Scene Magazine - Winter 2008 by University Communications

Scene Americans Abroad Why do so many PLU students find themselves working and studying overseas after graduation? If you bump into Jenn Henrichsen ’07 in Geneva, she’ll be happy to tell you. Page 16

Inside:

> PLU’s Rising Opera Star, 10

> Volleyball’s New Power, 16

> Homecoming 2008, 24

calendar

A dusting of snow covers the newly remodeled University Center and the PLU campus. Photo by Jordan Hartman.

JANUARY January 10, 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Enrichment Series: Northwest High School Honor Band Concert Mary Baker Russell Music Center, Lagerquist Concert Hall

January 11, 2 p.m. Can A Parish Nursing/Health Ministry Benefit Your Congregation? Parish Nursing/Health Ministry Interest Meeting University Center, Regency Room

FEBRUARY February 6, 8 a.m. SPSHEDP Diversity Institute University Center continued on inside back cover

inside

Pacific Lutheran University Scene Winter 2008 Volume 39 Issue 2 4

Here & Now

Life of the Mind

Catch a rising star Angela Meade ’01 is on the cusp of a huge opera career

What does it really mean to ‘help’ people? Ingrid Ford ’97 reflects on six years with Médecins Sans Frontières

Becoming ‘the guy’ at PLU How a college dream snapped into focus after a late-night cab ride

Senior Eric Pfaff gets the university’s first bicycle co-op rolling. Page 4.

COVER STORY:

Americans Abroad Why PLU is so good at getting Fulbright scholarships

Giving Back

Alumni Class Notes

From Harstad Hall to the Morken Center, donors have built the academy

Honor Roll of Donors The Arts Terry Marks ’88 takes over the arts page

Attaway Lutes Beth Hanna excels on and off the court

Perspective

Alumni News & Events Homecoming 2008

Alumni Profiles

Scene EXECUTIVE EDITOR

CLASS NOTES

PLU OFFICERS

Greg Brewis

Ann Johnson ’81

Loren J. Anderson President

EDITOR

EDITORIAL OFFICES

Steve Hansen

Hauge Administration Building #207 253-535-8410 scene@plu.edu www.plu.edu/scene

MANAGING EDITOR

Barbara Clements WRITERS

Greg Brewis Steve Hansen Barbara Clements Tina Reindl ’07 Anthony Oliva III James Bash

Patricia O’Connell Killen Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies Laura F. Majovski Vice President, Student Life and Dean of Students Karl Stumo Vice President, Admission and Enrollment Services

PHOTOGRAPHER

Jordan Hartman ’02 ART DIRECTOR

Simon Sung ONLINE MANAGER

Toby Beal

Steve Titus Vice President, Development and University Relations Sheri J. Tonn Vice President, Finance and Operations

OFFICE OF CONSTITUENT RELATIONS Lauralee Hagen ‘75, ‘78 Executive Director Jacob Himmelman ‘03 Associate Director for Alumni and Parent Relations Nesvig Alumni Center Tacoma, WA 98447-0003 253-535-7415 800-ALUM-PLU www.plualumni.org

ADDRESS CHANGES Please direct any address changes to alumni@plu.edu or 800-ALUM-PLU ON THE COVER Jennifer Henrichsen ’07 in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo by Olivier Vogelsang

Scene is printed on 10 percent post-consumer recycled paper using soybased sustainable inks. The paper was manufactured at a Forest Stewardship Council-certified plant.

Volume 39, Issue 2 Scene (SSN 0886-3369) is published quarterly by Pacific Lutheran University, S. 121st and Park Ave., Tacoma, WA., 98447-0003. Periodicals postage paid at Tacoma, WA, and additional mailing offices. Address service requested. Postmaster: Send changes to Development Operations, Office of Development, PLU, Tacoma, WA, 98447-0003, deveops@plu.edu. © 2008 by Pacific Lutheran University

PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 3

here & now

Senior Eric Pfaff used a Sustainability Fellowship Grant to start a bicycle co-op on campus.

Campus bike co-op gets rolling

t is not just PLU employees who are seeking better, more sustainable and less expensive ways of getting to and from campus. Students are thinking about this too. And one student, with a few abandoned bikes, is doing something about it. Senior Eric Pfaff opened PLU’s first bike co-op this fall, an opportunity for students to run errands, commute to work or school, or otherwise get around without having to fill up a gas tank. And, it’s healthy. The program was kick-started with 4 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > HERE & NOW

the donation of nine bicycles that had been sitting unused in Harstad Hall’s basement for more than two years – presumably abandoned by former students. Pfaff and his team started fixing up the bicycles for use by the co-op. After working out the fee structure and liability issues, Pfaff said most of the bikes were rented out on a per-semester basis, at a fee of no more than $20 a semester. The goal, after all, is to get people bicycling – not make money. The co-op will be more than just rentals. “The ultimate goal of the co-op is to develop more of a bicycle culture on campus,” said Pfaff.

PLU and the postAmerican world

LU President Loren J. Anderson told an audience of academics and university staff in September that PLU is right on point in educating our students for a changing world. It’s a world, he added, that faces higher oil prices and a lower standard of living as a crowded globe tries to survive on fewer resources. “It’s been a shocking year for the global village,” Anderson said, marking his 17th State of the University address titled “PLU and the Post-American World.”

During his 17th State of the University Address, President Loren J. Anderson challenged students to discover the true meaning of success.

Yet, Anderson said he was proud of the graduates who take leadership positions in an increasingly challenging world. “Our graduates are prepared to live and serve in a difficult and often conflicting world,” he told the audience at Olson Auditorium during his address. “And I think,” he continued, “that they are equipped with the moral framework to do this,” through PLU’s focus on world outreach and travel, service at home, and an interdisciplinary program that looks at problems from a 360degree perspective. Anderson said that the state of the university, "is remarkably sound, our momentum is significant and positive and, given our Lutheran heritage and vision for service, the future is both inviting and exciting!"

However, especially in the area of energy conservation, PLU staff and students need to be conscious of turning off the lights or reducing the heat. After President Anderson’s State of the University address, about a dozen faculty and students talked about how the campus was doing in its conservation goals, including having a zero carbon footprint by 2020, and what each was doing to try to achieve that end. Professors also spoke on how they try to reinforce the message of sustainability in their respective fields and classes. One of the biggest challenges is to bring home the environmental impact of everyday habits, noted Brian Naasz, assistant chemistry professor and chair

of PLU’s sustainability committee. Jim Albrecht, associate professor of English and Susan Harmon, associate professor of business, spoke of how they bring sustainability issues into their classrooms through books, or projects such as finding out why more students don’t take the bus. Jill Whitman, professor of geosciences, has her students do an autopsy of PLU garbage cans to find out how much of the trash could really be recycled. “These problems are overwhelmingly big,” Whitman noted. But by showing students how small changes can make a difference, it can make the problems more manageable, she said.

Can a Parish Nursing/Health Ministry Benefit Your Congregation? A Parish Nurse provides an intentional focus on wholeness, healing and caring for one another within the congregation and the community -- more than 50 churches in Pierce County have a Parish Nurse. Find out more about Parish Nursing/Health Ministry and how it can benefit your congregation at an informational meeting. Pastors, potential Parish Nurses and other interested persons are encouraged to attend this free event. Join us on Sunday, January 11, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. in the University Center at Pacific Lutheran University. Advance registration is highly recommended.

PLU faculty have been considering ways to reinforce sustainability issues in the classroom.

Profs bring sustainability into the classroom

Contact 253-535-7683 or ccnl@plu.edu. http://www.plu.edu/~ccnl/courses/parish.html

LU has made great strides in reaching its sustainability goals, campus leaders and students stressed during Fall Conference. HERE & NOW > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008

here & now continued

As part of an exercise conducted by PLU’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, students were invited to join a fictitious republic – and get free pizza. The catch? Everyone had to sign a contract giving up their First Amendment rights. As the students ate, enforcers would throw out students if too many sat together. All in good fun, the exercise showcased the power of free speech. “People don’t realize how powerful it is and how it’s an everyday thing that we take for granted,”said Nate Hulings, president of the student SPJ chapter.

Grant continues support for Chinese studies program

he university has received a $200,000 grant from the Freeman Foundation to continue work begun in 2002, Greg Youtz when it gave $786,000 to broaden and strengthen the PLU Chinese Studies Program, and to enrich Chinese studies in local elementary and high schools. “The follow-up grant competition was by invitation only, indicating that PLU was among the most successful of the 84 institutions that shared the original $100 million from the foundation,” said Greg Youtz, primary author of the grant and a member of the Chinese studies committee. “We are enormously pleased to have been funded for the second round and are excited to continue our work begun six years ago.” With a match from the university, the 6 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > HERE & NOW

grant will provide $300,000 over three years for Chinese studies education for PLU faculty and local-area high school teachers. The grant will also continue the enhancement of China-based curriculum in classrooms, and the support of China workshops here and travel tours to China. The funding will also support scholarships for PLU students who study in China and for public programming on China in the South Sound. “We hope to increase the number of PLU faculty and local area teachers who have expertise on China and who develop research and curricula on China,” Youtz said.

Academic quality reconfirmed by outside examiners

he university’s accreditation was formally reconfirmed this summer by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities at the conclusion of a two year self-study and peer review. Once every 10 years every university

performs a comprehensive self-study of the effectiveness of its programs and welcomes a review of that self-study by a team of outside examiners from similar institutions. The study, known as an accreditation review, is performed by nongovernmental, voluntary professional associations that have responsibility for establishing criteria evaluating institutions against the criteria, and approving institutions that meet the criteria. In its report, the commission’s visiting team praised the university for “the clear understanding demonstrated by faculty, students and staff both of the mission of the university and the strategic goals of purposeful learning, international education and student-faculty collaborative research.” Faculty leadership and academic program development were also praised. In particular, the review team commended the faculty for “their involvement in the process of curricular design on behalf of their students.” PLU President Loren J. Anderson said the accreditation review “is an affirmation of the mission, programs and people of PLU. We can justifiably be proud.

“The university’s claims to academic excellence are well understood by those of us on campus and they are certainly well founded. But now our distinction has been independently corroborated by the strong and enthusiastic reaffirmation of our institutional accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.”

A new grant will help nursing students be better prepared for the care of an aging population.

Grant to address nationwide nursing shortage

he PLU School of Nursing, with three area foundations and other partners, will develop an innovative, community-based project to help tackle the regional nursing shortage and give nursing students new competencies in care for our aging population. The Dimmer Family Foundation, the Gary E. Milgard Family Foundation and the Bruce W. Gilpin Memorial Foundation contributed $125,000, along with the $250,000 received from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Northwest Health Foundation to provide a total of $400,000 to launch a gerontologic education partnership in Thurston, Pierce, Mason and Kitsap counties. According to Terry Miller, dean of the School of Nursing, the project is an original approach to enhancing nursing education with the goal of producing more qualified nurses who are committed to the older adult. “This funding will enable us to educate better and more qualified nurses who are professionally developed to offer consistent and ongoing support to older adults, regardless of the institutional care setting, home situation or the diagnoses,” Miller said.

Donors share value of holocaust education

n Oct. 21, more than 150 people gathered for the Second Annual Powell and Heller Family Conference in support of Holocaust Education at Pacific Lutheran University. “It is always difficult to know where to begin,” Kurt Mayer told the assembled crowd in the Scandinavian Cultural Center. He was talking about the story of his life as a survivor of the Holocaust, but the former PLU regent and namesake of the Holocaust Education professorship could have been talking about how to describe the strides the program has made. By remembering the darkness of history, lessons can be learned, he said. “It’s a remarkable beginning of a new program that builds on PLU’s strengths,” said Robert Ericksen ’67, the Kurt Mayer Professor of Holocaust Studies in the Department of History. Last May, a group of generous donors helped create an endowed professorship, which Ericksen currently holds.

With continued support, Nancy Powell hopes to expand the program to a chair position. The Powell and Heller families have been committed to teaching the lessons of the Holocaust. That commitment is evident in the $1.5 million they have helped raise along with the Mayer family to create a chair position for the program. More is needed, but the drive and desire to never forget the lessons history can teach people are there, Powell said.

“It’s a remarkable beginning of a new program that builds on PLU’s strengths”-Robert Ericksen “I believe everyone can make a difference,” she said. “I have witnessed this here at PLU.” The Holocaust is forever engrained in the life of Harry Heller. His parents, John and Georgette, survived the horrors of concentration camps. They were honored at the conference, along with the six million people who lost their lives during the Holocaust. S

ACCOLADES Sven Tuzovic, assistant professor of business, was a winner at the 2008 Marketing Lecture Slide Contest, sponsored by the American Marketing Association. Tuzovic won first place for his PowerPoint slides on the topic “Consumer Decision Making Process.” Professor of Sociology Anna Leon-Guerrero’s book “Social Problems: Community, Policy and Social Action” (second edition) was released by Pine Forge Press. Seven PLU professors were recipients of Digital Media Center 2008-

09 Small Grants. The recipients were: Jan Weiss, instructional development and leadership, for four video cameras to help enhance teacher skills; J.P. Avila, art, for a Nintendo Wii for use as a digital whiteboard; Matthew Levy and Genevieve Williams, humanities, for audience-response technology that will be used to teach about plagiarism; Joanne Lisosky, communication, to accelerate the student newspaper’s online presence; Wendelyn Shore, psychology, for Inquisit psychology testing software licenses; and Emily Mize, nursing, for a wireless projection system for use with interactive statistical software.

HERE & NOW > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 7

life of the mind The ethics of torture

Is it ever OK to torture someone?

hat if that person has the plans for the next 9-11 tucked away on a hard drive? And what if the terrorist wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell you where it is or how to get at it?

8 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > LIFE OF THE MIND

What if torture could save the life of a loved one? What if, because torture was permitted, it resulted in the torture of someone you knew, or an innocent victim? And what about torturing someone, say a domestic terrorist of the Timothy McVeigh variety, if it would save the lives of children?

