FOUNDATION NEWS
A LETTER FROM THE FOUNDATION CHAIR
(L to R) Michael Olson and Ray Bebbe
Fall has arrived on the Waldorf campus and with it comes a new academic year, the arrival of the class of 2025, who have already embarked on that life changing "Waldorf experience,” walks across campus on crisp fall days with leaves blowing every which way, football games, homecoming, and on and on. All of you alumni can close your eyes and place yourself in that very setting going back perhaps a few years or perhaps many years. Wonderful memories for you and wonderful memories that are in the making for the students now on campus. In my last letter (spring 2021 issue) I talked about the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on Waldorf University and its students. During the pandemic Waldorf was able to continue with "in-person" classes, a luxury not matched by most colleges and universities. Thankfully, that normalization process has continued, and Waldorf seemed to be back to "business as usual" as the fall semester began. As you will read elsewhere in this issue, Waldorf's May 8 graduation day turned out to indeed be a very special day for me. Waldorf University, through its Board of Trustees, conferred upon me an honorary doctorate degree as a way of recognizing my service to Waldorf University and the Forest City community. I was also asked to deliver the commencement address. It would be an understatement to say that I was honored and humbled by these actions. Perhaps the most exciting part is that my status has now changed from "friend of Waldorf" to "Waldorf alum" or as President Alsop put it when presenting me with the degree: "YOU ARE NOW A WARRIOR!" There is so much that I could say about my involvement with Waldorf University and my tenure with the Waldorf Lutheran College Foundation Board of Directors of which I have been a member since 2006 and Chairman of the Board for more than ten years. At the beginning of my term, I was still Vice President/General Counsel of Winnebago Industries. Both Winnebago and Waldorf were adversely impacted by the "Great Recession" of 2008-2009. At that time, I told people to pray for the "two W's!" Fortunately, those prayers were answered and both Winnebago and Waldorf are now prospering. I have worked with some great people on the foundation board through the years and I can truthfully say that it has been a pleasure to work with President Alsop as he captained the "ship" through some very treacherous waters while holding the respect of all constituencies and leading the university to the position of prominence that it now occupies. I also cannot say enough about the faculty and staff who truly care about each student and are always ready to help them in any way they can. But perhaps my greatest joy has been getting to know many Waldorf students and proving to myself time and time again that each Waldorf student has his or her own unique "Waldorf story," and that Waldorf truly does change "one life at a time." I am very proud of the work of the Waldorf Foundation. The faithful financial support of Waldorf friends and alumni including many of you has allowed our assets to grow to nearly $6 million today. Our work is focused on providing scholarships to Waldorf students, maintaining a vibrant campus ministry program, and fostering a stronger relationship with alumni and friends. We are playing a key role in sustaining and enhancing the traditions that have defined Waldorf for over a century. I want to conclude by sharing with you a fun story about an amazing young man. I think virtually all of you will remember Nancy Olson, long time Director of institutional Relations, who retired a couple of years ago. I often referred to Nancy as the "face of Waldorf." This waldorf.edu
story is particularly poignant to my wife, Joan, and I as we were foster parents for a number of teenage boys over a number of years. Some time ago, Nancy and her husband, Steve, approached us to get our thoughts on foster parenting as they had become acquainted with an 11-year-old boy named Michael and they were considering taking foster parenting training so that Michael could become their foster son. The Olson’s already had two adult sons who were married and had been out of the home for several years. To move this along I will tell you that the Olson’s did complete foster parent training and took in Michael as a foster son which eventually led to them adopting Michael, whose name then changed to Michael Olson. He became their third son and he also became an uncle to Steve and Nancy's grandchildren, some of whom were older than him! Then I enter the story. In my role as President of the Forest City Education Foundation, I become acquainted with a number of the young men at the Forest City High School and I become a mentor/friend to a number of them, and as you have probably guessed by now, I have been fortunate to be in that role with Michael. I could tell you a lot about Michael but suffice it to say that he came from a very difficult background and his own life was not problem free, but with great parenting and encouragement from the Olson’s and many others, Michael has turned many corners and it's hard for me to even put into words how proud I am of this young man. He is a very committed Christian and has not ruled out the possibility of a career in some type of ministry. He is a natural athlete and has been impressive on both the Forest City football and basketball teams. This led to him being recruited by the Waldorf football coaches and he is now a freshman at Waldorf, playing football and currently majoring in Business Management I am excited that I will be able to continue my relationship with Michael and watch him excel on the football field and elsewhere. He and Waldorf are a great match. Please continue to support our foundation so that we can continue to help students like Michael create their own unique Waldorf story.
Raymond M. Beebe Chair, Waldorf Lutheran College Foundation Retired Vice President, General Counsel Secretary Winnebago Industries, Inc. 1974–2012 Recipient of Honorary Doctorate Degree, Waldorf University (2021) FALL 2021 // WALDORF MAGAZINE
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