A Magazine for Alumni & Friends of the University of Minnesota, Crookston
Vol. 41, No. 3 Fall 2009
See more photos at: www.umcrookston.edu/photogallery
Homecoming 2009
From the Chancellor As I watch summer change to fall, I am reminded of the many transitions the University of Minnesota, Crookston has gone through over time. For 62 years it was the home to high school students who grew up on the campus of the Northwest School of Agriculture. Then it became a technical college, where for 27 years students would gain the skills they needed in the workforce. Those two institutions laid the foundation for today’s campus and the U of M, Crookston as a baccalaureate degree granting institution. Over the years, we have transitioned to meet the needs of the region and to prepare students for the future. It is the reason we were the first laptop university in the country and the first campus in the University of Minnesota system to offer an online degree. We want our students to graduate prepared for a career or for graduate school. We also want them to become leaders in the local communities where they live and work as well as citizens who understand and can engage in the much broader global community. This fall, we welcomed more students to the U of M, Crookston than ever before in our history. We are excited to have a growing student population, but we are also excited to offer those students a campus that is ready to challenge them with opportunities for growth. We dedicated our new residence facility, Evergreen Hall, during homecoming. As the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified residence hall in the University of Minnesota system, Evergreen offers apartment-style living constructed with a focus on environmental consideration and an innovative "lecture-less"
classroom that showcases the technological advantages of our campus. Faculty research—like Assistant Professor Paul Aakre and Junior Thomas Haarstick’s project which tested the use of straight vegetable oil to operate a tractor—encourages students to engage in the exploration and discovery of topics that enhance their learning and lead to future careers. We are proud of the work that has been done by our faculty, both in the classroom as well as through their research efforts. Like the changing seasons, we are addressing the changing needs of students. We are challenging students at the U of M, Crookston to think critically, encouraging them to be responsible stewards of our resources, and engaging them in learning about themselves and their place in the world around them. Education is about more than the classroom, and now more than ever, we appreciate your support of our students. Together we are preparing a new generation to lead and to be a part of discovering the answers to tomorrow’s questions. I would like to encourage you to visit the campus. I believe you will recognize our desire to build on the legacy left to us by the Northwest School of Agriculture and the University of Minnesota, Crookston Technical College. We are proud of our past, and we know you will be proud of how we are preparing students for tomorrow.
CONTENTS Chancellor ......................3 Alumni Presidents ........4 Four or More ..................4 Ella Strand ......................4 Director of Development & Alumni Relations........5 Allison Noll......................5 Campus News ................6 Thomas Haarstick..........7 Abbreviations ................7 Martin Wall ....................8 Outstanding Alumni ....10 Athletic Hall of Fame ..11 Brink Hall ......................12 Wayne Schertler..........14 Climate Neutrality........15 NWSA History ..............16 Keep in Touch ..............17 Alice Westlund ............18 Agnes Paulin ................19 Top Aggies ....................20 Pam Elf ..........................22 Karna Plaine ................23 Lowell Hamrick ............23 Jamie Zelinsky ............24 Jennifer Nelson ..........25 Alumni News ................26
Sincerely, Charles H. Casey, D.V.M. Chancellor
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Far Right: Chuck Holmquist ’52, NWSA Alumni Association President. Right: Cindy M. Bigger, ’79, U of M, Crookston Alumni Association President
From the Alumni Presidents
Are there four or more? Do you have four or more family members who attended the Northwest School of Agriculture, the University of Minnesota, Crookston or both? We are interested in learning more about you and your family. Please send the names of your family members and how you are all related. We are looking for families who went to school on this campus to be part of a feature story in an upcoming issue of the Torch. Send your information to Elizabeth Tollefson, 2900 University Avenue, Crookston, Minnesota 56716 or send the information via e-mail to ltollefs@umn.edu. 4
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Florence Nightingale once said, “So much to do, so much to do!” Have you ever said that very same thing? We know the members of your alumni board must say it every week, and we are glad that with so much to do, the directors of your alumni board have made serving a priority in their all too busy lives. As board members, we care about the U of M, Crookston and the NWSA, we have a passion for the work we do, and we debate vigorously about the things we believe in, all with the hope that we are representing you to the best of our ability. Thank your alumni board members when you see them. They are remarkable people. Consider joining us; look for your opportunity to serve on your alumni association board, representing the U of M, Crookston or the Northwest School of Agriculture. It is a great way to give back and to preserve our great legacy. Chuck Holmquist, ’52 NWSA Alumni Association President Cindy M. Bigger, ’79 U of M, Crookston Alumni Association President
Ella Strand, a former faculty member and head of the fashion merchandising program at the University of Minnesota, Crookston Pictured are (l to r) Ella Strand, her Technical College, daughter, and Scott Kleven, head of the Crookston Parks and Recreation was in Crookston in Department. July 2009 for a visit. She brought with her some memorabilia that belonged to her husband Bob, who started the Crookston High School hockey program. Strand came to the U of M, Crookston campus in 1965, when it was still the Northwest School of Agriculture, as a part time home economics instructor. She was a part of the campus until her retirement in May 1991.
Photo courtesy of KROX AM radio (www.kroxam.com).
Another school year is well underway, students are settled in, and homecoming, the highlight of fall, is just a wonderful memory. We want to extend congratulations, on behalf of all our alumni, to the Northwest School of Agriculture Top Aggies and the University of Minnesota, Crookston Outstanding Alumni and Athletic Hall of Fame inductees. We salute your achievements, your character, and the honor you bring to our university. We know all of you will continue to do great things in your chosen field and in your communities. The Northwest School of Agriculture Alumni Association hosted a very successful reunion in June. This issue of the Torch is filled with reunion memories along with the photographs of homecoming events. It was great for us to be a part of the reunion and homecoming to represent our respective alumni associations. We are looking forward to the alumni social in Mesa, Ariz., on February 19, 2010. It might seem like a long way off, but time goes by quickly, and we look forward to this annual gathering. We hope to see many of our alumni from both the NWSA and the U of M, Crookston at this year’s social.
Corby Kemmer, director in the Office of Development & Alumni Relations, visits with Sophomore Allison Noll about the impact of scholarship giving.
From the Director of Development & Alumni Relations “Eighty percent of alumni who ultimately make gifts of $1 million or more to their alma maters were consistent donors the first five years out of school.” (Core Group) The quote above came from an article I recently read in the July/August issue of Currents, the magazine from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. The article provided me, as a development officer, with some great food for thought, and I just want to share with you some of what I read. There are times when the worlds of development and academics seem to reside on different continents. The fact is working together and forming strong partnerships improves our goals of enhanced private support. A respected faculty member willing to assist in the development process often offers potential donors a level of assurance. In the end the donor, faculty member, and development officer have
collaborated for an honorable cause and each see the fruits of their labor. I believe that students need the opportunity to be “educated about their lifetime affiliation with this institution and the role they play in the life and perpetuation” of the University of Minnesota, Crookston. We’ll continue reaching out to a wider community with the goal of seizing enhanced resources, but along our way, it’s prudent we never forget to look inward to our young clientele; they have the potential of becoming our top advocates, most generous supporters, and greatest leaders. As the leaves of autumn change their colors, I extend an invitation to all alumni, faculty and staff members, administration, students, and friends for your engagement and your partnership in the development journey. Sincerely, Corby Kemmer, director Development & Alumni Relations
When the Fit is Just Right Finding the right campus is important. For Allison Noll, a double major in agricultural business and agricultural education, finding her degree program on a small campus was a perfect combination. Noll likes the fact that the Crookston campus is close to home and enjoys the personal feeling it has. “It might be small, but I still get that same University of Minnesota degree,” she says. “I have gotten to know so many people, and I find that I have an opportunity to develop more of a relationship with my professors here.” The sophomore from
Mahnomen, Minn., has worked in the Office of Development & Alumni Relations at the University of Minnesota, Crookston since the fall of 2008. Work study is an important way that Allison helps with the financial burden of attending college. “Rose [Ulseth] and Sue [Dwyer] make working in this office fun,” Noll says. “I worked in the office at my high school in Mahnomen in the summers, so I knew I was interested in doing office work when I looked for work study.” Her dream job is in the field of farm business management. “I would like to teach adults, and I am
also seriously considering graduate school and possibly a doctorate,” Noll reflects. “I want Allison Noll began to work in the working in the Office of Development & field of Alumni Relations in agriculture. I fall 2008. grew up on a farm, and I would like my career to be in that area.” For Noll the Crookston campus is a perfect fit, “I found my degree program, it’s close to home, and I even found the right work study position, all on a campus that is just the right size for me!” 5
Campus News Campus selected as Otter Tail Power Company’s Campus Energy Challenge winner Otter Tail Power Company has selected the University of Minnesota, Crookston, as the winner of the On for Conservation Campus Energy Challenge. In this first-of-its-kind program, the U of M, Crookston, will work with Otter Tail Power Company to reduce electric energy consumption on campus by as much as 15 percent. “That’s an extremely aggressive goal,” said Otter Tail Power Company marketing specialist Jon Fabre, “but we envision student leadership grabbing hold and making it work. With the interest we already have seen from the administration we’re confident this Campus Energy Challenge will reduce campus energy consumption dramatically and achieve significant cost savings.” University of Minnesota, Crookston, Chancellor Charles H. Casey enthusiastically accepted the challenge on behalf of the students, faculty, and staff. “The goals of Otter Tail Power Company’s Campus Energy Challenge fit well with our priorities and goals of establishing a culture of energy efficiency and a more sustainable campus,” said Casey. “These goals also are consistent with systemwide sustainability goals established by University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks.”
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Alumni Join Faculty and Staff Rob Proulx, ’06, has been hired as a lecturer in agronomy in the Agriculture and Natural Resources Department. He holds a master of science degree in applied plant Rob Proulx sciences with a specialization in agronomy/agroecology from the University of Minnesota. He earned his bachelor’s degree in agronomy from the U of M, Crookston in 2006 and taught courses in crop and weed identification, grain and seed evaluation, and integrated crop management on the Crookston campus this past spring semester. Heather Sperling, ’05, has been hired as an online student support service coordinator in the Center for Adult Learning. The Center for Adult Learning is serving as the University’s digital campus calling center Heather Sperling serving all five campuses. The calling center maintains student support and referrals and to answer and respond to student inquiries concerning University of Minnesota for-credit and noncredit online programs. Sperling earned her bachelor of science in business management.