All these questions were addressed, although there were no clear answers, when Pauline Kaurin, assistant professor of philosophy, and David Perry â&#x20AC;&#x2122;81, professor of ethics at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., debated the issue on the PLU campus this fall. Perry has lectured and spoken often on the subject

and will publish a new book, "Partly Cloudy: Ethics in War, Espionage, Covert Action and Interrogation," in 2009. Kaurin is a specialist in military ethics, war theory, philosophy of law and applied ethics. Kaurin and Perry met at a 2004 symposium on just-war theory hosted by the Naval Academy in Maryland. Before a packed room of 200 people, the two sparred over the ethics not only of torture, but the ethics of soldiers in a wartime situation. Both came to the same conclusion, albeit traveling different paths. Condoning torture is not an option in our society or in our military, they agreed. Yet both added that the United States nevertheless does use torture, either through the CIA or by sending prisoners to allied nations where these practices are considered part of the job. “Whether we like to think about it or not, torture is happening in some part of the world, right now,” Kaurin said. “And it may be happening under the auspices of the U.S. government.” Kaurin noted later that there were some professors and staff who questioned and opposed her even bringing the topic forth for debate. “They were frankly appalled we were even talking about it,” she said. Or apparently, that an alumnus might be making a case for its use. “I hope you don’t come away thinking that I believe we should change our laws on torture,” said Perry recently. “I don’t.” Perry argued that while torture might actually work in some cases, U.S. treaty obligations (under the Geneva and Torture conventions) categorically prohibit both military and CIA personnel from using torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in interrogations – even of suspected terrorists. Drawing on recent books like Jane Mayer’s “The Dark Side,” he claimed that after 9-11 President Bush received very poor legal advice from advisers on the Vice President’s staff and in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. This advice led to many of the notorious detainee abuses at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. Perry also argued, though, that if the law were silent, terrorists could not plausibly claim an absolute moral right not to be tortured, having forfeited that right in plotting to murder scores of innocent people. He found that conclusion disturbing, but compelling nonetheless.

David Perry argues that U.S. treaty obligations prohibit torture while professor Pauline Kaurin looks on.

“If you say ‘I only have to be moral when others are moral,’ then no one has to be moral because there will always be someone who breaks the rules.” —Pauline Kaurin

However, after considering the potential consequences of legally permitting intelligence officers to use torture against suspected terrorists, especially the probability of their accidentally torturing innocent people, Perry urged the U.S. to firmly uphold its current treaty obligations and never to use torture. Or rather, Congress and the Supreme Court having made it clear in 2006 that military personnel must never use torture, Perry argued that the same standard ought to apply to the CIA. Recent polling has shown that the American public is ambivalent, at best, about the use of torture, said Kaurin. “I don’t think the public even took this issue seriously until 9-11,” she said. “But I think that has changed public perception and, in general, they feel vulnerable now.” After the debate, a student basically asked why America should stick to the rules, when the other side won’t. “It’s a really difficult question, and I guess it depends what you think the

point of the rules are,” Kaurin mused later. If the goal is to win, at all costs, in the short term, then the choice is simple: Use the most expedient means to get what you want, including torture, she said. However, if you look at what the United States, its democracy and its values mean to the world, then you have to search for a more long-term answer, she argued. “If you value the symbolism that democracy represents and we represent, then you can’t look at a short-term strategy,” she said. The argument that the United States doesn’t need to be or act moral, because no one else is, is a slope that ends up putting everyone in the ethical muck pretty quickly, she said. “If you say ‘I only have to be moral when others are moral,’ then no one has to be moral because there will always be someone who breaks the rules,” she said. That is one of the reasons there was such outrage after the Abu Ghraib prison pictures were made public. “Our allies and the Arab world were saying ‘You hypocrites,’ she said. Would the American public have been as outraged if, in fact, they had not seen the pictures of American soldiers, in uniform, giving thumbs up over dead bodies or forcing detainees into a naked huddle? She doesn’t think so. The pictures stripped away the public firewall of torture happening far away, to other people, she said. She noted that the My Lai massacre story languished on the back pages of the major metropolitan dailies for a year, before the pictures began to appear in 1969. The release of the pictures showing dead women, children and the elderly in ditches, along with the follow-up stories, are considered to be a key turning point in the public’s opinion of the Vietnam War. In the end, Kaurin concludes that the public, in general, is a bit hypocritical on the issue. For the last 30 years, Amnesty International has been making and proving these claims that the U.S. uses, and in a wink-wink way, condones torture, she said. “But it’s one of those things that we mostly ignore,” she said. “You push it aside when you’re going to the grocery store and trying to make ends meet.” S —Barbara Clements

LIFE OF THE MIND > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 9

Angela Meade ’01 knows how to handle stress. MEADE, WHO GRADUATED from PLU with a Bachelor of Music, was in her third year of studies at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia when she signed a contract with the Metropolitan Opera production of Verdi’s opera “Ernani.” Meade signed on to serve as the “cover” (or understudy) for star soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in the role of Elvira, the leading female role in the opera. On Wednesday, Meade was at the Met to get her costumes fitted just in case she had to go on stage. On Thursday, she got the call. “I had just returned to Philadelphia and was stepping out of the cab when they called me,” recalled Meade. “ ‘Radvanovsky is sick. Do you want to sing tomorrow night?’ ” Her response was clear. “Of course I want to!” The next morning, March 21, Meade arrived at the Met. “They were scurrying around me like mice doing the final things for my costumes because I had four of them for this production,” she recalled. “I met my voice teacher, and he warmed me up. Then I met with the maestro, Roberto Abbado, at 6 p.m. and sang through a couple of things for him. Then I had a little dinner, got into my costume and went on stage at 7:30 p.m. It was the most amazing night of my life!” Meade has been working very hard to get to this point in her career. Since leaving PLU, the 31-year old soprano has excelled in winning competition after competition. After becoming the Grand Winner in the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, she swept top honors in opera and operetta at the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in Vienna, Austria – earning her an offer to sing at the famed La Scala in Milan, Italy, in the future. This year alone, she has won nine national and international competitions in four months, an unprecedent-

10 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > FEATURES

ed feat, including the $50,000 top prize in the Jose Iturbi International Competition at UCLA. Meade grew up in Centralia , Wash., where she sang in school and church. But she first encountered opera while at PLU. After graduating, she earned a Masters of Music in vocal performance from the University of Southern California in 2005. She also started a doctorate program there before moving to Philadelphia to study at the Academy of Vocal Arts. “I call it the opera finishing school,” Meade said with a laugh. “We have regular classes until we start to stage our productions. Then all of the classes stop and we function like a small opera company.” This November, Meade sang the title role in Donizetti’s “Anna Bolena” at the Academy of Vocal Arts. Upcoming engagements include Elisabetta in Donizetti's “Roberto Devereux” and the Dallas Opera in January, 2009, and the title role in Rossini's “Semiramide” with the Caramoor (New York) Festival in July 2009. Meade appears with the Allentown Symphony in February and in a gala concert with the Montreal Opera in December 2008. Oh, and there’s the little matter of covering for uber-diva Rene Fleming at the Metropolitan Opera’s opening night gala this past September. This time, she didn’t get the call. Even so, that’s pretty-good company, to say the least. Stress? Forget it. Angela Meade is exactly where she wants to be. “I’ve been on cloud nine for the past two years,” said Meade. “It’s a fantastic feeling.” S

James Bash ’76 writes about classical music for numerous publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and The Oregonian. He lives in Portland, Ore. Photograph by Marty Sohl, courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera

Angela Meade on cusp of a big career in opera after debut at the Met

Rising Star

BY JAMES BASH â&#x20AC;&#x2122;76 FEATURES > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 11

What does it really mean to ‘help’ people? Six years with Médecins Sans Frontières BY MEGAN HALEY ANDERSON

The dirt landscape of southern Sudan stretches for miles, and roads are few and far between. Villages dot the landscape. One of these villages, over the last decade, has grown particularly large.

ocated hundreds of miles from any road, this village is anchored by a Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) health care center. It provides care to the hundreds of people suffering from hunger, disease and the conflict of Sudan’s 30-year war. All medical supplies must be flown in. This is the end of the world. It’s a place Ingrid Ford ’97 knows well. A graduate of PLU’s School of Nursing, she visited the site periodically while working for MSF. She saw the people who traveled hundreds of miles, often on foot, to be seen by the doctors and nurses at this remote outpost. This influx of people underscores why Ford spent six years with MSF in Africa and France: she believes access to health care is a basic human right. “I don’t care where you live or what your government is or what your religious beliefs are or that you’re 1,000 kilometers from the closest road,” she said, her piercing blue eyes flashing. “You’re a human being, and that means,

12 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > FEATURES

at the minimum, we need food, water, shelter, health care, freedom.” As a child, the Anacortes, Wash., native knew she wanted to work overseas. She never imagined how that one thought would shape the trajectory of her life, taking her from Kenya and the Ivory Coast, to New York and Paris. “I think sometimes in the beginning, you can’t say why you do what you do,” she said. “Sometimes, it’s just listening to those little things that don’t maybe seem practical.” Her career began practically enough. She entered PLU’s School of Nursing, but the work Ford would pursue overseas coalesced during her senior year when PLU introduced the first study away program for nurses. Along with 11 classmates, Ford spent a semester working in clinics on the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. “Working there,” Ford recalled, “changes your whole perception about life and what you want to do.” After graduation, she spent a few years gaining practical nursing experi-

ence, and then began the process of applying for work abroad. Her criteria were specific, severely limiting her options. She wanted to focus on medical aid, without missionary work or fund raising to pay her way. Only MSF contacted her. She had two strikes against her – she was young and spoke only English. It was her PLU experience in international health care that got her hired. MSF quickly put that experience to the test. Ford first served a year in western Kenya, working in projects providing treatment for tuberculosis and for HIV/AIDS using anti-retroviral drugs. There, she witnessed how the virus has deteriorated the African family structure. Traditionally, extended families live together. But with an HIV/AIDS infection rate of 40 percent, too many children are left orphaned. Grandparents, aunts and uncles are unable to care for all of them. Less then a year later, Ford spent three months in the Ivory Coast capital,

Abidjan, coordinating a project that provides basic health care and sanitation to prisoners. The prison was extremely overcrowded; there was a lack of water, and severe malnutrition and disease were rampant. Her team faced medical emergencies daily, including a serious outbreak of beriberi, a potentially fatal disease caused by the deficiency of vitamin B1. The projects, while rewarding, were exhausting, and Ford gave up working in the field. Eventually, she joined MSF’s Paris office, where she worked placing doctors and nurses on projects in Chad, Iran and Sudan, projects much like the remote health care facility in Sudan’s war-torn south. The years abroad have taken a toll. While she’s passionate about the work of MSF, the slim, 33-year-old brunette is also conflicted. Now back in the United States bringing her unique experience to her hometown hospital, she struggles with what it really means to “help” people. “It’s not as clear cut as you would like,” she explained. “How do they define what they need and then how

Ingrid Ford mentored a group of Kenyan adolescents working to educate their community about HIV/AIDS. Years later, she learned the group has flourished.

do we define what they need?” The answer might lie with a group of adolescents she mentored in Kenya. The group was trying to educate their community – particularly its youth – about HIV/AIDS. The stakes were high – she knew if they didn’t succeed, then everyone in the community would likely die. She, of course, could not stay there forever. The community of Kenyans

did not have that luxury. When she left, Ford felt like a failure abandoning the group. Years later, she heard from the leader of the group that the Kenyan community was doing well. She thinks her brief time with the group, and the training and support she provided, were just what they needed to stick together long enough for them to better understand the situation. “You just never know what your impact is going to be,” Ford explained. “Maybe it was small … but maybe my work with the youth group helped them get to where they were ready for the next step.” It is something she can take with her wherever she goes – in Africa or Anacortes. No gesture is insignificant. No effort is too small. “Our interactions in our daily life can be meaningful,” she added. “You don’t necessarily have to go to Africa to do important things. There are just as important things to do in Tacoma as there are in Kenya.” S

FEATURES > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008

LEFT: Maurice Eckstein sits in the control room in the Student Media Center in the UC. Eckstein hopes to pursue a career in television media after he graduates. INSET, ABOVE: Eckstein and other students perform in Campus Carnival, an annual celebration of Trinidad and Tobago's rich culture. INSET, BELOW: Eckstein relaxes on the beach in his native Trinidad.

14 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > FEATURES

BARBARA CLEMENTS

College dream snaps into focus on a

late-night cab ride Maurice Eckstein becomes ‘the guy’ at PLU

aurice Eckstein was riding home in a cab after his shift as the night concierge at a hotel in his native Trinidad when his eye stopped on an advertisement.

“Working at the funeral home was one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve had,” Eckstein says. There was the human element, but also, he was an event planner. “It was rewarding to be ‘the guy’ that everyone came to in a difficult situation,” he says.

It offered local students the chance to mix with a group of visiting PLU students in an exchange program between PLU and the University of the West Indies. A lucky few would get a chance to study at PLU on a full-ride scholarship.

He quickly became “the guy” at PLU, too – though the circumstances were obviously better. Even as a first-year student, he got involved and started the Lute Explosion African Dance Group. He’s handled public relations for the International Club on campus. He became a student-government senator for international students. His event planning skills came in handy as he helped organize the Campus Carnival in 2008, which emphasized the culture of Trinidad and Tobago.

A long-held dream of being the first in his family to complete a college degree snapped into focus on that taxi ride home. A year later Eckstein, a communications major who hopes to pursue a career in public relations or broadcast journalism, says that advertisement changed his life. After graduating high school, there was no money for college and Eckstein worked an eclectic set of jobs that included night-desk concierge, a call-center staffer and a funeral home director.

“Working at the funeral home was one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve had.”

