was able to meet an awesome group of professors along with a great staff at Mount Marty.”

In 2015, Hernandez completed his prison sentence. Two years later, he finished his bachelor’s degree in business administration and fulfilled his goal from junior high — he became an adult basic education specialist and career navigator at Western Iowa Tech. “’When I interviewed, they said, ‘What’s the one thing you wanted to do in life?’” he recalls. “So I told them my story.

‘Here I am, trying it out.’

“Now, whenever I come across young kids attending college, or older people who are going through life issues, I feel like I’m there to give them some sort of hope. Because of my life experiences, I feel like that comes naturally to me.”

Hernandez is preparing for his next challenge. He recently moved to Denver, where he plans to enroll in a master’s program in social work or psychology. “There’s a huge population of homeless people here and a shortage of case managers who can help them,” he says. “That’s what I want to do. My main goal is to continue to make a difference in people’s lives and help them achieve their goals.”

FINDING THE ANSWERS Dr. Chun Wu

BRIN Research Program, Summer of 2019

Someday a researcher will discover a new antibiotic to treat a potentially deadly bacteria, or a stronger vaccine to combat influenza.

And it’s possible that those breakthroughs could happen in a laboratory on the Mount Marty campus.

Cutting-edge medical research is being done at Mount Marty thanks to the South Dakota Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network, or BRIN. The program, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is designed to create a collaborative network within South Dakota to enhance biomedical research. It launched in South Dakota in 2002, and Mount Marty joined the network of eight colleges and universities in 2004.

“BRIN resources have been used to renovate research spaces, to purchase instrumentation and equipment, and to fund travel to local, regional, national and international scientific meetings,” says Dr. Chun Wu, a professor of chemistry and division chair of natural sciences at Mount Marty.

During the summer of 2019, BRIN sponsored 10-week paid fellowships for eight Mount Marty students who conducted research at MMC in Yankton, at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion and at Augustana University in Sioux Falls under the supervision of BRIN mentors. Sophomore Chris Wixon, a pre-professional major from Centerville, South Dakota, worked on a universal vaccine that would cover all strains of influenza.

“This vaccine would have to be in conjunction with the typical annual vaccine because the universal vaccine would only work if the patient acquired the virus,” Wixon says. “Then this vaccine would prevent secondary bacterial infections.”

Mitchell Lonneman, a junior pre-med major from Adrian, Minnesota, worked with Dr. Wu on developing a new treatment for MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a project with which Wu has been involved for several summers. MRSA is notoriously difficult to treat because of its resistance to commonly used antibiotics. The research team is targeting a specific protein within MRSA and testing different inhibitors in hopes of killing it.

“My experience with BRIN research over the summer was truly amazing,” Lonneman says.

“I got to work in a lab setting every day, under Dr. Wu’s help and guidance, which expanded my laboratory skills. This really is a great opportunity.”

LIFE LONG LEARNING

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ALUMNI WEEKEND & HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS Hundreds of alumni flooded campus filling it with love, energy, and memories for another fun MMC/All Schools Alumni Reunion this past June. We celebrated with many traditional events including drinks & design, bingo, tailgating with the Sisters and the “Hog on the Hill” pig roast. We began the weekend with the new Honor Guard Reception, which was an exceptional event.

Mark your calendars for next year’s festivities for June 26-28, 2020. Honored classes ending in 5 and 0 will be recognized. Contact your classmates and make plans to attend the fun-filled weekend!

ALUMNI AWARDS

2019 Recipients

Outstanding Young Alumni Award - Jordan Pater, Class of 2014 (Middle) Distinguished Service to Church & Community Award - Katie (Heine) Pesicka, Class of 2002 (Not Pictured) Distinguished Service to Mount Marty College Award - Kathy Karens, Class of 1995 (Left) Distinguished Professional Achievement Award - Ruth Bryant, Class of 1976 (Right) For more information or to nominate visit: mountmarty.edu/ alumni/alumni-events/alumni-awards

2019 HALL OF FAME

1985-86 Women’s Basketball Team The 1985-86 Lancer basketball team was the first year a Mount Marty women’s team was invited to the NAIA National Tournament. The team broke 23 team and individual records during the year, and won the NAIA District 12 and Bi-District Championships to earn their spot in the 16-team national field.