U.S. News and World Report Ranks Campus in Top Four in Public Baccalaureate Colleges The University of Minnesota, Crookston was recognized by U.S. News and World Report as a one of the top four public baccalaureate colleges in its category in the Midwest for 2009. This recognition marks the twelfth consecutive time the campus has earned a place in the top four in its category. “The recognition by U.S. News and World Report affirms our continued efforts to offer students an exceptional educational experience on our campus,” says Dr. Charles H. Casey, chancellor at the U of M, Crookston. “We have a strong commitment to students, and we recognize that the quality of our programs depends on our faculty and the critical ways that staff contribute to our success.” To learn more about what is happening on campus, visit www.umcrookston.edu/today.
Read the Torch Online You can read the Torch, the alumni magazine for the Northwest School of Agriculture and the University of Minnesota, Crookston online by visiting: http://issuu.com/umcrookston or on the U of M, Crookston Web site at www.umcrookston.edu/alumni/torch If you would prefer to receive your Torch online only, contact Elizabeth Tollefson at 218-281-8432 (ltollefs@umn.edu)
Student Body President Thomas Haarstick stands outside the Sargeant Student Center. The junior is majoring in agricultural systems management.
Student Body President Thomas Haarstick The new student body president at the University of Minnesota, Crookston is an agricultural systems management major. The student governing body, known as the Crookston Student Association (CSA), elected Thomas Haarstick, Vergas, Minn., as their president last spring. This busy junior ran on a platform of experience because as he says, “I saw a large number of our CSA members graduating, and I thought we should have someone with experience to lead the student body.” He believes his experience appealed to voters and that students shared Haarstick’s concern and desire to have an experienced leader. “I think student government is important, not only for regulation of student clubs, but for getting information out to students through club representatives present at our full-board meetings,” Haarstick explains. The U of M, Crookston was Haarstick’s choice for college for two reasons—the size of the campus and the degree programs available. “It is important for an individual to study in a program he or she enjoys, and
I am able to do that on the Crookston campus,” he says. “The thing I like most about the campus is the small class size.” One of the things Haarstick plans to do as president is continue the work from the past year but also to work on some new ideas. His desire to continue building on the success of the past few years fueled his ambition to become student body president early in spring semester 2009 and carried him through the election. Haarstick believes campus involvement is important, and he is an example. He is a member of both the Ag Industries Club as well as the Animal Science Association. “I believe that students should get involved in clubs and organizations on campus because it is a great way to meet other people who share the same interests,” Haarstick states. “Students have an opportunity to build leadership and management skills by being involved and active on campus.”
Abbreviations and Definitions Used in the Torch A.A.S. – associate of applied science; a degree which focuses more on course work within the major A.S. – associate in science; a degree that focuses on course work in the liberal arts and is geared for transferring. In 2008, the associate in science degree programs were discontinued. Adv. – advanced designates the additional or fourth year of instruction at the NWSA Alumna – refers to female, singular Alumnus – refers to male, singular Alumni – refers to unisex, plural (originally, male plural) Alumnae – refers to female, plural
Applied studies – degree option designed to meet individual needs and educational objectives that cannot be met through traditional degree programs Campus kid – the child of an NWSA faculty or staff member who lived on the campus C.S.A. – Crookston Student Association, the governing organization of the student body D.A. – doctor of arts D.V.M. – designates a doctor of veterinary medicine, i.e., Chancellor Charles H. Casey, D.V.M. Ed.D. – a doctorate focused on academic and administrative positions in education Emeritus – a title honoring the role of a retired professional, i.e. Professor Emeritus, Chancellor Emeritus
Ex. (exited) – designates the last year registered at the U of M, Crookston by an alumna/alumnus who has not completed a degree. B.A. – bachelor of arts B.S. – bachelor of science; the U of M, Crookston confers bachelor of science degrees. M.A. – master of arts M.S. – master of science NWSA – Northwest School of Agriculture, the agricultural high school located on what is now the U of M, Crookston campus Ph.D. – designates Philosophiae Doctor (Doctor of Philosophy) U of M – University of Minnesota
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California Law Man Picture the campus of the Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA), now the University of Minnesota, Crookston, in the fall of 1959. A brand new Hill classroom building had replaced its predecessor and boasted ten well-equipped classrooms and three laboratories. Earlier in the summer, the girls’ dormitory was named in honor of T.M. McCall, who served as the school’s superintendent from 1937-56. All the while, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents was deliberating the future of the Crookston campus during a time of rapid change in both agriculture and education in the region. Superintendent Bernard Youngquist informed constituents that serious consideration was being given to establishing an educational institution beyond high school on the campus. One of the seniors that fall was Martin Wall, ’60, a young man who had come to the NWSA from Larimore, N.D., in 1956, when he was thirteen years old with his brother, Jon, ’59. In a one-room Senior class officers and advisors in 1960 included (front row, l to r): Martin Wall, school house, Wall had Russell Schumacher, Kenneth Straus, been one of three Wallace Philipp and (back row) Miss students in his class Seebart, Joyce Eidem, Jo Ann Gunderson, and Mr. Reiersgord. until, as a freshman, he transferred to the NWSA. The Wall boys were part of a group of students from North Dakota who attended agricultural high schools in Minnesota. Tuition was paid for by the State of North Dakota for those students who did not live within easy access of a public high school near their homes, an option that ended shortly after Martin Wall’s graduation. “My brother was a sophomore and I was a freshman, when we came to the Northwest School that
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first year,” Wall says. “I enjoyed my experience there very much. As a thirteen year old just starting high school, it was a big change and a big responsibility to live on campus almost like a college student.” When Wall was a freshman, Martin Wall, ’60, was co-captain of the basketball team when he was a senior. He also played football he remembers and was a member of the National Honor Society. feeling trepidation about Senior Day, a time when seniors ruled the campus and the freshmen were at their mercy. Rumor had it that freshmen were made to suffer untold humiliation at the hands of the senior class. “At 7 a.m., I remember looking out the window to see the seniors heading across campus from their dorm,” Wall reflects. “It was rather intimidating to see them coming, but it turned out to be harmless fun.” Since Jon had a car, the two Wall boys would head home on Friday nights after school when there were no conflicts with athletic schedules. “We came back on Sundays, or at least we told our parents that we were headed back to school. Sometimes we found a In 1960, there were 96 wedding dance we could go to that graduates in the senior class at the lasted into the wee hours of the NWSA. Martin Wall morning,” Wall smiles. “Then, we from Larimore, N.D., was one of them. had to sleep in our car and return to school on Monday morning. It wasn’t really a good idea, but we did it anyway.” As one would suspect, there was always some mischief going on at a campus filled with high school students. One avenue of discipline included being “campused,” meaning the student being disciplined
could not leave campus under any circumstances for a designated period of time. “I was campused when I was caught coming out of the steam tunnels with two of my friends,” Wall relays. “My two buddies ran, but I stopped when Mr. Beresford caught us. I was sent to Superintendent Youngquist’s office where he demanded I give up the names of my two friends. I never did tell him, but I was campused for the offense.” As an athlete, Wall played both football and basketball for the Northwest School Aggies. The football team got off to a slow start in the fall of 1959 due to a late harvest season interfering with the students’ ability to practice regularly. Weather was a factor later in the season also, Wall recalls, “I remember the football season ending early. A snowstorm made it impossible to see the lines or the goalposts on the field so the game was called off and our season ended.” Charles Whiting, who taught social science, and LeRoy Field, who taught English, were two of Wall’s favorite instructors. “I especially remember Mr. Whiting because he scared us pretty thoroughly the first few days,” Wall says. “Eventually, you would discover that Mr. Whiting was only interested in the well-being of his students, and by year’s end, he was a class favorite. Over the years, Mr. Field was someone I came to appreciate more and more; he taught me a lot about life.” After graduating, Wall attended
Photo by Jeanine Hill Photography
Wall at work in his office at Wall, McCormick & Baroldi in Santa Ana, Calif.