Big steps for someone who, a little more than a year ago, saw his life’s possibilities change in a taxi cab. PLU can do that to people. S

FEATURES > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008

Americans Abroad WHEN JENNIFER HENRICHSEN came to PLU, she had every intention of majoring in biology and psychology, and then moving on to medical school. Ambitious – and admirable – plans. But halfway into her sophomore year, she had something of an epiphany: med school was more of her mom’s dream than her own. So she decided to switch directions. Radical directions. “One of PLU’s strengths is its dedication to helping students succeed in the field of global education,” said Henrichsen. “When the opportunity arose to obtain both political science and communication credit by studying and interning in Norway, I jumped at the chance.” She was hooked. Henrichsen, who double-majored in political science and communication, traveled abroad five separate times as an undergraduate – to Germany and England, to Norway, to the Balkans, and to Switzerland. That is where Henrichsen finds herself now, graduating in 2007 and living in Geneva, Switzerland. She’s earning a Master of Advanced Studies in International and European Security there, studying international law, terrorism and energy security, among other subjects. She is studying press freedoms in regions of global conflict, with

16 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > FEATURES

a focus on the increased intimidation, and sometimes assassination, of journalists. And, she’s also working as a freelance journalist at the United Nations’ European headquarters. It is a pretty good post-graduation gig. And here’s the best part: She’s doing it on the U.S. and Swiss government’s dime, as part of one of the world’s most prestigious global study programs – the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and named for U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright program was established in 1946 by the Congress to “enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” It is the largest U.S. international exchange program, and one of the most selective. It sends about 1,450 students a year to more than 155 countries, with a mandate to embark on joint ventures of importance to the general welfare of the world’s inhabitants. It should be no surprise that students like Henrichsen see the chance to continue their studies in places like Geneva

BY STEVE HANSEN

as a natural progression of their studies. In fact, PLU’s Wang Center for International Programs provided the basis for her winning Fulbright proposal when it gave her – along with her professor and mentor, Joanne Lisosky – a research grant to study human rights at the U.N. in Geneva. That PLU is has been extremely successful at placing graduates in the Fulbright program should also be no surprise. In 2007, PLU was named by the Chronicle of Higher Education as one of the top four masters-level institutions in the United States, in terms of the number of students participating in the Fulbright U.S. Student Fellowship program. Since 1975, PLU has had 79 Fulbright recipients. And it isn’t just students. Benson Family Chair and history professor E. Wayne Carp was recently awarded a Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer grant, as was Ronald Byrnes, associate professor in the School of Education and Movement Studies. They both spent the 2008 spring semester teaching abroad: Carp taught two history courses at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, and Byrnes lectured at Hedmark College in Rena, Norway. They were part of approximately 800 faculty and professionals from

the United States who travel abroad each academic year through the Fulbright Scholar Program. So, why is PLU so good at getting Fulbright scholarships? “That PLU ranked so high testifies not only to the quality of PLU, but to the quality of a liberal arts education,” said Troy Storfjell, assistant professor of languages and literatures, and for the past several years, the university’s Fulbright program adviser. “The Fulbright Fellowship is an ideal match with the global focus of this university,” he added. It is not that PLU focuses on Fulbrights. They are simply a product of PLU’s dedicated focus on global education – the honors just naturally follow. Jen Henrichsen’s experience seems to verify that. As she tells the story, Henrichsen didn’t truly fall into the topic of press protection – the basis of her Fulbright proposal – until she Googled a report by the Press Emblem Campaign. The group’s report documented press deaths and called for strengthened international humanitarian law provisions.

Jenn Henrichsen stands over the Rhone River in Geneva, Switzerland. | Photo by Olivier Vogelsang FEATURES > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008

Americans Abroad

When I’m in a press conference [at the U.N.] I feel like the world is literally at my fingertips. That kind of information is exhilarating. I find it is impossible to be apathetic when I have the awesome opportunity to be a first witness to history. —Jenn Henrichsen Henrichsen conducts an interview with leaders of a demonstration who were protesting an appointment to the Human Rights Council in 2006.

“I e-mailed one of the authors asking for the report, and found that the author was a journalist who worked at the U.N., and whose office was literally a five-minute walk from my computer desk in the library,” she recalled. “I walked to his office, received the report, set up an interview, and before I knew it, I had my research topic for the Wang Center grant.” The grant lead to additional trips to Geneva while at PLU, a speaking engagement at a national conference, and the Fulbright proposal. And the Fulbright proposal led to – well, who knows? That part of Henrichsen’s life hasn’t been written yet. There certainly is no shortage of opportunity ahead. For the time being, Henrichsen will continue to immerse herself in her masters program, while continuing to work on her French and German language skills, as well. To do that in Geneva invigorates her.

A Wang Center research grant to study human rights at the U.N. in Geneva provided a starting point for Henrichsen’s Fulbright proposal.

PLU has always focused on international study, but the Wang Center changed the game. It plays a large role in the fact that more than 40 percent of PLU students study abroad at some point in their career at PLU. The national average is 3 percent. The center has been essential in creating opportunities for students like Henrichsen who have passion for understanding the world, firsthand. “I believe it was a continuous stream of support from PLU professors and seized opportunities that enabled me to follow this path,” Henrichsen said. “A turning point for me was my first experience abroad on PLU’s J-Term. That program was the catalyst for all subsequent experiences – from Norway to the Balkans to the U.N. in Geneva.” PLU has this effect on a lot of students. J-Term is shorthand for January Term, PLU’s one-month term squeezed between the larger fall and spring semesters. Many PLU students consider it the perfect time to get off campus and see the world.

“When I’m in a press conference [at the U.N.] I feel like the world is literally at my fingertips,” she said. “That kind of information is exhilarating. I find it is impossible to be apathetic when I have the awesome opportunity to be a first witness to history.”

That was certainly the case for Michael Wauters ’07, another PLU Fulbright recipient who traveled to Ecuador to participate in an epidemiological study of Chagas disease.

For most PLU students, and certainly for Henrichsen, so many meaningful international experiences start in a small office at the northwest corner of campus – The Wang Center for International Programs. Founded by alumnus Peter Wang ’60 and his wife, Grace, the two were keenly interested in finding ways to prepare students for lives of leadership and service in an interconnected world. So concerned, they funded the unique center to the tune of $4 million.

“Being a busy science major, I didn’t think I could take a semester abroad and still complete my degree. But J-Term fit perfectly and provided the spark to later go abroad longer-term after graduation,” he said. “Coming out of high school I had an interest in biology, but hadn’t put any thought into studying abroad,” he added. “The plan, if one existed, was to graduate and get a job. Obviously this didn't happen. Looking back, I'm quite happy with the road I've taken.”

18 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > FEATURES

Jenn Henrichsen in Genevaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s busy city center | Photo by Olivier Vogelsang

FEATURES > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008

Americans Abroad

The Hospital Vozandes del Oriente in Shell, Ecuador, where Michael Wauters shadowed the physicians and met with interns.

After he spent J-Term in Ecuador with biology professor William Teska, Wauters knew he wanted to return to Latin America. He planned to spend a year after graduation immersed in another culture and working on his Spanish before returning to the United States to attend medical school. When the Fulbright came through, his short-term goals didn’t change, but he noted, “I no longer had to sweat the details of funding my dream.” "Wauters spent 10 months living in the capital, Quito, with several trips into the country's rainforest regions, gathering and analyzing blood samples. He has since returned from Ecuador to his Seattle-area home. He is currently utilizing both his science background and his Spanish skills working for AmeriCorps, working in a south Seattle community health clinic that serves an underserved Latino population. It is likely his next step between med school and, perhaps, a masters in public health. “Immersing oneself in another culture is an ideal way to challenge, learn and grow on levels you might never have imagined,” Wauters added. “It is why I believe that PLU and Fulbright support such endeavors so strongly. As he looks back at his time in Ecuador, it is clear it changed his life in ways he could not have imagined. “Right before I left for Ecuador I met a former 20 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > FEATURES

Wauters processes blood samples in the small Amazonian village of Yuwientsa.

Fulbrighter whose parting advice was something along the lines of ‘don’t get too caught up in trying to stick with your plans. In all likelihood, your experience will be completely different from anything you can imagine – and it will be wonderful,’” recalled Wauters. “She couldn’t have been more right.” Half a world away – and still in the middle of her own international journey – it’s an opinion in which Henrichsen completely agrees. “I knew when I decided to attend PLU five years ago, that I would study abroad. It was one of the elements of why I chose PLU over other colleges,” she recalled. “That said, I could never have predicted that five years from that decision, I would be working as a freelance journalist at the U.N., beginning a rigorous masters program on a Fulbright grant.” What in the world will she do next? Good question. One thing is clear: Henrichsen will be prepared to embrace it the moment she gets there. S (TOP) Wauters, traveling to villages to dispense the drug ivermectin, prepares to get weighed before boarding a raft. Ivermectin is used to treat onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness.

giving back From Harstad Hall to the Morken Center, donors have built the academy

n October 1891 the cornerstone of “Old Main” was laid on the rocky woodlands of Parkland. It was the first step in the construction of the first building at PLU. It’s now known as Harstad Hall, named for Bjug Harstad, the first president. Funding Old Main was a monumental struggle. As dollars came in, the building went up. It wasn’t until 1949 that the top floors were made habitable for the first time. It was a dream realized on the small donations of local Scandinavian immigrants. Almost 111 years later in May 2002, construction began with a groundbreaking for the first phase of the Morken Center for Learning and Technology, named for the Morken family and Don Morken ’60, alumnus and regent. The newest building on campus, it was dedicated in 2006 and was part of PLU’s most successful capital campaign in history. More than a century apart in construction and worlds apart in amenities, the buildings nevertheless sprang from similar generous hearts. Both Harstad Hall and the Morken Center – and all of the academic buildings constructed on campus – were made possible only through the contributions of alumni and friends of the university. “At PLU, as at most independent colleges and universities, we are able to fund the construction of new and renovated academic facilities only through the generosity of donors,” said Sheri Tonn, vice president for finance and operations. Each year the university’s operating budget funds smaller capital improvements for roofs, plumbing improvements, limited classroom enhancements and office renovations. Bond funding is used to construct and renovate facilities that generate revenue such as residence halls and the University Center. The Morken Center and Xavier Hall are two recent examples of the profound effect that donors can have on the life of the university, now and for generations to come. “The Morken Center has made huge improvements in the space available for

The Morken Center for Learning and Technology

Strategic Philanthropy This continuing series explores the university’s charitable opportunities for alumni and friends to invest in and engage the world with Pacific Lutheran University. In the future, look for: Spring ’08 Endowment for academics and mission Summer ’08 Endowment for student access Fall ’08 Annual Giving and Special Projects Winter ’08 Academic Facilities Spring ’09 Athletic Facilities student-faculty research and student-faculty collaboration,” Tonn said. “We just didn’t have that kind of space before.” It provides for academic programs that require a higher level of technology such as mathematics, computer science and business, which previously had limited technology available to them. The renovation of Xavier Hall did the same thing for social science programs: improved teaching space, collaborative space and improved infrastructure and technology. The building was completely gutted and rebuilt to meet modern program needs.

“I can’t emphasize enough that a fully renovated building is often a better investment than a new building, in that renovation gives us updated programmatic space for a lower cost than new,” Tonn said. Tonn said that donors have the satisfaction of immediately seeing positive outcomes for students when they help fund academic facilities. “Donors who want to make a big difference in the lives of students can of course fund endowments for student scholarships,” she said. “But gifts to fund the construction or renovation of academic facilities are a type of endowment in their own right. “It makes a terrific difference to the academic program. It makes PLU a stronger place. It is really good for students. The donors I’ve talked to believe this and that’s why they support PLU.” According to the university’s facilities master plan, the next major academic facility renovations are scheduled for Eastvold Hall, Rieke Science Center and portions of the Olson athletic and recreation complex. S — Greg Brewis

To learn more about investment options and ensuring the legacy of PLU, please contact the Office of Development at 253-535-7177 or visit www.plu.edu and click on “Make a Gift.” GIVING BACK > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 21

attaway lutes In second year, Beth Hanna continues to excel on and off the court

fter high school, Beth Hanna knew Division I or Division II volleyball wasn’t for her. Not because she wasn’t talented enough, but because she needed a more relaxed college experience. Hanna, who stresses academics, wanted to play in a more laid-back atmosphere and ended up choosing Division III PLU. As it turns out, for this nursing major, it was just what the doctor ordered. Hanna excelled in her first year with the Lutes and was named Division III AVCA Freshman of the Year. Her second year has been similarly successful. Halfway through the season she has twice earned Northwest Conference Player of the Week honors and is a conference leader in several offensive categories. At the season’s end, Hanna was again named NWC Player of the Year. “I knew I wanted to go to a smaller school,” Hanna said. “I was kind of burnt out toward the end of my high school season and I wasn’t sure I wanted to play at a big school. So, I looked up PLU on my own, along with some other private schools in the Northwest, and I went on a visit and fell in love with the campus and the team. “I really didn’t know what to expect. I just came and worked my hardest and hoped for the best and I ended up getting playing time immediately. Things were going really well from the start so I was real thankful for that.” Her team should be thankful for her efforts too. During her freshman year, her 5.34 kills per game were fourth in the nation and crushed PLU’s previous school record of 5.01. Her 486 kills tied a single-season kill record set in 1993 by Rachelle Snowdon. In addition to being named Northwest Conference Player of the Year, the 5-foot-11 outside hitter was the only freshman selected as a first-team All-American. This season, the team had to replace second team All-America setter Gina Di Maggio and second-team All-NWC selections Megan Kosel and Stacie 22 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > ATTAWAY LUTES

