ALUMNI REVIEW Summer2018
University of North Dakota Alumni Association Silver m a n ' s Winter Sports Building
T h e Dakota Student
Red R ay La n es
Matt's Tavern
Ir on Mask G o lde n Feathe r s Alma's Cafe
HENRY'S
Grif fith's
King Kold
Derby D a ys
Karnival King
IJ
Leo's
Pre s Georg e Starcher
Mexican Village
H OWARD'S PIZZA HOUSE
Measure 1
Straus
I g n i t e Rev. Branconnier
WHITEY'S Gateway Billiards Mik e's Pizza & Chic e k n Martin
Time Out
The Draft
Vietnam
DANCE
TO THE
Tet Offensive
M U S I C
The Horse
I WISH IT WOULD RAIN lA-lA CMl:AN$ I LOVE 'tOUt
Luther King, Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy
TURN AROUND, LOOK AT ME
T h e Oliver! p o o r Planet of the p e O p I e S �he �radeuat: M a r c h Valley
Olympic Games
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SPOOKY Love Child
Fire
ANGEL OF THE MORNING
The
Ballad
Love Is All Arou nd
of
Bonnie and Clyde Those Were the Days
BORN TO BE WILD
of the DO II s
1 6 8: The Year That
:IdL�; Ti�htl.OV& YUMMY YUMMY Y UMMY
Playboy
(Theme from) valley
of the Dolls
Jumpi n' Jack Flash
Bullin Funny Girl
Night of the Livi n g
Changed Everythinl
ead
(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
People Got to Be Free Su nshine of Your Love Mrs. Robinson
Harper Valley PTA
TIGHTEN uP
Mony Mony Hello, I L ove You
I "'-r:\ ALUMNl ASSOClATlON
U '48' FOUNDATION
Young Girl
Stoned Soul Picnic
G
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CRY LIKE A BABY
Grazing in the
Midnight
a
s
Con fessions
s
CONTENTS
ALUMNI REVIEW I VOL. 101 NO. 2 I SUMMER 2018
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4 10 14
Edhor I Milo Smith
Associate Editor I Aly$$0 KonickSOn, ·oo Designer I Sam Melquist
Contributing Writers Leamw lhry, '02
Connor Murphy Jan Orvil<. '94 Jena Pierce B- Schill, '00, '05 Lauren Vetter,' 18 Contributing Photographers Tyler lngharn Jackie Lorentz Sam Me&qulst Shawna Noel Schlll, '06
UNO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION & FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Oireetors Cindy Blikre, '91; Steve Burian, '90, '92; Phil Gisi, '82; Or. JoM Gray, '87; Mike Hamer1ik, '84, '88; Marten Hoekstra, '82; Jonathan Haith: Linda Laskowski, '72, '73; Or. Michael LsBeau, '02; Rick Loo, '78; Doug Mark, '86; Rob Mitchell, '74; Came Mclntyn, Panetta, '88; Fernanda Phllbr1ck, '94, '96; Karetl Phillips, '77; Jirn Poorman, "92; Jodi Rolland, '92; Cathy Rydell, '88; Dave Saggau, '86, '89; Ctiad Wachte,; and Terri Zimmerman, '85. Ex Officio Or. Tom Oil..menzo; Marit Kemedy; Nancy Peterson, '90; Jed Shivers; Dr. Joshua Wynne; and DoAnna Carlsoo Zink, '86. The UnlvetSlty of North Dakota Alumni Review (USPS 018089: ISSN 0895-5409) I$ pvbll$hed three tlmeo a yeor by the University of North Dakota Alumni Association, 3501 University Avenue, Stop 8157, Grand Forks, ND 58202-8157, Periodical postage paid at Grand Forks, NO 58201 and other offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Alumni Review, 3501 University Avenue, Stop 8157, Grand Fott<s, NO
58202-8157.
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Fof Inquiries about adv«tlsfng, additional copies, reprints, submi:Ssions, CM" general comments, contact 800.543.8764, 701.777.0831 or alumnireviewOUNOaJumni.net
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Alumni Review I Summer 2018
THE BEAT GOES ON Terry Dullum, '70, reflects on campus life at the end of the 1960s.
FIRST CLASS On the 50th anniversary of the Aerospace program, Bob Leppke, '68, remembers the passion that started it all.
LIVE FOR GAMEDAY
18
AWARDS SEASON
40
Chak I Doug Podolak, '72 Vice Chair I Sara Gariand, '68, '72
1968 REMEMBERED
Looking back at a year that changed everything.
16
30 CEO I DoAnno Canson Zulk, '86
MESSAGE FROM DEANNA An invitation to Homecoming 2018.
46 54 56
See the schedule for Homecoming 2018.
Meet the recipients of the Sioux Awards and Young Alumni Achievement Awards.
CAMPUS NEWS T he latest news from your alma mater.
TRAGEDY INTO LEGACY School of Law graduating class dedicates gift to professor's family following a heartbreaking death.
ALUMNI NEWS Who's doing what: news about your fellow classmates.
ADDITIONS & CELEBRATIONS Celebrating alumni weddings, anniversaries, and births.
IN MEMORIAM
FIND THE FLAME We've cleverly hidden the UNO flame somewhere on our cover. Find it for a chance to win a prize! Simply e-mail AlumniReview@UNDalumni.net and give a detailed description of the flame's location. Subject line: Found the flame.
UNO DAY AT TARGET FIELD
DeAnna is joined by other UNO supporters in taking a photo during the ceremonial first pitch at UNO Day at Target Field July 6. More on page 58. Photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins
Dear Alumni & Friends, One of the wonderful things about my job as CEO of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation is interacting with alumni from all eras of this great University's past. Each graduating class not only has memories of their time on campus, but also the big moments of pop culture, world and U.S. news, and sporting events that occurred while they were earning their degrees. Attending UND in the mid-'80s, I remember the release of Michael Jackson's Thriller album, Ronald Reagan winning a second term over Minnesota's Walter Mondale, and the disastrous introduction of New Coke. Of course, the news event from that era that is seared in my mind was the space shuttle Challenger explosion that killed seven astronauts on January 29, 1986. Anyone from my era can tell you where they were when they heard about that tragedy. But for sheer volume of earth-shattering events and cultural happenings, the late 1960s was probably the most tumultuous period in U.S. history since the end of World War II. As you'll see in the pages of this issue, the students of the late '60s went through some major upheaval-from political assassinations to an unpopular war in Vietnam-after having grown up in the relative calm of the post-war boom. It will be fun to have the graduates of 1968 back on campus for their golden reunion during Homecoming in September. The class has been especially active in planning the event. They have invited all grads from 1964-70 to attend as well. See page 5 for a list of reunion events.
Homecoming Speaking of Homecoming, I hope you have made arrangements to be in Grand Forks Sept. 17-22. Due to a scheduling quirk, Homecoming is being combined this year with another fan-favorite, the 53rd annual Potato Bowl USA. That means there will be that many more activities going on that week with traditional Homecoming events liked the Sioux Awards combined with Potato Bowl favorites like the Simplot French Fry Feed. A grand parade on Saturday, September 22, will be one you won't want to miss!
Check out pages 16-17 to see the alumni schedule for Homecoming, and starting on page 18 you can read the biographies of the outstanding alumni who will receive Sioux Awards and Young Alumni Achievement Awards at the awards banquet on Thursday, September 20.
Board of Directors I cannot begin to tell you how valuable the members of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation Board of Directors are to our success as a fundraising and alumni relations organization. At our May meeting, we welcomed three new members to the board: Karen Phillips, '77, Jonathan Holth, and Dr. Michael LeBeau, '02. I look forward to working with these three on our mission of supporting the University of North Dakota and its outstanding students. At the May meeting, we also said our goodbyes to outgoing board members Jody Feragen, '78, and Kris Compton, '77. Both of these women brought incredible attention to detail to our board, and I want to thank them both for their steady guidance and insightful leadership.
State of the Foundation Finally, I'd like to extend an invitation to attend the State of the Alumni Association & Foundation Address at 4:30 p.m. on August 28 at the Gorecki Alumni Center. I'll be discussing the results of Fiscal Year 2018, which ended on June 30, and will talk about how our organization is working to stand up and lead UND students, faculty, and alumni into the future. If you can't attend, we'll post a video of the address to our YouTube channel soon after. Thank you for all that you do to advance this great institution and its amazing students. I look forward to welcoming you back to campus this fall. Sincerely,
DeAnna Carlson Zink, '86, CFRE UND Alumni Association & Foundation CEO deannac@UNDfoundation.org
UNDalumni.org
FEATURE
9
w// T HE YEAR THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
UND students experienced upheaval and unrest during 12 months of explosive world events
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
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Homecoming 2018 will be a special event for graduates of 1968. These "Golden Graduates" are invited to campus for a 50th reunion. Organizers from the class are also inviting other classes from that era to attend. In addition to all the other Homecoming happenings (see p. 17), there are special events planned for the Golden Grads including:
Friday, Sept. 21 UND Campus Bus Tour Noon - 1 :30 p.m. Meet at Gorecki Alumni Center at 11 :50 a.m.
Even in Grand Forks, where the pace of change can sometimes lag the rest of the country, there was no denying the cultural and political impacts of 1968.
t..H\J'o,School of Medicine and Health Sciences 1:J&�bl�ssmates, friends, and students to discuss and reflect on "'�' ,!t),� y�ar;t,�t launched an era of major social, political and cultural !Ch�'Sh?re your firsthand experiences and perspectives with an und$rgradi.Jate,class that is focusing on 1968 and how the events of 'ithat,tim�ted students and the country.
Sara Garland came to UNO from western North Dakota in 1964, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Communications in 1968. She says there was a "sea change" from freshman year to senior. "We were almost kind of stuck in the 1950s in terms of how we saw the world," says Garland of her early years at UNO. "By the time we left in 1968, there was a lot of political awareness. The young men who were at UNO in the late sixties had the draft hanging over their heads and it wasn't just a draft, but it was a draft that could lead them to going into combat in another part of the world. And I think that forced a lot of people into a pretty stark reality about their lives."
Making News
Vietnam was the living room war in that it was the first international conflict to be broadcast into homes across the U.S. By 1966, 93 percent of Americans owned a television. At UNO, like most other universities in the country, televisions in dorm rooms were rare. Students instead would gather in student lounges to catch the evening news, and each day it seemed brought new, compelling developments. 1968 began with the Tet Offensive in which the assault from the North Vietnamese contradicted the Johnson administration's claims of the south winning the war over weak communist forces. There were two assassinations that rocked the country-Martin Luther King Jr. in April and Robert Kennedy in June. Lyndon B. Johnson announced he would not seek reelection leading to high political theatre and unrest at the political conventions that year, and students around the county and world began to
''Questions: Contact Kim Woods, Senior Director of Development, at , 809°543-8764 or kimw@undfoundation.org.
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SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Above: Two UNO students on an April 1968 journalism department field trip to Germany read about Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination as reported by a West Gemian newspaper in Cologne. Photo courtesy of Elwyn B. Robinson Dept. of Special Collections
Left: Richard Nixon campaigned throughout 1968, winning the Republican nomination and then the presidency. Photo courtesy W,k,medio Commons/Ollie Atkins
make news for rising up in protest. The pace and gravity of news and events in 1968 prompted Smithsonian Magazine to recently label it "The Year that Shattered America.â&#x20AC;˘ 'It was an exciting time and we felt alive and we felt engaged," says Chuck Haga, who came to UNO in 1967 and wrote for The Dakota Student. "The University felt like what it was supposed to be: a place of learning and discovery and awareness and understanding. There was a good faculty, people who did their best to help us work through what we saw as problems and challenges. The place really felt alive." Life on campus, of course, was not all protests and politicking. Students went to class, dated, attended concerts and all the other typical happenings of college life. But it was hard to escape the landscape-shattering events that intruded on that idyllic existence.
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
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CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION
Construction on Wilkerson Dining Center can be seen in this aerial photo from 1968. Also visible in this photo is the roofline of Gamble Hall, which opened to students that year. Photo courtesy of Elwyn B. Robinson Dept. of Special Collections
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The Student Voice
As the main voice of students, The Dakota Student chronicled that news on a local and global scale. A January issue of the newspaper carried front page stories about an alumnus being indicted for refusing induction into the armed services while the Rev. Robert Branconnier, chaplain of the UNO Newman Center, gave his thoughts on five men indicted in Boston for encouraging non-cooperation with the Selective Service System. Rev. Branconnier had, in the fall of 1967, announced to campus that he would aid, abet, and encourage young men to resist the draft. Rev. Branconnier would be a prominent figure on campus throughout 1968. He led weekly silent protests and encouraged students to use their voices to effect change. By the end of the year, though, his activism proved to be too much for the diocese. After being asked by Bishop Leo F. Dworshak to forego plans for a draft card burning ceremony in November, Father Branconnier canceled the ceremony and resigned the position he'd held since 1953. In March, former Dakota Student editor Mike Jacobs, '70, '14, who would later become editor and publisher of the Grand Forks Herald, led a group of students to Bismarck to deliver an anti-war petition to Governor William Guy. He had tried to give the petition to the governor when he attended the grand opening of a new movie theater on South Washington Street in Grand Forks, but Guy had told him that wasn't the place for such things. About 70 protesters showed up outside the Capitol Building on March 2. They were met by a small group of counter-protesters who threw nuts at them-'nuts for the nuts." But they got a meeting with the governor and were able to deliver their petitions.
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SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Top: Boeing Corporation unveiled the 747 in 1968. Photo courtesy of Boeing
Bottom: The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, would lead to rioting in more than 100 cities. Photo courtesy of Library of Congress
Chuck Haga was part of the group and wrote a first person account of the protest for the next Dakota Student. He wrote that he felt Governor Guy was patronizing and lectured the protesters that there was not an easy solution to Vietnam. Haga felt the governor missed the point of the petition, which asked him to relay to the President • ...my grief 'at the continued loss of life of American and Vietnamese civilian and military personnel."' Reflecting on those heady days of protest, Haga says, "It felt like it was important. We weren't just playing. It was serious stuff. But we really thought that it would make a difference." While student protests around the country did eventually sway public opinion against the war in Vietnam, Haga says it is disappointing to see that other issues important to students of that era have not advanced sufficiently over the past 50 years. "Sexism, racism, war, economic disparities: If we could have looked ahead 50 years back in 1968 and seen how little progress we made in some areas, it would have been a sad moment.• Not all news in The Dakota Student dealt with the big national issues of the day. Early in the year, the pages of the paper and the campus were abuzz with calls for the unmasking of members of Iron Mask. Editor Jim Conmy opined that members of the secretive organization were spies for President George Starcher's administration and he warned readers to "watch what you say, what you do and where you go.· The issue culminated with Student Body President Wayne "Rusty' Drugan announcing he was a member of Iron Mask. Drugan called for the establishment of a similar, but open organization on campus. He then resigned his presidency. Other campus news to hit the pages of the paper included complaints about the lack of student seating at hockey games in the Winter Sports Building, theft at the bookstore, the demise of the English Proficiency Test as a requirement of graduation, and a kerfuffle over the
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
CAMPUS PROTESTS
Regular silent protests were held on the UND campus, organized by Rev. Robert Branconnier (left). Photo courtesy of Elwyn B. Robinson Dept. of Special Collections
printing of a photo in the paper that showed unsold tickets from the Ramsey Lewis Trio concert laid out to spell a swear word. That incident almost got the editor fired.
Garland's political activism on campus led to a career in politics. She spent four decades in Washington, D.C., including serving as the Chief of Staff to North Dakota Senator Kent Conrad.
Looking Back
Chuck Haga turned his experience on the staff of The Dakota Student into a career in journalism. After award-winning stints with the Grand Fork Herald and Minneapolis Star- Tribune, he is now retired, but is influencing the next generation of writers by teaching in the UND Department of Communication.
Even with the anxiety of world events, both Haga and Garland have fond memories of their time at UND in the late '60s.
Garland, who is part of a group organizing a Class of '68 reunion during Homecoming (see sidebar on p. 5), says the awakening that happened during her UND days has stuck with her. "We went about our business going to class and being involved in extracurricular activities and that kind of thing. But I think, for me at least, there was a much larger awareness that took place because of what was going on nationally and how we could actually be part of making a change. That was another big moment of awakening: knowing our voices could make a difference in terms of national policy."
