Class of 1954
Spring 2008
Dear Classmates,
Can you believe 54 years ago our class of ’54 left Gustavus…graduated, joyful, hopeful, ready to “get going” with more of life?? What a great “moment in time!” And we did “get goin” as we knew to do…probably not realizing how much we had yet to learn! Oh! Well, as a Swede may say “so it goes,” with experiences of a few “bumps in the road,” it’s my hope that so far we can say, “Wow, what a ride!” Ah yes…that aging process…this story got my attention…
Classmates, many of us are guilty of looking at others our own age and thinking, “Surely, I can’t be that old.” If you’ve ever done this, then you’ll appreciate the following.
My name is Alice Smith and I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist.
I noticed his
After he examined my teeth, I asked
him if he had attended
“Yes, yes, I did. I’m a Mustang,” he gleamed with pride.
“When did you graduate?” I asked.
“In 1965,” he replied. “Why do you ask?”
“You were in my class!” I exclaimed.
He looked at me closely…and then that ugly, old, bald, wrinkled, fat, gray-haired, decrepit, creature asked, “What did you teach?"
Thinking about classmates:
Sharon Anthony Bower writes, “I’ll phase out of my semi-retirement status to quarter retirement in 2008, taking only a of couple clients who need continued training. I probably should start a new career in confidence training for seniors, but the scope of necessary skills for senior survival seems too vast to conquer.”
Congratulations and best wishes for great happiness to Phyllis Anderson Erickson and Roger
Erickson ’54 upon their marriage on
John Sandquist
had this news to share: “The last eight
or ten years I’ve worked as a substitute teacher for the
Also, last fall Kathryn and I moved back to the Twin Cities
(
NOTES FROM ST. PETER
by Janet Hanson Jones
How time flies! It is already nine months since we made the move from our house to an apartment. That must mean that it is time to get those last boxes in the living room unpacked!
During Lent the St. Peter
Ministerial Association sponsors a Preach and Soup session each Wednesday at
the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion.
The service followed by a lunch of vegetable beef soup and bread is
completed in about one hour making it possible for people to attend on their
At
On Palm Sunday the St. Peter Choral Society presented the St. Matthew’s Passion with orchestra and several soloists at Christ Chapel. It was marvelous! Pauline Wiemann was also there to enjoy the music.
February 24 was the “Winter Warmer” luncheon at the Arboretum―more soup! It was the annual meeting of the Friends of the Arboretum with Mary Edlund Rehwaldt ’53 as the new president. Her husband, “Red” ’52, was also there as were Stan and Marie (Schafer) Benson ’51 ’52 and Don and Beverly (Matson) Gustafson ’55 ’56.
On Monday, March 17, the College
Chapel service commemorated the tenth anniversary of the tornado. It was a few days early because the College
would be closed on the 29th for spring break, as they were at the
time of the tornado in 1998. It was very
moving to see the broken cross from the steeple carried in the processional and
leaned against the altar. The eternal
light which remained lit through the storm was also carried in. It really reminds us how old we are getting
when we realize that the current students were small children at the time. They were particularly interested in the
display of pictures at the back of the chapel.
The
On Saturday, April 19 in Christ Chapel, there was a memorial service for Robert Esbjornson ’41 led by Dennis Johnson ’60.
----------------
Thanks to Janet for those “Notes from St. Peter.”
So much “good stuff” is happening. We appreciate Alumni Director, Randall Stuckey’s ’83 keeping us “in the know”…
Alumni Awards
Announced
The Alumni Association announces the following 2008 awards selected by the Alumni Board of Directors.
Greater Gustavus Award - Given to those who by
deed, have notably advanced and aided
Jim and Susan (Pepin) Peterson ’64 ’65
Distinguished Alumni Citations - Recognizing outstanding and exceptional professional achievement:
Craig Johnson ’69, bishop, Minneapolis Area Synod,
Talmadge King ’70, chair, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine.
Barbara
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,
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.
Congratulations to each Alumni Award recipient! Some of the best campus news of what our Alma Mater is about comes from senior student and Alumni Office intern, Adam Eckhardt ’08. Adam writes:
Greetings and salutations from on top of the hill! My name is Adam Eckhardt and I have the privilege of interning with the Alumni Office. I worked full-time during January term, but this spring I am on a part-time basis along with my classes. I am a senior, double majoring in Communication Studies and Business Management. I can hardly believe that second semester is upon us. This past January was my third J-term on campus and it proved to be just as cold as I remembered it. There were several mornings when I braved the trek across campus in the subzero blistering winds and the ice-coated parking lot that I wondered to myself, “Why do we live here?” I suppose if it weren’t for the people this would be a pretty dismal place but then I would get to work and see the people who make Gustavus happen every day and remembered why.
This year’s J-Term had a lot of
opportunities to offer students. There
were over 26 different classes that went abroad to places such as
Gustie winter sports teams are having another great year, as all are near the top in the MIAC.