Matz. There are no seniors on the team this year, so Hanna has been called upon to help develop the younger players on PLU’s roster. “We look for her to be more of a leader,” Aoki said of Hanna. “I think as a freshman you sort of fall into place and just play. But as she gets older, we need her to step up and be a leader, and I think she’ll do that.” Given the way she has excelled at everything else at PLU, it should be no surprise that she turned out to be terrific leader and a great influence on the younger players. Despite being a younger team, behind Hanna, the Lutes overcame a slow start to win 13 straight conference matches and their fourth NWC crown in the past five seasons. Hanna’s success on the court became even more important to the Lutes when her teammate, junior middle blocker Kelcy Joynt, went down with a knee injury early in the conference season. Hanna credits much of her success at PLU, on the court and in the classroom, to the low-stress nature of the program. She said she preferred Division III, where there are no athletic scholarships, because she would not be “bound” to the university to play volleyball, therefore it would feel less like a job. This approach differs, she says, from the time-consuming, intense club and high school teams she played on. “It was very competitive and I felt like I was already in college,” Hanna said of her high school regimen. “I knew I wanted to go somewhere where I could have a whole life, not just a life of volleyball.” A big part of Hanna’s life outside of volleyball is academics. She recently got admitted to PLU’s School of Nursing, which her coach Kevin Aoki said is no easy feat. Her teammates notice her dedication to her studies as well. “I think she might be the top student on our team,” said Joynt. “Just an amazing student. All of us don’t get as good of grades as she does and she has probably the hardest major. She is an extremely hard worker.” Amidst all of the success and the accolades thrown her way, Hanna has stayed

grounded. “You would never know by talking to her that she was that talented,” Joynt said. “She’s one of the most humble players that I’ve ever met and that was something that really astounded me. Someone of her caliber playing for one of the top club teams in Oregon, if not the top club team, coming to Division III, shows a lot about her as a person as well as a volleyball player, because she could have gone pretty much wherever she wanted.” Her ability to stay humble endeared her to her teammates right away and allowed her fit right in. Comfortable in her situation, she was able to exceed people’s lofty expectations of her. “I thought she would be good, but to be first-team All American was a little surprising,” Aoki said. “We’ve never had a firstteam All-American before, let alone Freshman of the Year. So for us that was a pleasant surprise. But if you looked at her season, it’s not a surprise because she played so well.” In true character, however, Hanna is reluctant to take sole credit for her success. “It was definitely unexpected, but I felt very honored to receive that award,” Hanna said of being named Freshman of the Year. “I was just so fortunate for the team that I had. I played for them and they made me look good. It’s my team that I owe it to. I had great upperclassmen teammates that would help me and give me advice. That helped me more than they even know.” “I’m just proud of all the relationships we’ve built and that’s something that will last forever,” said Hanna, “Our volleyball skills may not.” In fact, PLU has had a great influence on her. It has allowed her to balance her life on the court with her life off of it. And given her past, she’s just glad there is a distinction between the two. S — By Anthony Oliva III

This article was reprinted with permission from NCAA.com online.

ATTAWAY LUTES > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 23

alumni news & events

24 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS

ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 25

Lute Fest

2008 ensures entire campus community gets in the game

26 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS

UPON ENTERING THE UNIVERSITY CENTER you catch the aroma of fresh kettle corn, hear the voices of singing students, and notice the extra splashes of black and gold from the windows of Old Main Market. There is also a table spread with candy. At this point you realize there is something special happening. It’s the second annual Lute Fest and it’s tailored to fit the theme of “Homecoming 2008: Get in the Game!” Imagine yourself at a carnival of sorts: a concession stand serving lemonade and Lute-inspired candies, limited edition Lute stadium cups overflowing with kettle corn straight from the kettle, speakers to engage your mind and performances of all kinds. As one of the many events that makes up Homecoming; all the fun is for the purpose of celebrating the PLU community. This event has the specific purpose of bringing together alumni, students, staff and faculty because, whether they cross the University Center path daily or just for a special occasion such as this, all share a common Lute pride. Lute Fest is an idea that occurred to the Alumni and Parent Relations, now Constituent Relations, staff last year. “We thought there was no better way to emphasize that Homecoming is for all Lutes than to kick-off the weekend with

’58 Dave Berntsen

Reunion Profile 1958 graduates celebrate their 50th reunion with a class gift

an event that is equally appealing to students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the university,” said Lauralee Hagen ’75, executive director of constituent relations. This concept has been the framework for the Friday afternoon component of Homecoming for a number of years. It has taken many forms, including that of a career mentoring event, “Java, Jobs and Jazz.” With the opening of the renovated University Center last year, it was a natural choice to make the event an open house, a chance for the PLU community to celebrate. This year Lute Fest housed a variety of entertainment, speakers and food simultaneously, taking on the feel of a carnival. What exactly can one expect to take in at Lute Fest? Although it varies from year to year, there are a few essentials you can be promised. In addition to food, this year there was entertainment featuring PLUtonic, men and women’s a cappella groups, the Hawaii Club and their dance performance most commonly seen at their annual luau and the improv stylings of the Clay Crows. Informational speakers; some related to the Homecoming theme such as this year’s “Lutes over the Airwaves” and other topics particularly timely to the general university, such as “What will you do with your one wild and precious life” a primer on PLU’s focus on vocation.

The performances, speakers and food offered will always be different, the venue and theme may change, but Friday afternoon will always be for faculty, students, alumni and friends; an event for the whole PLU community, so you can expect a warm welcome and great company. The fact that this Friday afternoon event is one of the first festivities of Homecoming, is no mistake. It sets the tone for a weekend focused on the community and sense of belonging that we are so fortunate to be a part of as Lutes. With all this being said – where are you going to be the Friday of next Homecoming weekend? Many of us use it to prepare ourselves for what is viewed as the bulk of Homecoming; the events that take place on Saturday. But Lute Fest rounds out this schedule. Block a few more hours off your schedule for next year, take Friday afternoon to visit the University Center. Walk the halls and allow memories to flood back as you watch students traveling to and from class, flocking to the free food and having enthusiastic conversations about weekend plans all while in passing. Remember this was once you, and in the spirit of homecoming, join in their fun, just for a few days. We’ll see you Friday, October 2, for Homecoming 2009! S

EACH YEAR, THE CLASS celebrating its 50th Reunion sets out to gather as many of their classmates as possible, plan a weekend of celebratory events and create a book of memories to reminiscence around. Some years a select few from the class come together with the goal of making a class gift. Although a $50,000 gift in celebration of a 50th anniversary is sometimes suggested, the decision to set a goal is up to those who make up the class gift committee. This year Norm Forness ’58 first suggested a goal of a $100,000 class gift from the class of 1958. Dave Berntsen ’58, class representative Don Cornell ’58, and a small group of their classmates joined in this effort and have had tremendous success. Starting last Fall, this group from the class of 1958 started the planning process. Many one-on-one conversations, days of calling, and numerous mailings later, this group has raised more than $91,000. They surpassed their hope of securing $75,000 by Homecoming and are well on their way to reaching their $100,000 goal. What has it taken to get there? “Everyone believes in this place, so it is a matter of encouraging them to show their support through an extraordinary gift,” said Berntsen. So, congratulations and thank you to the class of 1958 for making your mark at PLU! The class of 1958 designated their class gift to support an alumni panel each year on the topic of vocation. “My hope is that this will perpetuate; that we have set a new level and precedent for other classes. It isn’t easy, but it needs to be done,” said Berntsen. ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008

alumni news & events continued

Join the

Another great reason to join the PLU Online Community!

Click

he features currently available to all alumni through the PLU Harris Online Community will soon be

Pencil Us In UPCOMING EVENTS January 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tacoma Night at Lute Basketball, PLU January 22-31 . . . . . . . .Choir of the West tour, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota January 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alumni Night at Lute Basketball, PLU April 24-26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Spring Alumni Board Meeting, PLU April 25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hawaii Club Luau April 26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Spring Parents Council Meeting, PLU For more information: www.plualumni.org or call 800-ALUM-PLU.

Picture Perfect

(TOP) Lynn (Bong ’77) and Dale Forrey ’77 (far left) celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary with a cruise to Alaska. In Ketchikan they visited Sharon (Hansen ’84) Geldaker (far right) and her parents, Carol (Bottemiller ’57) and Chuck Geldaker ’58 (center). Sharon’s daughter, Kate Geldaker ’09, is currently roommates with Dale and Lynn’s daughter, Meredith Forrey ’09. The group is pictured in front of the MV Christian, which Sharon sails year-round to isolated communities in Southeast Alaska for Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots

28 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS

accessible through Facebook. With the addition of this application, all registered users of the PLU online community, who also have a Facebook profile, will be able to access the benefits and features of both programs at once. Once logged onto Facebook, there will be a shortcut available to access the PLU online community as well. That means you have one less password to remember and one central location to update your contact information and receive announcements from PLU.

Registered users of the PLU online community, who also have a Facebook profile, will be able to access the benefits and features of both programs at once. Register for the online community at www.plu.edu/alumni and watch for a Facebook invite to the PLU connect application so you can be a part of this new feature. S

(BOTTOM) This group of 1990-91 gradu-

ates met in Minnesota and traveled to Balsam Lake, Wisc., for a weekend of celebrating their friendships – and 40th birthdays. Pictured left to right, in back: Jane (Stewart ’90) Bjork, Shelley Zoller ’90, Amy (Minnick ’90) Denk. Pictured left to right, in front: Nancy (Bal ’90) Shaffer, Kathy Pheister ’91 and Karen (Thorson ’91) Preston.

Alumni Recognition Award Nominations

Dear Fellow Lutes , We always know it's fall at PLU wh en it’s Homecomi back alumni, parent ng and we welcome s and friends to ce lebrate the universi and future. This ty's past, present year's Homecoming theme, "Get in th for us because it e Ga me" was exciting was a reminder to be active participa ty's community. As nts in our universi seniors, we are rem inded that college forever and we mu does not go on st make the most of eve ry day that we get to PLU. As student interns in the Offic spend at e of Constituent Homecoming seas Relations, we love on and all of the we ek's festivities, eve mean logging many n though it does more hours in th e office. We each perspectives of th carried away differ e weekend and we ent would like to share those with you. I, Andy, had a pro found feeling of sa dness during the an intern in the Of weekend. After bei fice of Constitue ng nt Relations for th was hard to realiz e last four years, e that this was th it e las t Ho mecoming that I experience as a st will get to udent. I remained seated at the end Congregation's home of the University coming worship se rvice, listening to postlude reverbera the chords of th te through Lagerqu e ist Concert Hall tradition of PLU, and soaking up th knowing that next e yea r I wi ll be an alumnus. Saturday night, wa The gala, on s another event I really enjoyed. Du the complimentary ring the event I rod shuttle from the e Graduates of the hour and the 50th Last Decade happ class reunion dinner y to the gala at the Ta Museum. Hosting coma Art this shuttle was a great opportunit with many different y to mix and mingl alumni, young and e old, and hear of th eir times at PLU. In addition to An dy's favorites, I, Maren, really enjoy asm that seemed ed the student ent to grow during Ho husimecoming. On Frida Alumni Associatio y night, the Student n hosted a bonfire that attracted ma brate school spirit ny students to ce at PLU with s'more les and a pep talk fro coach Scott West m head football ering before Satu rda y's big football game, unfortunately los which we t to Lutheran rival Gustavus Adolphu celebration brunc s College. Saturda h honored the 20 y's 08 recipients of th Awards. Watching e Alumni Achievem nine special Lutes ent rec eive awards for th accomplishments eir amazing in the world was incredibly inspiring dating. – and a little intim iWe are definitely in agreement that it is sad to believ Homecoming that e this is the last we will experience from the student weekend was a gre perspective, but th at reminder that ou e r connection to PL in eight short mo U will not be los nths. We hope th t is gives you a snaps and the power th hot of Homecomi is institution has ng to hold its comm unity together. All the best, Andy Guinn '09 and Maren Anderson '09

Awards are given each year to alumni, friends and students for outstanding achievements and years of service. Nominations must include supporting letters and be returned to the Office of Constituent Relations by Feb. 9, 2009. Here are the categories: Distinguished Alumnus Award Through years of dedication and service, this alumnus has achieved professional or vocational distinction. YOUR NOMINEE

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Outstanding Alumnus Award Awarded to an alumnus, beyond 15 years of graduation, who has excelled in a special area of life. YOUR NOMINEE

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award Awarded to an alumnus, within 15 years of graduation, who has excelled in a special area of life. YOUR NOMINEE

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Heritage Award Awarded to an alumnus for years of distinguished service to the university. YOUR NOMINEE

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Special Recognition Award Awarded to an alumnus or friend of the university who has uniquely served the university. YOUR NOMINEE

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Alumni Service Award Awarded to an alumnus who has demonstrated outstanding volunteer leadership and/or service to their community. YOUR NOMINEE

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Brian C. Olson Student Leadership Award Awarded to a student who has demonstrated potential for a lifelong commitment to the university and the alumni association. YOUR NOMINEE

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS> PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 29

alumni profiles Family troupe makes sweet music together

ome family gatherings might hit a wrong note. But when the Voetbergs assemble, they make sweet music. Lisa Marie (Corwin) Voetberg ’83, the matriarch of the 12-person clan, explains that all family members are instrumental or vocal musicians. Together, they comprise The Voetberg Family Band. “It’s just a fun way to interact as a family,” said Lisa. Lisa Voetberg said that the family began playing together professionally – at first it was just for friends – in 1999, at a large church in Olympia, Wash. “I remember getting off the stage, and

30 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > ALUMNI PROFILES

thinking ‘Wow, this is fun,’” Voetberg said. An education major while at PLU, Lisa and husband, Joe, now have 10 children. Music has become a focal point for the family, which calls Centralia, Wash., home. “Our family has been so important to us,” Lisa said. “The reason we do music together… is to have our children with us.” The group plays a mix of bluegrass, gospel, country, folk and jazz. The Voetberg children range in age from 7 to 24. There is Joby, the oldest at 24, followed by, Brice, 22; Liddy, 20; Elisha, 18; Annie, 16; Lilja, 14; Tucker, 12; Deter, 10; Vance, 9; and the youngest, 7-year-old Rudy. When the children were younger, Lisa gave them singing instruction. However, as they grew older, the kids took instrument lessons from sources outside the family. Various Voetbergs

now play guitar, piano, mandolin, cello, bass and fiddle. “Someone introduced us to the fiddle,” Lisa said, “and that opened a whole new genre for us.” The family plays hometown and church concerts, weddings, birthday parties and other events, sometimes for free, and sometimes for pay. “You can be a good, smart business person and a musician,” Lisa said. The band released their fourth album, “Wait for Me,” in the fall of 2007. All Voetberg recordings are available through www.voetbergfamily.com. The schedule is on the group’s MySpace page at www.myspace/voetbergs. Many of the older Voetberg children are now starting to compose their own music, Lisa said. “They do work on things on their own,” Lisa said. “They are coming up with some pretty cool stuff.”