"I remember a sense of hope and a sense of optimism, a belief in the idea of progress, a sense that there was a lot that was really messed up, but it was going to get better," says Haga. "We were marching toward a better world. We were at least seeking a newer world in Bobby Kennedy's phrase.â&#x20AC;˘ /// - By Milo Smith
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Alumni Review I Summer 2018
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highly motivated students bent on making sure their causes were heard. I remember thinking at the time this guy would make an awfully good president some day. So much was happening everywhere and so much of it was happening on television. I was in the Walsh Hall TV lounge one Sunday night when I heard Lyndon Johnson tell the nation, "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President." I first learned of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. watching the surreal, black and white images on the television in someone's dorm room. It would be hard for a time traveler to miss the look of the '60s, especially the hair. It was long; very, very long. Often men's hair was longer than women's. We thought it looked good. It was fashionable to make an anti-fashion statement. The best way to do that was with lots of denim, bell-bottoms or "flair' jeans being preferable. A couple pair and a few shirts and you could almost get through an entire semester. Guys could, anyway. Denim wasn't the only fashion statement being made, however. More than a few ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) uniforms could also be seen on campus, especially on Fridays, if memory serves me, when cadets wore their dress uniforms to classes. The contrast between the neatly trimmed, smartly uniformed ROTC cadets and the intentionally shaggy look of most of the rest of us was stark. If it was the era of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, what I remember most was the music, so much of it on campus. From local bands playing frat house and dorm parties, covering The Beatles and The Young Rascals, to acts like Chicago, Neil Diamond, The Four Seasons, The Ramsey Lewis Trio and even Pat Boone from the previous decade, appearing at the UND Fieldhouse(the Chester Fritz Auditorium was still in the dreaming and planning stages).
I remember a friend just back from attending Dr. Elwin Robinson's final lecture. She was in tears. Much loved, Dr. Robinson was the author of "The History of North Dakota," still the definitive history of the state. To this day I regret not taking his History of North Dakota class. He was just one of UN D's outstanding faculty members who seemed undistracted by the times and devoted only to teaching. One of the most popular courses on campus was a religion course on mysticism taught by a young rabbi who drove from Winnipeg weekly to teach it. The first 20 minutes of each class period was dedicated to meditation, a practice I would take up again daily more than four decades later. For better or for worse, not all learning in the '60s was taking place in the classroom. Someone organized a "free university" one year, a series of classes outside the confines of the university's administration, with no fees, no grades, no credits and no thought whatsoever given to what it would mean for our future careers or paychecks. It was learning for the sake of learning, for the fun of it. Then there was something called encounter groups. Students would sign up for a marathon session, often on a weekend, that could last as long as 24 hours or more! A leader would try to get students to shed their inhibitions and express their real feelings. The groups would be encouraged to display affection, but also criticism and anger. Today encounter groups seem to have gone mostly the way of waterbeds and macrame hangings. More lasting events were being organized, too, like the very first Earth Day celebration. And the first UND Writers Conference, which would become one of the premiere events of its kind in the country and continues to this day. Dr. Don McCaffrey's UND Film Society would entertain and inform movie buffs for years to come.
It's no coincidence that the first production I saw at Burtness Theatre in the fall of 1967 was something called "MacBird!" The satire, which parodied scenes from Shakespeare's "MacBeth," was decidedly anti war and anti-Lyndon Johnson.
And there were the first rumblings (for me, at least) of the women's movement. Along with their textbooks, many female students carried copies of books like "Our Bodies, Ourselves" and something called "The Feminine Mystique.â&#x20AC;˘
Campus speakers were another form of entertainment. Many of them controversial, they drew large crowds to the UND Ballroom. Comedian and activist Dick Gregory spoke for two hours on injustice in America. Gus Hall, the long-time head of the Communist Party in America, was considered dangerous by some, ineffective as a speaker by others. Cartoonist Al Capp, the creator of the Li'I Abner comic strip and a staunch conservative who relished sparring with hecklers on college campuses, clashed with UND audience members during a question/answer session. A young Peter Jennings, not yet the main ABC News anchor he would become, but already very much a dashing, globe-trotting reporter, told students what most of them wanted to hear: that they should shake up the establishment "just as long and as hard" as they thought is necessary.
For further reading material there was always The Dakota Student, often pushing the journalistic envelope and sometimes taking heat from the administration, even state lawmakers, for doing so.
In the classroom, things were changing. Business majors would come back from their computer labs with thick stacks of mysterious "punch cards." Their computer was rumored to take up an entire room somewhere on campus. The idea that one day we would all be computer nerds, to one degree or another, was almost unthinkable then.
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
Love might have been in the air. But so, too, was a lot of smoke. Its dangers hadn't quite sunk in yet. Smoking was allowed just about everywhere on campus, with the possible exception of classrooms. Not everything in the '60s was political or alternative. Tradition trumped counterculture in some aspects of campus life. There was Homecoming with its parade and Homecoming Queen Contest. The leather jacket-clad Golden Feathers, an elite male pep club, were a big part of Homecoming. Unencumbered by political correctness, so too was Sammy Sioux, a cartoon mascot created by the Feathers, literally come to life. LIND hockey was a big deal even then. But attending a game in the original Winter Sports Building was nothing like today. The building was better known as "the barn" and for good reason. A quonset covered in corrugated steel, it looked like nothing so much as,
A COMFORTABLE SEAT
Terry Dullum spent many hours as a student working on Burtness Theatre productions. Photo by Sam Melquist
well, a barn. What it lacked in aesthetics, it also lacked in creature comforts. The main part of the building was unheated; completely unheated. Who could blame the occasional student for sneaking a little "hot chocolate" into a game? Although nothing like today's Ralph Engelstad Arena experience, watching a hockey game in the '60s was fun. And, of course, there was Phil Jackson, playing basketball like I'd never seen it played before, on the brink of becoming a star NBA player, coach, executive and, eventually, one of the biggest names in sports. For some of us there were more than classes, tests and grades hanging over our heads. In December of 1969, the first draft lottery since World War II was instituted in Washington. I was helping build scenery for the latest production at Burtness Theatre when I learned that my lottery number of 7 would almost certainly guarantee that I would be drafted. Someone said, "Terry's going to be a soldier!" Ten months later, that prediction would come true. For me and many others, the '60s ended a few months into the next decade, in the spring of 1970 with the Kent State shootings in Ohio. Four unarmed students were killed by National Guard soldiers during a campus protest. Hundreds of universities and colleges throughout the country closed in sympathy in what was called a student strike of as many as 4 million students. About a month before the end of the school year, most UND students were given a choice of taking a grade for the work they had done up until then, or continuing on with classes and final exams "as usual." My final final exam at UND could hardly have been more memorable. As many of us were taking finals, someone called in a bomb threat to Merrifield Hall. The building was evacuated. Dozens of us, including
the student who would become my wife, sat on the lawn for the better part of an hour, waiting to be allowed back in our classrooms. By the way, my future wife and I never met that day or any other day at UND, even though we were both in school during the late '60s. Ginny lived in Smith Hall. I lived in Walsh. We never met on campus. It wasn't until several years later we were introduced by a mutual friend I had worked with at the campus radio station, KFJM. So much was happening in the '60s, my recollections could easily be entirely different from someone else who lived through the decade. As cartoonish as some of it seems now, and as it is often portrayed today, there was great sincerity in the '60s. Many students were in school not just to learn how to make a living. They also seemed focused on a bigger picture and with a world view sometimes missing today. What were the '60s like? Time takes the edge off some of it. It also muddles much else in our memories. But I know I wouldn't have wanted to miss it for the world. Despite the distractions of the times, or maybe in some cases because of them, I learned a lot at UND. I learned to love journalism and art. I learned to love knowledge. I learned to love learning. /// - By Terry Dullum, '70
Terry Dullum graduated from UNO in 1970. After a stint in the Army, he settled into a long career in journalism. He was an anchor, producer, and reporter for the Grand Forks ABC affiliate, WDAZ-T1I, for 39 years before retiring in 2014.
UNDalumni.org
Bob Leppke remembers the passion that inspired 50 years of aviation at UND Bob Leppke, '68, remembers when he was first introduced to John Odegard. Leppke was a senior at UNO, majoring in business, with one semester of studies left to complete. He was looking for something different than the usual business courses and noticed an Introduction to Aviation course. "Growing up on a farm southwest of Carrington," Leppke explained, "I was always interested in airplanes. I built many model airplanes and enjoyed watching a neighbor fly his Piper Cub over our farm. However, I never had the opportunity to experience flight." Not knowing what to expect, Leppke and 11 other students went to the first UNO aviation class, located in a small classroom in the UNO law building. "On the first day of class, John gave us a detailed plan for the course and listed all the materials that would be needed. I was so excited about the class that I immediately headed over to the bookstore to get what was needed. He told us that the course would prepare us for the FAA private pilot written exam, which would be part of our class grade."
wanted to do my best," Leppke remembered. "As I look back now, there is no doubt that his passion for aviation was rubbing off on me. I think that's why the class had such an impact on me. "I wondered during the semester if I should take flying lessons," said Leppke. "But I was so overloaded with everything else that I decided to just focus on the class." Leppke received an A as his final grade in the course. "John stood out from all other instructors that I had during college," Leppke explained. "He wanted each student to excel and was always there to answer questions." The only college books and class notes that Leppke has kept from his time at UNO were from John's class. "Every time I review them, they remind me of John and my aviation days at UNO." May of 1968 found Leppke with some free time on his hands before graduation in August and reporting for Army service in November the perfect opportunity to get his private pilot's license.
The class was made up of students with a mix of experience, some having no aviation background and some who had already started flight instruction. Leppke remarked that growing up on a farm gave him an appreciation for the technical aspects of the course, so he felt it was a good fit.
Assured by Odegard that it was possible to complete all of the license requirements before November, Leppke began taking flying lessons through the UNO Flying Club. One of the invoices Leppke kept shows that he flew 10 hours in September, for which he paid $85.80. He completed flight training in November of 1968 and was issued his private pilot's license, five days before leaving for the Army.
"John brought a level of enthusiasm to each class that made learning each topic exciting. I knew it had real application potential so I
During his time in the Army, Leppke continued to correspond with Odegard and learned that he was putting together a curriculum for
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
JOHN D. ODEGARD
teaches a class in aviation. The Aerospace school at UND named in his honor is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding during Homecoming 2018. See a schedule of events at aero.und.edu/50th.
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l!appily, the nnainder passed with some peopla receiving g,'tldea in the !ugh 90's. The t,,.,o peoph with the highest gmdes weN non-pilots with no night experience and must have exert3d much effort. I hope you have enjoyed the Intt'C to Aviation course and r<>eeiva some future benefits. Sinoerely, Joh., D. Od�ard
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an aviation administration degree. Leppke's interest in aviation was sparked again, and Odegard encouraged him to return to UNO for a second degree.
Boston and Seattle, eventually retiring in 2010. Where ever he went, he often shared the wonderful opportunities that the UNO Aerospace program offered.
In August of 1970, Leppke and his wife returned to UNO where he spent the academic year studying air transportation, airline operations, advanced instrument technology, airport management and other aviation-related subjects. Unfortunately, as the school year ended, Leppke was two credits short of earning the degree, and he and his wife decided it was time to look for employment.
"Earning my pilot's license and completing the aviation course had a profound effect on me," Leppke remembers fondly. "It allowed me to leave UNO with a level of confidence that I would not have had without those experiences. Having an instructor like John to encourage me, promote excellence, and instill confidence - those are the things he left with me. I will forever be grateful to John." Ill
After being turned down for airport and airline administration jobs due to a deep recession in the airline industry, Leppke landed a job in infonnation technology. He spent the rest of his career in infonnation technology and software engineering, working and living in Chicago,
- By Jena Pierce
////////// UNDalumni.org
HOMECOMING
HOMECOMING WEEK PRESENTED BY
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UNDalumni.org/homecoming Alumni Review I Summer 2018
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Thursday, September 20
UND Department of Social Work Homecoming Event 9 a.m. Hilton Garden Inn Banquet Room
ND Digital Atlas Launch Event 3:15 -4:30 p.m. Introducing for the first time, the multidisciplinary "ND Digital Atlas" website, to the University and community. O'Kelly Hall, Room 260 Questions? tanya.butler@UND. edu I 701.777.6240 Simplot French Fry Feed 4 p.m. University Park Sioux Awards Social 5:30 p.m. Dinner and Program 6:30 p.m. Tickets: $50 Alerus Center Ballroom The Sioux Award is the highest honor given by the UND Alumni Association & Foundation for achievement, service and loyalty. Register at UNDalumni.org/ siouxawards. Questions? events@UNDalumni. net or call 701.777.2611
Friday, September 21
Fighting Hawks Friday
Get your green on and show your
spirit!
N PCC Open House 9:30 - 11 a.m. Tour the newly integrated training clinic for Speech-Language Pathology, Clinical Psychology, and Counseling Psychology Students. Northern Prairie Community Clinic 1st Floor, Columbia Hall Questions? jessica.l.foley@UND. edu I 701.777.3312
Marketing (Distributive) Education Students and Associates Reunion 12:30 - 3 p.m. Program at 1:30 p.m. Newman Center 41 0 Cambridge St. SMHS Building Tours 1 -3 p.m. Register at UNDalumni.org/smhs homecoming-2018 Math Department Open House 2-4 p.m. Witmer 313 CoBPA Alumni & Friends Social 4:30 -6:30 p.m. Gorecki Alumni Center Great River Energy Terrace SMHS Homecoming Banquet 5:00 -8 p.m. Register at UNDalumni.org/smhs homecoming-2018 Hilton Garden Inn Banquet Room UND Letterwinners Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony 5 p.m. SOLD OUT Alerus Center UND School of Law Alumni Social 5- 7 p.m. Open to all UND Law alumni, friends and family. UND School of Law Central Commons Questions? beth.moe@law.UND. edu I 701. 777.2282 Aerospace 50th Anniversary Banquet & Celebration 5:30 p.m. Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences.
The evening will feature a social, short program, dinner and entertainment by the Dueling Pianos. Tickets: $25 Alerus Center Visit UNDalumni.org/aeroS0 to purchase tickets Accounting Hall of Fame 6:30- 9 p.m. Recognizing the accomplishments of the 2018 UND Accounting Hall of Fame inductees. Gorecki Alumni Center Questions? Laura Arneson I laura.arneson@business.und.edu I 701.777.6937 KEM Shrine "Rockin' the Forks" 32 Below and Blind Joe outdoor concert 6:15 p.m. Grand Forks Town Square
Saturday, September 22
Potato Bowl & Homecoming Parade 10 a.m. Downtown Grand Forks on Demers Avenue
Fighting Hawks Live for Gameday Tailgate 2-4 p.m. Alerus Center Parking Lot UND Football vs Idaho State 4:30 p.m. Alerus Center To purchase tickets or to see a full list of all Homecoming events, visit UNDalumni.org/homecoming.
BULLY BREW �
UNDalumni.org
SIOUX AWARD RECIPIENT
PHIL JACKSON,'67, HON '08
He's been called the greatest NBA coach of all time, and with a league-record 11 championships (13 if you count his time as a player), it's hard to dispute that claim. But when he's referred to as the "Zen Master," Phil Jackson,'67, HON '08, pushes back. "There is no Zen Master," Phil says. "There is just Zen." He got the often-cited nickname and gained media attention for his holistic approach to coaching that was influenced by meditation, Eastern philosophy, and Native American spiritual practices. His
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
approach has its roots at the University of North Dakota.
Phil first came to UNO after being recruited by then-basketball coach Bill Fitch, who also moved on to a career in NBA coaching. Phil earned consecutive All-American honors at UNO for his performance on the hardwood. A left-handed hook shot helped him to average nearly 27.5 points per game during his senior year. His athleticism spanned two sports, and he was a standout Major League Baseball draft prospect for UND's baseball team.