the University of North Dakota and graduated with a degree in business. “I worked for an electronics firm that had a government contract to work on the Minuteman Missile sites in North Dakota,” Wall shares. “My experience working in the legal department there influenced my decision to pursue a law degree.” When he finished law school in 1967, Wall was offered a job with a company in Newport Beach, Calif., prior to taking the North Dakota bar exam. He accepted the job and headed west. He passed the California bar exam in 1969, decided he wanted to practice law, and went to work for a firm. After gaining valuable experience, he founded the law firm of Wall, McCormick & Baroldi in Santa Ana. He is a certified specialist in California workers’ compensation
and his firm represents various private and public businesses including the County of Orange, Disney Worldwide, the National Football League, and others. You can learn more about his firm by visiting www.wmbsa.com. Wall has two adult daughters, and he and his wife, Toni, have three teenage sons, who keep him busy when he is not at work in his law firm. Next summer, Wall hopes to return to campus when the Class of 1960 celebrates its fifty-year class reunion. If you attended the Northwest School of Agriculture, you should plan to attend the reunion to rekindle friendships and reminisce with classmates. Mark your calendars for June 25-26, 2010, and encourage your classmates and friends to do the same! 9
Outstanding Alumni Four outstanding alumni from the University of Minnesota, Crookston were recognized during homecoming. The 2009 outstanding alumni honorees include Mary Jo (Melbye) Eastes, ’79; David Genereux,’80; Troy Olson, ’89; and Karissa (Dahl) Olson, ’99. Mary Jo (Melbye) Eastes, ’79, majored in fashion merchandising and minored in small business management at the U of M, Crookston. She went on to earn her bachelor Outstanding Alumni, front (l to r) Karissa (Dahl) Olson, Mary Jo (Melbye) Eastes, Troy of science in education from the University of Olson; back (l to r) David Genereux, Athletic Director Stephanie Helgeson, Director of North Dakota and following graduation was a Development & Alumni Relations Corby Kemmer. distributive education teacher at Bismarck Forks, earning his bachelor of science degree in (N.D.) Century High School and Willmar (Minn.) High vocational marketing education. Olson is the advisor School. Today, she is a grant writer for Arts Visalia in for the association for marketing students, known as Visalia, Calif., and is responsible for finding funding DECA. He was named the North Dakota Young for operational expenses, children’s art classes, and Marketing Educator of the year in 1995 and was gallery exhibits. Eastes organized the Neighborhood named North Dakota Class A Baseball Coach of the Watch in her community; started the Monthly Birthday Year in 2001 and 2003. Party for the Visalia Rescue Mission in 2004, an Karissa (Dahl) Olson, ’99, administrator of ongoing event for the mission; has been involved with Heartland Care in Devils Lake, N.D., graduated from Banner of Hope, a fundraising effort to fight cancer; the U of M, Crookston with a bachelor of science in and partnered with a local newspaper and 18 nonhealth management. After graduation, she worked in profits to raise money in Newstands for Non-profits. Cannon Falls and Long Lake in Minnesota before She is a board member for Arts Visalia, and Events moving back to her hometown to become Visalia, as well as a member of the Art Consortium. CEO/administrator of the long term care facility there. David Genereux,’80, graduated with a degree in Olson is the treasurer of the Business and Professional crop production from the U of M, Crookston and went Women (BPW) of Devils Lake and a member of the on to earn a degree from North Dakota State Kiwanis Club and ambassador for the Devils Lake University, Fargo, N.D., in 1983. Genereux is currently Area Chamber of Commerce. She is involved in the mayor of the City of Crookston and a member of various community projects including the annual BPW the Community Vitality Committee, New Arena Tour of Homes which raises money to provide college Advisory Committee, Northwest Minnesota scholarships for young women. Emergency Planning Committee, and the All-College The Outstanding Alumni Award is the highest honor Advisory Committee at the Crookston campus. He is a bestowed by the U of M, Crookston Alumni senior crop consultant with Centrol, Inc., of Twin Association. The award recognizes alumni who have Valley, Minn. displayed exemplary commitment and service to Troy Olson, ’89, is a marketing and business teacher community, church, education, family, or in their at Bismarck (N.D.) Century High School and has occupational field. This award is given annually at served as the head hockey coach since 2005. After homecoming during a banquet and program that also graduating with his associate’s degree in business, honors inductees into the Athletic Hall of Fame. Olson, attended the University of North Dakota, Grand
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Athletic Hall of Fame, front (l to r) : Frank Fee, Chrissy Nettum, and Al Strandberg and back row Stephanie Helgeson, director of athletics, Corby Kemmer, director of alumni and development
Golden Eagle Athletics Names Field and Recognizes Outstanding Contributions In late August, the University of Minnesota, Crookston Golden Eagle Athletic Department recognized Alumnus Jim LeClair, ‘ex. 70, by naming the football practice field in his honor. LeClair was captain of the 1969 football team at the U of M, Crookston. He was named for two consecutive years to the Minnesota State Junior College All-Conference Team. In 1970 he transferred to the University of North Dakota (UND), where he played two more seasons of collegiate football. In 1972, LeClair was drafted by the National Football League’s Cincinnati Bengals where he played twelve seasons. He finished his fourteenyear career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League. In 1999, LeClair was inducted into the National College Football Hall of Fame, South Bend, Indiana. In early October, alumni and friends joined the campus community for homecoming festivities. One of the weekend’s highlights was the induction of two alumni and a local radio personality into the Athletic Hall of Fame. The 2009 inductees included: Al Strandberg, ex.’79, played football for the U of M, Crookston Trojans. Named most valuable player, Strandberg was also named All-American, All-Region, and All-
Conference while playing with the Trojans. His remaining two years of eligibility he played for Minnesota State University Moorhead and was All-Conference both years. He signed as a free agent in 1981 with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League and played two pre-season games with them before being released due to an ankle injury. Strandberg was picked up by the Arizona Wranglers of the United States Football League where he played for a year for them and briefly for the Chicago Blitz. Chrissy (Nettum) Cyr, ’97, was an outstanding member of both the women’s basketball and volleyball teams. She was awarded student-athlete of the year in 1995 and again in 1997 for her outstanding athletic and academic performance. AllConference in the North Dakota College Athletic Conference (NDCAC) in 1996, Cyr was recognized as the most valuable player in both volleyball and women’s basketball in 1995 and 1997 and a member of the allacademic team from 1995-97. In volleyball, Cyr holds the record for most solo blocks in a season and most career blocks. Frank Fee has covered the
University of Minnesota, Crookston athletic programs for many years traveling thousands of miles to broadcast athletic events for KROX AM radio in Crookston. He is the president and owner of the station, serving as sales manager and sports
Standing next to the sign for the Jim LeClair Practice Field are (l to r) Shannon Stassen, head football coach; Chancellor Charles H. Casey; Stephanie Helgeson, athletic director; Jim LeClair; and Corby Kemmer, director of development and alumni relations.
director as well. Fee, a loyal supporter of the Golden Eagles, has a dedication that is unprecedented. He also has served on numerous advisory committees for the campus. In 1983, Fee was recognized with the Torch & Shield Award, the highest honor an individual can receive from the Crookston campus.
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Evergreen Hall
Taking Up Residence Built by Winnebago Industries in Iowa, Brink Hall was home to students at the University of Minnesota, Crookston from 1977 until it was razed in the summer of 2008. This modular residence hall was moved to campus from northeast North Dakota, where it was one of several hundred housing units built to house Western Electric employees during the construction of the U.S. Army’s giant radar detection and intercept missile system near Cavalier. Originally and unofficially called Skyberg Annex I, Brink had twelve apartments for four students each. It was named after Lyman Brink, a well-known attorney from Hallock, Minn. In the photo above of the ribbon cutting ceremony for Evergreen Hall: He succeeded (l to r) Representative Bernie Lieder, Residential Life Director Gary Herman Willhite, Regent Clyde Allen, Regent Venora Hung, CSA President Skyberg, a 1916 Thomas Haarstick, Michael J. Burns (Michael J. Burns Architects), Chancellor Charles H. Casey, U of M President Robert Bruininks, graduate of the Assistant Professor Brian Dingmann, Ruann Deschene (Community Northwest Contractors, Inc.), and Crookston Mayor David Genereux. School of Agriculture, on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents in 1968. A wellknown litigator, prosecutor, and judge, Brink’s professional career lasted until his death in 1972. Brink Hall was the first apartment-style living complex on the campus and was dedicated on October 1, 1977 during homecoming activities. Before Brink Hall was moved onto campus, housing was in short supply. Not unlike a year ago, when the U of M, Crookston recorded a record enrollment and had to rent an apartment complex in downtown Crookston to help meet the student demand for housing. This fall, students moved into another apartment complex, known as Evergreen Hall, built in the area where Brink Hall once stood. Evergreen Hall, originally and unofficially called Centennial Hall II, was dedicated during homecoming on Friday, October 2, 2009, just as its predecessor was some 32 years ago.
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Remembering Brink Hall Senior resident advisor (RA) in Brink Hall during 2001, Kathleen (Bade) Ketterling, ’02, says, “We had several fun programs. The funny thing that year was there were only 11 female residents and the rest were football or hockey players.” Senior RA during 2003-04 Sherry (Zurn) Bisek, ’04, remembers the pre-spring break beach party that was held in the Brink lounge. Bisek shares, “We had a lot of fun in Brink. The pool table was decorated as a tiki bar and non-alcoholic drinks were served. There were several contests including karaoke, best 80s outfit, and timed hula hoop. This was definitely my most memorable program. A hot tub in the pit was available to residents for an entire week.”
Special guests for Evergreen’s dedication included U of M President Robert Bruininks, First Lady Susan Hagstrum, and Regent Clyde Allen, who represents the Seventh Congressional District on the Board of Regents. The Board of Regents’ approval of the name Evergreen Hall recognized its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and the consideration given for the environment throughout the building’s construction. A few of the unique features include the use of brass knobs and hinges saved from McCall Hall, carpets made from recycled
The razing of Brink Hall began on Thursday, July 9, 2009, and clean up lasted approximately one week.
area on one end. Strategically located between Skyberg Hall and the Sports Center, this venue will highlight flexible hours scheduled to fit students’ needs. Another unique feature of the building is an innovative classroom that showcases the technological advantage offered on the Crookston campus. There is also an honors lounge, exercise room, and several beautiful student lounges designed for studying and socializing. Evergreen Hall demonstrates the effort by the U of M, Crookston to offer an exceptional student experience inside and On October 1, 1977, the U of M, Crookston dedicated a new outside the classroom. residence hall in Mr. Brink’s memory. A portrait of Mr. Brink was Students in Evergreen presented by his daughter, Mary Fowler, to Provost Stanley D. Hall will connect many Sahlstrom, left, and Fran Roers, a resident assistant in Brink
plastic pop bottles, and recycled vinyl flooring. Countertops in the apartment kitchens contain fiber from banana peel; accent wall colors differentiate the rooms; and LED lighting, requiring replacement every 10-15 years, will save additional energy. The apartment complex includes a coffee shop and television lounge
of their memories to living and learning in this new facility. Like Brink Hall, Evergreen will become a part of our campus history and the legacy we leave to future students. Lyman Brink was known for his enthusiasm for the Crookston campus, and the plaque in his memory will now hang in Evergreen Hall in tribute to him and to the building that served as a home to students for more than three decades. Senior Stephanie Rude, a communications intern in University Relations in summer 2009, is a community advisor in Evergreen Hall. She is responsible for the research and writing of this story on Brink Hall.
Hall.