For the Voetbergs, music is something to be shared with others. Brice is now a full-time piano teacher, and Liddy is a fiddle instructor. —Ashley Coats ’10

Keyes brings television programming online

hitney Keyes ’89, an entrepreneurial media manager who uses high-impact and low-cost techniques in an online TV show, has established her niche as a business development consultant after years of high-profile success. The daughter of former PLU art professor David Keyes, Whitney made her mark early, appearing as a child actress in PLU stage productions. Later, as a PLU student, Keyes worked in PLU’s Career Services

Whitney Keyes, left, at whitneyandwyatt.com

Center, where she learned her lessons well. Keyes landed two internships that helped shape her career. She managed promotions, events, advertising and wrote press releases for a local radio station, and performed the same duties for a Tacoma movie theater. Keyes also

managed her family’s art gallery. Passionate about small business, Keyes helped develop Tacoma’s Neighborhood Business District Revitalization Program in 1991, leading the charge for promotional activities and economic restructuring. Eventually, Keyes took her business savvy to Microsoft, where she helped launch such products as Microsoft’s Windows CE, an operating system for Pocket PCs, as well as Microsoft’s 2000 suite. Keyes later worked in community affairs at Microsoft, a role she describes as getting down to the “heart and soul of communication.” Now a consultant at Whitney Keyes Productions, the Seattle resident said she has no regrets. The show Keyes works on covers topics from health to fashion. Since the show was launched last year, it continued on page 39

The Voetberg family

ALUMNI PROFILES > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008

alumni class notes Class Representative positions available: 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1964, 1968 and 1991

1933 Norman Hokenstad died July 23. He worked at I.B.M. for 30 years as a customer engineer and then sold real estate part time. He spent his last 17 years at the Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community, where he had many special friends. Norman’s wife of 63 years, Ruth, died in 2001. His sister Rhoda (Hokenstad ’35) Young preceded him in death. Surviving him are his children: Al ’64 and his wife Marion (Rasmussen ’64), Christine Welseth (David), and Margit (Hokenstad ’70) Davis (Andy); 10 grandchildren, including Janet (Hokenstad ’90) Stemple and Steve Hokenstad ’94; and 12 great-grandchildren.

1936 Class Representative – Volly (Norby) Grande

1939 Emil “Corky” Smith died July 25. After graduation from PLC, he taught for two years in Galvin, Wash. Corky then became a police officer for the Tacoma Police Department, retiring after 25 years as assistant chief of police. An active boater, he belonged to the Tacoma Yacht Club, serving as the club’s commodore, and was awarded “Boat of the Year” for his racing prowess. After retirement, he and his wife, Alice, sold their boat, bought a trailer and traveled for many years. Alice died in 2004 (they were married for 63 years) and Corky continued his independent and busy lifestyle until shortly before his death. He is survived by his son, Larry Smith (Marg); his daughter, Penny Boyesen (Rich); four grandsons; and five great-grandchildren.

1940

Augustana, he was also the organist at First Lutheran Church, where he delighted in playing the magnificent AeolianSkinner organ, which he helped design. He loved to visit relatives and former students in far-flung places and kept connected with a tremendous network of people around the globe. Merle traveled around the world three times and journeyed to every continent except Antarctica. His talent for drawing people out and learning interesting facts about their lives was legendary.

1943 Margaret (Hilmo) Mutschler died on June 10. She lived an adventurous life after graduating from PLC. She was a skier who trekked to the top of the run using ski crampons. She hiked, traveled and curled. She also excelled in golf. She and her husband, Gus, enjoyed a longtime membership at Fircrest Golf Course, where she won several tournaments. Her marriage to Gus, an army officer, took her to many locations. Margaret made a home for her family in Pennsylvania; Alabama; Tokyo, Japan; and Ottawa, Canada. University Place, Wash., was the Mutschler family’s last stop. There, Margaret taught for many years at Narrows View Elementary School. In retirement, she and Gus set off to see the world, traveling to China, Japan, the Panama Canal, the Fiji Islands, Egypt, Greece, New Zealand, Australia and Norway. Although she was often traveling, she remained a passionate grandmother and great-grandmother.

1945 Class Representative – Annabelle Birkestol

1947 Class Representative – Gerry Lider

1948

Class Representative – Luella Toso Johnson

Class Representative – Norene (Skilbred) Gulhaugen

1941

1949

Merle Pflueger died on Aug. 23. After graduation from PLC, he went on to receive his Master of Arts degree and his Doctor of Education degree in music from Columbia University in New York City. He served in the United States Army in the South Pacific in anti-aircraft intelligence. The last months of his service were in the headquarters of General Douglas McArthur in Manila, Philippines. In 1953, he began teaching music education and organ at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill. For 25 years, he directed the Augustana Chapel Choir and for many years he served as the departmental coordinator of music education. During the 33 years he taught at

Norman Sturm died Aug. 12. Before coming to PLC, he served in the United States Army during World War II. While at PLC, he played baseball, ran track and was a member of the 1947 Pear Bowl championship football team. Norm was one of the pioneering teachers to open the Shoreline School District, and spent 30 years teaching and coaching. During his 29 years of retirement, he and his wife, Ruth, lived on the Kitsap Peninsula, snowbirding to Desert Center, Calif. They enjoyed going to the Sons of Norway with friends, golfing and building several homes. Ruth, his wife of nearly 61 years, preceded him in death in April. Surviving him are his two sons, Norm Jr. (Janice)

32 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > ALUMNI CLASS NOTES

and Steve (Debbie); five grandchildren; and one great grandchild.

1950 Class Representative – Dick Weathermon Chauncey Christofferson observed his 50th anniversary as an ordained member of the ELCA on July 27. On August 26, he was married to Thelma Symonds.

1951 Dick Pollen died July 9. He served in the United States Army and had a 42-year career with West Coast Grocery. In 1949, he married Erleen Niles and together they had six children. Erleen and a granddaughter preceded him in death. Surviving him are his wife, Janice; his six children and three stepchildren; 21 grandchildren; and four great grandchildren. Dick was an avid golfer and loved all sports, especially football and baseball. He coached youth softball and baseball until the age of 72. Dick is remembered for his positive attitude and zest for life, but most importantly for the love he had for his family and friends, including his best friend, Dick Weathermon ’50.

1953 Class Representatives – Naomi (Roe) Nothstein and Carol (Schuler) Karwoski Everett Savage continues hospitality and ministry to foreign crewmembers coming into the ports of Seattle and Everett. He also works with Grace Chinese Lutheran Church in Seattle. Ernest Johnson died Aug. 20. Before coming to PLC, he served as a tech sergeant in the Army Air Corps between 1942 and 1947. After graduation, he became a missionary, serving in Cameroon. He married Helen Johansen, who died in 1958. In 1961, he married Evelyn Jolson. He returned to the States to attend Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., and was ordained in 1971. In Cameroon, he taught Bible school and served as president of the northern region of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. After 27 years in Cameroon, Ernest and Evelyn returned to the United States in 1980, and Ernest served as pastor of Devils Lake Sioux Indian Reservation in Tokio, N.D, until his retirement in 1987. They then moved to Blooming Prairie, Minn., where he served as chaplain at American Legion Post 52. Surviving him are Evelyn, his wife of 47 years; his three sons, Daniel, Edward and David ’90; two daughters, Ruth Johnson and Anne (Shadrick) Rudlong; and 10 grandchildren.

Newspaper Publishers Association. She married Fred Vitalich in 1958. In 1966, they moved to Shoreline, Wash., where she was an active community member for the remainder of her life. Fran was a dedicated volunteer in the Shoreline School District, serving as president of the Highland Terrace Elementary School and Shorewood High School PTA. In that capacity, she worked on several school levy campaigns. In 1974, she received a Golden Acorn Award for her service. She was also an active member of Christ Lutheran Church in Ballard, Wash., for over 20 years. After retiring from a tenyear career with the King County prosecutor’s office in 1993, Fran enjoyed volunteering for the Shoreline Historical Museum. In 1983, Fred preceded her in death. She is survived by her children, Steve ’82, ’92 and Andrea Vitalich; her sisters Mary Lou (Biery ’56) Magnuson and Evelyn (Biery ’57) Button; and many friends and other family members.

1955 Class Representative – Phyllis (Grahn) Pejsa Bob Beatty died March 9, two days after his 75th birthday. He worked in the insurance industry in Olympia, Wash., for many years. He met his wife of over 50 years, Noreen, when he came to Centralia, Wash., with PLC’s Ambassador Quartet in 1953. Bob enjoyed singing and belonged to barbershop quartets, choruses and church choirs. He also loved the outdoors and playing golf. His daughter, Krista, preceded him in death. He his survived by Noreen and his four sons.

1956 Class Representative – Ginny (Grahn) Haugen and Clarene (Osterli) Johnson

1957 Class Representative – Marilyn (Hefty) Katz Marlyn Lerud Thoreson died Aug. 10 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Her 31-year teaching career was spent mostly in the Sacramento, Calif., area. She is survived by her husband, Ron Thoreson ’62; her daughter, Beth (Thoreson ’85) Geesey; and her son, Nathaniel Thoreson ’89.

1958 Class Representative – Don Cornell

Frances (Biery) Vitalich died June 30. After college, she moved to Seattle, where she worked for the Washington

1959 Class Representative – Todd Penson

Eunice (Peterson) Christensen died May 28. She graduated from the PLC School of Nursing. As a wife, mother, sister and friend, she was loved by all who knew her and had a truly loving spirit and joyful heart. Surviving Eunice is her husband of nearly 48 years, John; sons Dale (Lynn) and Jim (Jacy); and five grandchildren.

Ron Ness died on May 27. He worked for Northwest Airlines for 40 years. In 1962, he married Rosalie Gould. They were married until her death in 1990. In 1999, he married Patricia Rankin. Ron his survived by Patricia; his sons, Adam and Aaron; and three grandchildren.

1963 1960 Class Representative – Marilu (Miller) Person Myron “Ron” Barbour retired on Oct. 31, after 34 years as pastor of Epiphany Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Va., and 40 years in the Lutheran Ministry (ELCA). He and his wife, Sandy, plan to travel and spend time with their grandchildren in Maryland, Tennessee and Florida. Ron also looks forward to being able to read and enjoy books without looking for sermon illustrations. He loves e-mailing old friends: PastorMLB@aol.com. Jean (Ulleland) Hovet traveled to Norway with her sister, Janet (Ulleland ’59) Labes, niece Karolyn Labes ’91 and granddaughter Sarah (who they hope will be a PLU student in 2011). They traveled from Bodo to Bergen and were able to see the birthplace of three of her grandparents. Jean retired in October after 48 years as a medical technologist. She lives in Arlington, Wash.

1961 Class Representative – Ron Lerch Marty Schaefer and Randy Knutson ’80 were co-chairs for the biennial Region IV Conference of the ALCM (Association of Lutheran Church Musicians) in San Francisco in June. The four-day event included musicians and worship leaders from all the Western states. Kathryn (Fredstrom ’74) Beck was on the planning committee and Robin (Johnson ’82) Knutson was the organist for one of the worship services. All four PLU alums are church musicians in California and Nevada. Neil Berger died June 27. He was a teacher in the Northshore and Shoreline school districts for 36 years. As a sixthgrade teacher, he was the favorite of many of his students. He was also a much loved and respected member of the Whidbey Island (Wash.) community. He belonged to a local woodcarving club and the Whidbey Cruzers Club, where he could share his passion for vintage cars. He was especially proud of his fully restored green vintage Cadillac, which he drove in the 2008 St. Patrick’s Day parade in Oak Harbor, Wash. His love of God, family and country was apparent to all who knew him. Neil is survived by his wife, Joyce; sons Thomas and Eric; daughter Catherine (Cat) Morrison; and six grandchildren.

1962 Class Representative – Leo Eliason and Dixie (Likkel) Matthias

Class Representative – Merl and Joan (Maier) Overland Dennis Helseth died May 23. A man of many trades, he ended his career at Steilacoom High School as a business and marketing teacher. He sang with the Normana Male Chorus and the Christ Lutheran Church Choir. He was also a member of the Lakewood (Wash.) Racquet Club. His life was an adventure and he enjoyed it to the fullest, always surrounded by those he loved. Dennis is survived by his wife, Susan; his sons, Troy ’90 and his wife Kim (Rempfer ’96) and Peter; step-daughters Jill D’Olivo and Vicki Torgorson; and several grandchildren and step-grandchildren.

1965 Class Representative – Dave Wytko Sandra (Bowdish) Kreis retired after 38 years in the ministry, serving the last six and a half years at Christopher’s Community Church, an Episcopal Mission in Olympia, Wash. During the last 24 years, Sandra served in Lutheran congregations in Aberdeen, Everett, Puyallup and Concrete, Wash. Before her ordination, she served as Lutheran campus minister at Washington State University, Eastern Washington University and Skagit Valley College. Her first ministry positions were with youth in congregations and a street ministry in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, as part of the Northwest Seattle Lutheran Parish. A graduate of Union Theological Seminary in 1968 and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in 1984, Sandra holds master’s degrees in Christian education and divinity. Her children, Joanna (Kries ’97) Jacobson and Jacob Kreis, hosted a retirement party, inviting former congregants, friends and family.

ies, chair of the department of modern and classical languages and literature, as well as dean of the college of arts and sciences. Jerry (center) is pictured with Jonathan Tompkins ’72 (right), associate dean and professor of political science, and Douglas Dalenberg ’81 (left), professor and chair of economics.

Randy is remembered by his family for his tenacity, his loyalty, his faith, his gracious hospitality and his love of people. He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Carla; his son, Geoff; his parents, Ralph and Ruth Peterson; his sisters, Joyce and Joan; and his brother, Mark.

1967 Class Representative – Craig Bjorklund

Dale Larson retired from Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen, Wash., after 30 years on the faculty.

