60-Year Reunion
Class of 1948
Reunion dates ― May 30-31, 2008
April 2008
Dear Classmates:
We will soon be celebrating our 60th college reunion May
30-31. It seems like yesterday we were
fretting about exams and term papers, saying goodbyes to professors and
friends, and also college campus life. With
so much happening the past sixty years― pursuing careers, meeting new
friends, continuing education, marriage and family, involvement in new
technology, enjoying travel, etc. it also seems like a very long time since
1948. I marvel that life has been so
good and that we have kept in touch with our college and classmates and
continue to think of Gustavus as “family.”
The college has sent the Alumni Reunion Weekend brochure and
I hope you have perused it and find the activities irresistible! Del
and I will be on campus Friday to register and attend the 50-Year Club Dinner
and will also enjoy all the Saturday events including the seminars, alumni
luncheon, and 5:00 p.m. banquet. We hope many of you will join us and our
classmates for a meaningful and enjoyable reunion. The program looks very interesting and we know
the food will be exceptional. Note that
campus housing is complimentary in Sohre and Pittman dorms and for a charge,
Land to Air Express, will provide a shuttle ride from the Mpls/St. Paul Airport
to St. Peter.
A Few Corrections…
Thanks to all who sent notes for our winter class letter. I really appreciated hearing from you. The Alumni Office and I apologize for a few
mistakes that appeared in that letter. Corrections
are as follows.
1) Lael Dahl Bjella and husband, Len, live
in Springfield, Missouri, not Minnesota.
2) News that was
printed for Geneva Nygren Anderson was actually news for Helen Johnson Adler in Eau
Claire, WI. Helen wrote:
“I traveled with a group from my church to Israel this year. It was truly amazing to see the Holy Land and actually visit all the places that we read
about in the scriptures.”
3) Geneva Nygren Anderson, Colorado Springs, Colorado
did send us news, but this is what she had to share. “I and my three daughters and one
granddaughter traveled to Sweden
in August of 2007. It was sort of a
heritage tour as we visited homes of my grandparents and met many relatives. I’m staying busy with family activities,
church and senior activities.”
4) Norman D. Rice, Richfield,
Minnesota, wife’s name is spelled
Merry Lou. Norman was at Gustavus from March 1944 until
October 1944.
More Class News
Ralph Carlson, Glendale, Arizona
shared, “I am still active in Habitat, my home congregation in Glendale, and serve on the board of the
retirement home where I live. Having
lived in the Netherlands
and Germany
for 13 years, the wanderlust still has me traveling. I would be at the reunion except I will be in Europe for three weeks during that time. I send my greetings to any and all, “Jeep.”
Lois Jean Arndt
Neubauer, Eagan, Minnesota writes, “My husband, Cal, passed
away at Lyngblomsten March 24 after a very long stay there―17 years. He was cared for with such love and compassion
and I am truly grateful. I will continue
to be a volunteer in the gift shop. See
you at the 60th!” Our sincere sympathy
to you, Lois, and to your family.
Kenneth W. Dugan,
who lives at: 9A Glendale Lane, Rapid City,
SD 57702 from May to October and at: 214
Arizona Circle, Florence, AZ 85232 from November to April. Nice hearing from you, Ken, and hopefully you
also have received the reunion information on program and accommodations from
the Alumni Office. If not, or you have
further questions call the office at: 800-487-8437 or on line, alumni@gustavus.edu or
wwwgustavus.edu/alumni.
I received news of the death of George Olaf Erickson of Cambridge,
MN who passed away December 4, 2007 at Grandview Christian Home
in Cambridge. After high school, George joined the Army Air
force, was discharged in March, 1945 and later attended Gustavus. In 1964 he became president of the family
owned Cambridge State Bank. He served as
a city council member, Mayor of Cambridge in the ’70s and active in the Cambridge Lutheran Church.
He is survived by his wife, Roselyn and
three daughters Kim ’76, Kathy, and Kristen ’83. I served on the Alumni Board with Kim years ago.
We extend sympathy to the family of
George Erickson
Thor Peterson, Edina, MN
died on December 6, 2007.
He was a retired business manager of
Court Services for Hennepin
County and is survived by
his wife, Marjorie (Lindberg ’47) and two sons. Sympathy is extended to Marjorie and sons.
Another death to report, though he was not a member of our
class, is that of Odin Monroe Langsjoen ’44, Duluth, MN. Odin died on April 1, 2008 was born on the 100th
anniversary of the signing of the Monroe Doctrine. Odin was the third son of eight children born
to Nels (former professor) and Alma Langsjoen.
He graduated from Gustavus then enlisted in the Army during World War
II. He served as a Lieutenant and earned
a “Purple Heart,” in the Battle
for Okinawa.
After the war Odin attended dental school. He married his college sweetheart, Mavis
(McClure ’44) and they raised two children.