"I made a right decision in choosing the University of North Dakota because it gave me an opportunity to grow into my physique," Phil said. "I went to college at 6'6," grew 2 inches in college, and I grew into my frame. In those days, freshmen were ineligible to play, so I had a year to further develop myself." Growing up in a fundamentalist Christian home, where the Bible was the first and foremost text in the house, Phil always assumed he would follow in his father's footsteps and become a minister. But a freshman biology lesson on Darwinism set Phil on what he calls a seeker's path. "I floundered coming to college my freshman year," Phil said. "Discussing evolution and the prospects of a different thought process than what I grew up with was somewhat disturbing." And so he poured himself into his education. "My major of philosophy and religion covered the bases of interest to me, and I added some accounting, business, and law into that," Phil said. "It opened the door to thinking of other things in my solid background of Christian belief, which was a strong influence in my life." Even after graduation in 1967, at which time he was drafted to the New York Knicks, he came back to UNO for three summers of graduate school, immersing himself in psychology classes to further his education. "The University provided a base and it provided a safe ground for discussion of thought," Phil said. "I was fortunate to have many classes that were small, individual, and quite personal where discussion was permitted. Many of the classes put me in contact with people who were also pursuing deeper thought on a personal level." During those summers, Phil started to build the foundation of his coaching philosophy - an approach that created one of the most successful professional basketball coaches of all time. Every year of his 20-year coaching career (nine years with the Chicago Bulls and 11 years with the LA Lakers), his teams made the NBA playoffs, winning 11 championship titles. He had a winning record every year as a head coach, and still holds the highest win percentage of any Hall of Fame coach. Along with his NBA-record 11 championships, he is the only coach to win at least 10 championships in any of North America's major professional sports. In 1996, Phil won the NBA Coach of the Year Award. That year, as part of the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 10 greatest coaches of all time. In 2002 and 2010 the United States Sports Academy awarded him the Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award and he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Phil credits some of his success to his education on transformational psychology - what he calls being a manager of personalities. ''The basis for successful living involved this idea of personal transformation," Phil said. "Well-being, higher thought, higher purpose, and the idea that you're working together toward something that's 'greater than' fit in very well with the idea of playing on teams and being part of a team." He's coached a wide range of personalities, including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and Dennis Rodman. "The extreme pressures directed by media and fans create special bonds. They cook you, like being baked in an oven. They solidify the special relationships - you're looking out for the best interests of your players, and they of you," Phil said. Phil was last on UND's campus in 2008, when he received an honorary degree. He keeps tabs on the University, and has a particular interest in the College of Arts & Sciences interdisciplinary Online Atlas Project, which analyzes data from the state to create maps designed to show demographic, economic, and social changes to North Dakota over time. "I thought it was a combination of things that could bring focus to the identity of the state and highlight some of the beauty," Phil said. Phil retired from coaching in 2011 and joined the New York Knicks as an executive in March 2014, where he was president until 2017. These days he spends his time gardening, speaking, and writing. "Writing is an ongoing process for me," Phil said. He has authored nine books about his teams and his basketball strategies. The most recent, "Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success," was published in 2013. He remains interested in supporting education for Native American populations - another interest that got its start at UND, when he participated in the Upward Bound program. "I'm really beholden to many of the Lakota people who've sat in sweat lodges and held prayers for the variety of endeavors I've done," he said. Phil was presented the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, bestowed upon prominent North Dakotans, in 1992. His portrait and plaque hang in the state Capitol in Bismarck with other past Rough Rider Award winners, such as one-time baseball home run king Roger Maris, band leader Lawrence Welk, singer Peggy Lee and UND's eighth president Tom Clifford. He has five children and eight grandchildren, who he says come first in the order of things. He still meditates daily. Ill - By Alyssa Konickson
UNDalumni.org
SIOUX AWARD
SIOUX AWARD RECIPIENT
JEANNE CRAIN, '82 Jeanne (Heilman) Crain, '82, describes the University of North Dakota as the "launching pad" for her career and personal life. "UND prepared me and launched me in every way needed, and I'm proud to be an example of how UND focuses on shaping lives for the better," said Crain. She has been shaping lives for the better in her position as Chief Executive Officer of Bremer Financial Corporation, Minnesota's largest privately-held commercial bank, since November 2016. She
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
has more than 36 years of community banking experience, working in a variety of roles in commercial and retail banking, as well as wealth management. She has been the recipient of many regional and national awards, including being named one of Minnesota's 10 Top Corporate Women by Twin Cities Business Magazine and a Top Woman in Finance by Finance & Commerce, and receiving the Women in Business-Industry Leader Award from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and the Women's Business Advocate of the Year Award from the Women's Business Development Center.
Born in New Rockford, North Dakota, into a family of eight and growing up 90 miles away in Rugby, Grain's strong roots led her to UNO. It was the only school she applied to, due in part to her family's legacy at the school, but also because of UND's well-known programs. "I entered college somewhat undecided, but knew I wanted to pursue a business degree," Crain said. "The school of business was so well known and regarded and had such a variety of curricula to choose from. I felt I could find my way within that school to land on something of interest to me that would also drive some great career opportunities." Crain is thankful she was exposed to different aspects of business from marketing to economics and finally to finance, and she received a bachelor's degree in Banking and Finance in 1982. Crain started her career in Grand Forks at First Bank System before moving to Milwaukee to pursue her Master's in Business Administration. Since then, she worked at Bank One Milwaukee, was CEO of Marquette Capital Bank, EVP at Excel Bank, and president of the Minnesota region for M&I/BMO Harris Bank. Crain joined Bremer in 2012 as President of the Twin Cities Region, and now serves as the President and CEO of Bremer Financial Corporation. "Taking on the CEO role for Bremer has been both the most challenging and the most rewarding opportunity in my banking career," she says. Despite her many professional accomplishments, Crain considers her greatest accomplishment to be the success of her teams. She values the opportunity and responsibility she has to help teams thrive, collaborate, and find purpose and passion in their work. "My passion for the business of banking is what fuels me every day. I enjoy the challenge of the work, especially during these times of significant change in the industry. Engaging and empowering teams has been a key driver of our success.â&#x20AC;˘
Grain's passion for helping others goes beyond her work as CEO. She realizes the success of the bank relies on the success of the communities they are in, which is part of the reason she's involved with various charities and community groups. She serves on the boards of the Greater Twin Cities United Way and the YMCA of Greater Twin Cities and is a member of the Itasca Project and Minnesota Women's Economic Roundtable. She is particularly passionate about the issues around affordable housing, and is currently serving as co-chair of the Governor's Task Force on Housing and has taken on the role of co-chair for the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity CEO annual build project. "I believe everyone deserves to have a decent and affordable place they call home," says Crain. Crain credits the University of North Dakota for launching her career. She is thankful for the support, guidance, and education she received during her four years on campus. "I always appreciated the commitment the university had to shaping students and helping them land a career," she says. Crain is also thankful for scholarships she received and recognizes that she has benefited from the generosity of others. This gratitude has motivated her to give back to UNO and beyond. "It's a responsibility to give back." Receiving the Sioux Award reminds Crain of her start at UND. "It's humbling," says Crain. She hopes to reflect all the award stands for and to continue to emulate that in the work she does. She is particularly honored and proud to receive the award from the state and the school where it all began for her. Ill - By Lauren Vetter
Serving customers has always provided Crain with a sense of purpose. "Finding purpose and having passion for what I do are the two key characteristics that have kept me interested in the business throughout my career."
UNDalumni.org
SIOUX AWARD RECIPIENT
LAURIS MOLBERT, '79, '83
Lauris Melbert has enjoyed a dynamic and enriching career with beginnings as an attorney and then as a corporate executive. He is currently serving on several boards, including acting as the Executive Chair of the Board of the Fargo-based Kilbourne Group; a role he took when the real estate development company's founder, Doug Burgum, was elected governor of North Dakota.
Melbert enjoys the role of a board member. Not only does it allow a focus on strategy, Melbert says "it offers the rewarding opportunity to assist leadership teams with the challenges of executing on strategy and addressing workplace culture." While he finds serving on boards gratifying, Melbert doesn't count out another full-time executive role if the "conditions are right." Melbert grew up in a small town, Steele, North Dakota, and spent most of his summers working on a nearby livestock and small grain farm owned by his family. His father, Ralph, '39, '41, a UNO law school graduate, was the president and owner of a local community bank in Steele. "My Dad sent me to the farm to work the minute I was old enough. While I grumbled from time to time, in hindsight, it was a great experience. I learned many lessons, including the value of hard work and how to be resourceful."
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
Melbert says he arrived at UNO with a lack of confidence that perhaps came from a small-town upbringing. He was not sure that, with his education and experiences, he would be able to keep up with those from larger communities. He credits UND's professors for the confidence building he needed. "It was learning, coupled with a culture of pride in, and passion for, students, that gave me the boost that I needed. I left UNO with both a business and a law degree, but even more importantly, with a belief that anything was possible."
After graduating from law school ranked second in his class, Molbert joined a law firm in Fargo and developed a practice in creditor rights and business law. He left the practice of law after 12 years to pursue a business career, but he credits much of his business success to his law school education and skills learned as a lawyer. While he enjoyed and had success with the practice of law, he said that he wanted something more-an opportunity to create value in the business world where good work and strategy can lead to much more than the often zero-sum battles of legal disputes. Molbert's opportunity for a business career came from Fergus Falls, Minnesota-based Otter Tail Power Company. He was hired in 1995 as the president of a subsidiary, formed to diversify the
publicly traded Otter Tail to more than just an electric utility. During his tenure with Otter Tail, from 1995-2011, revenues at Otter Tail grew to $1.2 billion from $300 million, thanks in large part to the over 40 acquisitions Molbert lead or oversaw. From a company solely operating a regulated electric utility with 800 employees, Otter Tail became a company consisting of 12 business units, including companies in manufacturing, plastics, radio stations, food processing and health care, with more than 4,000 employees and operations in several states. With the diversification success, the publicly traded company was re-branded Otter Tail Corporation. Molbert was named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer responsible for all businesses, including the electric utility. 'It was a wonderful experience for me,â&#x20AC;˘ says Molbert. 'I learned with all these different businesses the incredible value and power of engaged cultures and leadership. We were able to profitably and sustainably grow the diversified family of companies by aligning values, by focusing on a performance culture and by the engagement of leadership teams." Molbert left Otter Tail Corporation and became the CEO of a large owner and operator of hotels in 2011. The company, at the time known as Tharaldson Motels, was experiencing significant challenges, ranging from very poor guest survey scores to sizable financial issues. T he company, which was re-branded TMI Hospitality by Molbert, owned and operated over 200 hotels in 25 states, with over 15,000 guest rooms and 4,500 team members. It was so large Molbert joked that "we probably served hotel guests over a million bowls of oatmeal for breakfast each year." In addition to being a large hospitality company, it was an employee owned company through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Molbert was told it was the 30th largest ESOP in the country. With new and existing talent, TMI Hospitably, under Molbert's tenure, quickly became one of the best hotel operators under Marriott and Hilton select service and extended-stay brands. While operating under those nationally known brands, TMI received many awards recognizing the remarkable turnaround and industry leading guest scores. In addition, the company quickly addressed and resolved the inherited financial issues. That allowed the ESOP to sell the company and capture significant value for ESOP participants.
In addition to the business career Molbert pursued, he spent significant time helping his father with efforts to grow the community bank owned by the Molbert family. When his father retired, Molbert led the ownership group of the bank, and helped implement an expansion into Bismarck, North Dakota, as well as a rebranding of the bank as Northland Financial. After successful expansion and growth, Northland Financial was sold in 2015 to a larger organization, Choice Financial, and he now serves on Choice's Board. During his professional career, Molbert has given often of his time, talent and treasure. He has served as Chair of the Board and as a Board Trustee of Sanford Health, one of the largest health systems in the country, during much of its expansion into the footprint it has today; he chaired the Greater Fargo-Moorhead Economic Development Corporation; and spent nine years on the board of the UNO Alumni Association & Foundation (UNDAA&F). It was during his time on the UNDAA&F board that Molbert reconnected with UNO. "It was a great opportunity to once again experience the impressive energy and passion for education and the many talented professors and students at UNO. And, it was a wonderful reminder of how UNO shaped me at such an important time in my life, and provided me with the confidence to set high goals and the desire to never stop learning." Molbert says his father believed that it is important to be grateful for the gifts one has been given and to show that gratitude by giving back. It is this philanthropic spirit that led Molbert and his family to pay for the extensive renovation of the first-year classroom in the UNO School of Law, turning it into a state-of-the-art learning environment in honor of his father. He has also given to support faculty in the College of Business and Public Administration, and to the fund to build the Gorecki Alumni Center on campus. "I have many, foremost my parents, to thank for their many examples of how to live a life of purpose, and their encouragement and confidence in me. I will be forever grateful for the great start I received from the University of North Dakota and believe we should do what we can to make sure UNO is able to continue to provide that same great start to others for generations to come." Ill
In 2015, TMI Hospitality was sold to a large private equity company, which asked Molbert to remain as CEO. The company was again sold in 2017 and Molbert retired from the CEO role. "While it was a very rewarding experience, with so much accomplished, it was time to catch my breath," Molbert says.
UNDalumni.org
SIOUX AWARD RECIPIENT
MICHAEL LODOEN, '65
Michael Lodoen cofounded a San Jose, California, construction company 40 years ago that has built more than 11,000 homes, condominiums and apartments in the San Francisco Bay Area.
He grew up in Bottineau, North Dakota, and his early claim to fame was his record-setting way in track and field. In high school, he was a two-time state champion in the pole vault. In 1960, he broke the oldest state high school track meet record, which had stood since 1934.
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
He competed in track and field at the University of North Dakota as well while pursuing his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. He was a Maxwell Upson scholar, a member and president of Lambda Chi Alpha social fraternity, a member of the Student Society of Civil Engineers and the Blue Key Honor Society.
Following graduation, Lodoen went from working on a hydroelectric power plant near Yosemite National Park in California to Vietnam, where he worked on everything from military bases to roads and bridges.
'Our normal work week was 10 hours a day, six days a week," Lodoen says. "So I was getting a lot of experience in a hurry and had a chance to work at a lot of different types of construction. It was good for my career." Lodoen worked in Vietnam for six years, starting as a field engineer and ending as a construction project engineer. During that time, he also met and married his wife, Sitney, and they had the first of two children, son Michael. He says his UNO education served him well, but early in his career he decided he had to shed something from his past that he felt was holding him back a bit. 'I quit using the name "Mickey," which everybody called me when I was growing up and in high school and university. When I got into the business world and was spending a fair amount of time calling people on the phone that didn't know me and I would say my name is Mickey, and the first thing they would say is 'Nick?' They just didn't register that Mickey was a name for an adult. I started using Mike and that took care of that problem." After returning to the United States, Lodoen went to work for Bechtel Power Corporation in San Francisco. He worked for Bechtel for five years on the construction of two large coal-fired power plants in Wyoming and Montana. While living in Wyoming, their daughter Melissa was born. With a dozen years of heavy construction work under his belt, Lodoen wanted to put down roots and start his own construction business. A mutual acquaintance put him in touch with Chuck Davidson and the two men founded L&D Construction Co. Inc. in 1978.
trekked in the high Himalaya Mountains in Bhutan and the Andes Mountains in Peru. "I've often wondered why I was so interested in traveling," says Lodoen. "Maybe it's because, when I was growing up, we never had much money. I never had a chance to do very much traveling and once I got out on my own and had a chance to travel, I was very interested to go a lot of places and see what the world had to offer, to see what was there." Having been a student with limited means at UNO, Lodoen is now a generous supporter of the Engineering program and its students. 'I know how difficult it is for students to be able to afford a higher education. It was difficult for me, but it was certainly well worth it. And so now that I'm financially in a much better position than I ever dreamed I would be, I'm more than happy to be able to send some money back to the University and help some of the students and help the University in general with continuing the good work that enabled me to be successful.â&#x20AC;˘ Lodoen says it is gratifying to see how well the College of Engineering and Mines (CEM) is excelling. "I'm really pleased with the way the School has increased in size and in particular the engineering department since Dean Hesham EI-Rewini has been here. It has really grown and developed."
The company has built thousands of homes, condos and apartments in the Bay Area over the past 40 years. Though they've always done a fair share of apartments for senior citizens and families with limited incomes, that has become their exclusive focus for the past decade.
The UND Alumni Association & Foundation is not the only nonprofit organization to benefit from Mike's generosity. In addition to supporting other charitable causes, he served four years on the board of directors of a charter high school in San Jose that helps underperforming students succeed. He was originally brought on board to assist with some construction projects, but stayed on the board even after the projects were completed. He has since financially helped one of the founders of that school start similar schools in the area.
'We could see that there was a real need for affordable housing in the Bay Area. It was a good business decision also because we could make money doing it. So it was a combination of both being a good thing to do for society plus it was good business."
Lodoen, who was inducted into the CEM Alumni Academy in 2013, says he's very honored to receive the Sioux Award. He has been coming back for Homecoming for over a decade now and has attended many recent Sioux Award banquets.
Though Mike's son, Michael, and another junior partner are now running the day-to-day operations of L&D, Mike, at age 76, still works part time because he enjoys the work and feels he still has something to contribute to society.
"It was a complete shock to me," Lodoen says of being told he would be honored with a Sioux Award. 'I never expected to be part of that group, but it's very nice and I really appreciate the recognition."/// - By Milo Smith
Working part-time has freed Lodoen to pursue one of his outside passions: travel. He and Sitney have visited more than 65 countries. He has been from Antarctica almost to the Arctic Circle. He has
UNDalumni.org
SIOUX AWARD RECIPIENT
MARY MARING, '75
Mary (Muehlen) Maring, '75, wrote more than 800 majority opinions, dissents, and concurring opinions during a nearly 18-year career as a North Dakota Supreme Court Justice. That's nearly 50 per year; an indication of just how busy the schedule is for the state's top court.
That's because, unlike the U.S. Supreme Court and some other state supreme courts that are able to choose which cases to hear, North Dakota's high court must take every case properly appealed to it. So while the U.S. Supreme Court might take 50-80 cases for oral arguments in a year, Maring says she heard more than 3,200 oral arguments during her time on the bench. And while that meant a lot of work - "We pretty much worked around the clock" - Maring loved it. "I feel very lucky," says Maring of her years on the high court. "I think that it's important for people to find their passion in life, and I feel like I did. It was really a good fit for me and I'm very happy about it."
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
Even as a teenager growing up in the small town of Penn, North Dakota, Maring knew she wanted to be an attorney. She admits it was a bit of an odd choice in that there were no lawyers in her family to serve as inspiration. Instead, a family friend who she admired was an attorney and she thought it was a career in which she could help people and make a difference. So she set off for Moorhead State University (now Minnesota State University Moorhead) to earn bachelor's degrees in Political Science and German with an eye toward attending law school. UNO was the logical choice for her Juris Doctorate degree. "I really wanted to stay in state, so it just made a lot of sense for me to attend the University of North Dakota to go to law school. I never regretted that decision and was very happy with my choice."