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Kelly (Peterson) Schertler, ’83 Wayne Schertler, ’83
Making “Cents” of It A walk across campus on a crisp fall morning is a reminder of the beauty of the changing seasons, but it also hints at the unforgiving cold that is a part of a Minnesota winter. For Wayne Schertler, ’83, those cold snaps are a reminder of his days as a student at the University of Minnesota, Crookston Technical College. Growing up in Wadena, Minn., Schertler was not surprised by the weather extremes, but rather, he remembers the warmth of the friendships he made and how easy it was to meet people. “A campus the size of Crookston helped me acclimate quickly and get to know people,” Schertler says. “I wasn’t sure when I was a senior in high school what I wanted to do, and it was my guidance counselor who recommended I attend the U of M, Crookston. It was a good decision. “I chose to pursue an associate’s degree in business computer systems,” Schertler continues. “I took a lot of classes from Donald MacGregor, who was the director of computer services.” MacGregor also served as his academic advisor, and Schertler was able to combine his interest in both accounting and technology with his degree choice. The campus was also where he met his future wife, Kelly (Peterson), ’83, a business computer systems major Schertler has worked at Leonard, Street from Argyle, Minn. and Deinard for the His first quarter at the U of M, past five years as Crookston, Schertler lived in their chief financial officer. He has more Robertson Hall, later, he moved off than ten years of campus. He was involved in executive-level photography work for the experience in the legal industry. yearbook, and one summer he stayed in Crookston and worked at Lampert Building Center, where he worked part-time during the school year. Provost Stanley Sahlstrom recognized Schertler with an award for academic excellence and he completed his degree with a cumulative grade point average of 3.95. Following graduation, Schertler went to work for an accounting firm in Oregon where he says he “used much of what he had learned at the U of M, Crookston.” His education would lay the 14
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Wayne and Kelly (Peterson) Schertler have three children, Taylor (18), Briggs (16), and Maddie (12). Taylor recently graduated from high school and will pursue a degree as a dental hygienist.
foundation for the development of his professional career which has included both financial management and information services management. “It was 1983, the country was in a recession, and I decided the best thing I could do was go back to school,” Schertler explains. “I graduated in 1989 with a bachelor of science in business administration and accounting from Portland State University.” Following his graduation, Schertler took a job with one of the big eight accounting firms and, seeking to a return to his roots in Minnesota, accepted a transfer to Minneapolis, Minn. He worked in public accounting with Deloitte and Touche for two years and earned his licensure as a certified public accountant in 1990. For the last 18 years, Schertler has worked for law firms including Faegre and Benson LLP, Dorsey & Whitney LLP and Doherty, Rumble & Butler in Minneapolis. Five years ago, he accepted his current position of chief financial officer for the firm of Leonard, Street and Deinard where he is responsible for the firm’s financial management functions including financial analysis and reporting; financial budgeting and forecasting; planning and deployment of strategic operational initiatives, banking and cash management; and transactional accounting functions. Success can be measured in many ways. For Schertler, it began with that early decision to attend the U of M, Crookston. While he may have been uncertain about what he wanted to do back then, today his personal balance sheet accurately reflects a career path leading to professional achievement.
Crookston Campus Embarks on Climate Neutrality Plan For reasons that range from volatile fuel prices to war and conflict to environmental impacts, energy issues are in the headlines every day. The University of Minnesota, Crookston is providing leadership in energy efficiency and self-reliance in northwestern Minnesota by developing a climate neutrality plan by January 2010. This plan will outline ways to reduce the amount of climate changing gases (e.g. carbon dioxide) to a net-zero goal by a target date. Researchers from the U of M’s Center for Sustainable Building Research will assist campus leaders in considering options and describing a path to climate neutrality. Projects, approaches, and technologies tested and demonstrated on campus will be applicable to communities in the region. How will the campus achieve this goal?
Greenhouse effect – http://www.globalgreenhouse-warming.com/what-is-thegreenhouse-effect.html
Many proven options for greater energy efficiency and for renewable energy exist today. Their adoption and use, however, depend largely
on the values we share as a society and how well we take into account the external costs. As the campus moves down this path, the first step is always to be more energy efficient. This involves lighting improvements, better insulation, more efficient vehicles, automated management of heating and ventilation, use of geothermal systems, and behavior changes on the part of students, faculty and staff. These steps are no-cost or low cost changes with easily justified cost recovery. The next step is to consider switching from a high-carbon fuel to lower or net-zero carbon fuels. A switch from coal to natural gas would decrease the carbon emissions by 20-25%. Biomass fuels like wood, grass or straw are considered net-zero carbon fuels because the carbon dioxide that results from burning theses fuels was recently in the atmosphere, and then incorporated into the plant material. For transportation fuels, the analogous step is replacing petroleum products with plant derived fuels like ethanol or biodiesel. Electric vehicle can play a role as well. Solar heating, photovoltaics and wind power are additional examples of carbon neutral energy sources. Additional steps toward a climate neutral future include carbon sequestration and offsets. Sequestration or storage can be accomplished biologically, with new forest or prairie plantings; or mechanically, by pumping greenhouse gases into underground
Definitions: Climate neutral - The process of offsetting carbon-producing activities with those that either reduce or capture carbon, thus credibly neutralizing the net amount of carbon released in the atmosphere from a particular activity. (The Dictionary of Sustainable Management) Links: UMC Center for Sustainability http://www3.crk.umn.edu/committees/ sustainability/index.html Center for Sustainable Building Research http://www.csbr.umn.edu/ Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships http://www.regionalpartnerships.umn. edu Clean Energy Resource Teams www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon http://www.schoolscuttingcarbon.org/ American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment http://www.acupcc.org
storage sites. Offset refers to purchasing carbon credits, or offsetting campus greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with someone else’s carbon-saving measures elsewhere. The development of the climate neutrality plan is supported by the Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, Northwest Minnesota Foundation, Clean Energy Resource Teams grant and the U of M, Crookston.
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At right: The main avenue of the NWSA campus in 1896 when the first building was being constructed. Far right: Beginning in 1910, a policy of making housing available to members of the teaching staff and essential Civil Service employees was adopted. Teaching staff at the NWSA lived in houses on the outer edge of the campus known as cottage row. This photo was taken in 1952.
Northwest School of Agriculture has Rich History
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In the late 1950s, the University of Minnesota operated five schools of agriculture. The residential high schools were located in St. Paul. The others were near the agricultural experiment stations at Morris, Grand Rapids, Waseca, and Crookston. They offered instruction for rural farm youth, and students who attended lived on campus. The St. Paul school offered post high school training and served the entire state. Established in 1888, its curriculum focused on preparation for farming. The four regional schools served their respective area of the state and offered training which met the general education requirements for high school. They also provided ample training in homemaking and agriculture to prepare students to enter the farming vocation. Each of the schools, except Waseca’s Southern School of Agriculture, was established before federal funding was available to the public schools for curriculum in home economics and agriculture. The first school to be established outside of St. Paul was the Northwest School of Agriculture. Railroad magnate James J. Hill donated the 476 acres
of land just north of the city of Crookston. The first appropriation for the buildings was $15,000, but there was no appropriation for maintenance. The citizens of Crookston raised $2,500 to maintain the school the first year. In the fall of 1906, there were 31 students. Over the years, enrollment grew as fast as dormitory space could be provided. The West Central School of Agriculture at Morris opened to 103 students in 1910. The site of the school was established by the Sisters of Mercy as a Catholic school for Native American children in 1887. By 1896, ownership of school and land were assumed by the federal government as the Morris Industrial School for Indians. It became the University of Minnesota’s West Central School of Agriculture and Experiment Station in 1910. It wasn’t until 1926 that the North Central School of Agriculture in Grand Rapids opened to 18 students. Available facilities dictated that the school enrolled boys only. The state authorized the establishment of the Southern School of Agriculture in Waseca in 1919, but it wasn’t until January 1953 that the school opened with an enrollment of 42 male students. The
The North Central School of Agriculture was located in Grand Rapids, Minn.
A view of the campus at the West Central School of Agriculture in Morris, Minn.
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following year, the school became coeducational enrolling 110 boys and 19 girls. Enrollment peaked for the Crookston campus in 1938 when there were 479 students; Morris reached its peak enrollment in 1947 with 455. Other than St. Paul, the other schools never reached the level of the Northwest School, but there would be a decline that plagued the school in the 50s when enrollments fell. Changes in the public school curriculum along with all-season roads, automobiles, radios, televisions, and the mechanization of farms were changing the access farmers and their families had to current information. These advances in technology moved the farm family out of isolation. Suggestions came to the University of Minnesota Board of
Regents to offer college-level instruction at the Crookston and Morris campuses. In 1957, a committee of citizens from northwestern Minnesota met with the U of M Board of Regents and asked them to consider adding two years of college instruction to what was already offered at the Northwest School of Agriculture. A similar request was made by citizens from the West Central School of Agriculture. As a result, a committee was established to study the existing functions of the U of M Schools of Agriculture. The results of that study transformed the Crookston campus. Recognizing that the future of the agricultural schools was bleak, the Morris campus transitioned in 1960 to a liberal arts college and the West Central School of Agriculture closed in 1963. The
University of Minnesota would wait to see the effect of the changes, and then make a decision about what to do with Crookston. In 1966, a two-year technical institute was established at the Crookston campus. For two years, the campus would be home to both high school students and college students. When the final graduation was held for the Northwest School, a plaque was presented that recognized how the NWSA had introduced science to farming and pioneered education. The Northwest School graduated 5,433 students, more than 500 school teachers were trained to teach in country schools, and thousands of citizens were touched by the dedicated and skilled faculty that served the region through the Northwest School of Agriculture over its 62 year history.