2019 HALL OF FAME

Sobotka, Frank, Giever, Lowe Five-sport star Kathleen (Velder) Sobotka (1972-76), contributor and employee Patrick Frank, former men’s basketball players Matt Giever (1996-2000) and Monte Lowe (1976-80), was honored and inducted into the Lancer Hall of Fame on alumni weekend this year.

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ALUMNI WEEKEND

23

ANNUAL REPORT The annual report is based off of the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

Our fiscal year ends on June 30.

The 2018-2019 fiscal year was full of new programs, projects and initiatives.

The inaugural Benedictine Leadership experiential learning trip gave 150 freshman students, faculty and staff the opportunity to travel to the Grand Canyon and reflect on their important place and purpose in God’s creation.

Benedictine values have always been the foundation of a Mount Marty education, but the College’s new curriculum has a focus on Benedictine Leadership and immerses these values into every major on campus.

In athletics, the $15 million, 100,000-sq. ft Ruth Donohoe First Dakota Fieldhouse project was announced, and construction began right away. That facility is set to open in fall 2020. In addition, Lancer athletics announced the addition of a football program and the College’s first-ever football coach was brought on campus to build and recruit the program for a fall 2021 season.

We truly appreciate the generosity and support our alumni and friends shared this past year and continue to share into the future. We have great momentum going into the 2019-2020 fiscal year, and your support has made it all possible. Thank you!

REVENUES & GAINS Net Tuition and Fees: 61% Auxiliary Enterprises: 19% Contributions: 8% Endowment Income: 6% Federal and State Grants: 4% Other: 2%

EXPENSES: Instruction: 36% Institutional Support: 17% Student Services: 16% Operational/Power Plant: 10% Auxiliary Enterprises: 8% Depreciation: 8% Academic Support: 5%

FUNDRAISING STATISTICS Total giving and total donors for the fiscal year (July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019).

CASH

$3,615,901.01 PLEDGES

$1,719,290.99 TOTAL

$5,335,192 TOTAL DONORS

1,012 24

ANNUAL REPORT

’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15

Years

ENDOWMENT NET ASSETS $20,127,722 $20,366,019 $26,453,770 $26,608,805 $28,252,427 19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

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$ by Millions

PRESIDENT’S SOCIETY MEMBERS 2015

2017

2019

173

152

206

153

194

2016

2018

GIFTS IN HONOR & MEMORY IN HONOR OF

John Bohls

S Laeticia Kilzer

Marge Skogen

Dr. Larry Dahlen

Lyndall Cornette

Aliene Lemmer

Claire L Smith

Dr. Marc Long’s 50th Birthday

George Donohoe

Ann Lemon

Joann Talsma

S. Ann Kessler

James Donohoe

Darold Loecker

Richard Thompson

S. Madonna Schmitt 90th Birthday

Joyce Donohoe

Pat Lyons

Kathleen VanOsdel

S. Patricia Ann Toscano’s Golden Jubilee

Betty Drotzman

S Jane McGowen

S. Rosemary Weber

S. Phyllis Hunhoff

Bob Easley

Clara McGregor

S. Stephanie Weber

S. Rosemary Weber’s 85th birthday

Connie Evenson

Glen Mechtenberg

Ray Wermers

Marilyn Gangel

Frances Milosevic

Eloise Younce

Diedra Gatzke

Lewis Minor

Patricia Zach

Don Anderson

Margaret Hunhoff

Ruth Morrissey

Betty Zwiener

Blanche Benda

Rosemary Kahle

Marian Powers

Charles Bender

Colin Kapitan

Ashley Riibe

Doris Berens

David Kasowski

S. Rosalie Sitzmann

IN MEMORY OF

ANNUAL REPORT

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HONOR ROLL OF DONORS The Honor roll donors and numbers are based off of the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

Our fiscal year ends on June 30.

BISHOP MARTY CIRCLE $25,000+ Sharla and Weir Alexander Alberta Bender Chris (C’95, C’05, C’19) and Andria Bender Delaine Bender Gale and Denise Bender Kevin and Terra Bender Sister Bonita Gacnik# Charles Gross# Dr. Aelred* and Irene Kurtenbach Betty Jean O’Malley - Estate Claire Reiss^ Jean (Dee) Smith Avera Health Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery First Dakota National Bank Yankton Kolberg-Pioneer, Inc. Yankton Area Progressive Growth