Maring met her husband, David, '74, in law school, and the two would eventually work together at the Maring Law Office, which Mary
founded in 1991 after serving as a law clerk and then working as an attorney in Fargo-Moorhead. The firm was well-established and growing when, in 1996, Beryl Levine, '74, the first woman to serve on the North Dakota Supreme Court, announced her retirement. Mary was encouraged by husband David and some of her colleagues to submit her name to the Governor's Office. Governor Ed Schafer, '69, HON '08, chose her to serve out the two years Levine had left on her term. The catch: Maring had to commit to running for the seat in the 1996 general election. Then came news that a challenger with state-wide name recognition, Agriculture Commissioner Sarah Vogel, would run against her. Maring says those six months seem "like a blur." She commuted from Fargo every week to hear cases and do committee work with the high court. Nights and weekends were spent on the campaign trail. "North Dakota is very grassroots," says Maring. "You have to go to parades and county fairs, to shake hands with people and you have to go door to door and that's the only way you can do it. I really felt that, because I was not well known, I had to touch people. I had to actually meet them face to face." To her admitted surprise, Maring defeated Vogel in November of 1996 to complete the two years left of Levine's 10-year term on the high court. She would earn 10-year terms in 1998 and 2008 running unopposed. Upon retiring from the court in 2013, she was the longest-serving female justice in the court's history. North Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle, '55, '58, HON '15, says Maring made a lasting impact on the judicial system. In an article for the North Dakota Law Review, VandeWalle wrote that "Justice Maring's passionate advocacy for disadvantaged groups is only overshadowed by her well-reasoned and imposing body of jurisprudence." VandeWalle went on to write that Maring's "keen mind" was demonstrated in Hoff v. Berg, a 1999 case centered on enforcement of visitation rights by grandparents. The case concerned a 1993 state law that said grandparents must be given visitation rights to a minor grandchild unless a court found visitation was not in the best interest of the child.
Maring analysis found the law unconstitutional and she suggested a more narrowly tailored approach, which the Legislature later used to amend the law. A year later, the U.S. Supreme Court cited Maring's work on Hoff in an appeal involving a Washington state law on grandparent visitation. VandeWalle, who has served on the North Dakota Supreme Court for 40 years, says Maring's work on Hoff is just one example of her judicial accomplishments which led him to consider her "among the finest jurists I have known." Maring says she enjoyed the intellectual aspects of adjudicating cases and was able to realize her childhood dream of a career that helped people. For example, Maring was instrumental in launching juvenile drug courts in the state. She learned about drug courts while attending a national conference. When she returned, she chaired a committee that studied the idea for a year before starting pilot courts in Grand Forks and Fargo. They eventually spread across the state. The courts operate with judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, school representatives, and treatment counselors all working as a team to intervene with young drug offenders. The juvenile drug courts proved so successful that adult drug courts were later established in the state. "I would never have been able to do that had I not had my position on the court and been able to go to the chief justice and say 'We need to do this. We need to get this in place so we can help people that are addicts stay out of the criminal justice system."' She may have retired from the court, but Maring has not entirely stepped away from work. She serves as a surrogate judge, which means she fills in on the Supreme Court if a sitting judge has to recuse. She also runs a mediation firm, Maring Mediation. Although still active, Maring now has the flexibility to do things like visit her two sons, who live on opposite coasts, and to have a little more down time than one is afforded as a North Dakota Supreme Court Justice. /// - By Milo Smith
UNDalumni.org
YOUNG ALUMNI RECIPIENT
KAYLA DELZER, '08, '14
Kayla (Hoerth) Delzer's love for teaching has deep roots.
"I always say that I knew from the first day of Kindergarten that I'd be a Kindergarten teacher like my mom," Kayla, '08, '14, said. Her plans changed slightly when she was studying Elementary Education and Early Childhood at UND. During her first day student teaching in a second-grade classroom, she knew it was for her, and she's been teaching second and third grade ever since, most recently in Mapleton, North Dakota. Kayla got her first job at Challenger Elementary School in Thief River Falls, Minnesota . In 2011, when iPads were just coming onto the scene in education, Challenger's technology coordinator encouraged Kayla to share her ideas for classroom use with other teachers. "He knew that if I was given a little push, I'd do something with it," Kayla said.
She gained notoriety beyond the teaching community in 2015 at TEDx Fargo. Her talk, "Reimagining Classrooms: Students as Leaders and Teachers as Learners," launched a whirlwind of speaking invitations.
''The more speaking I do, the more I love it. I see the effects it's having on classrooms around the world that have adapted the flexible seating model and so many of my ideas," Kayla said. As time goes on, Kayla finds herself focusing more on the central theme of her Ted talk: "Relationships First, Everything Else Second." She gets invited (and goes) to her students' swim meets, plays with them during gym class, and writes every child a note about their good behavior every week. "Kids learn so much better when they really feel like you care about them," Kayla says.
And so, Top Dog Teaching was born. First, it was a blog where she shared ideas. Then, it expanded to social media. Today, it's her identity. "People actually come up to me and ask if I'm Top Dog Teaching," Kayla said.
She's a regular columnist on EdSurge.com, recently released FlexED: Flexible Seating for Flexible Learners, co-authored the best-selling book Education Write Now, and co-founded the international Happy Go Teach conference for professional development.
With nearly 74,000 lnstagram followers, she's a teacher celebrity, and she has the accolades to back it up: Kayla has been named among the Global Hundred Innovative Teachers; a PBS All Star, given to the top 30 teachers in the country; she sits on the Governor's Innovative Education Task Force; and she was named Cass County's 2018 Co Teacher of the Year.
"Once I started seeing my ideas in other classrooms, it was enough for me to keep getting up in front of teachers because I knew it was ultimately reaching more kids," Kayla said. "That's what Top Dog Teaching is all about: reaching more kids and making education better." Ill
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
- By Alyssa Konickson
YOUNG ALUMNI RECIPIENT
DARREN MOQUIST, 'OD Imagine overseeing a team of more than 150 financial professionals and providing direct oversight to 10 executives. That is just another day in the office for Darren Moquist, '00, chief financial officer for UnitedHealthcare Employer & Individual.
As CFO, Moquist manages more than $55 billion in revenue for the Twin Cities based healthcare giant, the largest provider of health benefits to employers and individuals in the nation. While the company's financials are impressive, Moquist's position as a top executive with the company at the young age of 40 is equally admirable. "I have always been a person who sets goals. And when I set a goal I do everything I can to learn and apply that knowledge," said Moquist. Joining UnitedHealthcare in 2005, Moquist quickly climbed the ladder of success from a director in corporate development to vice president of employer & individual finance and, eventually, into the position of CFO that he holds today. "What I love about my job is that every day is a new and interesting challenge. As a member of our senior leadership team, I help lead business strategy, development and planning. 1 also focus on developing other financial leaders in our organization and growing my team members to take on new roles," Moquist explained.
A native of Grand Forks, Moquist has been immersed in the healthcare industry all of his life. His father, Dale Moquist, '71, was a family physician and an inspiration to Darren. "I watched my dad growing up and the passion he had for being a family doctor. I knew that whatever I did, I wanted to make a difference in people's lives like he has," Moquist said.
Though Moquist didn't choose exactly the same path as his father, he feels right at home being a leader in the healthcare industry. In his role with UnitedHealthcare, he is dedicated to developing new and innovative ways to improve the health system and enhance health outcomes for more Americans. "I am humbled to work for such an amazing company and credit my undergrad education at the University of North Dakota for providing the foundation," Moquist said. As an accounting and business administration double major at UND, Moquist said he was taught to think through problems, take in a wealth of knowledge and better himself; all virtues that serve him well each day. "As I look back on how I have progressed through life and my career I think of family. I think of UND. And, I think of North Dakota and the hard work ethic that was instilled in me," he said. Moquist adds that he is extremely honored to receive the Young Alumni Achievement Award from his alma mater and "never would have dreamed of this" as a kid growing up in Grand Forks. "I attribute my success to so many people; my family, mentors at UND, colleagues along the way. They all have played a part in the person I am today. I am grateful." Ill - By Leanna lhry
UNDalumni.org
Photo by Russell Hons Photography
NEWS FROM AROUND CAMPUS
WHAT'S NEW
T.J. Oshie, ..'08, brought the Stanley Cup to Minnesota in July. Every member of the NHL champion Washington Capitals gets one day with the Cup. Oshie spent part of his day with the Cup in Warroad where he won two Minnesota High School Championships as a high schooler. He also took the trophy to the MAP Hockey training facility in Mendota Heights to take pictures with youth hockey teams (a group picture is featured above). Oshie trains with MAP Hockey in the off-season.
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
PRESIDENT MARK KENNEDY
DEAR ALUMNI & FRIENDS
Of all the responsibilities assigned to this position, one of the greatest privileges of being President at the University of North Dakota is the role it allows me to play in our graduation ceremonies. As each student crosses the stage, I have the honor of shaking their hand and acknowledging the years of hard work and dedication they've committed to earning their diploma. Commencement is the symbolic gesture that UNO has fulfilled its most important purpose: conferring degrees upon its graduates that will open many opportunities for them, their families, and their communities. Needless to say, each May I have the opportunity to shake many newly graduated hands. This year during our spring commencement ceremonies, over 2,000 students received diplomas, each of them now moving on to the next chapter of his or her life as an alumnus of this great University. If you are receiving this Alumni Review magazine, it means that you, too, know how exciting this milestone is for these graduates. This edition of the Alumni Review highlights the graduates of our 1968 class, many of whom will be coming back this fall for our Homecoming Week. It is a humbling feeling to know that this University can form a bond between those who walked across the stage 50 years ago to receive their own diplomas from UNO. It is quite incredible to realize that, half a century from now, some of the graduates of this spring will likely return to celebrate a Homecoming Week at their alma mater. The lasting affinity our alumni have for the University of North Dakota is truly a powerful thing. The bustling activity involved in conferring degrees to these graduates during our commencement weekends quickly gives way to a few quieter months on our campus, but it strikes me that by the time you read this many of our students will once again be converging back to UNO for the fall semester. With the new academic year quickly approaching, UNO has recently welcomed a few new faces to some of our leading roles. Jed Shivers began his tenure as Vice President for Finance and Operation in May. A Wisconsin native, Jed previously served eleven years as the Associate Dean of Finance and Administration at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Alice Brekke, who previously held this role, has been phasing into retirement but will be leaving UNO this fall after nearly forty years at the institution. Alice has been of invaluable benefit over her decades at the University of North Dakota, and I hope you join me in my immense gratitude for all she has done during her impressive tenure. We have also recently hired Maloney Linder to the role of Vice President for University Relations. Maloney comes to us having served as the Chief Communications Officer and Associate Dean for
the School of Business at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Peter Johnson, who has assumed many of the roles of this position over his 30 years at UNO, has also been in the process of a phased retirement that will conclude at the end of this coming academic year. Peter has been an exceptional representative for this university throughout his time, and we're glad to be able to hold on to him for just a few more months as he assists with the upcoming legislative session and this position's transition. Other new members of the UNO family include Amy B. Henley, our next Dean of the College of Business and Public Administration. Amy comes to UNO having previously served as the executive director of MBA programs at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. We have also chosen the next Director for the Center for Innovation, Amy Whitney, to lead our growing entrepreneurship outreach center. Amy comes to us from Clark University in Massachusetts, where she served as the director for their Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program. I would like to close with one final reflection on our recent commencement ceremonies. In my address to our graduates, I focused on how rapidly the world around them is changing. They are entering their professional years at a time when growing shifts in technology will require them to constantly reshape their approaches to the challenges of today and tomorrow. However, one thing that will remain stable is how they were prepared to adapt to these changes. It is for this reason that our newly crafted mission statement at UNO is to provide transformative learning, discovery, and community engagement opportunities for developing tomorrow's leaders. By fulfilling this promise to our students, the University of North Dakota will be considered the home to the future's Leaders in Action. Then, even 50 years after they graduate, they too will hold the same strong affinity for their alma mater as our alumni do today. Debbie and I would like to extend our warmest wishes to each and every one of you. Thank you for making it so easy for us to be UNO Proud.
UNDalumni.org
UNO ROCKET TEAM
Stefan Tomovic (left), Nicholas Sponsel (center) and UND Physics and Astrophysics Professor Tim Young stand next to the rocket used in this year's NASA Student Launch in Huntsville, Ala. Young's team, nicknamed "Frozen Fury," took second place for Best Website at the event. Photo by Connor Murphy/UNO Today
w// ROCKET SCIENCE
UND student team has a blast at annual NASA event
Stefan Tomovic and Nicholas Sponsel were looking for ways to get involved on campus when physics and astrophysics professor Tim Young spoke to their class about the UND Rocket Team. Young had just returned from the team's annual trip to Huntsville, Alabama, where NASA hosts schools from around the nation to showcase and launch their year-long rocket projects. UND has been a mainstay of the event since its inception nine years ago. "I had just read a book about rocketry," Tomovic, a senior electrical engineering major, said of his recruitment. "The book detailed ways electrical engineers can build rockets, and they're really cool, so I decided to chase that."
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Sponsel was new to UND and eager to get involved in the department.
year challenge is developing accompanying payloads.
"I looked up different projects in physics when I first came here," Sponsel, now a junior in astrophysics, recalled. "When Dr. Young came back from Huntsville and talked about the event, it got me interested."
This year, Frozen Fury chose to work on an autonomous rover deployment as their rocket's haul.
Two years later, they're leaders of "Frozen Fury" - the nickname of UND's rocket team. During 201 S's NASA Student Launch near Marshall Space Flight Center, they took home second place in Best Website.
Off the ground Every August, NASA sends a handbook outlining project options for teams. The overall objective - to build a fully functional rocket - remains consistent, but the year-to-
Young, who serves as adviser to the team, tries to maintain a hands-off approach as much as possible. Everything the team builds is by its own design and construction. "The goal of the project is for them to come together as a team and complete the goals that are set in the project," Young said. ''They haven't had much experience in rocketry, especially on the upper-amateur scale we're talking about." Using his suite of expertise, Young offers insights when necessary; he rarely questions
I
UND ROCKET TEAM
For this year's challenge, the UND Rocket Team was tasked with creating an autonomous rover. In the basement of UN D's Witmer Hall, they created a testing space for the rover to use during the winter months. Photo by Connor Murphy/UNO Today
how team members utilize the infomiation. "Every year there's a case where they'll choose to do something and I go along with it," he said. ''That's what I want to happen - for them to have a learning experience through solving problems." T hough the Huntsville student launch is the culminating event, teams are scored on every phase of the project - from how they propose their payload choice to how they evaluate their own rocket's perfomiance. At these stages of reporting, they present via web conference to a panel of NASA engineers.
Learning the role When Tomovic found himself as this year's Team Lead, he realized it was a position
without its own handbook. He wasn't sure how to delegate, and there was more paperwork to deal with in his position. "I'm glad I had Nick and our safety officer, Drew Ross, to help me figure things out with leadership," Tomovic said. "When you have new and younger team members, they don't quite have the skillset yet. They have the spirit and passion, so you have to guide them and make sure they can do what they want to do." He eventually came around to earn satisfaction from the amount of paperwork involved. "Building a rocket is nice and fun, but doing it properly and following steps, procedures and designing - that's what you learn," he said. "All the paperwork is tedious, but it's good. I actually kind of enjoyed it."
"What we learned on the leadership side is that delegation is a big thing," Sponsel added. ''That's going to be our focus next year. We won't be leads, more advisers, but we want to make sure things are as organized as possible." Organization is key when a group is gaining. Young says this year's group is the largest he's seen, with ten going down to Alabama for the launch. "When you have that many, the dynamics become rather important," Young said. "This year seemed to be more cohesive as a group and they worked and communicated really well together." Ill - Connor Murphy/UNO Today Writer
UNDalumni.org
Professor makes textbooks come alive with experiential learning in Mojave Desert
The tracks were from Coelurosaurs, an unusual species of dinosaur from the Jurassic Era, said Gerla, associate professor of geology and geological engineering, who led the trip. He added that they were between two and three feet tall and about the size of a small ostrich.
A group of UNO geology & geological engineering students went retro for Spring Break this year - as in pre-Ice Age.
Field experience
As part of a school sponsored expedition to the Mojave Desert led by Phil Gerla, the students discovered rare dinosaur tracks from the Jurassic times. It was a highlight of a trip that made textbooks come alive. "I felt like I was in a time machine," said Sidike Abudureyimu, a graduate student in geological engineering from Turpan, western China, who discovered the tracks in a slab of sandstone. "I traveled back millions of years, and it felt awesome." "I put my thumbs in the dinosaur footprints," said Emma Tschann, a senior in environmental geoscience from Zumbrota, Minnesota. "Once we found the first set of prints, more were easier to find. It was great. I loved it. I've loved dinosaurs since I was little. Seeing footprints that aren't in a museum and imagining the conditions back then was pretty cool."