Four new Ways to Keep In Touch and Informed Visit the U of M, Crookston on Facebook at www.Facebook.com. If you don’t have your own account, create one, and keep in touch. Look for the University of Minnesota, Crookston—it’s the official page for all graduates of the Crookston campus. You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com. Search for UMCrookston and follow all the latest news from the Crookston campus. Join us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com. Search for University of Minnesota, Crookston and connect to our official group.
eNews
While you are at it, sign up to get the U of M, Crookston Alumni eNews. Send an e-mail to Sue Dwyer at sdwyer@umn.edu to get your name added to the mailing list. 17
Seeds of Friendship Take Root at Northwest School She was selected as a class representative—chosen for her character, leadership, service, and good scholarship— but that is not what she remembers about school. For Alice (Nordgaarden) Westlund, ’51, it is the friendships that stand out in her memory of attending the Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA). “I loved campus and living in the dormitory,” Westlund says. “I even loved the classes.” Westlund (far left) was a class editor for the Aggie yearbook in 1951 and her friend, Ardis (Overgaard) Searles (far right) was also. “My father decided to send me to the Northwest School,” explains Westlund, “I think in part because my cousin Helen Smeby, ’45, had attended school there.” Westlund attended grades one through eight at the school in her hometown of Winger, Minn. “If I had stayed home, I would have had to ride the bus to McIntosh to attend high school,” she recalls. An active student at the Northwest School, Westlund was in glee club, advanced choir, and At graduation for the Class of 1951, Alice a regular on the honor roll. “My favorite activity though was playing trumpet in the pep (Nordgaarden) band,” reflects Westlund. Westlund was She loved dormitory life, and even though she grew up an only child, Westlund had no recognized as the class salutatorian. trouble adjusting to life with the 414 students enrolled at the NWSA when she was a freshman. When she moved in that fall, she was one of the first occupants of the “new” dorm. That dormitory, known now as McCall Hall, had accommodations for 114 girls. It was “equipped with built-in wardrobes, desks, dressing tables, and Hollywood-style beds,” touted the Northwest School News in its August/September issue in 1947. With a smile in her voice, Westlund tells about sneaking out one evening to go to town with a group of friends. “My roommate let us back in through the window when we came back that night,” she says. “As I recall a couple of the boys had cars and a bunch of us went into town for the evening.” After she graduated, Westlund attended Moorhead State Teacher’s College, known today as Minnesota State University Moorhead. After attending a year, she passed the civil service examination and began working in Fargo, N.D., for the IRS. In August 1955, she met Dale Westlund and the two were married the following February. They had been married 53 years when he passed away in October 2008. After her marriage, Westlund continued to work until 1957 when their son was born. Dale, a commercial photographer, was offered a job from a Kansas City, Mo. In 1958, they rented out the home they had purchased and moved their little family to Kansas City. While living there, their daughter was born. When the photography business where Dale worked was put up st fir e e was one of th today a freshman, sh ts as en w ud nd st for sale, he left and began working as a car salesman. With that job tlu to es n When W rm, know py the “new” do students to occu came a thirty-three year career in automobile sales. as McCall Hall. Currently, her son lives in Overland Park, Kan., and her daughter recently relocated to Arizona. “I plan to spend more time in the winter with my daughter,” Westlund says. “It will be nice to avoid the winter weather and spend them somewhere warmer.” Last winter she joined her roommate from the Northwest School, Ardis (Overgaard) Searles, ’51, for the Arizona Social in Mesa and then spent five days with her. “I had a good roommate in Ardis,” Westlund reflects. “Those were wonderful days.” 18
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“A” is for Aggie Agnes “Aggie” (Chruszch) Paulin, ‘51, is identified as
the “girl of the hour” in this photograph. You may The “A” on her cheerleading uniform stood for Aggie— recognize (back row, l to r): Arne Filipi, ‘49; and James representing the athletic teams of the Northwest School of Sutherland, ‘49; Clement Ricard, ‘49; LeRoy Johnson, ‘49; Agriculture (NWSA), the residential high school located on what William Fagerstrom, ‘51; unidentified; Principal Reiersgord. Front row: Alice (McDonald) Davis,’51; is now the University of Minnesota, Crookston. That “A” also Oline Ness; Aggie; and Lester Christopherson, ‘51. stood for Agnes “Aggie” (Chruszch) Paulin, ’51, and she is the girl Thank you to Nyla (Finney) Carson, ‘51, who recognized in the photograph (See above). so many of the students in this photograph and who Aggie loved attending the Northwest School. Probably more was also Aggie’s roommate at the NWSA. than anything, she enjoyed living on campus. She fondly Can you help identify the person next to William Fagerstrom? If you know who he is, contact Elizabeth remembers the dining hall. “Girls entered the dining hall from one Tollefson at 218-281-8432 (ltollefs@umn.edu). side and boys from the other,” she recalls, “but after dinner, the boys would be waiting to walk a special girl back to their dormitory. “It was pretty special when you got to walk home with one of the boys,” Aggie says. “But, I also enjoyed the many girl friends I had when I went to school. We had so much fun, and I was active in so many things.” Involved in glee club, piano lessons, the yearbook, the senior class play, and cheerleading were a part of her busy life as a student. In spring of 1951, she lettered in cheerleading and received her “A” membership card. Another outstanding memory for Aggie is the experience in home management. “We moved to the third floor of the dining hall for one week where we were responsible for meals and got practice managing a ‘home.’ It was a wonderful experience and an opportunity to learn firsthand the cooking skills, table setting, and manners we would need.” After she graduated, Aggie worked for the Standard Oil Company in Fargo, N.D. Later she moved to Tacoma, Wash., where her sister lived and worked for a bank. “I lived with a family there,” explained Aggie. “I was like a nanny of sorts to their young children, and I learned a lot of homemaking skills there also. It was in Washington that she met her husband, Dick Paulin, who was in the Air Force. When he had the opportunity to attend architectural school, they moved to Florida. Eventually the couple moved to Colorado where Agnes “Aggie” (Chruszch) Paulin (left), originally from Angus, Minn., they have lived ever since. graduated in 1951, and remembers fondly living on campus and being “Dick is a watercolorist,” Aggie says. “He is retired involved in the many activities. but he continues to paint landscapes.” In the winter the When the above picture was first published in the summer 2009 issue of Paulins take up residence in Florida and Dick paints with the Torch asking who was the girl in the photograph, we heard from the Arts League of Fort Myers as well as the Sanibel Aggie’s brother, Albert Chruszch (center), a graduate of the NWSA Class of 1953. Aggie and Albert’s older sister, Alice (Chruszch) Swanson (right), Captiva Art League. His work has been recognized with graduated in 1948. awards in several of the juried art shows in the area. Aggie paints too, but she explains, “I paint abstracts, fun stuff, and I also am a potter.” She has enjoyed a number of hobbies over the years including crocheting, knitting, and crafting as well. The Paulins have three children and five grandchildren. In June 2009, Dick and Aggie celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. “It has been a wonderful life,” Aggie says with a smile. The Northwest School of Agriculture prepared more than 5,000 alumni with the life skills they would need as they went on to college or out into the workforce. Their legacy lives on through their support of the University of Minnesota, Crookston and in the history of the school they loved. Learn more about campus history by visiting www.umcrookston.edu/alumni.
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Top Aggies Honored at Alumni Reunion The Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA) Alumni Association honored two outstanding alumni with the “Top Aggie” award during a banquet and program at the University of Minnesota, Crookston in late June. The awards banquet was the finale of a weekend of events during the annual NWSA alumni reunion.
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The family of Top Aggie Walter Lunsetter, ‘32, joined alumni and friends honoring him on his award at the reunion.
Top Aggie Williard Brunelle, ‘49, along with his family celebrated his award at the banquet and recognition in June.
Walter Lunsetter, ’32, grew up near Gatzke, Minn., on the farm where he still lives. He came to the Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA) when he was only 13 years old to begin his studies. While he found life in the dormitory to be a big change and a challenge, Lunsetter believes living there taught him how to get along with other people and to make friends. While his formal education ended when he graduated from the Northwest School, Lunsetter found his life on the farm to be a continuous cycle of learning. In 1944, he married his wife, Mable, and they raised four children. The youngest was killed in a vehicle accident when he was only 20 years old. Lunsetter has been active in his church, serving several years on the church council and helping to build the present church when it was constructed in 1956. He is a charter member of the Gatzke Senior Citizens and has served as the club’s secretary for 25 years. His membership in the Farmer’s Union goes back to the 1950s. Lunsetter has supported both his church and community in countless ways over his lifetime.
Lunsetter is the go-to person for local history in the Gatzke area. Over the years, he has contributed to historical records for both the Minnesota and Marshall County historical societies. He has a deep respect for history and he is known for incredible memory. His nephew, Wayne Lunsetter, describes his uncle this way, “Walter has lived his life as a selfless servant of God, his neighbors, and his community, always with a great sense of humor.” Willard Brunelle, ‘49, Crookston, Minn., was prepared at the Northwest School of Agriculture for a role in leadership. He credits the NWSA with giving him a good foundation on which to build a life. Brunelle served in the United States Air Force and spent 18 months in Korea during the war as a jet fighter mechanic. He is a third generation farmer, and retired in 1992. A volunteer for many church, community, and nonprofit agencies, Brunelle has been active on many boards, including Crookston Cenex board and serving as trustee and board member of St. John’s Hospital in Red Lake Falls, Minn. He has been president of the
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Red Lake Co-op Federal Union, and co-founded the State Advocate Program, Catholic Lutheran Rural Life Commission, Rural Life Outreach of Northwestern Minnesota, Toys for Tots in Northwest Minnesota, the Farm Wrap Program of Northwest Minnesota, and others. Brunelle and his wife, JoAnn, were married in 1952 and have five children. They have been foster parents for many children and hosted several foreign exchange students from Japan, Israel, and Africa. While his career was in agriculture, Brunelle took roles in leadership as he was needed. During the agriculture disasters of the 1980s, he went to Washington, D.C., to testify on behalf of farmers. He has received numerous awards including the McKnight Foundation Award in Humanitarian Services and the Northwest Minnesota
Foundation Ruth Edevold Award for Excellence in Leadership. Brunelle was featured in Time magazine and on ABC’s Nightline with Ted Koppel for his work with farm families. The Top Aggie Award is the highest honor given to NWSA alumni by the alumni association. This award recognizes alumni who have displayed exemplary commitment and service to community, church, education, family, or in their professional career. Other highlights during reunion weekend included a fish fry, social, dance and class meetings, campus tours, and a special afternoon program featuring Fallcreek quartet. The next NWSA reunion is scheduled for June 25 - 26, 2010. Mark your calendars, and make the NWSA reunion “A Summer Place” for you!