MOTHER JEROME SCHMITT CIRLCE $10,000 - $24,999 Joan (C’72) and Fred DeRouchey Lucille Effinger (C’65) Sister Joyce Feterl* (C’74) Dr. Richard^ (M) and Diana Foster Rudy^ and Kathleen* (C’87) Gerstner Geraldine (C’55) and Bernard Guss Tabitha# and Dr. Micah Likness Lisa Lindgren Dr. Marcus# and Lisa Long Sister Francine Streff, O.S.B.^ (C’73) Avera St Benedict Health Center CorTrust Bank - Yankton Fox Run First National Bank Hatterscheidt Foundation Reliabank Sanford Health

SR. EVANGELINE ANDERSON CIRCLE $5,000 - $9,999 Eileen (C’67) and Larry Bolstad Mark (C’76) and Mona Buschelman Mary Carson (H’36) Doug and Karen Ekeren Chad^ and Kristi Ekroth Marie (N’57) and Gale Erickson Dr. Steven^ (C’77) and Ruth Feeney Kathleen Flow (C’07)

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DONORS

Patrick Frank# Dr. John and Peggy^ Frank Msgr. Carlton Hermann Wayne^ and Lori Ibarolle Dora Jones (C’60) - Estate Robert Kathol^ Colette (C’75) and James McCullough Michael and Katherine Moye Theresa Nemmers (C’71) Kara Payer (C’96) Mary Anne Rasmussen (C’69) Lori (C’64) and James Rausch Leah Smith (H’59 C’63) Bob Titus - Estate Margaret Wankum Chesterman Company Yankton Gerstner Oil Company John A. Conkling Distributing Marlow, Woodward & Huff Prof LLC Vision Real Estate Services

SR. JACQUELINE ERNSTER CIRCLE $2,500 - $4,999 David# (C’76) and Marcene (C’75) Dickes Deb Fischer-Clemens* (C’77) Denis* (C’73) and Mary Beth Fokken Shawn (C’76) and Mary (C’76) Gallagher Mary Alice Halverson Cheryl Hanks (C’68) Matthew (C’99) and Meredith Hayes Michael^ and Gerrie (C’81) Healy John* and Joanne (C’76) Osnes Christine (C’79) and Steven Pharr Donald* and Kelly Roby Dr. Cecilia (C’75) and Dr. Robert Rokusek Roger Schaffer Carol# (C’95 C’15) and Dennis Stewart David^ and Marlys Thies Allstate - The Jacobson Agency Anonymous Cimpl Packing Company Dakota Archery & Outdoor Sports Ear, Nose & Throat Associates, P.C. Hy-Vee Food Store Yankton Kopetsky’s Ace Hardware KYNT- AM Pizza Ranch of Yankton Shur-Co Slowey Construction Inc. Slowey Management

Vision Care Associates Yankton Western South Dakota Catholic Foundation Wohlenberg, Ritzman & Co. Yankton Medical Clinic Yankton Quarterback Club

PRESIDENT’S SOCIETY $1,000 - $2,499 Chad# and Karen Altwine Arlyce (C’66) and Donald Ausdemore Jeanette Bailey (H’61 C’65) and Joe Schneider Letitia Boro (H’52) Father James Bream^ Dianne Breen (C’70) Elvira (H’45 C’65) and Edmund Buzicky Dr. Larry^ (M) and Marty Celmer James^ and April Collier Tammy Daly John DeJean Jeannie (C’84) and Sandy Dillard John (C’75) and Natalie Docter Mike and Linda Donohoe Hazel Ecker Dr. Will and Hilary Eidsness Marlene Erskine Barbara (C’63) and Leon Feilmeier James* and Sheila Fitzgerald Gregory and Rande Giles Deb and Gail Gubbels Dr. Janis and Tom Hausmann Dr. Thomas and Sheryl Heirigs Matt (C’95) and Tracy Herber

KEY

^ = Past Trustee * = Current Trustee # = Current Faculty/Staff Member N = Sacred Heart School of Nursing C = Mount Marty College H = Mount Marty High School