He taught and practiced dentistry for thirty years. Interestingly, he started a new career in
retirement, studying dental ramifications of paleopathology and began working
the mummy fields of Chile
and the Canary Islands. He is survived by his wife and family and by
two brothers, including Arne and Carol (Gaustad) ’42 ’42 and Ralph Langsjoen
’50 and two sisters, Trudy Langsjoen (and Cliff) Wolfsehr ’50 and Alma Langsjoen (and Jerry) Halverson ’53 and former sister-in-law,
Jean Horman Langsjoen-Hogan. He was preceded in death by brothers, Per
’43, Leif ’47 and Sven Langsjoen.
Campus News
The search is still on for a new prexy to replace James
Peterson, who will be leaving Gustavus at the end of the school year. Jim and his wife, Susan (Pepin) Peterson ’64
’65 will be receiving the Greater Gustavus Award at the Alumni banquet on Saturday
May 31, at 5:00 p.m. Other award winners include:
Distinguished Alumni Citations - Recognizing
outstanding and exceptional professional achievement:
Craig Johnson ’69, bishop, Minneapolis Area Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America.
Talmadge King ’70, chair, Department of Medicine,
University of California San Francisco School of Medicine.
Barbara Berry
Leonard ’63, nursing professor, University
of Minnesota.
First Decade Awards - Recognizing early
professional achievement:
Miho Ihara, senior consultant, CPCS Transcom Limited.
Jason Smerdon, Barnard Environmental Science/Mellon
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Environmental Science, Barnard College.
The Greater Gustavus Award and Distinguished Alumni
Citations will be presented at the Alumni Banquet on Saturday, May 31 and the
First Decade Awards will be presented during Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 4.
A Gustavus dance
“Vigorous Incubation” was one of three performances chosen from entries
from more than 30 colleges and universities to be performed at a biennial National College dance festival in New York City in June. The entire Gustavus ensemble was also
nominated for a National outstanding student performance award usually reserved
for an individual performer. I remember
we had a very good theater program on campus with Evelyn and Evan Anderson but
dance was not in the wings until the first professor of dance was hired in 1979
and the Department of Theater and Dance was created in 1989. It is a wonderful addition.
MAYDAY! Conference
Focuses on Water
“Troubled Water” is the topic of Gustavus Adolphus
College’s 28th annual
MAYDAY! Peace Conference to be held
Wednesday, April 30 on campus. Dr. Aaron
Wolf, department of geosciences at Oregon
State University
and a leading expert on international water politics, opens the daylong
conference and the afternoon keynote speaker is Wenonah Hauter, executive
director of Food and Water Watch, a consumer advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. The conference, an annual event designed to
educate the campus community and beyond about issues related to peace, human
rights, and social justice, is open to the public at no charge.
Gustie Breakfasts
Join other Minneapolis/St. Paul area Gusties for a
once-a-month morning cup of coffee and breakfast while getting an update on
Gustavus. The group meets the third
Wednesday of each month 8-9:30 a.m.
at the Doubletree Hotel, Minneapolis-Park
Place, 1500
Park Place Boulevard (Hwy. 394 & Hwy. 100) $10
per person. Reserve a spot by calling
Don Swanson ’55 at 763-533-9083. Next date:
May 21 - featuring Sports Information Director, Tim Kennedy ’82
Minnesota’s
political activist, Arvonne Frazer is Gustavus Library Associates spring’s Author Day speaker at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday May 14 at the
Edina Country Club. She will discuss her
recently published, spirited memoir, “She’s
No Lady: Politics, Family and
International Feminism.” Make
reservations through the Office of College Relations at: 507 933 7520.
Gustavus will sponsor 2008 Summer Sports Camps again on
campus. Our granddaughter enjoyed the
volleyball camp last summer and it was a wonderful introduction to campus and
dorm life at Gustavus.
The college has announced a $200,000 matching grant from the
Schmidt Foundation in St. Peter to develop a new 70 acre prairie on the west
side of the Linneaus Arboretum. The
plans are really exciting! It will
expand the existing Uhler Prairie established in 1988 that has served as an
important venue for educating students of all ages on the value of prairie.
Developing the Coneflower Prairie within the city limits of
St. Peter will expand upon the way the Arboretum can best serve the college and
the greater St. Peter Community. Del and I hope we will
see our chosen prairie flowers (blue and yellow for our Swedish heritage) grow
and flower. You too can specify a gift
to this endeavor and have it doubled―but hurry the matching gift expires May 31, 2008!
Upcoming Alumni
Events
MAYDAY! Peace Conference focused on water - April 30
Author Day with Arvonne Fraser - May 14
Gustie Breakfast - May 21, featuring Sports Information
Director, Tim Kennedy
Class Reunions - for 50-Year Club, 1958, and 1963 - May 30
and 31
Tonight, as I began this letter, I wondered how many years
class agents write their letters. We
went on-line and found class letter writers from present to the class of 1930,
the latter written by dear Hildur Anderson Swenson, who is 100 years of age,
still sharp as a tack and this May will celebrate her 78th reunion! WOW!
The 2008 Alumni Fund drive finale is soon approaching (May 31)
so act quickly (lest you forget) and plan your trip to Gustavus on the hill, in
beautiful St. Peter, May 30-31. I know
you will enjoy being on campus with your delicately aging ’48 classmates. See you then.
Sincerely,
Lorrie Johnson Leaf
1948 Class Agent