A Snake "Tail" Gabby Munoz Labaleta '20 holding Naven.
CAMPUS NEWS
ERIC J. BARTLESON ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP We are excited to share with you the Eric J Bartleson Alumni Scholarship. This scholarship enables you, our alumni, to give directly to a current Waldorf student in their junior or senior year who needs financial assistance to continue their Waldorf education. The scholarship was named after Dr. Eric J. Bartleson '64, a former alumni board member, who passed away in 2020. Eric’s love and dedication to Waldorf was apparent both as a student and an alum. Eric realized that Waldorf was not only a place of academia but also a place of self-growth. Eric held the belief, as our other board members do, that Waldorf alumni is a family that supports each other. Our goal is to endow this scholarship by raising $25,000. Visit the Waldorf Lutheran College Foundation website at waldorffoundation.org to donate or you may mail a check to: Waldorf Lutheran College Foundation 106 South 6th Street Forest City, IA 50436 Your donation is tax deductible
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WALDORF MAGAZINE // FALL 2021
A long-time member of the Biology Department has passed away. Naven, our 9-ft, 25-lb Red-tailed Boa Constrictor has died. Naven lived in the Biology labs since the late 1990’s, when John Robinson asked if we would like to keep him for his brother (Jamie) – it wasn’t a difficult decision. Naven instantly became a star attraction to the Department – not for everyone, no, but for hundreds of Biology students, Naven became a celebrity as well as a wonderful example of an ectotherm (cold-blooded critter). Despite his appearance and size, Naven was docile when handled and he loved to be handled; some students (who asked to study in the labs during the evening) would ask me to take Naven out of his cage while they studied. They enjoyed having Naven wrap around their arms and chest as they studied – Naven enjoyed it, too! Many had their pictures taken with Naven in the Atrium, and he was the “star” on the Biology float during one of Waldorf’s Homecoming parades. According to Jamie Robinson, Naven was born in 1987, making him 34 years old when he passed away. My former advisor in Idaho (a snake authority who himself had a boa in his lab) told me the record age for a captive Red-tailed Boa was 37 years (I was hoping Naven could at least tie that record). When born, Naven was the size of a pencil; he ate “pinkies” back then (baby mice). In our lab he ate rats – and ONLY rats – he refused gerbils, small rabbits, or anything else. Some on campus will remember the “magic shows” that I advertised in the summers, when I would “change a rat into a snake”. Something about watching Naven capture then eat a rat was captivating – many enjoyed the shows. Naven is survived by his owner (Jamie), doting Biology faculty members, many fans on the Waldorf staff, and hundreds of Waldorf Biology students and alumni. Thank you, everyone, for your years of interest in Naven and the “wonders of Nature”. Special thanks to Jami Robinson for his “long-term loan” of Naven. Naven will be missed! Paul Bartelt, PhD, Professor of Biology
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