Drs. Chris# and Jem Hof Dr. David and Marilyn Holzwarth Bernie (C’74) and Myrna Hunhoff Chris# and Elizabeth Hunhoff Lilla Hunsley (C’65) Mary (C’72) and William Hurst Father Donald Imming Mary Jo Jerde Robert (C’79) and Romaine Kappel Christopher# and Katie Kassin Mary (H’51 C’54) and Lawrence Kelly Kendall and Mary Keuter Mary Ann (H’70, C’74) and Dr. Patrick King Rosellen (C’68) and Elliot Krames Jo Krause Dr. Mary Anne and Jim Krogh Eileen Lesher Monte (C’80) and Renae Lowe Frank Lyons Kathleen (C’76) and Dave Manning Jeff* and Sue May Beth Mikkelsen Drs. Daniel Johnson and Dr. Mary Milroy Kevin and Amber Moe Kevin Morrisseuy Stephanie# and Brad Moser Bonnie (C’70) and John Myers Jason# (C’00) Nelson and Dr. Jill Sternquist Christina Orr (C’92) and Nicholas Clarke Delight Paulson (H’61 C’69) Clarice Pellettier (H’50 N’56) Travis (C’04) and Lindsey (C’06) Peters B.E. Pierson Dr. Carrissa (C’06) and Aaron Pietz Theresa (C’63) and Donald Powers Viona Ranney (C’82) Barb# and Joe Rezac Dr. Pamela^ and Bob Rezac Mary Anne (C’63) and Bernard Rhomberg Gary and Kelly Riibe Katherine Schmidt (C’59) Steve^ and YaVonne Slowey Dr. Diane# and Dennis Smith Dean and Judy Specht Nick and Debbie Stocking Mary Ann Strubert (C’87) Jon (C’81) and Barb (C’79) Swegarden Dr. Allan* (C’80) and Kerry (C’81) Tramp Dr. Mary Lee (C’96) and Mike Villanueva Dr. Victoria* and David Vlach Daniel (C’77) and Lynette Wagner Anthony (C’87) and Shari Weber Martin# and Jill Wermers Pearl Shih Wong Sheila Woodward and Chris Sonne Bennett Family Trust Canfield Business Interiors, LLC. Catholic Community Foundation for Eastern South Dakota Czeckers Sports Bar & Grill Diocese of Sioux Falls Dwight C. Hauff Foundation Electronic Frog Advertising

Emerson Fejfar Plumbing and Heating, Inc. First Chiropractic Center Holiday Inn Express Jimmy John’s JJ Benji’s Screen Printing & Embroidery Mayer Signs Inc. MidAmerican Energy Matching Program Midcontinent Communications MMC Golf Classic MT & RC Smith Insurance Inc. Northtown Automotive Northwestern Energy Olson’s Pest Technicians, Inc. Rupiper Tours Services Center Federal Credit Union Slumberland Furniture South Dakota Foundation of Independent Colleges St. John’s Lutheran Church The Chuck Stop United Church of Christ Welfl Construction Corp Wells Fargo of Yankton Wintz & Ray Funeral Home Yankton Ag Services

$500 - $999 Matthew (C’95) and Anne (C’98) Ahmann Jeanne (C’78) and Joseph Anderson Andy# (C’99) and Stephanie (C’00) Bernatow Thomas (C’90) and Cheryl (C’91) Bies John Blackburn Lisa and Joseph Bonneau Doris Botz (H’58) Mike and Arlyne Brim Terrance (C’73) and Vickie (H’69 C’74) Buschelman William and Colleen (H’68 C’72) Chase Colleen (H’68 C’72) and William Chase Dr. Helen Ciernick Peggy (C’78) and Jim Concannon Mina Cook (C’67) Sister Kathleen Courtney (H’56 C’68) Dr. Dana# and Barbara DeWitt (C’14) Robert (C’79) and Marlene Doty Sister Kathryn Easley^ Patricia Even (C’84) Janice (C’80) and Terry Fuehrer Michele Gengler (C’80 C’92) Mary Gillette (C’73) Bessie Hahn (C’61) Joel Harris Barbara (H’50, C’77) and Joseph Healy Kathryn Higgins^ (H’65) Barbara Horner-Miller Marlea (C’83) and Joe Judd Jean Krumwiede (C’68) Norman Kunselman (C’76) Mary (C’68) and David Lenzen Randy (C’87) and Christine (C’87) Lien Michael Lintel Ron and Leah Lonneman John Lundstrom

THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO GIVE BACK! Visit us online at mountmarty.edu/giving or call Barb Rezac, Vice President for Advancement, at 605.668.1542.

