Class of 1968
April 2005
Happy
Spring!
Nowadays
there are some pretty fun emails going around and one of my favorites is:
“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in side-ways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming WOOHOO what a ride!”
I hope you
are enjoying life and making the most out of it like the saying goes!
Thanks
Paula for providing us with a great 2005 winter class letter. We all appreciate hearing from you and all
the personal news provided.
John and I
had Gustie friends visit us in Naples this past winter. Karen Monson Peterson and Dick
Peterson came and stayed with us for five days and then Ted Schramm
and his wife, Carol, were in Naples for a church retreat and we also got
together. Ted or “Ozzie” as we called
him way back when, is making plans to retire from Fed Ex in a couple of years. We love showing off our little piece of
paradise in Naples, you all are welcome to come and visit!
The Class
news/notes from the Alumni Office were very slim this spring meaning very few
of you wrote to let us know what was going on so I’m going to ad lib a
little. Barb Gray Wenschlag is
retiring this May from teaching, has sold her house in Pequot Lakes and is
building a new house on a golf course in Brainerd. Good luck, Barbie! Angie
Kuper Christmann is retiring from teaching at USC, Santa Cruz this year and
this fall it will be the first time she hasn’t gone “back-to-school” in a
million years. I’m sure there are
others out there retiring―let us know.
We’d love to share your information in the next class letter. Rick Zweig’s wife, Ann Marie
(Dovenberg ’70) and their daughter, Keri, stopped into Lindskoog Florist last
month to plan and order flowers from John for Keri and Jamie’s upcoming wedding
in July ’05.
John
continues to love working downtown and sees a few Gusties on a regular
basis. Blake Shelton ’69 is one block
over and works for Wells Fargo and stops in the shop often. Steve Kagol works with a contractor
in the building and when he is in the skyway he’ll stop in. There is an open invitation for any of you
in downtown or passing through to stop in and see John. Ron Witter stops in a couple of times
every month to have lunch with John. Keith
Keller is just getting over from back surgery in December and after a
lengthy recovery he is back to work and doing fine.
Connie
Bohn Edwards is
planning a wedding for her daughter, Ann, this coming October. Ann is teaching in Austin, MN...like mother
like daughter! Paula Navarro
just returned from Austria where she toured with her mother’s three
cousins. This was Paula’s 25th trip to
the Austrian region! Wedding bells for Kathy
Eaton Asted in May ’04 to Paul Asted, congratulations! Kathy is a dental consultant and the couple
is living in Andover. Mark
Youngstrom, after 34 years in the public education field, retired in July
2004, his latest position was director of the State Arts High School at the
Perpich Center for Art Education.
John keeps asking me to talk about the Alumni Fund for 2004-05 so here goes. There is only roughly one month before this year’s fund closes and we need a little help. The number of donors and total dollars pledged is running a little behind last year, so if you are planning to help out this year please have your pledge in by May 31, 2005. No donation is too small and all donors are greatly appreciated. Three easy ways to give – send your check to the Alumni Office (by using the enclosed envelope), call 866-487-3863, or on-line at https://secure.gac.edu/giving/giving.cfm.
Thank you.
Campus Briefs
Gustavus has been known for its strong tradition of alumni
participation in annual giving. Gusties support their Alma Mater in many
ways and show their pride with their gifts. All alumni and current
students have benefited from previous and current support. Gustavus will
be as strong as its alumni want it to be. The 2005 Alumni Fund closes May
31. Make sure you are included with many members of your class and other
alumni that have chosen to keep Gustavus strong. Three easy ways to give
– send your check to the Alumni Office (by using the enclosed envelope), call
866-487-3863, or on-line at https://secure.gac.edu/giving/giving.cfm.
Alumni Awards
The Gustavus Alumni Association has announced 2005 award
recipients. The Greater Gustavus Award to George Torrey ’55
for his lifetime volunteer service and philanthropy to the College. Distinguished
Alumni Citations to G. Barry Anderson ’76, Apple Valley, MN,
associate justice, Minnesota Supreme Court; Deanna Nelson ’64, Cary, NC,
president/founder, BioLink Life Sciences, Inc.; Rick Webb ’73, Edina,
MN, owner of Ciao Bella, Zelo and Bacio Restaurants; and John Wirth ’75,
Pacific Palisade, CA, writer/executive producer, Paramount Studios. First
Decade Awards to Joe Gaugler ’95, Lexington, KY, assistant
professor, Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky College of
Medicine; Debbie Lightly Mascaro ’95, Fargo, ND, research scientist,
North Dakota State University Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering.
Sports
The Gustavus women’s hockey team finished third at the NCAA
national championship after winning the MIAC title, the men’s basketball
team won the MIAC regular season title and conference tournament and advanced
to the NCAA national tournament, the men’s swimming and diving team won
the MIAC title and placed seventh at the NCAA national tournament and had seven
swimmers earn All-America honors and the women’s team had four swimmers
earn All-America honors.
Extraordinary Students
Senior Rachel Batalden, a double major in mathematics and
secondary education with a 3.898 grade point average and two-time MIAC
All-Conference selection at setter for the women’s volleyball team, has been
selected as one of 56 student-athletes from across the country to receive a
$7,500 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
Senior Paul Fraser, a music and computer science major has been selected
as the winner of the second annual Caltech-Occidental Composition Contest for
new music for concert band. The contest drew entries from all over the world,
and as the winner, Paul will receive a cash award and a recording of the world
premiere of the work at a concert by the Caltech-Occidental Concert Band in
Pasadena, Calif., in May.
Bricks and mortar
Southwest Residence Hall is being constructed across the Campus
Drive from the arboretum on the west side of the campus and is scheduled to be
finished by June. The L-shaped facility is configured with apartments for
four and six and will accommodate nearly 200 students. A hostel space for
summer programs and confirmation retreat groups is included in the residence’s
plans.
With the new Southwest Residence Hall coming on-line, the College will be
taking down Wahlstrom Hall to make way for future residential
construction. Crews will start the dismantling process in July with
asbestos abatement, and the Kasota-stone residence hall will be razed in
August. Alumni returning for reunion and commencement festivities on May
27–29 will be able to take a last tour through the building’s public areas,
stairwells, and walk-through sections following a “decommissioning” ceremony to
be held on Saturday morning, May 28.
Construction crews working on the renovation of Old Main discovered a
cistern under the basement flooring in March. Gutting the interior has
provided evidence of layers upon layers of remodeling done over the years,
including an old stairwell in the middle of the building and what appears to be
an attempt to raise the third-floor ceiling. The Old Main project, which
includes the installation of an elevator in the northwest corner of the
building, is scheduled to be completed in August.
The education and nursing departments have been relocated to the newly erected Mattson
Hall, which is sited just west of the Schaefer Fine Arts Center and Prairie
View Residence Hall, on the south side of the campus. These departments
will remain there until a new social science center is built at some point in
the future.
Upcoming Events
Association of Congregations Meeting – April 23
G.I.V.E. Community Service Day – April 30
Class of 1955 and 50-Year Club Reunions – May 27 & 28
Commencement – May 29
Alumni Fund closes – May 31
Reunions on Homecoming – October 7 & 8
Nurses Reunion – October 8
Have a
safe and wonderful summer!
Kris
Lundberg Moorhead
1968
Co-class Agent