Elaine (Shusta) Ponton died at her home near Terlingua, Texas, Aug. 19. She was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 2003 and served as associate priest in the Big Bend Episcopal Mission until her death.

Randy Peterson died June 22. After graduation, he joined the Peace Corps and served as a teacher in Uganda for two years. He returned to Seattle and earned his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Washington. Randy spent most of his career as a real estate broker and partner at Westlake Associates, taking pride in assisting his many clients invest in commercial real estate for 27 years. A member of Mercer Island (Wash.) Presbyterian Church, he served on many committees and supported its foundation and stewardship programs. He also loved boating and was a member of the Seattle Yacht Club.

Nancy (Jurgensen) Pearson died July 1. While she was at PLU, she was crowned Homecoming Queen. After graduation, she taught at Thoreau Elementary School in Kirkland, Wash., for eight years. She married her husband, Bruce, in 1972. In 1978, their son Erik was born, followed by son Leif in 1981. Nancy was her sons’ biggest sports fan, Scout mom and teacher. A true caregiver, Nancy made weekly visits to check on her mother’s care following a stroke. His health failing, her father was in the same nursing home at the time. Nancy did all this while battling cancer. She also made and kept numerous friendships throughout her life.

Francis Stack went on to the University of Montana and received a pharmacy degree in 1968. In May, he retired after 40 years in the retail business, having worked for Payless Drug, Hirons Drug and Fred Meyer. He also owned his own business. His wife, Karen (Lundell), worked as a medical technologist for 42 years and retired last March. They live in Chester, Mont., and plan to relax and travel.

1966 Class Representative – Frank Johnson Gerald Fetz retired as dean of the college of arts and sciences at The University of Montana, where he has been since 1970. He has served at various times as professor in German stud-

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008

She especially enjoyed this network of friends during her last months. Nancy was preceded in death by her mother, Aagot “Judy” (Gerde ’39) Jurgensen, and her father, Erling “Snooky” Jurgensen ’39, in 2007. Bruce, Erik and Leif survive her.

1968 Jacob “Jack” Cowan died Aug. 7. Before receiving his MBA from PLU, he earned his bachelor of arts degree from Midland College in Fremont, Neb., in 1951 and attended the University of Washington Law School from 1951-1952. During the Korean War, he served in the United States Army, stationed primarily in Alaska. He worked for General Electric and Boeing. In 1970, he moved on to the State of Washington, working first for Employment Security, and then for the Superintendent of Public Instruction. In 1977, Jack started his 26-year career with the Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC), where he worked as a labor relations adjudicator/mediator. He retired in 2003. He was a lifelong member of the Nile Temple Scottish Rite in Des Moines, Iowa, and the Masonic Lodge in Fremont, Neb. He also played the saxophone and clarinet in the Nile Shrine Band and with the Senior Swingers Band in Edmonds, Wash., having a deep love for big band and jazz music. Jack is sur-

vived by his wife of 49 years, Kay; and his daughters, Jill Cowan Cass and Julie Cowan-Craig.

1969 Class Representative – Rick Nelson Joyce Emilson retired from Washington State Employment Security as a WorkSource specialist Three after 37 and a half years. She last worked at Lynnwood WorkSource, and at Edmonds Community College during the last four years. She lives in Everett, Wash. Mike and Mary (Magnuson ’71) Benson enjoy living in Thousand Oaks, Calif., where Mike is beginning his second year as head women’s tennis coach at California Lutheran University and Mary continues as assistant teacher at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church’s preschool.

1970 Class Representative – Bill Allen Marilyn Freida Fenn is a marriage and family therapist in Port Townsend, Wash.

1971 Class Representative – Joe Hustad, Jr. Luana Graves retired from the Washington State Employment Security

Work at

PLU

Department in September 2005. She is a member of the International Association of Workforce Professionals and the American Association of University Women. She lives in Chehalis, Wash., and travels with Discovery Tours.

Scott Iverson scored 125 points on June 27 in a 50-and-older basketball league game played at the Kekuaokalani Gym in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. His team, the Triassics, won 155-107 against the Makule Ballers.

Ruth Klavano died June 19. After graduating from PLU, she went on to earn her master’s degree in education at Washington State University at the Vancouver, Wash., campus. She began her career as an elementary school teacher in the Battle Ground (Wash.) School District in 1971, and retired from the district in 2004. She also taught in Tanzania and New Zealand during that time. Ruth was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Vancouver, Wash., where she served in many roles, including director of children’s ministry. Starting in 2005, she was a lay missionary for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, teaching two years in Lanzhou, China. She had accepted a new post in Windhoek, Namibia, and was planning to leave the United States last August. Ruth was preceded in death by her mother, Martha Havighurst Klavano. She is survived by her father, Paul Klavano; her brother, Bob Klavano ’69 and his wife, Byrna (Rowberg ’70); her sisters, Ann Klavano ’76 and Beth Klavano Wiegand ’75 (Neil); nieces and nephews; and a Tanzanian “son,” Gabe Laizer, who lived with Ruth while attending high school and college.

Julie Holland Bauer died in March. A soprano, she was very active with the Choir of the West while at PLU. She went on to a singing career, first pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Washington, where she was a student of Leon Lishner, and won the Northwest Regional National Council Auditions of the Metropolitan Opera. After that, she relocated to New York City, and made her debut at the Geneva Opera in the role of the shepherd boy in Wagner’s Tanhhauser, with Bern Weikl and Eva Marton in the lead roles. Following her move to New York, she sang lead roles with many regional opera companies, including the Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, San Diego Opera and others, before settling back in her home town of Boise, Idaho. She loved PLU and her time there as a student. She is survived by her husband of 20 years, Charles, and her daughter, McKenzie Bauer, who is a fine violinist studying at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

1972 Class Representative – Molly Stuen Dwight Galbraith retired after 30 years as a math specialist for the Oak Harbor (Wash.) School District. He and his wife, Margaret, also run Galbraith Investments, Inc., and Galbraith Windhaven LLC, property and development and management companies. They live in Oak Harbor.

Eva Johnson Director of Student Involvement and Leadership 1995 PLU Graduate

1973 Class Representative – Karen (Wraalstad) Robbins Dennis Andersen was named by Bishop Greg Rickel to the vestry of St Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle as an ecumenical community representative. Dennis has returned from several months in Europe, traveling and studying with monies from the Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Program. He continues as pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church in Seattle.

www.plu.edu/humanresources An EEO/AA Employer

1974 Class Representative – David Johnson

1975 Class Representative – Helen Pohlig

34 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > ALUMNI CLASS NOTES

Frank Payn co-directed the production of “Man of La Mancha” last summer for the Montana Actors Theatre, a community theatre group started in Havre, Mont., in the mid-1990s.

1976 Class Representative – Gary Powell Mike Carson married Ron Steigerwalt Aug. 10 at First Lutheran Church in San Diego, Calif. – thanks to God and the California Supreme Court. It was a small wedding as the couple looked forward to their 30th anniversary festivities on October 26 in Palm Springs, Calif. The festivities in October began with Lutheran Hour preacher, the Reverend Barbara Lundblad, from Union Theological Seminary, speaking at St. Paul Episcopal Church. That evening, Sam Harris starred in a concert to benefit the Desert AIDS Project and Shelter from the Storm. Mike is a travel agent and was recently named to the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego task force on holiness in relationships. Ron just started a new position as principal toxicology investigator at Amylin in San Diego.

1977 Class Representatives – Leigh Erie and Joan (Nelson) Mattich Bruce Hoffman was promoted in May to director of underwriting at SAIF Corporation, where he has worked since April 2003. His wife, Erma (Hennessey) has been with Joe’s Sports since 2005. They live in Salem, Ore.

1978 Class Representative – Pete Mattich Prentis Johnson received the Diversity Change Agent Award from the Boeing Co. The diversity award is given to an individual person that successfully promotes workplace change. An individual demonstrates workplace change by enhancing an atmosphere of inclusion and respect and, by recognizing the contributions made by individuals with diverse backgrounds. A successful change agent improves Boeing’s ability to attract, develop and retain a diverse workforce. Prentis was among the first members of the Shared Services Group Diversity Council at Boeing. Marsha (Lewis) Flowers graduated from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore., with a master’s degree to teach special education for K-21 students. She lives in Hillsboro, Ore. Doug Hinschberger is an inventory control manager with J.L. Darling Corporation in Tacoma, producers of Rite in the Rain outdoor writing paper.

1979 Class Representative – Dave and Teresa (Hausken) Sharkey Kathryn (Thomas) Walkley as featured in More Magazine in the “firsts after 40” section for becoming a paragliding pilot. She is part of the Pediatric Infusion Specialist Team at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, and lives in Tacoma with her son, Ethan, 12. www.moremagazinedigital.com/more/20081 0/?pg=218&u1=coverleaf&sea

1980 Class Representative – Drew Nelson Jana (Olson) Gedde won four gold medals (long jump, triple jump, standing broad jump and 100 meter sprint) and one silver medal (pole vault) in the Washington State Senior Games in July. In August, she also competed in the National Masters Track and Field Meet in Spokane in the 50-55 age bracket and won three gold medals (long jump, triple jump and 100 meter sprint) and one silver (pole vault). Randy Knutson and Marty Schaefer ’61 were co-chairs for the biennial Region IV Conference of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians in San Francisco in June. The four-day event included musicians and worship leaders from all the western states. Kathryn (Fredstrom ’74) Beck was on the planning committee and Robin (Johnson ’82) Knutson was organist for one of the worship services. All four PLU alums are

church musicians in California and Nevada. Robert Hansen is the 2009 president of the Rose Festival Foundation’s board of directors in Portland, Ore.

School District. She lives in Ellensburg, Wash., and has five children: Caitlin, 20; Tristan, 13; Cameron, 10; Keiran, 7; and Addison, 4.

1987 Class Representative – Darren Hamby

1981 Class Representative – Dean and Susan (Lee) Phillips Joni (Jerin) Campbell lost her husband, Dr. Bruce Campbell, who died in their home April 4 of complications from diabetes. Joni and Bruce would have celebrated their 24th anniversary on July 14. Joni and daughters, Lauren, 18, and Christine, 15, live in Billings, Mont.

1982 Class Representative – Paul Collard Susan (Williams) McBride has been the president of Jefferson Davis Community College in Brewton, Ala., since 1999. In addition to her MBA from PLU, she holds a master’s degree in library science from Western Michigan University and a doctorate in education from Texas A&M University-Commerce.

1983 Class Representative – Dave Olson Rich Coyner received the Gig Harbor Rotary Club’s Vocational Excellence Award. He started the Pierce County Dental Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to provide dental healthcare to those in need. The foundation provides funding for more than a dozen community service groups.

Randy Grant published a book (with John Leadley and Zenon Zygmont of Western Oregon University) titled “The Economics of Intercollegiate Sports,” available through World Scientific Publishing Co. Randy is a professor of economics at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore. Jim Forsyth is executive vice president at Summit Financial Group. He joins president Ed Grogan ’94 and managing partner Dan Wiersma ’89. Jim’s office is on Whidbey Island, where he lives with his wife, Teresa (Wiley ’90) and daughters Bailey and Parker.

director of physical therapy at Virginia Mason, Good Samaritan and Tacoma General Hospitals; helped found and create the comprehensive rehabilitation facility, Northwest Therapy; and taught at the University of Puget Sound. He dedicated his life to helping those around him. Always welcoming and tolerant, he was active in peace and justice movements. A man of ever-new passions and projects, Bill built a rowing skull, played the cello, learned Portuguese, and in the last year refurbished, publicized and drove a fully electric car. He was preceded in death by his wife of 45 years, Peggy, and survived by his children, Daniel, Eileen, Andrew, and Maureen; and four grandchildren. Ruth Ediger received tenure from Seattle Pacific University, where she has taught international relations and geography since 2002.

1989

1988 Class Representative – Brenda Ray Scott Kim (McLean) Fowler was selected by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the 2008 Woman of Achievement Award. This award recognizes outstanding professional achievements, personal accomplishments and community involvement. Kim is a senior research engineer working to create a sustainable society. Her work has been nationally recognized. William Borba died June 21. He was the

Class Representative – Lisa (Hussey) Ferraro Laura Cole is an attorney working and living in St. Louis, Mo., with her two daughters, age 10 and six. Following in the family tradition, the girls attend a Lutheran elementary school. Future Lutes?

1990 Class Representatives – Sean Neely Tim Severson is the head softball coach at Flathead High School in Kalispell,

In Memoriam 1933

1961

Norman Hokenstad on July 23.

Neil Berger on June 27.

1939

1962

Emil Smith on July 25.

Ron Ness on May 27.

1984

1941

1963

Class Representative – Mark Christofferson

Merle Pflueger on Aug. 23.

Dennis Helseth on May 23.

1943

1966

Margaret (Hilmo) Mutschler on June 10.

Randy Peterson on June 22.

1949 Norman Sturm died Aug. 12.

Nancy (Jurgensen) Pearson on July 1.

1951

Elaine (Shusta) Ponton on Aug. 19.

Dick Pollen on July 9.

1968

1952

Jacob Cowan on Aug. 7.

Jo Ann (Nodtvedt) Briscoe on Aug. 19.

1971

1953

Ruth Klavano on June 19.

Ernest Johnson on Aug.20.

1975

Frances (Biery) Vitalich on June 30.

Juli Holland Bauer in March.

1985

1955

1984

Class Representatives – Janet (Olden) Regge and Carolyn (Plocharsky) Stelling

Bob Beatty on March 9.

Dolores Gibbons on May 18.

1957

1988

1986

Marilyn Lerud Thoreson on Aug. 10.

William Borba on June 21.

1959

1992

Eunice (Peterson) Christensen on May 28.

Mark Patterson on July 7.

Kelly Carlisle, former principal of Milwaukie (Ore.) High School, is the new director of high schools in the SalemKeizer School District in Oregon.