Alice (C’71) and Jack Majeres Daryl and Judy Martinson Timothy (C’87) and Marcy Mudd Joanna# and Thomas Mueller Bill Nelson (C’85) Kelsey# Freidel Nelson Janice (H’68) and Joseph Pauli James and Clark Redlinger Doris Salley Thomas# and Cindy Schlimgen Joseph Sejnoha# Patty Sladky (C’82 C’94) Mary Smith (C’76) Mary Standaert (C’76) Robert and Diane Steers Todd (C’90) and Jill (C’90) Strom Jean Ternus (C’66) Theresa Thomas (C’70) Katherine Urbina (C’78) Jason Valder (C’99) Gordon Vogt (C’75) Bonnie Wheeler (C’58) Linda (H’67) and Keith Wing Jeffrey^ (C’93) and Lisa (C’93) Wolfgram Mark Zuckerman BNSF Railroad Foundation CDA-SD State Court Farm Credit Services of America Knights of Columbus -Marty Council #1536 Nissen Winery Pheasants Forever, Inc Rettedal’s Department Store Scott Family Dentistry St John the Baptist Teget Foundation Thrivent Financial for Lutherans UVM Psychiatry Residents

DONORS

27

CLASS NOTES The Class Notes are based on information received between September 2018 and August 2019.

CELEBRATIONS BIRTHS Lauren (Orwig) C’15 & Collin Jones welcomed son Carter Lee on October 12, 2018. He was 7 lbs, 12 oz, and 20 1/2 in. long.

Mary (Hallauer) Sligh C’14 and her husband welcomed daughter Cora Leigh on October 15, 2018.

Joshua C’09 & Amanda (Soehl) C’11 Christensen welcomed son Jude Thomas on February 1, 2019.

He was 6 lbs, 12 oz.

Lyndsey (Pinkelman) C’06 & Greg Heine welcomed daughter Eleanor Jean on June 1, 2019. She was 8 lbs, 11 oz.

Cassie (Neth) C’11 & Ashton Arens welcomed daughter Callie D on February 9, 2019. She was 8 lbs, 11 oz, and 20.5 in. long.

Dominic C’14 & Taylor (Forsch) C’14 Wieseler welcomed daughter Brooklyn Ranae on June 27, 2019. She was 7 lbs, 13 oz and 19.5 in. long.

Kirsti (Skuza) C’16 & Tyler Kappenman welcomed son Timothy Jon on July 5, 2019. He was 8 lbs, 11 oz, and 21 in. long.

Alison (Hoffman) C’14 & Justin Wegenke welcomed son Will Henry on October 18, 2018. He was 7 lbs, 2 oz, and 19 in. long.

Stacy (Dickes) C’04 & Andrew Pfeifer welcomed son Benedict Joseph on July 8, 2019. He was 7 lbs, 2 oz, and 19.5 in. long.

Aline Mukesha C’16 welcomed daughter Avamarie Sochima Ugorji on November 16, 2018. She was 6 lbs, 14 oz, and 20 in. long.

Arielle (Klein) C’10 & Brandon Kneifl welcomed son Marek Kelly on July 15, 2019. He was 9 lbs, 2 oz, and 20.5 in. long.

TJ C’06 & Kari C’15 Smith welcomed son Liam Nash on November 22, 2018.

Katerina (Hart) Fischer C’13 and her husband welcomed son Roger Joshua “RJ” on December 12, 2018. He was 9 lbs, 3 oz, and 22.5 in. long.

Isaac & Kelsey (Lammers) C’14 Beeck welcomed daughter Lydia Jean on March 6, 2019. She was 8 lbs, 20.25 in. long.

Sarah (Klug) C’10 & Colby Eymann welcomed daugher Lauren Elizabeth on December 14, 2018.

She was 6 lbs, 15 oz.

Scott C’94 & Theresa (Heiberger) C’99 Swier welcomed daughter Molly Elizabeth on March 12, 2019. She was 6 lbs, 15 oz.

Ashley (Garton) C’13 & Dylan Leuer welcomed son Brody James on December 17, 2018. He was 7 lbs, 4 oz, and 20 in. long.

Courtney (Beacom) C’12 & Ross Utecht welcomed daughter Sutton Ann on April 15, 2019. She was 7 lbs and 21 in. long.

Rhonda (Sudbeck) C’14 & Nathan Mathis welcomed daughter Natalie Ann on December 17, 2018. She was 8 lbs and 20 3/4 in. long.

Quinten C’08 Jocelyn (Grassel) C’08 Johnson welcomed daughter Ruthie Kae on April 15, 2019.

She was 8 lbs, 4 oz, and 21 in. long.

Kara (Marks) C’11 & Chris Lammers welcomed daughter Macy Lynn on December 29, 2018.