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
Gerla likes giving students experience in the field. "Seeing the geological relationships in their natural environment helps us comprehend the history of the Earth," Gerla said. "It's like a jigsaw puzzle. Each little piece is part of the full picture. That's exciting for me." Gerla gave students maps and missions for each geologic feature they explored. All seven students, mostly geology and geological engineering majors, researched and shared information on an area they visited. "It was like walking into the pages of a textbook," said Tschann. "I was familiar with how to calculate strike and dip of formations by reading about it in textbooks, but had no idea of how those formations look in real life. It was worth all the hard work." "I researched the Hoover Dam and how it was built from an engineering perspective,"
said Abudureyimu. "My work combined geology and engineering, and I learned a lot." Gerla and the students kayaked on Lake Havasu, Arizona, soaked in hot springs, mapped geology, explored carbonatite dikes in the Mescal Mountain Range, sought fossils in the Marble Mountains, hiked the Cima Volcanic Field, climbed the Kelso Sand Dunes and more. "We talked about how sand dunes form," said Abudureyimu. "With a 500-foot elevation gain, they're not easy to climb. You take one step forward and slide half a step back." "And when you jump off the top of a sand dune, you hear a booming sound," said Tschann. "That's the sound of sand compacting quickly. They're so soft you can't get hurt."
Connecting the dots "The trip connected the dots between the textbook and the field," said Abudureyimu. "Dr. Gerla did a great job explaining the geological structures. "This was the experience of a lifetime. I'm so grateful to Dr. Gerla for providing it." Ill - Jan Orvik!UND Today writer
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CO-CAPTAINS
Cooper Pallasch (left) and Steven Kinney stand in front of one of the Cessna 150s used in competition during SAFECON 2018. They finished as the top two pilots in the nation, respectively. Photo by Connor Murphy
TOP GUNS
UND Aerospace home to two best student pilots in the nation after national flight/ safety competition When Cooper Pallasch and Steven Kinney led the UND Flying Team to national competition, the co-captains were hoping for the best. After last year, they lost years of experience in departing seniors. Kinney says there were doubts among the team, and many were worried about how things would go. "We went down there feeling like we had nothing to lose," he said. "We had a mentality of 'let's do our best and see what happens."' At SAFECON 2018, UNO maintained its reputation as Pallasch and Kinney secured the top two individual spots, respectively, and aided a second-place finish out of 30 competing institutions. The team has now finished first or second in 29 of the past 35 years. "The team we brought down there was ready and willing to work their butts off," Kinney continued. "Both of us as captains were proud of the team we had. From where we were at the beginning of the year, not really knowing what we were doing, I think it was a perfect team for us."
Team effort SAFECON, a yearly convention and competition by the National Intercollegiate Flying Association {NIFA), brings aviation schools together to test the mettle of their top students. This year, the competition was hosted by Indiana State University near Terre Haute, Ind. Pallasch, who earned the distinction of Top Pilot in the nation, says their crew shouldn't be confused with the flashier UND Aerobatic
Team. While aerobatic pilots are strictly judged on their airborne performance, the UND Flying Team faces a comprehensive set of challenges. "They're doing flips, spins and maneuvers to a routine," Kinney added. "Our event is all college students and we treat it like a track meet. Each person on the team can compete in certain events, then how you perform as an individual goes toward a team score." SAFECON consists of 11 events spread over a week. They range from a complex math test using a slide ruler {called Computer Accuracy) to landing a Cessna 150 as close to a target line as possible after a short flight. Fourteen UND Flying Team members went to Indiana for the competition. Kinney, who recently graduated, took first place in the Short Field Landings event. Pallasch didn't grab a first place, but placed second in four of his seven events - giving him the points to be number one, overall. "I don't think I would be nearly the pilot I am if it wasn't for the team," Pallasch said. "It's helped me fine-tune my skills, it's given me experiences I wouldn't have had otherwise. I've made a network that I wouldn't have if not for SAFECON and the LIND alumni that are now judging staff. T he team has helped me move forward and make great friends along the way." "You can come to LIND, you can get a great aviation education and you're going to be a good pilot," Kinney followed. "We aren't going to discredit that. But if you want to be the best, and learn the tricks aside from the standard routine, this is an opportunity to take your skills to a real-world application." Ill
-Connor Murphy/UNO Today Writer
UNDalumni.org
DR. MARK 0. JENSEN
teaches a human anatomy class to high school students at the UND Medical Education Center at the VA Medical Center in Fargo. Photo by Dan Koeck
Surgical revision The result of Jensen's labor of love is 'Surgical Anatomy for Mastery of Open Operations: A Multimedia Curriculum for Training Surgery Residents." Published by Wolters Kluwer, the textbook is 1O chapters long and contains detailed instructions and advice for performing more than 75 different operations. Speaking to the need for such a resource internationally, Jensen said, is the fact that Wolters Kluwer is translating the book into 30 different languages. "They really looked for another source like this, but couldn"t find one," the teacher-surgeon added. "To dedicate resources like that to this project-they're anticipating that this will have appeal internationally as well, so it looks like UND is going to get on the map here." And with good reason: this isn't your average medical student anatomy textbook, Jensen admitted. It's a training curriculum for surgery residents that "fills an important niche in the education of surgeons in training and in practice," as Associate Executive Director of the American Board of Surgery, Dr. Mark A. Malangoni, put it in the book's foreword, "It is a 'go to' reference for open operations, both common and uncommon."
Most comprehensive "You wouldn't want to get on a commercial jet whose pilots hadn't gone through various training scenarios and been through simulations. Why would it be any different for surgeons?" So asked UND's Dr. Mark Jensen matter-of-factly in a question that almost answers itself: "Simulation in surgery is coming on strong-it's expanding rapidly, of course. But really the only high-fidelity simulator for surgery is still the human body." Scanning the mar1<et for years to find a textbook that could assist him in teaching surgical residents at his clinical practice in Fargo, Jensen, a professor of surgery with the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS) since 1993, eventually just gave up looking-and wrote one himself. According to Jensen, as he and his colleagues-including former department chair Dr. David Antonenko-gained more experience teaching the School's general surgery course, and the market still failed to offer surgeons a useful guide, the idea of pitching a textbook to publishers became not only increasingly plausible, but necessary. "I started this book 15 years ago," said Jensen, who began teaching a surgical anatomy course for the SMHS in 1995. "I started dictating and writing down what we were teaching residents and edited the course based on what the residents were telling us worked or didn't."
Assuming a more modest pose, Jensen was concerned only with teaching what he felt needed to be taught. "You have to modify your operative strategy based on what each particular patient needs," he explained. "The strategy you use on a patient's leg, for example, changes depending on if the problem in question is a result of a tumor or a traumatic event or a vascular problem. How you address that is all strategy, and there's no simulator for that." The book's contributing surgeons were all SMHS faculty members: Drs. Cornelius Dyke, Linda B. Lindquist, Kurt D. Lindquist, Denise M. Rondeau, Robert P. Sticca and Andrew Terrell. Furthermore, several reviewing surgeons listed in the book are also SMHS faculty, including, Drs. Robert J. Bates, Michael S. Bouton, Jason M. Erpelding, John W. Jones, Jr., Jay M. MacGregor, Michael Traynor and Thomas Wambach. "There are medical schools now with no cadaver-based anatomy-it's all on a screen," Jensen concluded. "For some folks that might be perfectly fine, but we have students entering surgical residencies who need a much better foundation for their profession. So what we've done at UND-and there's no other program like this in the United States-is build the best surgical anatomy program in the country, the most comprehensive. That's one thing the taxpayers in North Dakota can be proud of." Ill - Brian James Schill/UNO SMHS
GIFTS OF
PROPERTY
Anyone can make an impact at the University of North Dakota by making a gift of appreciated property. What can I give? your home vacation property • undeveloped land • farmland • ranch • commercial property How does this benefit me? • Avoid paying capital gains tax on the sale of your property • Receive a charitable income tax deduction Leave a lasting legacy at UNO
How can I make a gift of property? Your real property may be given to the University of North Dakota Foundation by executing or signing a deed transferring ownership. You may deed part or all of your property to the University of North Dakota Foundation to benefit UNO. Contact us If you have any questions, please contact a member of our development staff at giftplanning@UNDfoundation.org or 800.543.8764.
f J\.� ALUMNI ASSOCIATlON U "'� FOUNDATION
LEADERS IN ACTION.
MICHAEL STORANDT,
a second-year medical student at UNO (at mic), went to the Special Olympics USA Games as a coach for North Dakota. A volunteer for the past seven years, Storandt was also selected to lead the Coaches' Oath during the Opening Ceremony. Photo by Kaia Watkins
LIVING THE
OATH
UND medical student delivers Coaches' Oath at Special Olympics opening ceremony Through his work with Special Olympics North Dakota, Michael Storandt would say that he isn't volunteering. He's doing something he loves. Since coaching a youth basketball team as a junior in high school, the Moorhead, Minnesota, native and second-year medical student has spent the past seven years working with the Special Olympics organization and its athletes. At UNO, he's been a trailblazer in developing competition for the collegiate age group. In July, at his first trip to the USA Games, Storandt was bestowed the honor of reciting the Coaches' Oath during the Opening Ceremony. "I feel unbelievably fortunate to be able to coach Special Olympics," Storandt said after being introduced by NBA Hall of Farner Gary Payton. "When I first got involved, I had no idea how big of an impact it would have on my life." Storandt shared the stage with athletic dignitaries and pop culture fixtures alike. The
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
ceremony was broadcast live on ABC, and the University of Washington's Husky Stadium in Seattle was full of spectators and more than 4,000 athletes. "It was amazing, and kind of nerve-wracking," he said about briefly leading the ceremony. "There's 20,000-30,000 people staring back at you, but it was a cool opportunity. "It's great because it represents what we're doing in North Dakota. It's often overlooked because we're a smaller state, but our programs are phenomenal. We have great athletes and volunteers. People who run the North Dakota program have given so many years to building the community around athletes, so it's great for North Dakota to get that recognition." Despite all of this experience and growth through his passion, Storandt knows people who he says were far more deserving to deliver the Coaches' Oath. "I was thrilled to find out I got to go to the Games, but being told about delivering the oath was something else," he remarked. "It's humbling. I've met people who have done this for 30 years who deserve the spotlight. There are so many who have given so much energy to this program and the athletes."
'Incredible coach' Kathy Meagher, President/CEO of Special Olympics North Dakota, met Storandt when he was still an undergraduate student at UNO. Now that he's pursuing a medical degree from the School of Medicine &. Health Sciences, she's amazed how he finds the time. "Michael is an incredible volunteer coach,"
she said. "His youth leadership is remarkable and it's cool to see. Despite his hectic schedule, he's developed a college club and is leading our flag football team at the national level." Meagher also indicated it's something that runs in the family, as the Storandts show up at state competitions to volunteer on a regular basis. "When I started, my sister said it was something to try," Storandt said. "I realized how much I enjoyed it. You fall in love with the athletes and the people you work with. In Grand Forks, the Special Olympics community is tight knit and once you get to know them, you see them everywhere." He says that once he found that, and put the effort in, there was no way he could live without it. "It's that important to me," he added.
Unified effort Storandt coaches a Unified Flag Football team. In Special Olympics, "unified" refers to the team structure. Athletes, those with intellectual disabilities, share the field with partners, people of the same age group who don't have intellectual disabilities. On the flag football team, all four of the partners are UNO students or recent graduates from the University. Storandt illustrated how unified sports such as flag football create a more inclusive environment. "Having a Special Olympics college club brings college-aged people from the community, who have intellectual disabilities,
to interact with college students," he said. "Athletes go through an experience that integrates them into the local campus community." Developing such connections have been crucial to Storandt's education, as there's only so much to learn in the classroom.
DEAN'S CORNER College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines
"Instructors can't force you to find these experiences," he said. "There's so much to learn at that age when you're developing and finding something you're passionate about. You learn how to interact, how to work with others - it teaches life lessons outside of class. And you'll miss it if you don't go out and seek it." When Storandt arrived on the scene, UND's chapter of Special Olympics College Club was a fledgling program and the only SO College Club in North Dakota. Three years later, it has a presence on almost every North Dakota campus. He coaches flag football and youth basketball, but also plays as a partner in volleyball and soccer.
Meaningful experience When asked how his work with athletes relates to his path through medical school, Storandt pointed to the awareness it creates. "One of the biggest things you learn as a physician is that you need to understand all components that contribute to a patient's health," he explained. "You need to understand the needs of those with intellectual disabilities. There are barriers to their health and well-being, and Special Olympics is eye-opening. People sometimes don't care enough and take the time to get others what they need. That's why it's important for physicians to take that time." Though he has a lot of time to change his mind about his career, it's almost certain Storandt's work with Special Olympics will continue. He encourages anybody and everybody to come to a practice. "Make the effort to meet our athletes and get to know them - you'll just come back," he said. "It's the easiest thing to get involved in, and once you're there, you'll stay. It's just that meaningful of an experience." Ill - Connor Murphy/UNO Today
ifhe College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines (CNP.D) is well-positioned to serve the needs of North Dakota and the region. As challenges increase in behavioral health, wor�e supply, and access to care.in rural and tribal communities, ,we continue to graduate nurses, dietitians and social workers to help meet those
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ana seeK rn arm ou� s1Uaems with tlie most up-to-date curriculum and degrees possible. ifo advanceihealthcare quality and meet new requirements for entry to advanced practice, several of our advanced practice nursing programs are transitioning this fall to doctorate degree programs. Nutrition & Dietetics faculty are in the process of preP,aring a master's curriculum as practice standards in the field cliange. Social·Work faculty continue to evolve thei� on-campus and online offerings to address current health and human services challenges. In addition.to preparing students for the future, we continue to engage in
scholarship and research that strives to enlighten and improve quality of life in North Dakota. Faculty lead efforts in a number of areas that support health and well-being. CNPD's Professor Thomasine Heitkamp leads the Mountain Plains Addiction Technology Transfer Center which works to improve the capacity and effectiveness of substance use disorder treatment and recovery. Dr. Amir Alakaam conducts research to improve eating habits for the Grand Forks region and UND's own international students. Dr. Andrew Quinn is researching technological ways to provide individuals with better access to reliable mental health treatment. Students at all levels are also encouraged to engage in scholarly work. This year CNPD held its second annual Research & Scholarship Day with over 100 student participants. As we focus on our mission to prepare future leaders, we are grateful for our alumni and friends who support our efforts to serve rural communities in North Dakota. Improving access to care begins with well-prepared practitioners. Your support and engagement helps us sustain and grow the important work we do here at CNPD. Please feel free to contact me anytime at gayle.roux@und. edu or 701-777-4555, as I welcome your feedback and insight as we move forward together.
PS If you're so inclined, check out our UNDCNPD Facebook page for updates and happenings at CNPD!
IGNITE THE FUTURE
IN LOVING MEMORY
UND School of Law Professor Julia Ernst, her husband Rich Clement, and their daughter, Cosette, pose for a photo with Class of 2018 Law School students Ashley Bukowski (left) and Kate Drechsel (right). Cosette is holding a plaque recognizing the establishment of the Shuwang Ernst Clement Memorial Scholarship.
TURNING TRAGEDY INTO
LEGACY
UND School of Law graduating class dedicates gift to professor's family following heartbreaking death Every year, the graduating class of the University of North Dakota School of Law gives back to their new alma mater with a gift, usually in the form of a bench, tree, artwork, or another item to be used by the future students of UND Law. The Class of 2018, however, wanted to do something unique. "Trees are great. Benches are great. But we wanted to do something that would have a lasting impact and be meaningful to the school, the students, and our class," said Kate Drechsel, '18. Kate and her classmate Ashley Bukowski talked through a way their class could do that and also honor their professor, Julia Ernst, who
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
had tragically lost her 14-year-old son, Shuwang, in a drowning accident the previous summer. So, the Class of 2018 created the Shuwang Ernst Clement Memorial Scholarship endowment, which will be awarded each year to a first-year law student, with preference to students who reflect Shuwang's compassion for others, and who will enhance diversity within the UND School of Law.
The life of Shuwang Julia and her husband, Rich, went to China with their daughter, Cosette, in the summer of 2015 on a heritage tour to learn more about the history and culture of the country where Cosette was born.
Ashley and Kate said the Class of 2018 hopes scholarship recipients show the same passion for life that Shuwang did, and they hope the scholarship reflects how much law students care about their professors. Cosette hopes that the scholarship will carry on her brother's openhearted outlook and reflect how deeply he touched everyone. "We want people to know that Shuwang cared about everyone," she said. "Even if people 30 years from now don't know the exact meaning of the scholarship, I want them to know they are cared for, like Shuwang was cared for."
While visiting the orphanage where they adopted Cosette, the family met Shuwang. "He just pulled at our heart strings," Julia said. "But it was a race against the clock. When we got home, we asked our adoption agency if he was eligible for adoption, and they said yes, but we had to adopt him before he aged out on his birthday, February 14 (2016)." The papers came through the day before the family left Minnesota to travel back to China in late January. "She was very open about the adoption," Ashley said. "The whole class was so excited for their family and even more excited to meet him over the next year." That year, Shuwang and Cosette met the Class of 2018 at the UND Homecoming Parade, various Law School events, occasionally in class, and when the family hosted students at their home for dinners. During that time, they got to know Shuwang, who had a passion for trying new things and living life to its fullest. He loved playing ping pong, golfing, fishing, singing, and much more. After hearing about Shuwang's death, the Class of 2018 wanted to do something special for Julia and her family. "Professor Ernst creates an environment where everyone feels welcome, and her kids are the same way, so welcoming," Ashley said. Kathryn Rand, Dean of the Law School, appreciates that Julia teaches her students lessons inside and outside of the classroom. "Julia is one of our faculty stars. She's excellent at building relationships with students and colleagues, and she's an extraordinarily generous person," she said. "Toe class's idea to create a scholarship was really a heartfelt gesture on their part. It's turning a tragedy into something positive. That heartfeltness is incredibly special. I hope the scholarship recipients carry that throughout the rest of their lives." Dean Rand was so moved by the students' thoughtfulness that she offered to match their contributions to the scholarship fund dollar-for-dollar.