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Her Winning Way The phrase “award winning” certainly applies to Associate Professor Pam Elf, Ph.D. Last spring, she was named the recipient of the Most Creative Use of Technology award, the Most Supportive of Students award, and the Outstanding Educator award. All three of these awards were the result of voting by students, and for Elf, who teaches upper division biology classes, including anatomy and physiology and genetics, it was truly an unexpected honor. When Elf graduated from high school, she was unsure what career path she should take. It wasn’t until she had two daughters of her own in junior high school, that she began pursuing a bachelor’s degree a class or two at a time from the University of Minnesota, Duluth (UMD). “I was an art person,” Elf describes. “I was never a science person in high school, but after my first college-level biology class, I was hooked on science and fell in love with the microscope. I discovered the concrete aspect of the hard sciences was something I liked.” When she graduated from UMD she began working on a master’s degree, but accepted a job as a lab technician at the University of North Dakota (UND) in 1992. “I was a lab technician for the chair of the biology department at UND,” Elf said. “That fall, I also started teaching an anatomy and physiology class for the U of M, Crookston, something I continued to do even after I decided to pursue my doctorate.”
Elf moved from the With 25-30 advisees, Elf helps students role of lab technician discover whether they belong in the field of biology and health science or to research specialist outside of it. The biology program at at UND’s School of the U of M, Crookston is just two years Medicine and Health old and the program in the health sciences has been in existence only Sciences. In 1997, she about five years. began working toward her doctorate at UND graduating in 2001. In the fall, she began teaching full-time on the Crookston campus. She was promoted with tenure in 2007 to associate professor. Through the years, she has sponsored a number of students working on undergraduate research projects. Her own research interests have been put on hold while she engaged in writing the biology degree program and is currently developing curriculum for the health sciences pre-professional degree. “I have worked closely with the Area Health Education Center and others on the U of M, Twin Cities campus to put together a good curriculum,” Elf explains. “We are pleased to say that every one of our students who has applied to a graduate program has been accepted. I am really proud of our program and the way we are preparing our students.” Since Elf knows what it is like to come back to school after a long hiatus, she feels like she almost fits a kind of mothering role as an advisor. “I think it is important to help students find where they belong, whether it is in biology, the health sciences, or somewhere else.” She certainly knows what she is talking about. Her own career path led her in unexpected directions resulting in a profession she loves—one that is good for her and good for her students—seems like a winner either way. To learn more about the health sciences preprofessional track or biology at the U of M, Crookston, visit www.umcrookston.edu/academics/mst.
Juniors Kurtis Proulx, Red Lake Falls, Minn., and Tandra Klein, Hazen, N.D., join Associate Professor Pam Elf, Ph.D., in histology class with the new microscopes that utilize computers for viewing. Elf has two daughters who also work in the field of science; her daughter, Chris is a science curriculum specialist and Brandy is an environmental scientist.
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Karna Plaine works with Dora Lamour at the Villa St. Vincent using the Wii® as part of therapy.
Karna Plaine, ’06, was the first graduate from the U of M, Crookston in the health sciences, pre-professional track. Today, she is a registered occupational therapist, OTR/L, at the Villa St. Vincent, senior care facility in Crookston. Plaine feels the health science program at the U of M, Crookston provided a solid science background which prepared her to pursue a master’s degree in occupational therapy. “Many of the health care management classes made me aware of the other aspects involved in the health care field in addition to patient care,” Plaine says. “After completing the health science degree, I was confident that I would be successful in pursuing an advanced degree in health care.” Once Plaine had Pam Elf as her advisor she remarks, “it seemed as though everything fell into place.” Elf’s knowledge about the courses Plaine needed to take and the order to take them in proved beneficial. “Pam was always available to meet with me whenever I needed,” Plaine recalls. “I felt like she really cared about me, not only as her advisee, but also as a person. The interest that Pam showed in my success demonstrated that she was truly invested in my education. “I would recommend the health sciences program because it provides a good foundation for anyone pursuing any area of health care,” Plaine affirms. “The variety of classes offered in the program provide students with the chance to explore the many different areas of health care; whether it be management, direct care, human services, etc., assisting them with determining the career that fits them the best.”
FOCUS ON THE BOARD Lowell Hamrick, ’53 He has been on the Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA) Alumni Association board for a while, but Lowell Hamrick, ’53, enjoys being part of keeping the alumni association going and planning and supporting alumni events. Hamrick came to the Northwest School when he was only thirteen years old and he says, “I learned to be away from home and how to get along with others at school.” As a freshman in a class of 104, one of the largest freshman classes on the campus, Hamrick enjoyed getting to know his classmates. He recalls his roommates Dale Rokke, Newfolden, Minn., Albert Chruszch, Angus, Minn., and Darrell Hausmann, Hillsboro, N.D., and remembers particularly enjoying Harry Soderburg’s welding class. There were a number of Hamrick’s relatives who attended the Northwest School. His older brothers Warren, ’48, and Darrell came ahead of him, and his uncle, Ralph Hamrick, ’27, was a Top Aggie in 1977, and Ralph’s son, Marwood, graduated in 1949. Hamrick started farming right after high school and married his wife, Shirley, in 1957. For 27 years, brothers Darrell and Warren owned their own dairy and grain farming operation. Today, Lowell continues to work part time for another farmer in the summer and is involved in beet harvest every year as well. He has served on the Vineland-Huntsville Mutual Insurance Board for some 20 years and is currently the board’s president. Over the years, he has been involved on his church board along with the cemetery board. In his free time, he enjoys hunting and bowling. The Hamricks are the parents of three children, Debbie, ex. ’78; Sandra; and Robert, ’94, and still reside on their farm near Warren, Minn.
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Junior Jamie Zelinsky plays guard for the U of M, Crookston Golden Eagles.
Passion, Persistence Lead to Play Some things in life are about winning and losing and some are not about the outcome but about how well you played the game. Golden Eagle women’s basketball player Junior Jamie Zelinsky, Brooklyn Park, Minn., believes that while winning is the desired outcome, your relationship with your coach and teammates, along with what you learn on the court are the most valuable lessons of an athletic career. “I look up to Coach Mike Roysland,” Zelinsky says. “He understands the game and how to coach me. I really connect with what he is trying to say.” Zelinsky, and her twin sister Jill, visited several Division II schools to find one that suited them. “I looked a Bill Tyrrell lot at the coaches,” she Director of Athletic Fundraising explains. “I wanted someone who listened and someone I could learn from. For me, basketball is not just about winning; I wanted to have a good athletic and academic experience.” Scholarships have helped Zelinsky attend school. “The scholarship money influenced my choice of college,” she affirms. “It made a big difference that scholarship dollars were available for me to come to Crookston. That financial assistance, along with the support of coaches and teammates, really helped my transition to college.” Brink Hall served as Zelinsky’s home her first semester. She lived with the other women who played on the team, and she maintains that after playing together, the women on the basketball team remain the best of friends. “We win together and we lose together;
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everything we have gone through has drawn us together,” she states. “Those things have strengthened our friendships.” Over the summer, Zelinsky assisted with a shooting and scoring camp for girls in grades 3-12. She has been involved in basketball camps since she was a sophomore in high school. Along with basketball, she has coached soccer for three years and that keeps her involved with athletics year round. Her academic career has been affected in a positive way by athletic involvement. “We have to go to class and that commitment keeps me involved in the classroom as well as on the basketball court,” Zelinsky reflects. She represents women’s basketball on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC). Zelinksy’s athletic skill has led to recognition since she came to the Crookston campus including newcomer of the year in 2007-08, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference co-freshman of the year in 2007, and second-team all conference in 2009. A sport and recreation management major, Zelinsky hopes to become a coach, athletic director, or work in some capacity for a college team. For now though, it is about academics, athletics, and building relationships with coaches and teammates that will have a powerful impact on her college experience as well as her future career. If you would like to find out how you can support student-athletes, contact Bill Tyrrell, director of athletic fundraising at 218-281-8436 (btyrrell@umn.edu). Your gifts influence the lives of students and help make their dreams a reality.
We Want to Hear From You! FOCUS ON THE BOARD Jennifer (Novak) Nelson, ’06 For the past two years, Jennifer (Novak) Nelson has been a member of the University of Minnesota, Crookston Alumni Association Board (UMCAA). “I really loved my years at the U of M, Crookston and want to continue to be involved in this great college and community,” she says. Nelson earned a double major in agronomy and horticulture in 2006. She recently accepted a position as a sales representative for Crop Production Services (CPS). Nelson is responsible for selling seed to growers and finding the best variety of seed to fit their farming operation. She keeps in close contact with each farmer David and Jen (Novak) Nelson throughout the growing season. Prior to working for CPS, she was an agronomist with TDS Fertilizer in Fertile, Minn. Nelson was married in July to her husband, David, and they live near Oslo, Minn. The distance she has to travel has not prevented Nelson from being an active member of the UMCAA board. “My goals as a board member are to strive to promote and support the campus through the outreach efforts of the UMCAA,” explains Novak. “The best thing the board is a part of is recognizing outstanding alumni and friends of the campus for their accomplishments and promoting the Crookston campus to the fullest.” An active student on campus, Nelson was a student ambassador and the 2004 Ag Arama princess. If she was going to give advice to students today, her words would reflect her own experience on the campus, “Get involved in every shape and form you can with everything the U of M, Crookston has to offer!”
To submit an item for the Alumni News Section, complete this form and send it to UMC Alumni Relations, 115 Kiehle Building, 2900 University Avenue, Crookston, MN 56716, email: rulseth@umn.edu or complete the form on line at: www.umcrookston.edu/ alumni/keepintouch.html. Name Address City/State/Zip Phone Email Year of Graduation or years of attendance May we include your e-mail in the news section of the Torch? ____________________________ Can we publish it in our online directory? ____________________________ Information or news you wish to share (new job, career, or family achievements, etc.)
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Alumni News 1
1950s
This alumni news reflects submissions that were received by September 15, 2009. News received after that date will be in the next issue of the Torch.
Betty (McVeety) Nisbet, ’36, East Grand Forks, Minn., was 90 years old on June 16. She celebrated on June 20 with her children Roy, Dori, Bill, Lori, and their families.