Kylie (Gross) C’12 & Jordan Knippling welcomed son Easton Kellen on April 21, 2019. He was 8 lbs, 12 oz.

Kristen (Dunn) C’17 & Mike Connell welcomed son Terrance Daniel on January 2, 2019. He was 8 lbs, 6 oz, and 19 in. long.

Haley (Haro) C’17 & Michael Kuchta welcomed daughter Charlotte Rose on May 12, 2019.

Kaylee (Fly) C’14 & Ethan Smith welcomed son Andrew Doyle on May 16, 2019. He was 6 lbs, 14 oz, and 19 3/4 in. long.

Kaitlyn (Westcott) C’16 & Cody Merchant welcomed daughter Kinsley on May 16, 2019. She was 7 lbs, 8 oz.

Holly (Byrkeland) C’13 & C’17 & Keaton Carter welcomed daughter Rosie Jane on May 26, 2019.

Jordan C’14 & Jordyn (Hudelson) C’16 Pater welcomed son Benjamin Henry on January 4, 2019.

He was 7 lbs, 15 oz, and 20 in. long.

Jaron C’11& Meghan (Boyle) C’11 Finkbeiner welcomed daughter Gracelyn Gwyn on January 28, 2019. She weighed 8 lbs, 10 oz.

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CLASS NOTES

Jesse C’16 & Amy (Majeres) C’08 Bailey welcomed son Miles Arthur on May 28, 2019. He weighed 7 lbs.

Melissa C’16 & Nathan Fischer welcomed daughter Josephine Kay on May 29, 2019. She was 8 lbs, 2 oz.

Eric & Sarah (Climer) C’01 Wynia welcomed daughter Aggie Marie on July 29, 2019.

Dustin C’10 & Taylor Wheeler welcomed daughter Wyatt Louise on July 31, 2019. She was 8 lbs, 3 oz.

Trey C’10 & Jennifer (Miller) C’11 Krier welcomed son Callen Trey on August 7, 2019. He was 8 lbs, 1 oz, and 20.5 in. long.

Janel (Oltmanns) C’08 & Mitchell Merkwan welcomed son Mayes Harlan on August 26, 2019. He was 7 lbs, 12 oz, and 20 1/2 in. long.

WEDDINGS Grace Eshelman C’17 married Tyler McCune C’14 on September 1, 2018.

Makayla Driscoll C’17 married Drew Cheskie C’18 on September 8, 2018.

Jamie Konrad C’16 married Matt Zilverberg on September 8, 2018.

Chelsey Reiner C’14 married Brent Rogers on September 8, 2018.

Brianna Duerr C’18 married Grant Hitchcock on October 13, 2018.

Rebecca Glidden C’13 married Duane Tolsma on October 13, 2018.

Tony Lazarowicz C’08 married Ashley Ciccarelli on October 13, 2018.

Henry Hauger C’12 married Chelsea Geditz on October 20, 2018.

Marissa Frank C’18 married Kyle Shimer on December 8, 2018.

Jamie Thelen C’16 married Ricardo Marroquin C’14 on March 2, 2019.

Kami Meyerink C’16 married Bryce Soukup on May 24, 2019.

Sister Augusta Johnson C’65; 12/17/2018 Brooklyn S. Bender; 1/3/2019 Margaret J. (Modde) Hunhoff N’46; 1/10/2019 Hilda (Determan) Raymond C’67; 1/10/2019 Beverly L. (Vojta) Smith; 1/11/2019 Ann (Keating) Lemon H’45; 1/21/2019 Sister Muriel Spartz C’64; 1/26/2019 Marlene (Svanda) Hansen N’62; 1/28/2019 Christa (Soong)Tsou; 2/1/2019 Shirley (Kinder) Jussel C’55; 2/3/2019 Larry Drummond C’74; 2/5/2019

Laura Cattle C’18 married Jalen Hurley C’18 on May 25, 2019.

Delores Kleinsasser N’56; 2/7/2019 Mark D. Unruh C’00; 2/7/2019

Kristen Dunn C’17 married Mike Connell on May 26, 2018.

Patricia (Joynt) Pearson H’55; 2/14/2019

Cameron Voigt C’18 married Victoria Sage on June 8, 2019.

Sister Rosemary Weber C’65; 3/5/2019

Kristin Mahony C’19 married Max Hunhoff on June 29, 2019.