The family hopes recipients exhibit Shuwang's enthusiasm for life. "I would love for students to know his passion for trying new things, his perseverance through difficult circumstances, and his spirit: to take everything on full force, embrace the challenges, and never give up," Julia added. "We want students to know that's what we hope for them: that they have passion and perseverance, to overcome the hard times in life and live life to the fullest."
A UNO legacy The Class of 2018, UND Law staff and faculty, the Ernst-Clement family, and Dean Rand's match of the students' gifts has raised close to $17,000 toward the scholarship endowment. "Our short term goal is to ensure this is endowed to allow it to continue into perpetuity, and from there, to continue to help it grow," Rich Clement said. The minimum amount for an endowed scholarship to begin payout is $25,000. "It's exciting to see students recognize the commitment of their professors and take a tragedy and turn it into a wonderful legacy here at UNO," said Nick Jensen, Director of Development for the School of Law. "Toe class and the family wanted it to be forever, and this is the way to do that." He added that students and their families can donate for years to come and make a lasting impact on the law school by providing even more scholarships. The Ernst-Clement family is grateful for all the support they've received through this tough time. "We want to thank everyone who has contributed to the scholarship, everyone in the law school family, and the community in general," Julia said. If you'd like to give to the Shuwang Ernst Clement Memorial Scholarship endowment, contact Nick Jensen at 701.777.5486 or visit UNDalumni.org/shuwang. Ill
- By Lauren Vetter
UNDalumni.org
.....-MEET A STUDENT
as students. Being a student-athlete is a big reason why I chose to call this placďż˝., home, but as I continued my time here I have come to learn that Grand Forks is a town that is inviting and has people that genuinely care for one another.
of achieving what YOU want to do and guiding with the steps to get there. ,
started my educational career.
' W,hat's next? One more season of Fighting Hawks football and then graduation, which is on track for this December./// Pilato by Sam Melquist
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
DONORS
he UNO Alumni Association & Foundation sincerely thanks all alumni and friends who have made gifts and commitments to support students, faculty, programs, and places at UND. Thank you for all that you do!
The following donors reached a new giving circle in the Eternal Flame Society between Feb. 1 and May 31, 2018. â&#x20AC;˘ 1nd1cates deceased
LEGACY CIRCUE PRESIDENT'S CIRCUE $10,000 - $99,999
The Legacy Circle includes donors who have indicated they plan to give to the UND Foundation through their wills. Dr. L. Eugene* & Kathryn Bradfield Lyle F. BuchwItz
Wesley A. Argue
David & Libby Bakken
'
THOMAS CLIFFORD Bruce R Mccaw Family Foundation Jerome' & Anne' Dunlevy Lisa L. Enksmoen*
Randy & Laurie Hatzenbuhler
Julie & Charles Cla1rmont-Sh1de
Thomas & Joanne Heck
Bret J Fossum
Loretta L Prather
Dr Robert & Patricia Grossman
Robert J Reinertson
Dr Donald & Darlyne* anman
Greg & Cindy Thrall
ormel oods Charitable Trust Dr W1ll1am A & Carolyn unter Gordon & Liz Anne Johnson
Todd Gierke & Dr Jan Bexell-Gierke Dr Wilham L. Harwood
Greg & LeeAnne Kulesa
Mary Ellen McKnight Raisbeck Foundation SEI Investments The Summit League
Susan & Parm Narveson Dr Timothy J
ennings
Darrel G Sackman Jon & Kristine Strand
Frederick & Beth Wosick
UNDalumni.org
IGNITE THE FUTURE
MAXIMUM
IMPACT
Alum and his family make education attainable for the technical and medical leaders of tomorrow by giving a $1 million gift in their will Greg Shega never planned to continue his education after high school. "I had no desire to go to college," Shega said. "I chose to follow in my father's footsteps and work in the mines." Shega and his future wife, Amy Weber, both worked in the iron mines in Hibbing, Minnesota, until she moved to San Diego to pursue educational and professional goals. Shega later started taking a few classes at Hibbing Community College until the mine permanently closed in 1985. He was offered retraining assistance and was able to use that money to complete his engineering degree at the University of North Dakota.
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
After graduating from UNO in 1987, Shega accepted a position with General Dynamics in San Diego. Over the next several years, his career with the aerospace and defense company spanned several areas, including flight test lead on the Tomahawk Cruise Missile team, avionics design and field support on the Advanced Cruise Missile program, manufacturing test of General Motors air bag controllers, and eventually the Engineering Program Manager for the Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) program, which is the last line of defense for all U.S. Navy surface combatants. Today, he leads an advanced development program.
After sending their son, Z achary, to college, Greg and Amy realized there was so much more to the cost of an education than tuition, housing, and books. "We asked ourselves many times how other families were able to afford it when they may have more than one child, a lower income, medical bills, and so forth," Shega shared. Additionally, through his 31 years in the engineering workforce, Shega says he's noticed one fairly constant theme: a lack of diversity. "Though there has been a slow increase in women and people of color, the field still lags other professions," Shega stated. To battle these issues, Greg and Amy established a $1 million gift in their will. In their view, the Native American community is under represented in many professions. "Growing up in northern Minnesota, we saw the challenges and biases that many Native Americans faced, and it is even more evident down here in Arizona," Shega shared.
"We hope that we, in some small way, help a young person realize her or his dream of entering the medical or STEM field." GREG SHEGA, '87
He hopes their gift helps students obtain an education they or their families didn't think was possible. He and Amy established the ZESWS STEM and INMED Program Scholarship Endowments with the purpose of providing financial support to help young Native Americans become the technical and medical leaders of tomorrow. The endowments are named in tribute to their son, who has shown how one can be successful given the right opportunities. The endowments will benefit students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM); as well as the Indians Into Medicine Program (INMEDâ&#x201E;˘), which helps Native American students who aspire to be health professionals to meet the needs of tribal communities. Greg and Amy also hope their gift encourages students to enroll at LIND and finish their degree there. "It is obvious that we lose too many bright young minds from the professional fields as a result of them being unable to navigate the cost hurdles of a university education," Shega said. "We hope that we, in some small way, help a young person realize her or his dream of entering the medical or STEM field." Robin Turner, Director of Development for the College of Engineering and Mines, wor1<ed with the Shegas to establish this gift in their will. "This gift is going to have an incredible impact on students for years to come," Turner shared. "Greg and Amy's generosity is truly inspiring, and giving through a life estate gift allows them to make the maximum impact they can."/// - By Lauren Vetter
UNDalumni.org
ALU M N I NEWS
Do you remember. .. in 1961, when Edna Twamley was part of the groundbreaking for Twamley Hall, named for her father, James, one of UND's founders? Edna donated $200,000 to add a fourth floor to Twamley Hall and to install a carillon.
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
ALUMNI NEWS
Updates from around the world. 1960s Remember when, in 1968, UNO launched an undergraduate educational program at Grand Forks Air Force Base? 1967 Jim Kent, '67, of Crookston was awarded the 2018 Northwest Minnesota Star Artist Lifetime Achievement Award by the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council.
1968
Werner Nistler, '68, has received
the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 Award in the Lifetime Entrepreneur category in the Pacific Northwest. Nistler is the founder and chairman of Touchmark, which builds and operates full-service retirement communities.
1969
Howard Randal Woodward,
M.D., '69, '71, Orthopedic Spine Surgeon, has retired after 38 years of practice in Omaha, Nebraska.
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
1970s Remember when, in 1976, two UNO law students were elected to the North Dakota House? Michael Unhjem and Wayne Stenehjem not only shared political ambitions, they shared an apartment as well.
1972
Bruce Heen '72, '80, recently retired after 38 years of working for six different insurance companies in accounting and finance departments, most recently as Vice President of
Reinsurance with Protective Life in Birmingham, Alabama. In addition, Bruce spent five years teaching high school and coaching baseball and hockey in Devils Lake, N.D. John Weeda, '72, has been
selected to serve as the director of the North Dakota Transmission Authority by the North Dakota Industrial Commission. Weeda retired in 2017 as director of North Dakota Plant Operations for Great River Energy.
1973
John Klai, .. '73, was awarded an
Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by North Dakota State University. Klai co-founded a Las Vegas architecture firm that designed some of the city's most iconic hotels and casinos.
1974
Gary Hagen, '74, '77, '86, has retired from the presidency of Mayville (N.D.) State University. Hagen was with MSU for 42 years, the last 12 as president. Marian Hvinden, '74, recently self-published two books, "Benson Aggies: Basketball at its Best" about state tournament teams from the Maddock, N.D., school and "Justice was Swift: Tales of the Old West," a collection of true stories of law and lawlessness in early day North Dakota. Marian and his wife of 46 years, Nancy, '73, write and self-publish genealogical and historical works under the name Hvinden Publications. They live in rural Thompson, N.D.
1976
Jim Smith, '76, director of
the North Dakota Legislative Council, has retired after 39 years with the agency. The council is the research arm for the North Dakota Legislature.
David Jones, '79, state's
attorney for Grand Forks County, is retiring this fall after a law career that has spanned four decades. He has spent 23 years as a county prosecutor, including the last three as state's attorney. Gail (Gebhardt) Kahl, '79, and her husband, Dan Kahl, '79, are transitioning their business to an employee stock ownership plan after 20 years of ownership. The Kahls own Opportunities for Positive Growth, a human services agency in Fishers, Indiana. Sally (Wold) Smith, '79, former president and CEO of Buffalo Wild Wings Inc., has joined the board of directors at Marvin Cos., the Warroad, Minn., based window and door manufacturer. Charles Grotte, '80, is county
highway engineer for Otter Tail County in Minnesota.
1980s
Remember when, in 1986, both the Eternal Flame and the carillon were brought back to life? The flame was saved thanks to a new gas line and wick; the carillon was replaced after the system stopped working entirely the year before. 1981
1978
Cynthia Lindquist, '81, '06,
Registered Nurse at Altru Health System in Grand Forks, working 35 years as a Surgical Nurse and 6 years as an Employee Health Nurse.
president of Cankdeska Cikana Community College in Fort Totten, N.D., has been named the Tribal College and University Honoree of the Year by the American Indian College Fund.
Myrna (Halstenson) Runyan, '78, is retiring after 41 years as a
1979 Julie (Waxvik) Anderson, '79, '96, '00, is dean of the College of
Nursing and Health Sciences at Winona (Minn.) State University.
1982 Dean Blais, '82, has been
honored by USA Hockey with a Distinguished Achievement Award. Blais played for the University of Minnesota, played
consideration. Associate Dean of Students Cassie Gerhardt says she appreciates the leadership students provided in the development and the voting process. "Our students' passion for UNO and their desire to have a mascot will benefit UND at athletic competitions and other events," she said. "I can't wait to see it!" Erik Hanson, UNO student body president, said by allowing students to vote, the University is showing that students' opinions matter, and that this is truly a student-led initiative. "The high amount of participation in a process like this at such a busy time of the year for students is something that we're very excited about," Hanson said. Originally, a 17-person committee of UND students and staff members developed the standards for what comprised a Fighting Hawks mascot. Ohio-based graphic design company Rickabaugh Graphics then delivered three 2-D designs to be voted on by the students. Kyle "Bubba" Schweigert, UND's head football coach, and Athletics Director Bill Chaves both expressed excitement upon the conclusion of the vote. They're both ready to see how a mascot can connect with the Grand Forks community and beyond. "I'm really excited about having a mascot," Coach Bubba said. "I believe it will be a great addition to the game day experience at all of our sporting events and it will help us brand and market our University."
UNDalumni.org
ALUMNI NEWS
ft.-Nafni;i DAKOTA I. ,
J\�SAHPL
HAWKS ON THE
HIGHWAY
If you run into Derick Stoulil on the University of North Dakota campus, you'll probably find him sporting the latest North Dakota Athletics polo or pullover fleece. T he assistant athletics director for marketing fashionably wears his Fighting Hawks fervor on his sleeve - and now on his ride. Stoulil was one of the first in the state to grab a Fighting Hawks logoed North Dakota license plate, imagined by the UNO Alumni Association & Foundation (AA&F) and distributed by the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT). "A great way to spread the brand is to have it on your vehicle and drive it around Grand Forks and the United States, and be able to show off that Fighting Hawks fandom," Stoulil said. For a $25 fee, North Dakota drivers can order the plates with either a random string of five numbers or, for a few dollars more, five characters of their choice. What makes this offer even sweeter is the fact that $15 from every plate order is returned to the AA&F. "We are always looking for ways to help our alumni feel connected to the University of North Dakota," said Alumni Association & Foundation CEO DeAnna Carlson Zink. "In this case, not only do they get to show off their UNO pride, but, as the sponsoring organization, the UNO Alumni Association & Foundation gets a portion of the plate fee to assist us in the work we do - creating opportunities for students at this great University." "That's a great part of it, too, to be able to know that a part of your fee comes back to the University to help with scholarships and help students get their education and degree," Stoulil said. "Ultimately, that's why we're all here. "I hope people get excited about these. People spend a lot of time in their cars going from work, to home, to soccer practice with their kids, to vacations and all of that. It just continues to spread that message and get that logo out there."
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
professionally for three years, and amassed 408 NCAA coaching victories at UNO and the University of Nebraska Omaha. He also coached U.S. national teams. He retired from coaching in 2017.
1983
Dr. Terry Brenner, '83, '85, '89, '99, is the superintendent of the Grand Forks School District. He previously served as the district's Director of Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, and Professional Development.
Ann (Melvey) McConn, '85,
Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer with Alerus in Fargo, has been named one of the Top 25 Women in Business by Prairie Business magazine.
1986
Brig. Gen. Joane (Brown) Mathews, '86, is a deputy
adjutant general in the Wisconsin Arrny National Guard. Mathews is the first woman and first Native American to serve at that level.
1988
Peter Beal, '88, has joined
Lloyd Harsch, '83, is a Professor of Church History and Baptist Studies, founding Director of the Institute for Faith and the Public Square, and chair of the Theological and Historical Studies Division of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
the scientific advisory board of ProQR, a company dedicated to changing lives through the creation of transformative RNA medicines for the treatment of rare genetic diseases. Beal is a chemistry professor at the University of California, Davis.
Susan (Hagberg) Hendricks, '83, is the dean of the School
Sarah Hellekson, '88, '91, is the
of Nursing at Indiana University Kokomo. Judy Ross, '83, is the Assistant
director of Aviation for Mineta San Jose International Airport In San Jose, Calif.
1985
John Bjornson, '85, '88, is the director of the North Dakota Legislative Council. Bjornson worked for the Legislative Council for 30 years before taking over as director this summer. Jamie Kuntz, '85, has been
awarded the C.L. "Bud" Linfoot Service Award by the Grand Forks Builders & Traders Exchange. Kuntz is an accountant with Brady Martz & Associates in Grand Forks. He served as president of Builders & Traders in 2015 and has been a longtime member of organization.
city administrator for the city of Jamestown, N.D. Peter Kilbride, '88, is superintendent of Sheridan County School District #1 in Ranchester, Wyo. Holly Mayer-Taft, '88, has received the North Dakota Department of Health Association's Outstanding Service Award. Mayer-Taft is a public health nurse with Indian Health Services in Parshall, N.D.
1989
Peder Gjovik, '89, associate
professor and chair of the Department of Technology at Valley City (N.D.) State University, has been named the Association for Career and Technical Education's Region V Teacher/ Educator of the Year. Karen (Dean) Thingelstad, '89,
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer with Minnkota Power Cooperative in Grand Forks, has
.. 7
0
been named one of the Top 25 Women in Business by Prairie Business magazine.
1990s Remember when, in 1995, UNO alumnus Tom Amberry, ..'46, was in the Guinness Book of World Records for making 2,750 free throws in 12 hours?
1994
James Haussler, '94, former
1991
1992
Paul Loraas, '94, has been named a 2018 Minnesota Super Lawyer. Only 5% of Minnesota lawyers are awarded the honor each year. Loraas is an attorney with Fryberger, Buchanan, Smith & Frederick, P.A. in Duluth.
Daniel Dunn, '91, has been elected into the American Board of Trial Advocates. Dunn is an attorney with Maring Williams Law Office in Fargo.
Colleen Swank, '92, '97, is
the vice president of clinics for Sanford Health of Northern Minnesota. Mike Thorson, '92, has
received a special achievement award from the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. Thorson was the longtime track and cross country coach at the University of Mary in Bismarck. His men's and women's track and cross country teams won 47 conference championships and went on to four national runner up finishes. Julie Zikmund, '92, is a member
of the North Dakota State Board of Agricultural Research and Education. Zikmund is a partner with her husband and two sons on their Walsh County farm near Pisek and the program manager of the Extended Learning Nutrition Certificates Program at UNO.