Dolores “Dee” Gibbons died May 18. She received her master’s degree in education from PLU. After 25 years of teaching in the Tacoma School District, she retired and enjoyed spending time as a Red Hat Lady. She is remembered as a loving mother, grandmother and great grandmother. Surviving Dee are her children: Denise Burrough (David), Paul Gibbons (Tracy), and Darcy Goodrich (Larry); three grandchildren; and two great grandchildren.

Class Representative – Stacey (Kindred) Hesterly

1967

Kyle Kupp on June 5.

Mary (Moser) Blair is a special education teacher in the Cle Elum (Wash.)

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008

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Please fill out as much information below as possible, including city of residence and work. Feel free to use another piece of paper, but please limit your submission to 100 words. Photos are welcome, but only one photo will be used, and on a space available basis. Notes will be edited for content. Photos must be prints or high quality jpegs. Please, no reproductions or copies from other publications. Deadline for the next issue of Scene is Dec. 17, 2008.

NAME (LAST, FIRST, MAIDEN)

PLU CLASS YEAR(S)

SPOUSE

SPOUSE’S PLU CLASS YEAR(S) IF APPLICABLE

STREET ADDRESS

IS THIS A NEW ADDRESS? YES NO

CITY STATE

ZIP

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Mont. He had been the school’s assistant softball coach for 13 years. Nikki Poppen-Eagen is a communications instructor at Pierce College in Puyallup, Wash. She also writes for both Avalon Books under the name Nikki Poppen and for Harlequin Historicals under the name Bronwyn Scott. Harlequin asked her to write for their online reads and she had great feedback on her first story. In November, she assisted Harlequin with the launch of their new e-book historical series. Follow her writing at either www.nikkipoppen.com or at www.bronwynnscott.com. Nikki also stays busy with her three children, Rowan, Catherine and Bronwyn. Rowan and Catherine swim on a USA swim team in Sumner, Wash., and Nikki sits on the team’s board. Catherine rides horses; Rowan plays the piano; and Bronwyn just started preschool. Nikki and her husband, Scott Eagen ’95, live with the children in Puyallup, Wash. Lisa (Harris) Gonzales and her husband, Drew, returned to the Pacific Northwest after 15 years of military life to make their home in Lacey, Wash., with their children, Rachel, 12, and John, 9. Lisa is a registered nurse at St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood. Drew is in the Air National Guard and flies for FEDEX.

1991

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Jack Hatley has made a switch to aerospace and has taken a position with The Boeing Company in Everett, Wash., after 13 years in the mortgage industry. He is a procurement agent with the 787 Dreamliner team and lives in Marysville, Wash.

1992

Marriage (no engagements, please)

Class Representative – Darcy (Pattee) Andrews

SPOUSE’S NAME (FIRST, MIDDLE, MAIDEN, LAST)

Mark Patterson died July 7. Having graduated from PLU with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, he worked for Microsoft, retiring in 2005. He is survived by his son, Joshua; parents, Ann and Robert Patterson; his brother Michael; his sister, Suzanne Kusak (Kerry); three nieces and a nephew.

DATE/PLACE OF MARRIAGE

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BIRTHDATE (M/D/Y) GENDER MALE FEMALE

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TITLE OF POSITION/COMPANY/AWARD/ DATE ASSUMED

> MAIL TO: Office Constituent Relations, PLU, Tacoma, WA 98447-0003; FAX: 253-535-8555; E-MAIL: alumni@plu.edu; Internet: www.plualumni.org. Please limit to 100 words.

36 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > ALUMNI CLASS NOTES

Kyle Kupp died on June 5. After graduating from PLU, he went on to earn his master’s degree in counseling and education at Heritage College. He started his counseling career as a case worker with Comprehensive Mental Health and later became the counselor for East Valley Central Middle School in Yakima, Wash., where he worked for the last nine years. Kyle, who played on the PLU football team as a defensive back, enjoyed sports and competition. After college, he continued to play flag football, as well as church and city league basketball. He also loved playing golf with his dad and brothers. He had a great sense of humor and a strong faith in Jesus. Kyle is survived by his wife of nearly 13 years, Kendra; his daughter, McKenna; his son, Kyler; his parents,

Jake and Carla Kupp; his brothers, Randy and Craig; and his grandparents, Jacob Kupp and Jeanette Marion.

1993 Class Representative – Barbara (Murphy) Hesner

1994 Class Representative – Dan Lysne and Catherine (Overland) Hauck David Benson and his wife, Jenny, are physicians at North Cascade Family Physicians in Mount Vernon, Wash., after four years in the Navy. Shortly after their son William’s birth in February 2007, David completed a fellowship in highrisk obstetrics and women’s health at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. Raylene (Mazat) Browne is the director of business development at Norton Healthcare, Inc., in Louisville, Ky. She and her husband, Jeff, live in Shepherdsville, Ky.

1995 Class Representatives – Krista SickertBush and Stephanie Page-Lester

1996 Class Representative – Mari (Hoseth) Lysne and Jennifer (Riches) Stegeman Isaiah Johnson is the new principal of Cascade Middle School in Auburn, Wash. He is the first African-American principal in the Auburn School District. Isaiah served from 2004-2008 as assistant vice principal at Mt. Baker Middle School. In 2006, the Association of Washington Middle Level Principals named him South King County Regional Assistant Principal of the Year.

1997 Class Representatives – Andy and Stephanie (Merle) Tomlinson

1998 Class Representative – Shannon (Herlocker) Stewart

1999 Class Representative – Julie (Johnston) Bulow von Dennewitz Laura Higgins is a counselor at Yerington Intermediate School in Yerington, Nev. In addition to her PLU degree in psychology, she holds a master’s degree in education and counseling from City University in Seattle. Brian Norman is the author of the book, “The American Protest Essay and National Belonging: Addressing Division,” published in October. Brian is an assistant professor of English at Idaho State University. Elyas Peshtaz is a manager for Ritz Interactive in Irvine, Calif., and lives in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.

Scott Pierce is a broker for NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson in Portland, Ore., focusing on the sale and lease of industrial property in Southwest Portland and along the I-5 corridor. Kristin Tremoulet married Karl Maki at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Ariz. Lutes in the attendance were Rebecca (Krauss ’82) Fisher, Margaret (Krauss ’85) Wright, Chrissie Graham ’99, Lauris Jo (Jones ’99) Davis and Anglea Storey ’00.

2000 Class Representative – Ashley Orr Eric Stuen married Andrea Jo Noble on July 6 in Boulder, Colo. Eric is an assistant professor at the University of Idaho and Andrea works in environmental science. They live in Moscow, Idaho. Amy Carlson married Scott Trent on June 21 in Gig Harbor, Wash. They live at Wynoochee Lake near Montesano, Wash. Andrew Graff married Sara Farmer on July 19 on an Argosy Cruise in the Puget Sound. Other Lutes in attendance were John Drashil ’97, Janel Fox ’99, Fred Moore ’00 and Katie Weidmann ’02. Andrew works at Xbox, writing documentation for game developers. They live in Bellevue, Wash.

2001 Class Representatives – Keith Pranghofer Jenny (Johnston) Sullivan recently completed the San Francisco Marathon in 4 hours, 24 minutes. Her sister, Julie (Johnston) Bulow ’99 was at the finish line, cheering her sister on. “It was a perfect little tour of the city,” said Jenny of the 26.2-mile event. Jenny is a registered nurse at MultiCare in Tacoma, and Julie is the residential life coordinator at Sonoma State University in Santa Rosa, Calif.

2002 Class Representatives – Nicholas Gorne and Brian Riehs Tiffany (Stone) Cook and her husband, Tim, recently moved back to Ketchikan, Alaska, after two years in Wrangell, Alaska. She accepted a promotion to Store Manager II at a larger Wells Fargo Bank branch, where she started as a

summer teller 10 years ago. Tim is an agent with Alaska Airlines. They enjoy taking on new challenges at work and being close to family again. Timothy, Tim’s seven-year-old son, is keeping them both busy, as well. John Burke married Heidi Kuttel on Aug. 12, 2007, in Bellingham, Wash. John is an attorney with Elliott W. Johnson, Inc. P.S., and Heidi is a teacher. They live in Mount Vernon, Wash.

2003 Class Representative – Elisabeth Pynn Himmelman Karen (Allar) McGrane graduated from the Uniformed Services University, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, in Bethesda, Md. She was promoted to the rank of captain and commissioned as a U.S. Army Corps officer. Tawny Sanabria, a licensed marriage and family therapist, was inducted into the Cambridge Who’s Who Executive, Professional and Entrepreneurial Registry.

Joleen (Olson ’81) Ash. Jack and Megin live and work in Bellingham, Wash. Margaret Galbraith graduated from Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University with an MFA in film production. She shares a five-bedroom house in Burbank, Calif., with four other starving film graduates, including her brother Andrew, trying to make it in Hollywood. She works in film editing and sound design, most recently on a film starring Haley Joel Osment and Olympia Dukakis. In July, she worked on a music video for Ben Moody, formerly of Evanescence. She hopes to hear from all her friends from PLU. William Brouillard married Mary Vintilo on May 31 in Olympia, Wash. They live in Bremerton, Wash. Peder Grambo married Leah Plotz on June 28 in Elverum, Norway. Roy Arne Ulvmoen and Nienke van den Driest were

witnesses. They live in Aarnes, Norway, where Peder teaches middle school and Leah studies psychology.

2006 Class Representative – Jenna (Steffenson) Serr Dave Poole was promoted to senior Web developer at SiteCrafting of Tacoma.

2007 Class Representative — Maggie Morgan and Kaarin Praxel Jessica Solberg married Chris Anderson on Aug. 18, 2007 in Georgetown Lake, Mont. Jessica teaches earth science at Powell County High School in Deer Lodge, Mont. Chris is head design drafter for an engineering company and teaches drafting at Montana Tech’s college of technology. They live in Anaconda, Mont. Lis Kanyer is a suite services coordinator with the Seattle Seahawks. This is her

Margaret Briggs received her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Denver in August, 2007, and is now education director at the Bridge Project, a community outreach initiative of the university. The project’s purpose is to help children in Denver’s public housing neighborhoods to achieve their academic potential and graduate from high school with the resources necessary to succeed as adults.

2004 Class Representative – Tammy Lynn Schaps April Whyte is the new conductor of the Maple Valley (Wash.) Youth Symphony. She is also an orchestra teacher in the Bethel School District in Pierce County, Wash. Jeffry Wiatt is an insurance producer with AAA in Seattle.

2005 Class Representative – Micheal Steele Rebecca Schmidt married Ryan Miller on July 14, 2007. The wedding party included Holly Schoepper, Sara Stewart, Kelsea Lundquist, Jill Schliep, Jinnie Hanson, and Lisa Kingston. Rebecca received her master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan and is an elementary school counselor in the Lakeland Joint School District in Idaho. Ryan is a sheriff’s deputy in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Jack Herron married Megin Ash on Sept. 7, 2007. Megin is the daughter of PLU alumni, Brian ’82 and

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 37

third season with the team, having started as an intern. Caroline Ridgeway married A.J. Brumfield Sept. 20 in Tacoma.

Audrey North married Jake Thornburg on June 29 in Kauai, Hawaii. Audrey is a biology lab manager and radiation safety officer at PLU. They live in Gig Harbor, Wash.

2008 Jessica Holden is the transportation and environmental coordinator with the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce. She coordinates the Chamber’s environmental projects, focusing particularly on the Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) program in downtown Tacoma and the management of the Tacoma Alliance for Clean Technology and Sustainability (Tacoma ACTS), a new business alliance aimed at expanding the area’s green economy. Amanda PetersenAnderson married Bryce Jacobson on May 15 in Seattle. Amanda is a tenant services coordinator with Wright Runstad Company and Bryce is a building engineer. They live in Bothell, Wash.

Class Representatives – Emily Dooley and Courtney Stringer Michael Jorgensen married Jessica Moore on Aug. 2 at University Place (Wash.) Presbyterian Church. Michael graduated from PLU with a degree in business and works for Panagiotu Pension Advisors, Inc. Jessica graduated with a degree in psychology and is working on her master’s degree in education and school counseling at the University of Puget Sound. Adrian Hedwig and current PLU students, Nick Jorgensen ’10 and Corey Moore ’12, were attendants.

Future Lutes 1990 Don and Jennifer (Hustad ’91) O’Donnell welcomed their son Cody in April 2007. He joins Nick, 9, and Jake, 6. Don is executive vice president at AXA Advisors in Bellevue, Wash. Jennifer is a stay-at-home mom. They live in Sammamish, Wash. Brock Krebs and his wife, Amy, announce the birth of Amelia Lynn on July 6. She joins Riley, 12, Frederick, 4, and Henry 2. Brock works at the Mayo Clinic. They live in Kasson, Minn.

1994 Bruce Waltar and his wife, Suzanne Kolb, announce the birth of their daughter, Julia May Waltar, on Jan. 15, 2007.

Kristina Nelson married Matthew Leopold on June 28. They live in Spanaway, Wash.

Julie Kerrigan is the new volunteer coordinator for the University Place (Wash.) Volunteer Center.

Angela Bigby is registrar and director of student services at the University of Southern Nevada in Henderson, Nev. She lives in Las Vegas.

Zachary Batson married Sierra Cortes on June 21 in Edmonds, Wash.

Tove Tupper is a reporter at KDRV-TV in Medford, Ore.

Think

OUTSIDE the box Support Quality Education at PLU

Together, professor Jill Whitman and ASPLU vice-president Tamara Power-Drutis '08 are working together to further PLU's commitment to environmental sustainability. Q Club helps support students like Tamara, who can spend less time thinking about how to pay for college, and more time thinking about how they can change the world.

Q Club - 800-826-0035 or qclub@plu.edu www.plu.edu/qclub

Andrew and Kati (Kohnke) Davis announce the birth of Meghan Sophia on April 28. She joins Alissa, 4, and Kalie, 4. Andrew works for F5 Networks and recently was promoted to director of inside sales for Europe, the Middle East and Asia. They live in England in Chertsey, Surrey. Gregory and Janet (Huss ’95) Nelson announce the birth of Emma Elizabeth on July 27. She joins her brother, Andrew (Drew) Michael, 2. They live in University Place, Wash.

