Alumni Profile

Learning, Living and Serving Until the Final Curtain is Drawn PHOTOS COURTESY OF DIANA KOPPEN WRITTEN BY PAM DOOCY-CURRY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF DIANA KOPPEN

Both my aunt Marion Helland '46 and my mother Gladys (Helland) prior: “As a twisted twig sometimes develops into the bent tree spoiling the Doocy '56 walked those halls of Waldorf University for the first time in 1944 and 1954 respectively, in search of knowledge and direction on how they could make their imprints on society. Born to Norwegian immigrants, Marion and Gladys learned how to celebrate people’s differences and advocate for those who were seen as outsiders. Moreover, each woman headed to Waldorf, possessing the thirst for knowledge and the desire to spread this knowledge to future generations. Both wore the same Waldorf letters, brought out the best in those around them, and went on to lead admirable lives; however, their paths were quite different. In 1944, in the midst of World War II, Marion entered her college years with more questions than answers. She was desperately seeking direction in a world inundated with warped perspectives, which she so adequately described in her high school valedictorian speech just months symmetry of the forest, so sometimes a twisted idea finds root in the mind of man and develops a personality which spoils the beauty of man’s dreams.” No human could have all the answers for Marion’s worldly concerns, but Waldorf equipped her with the tools for discovery as well as a forum for discussion.

During Marion’s years at Waldorf, enrollment was low due to WWII, and the student body consisted primarily of women since most men were serving in the armed forces. While the Waldorf students of today faced empty toilet paper shelves and on-line instruction during the global COVID-19 pandemic, Marion’s college years were plagued by a world war and rationing of food, shoes, tires, and gasoline, and the cars around town were tagged with the stickers “Is this trip necessary?” Waldorf is no stranger to hard times, and the students grow all the more resilient and equipped for the world because of it. Marion attributed her desire to serve as an activist in the Civil Rights Movement to her years at Waldorf: "My most vivid memory of Waldorf was Dr. Jacob Tanner, a dynamic teacher of religion and a vigorous presence on campus. With his unique teaching style of religion and the Bible, he also offered helpful hints about keeping healthy. I don’t remember if Waldorf had the “Learn, Live, & Serve” motto back then, but I do know that was the message I received from Dr. Tanner. He insisted that we underline passages in our Bibles as he presented his lessons. The underlining has faded a bit but is still clear enough to follow what Dr. Tanner was emphasizing. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31) That was a meaningful underlining for life and certainly for the civil rights/human rights journey, which was a spiritual as well as a political movement." By becoming an elementary school teacher, Marion found her avenue for pursuing

equality by opening her students’ eyes to the discrimination that permeated the world around them. Her lessons about the reality of racism and the need for critical analysis worked to change the one-sided narrative of segregation. In 1965, Marion responded to an ad “Teachers WANTED to Teach FREEDOM” and migrated down to the segregated American South. There she began her lifelong commitment to social justice. In her lifetime, Marion bore witness to the endless atrocities that stained our nation’s collective consciousness, and she worked with other visionaries to inspire our march towards a brighter, more equitable future. In 1954, Marion’s younger sister Gladys followed in her sister’s steps and joined the Waldorf community, with a vision to combine her strong Norwegian Lutheran Church upbringing with her passion for teaching. Waldorf promised to bridge this gap by immersing Gladys in its mission: “to educate the whole person emphasizing integrity and equipping students to succeed and to serve the communities where they live and work.” Gladys’ Waldorf days were filled with impactful lessons, friendships, and mentorships, cementing her desire to educate the youth while arming her with the skills to do so. Shortly after graduating in 1956, Gladys accepted her first teaching job in Titonka, Iowa. Gladys was no stranger to small towns but was quite anxious about leaving her Waldorf support system and moving to a town just shy of 600 people. However, Gladys employed the teaching strategies she learned at Waldorf, and she devoted herself to caring for her students and encouraging them to live honest, community-serving lives. Halfway through Gladys’ second week in Titonka, she met George Doocy, and three years later, George and Gladys married. Soon after, a baby on the way marked Gladys’ divergence from Marion’s path. After the birth of Gladys and George’s first daughter, the couple relocated to Spirit Lake, Iowa, to start a business. Gladys ended that school year in a longterm substitute position and planned on returning to teaching full time, but each time the school district offered Gladys a full-time position, another baby was on the way. Therefore, Gladys substitute taught on a regular basis for five decades, continuing to educate herself as the teaching world evolved, while she simultaneously raised their five daughters, maintained their household, and supported their family business. On her 70th birthday, a bouquet of flowers arrived at Spirit Lake Elementary School, signifying Gladys’ last official year of teaching. However, the impact she had on her students continued as she supported them in sporting events and activities within the community. In 2015, the two sisters stepped foot on the Waldorf campus one last time in honor of Marion receiving the “Alumni Distinguished Service Award.” Her acceptance speech marked the first time Marion was truly nervous about public speaking because she wanted to find the perfect words to address both her sister and her alma mater. Even though my aunt Marion was the sister receiving the award that night, when I praised Marion for all her heroic actions and the widespread impact she has had on society, Marion insisted, “I admire your mother so much more. She has not only helped mold the minds of impressionable youth for over fifty years as an educator but also has passed on her fine qualities to five daughters who are now in the world serving as well. That speaks volumes for the impact your mother has had on so many lives. That is the vision of a true hero.” Although Marion also married, she knew she could not balance motherhood with her human rights mission, so she served as a role model to all she encountered. Though Gladys’ and Marion’s paths varied, both women spent their days “learning, living, and serving.” In conjunction with my niece’s "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" campaign and the publishing of Marion’s memoir "Breaking Free from Rigid Boxes, From the Outside Looking In", I walked Waldorf campus, looking within the faces of the new generation of Waldorf students for that glimmer of hope and promise captured in the old photos of the women I loved. Did they too come to Waldorf in search of life’s answers, their hearts filled with dreams of a future where they impact others? In Marion’s valedictorian speech, she vowed, “that it has always been man’s greatest ambition to leave a better world behind when the final curtain is drawn.” These two Waldorf graduates wore their letters proudly and conquered this selfless endeavor… and for this one day on the Waldorf campus, I got a glimpse at their journeys.