1993
Paul Cook, '93, is a mortgage loan officer/business development specialist with Capital Credit Union's Fargo branch.
f
Debra Lukenbill, '93, '00,
is a board certified clinical nurse specialist in Psychiatry and Mental Health with Trinity Community Clinic-Western Dakota in Williston, N.D.
Activities Director at Bismarck Public Schools, has been named a recipient of the North Dakota High School Activities Association Distinguished Service Award.
1996
Josh Morton, '96, is the athletic
director at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D. Craig Smith, '96, is the head men's basketball coach at Utah State.
1997 Sheri (Kleinsasser) Stockmoe, '97, '99, is Marketing Director for
Bank Forward in Fargo.
1998
Eric Hilber, '98, is Director for Supported Living Services with Creative Care for Reaching Independence, a Moorhead, Minn., nonprofit agency whose mission is to enhance and enrich the lives of people with disabilities.
1999
Josh Astrup, '99, is a vice
president/senior portfolio manager at Bell Bank in Fargo.
"
A REUNION OF
CAPTAINS
Three 1964 UNO graduates held a mini reunion on board the USNS City of Bismarck at the US Navy Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Virginia, in April. Pictured left to right are Craig Vanderhoef, Bob Wefald, and Pete Rice. All three are retired U.S. Navy Captains. Vanderhoef was a line officer serving with riverine patrol gunboats in Vietnam in 1968-1969 on special operations as an intelligence liaison and ops planner. After six years as a line officer, he completed law school and served the rest of his 26 years in the Navy as an officer with the Judge Advocate General. Vanderhoef lives in Afton, Virginia. Wefald served on board the guided missile destroyer USS Lynde McCormick as the gunnery officer off the coast of Vietnam in 1966. He served 27 years on active duty and in the Navy Reserve. He was North Dakota Attorney General for one term from 1981-1984, completing his legal career as a State District Court Judge from 1999-201O. Wefald lives in Bismarck. Rice served as a Naval Flight Officer with an A-6 Attack Squadron flying combat missions in Vietnam from 1970-1971. He later commanded an A-6 squadron on board the USS Kitty Hawk. After 27 years of active duty, he retired in 1991.
Josh Christianson, '99,
is the executive director of university advancement at the Bemidji (Minn.) State University Foundation. Previously, UNDalumni.org
ALUMNI NEWS Christianson served as director of development for the UND Aerospace Foundation. Jannelle (Steger) Combs, '99,
is the city attorney for Bismarck, N.D.
2000s Remember when, in 2005, the men's and women's basketball teams began playing in the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center? 2000
Betsy Bannier, '00, is a certified
Solar System Ambassador volunteer. The program is coordinated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Bannier is an associate professor of Chemistry at Lake Region State College in Devils Lake, N.D.
Jaramie Schoepp, '00, is Vice President & Business Banking Loan Officer for BlackRidgeBANK in Fargo. Chris Seamrau, '00, is the general manager for the Chesapeake Energy Arena and Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.
2001
Amanda (Hvidsten) Godfread, '01, is Make-A-Wish North
Dakota's first regional director located in Bismarck-Mandan. C.J. Zenzick Ill, '01, was a recipient of Hartford (Conn.) Hospital's 2017 Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing. C.J. works as a Certified Clinical Transplant Coordinator.
2002 Kevin Buettner, '02, '04, '07,
'13, will receive the Program Director of the Year Award during the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Annual Congress in September. Buettner is director of the UND nurse anesthesia program and works as a CRNA at Altru Health System. Heidi Herold, '02, is a family practice doctor at Heritage Health in Kellogg, Idaho. Joel Larson, '02, '05, is deputy
general counsel and director of legal and privacy for Altru Health System in Grand Forks. Heather (Ness) Rye, '02, has joined the board of directors of Creative Care for Reaching Independence in Moorhead, Minn. Rye is a Vice President of Human Resources at Gate City Bank in Fargo.
2003 Amanda (Seeley) Boyeff, '03,
'04, has been named Fargo Public School's 2018 Teacher of the Year. Boyett is a special education teacher at Lincoln Elementary School. Lisa (Christensen) Feldner, '03, is a principal consultant
with Olson Effertz Lobbying & Consulting in Bismarck, N.D. Kris Kerzman, '03, is social media specialist with FlintGroup, a communication and marketing agency in Fargo.
The UNO Law School Class of 1966 held a reunion in Mesa, Arizona, in March, the 15th time the class has gotten together over the years. The group made preliminary plans for the next reunion to take place at Couer d'Alene, Idaho, in late summer of 2019. Photo from the left, front: Wayne Solberg, Richard Forest, John Dahl, Gerry Galloway and Fred Gerszewski. Back Row: Sid Overton, Chuck Orvik, Tim Keating, Jack Sherman, Mike Ward and Gary Maddock
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
Elizabeth Reiten, '03, is a PRN
nurse practitioner with Jacobson Memorial Hospital Care Center in Elgin, N.D.
2004
Kim (Rowekamp) Christopherson, '04, '07,
associate professor and educational technologist at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, recently had a
chapter published in an e-book available through the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. Christopherson wrote the chapter "Going Mobile in the College Classroom" for an e-book on 'The Use of Technology in Teaching and Learning." Laura (Berg) Kroetsch, '04, is a medical director in Behavioral Health at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota in Fargo.
Mary Anne (Engstrom) Marsh,
'04, has retired after 30 years
with the Nursing Department at Dickinson (N.D.) State University. In addition to teaching, Marsh was instrumental in founding the department's exchange program with Russia.
2005
Chad Christensen, '05, has been named the head coach for the Fargo North-South high school girl's hockey team. Christensen has been a science teacher at Fargo North since 2010. He has also been the head girls golf coach at North since 2013 and has assisted with the baseball and boy's golf programs. Tiffany (Hunter) Ford, '05,
associate state director, North Dakota Small Business Development Centers, has been named one of the Top 25 Women in Business by Prairie Business magazine. Rod Windjue, '05, has joined Exit Lakes Realty Premier in Brainerd, Minn., as a Buyers Agent with The Chad Schwendeman Real Estate Group.
2006
Landon Feil, '06, is a business banking officer/vice president with Starion Bank in Mandan, N.D.
Alva (Bart) Holaday, HON '06, retired from the board of directors of MDU Resources Group, Inc. in May after serving 10 years. He led the Private Markets Group of UBS Asset Management prior to retiring in 2001. Jennifer (Westman) Johnson, '06, is a Realtor with Park Co.
Realtors in Fargo. Johnson is also a social studies teacher and a swimming and diving coach at Fargo Davies High School.
2007
Stephen Binstock, '07, has
been named Oregon Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the Oregon American Legion. Binstock is a detective with the Redmond, Ore., Police Department.
Brian Mickelson, '07, is mining market manager at TKDA, an employee-owned provider of engineering, architecture and planning services in Duluth, Minn.
2008
Ryan Clauson, '08, is a family medicine doctor with MidDakota Clinic Gateway Mall in Bismarck, N.D. Master Sgt. Kurt Lilley, '08,
was named Outstanding Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year by the North Dakota Air National Guard. Lilley is an analyst for the National Guard's counter drug program. Alissa (FaroQ Olson, '08, is an
Assistant City Attorney and City Prosecutor for the City of Fargo.
Dr. Joshua Ranum, '08, has been elected a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. The distinction recognizes achievements in internal medicine. Ranum practices at West River Health Services in Hettinger, N.D. Aaron Siegle, '08, is president of
Eagle Valley Bank, a Twin Cities bank that focuses on businesses and entrepreneurs. lrminne (Gelderloos) Van Dyken, '08, is a surgeon at the
Kaiser Permanente Wailuku Medical Office in Maui, Hawaii.
2009
Alex Craigmile, '09, is the chief financial officer for Innovative Energy Alliance Cooperative in Mandan, N.D.
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Haylee Cripe, '09, '12, an attorney and vice president with Mackoff Kellogg Law Firm in Dickinson, N.D., has been named one of the Top 25 Women in Business by Prairie Business magazine. Robin David, '09, has been named a Bush Fellow for 2018. The Bush Fellowship provides Fellows with up to $100,000 over 12 to 24 months to pursue learning experiences that help them develop leadership skills and attributes. David is the founder and president of the Global Friends Initiative, a nonprofit organization that helps new immigrants acclimate to Grand Forks. Adam Defoe, '09, is an interventional radiologist with Essentia Health-32nd Avenue Clinic in Fargo.
ALU MN I NEWS Andy Lerud, '09, is Vice
2010
President/Private Banking Officer with Bell Bank in Fargo.
David Tuan, '10, has been
Brent Olson, '09, is an attorney with Maki & Overom in Duluth, Minn. Jay Schroeder, '09, is a
commercial loan officer with United Valley Bank in Grand Forks.
2010s Remember when, during the 2011 Potato Bowl Parade, UNO Staff Senate members collected donations for Minot, N.D., flood victims?
appointed to the Western Dakota Energy Association's executive committee. Tuan is the city administrator for Williston, N.D.
Jason Reigstad, '11, vice president of Special Projects at Reigstad Engineers, Inc., in St. Paul, was selected as one of the top newsmakers of 2017 through the national publication,
Engineering News-Record.
2011 Derrick LaPoint, '11, '15, is the
President/CEO of Downtown Moorhead, Inc., a non-profit business advocacy group. Abby (Rueter) Legatt, '11, is an
assistant relationship manager for U.S. Bank in St. Cloud, Minn. Jacob Nelson, '11, is the head
wrestling coach at Austin (Minn.) High School. He also teaches Health.
Brandon Solberg, '11, has been
appointed superintendent of the North Dakota Highway Patrol. Solberg has spent 22 years in law enforcement. Travis Waswick, '11, '15, was
named Medical Director of the Year by the North Dakota Emergency Medical Services Association. Waswick is the Medical Director for West Traill Ambulance Service in Mayville. He is a family medicine doctor at Sanford Medical-Mayville.
Ben Williams, '11, has joined Kennelly Business Law of Fargo as an attorney. Ben focuses his practice on commercial litigation, representing a variety of both business and individual clients.
2012 Ryan Coye, '12, is Vice President of Retail Banking with Gate City Bank in Grand Forks. Anne Gillie, '12, is a solution
analyst with Discovery Benefits in Fargo. Jeff Pape, '12, '13, is a
registered engineer with TKDA, an engineering, architecture and planning services company in Duluth, Minn.
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/J FOUNDATION Alumni Review I Summer 2018
Your World. Your Way.•
TO BOOK YOUR TRIP
Call 800.842.9023 or to view all UND alumni travel opportunities, visit UNDalumni.org/Travel
2013
Jill Andera, '13, is an assistant Controller with Sterling Management, LLC in Fargo. Ethan Hodnefield, '13, has
achieved the professional designation of chartered retirement planning counselor through the College of Financial Planning. Hodnefield is a financial advisor with TruStone Wealth Management in Grand Forks.
2014
Haley Hand, '14, is an
implementation project manager with Discovery Benefits in Fargo. Sam Jelleberg, '14, '17, is an Assistant Vice President with Gate City Bank in Fargo.
Emily Ptacek, '14, is the community development director for Oakes (N.D.) Enhancement, Inc. and Oakes Area Chamber of Commerce.
2016
Mike Davies, '16, is a budget
analyst with UND's Energy and Environmental Research Center. Marina Galstad, '16, has joined
Mitch Hersch, '17, is an audit associate with Eide Bailly LLP in Bismarck, N.D. Christine Job, '17, is an
Bank Forward in Fargo as an audiVloan operations specialist.
assistant principal at Lincoln Elementary School in Bismarck, N.D.
Tyler Newman, '15, is a research
Nicholas Nelson, '16, has opened his own law firm, Southern Valley Legal Services PLLC in Wahpeton, N.D.
Agatha Ottem, '17, is a certified physician Assistant with the urology team at Altru Clinic in Devils Lake, N.D.\\\
engineer with UN D's Energy and Environmental Research Center.
2017
Todd Wahlund, '14, is chief
financial officer for Otter Tail Power Company in Fergus Falls, Minn.
2015
Amy Rassier, '15, is an
enrollment services associate with Williston (N.D.) State College.
Brooke Guttormson, '17,
has been commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Guttormson had served in the Army National Guard for four years.
Carry th ard that supports the UNO Alumn ssoclation. 1 reward point per $1 spent• eligible net purchases1 and s redeeming 11tjust 1,500 points! Plus, with every eligible net pure money goes back to the UNO Alumni Association & Found There are two different UND Visa cards: the UND Visa Signature• Card and the UND Select Rewards Visa" Card. You will first be considered for the Signature Card. If you not qualify for the Signature Card, you will be considered for the Select Rewards ese cards have different terms set forth at usbank.com/UNDVisaTerms. T Select Rewards Card may not offer the same Visa Signature
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ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
_,,. �-,.:,(!.FOUNDATION :r·_l'
UNDalumni.org
t ·• I
'
ADDITIONS& CELEBRATIONS
If you would like your addition or celebration to be included in the next Alumni Review, send a high resolution photo to alumnireview@UNDalumni.net. We look forward to helping you celebrate! Additions
Celebrations
1. Taylor, '07, and Sarah (Helseth) Williams, '09, are the proud parents of Tess Elizabeth, born April 27, 2018. The Williams family lives in Fargo.
5. Brea Wike, '14, and Michael Gilchrist, '13, '18, were married on May 19, 2018, in Bismarck, North Dakota. Sixteen of the 19 people in their wedding party were UNO alumni. Pictured back row L-R: Adam Swigost, '14, '18, Jack Palmiscno (current
2. Anders Halverson was born on May 10, 2018, to Katie (Olson) Halverson, '15, and Sean Halverson, '15. The family lives in Minneapolis. 3. Drew Parsley, '04, and Carmen (Norman) Parsley '02, '10, welcomed
Brandt Thomas Parsley on February 22, 2018. The Parsley family, including big brother, Nixon, lives in Warroad, Minnesota. 4. Stephanie (Sellers) Hoffman, '08, and Matthew Hoffman along with big brother Carter welcomed Isaiah Thor on December 7, 2017. The Hoffmans live in Emerado, North Dakota.
UND student), Mark Hovland, '13, '18, Austin Gunderson, '13, Max Otto, '18, Nathan Jackson, '13, and Seth Kalin, '18. Front row L-R: Alexandra Podoll-Claflin, '14, Brookelle Christman, Alex Peterson, '13, Brit Lindgren, '13, Bailey Wike, '15, Brea (Wike) Gilchrist, '14, Michael Gilchrist, '13, '18, T homas Gilchrist, '17, Shane Hersch, '13, '15, Matt Chuppe, Brett Wike, and Adam Biwer, '13.
6. Brooke Pearce, '14, and Damon Andrews, '14, were married on September
30, 2017, in West Concord, Minnesota. Pictured L-R: Jake Bucher, Julie Mordhorst, Travis Greenwaldt, Karissa Peterson, '14, Garrison Goodman, '12, '14, Julie Morrison, '16, Blair Townsend, '14,
Brittany Reineke, '17, Caleb Rissman, Damon Andrews, '14, Brooke (Pearce) Andrews, '14, Vanessa (Ness) Pearce, '82, and Jared Seibel, '13.
IN MEMORIAM
It is with great honor we dedicate these pages to alumni and friends of the University of North Dakota who have recently passed away. These members of the alumni family helped ignite the spirit of UND, paving the way for a bright future. 1930s Helen (Hulick) Besse, '39. Plano, Texas Grace (Sands) Meyer, '39, Fort Collins, Colo.
1940s Irving Amundson, .. '40, Rapid City, S.D. Meredith (Sayer) Wedberg, .. '40, Hunter, N.D. Jeanne (Lafleur) Glasscock, ..'42, Bellingham, Wash. Warren Harpster, '42, Columbus, Ohio John Haugland, '42, Devils Lake, N.D. R. William Hill, ..'42, Grand Forks Mayfield (Johnson) Blair, ..'43, Marco Island, Fla. Oarlyne (Sands) Magnuson, '43, Excelsior, Minn. Donald Skjei, MO, '43, '44, Laguna Hills, Calif. Or. George Ulseth, '43, '48, '54, Fargo Doris (Dominick) Wenino, ., '43, Fergus Falls, Minn. Oranda (Amundrud) Wilson, ..'43, Cordova, Tenn. Marjorie (Bagne) Einerson, '44, Omaha, Neb. Madeline (Cooley) Sutherland, .. '45, Austin, Texas Mary Ellen Barber Vaughan, '45, Vancouver, Wash. Elizabeth (Hegge) Worden, '45, Albany, N.Y. Marion (Jasper) Hyde, '47, Boise, Idaho Eileen (O'Hara) McMullen, .. '47, Mayville, N.D. Harold Osborne, .. '47, Jamestown, N.D.
1960s
Marjorie (Seebart) Mauland, '48, Grand Forks
Elmer Eid, '52, Greenacres, Wash.
James Bower, '58, '63, Minot, N.D.
Barbara (Smith) McDowell, '48, Zionsville, Ind.
Janis (Hansen) Hausmann, â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘ '52, Grand Forks
Judith (Costello) Erlandson, '58, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Glenn Pederson, '48, Minneapolis
Rachel (Rundle) Hoovestol, '52, Duluth, Ga.