1996 Danny and Lisa (McDaniel ’91) Sparrell joyously welcomed baby girl Serafina Rose on May 16 in Anchorage, Alaska. They live in Valdez, Alaska, where Danny teaches media classes at Prince William Sound Community College and is the general manager of public radio station KCHU, which serves an area about the size of Ohio. Lisa works in the instruction department at Prince William Sound Community College and teaches creative writing every spring.

1997 Josh and Lisa (Treadwell) Lawrence, along with their three-year-old daughter Addison, are pleased to announce the

38 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > ALUMNI CLASS NOTES

birth of Avery Sophia on April 18. They live in Royal City, Wash., where Josh and Lisa work for their family’s winery, Gård Vintners, as well as their family’s farm, orchard and vineyard.

1998 Ross and Shannon (Herlocker) Stewart announce the birth of Emmett Lee on April 30. Ross has been area director for Young Life in North Tacoma and University Place, Wash., for the past eight years. Shannon has worked full-time for three years as owner and designer for her jewelry business, Hum Designs. They live in University Place with their two dogs: a yellow lab named Jake and a cocker spaniel named Ruby Mae.

1999 Erika (Bennett) Lucas and her husband, Ben, announce the birth of Nathaniel Eugene on March 24. He joins Abigail, 2. Erika is a stay-at-home mom, and Ben has a new job at Online Business Systems in Portland, Ore. They live in Milwaukie, Ore. Brice and Julie (Frye ’98) Johnson welcomed their son, William Brice, on July 16, 2007. Julie is a teacher in the Ellensburg (Wash.) School District.

2000 Curt Gavigan and Mollie Chapman Gavigan welcomed their son, Ross, in May. He joins his brother, Brady, 3. They live in Tumwater, Wash. Sarah (Groesch) Chandler and her husband, Jeff, announce the birth of Anne Elizabeth on March 12. She joins big brother Levi James. They live in Springfield, Ill. Carina (Lawrence) Schoen welcomed a son, Lute, on March 21, 2007. She is a self-employed hair stylist living in Des Moines, Wash.

Heather (Wendt) Wahl and her husband, Allen, welcomed their daughter, Abrielle Hope, on June 2 in Seattle. Heather is a stay-at-home mom, and Allen is a journeyman ironworker. They live in Seattle. Gretchen (Voge) Matthews and her husband, Marc, welcomed their daughter, Reagan, on Oct. 5, 2007. Gretchen is chief resident in pediatrics at Mayo Clinic, where Marc is a family medicine physician. They live in Rochester, Minn.

2001 Bryce and Audrey (Pinning ’03) Miller announce the birth of their son, Trevin Christopher, on April 13. Bryce is an insurance agent for Farmer’s Insurance. They live in Battle Ground, Wash.

Shawn Jennison and his wife, Jodi, are the proud parents of Riley James, born on April 3. Son Austin Allen, 2, is Riley’s proud big brother. Courtney (Woodard) Black and her husband, Brian, announce the birth of Marshall Wray on Aug. 23. He joins brother Baylon, 3. They live in Lakewood, Wash.

2002 Erik and Christa (Bogue) Dordal welcomed their second son, Ayden, to their family on Dec. 7, 2007. Ayden joins brother Elijah, 2. Erik works for Tomlinson Real Estate in Spokane, Wash., and Christa is a homemaker.

2003 Angela (Hicks) McGovern and her husband, Taylor, welcomed their first child,

John Andrew, on Nov. 22, 2007. Angela is a stay-at-home mom, and Taylor is an educational counselor at Clover Park Technical College. They live in Tacoma. Joshua and Jillian (Clark) Luebke announce the birth of son Ryan on Aug. 13. Joshua is a high school math teacher, and Jillian is a fourth-grade teacher. They live in Puyallup, Wash.

communication/public relations. For the past three years, she has worked for Washington Women’s Employment & Education, a local non-profit organization that helps low-income women go from welfare to work. She is also co-founder and board member of MLKBallet, a nonprofit ballet school that provides free dance classes to low-income children and adults at Urban Grace Church in Tacoma.

2005 Kelli (Patrick) Whiteaker and her husband, Beecher, announce the birth of Mukai “Kai” Russell, on Aug. 9. He joins LB, 2. They live in Buffalo, N.Y.

2004 Amy Kostelecky and her partner, Catherine Roe, are proud to announce the birth of their son, Miles Robert Kostelecky-Roe, on May 2. Amy graduated in 2004 with a double major in women’s studies and

2006 Michael and Heather (Beaupre ’05) Lindberg announce the birth of their daughter, Ginnette, on Sept. 26, 2007. S

alumni profiles continued from page 31 has had 40,000 views from 75 countries. “I broke away to stand out on my own,” said Keyes, also executive producer and co-host of an online TV show, WhitneyandWyatt.com. “I never looked back.” —Katie Pickett ’08

Mungia to use new post to assist those who are less fortunate

childhood fan of television lawyer, “Perry Mason,” Salvador “Sal” Mungia ’81 knew a career in law and public service was more than just a dream. Now, after more than 20 years of practicing law in Washington, Mungia has been elected the 2009 President of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA). The WSBA sets policy for Washington state lawyers, hears ethical issues and then decides whether disciplinary action is necessary. Mungia hopes that as WSBA president, he also can address issues of civil justice. Mungia has a list of goals, including

addressing the lack of diversity on juries, government action on payday loans, and correlations between crime and quality of education in Washington. The WSBA has nearly 32,000 members, 150 staffers and a budget of $20 million. Mungia says these resources provide the power to make a difference in communities. He also hopes to encourage other lawyers to get involved. “People seem to think that those without money don’t have legal needs,” Mungia said. “Ninety percent of those with legal needs never get help.” As a son of immigrant parents, Mungia saw firsthand how people took advantage of his family. He remembers seeing his mother’s hurt and frustration, caused by unfair treatment. “I wanted to make sure this didn’t happen to others,” Mungia said. “A lawyer can speak for those without a voice.” Mungia’s record of accomplishment is extensive, including being a board

member of the ACLU of Washington, as well as serving as president of Legal Aid for Washington and the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association. Mungia is the current director of the Palmer Minority Scholarship Foundation, a scholarship and mentorship foundation aimed to help lowincome minority students in Pierce County. Mungia assumes his role as president of the WSBA in September 2009. S

Holiday Shopping

—Elizabeth Anderson

B O O K S, G I F T S A N D LUTE WEAR F O R T H E E N T I R E FAMILY

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 39

the arts

60 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > THE ARTS

THE ARTS > PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 61

perspective continued from back page

By doing what each does best, countries achieve economic growth and, importantly, the world’s overall standard of living rises as well. However, increased demand for products that are a region’s comparative advantage may drive prices to a level where the advantage is lost. Japanese labor after World War II was a bargain until demand for it drove businesses to locate in Korea in the 1970s. Rising labor costs in Korea make manufacturing in Thailand, or Vietnam, that much more attractive to employers. Eventually – in the very long run – labor costs should become more equitable across nations for equivalent talent. Thanks to the Internet, which offers global, instant and virtually free communication, chemists in India can now compete with chemists in Germany, but for about one-fourth the cost. Increasingly, accountants, radiologists, engineers and – most obviously - software programmers in low-cost countries deliver high-quality results at much lower cost to clients everywhere. As high-paying jobs are lost to lowercost providers in emerging markets, many people watch their standard of living decrease. The U.S. in a globalized workforce For most people, this is not news, but merely Economics 101. However, many of these same people are outraged when local companies build new plants, find lower-cost suppliers, or locate call centers and professional services in India or China. A plant manager in China told me a few years ago that his company’s manufacturing operations in the United Kingdom paid workers the equivalent of about $18 per hour, while workers at his Chinese plant – ISO 9000 certified, by the way – were better trained and more productive, and were paid the equivalent of $1 per hour. Businesses will naturally migrate in search of lower costs, and those that do not must compete on other factors than price. Why should anyone be surprised at this? Isn’t movement in costsaving directions, really, inevitable? Emerging economies are growing 62 PLU SCENE WINTER 2008 > PERSPECTIVE

ever more powerful. The so-called BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, are rapidly becoming world powers, the first two with raw materials and the last two with low-cost production. Mexico, Vietnam, Thailand and others are becoming low-cost manufacturing centers as well. The results can be staggering. Demand for low-cost Chinese manufacturing has helped the country grow at 9 percent per year for the past 30 years. In the process, 400 million Chinese have risen out of poverty. Dubai was a forgotten smuggling outpost on the Persian Gulf until oil discoveries in the 1970s brought riches. The emirate is now a major financial center and playground for the wealthy and is building the world’s three tallest buildings, a second indoor ski slope, the world’s largest shopping mall and amusement park and an underwater hotel. I have been privileged to see some of this amazing growth first hand, particularly in the Middle East and Asia. It is characterized by huge investments, strong confidence in the future, a global outlook and relative indifference to the United States. As these economies have grown powerful and truly global in scope, the role of America has diminished. What is to be done? A realistic assessment of the comparative advantages of the United States in an increasingly globalized context brings us to three important questions. First, how can the United States enhance its comparative advantages in technology, innovation and higher education? One answer is education. The United States produces 70,000 engineering graduates each year. China and India together graduate more than one million. Not only do we need to place higher emphasis on education – particularly in the sciences – but we also should welcome brilliant students from throughout the world and invite them to stay and innovate here. Second, what are the characteristics of successful leaders in today’s world? There are

virtually timeless “basics” to leadership, including such traits as integrity and character, passion and commitment, acceptance of responsibility, experience and good judgment, and the ability to see the whole, envision the possible, and engage others. Additional skills for leaders in the evolving global business and political environment include: credibility: a combination • Global of competence and confidence in different and unfamiliar environments; for diversity: a combi• Preference nation of respect for human differences and a desire to understand them, plus genuine belief that differences combine for a richer world. Technical savvy: a combination of • skills that fully utilize the tools of global commerce and communication; and a combination of • Adaptability: minimal preconceptions, intuition, deferred judgment, humor and agility. Third, how can we at Pacific Lutheran University educate our students to become successful leaders? We must help students acquire specific skills (e.g., critical thinking, quantitative analysis, oral and written communication – the heart of our curriculum and course work). We must give students opportunities to stretch their own self-concept (e.g., study abroad, internships). We must provide students opportunities to accept responsibilities and lead (e.g., student clubs performing service projects and entering team-based regional and national competitions). And we must equip students with skills to engage in lifelong learning. The PLU experience yields huge rewards for students and those who care about their success. I urge all PLU alumni and friends to support us in these efforts. The future leadership of the world depends on it. S Jim Brock is dean of the School of Business at Pacific Lutheran University.

calendar continued from inside front cover

February 11, 6 p.m. Semester Away Returner Welcome Hong Hall, Main Lounge

February 25, 10:30 a.m. Ash Wednesday Chapel Mary Baker Russell Music Center, Lagerquist Concert Hall

March 5, 8 a.m. Spring Career and Internship Fair University Center

February 12-13, 6 p.m. Consultation to Clergy Symposium University Center

MARCH

March 6, 7:30 p.m. Visiting Writer Series: Salvatore Scibona University Center

February 19, 10:15 a.m. Dramatic Readings with Harlan Zinck Garfield Book Company, Community Room

March 2, 5:30 p.m. MBA Executive Lecture Series Morken Center, Public Events Room

March 17 and 18, 7 p.m. Walter C. Schnackenberg Memorial Lecture University Center

February 23, 10:30 a.m. A Visit with Aunt Harriet (Tubman): The Fight for Freedom: 100 Years Ago and Today Garfield Book Company, Community Room

March 4, 8 a.m. Spring Career and Internship Fair University Center

March 19, 10:30 a.m. Rodeo Cowboys in the North American Imagination Garfield Book Company, Community Room

March 4, 7:30 p.m. Hein-Fry Lecture: Dr. Steed Davidson University Center

Sceneonline

Holiday Shopping

February 25, 10:20 a.m. Ally Appreciation Day University Center, Second Floor Foyer

www.plu.edu/scene

B OO KS, G I F TS A N D LUTE WE AR FOR THE EN TIRE FAMILY

CALENDAR > PLU WINTER 2008 63

perspective Educating our students to be successful leaders in today’s world

Jim Brock, dean of the School of Business, believes students will excel in the global marketplace if they are provided opportunities to stretch their own selfconcept, accept responsibilities and lead, and engage in lifelong learning.

By Jim Brock

grew up believing that the United States was omnipotent. We had saved the world from tyranny once again in World War II and the post-war economy was booming. America’s gross domestic product was half the world’s total. A rapidly growing middle-class was enjoying an unprecedented standard of living. American cars, televisions, airplanes and refrigerators were the envy of the world. I witnessed America’s leadership in computing and micro processing and, with the Soviet collapse, the emergence of the United States as the world’s only superpower. Refugees and illegal immigrants sacrificed their worldly wealth –

and sometimes their lives – to set foot in the Promised Land. But now there is a shift under way. Clearly we are far from omnipotent. Emerging economies are gaining strength and we must respond by enhancing our comparative advantages in technology, innovation and higher education. Comparative advantages won and lost For thousands of years, maybe longer, different regions of the world have leveraged their respective comparative advantages – what they produce in abundance or most efficiently – to trade for goods

PLU Scene, Tacoma, Washington 98447-0003 Address change: If this copy of Scene is addressed to your son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Office of Constituent Relations with his or her new mailing address. You can reach us by phone at 253-535-7415 or 1-800-ALUM-PLU. You can also fax us at 253-535-8555 or e-mail alumni@plu.edu with the new information. Thanks!

and services that are in short supply. A region rich in natural resources (Russia, Canada, Brazil) may trade them for technology or manufactured goods or investment capital. Washington apples, Idaho potatoes and Vermont maple syrup represent comparative advantages that resonate beyond agriculture. Regions with few natural resources may develop comparative advantages in services such as trade and banking (Hong Kong) or gaming (Macau) or low-cost manufacturing (China, much of Southeast Asia, Mexico, India, etc.). continued on page 62