1940s The Red River Valley Sugarbeet Museum of Crookston honored the Green family of St. Thomas, N.D., this fall. The Green family was featured in the Crookston Ox Cart Days parade with five generations in attendance. In the photo are Northwest School of Agriculture Alumna, Johanna (Nabben) Green, who graduated in the Class of 1923; she is sitting in the front seat on the passenger’s side. In the back seat, behind Johanna, is the newest member of the Green family, eight-day-old Jack, held by his mother Melissa Green, and next to her is her son, Samuel. Sitting beside Samuel is Manvel Green, a 1948 graduate of the Northwest School. George and Johanna Green raised their first crop of beets in 1928. Their son, Robert Green, and grandson, Nathan (married to Melissa), are currently operating the farm. Robert presently serves as a member the American Crystal Sugar Company Board of Directors.
1930s Jerome Molacek, ’34, Bemidji, Minn., retired in 1979 after 41 years in sales with Armour & Company. He enjoys woodworking, carving, gardening, and wintering in Arizona. He has four children, 12 grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren. Jerome was unable to attend his Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA) 75th reunion this summer; he wishes everyone well and would like to hear from classmates.
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1 Myrna (Larson) Evert, ’44, Casper, Wyo., sews every day and makes mission quilts for the needy. In 2006 she received the Jefferson Award from the state of Wyoming for her sewing projects. The Everts have one daughter, four sons, 10 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren and enjoy retirement. Myrna was unable to attend her 65th NWSA reunion this summer. Myrna writes, “I truly feel our school motto, ‘Give your best to the world and the best will come back to you,’ has been a guiding light to my life as I always gave my best and have had a really good life.”
Ronald Walker, ex. ’45, Pepin, Wis., and his wife, Arlene, have a summer home in Pepin, Wis. and a winter home near Fort Myers, Fla. E-mail Ronald at ronarlene3@gmail.com. Mary Ann (Schei) Olsen, ’49, Asotin, Wash., was office manager for a grocery chain for 17 years, served as a municipal clerk/treasurer for many years, and was working for the city of Asotin when she retired. She and her husband of 47 years have three children, three grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. They both enjoy volunteering and Mary Ann serves on the boards of the Asotin County Housing Authority and Our Saviors Lutheran Church.
Fr. Roger Kasprick, ’51, Saint John’s Abbey, Collegeville, Minn., celebrated his 50th anniversary of priestly life. He was ordained June 6, 1959, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Cloud, Minn. Father Roger has served as a faculty resident, art teacher, theology instructor, and professor emeritus at Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minn.; moral theology instructor at the College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, Minn.; editor of Sponsa Regis (Sisters Today) for Saint John’s Abbey; master of novices; guestmaster at Collegio San Anselmo in Rome, Italy; missionary at Native American Missions in Cloquet, Minn.; chaplain at Mount St. Benedict Monastery in Crookston; and numerous other positions. The monastery formally acknowledged the golden jubilee of Father Roger during Mass at the Abbey’s annual retreat June 3. Delano Matson, ’51 Adv., Foley, Ala., is the owner and senior broker of Visions Real Estate in Golf Shores, Ala. His son, Randy Matson, and daughter, Kim Hirras and her husband, are also in the business. For the past 38 years, he’s been involved in all phases of the real estate business, with the last 24 years specializing in vacation homes and condominiums on the Gulf of Mexico. E-mail Delano at del@visionsrealestate.com. Wayne and Barbara (Hylland) Lunsetter, ’56, Middle River, Minn., celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on August 9, 2009. Among the guests were at least 14 Northwest School of Agriculture alumni, including three uncles, and some U of M, Crookston alumni as well. E-mail Barbara at wbluns2@yahoo.com.
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1960s Michael Donahue, ’64, Pekin, N.D. Contact Michael at miked1613@gondtc.com. Tim Eisenhardt, ’64, Hillsboro, N.D., retired from farming and is enjoying gardening, hunting, and fishing. Bob Peck, ’64, Chanhassen, Minn., worked at Hennepin County Medical Center with kidney transplants.
1970s John Reitmeier, ’72, Crookston, Minn., has been a morning news commentator since 1976. He operates inbound help desks and has employed many U of M, Crookston alumni over the years. David Peyton, ’79, Apple Valley, Calif. E-mail David at ufdaubetcha@hotmail.com.
1980s Kevin Fee, ’80, Grand Forks, N.D., has been hired as communications supervisor in the graphic services department at Minnkota Power Cooperative. Fee worked the past 11 years as sports editor and writer for the Grand Forks Herald. Jan and Jeff Hanenburg, ’80, Milaca, Minn., were honored recently as Mille Lacs County Farm Family of the Year. The Hanenburg farm in Milaca originated in 1928 when Jeff’s grandfather bought the farm. Jeff’s father took over in the early 1950s. In 1984, Jeff and his dad formed a partnership, continuing with Clockwise from top, Jeff, the dairy Bryan, 16, Sara, 22, Dana, 20 operation. Jeff and Jan sold the dairy herd in 2001 and bought beef cows. The family farms about 700 acres of corn,
soybeans, wheat, and alfalfa and have 40 Gelbvieh/Red Angus cows. Their children, Sara, Dana, and Bryan, have been involved with the work on the farm. Jeff currently serves on the Farm Service Agency county committee. He is also on the Mille Lacs county 4-H auction committee and a barn supervisor at the Mille Lacs County Fair. As a family, the Hanenburg’s are involved with 4-H and active members of the Christian Reformed Church and Community Christian School of Pease, Minn. 3 Gerald Landby, ’82, East Helena, Mont., director of grounds at Carroll College in Helena, Mont., was elected to join the National Board of Directors of the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) and was installed as the new North West Regional Director. Landby will formally take the position in October during the society’s annual business meeting in Louisville, Ky.
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In the photo, Jennifer, Randy, Garrett, 11, and Brady, 7
Cory Mitteness, ’92, Mayer, Minn. E-mail Cory at mittni@aol.com. Rita Rivard, ex. ’93, Minot, N.D., and Jeffrey Miller were married June 13, 2009, at Elim Lutheran Church in Fargo, N.D. Rita is employed by MLT Vacations, Minot, as a reservation agent. Jeffrey is an assistant football coach at Minot State University. Scott LaPean, ’94, Eau Claire, Wis. Contact Scott at scottdream2004@yahoo.com.
Diane (Forte) Juth, ’84, Rochester, Minn. E-mail Diane at j40@charter.net.
1990s R. John Johnson, ’90, Grand Rapids, Minn., recently became an indirect sales account manager with Verizon Wireless. He is a coach, trainer, and offers guidance on the sale of Verizon products. He is the father of a beautiful four year old girl and really enjoys family time.
Bradley and Traci (Steever) Stensaas, ’95, Chandler, S.D., are excited to announce the birth of their son, Andrew Jace, on April 27, 2009. Andrew weighed eight pounds and was 21 inches long. He joins two older brothers, Ryan, 22 months, and Nicholas, 13 years, at home. E-mail Traci at tstensaas@svwireless.com.
4 Randy and Jennifer (Hinrichs) Demers, ’92 and ex. ’93, Big Lake, Minn., and their sons stopped by campus recently, enjoyed a tour, and reconnected with Andrew Svec, director of communications, public relations and marketing. Both were members of the residential life staff in 1992; Andrew, as the assistant director, and Randy, as a resident advisor.
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Alumni News 5
Andrew and Lisa (Pedersen) Jenson, ’99 and ’99, Welch, Minn. Andy continues to work in the beef enterprise at Schafer Farms near Goodhue, Minn. Lisa is a quality assurance assessor at the Prairie Island Nuclear Plant near Red Wing, Minn. They also farm with Andy’s family and own about 30 head of cattle. The Jenson’s welcomed their fourth child, Jakob Andrew Martin on April 24, 2009. Jakob’s siblings are Josephine, 7, Johnathan, 5, and Jaclyn, 2. Contact Andrew and Lisa at circlej5@yahoo.com.
2000s Nadine Raddatz, ’00, Grand Forks, N.D., has been working in Ecolab Pest Elimination’s call center for a year and a half. E-mail Nadine at nadine.renae@hotmail.com.
Nick Kornder, ’01, Lakeville, Minn., married Anne LeMire on August 29, 2009, at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. Nick is assistant commissioner for media relations for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in St. Paul. Contact Nick at Kornder@northernsun.org. 5 Kendra Jenkins, ’02, Andover, Minn., married Jeremy Mattke on March 6, 2009. The ceremony took place on the beach at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. E-mail Kendra at renflex79@yahoo.com.
Kelly Kliner, ex. 02, Langdon, N.D., and Kyra Kobetsky were married July 11, 2009, at Sertoma Park in Grand Forks, N.D. Both are employed in Langdon; Kelly at Simplot Grower Solutions and Kyra at Downs Inc. 6
Neil Williams, ex. ’00, Edgerton, Wis., has a one-year-old son, Steele, and is expecting another addition to the family in December 2009. E-mail Neil at njwilliams65@yahoo.com. Neil Andruschak, ’01, St. Cloud, Minn., is the school library media specialist for Lindbergh (K-5) Elementary School in Little Falls, Minn., and head boys hockey coach for Tech High School in St. Cloud. Neil recently completed coursework for his master of science degree in educational media and has begun his thesis at St. Cloud State University. The Andruschaks have two children, Allison, 4, and Brooke, 21 months. Neil can be contacted at nandruschak@gmail.com.
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Brent and Nicole (Krueger) Massmann, ’02 and ’03, East Grand Forks, Minn., announce the birth of their daughter. Leah Caroline was born May 8, 2009 and was 7 lbs. 12 oz., and 19 inches long. She was welcomed home by big sister, Anna, 6, and big brother Luke, 2. Brent works as a logistics coordinator for the North Dakota Mill and Nicole is employed by Cetero Research (formerly PRACS Institute) as a quality assurance associate. Contact them at nmkrueger@hotmail.com or brentmassmann@hotmail.com.