Destiny Garza married Caleb Cash on July 6, 2019.

Kyler Pekarek C’13 married Rachel Haas on July 20, 2019.

Thelma (Anderson) Avery; 2/15/2019

Sister Jane C. McGowen C’57, N’60; 3/6/2019 Sharon (Hellwig) Leinen C’62; 3/9/2019 Wilma (Kaiser) Hochstein H’45; 4/8/2019 Carl Jenness C’80; 4/11/2019 Joan Lammers; 4/15/2019

Brittni Bormann C’17 married Sam Forrer C’16 on July 20, 2019.

Terence Eaves C’76; 4/19/2019

Amanda McCafferty C’18 married Austin White C’17 on July 27, 2019.

Mary L. (Dickes) Noecker H’52; 5/3/2019

Shaina Lonneman C’15 married Tyler Tycz on August 3, 2019.

Darlene B. (Johnson) Obr N’58; 5/23/2019

Brittni Boes C’15 married Erin Riibe C’03 on August 17, 2019.

Dave Rooks C’78; 4/28/2019

Veronica (Fasbender) Reilly H’47; 5/11/2019

Kathleen (Cadieux) VanOsdel C’67; 5/28/2019 John Swensen C’86; 6/6/2019 Michael Sykora C’85; 6/18/2019 Virginia C. (Merrigan) Hartmann H’49, N’51; 7/6/2019 Karen (Gall) Uher C’76; 7/10/2019 Joan (Rossiter) Burney C’73, C’09; 7/13/2019 Elizabeth (Weier) Wright; 7/18/2019 Donna (McGlone) Pommer C’50; 7/22/2019 Donna (Joynt) Heintzman H’48; 7/29/2019

IN MEMORIAL

Mary L.(Moss) Bruce C’90; 7/31/2019 Sylvia (Millette) Lynch H’49; 8/4/2019

DEATHS

Send us your updates today at

Patricia (Christensen) Eli H’62; 9/3/2018

mountmarty.edu/alumni.

Mary A. (Gruenwald) Edgar H’51; 9/25/2018

KEY

N = Sacred Heart School of Nursing C = Mount Marty College H = Mount Marty High School

Kari (Kribell) Caruthers C’11; 9/29/2018 Dolores J. (Nolz) Gaub H’50, N’54; 10/16/2018 Gail J. (Ugland) Miller C’72; 10/19/2018 Beverly Parkhurst C’71; 10/19/2018 Ruth C. (Sitzmann)Morrissey H’42; 12/6/2018

CLASS NOTES

29

GIVING DAY April 25, 2019

On Thursday, April 25, 2019, more than 250 Mount Marty alumni and friends took on the challenge to “think big,” allowing our students to “dream bigger!” Together we created more opportunities for greatness and helped our students achieve bigger dreams.

Throughout the 36-hour Giving Day, matching dollars were provided by a group of alumni and friends, doubling the impact! Thank you to following individuals and businesses!

- First Dakota National Bank - Al Kurtenbach - Reliabank - Kolberg-Pioneer - Northwestern Energy - David and Marlys Thies

- Denis (C’73) and Mary Beth Fokken - Wayne & Lori Ibarolle - Travis (C’04) & Lindsey (C’06) Peters - Pam & Bob Rezac - Celia & Jim Miner - Other Anonymous Alumni & Friends

To learn more about being a part of Giving Day 2020 or providing matching funds, contact Shannon Viereck, Director of Annual Giving, at 605-668-1467 or shannon.viereck@mountmarty.edu.

30

GIVING DAY

CONTRIBUTORS EDITING

PHOTOGRAPHY

Ashley Gullikson

Lauren Lehmkuhl

Kelsey Freidel Nelson

South Dakota Magazine Staff

Lauren Lehmkuhl Shannon Viereck

DESIGN & LAYOUT

South Dakota Magazine Staff:

HenkinShultz

Katie Hunhoff

Lauren Lehmkuhl

WRITING Ashley Gullikson Kelsey Freidel Nelson South Dakota Magazine Staff: John Andrews

HELPING HAND Alumni, if you have a son/daughter, cousin, neighbor, etc. that you think would be a great fit for Mount Marty, please contact the Office of Admissions at 605.668.1545, or email us at admissions@mountmarty.edu. We ask you to give their name, address, email, phone number and high school graduation year. Thank you!

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mountmarty.edu

32

alumni@mountmarty.edu

605.668.4020