Other things that have happened
this semester included the 13th Annual Building Bridges
conference. This conference focused on
Genocide Awareness: How will history
judge us? Paul Rusesabagina, whose life
story was the basis of critically acclaimed movie Hotel
I cannot believe spring is going so fast and before I know it I will be graduating and becoming an alumnus. These four years have been great to me and I will cherish them forever. I am proud to say that I am a Gustie and I hope you all are, too! GO GUSTIES!!!!
As I read Adam’s letter, his “cold, blistering wind” phrase
got to me…for I think it was in our junior year that the mercury didn’t go
above -30° for about six weeks―when it did get up to 0°, we had thoughts
of sunbathing. Yes, those were the
days…for me, as well as others it was a hike from Wahlstrom to the Annex for an
By the way, are there any more stories out there?? Woody or I would like very much to receive some for future class mailings―okay?
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
Class Reunions for the 50-Year Club, 1958 and 1963 will be
held on May 30 and 31, 2008. And YES…next
year 2009 we’ll be at Gustavus celebrating our 55th…What a pleasant
time for remembering and “moving on!!”
Our Reunion Planning Group meets for a second time on campus this
September 12, at
Events: David Johnson, Chair; John Chell; Jean Kirkvold Emholtz
Giving: Roger Carlson, Chair; Jim Anderson, Howie Ruggles, Sharon
Anthony Bower
Communications: John Sandquist, Chair; Rollie Herbst
Volunteer Callers: Betty Lindstrand Abrahamson and Marilyn Reiten Meyer
Co-class Agents: Forrest Chaffee and Helen Forsgren Hokenson
We would welcome any of our classmates on September 12,
Now, the Giving Committee has this message to share with you in regard to giving.
Time seems to go by very quickly
these days. In many ways, graduation
from Gustavus was just a few short years ago.
In other ways, it will be our 55th year anniversary next year. Regardless if time goes by fast or slow, our
class of 1954 will celebrate our 55th graduation anniversary from
In honor of our 55th Anniversary, our class is endowing a scholarship which will be known as the Class of 1954 David C. Johnson Endowed Scholarship. The minimum objective is $25,000 with a goal of $100,000 which will generate $4,500/yr. for a student who has financial need.
Now the good news: As of
Enclosed you will find a pledge card and envelope that can be used for your financial commitment. Here are some pledging options for you to consider:
$5,000 pledge to be paid over three (3) years
$3,000 pledge to be paid over three (3) years
$1,500 pledge to be paid over three (3) years
Please give consideration to pledge your financial resources for the Class of 1954 David C. Johnson Endowed Scholarship.
Also, we hope to see you
The “Gift of Gustavus” is surely one of the best “ops”
happening!! Is it not awesome that in
celebrating our 55th anniversary that our class is helping to assure
that gift possibility to more
students?! And what a pleasure it is to
honor our classmate, David Johnson in so doing?
Thank you for the pledges and dollars already in! As of mid-April scholarship pledges were at
$13,821 and cash donations received totaled $3,946. THANK YOU FOR
Reflections of David Johnson…
by:
Myron “Mike”
What does one say about such an
energetic and accomplished person as David C. Johnson? Lots, if we had the time and printable
space! It was very interesting for me to
observe Dave in his formative college years at Gustavus as co-residents in
Uhler Hall and as a fraternity brother in the Eppies, as a faculty member in
the department of biology later on during his tenure as Academic Dean and, even
later on, as he headed up our fund-raising committee to purchase the wonderful
carillon bells that now play on the campus.
We also kept somewhat in touch when he was Chancellor at the
Stories about Dave run rampant, from college days’ incidents like coming in to the café by the South Side Shell station, after bringing his date to the dorm, wearing a bright shade of misplaced lipstick on his face to the many highly successful performances as master of ceremonies at a variety of organizations, to his adventures hiking in Norway―and who knows what else!
I do not believe that there are any Deans who do not have their critics, but Dave seemed to survive them well. One of the responsibilities of an academic dean is to make decisions on faculty promotions and tenure after receiving recommendations of the personnel committee. After a final meeting of that committee, of which I was president that year, Dave and I sat in the car discussing the situation. His demeanor relayed his serious approach to this as he labored with decisions on a couple of difficult cases. It was as though he was playing his sense of humanity and concern for the welfare of those on the borderline against his deep-felt desire to maintain and improve faculty quality. He definitely spent some overtime hours on that one! I use this example to express my appreciation for his ability to handle these very difficult situations and yet maintain a sort of happy-go-lucky attitude that makes you feel good.
It also makes me feel good as we establish an endowed scholarship program in his name. He does embody the spirit of Gustavus and has a sincere interest in providing a quality college education to as many as possible. We can be proud that a member of our class is deserving of this honor. Not all of us have a building named after us as does David at the U of M, Morris!
And so we go on…we hope many of us
in our class of ’54 can gather on campus
“Year’s End”
As we think about that gift of Gustavus we received, may we be mindful also that Gustavus’ fiscal year ends May 30…what a good moment now to say thanks with an additional financial expression!! Our Alma Mater appreciates all our efforts!
Years ago as I waited, during the overture, to go on stage
as Aunt Eller in a local production of “
Thanks for all we can do together!!
GO GUSTIES – MORE
Helen Forsgren Hokenson
1954 Co-class Agent