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Kyle Smith, ’02, Windom, Minn., and his wife, Jessica, are proud to announce the birth of their son, Royce Wayne Augustus Smith. He was born on May 5, 2009, and welcomed home by his big sisters, Ada, 4, and Leah, 1. Kyle is a salesman at Midway Farm Equipment in Mountain Lake, Minn. Jessica stays home with their children and coaches softball for the Windom Area High School. Baizhou Chen, ’03, Oakland Gardens, N.Y. E-mail Baizhou at baizhou.chen@hotmail.com. Maranda Morrell, ’03, Fargo, N.D., and Joshua Tandberg were married August 22, 2009, at Thumper Pond in Ottertail, Minn. Maranda is the events coordinator and Josh is the operations manager at the Hotel Donaldson in Fargo. Nate Emery, ’05, Grand Forks, N.D. Minnesota Public Radio recently aired a feature story on Emery’s research and work on reviving the population of prairie chickens in northwest Minnesota. The story is available online (http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/w eb/2009/09/01/prairie-chickenrepopulation). Amy (Konradi) Bosshart, ’07, Chaska, Minn. Contact Amy at konrad_23@hotmail.com.
Torch Volume 41, Number 3, Fall 2009 Torch is a publication of the University of Minnesota, Crookston.
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Director of Development & Alumni Relations Corby Kemmer ckemmer@umn.edu 218-281-8434
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Tom Carlson and Alyssa Cunningham, ’07 and ’07, Spooner, Wis., were married on May 23, 2009, at Fjeldberg Lutheran Church in Huxley, Iowa. Tom is a wildlife technician for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in Spooner, and Alyssa is a kindergarten teacher with the Spooner school district. 7
Ben Larson, ’07, Duluth, Minn., and Chelsy Aune were married August 1, 2009. He is currently employed at Hydrosolutions of Duluth as the manufacturing coordinator.
In the photo, Amy Brown is standing in the center row on the far right and Cory Detloff is seated in the front row, third from left.
Amy Brown, ’08, Lake George, Minn., recently graduated from the State of North Dakota’s 106th Law Enforcement Training Academy and has assumed her duties as a game warden/pilot with the North Dakota Department of Game and Fish. Cory Detloff, ’09, Bertha, Minn., is also a recent graduate from the State of North Dakota’s 106th Law Enforcement Training Academy. He has assumed his duties as a game warden for the North Dakota Department of Game and Fish.
Katie Delohery, ’08, Grand Forks, N.D., and Bruce DeLong were married at the Hopper Danley Memorial Spiritual Center in Grand Forks on September 19, 2009. Katie is employed by the Grand Forks Public School District and Bruce is employed by Dahlgren & Company, Inc. in Crookston. Along with their daughter, Madelyn, the couple resides in Grand Forks. 8 James Mathews, ’08, Spring Green, Wis., and Jami DeBoer, ex. ’06 were married August 28, 2009, at Lutsen Resort, Lutsen, Minn. James is currently pursuing the PGA Apprenticeship Program and is employed at FedEx. Jami is pursuing her registered nursing degree and is employed at RiverView Care Center, Crookston, Minn.
Lindy Hausauer, ’09, and Justin Berg, ’07, Moorhead, Minn., were married September 5, 2009. Lindy is a veterinary assistant at Rainy River Veterinary Hospital, International Falls, Minn. Justin is a district technician with the Koochiching Soil and Water Conservation District, International Falls. Nicholas Kasowski, ’09, Fargo, N.D., and Cassie Johnson were married April 25, 2009, at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in East Grand Forks, Minn. Nick is a crop consultant for Central Ag Consulting.
Support Staff Rose Ulseth, ’87 218-281-8439
rulseth@umn.edu
Sue Dwyer, ’74 218-281-8401
sdwyer@umn.edu
UMCAA Board of Directors Cindy Bigger, ’79 Brandy (Lietz) Chaffee, ‘00 Nancie Hoerner, ’95 Kylene (Odegaard) Lehmann, ‘01 Juanita Lopez, ’08 Amy (Peterson) Lubarski, ‘02 Carl Melbye, ‘77 Kari (Vallager) Moe, ’03 Jen (Novak) Nelson, ‘06 Leah (Stratton) Reitmeier, ’93, Kari Torkelson, O.D., ex. ‘91 NWSA Alumni Association Board of Directors Allan Dragseth, ‘57 Lowell Hamrick, ‘53 Charles Holmquist, ’52 Norm Landby, ‘55 Melvin Larson, ‘55 Barbara (Hylland) Lunsetter, ’56 Berneil Nelson, ’42, ex officio Gerhard Ross, ‘45 David Sorvig, ‘47 Beulah (Stolaas) Vad, ’58 Jean (Stromstad) Vigness-Parker, ‘55 Contact information: Torch Elizabeth Tollefson, ’02, editor University of Minnesota, Crookston 2900 University Avenue Crookston, Minnesota 56716 Phone: 218-281-8432 Fax: 218-281-8440 E-mail: ltollefs@umn.edu The University of Minnesota, Crookston is a public, baccalaureate, coeducational institution and a coordinate campus of the University of Minnesota. The Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA) was a residential high school serving students from 190668 and the predecessor of the Crookston campus. The Torch is named for the historical passing of the educational torch between the NWSA and the U of M, Crookston in 1968. The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status or sexual orientation. Printed on recycled and recyclable paper with at least 10 percent post-consumer material using agribased inks. Designed and printed at Fine Print of Grand Forks, Inc.
On the cover: Attorney Martin Wall, ’60, a graduate of the Northwest School of Agriculture, at the desk in his office at Wall, McCormick & Baroldi, the law firm he founded in Santa Ana, Calif. Photo by Jeanine Hill Photography.
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Alumni News Darin Moen, ’09, East Grand Forks, Minn., married Elizabeth Michalski on July 25, 2009. The wedding was held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Oslo, Minn., with the reception and dance following at the GuestHouse Town House, Grand Forks, N.D.
Matt Scheerer, ’09, Vancouver, Wa., returned to the Park Blocks for the 2009-10 season after a brief volunteer stint in the summer of 2007. He spent 2008-09 as an Athletic Communications Intern at Harvard University, primarily working with the women’s tennis program and assisting with the football and hockey programs. There he volunteered at the Women’s Frozen Four, calling official stats, and at the Men’s Lacrosse Championship in Boston.
JaNae Rasmussen, ’09, Crookston, Minn., and Michael Staples, ’06, Kensington, Minn., were married August 1, 2009, at Messiah Lutheran Church in Hoffman, Minn. The reception was held at The Holiday Inn in Alexandria, Minn. Michael is currently employed as a professional sales agronomist with Prairie Lakes Co-op in Hoffman, Minn. JaNae is a preschool teacher in Alexandria.
Philip Buckley
Wayne Tommervik, ex. ’37
Harold Younggren, ’46 Adv.
Philip Buckley came to the U of M, Crookston as an instructor in agriculture in September 1970. He became an assistant professor in 1971 and became an associate professor in 1974 and held that title until November 1993.
Edna (Hoppe) Dennistoun, ’38
Lundell Swenson, ’49 Adv.
Kenneth Dufault, ’38
Darrel Syverson, ’63
Vernon Iverson, ex. ’42
Mitchell “Mick” Bergeron, ex. ’67
Anita (Mindermann) Tollefson, ’42 Adv.
Dwight Anderson, ex. ’76
Louise (Nelson) Rustad, ’45 Adv.
Ronald Torgerson, ex. ’78
Moorhead, Minn., and formerly East Grand Forks, Minn. May 31, 2009
Vernon Rasmussen, ’46
Kent Mosher, ’85
Laura (Hagy) Valen, ex. ’34
George Stewart, ex. ’46
In Memory Manhattan, Mont. July 14, 2009
Ruth Dowell Myers Coral Gables, Fla. May 13, 2009
Ruth was the daughter of Superintendent Austin Dowell and a Campus Kid.
Stanley Tomaszewski Crookston, Minn. August 25, 2009
Stanley retired in March 2008 after 27 years as a custodian with the Facilities and Operations Department.
Leonard Burtness, ex. ’27 Ulen, Minn. May 10, 2009
Mary (Holub) Wavra, ex. ’27
Apple Valley, Minn. June 6, 2009
Argyle, Minn. May 26, 2009
Goodridge, Minn. May 5, 2009
Crookston, Minn. May 24, 2009
Fergus Falls, Minn. May 21, 2009
Detroit Lakes, Minn. March 14, 2009
Twin Valley, Minn. March 18, 2009
Drayton, N.D. August 14, 2009
Philip Hegreberg, ’37
Willis Wagner, ’46 Adv.
Durham, Conn. January 10, 2008
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Fertile, Minn. May 17, 2009
www.umcrookston.edu
Fisher, Minn. June 13, 2009
Hallock, Minn. August 16, 2009
Bismarck, N.D. April 4, 2009
Reynolds, N.D. July 21, 2009
Fargo, N.D. September 7, 2009
Warren, Minn. June 10, 2009
Merritt Island, Fla. May 21, 2009
Excelsior, Minn., formerly of Fertile, Minn. July 18, 2009
Benjamin Cotton, ’01 Williston, N.D. October 4, 2009
Northwest School Reunion Memories 2009 Honored Classes
1959
1954
1939
1949
1964
1934
1944 & ’45 Adv.
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 317 Grand Forks ND 58201 2900 University Avenue Crookston, MN 56716-5001
Change Service Requested
Office of Admissions 218-281-8569 1-800-862-6466 UMCinfo@umn.edu www.umcrookston.edu/visit
Office of Development & Alumni Relations 218-281-8434 1-800-862-6466 www.umcrookston.edu/alumni
Golden Eagle Athletics 218-281-8423 www.goldeneagleathletics.com
Upcoming Events
Meet us in Arizona this winter
Dec. 17, 2009 Jan. 11, 2010 Jan. 30, 2010 May 7, 2010 May 8, 2010 June 25-26, 2010
February 19, 2010—NWSA/ U of M Crookston Alumni Social Terrace Green at Viewpoint Resort 640 Hawes Rd., Mesa, AZ
Fall Semester Ends Spring Semester Classes Begin Ag Arama Alumni Social Grad Dance Commencement Exercises Northwest School of Agriculture Alumni Reunion Honored classes include: ’25, ’30, ’35, ’40, ’45, ’50, ’55, ’60, and ’65
February 20, 2010—Crookston gathering Dolca Vita 3301 South Goldfield Rd., Apache Junction, AZ