James Fish, '58, Grand Forks
Lester Vigness, .. '48, Viking, Minn.
Marjorie (McLean) Kruger, '52, Bellevue, Wash.
M. James Gibbs, '58, Kelowna, BC Canada
Paul Beithon, MO, '49, Marco Island, Fla.
Fredrick Peterson, ..'52, Grand Forks
John Gilbert, DOS, ..'58, Diablo, Calif.
Harold Benson, '49, Albany, Ore.
Raymond Merry, '53, Minneapolis
Or. Gerald Hamerlik, '58, '63, Grand Forks
Robert Freise, .. '49, Sun City West, Ariz.
Shirley Drake Naismith, '53, '62, Northwood, N.D.
Don Hawthorne, '58, Gulfport, Miss.
Sybl (Smith) Gullickson, ..'49, Mesa, Ariz.
Robert Sande, '53, Rochester, Minn.
Leonard Kraft, '58, Tucson, Ariz.
Donald Nelson, '49, Palm Springs, Calif.
Gerald Glaser, '54, '56, Bismarck
Patricia (Maxson) Morell, ..'58, Lakota, N.D.
Dorothy (Bateman) SperlingQuaal, '49, Fergus Falls, Minn.
Richard Korfhage, '54, Prescott, Wis.
Gerald Olson, '58, Miles City, Mont.
Merle Bunde, '55, Houston
James Ridley, '58, Edina, Minn.
James Bohn, '61, Wichita, Kan. Clifford Grosz, '61, '64, '65, Harvey, N.D.
Or. Thomas P Serene, ..'55, Tucson, Ariz.
John Elsaas, '59, Buckley, Wash. Allyn Fagerholt, ..'59, Fargo
Arlene (Tangness) Kowaliski, '61, Payson, Ariz.
Fred Stewart, '55, Grand Forks
Chester Fowler, Jr, '59, Burnsville, Minn.
Neland Haavig, '56, Walhalla, N.D.
Lincoln Klabo, '59, Locust Grove, Va.
Russell Nelson, '56, Ventura, Calif.
Or. John Lynch, '59, Winston Salem, N.C.
Barbara (Hammerud) Sornsin, '56, Fargo
Valjean (Birkemeyer) McCar ty, .. '59, Keizer, Ore.
Ronald Geatz, '57, Grand Forks
Gary Muralt, '59, Missoula, Mont.
Karen Olson, '62, Minot, N.D .
Joyce (Helgeson) Grumbo, '57, Lidgerwood, N.D.
Gary Pladson, ..'59, Grand Forks
Laura Jane (Hugelen) Paulson, .. '62, Grand Forks
Rebecca (Moore) Gugliotta, ..'57, Brox, N.Y.
Robert Russell, ..'59, Grand Forks
Wayne Anderson, .. '63, Anoka, Minn.
Gwenith (Langlie) Hulsey, '57, Hazel Green, Ala.
Grace (Mahlum) Sarosi, '59, Saint Paul, Minn.
William Aslakson, ..'63, New Rockford, N.D.
David Vaaler, 57, Grand Forks
John ornsin, '59, Fargo
Frederick Ballard, '63, Tulsa. Okla.
1950s Joyce (Henley) Greenwood, ..'50, Dickinson, N.D. Orville Johnson, '50, Naples, Fla. Norton Saude, '50, Champlin, Minn. Beatrice (Grabau) Bale, '51, Mandan. N.D. John Blahna, '51, Ripon, Wis. Shirley (Henderson) Bostrom, ..'51, Grand Forks Patrick Murphy, '51, Las Vegas, Nev. Mary Ann (Phelps) O 'Callaghan, '51, Portland, Ore. Joyce (Lester) Pond, '51, '70, Bemidji, Minn. Phyllis (Kjerstad) Power, '51, Grand Forks Or. Owen Webster, '51, HON '86. Glen Mills, Pa. Franklin Bavendick, '52, Bismarck
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
Karen (Simon) Herlihy,.'55, Tucson, Ariz.
Adolf Walser, MO, '57, '61, Rochester, Minn.
David Torkelson, '59, '64, Fargo James Winter, '59, Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Mary (Burke) Anderson, '60, Oro Valley, Ariz. Carl Bloomquist, '60, Devils Lake, N.D. John Butterfield, ..'60, Hettinger, N.D. Robert Hadlich Jr., '60, Hastings, Minn. Richard Hageman, '60, Cold Spring, Minn. Arland Headland, .'60, Desert Aire, Wash. James Kertz, '60, Fargo Kenneth Norlin, .'60, Grand Forks Rev. F. Allen Palm, '60, Springfield, Mo. Raymond Wadsworth, ..'60, Great Falls, Mont.
Nancelyn (Wirth) Ross, '61, Winnipeg, MB Canada James Ruble, '61, '64, Minneapolis Dennis Bondy, .. '62, Thief River Falls, Minn. R. Gene Busch, '62, '75, Fertile, Minn.
Paul Bebow, '63, Prairie Du Chien, Wis. Mary Ellen (Koppang) Garlick,
..'63, Fargo
Mary Mousel, '68, Bismarck
Dr. John Hanson, '63, '66, Red Wing, Minn.
Marvin Paggen, '68, Lake Charles, La.
Dr. Eugene Kasper, '63, Topeka, Kan.
Keith Schmidt, '68, Ashland, W-.s.
Diane C Paulson, (Erickson) '63, Eagle, Idaho M Jeanne Erickson, (Herman) '64, Bemidji, Minn. Maj. William Hendren, '64, '65, Ocean Springs, Miss. Earl Korynta, '64, Anchorage, Alaska Dr. Allen Nichols, '64, '74, '77, Saint Augustine, Fla. M . Duane Olson, ..'64, Mayville, N.D. Clinton Prischmann, '64, East Moline, Ill. Nancy (Steele) Rekow, '64, Minneapolis Dr. Gary Wall, ..'64, Rio Rico, Ariz. John Wood, '64, Las Vegas, Nev. Dean Beckstead, '65, Placida, Fla. E. Jerome Hanson Jr., MD, '65, '67, Leawood, Kan. Gordon Heller, MD, '65, '67, Kremmling, Colo. Richard Pett, '65, Edina, Minn. Linda (Johannessen) Wehrman, ..'65, Donnybrook, N.D. Vern Witherill, '65, Grand Rapids, Minn. Dr. Joseph Crawford, '66, '68, '72, Duluth, Minn.
Adele (Ferguson) Gorder, '69, Bismarck Donald Page Jr., '69, East Wenatchee, Wash. Maj. Robert Skaar (RET), '69, Alamogordo, N.M. Dr. Katherine {Dodd) Wright, '69, '72, '75, Grand Forks
1970s Lorraine (SCott) Abel, '70, '85, Roosevelt, Minn. Maj. Jesse Greer, '70, Austin, Texas Ralph Gullickson, '70, Benedict, N.D. Dr. Howard Llewellyn, '70, Cotuit, Mass. Dr.Mike Madison, '70, Lakeland, Fla. Lois (Hart) McDougall, '70, Rolla, N.D. Steven Nordwall, .. '70, Mitchell, S.D. Constance Weimer, '70, Tualatin, Ore. Gary Allard, '71, '78, Beulah, N.D. Bruce Carlisle, MD, '71, '74, '76, Fargo Delby Hager, '71, Cass Lake, Minn. James Knecht, '71, Grand Forks
James Fudge, ..'66, San Diego
Carl McKay, '71, '84, New Rockford, N.D.
Betty Heldstab, ..'66, Crookston, Minn.
Stephen Thorson, '71, Palm Springs, Calif.
L. Alan Person, '66, Bismarck
Robert Walter, '71, Santa Cruz, Calif.
Dr. Robert Sauter, '66, Peoria, Ariz. Eddie Stevens Ill, '66, Omaha, Neb. Ronald Brooks, '67, Jacksonville, Fla.
David Koland, '72, Carrington, N.D. David Scarff, '72, Bismarck Ralph Waterman Jr., '72, Grand Forks
Sister Yvonne Schafer, '73, Crookston, Minn.
Lawrence Damico, ..'84, Afton, Minn.
Beulah (Klemenhagen) Aamot, ..'74, Sergeant Bluff, Iowa
Julie (Dondoneau) Mischel, '84, Bismarck
Dean Anderson, '74, Jamestown, N.D.
Douglas Ault, '86, Waverty, Minn.
LaVada {Schipper) Hanson, '74, Detroit Lakes, Minn.
Delwin Petrick, '74, Elgin, N.D.
Becky (Best) Field, '88, Minot, N.D.
Geralyn (Leiran) Lunski, East Grand Forks, Minn.
Patricia (Moran) Klokstad, '75, '90, Grand Forks
W. Robert Walker, '88, Yuma, Ariz.
Billy McCleary, East Grand Forks, Minn.
Dr. Jon Pigage, '75, '80, Peyton, Colo.
Phyllis (Chally) Manley, '89, Independence, Mo.
John Ostby, Reynolds, N.D.
Ellen (Neset) Pristo, '75, Scottsdale, Ariz.
1990s
Donna Kirschenmann, '76, Madison, Wis. Barry Nass, '76, Beaver, Ohio Bradley Norgart, '76, Drayton, N.D. Ronald Wagner, MD, '76, '78, Bismarck Lorie (Hilliard) Connor, '77, Glendive, Mont. Lee ess, '78, Grand Forks
Kenneth Eisbrener, '92, Minneapolis Bryce Luthens, '92, Shakopee, Minn. Gloria Serna, '92, Grand For1<s Dr. Janet Veit, '92, La Crescent, Minn.
Sandra (Uithof) Wells, Grand Forks
Friends Barbara (Olson) Beeson, Brighton, Colo. Donald Berge, Erhard, Minn. Clarence Ellis, Crookston, Minn. Jacqueline Evans, Grand Forks Amos Flaten, Park River, N.D.
Diane Hellie, '79, Rochester, Minn.
W. Daniel Slattery, '94, Victoria, Minn.
Art Grove, Grand Forks
Warren LeClerc, â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘'79, Grand Forks
Gloria David Franz, '95, Fargo
Marion {O'Connell) Hahn, Grand Forks
Lavina Lemieux, ..'79, Devils Lake, N.D. Constance (Bleth) McCarty, ..'79, Gratton, N.D. Raymond Podell, '79, Grand Forks Crystal {Hindemith) Roy, '791 '81, Grand Forks Michelle Williams, '79, SCottsdale, Ariz.
1980s T imothy Fogarty, '81, Bayfield, Colo. Loren Solem, ..'81, Fargo
Erik Lips, '73, Bismarck
Carolyn (Galloway) Monson, ..'82, Rochester, Minn.
Duane Robey, '73, Ogden, Utah
Shirley Lawonn Jahnke, '91, Grand Forks
Donald Severson, Leesburg, Va.
Richard Martin, '94, Grand Forks
Vivian (Buehl) Krech, '82, Saint John, N.D.
Donald Linnertz, '68, Eden Prairie, Minn.
Miles Allard, '91, Fort Yates, N.D.
Sally Page, Grand Forks
Isabelle Bork, ..'79, Oakes, N.D.
Howard Levi, .. '73, Winnipeg, MB Canada
Michael Montgomery, '73, Fargo
Robert Kaminski, Grand For1<s
Hazel (Avron) Klein, Grand Forks
Kirk Porter, '67, Greeley, Colo.
Virginia Larsen, '68, Austin, Minn.
Barbara Hobart, Grand Forks
Muriel Meichsner, '86, Sauk Rapids, Minn.
Phillip Johnston, '74, Forest River, N.D.
Meralee Giese, ..'82, Grand For1<s
Donald Luecke, MD, '73, Rockville, Md.
Ronald Hegg, Grand Forks
Margaret (Ruddy) Kiel, Grand Forks
H. Elaine (Fox) Incognito, '74, Halliday, N.D.
E. Thomas Conmy Ill, '73, Fargo
Robert Hieb, '68, Midland, Mich.
Patricia (Kalis) Graveline, Grand Forks
Dr. Calvin Gruver, '86, Two Harbors, Minn.
David Macheel, '67, Chelan, Wash.
Michael Wollan, '67, Fergus Falls, Minn.
Nadine Sukut Bloomquist, '86, Williston, N.D.
Dr. John Duerre, Woodbury, Minn.
Thomas Youngerman, '95, Fargo
James Gen-.se, Drayton, N.D.
Mogens Henriksen, Charlotte, N.C.
Christopher Martell, '96, Rolla, N.D.
Eunice Hill, Spring Hill, Kan.
George Sinner, HON '96 Fargo
Elenor (Rafferty) Johnson, Ypsilanti, Mich.
Dr. Richard Zaruba, '99, '05, '07, West Fargo, N.D.
2000s Todd Anderson, '00, Bernardsville, N.J.
Helen (Greenwood) McFadden, Cavalier, N.D. Jerome Narum, Michigan, N.D. Patricia (Schraeder) Nelson, White Bear Lake, Minn.
Erim (Nordq.Jist) Guggenheimer, '04, Hopkins, Minn.
Wayne O'Connell, Shelly, Minn.
Benjamin Olson, '04, Eaton, Colo.
Donna (Brenna) Partlow, Grand Forks
Bonnie Miller, '06, Bismarck Erik Valente, '09, Las Vegas, Nev. Geri (Fischer) Brien, '11, Bismarck Scott Kerber, '11, Fort Worth, Texas
Richard Bradsteen Sr., '83, Grand Forks
John Fagerholt, '14, Fargo
Gregory Kaiser, .. '83, East Grand Forks, Minn.
Jeffrey Bullis Jr., '16, Cottage Grove, Minn.
John Rolfstad, '83, Seattle
Facuity/Staff Ed Dondlinger, Madison, Wis.
Louise (Krueger) Roebuck, Devils Lake, N.D. Emolyn (Osnes) Skinner, Minneapolis Robert Stewart, Grand Forks David Sulerud, Green Valley, Ariz. Robert Thom, MD, Rancho Mirage, Calif. Ill A double period (..) in front of a year indicates the year that a non-graduate left UND.
UNDalumni.org
Two members of the development team for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) have retired from the UNO Alumni Association & Foundation.
On Target with UNO Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins, felt like a home away from home for UNO fans on July 6 during UNO Night at Target Field. About 2,000 UNO supporters wore Twins baseball caps made special for the occasion with a Fighting Hawks logo on the side and done in UNO green. Sean McGarry, grandson of UNO benefactor and alumnus Ralph Engelstad, threw the ceremonial first pitch. Many fans attended a pregame gathering at Kieran's Irish Pub just down the street from Target Field. A special thanks to Marco for sponsoring alumni events throughout the evening.
Alumni Review I Summer 2018
Dave Miedema spent nearly 33 years with the organization, finishing as the Senior Director of Development.
Find the Flame The Find the Flame contest from the cover of the spring issue stumped a lot of readers with more incorrect guesses than correct.
"Dave was a great mentor and friend to many of us,â&#x20AC;˘ said DeAnna Carlson Zink, CEO of the UNO Alumni Association & Foundation. 'In just the last 12 years of his 30-plus year career, he brought in $80 Just under 50 people found the flame million in philanthropic gifts. That is impact, in the shadow of the bike on the right and Dave will be missed!" (see photo above). T hree names were drawn from the correct entries to win Also retiring this summer a prize package from the UNO Alumni was Dave Gregory, Association & Foundation. T he winners Director of Development are Cheryl Lueker, Patti Miller, and for the SMHS. Gregory Kadra Brophy. started with the organization in 2015 as Look for the flame on the cover of this the director of corporate and foundation issue for your chance to win. relations. He transitioned into fundraising for the SMHS in 2016. Florida Reunion The 55th annual North Dakota Suncoast "Dave is a consummate team player," said Association Luncheon will be held Carlson Zink. "He worked tirelessly to help February 16, 2019, in Parrish, Florida. medical students have the best experience All with ties to North Dakota are possible at UNO.â&#x20AC;˘ encouraged to attend. Contact Jay Morgan, . .'73, at 941-378-4444 for A search for a new SMHS Director of further information. Development is underway.
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REAL ESTATE SALES
Pifer's provides an extensive marketing plan for your auction. This includes property evaluation, property itemization, marketing and advertising development and implementation, direct mailing list to specific buyers and online bidding campaign.
Pifer's believes in working smarter and harder than our competition in land sales, commercial real estate sales, and property management. If we don't have the property you are looking for, we have the resources and desire to find one to meet your needs.
Pifer's strives to provide you with the best buying and selling experience possible!
Call Today for a FREE Consultation!
Kevin Pifer, '81 kpifer@pifers.com 701.238.5810
Pete Pifer, '79
petepifer@gmail.com 720.587.7600
Pifer' s AUCTION & REALTY
Bob Pifer
bob@pifers.com 701.371.8538
1506 29th Ave S Moorhead, MN 56560
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Real Estate Sales - Land Auctions Machinery Auctions - Livestock Auctions Land Management Livestock Marketing Real Estate Sales - Land Auctions
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877.700.4099 www.pifers.com
3501 University Ave. Stop 8157 Grand Forks, ND 58202-8157
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