40-Year Reunion

Class of 1968

Reunion dates ― October 3 & 4, 2008

March 2008

Greetings!

Surely, your “Save the Date” 40^th Class Reunion postcard is on the frig or tucked safely into your calendar and that’s a good thing. Even though the date is over six months away it’s never too early to start making plans. As we think about the reunion, your Committee would like to pass along an updated schedule of events that highlights our reunion weekend.

Gustavus Class of 1968

40th Reunion Events

October 3, 4 and 5, 2008

Friday October 3rd

6:30 p.m.to ??? Reception for classmates/spouses/significant others and invited guest to be held at the Marriott Airport Hotel. The hotel is located at 2020 East American Blvd., Bloomington, MN 55425, just north of the Mall Of America and IKEA.

Our time together that evening will feature renewing old friendships, making some new ones and just good old Gustie fun. We’ll reminisce about our 40 years since our time on “The Hill.” The reception will feature a cash bar and heavy hor d’oeuves with a few surprises mixed in. The cost of the evening will be $35.00 per person.

Saturday October 4th

9:30 - 10:30 a.m. - Breakfast at IKEA, right next door to the hotel. This event is to get us ready for the day. Picking up where we left off the night before, we will enjoy breakfast before traveling down to the campus. Everyone is invited as guests of the Class of 1968!

10:30-11:30 a.m. - Travel down to St. Peter

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. - Lunch and a Beer Bust (wine & beer) on campus (outside the new football stadium) prior to the homecoming game. The lunch will be BBQ pork or beef sandwiches, fresh fruit, salad, beans and dessert bars. The cost of the lunch is $11.00 per person. The beer & wine will be a cash bar.

1:00 - 4:00 p.m. - The homecoming game and/or tours of the campus for those who haven’t had an opportunity to see all the new additions over the years.

4:00-??? – Al ’66 and Ingrid (Wilson) Molde will host a reception for the class at their home 764 Valley View Dr., St. Peter. We will be able to mingle in a relaxed atmosphere with beverages and snacks. What a great way to end our day on campus!

Sunday October 5th

Leaving this day open to arrange for out-of-towners returning home or to put together more time to spend with classmates before we depart for home.

Other News and Notes

For out-of-town travelers needing accommodations we have a block of rooms at the Marriott Hotel at a special 40th Year reunion rate of $99 per night. The rooms can be booked directly through the hotel by calling 952-854-7441 and ask for the special Gustavus rate. We have set aside 20 rooms for Friday and Saturday, but we can negotiate more if need be. Also, for air travelers the hotel does run a shuttle service to and from the airport, details available from the hotel.

On Saturday we will run buses to campus from IKEA returning to the hotel after the day’s events. Reservations can be made when you sign up to attend. The cost per person is yet to be finalized but we’re expecting around $10 per person.

We encourage you all to attend and please bring with you all of your memories that you would like to share.

We look forward to a great turnout. We know that a good time will be had by all!!!

“Still Crazy After All These Years!”

Your Class of ‘68 Reunion Committee

Postcards will be mailed out in August, encouraging you to register online. We’ll also send out a hard copy of the registration form in a class letter that month. Your committee will continue to work on putting all the finishing touches on the party. Until then we’d love to hear from you, drop us an email at: klmoorhead@yahoo.com or afton.alps@juno.com and let us know what your plans might be or just your thoughts on the reunion. Can we count on seeing you in Minneapolis and on campus in October?

See who’s planning to attend by clicking the 1968 Reunion link at website: www.gustavus.edu/alumni

Class News

Rebecca Gilbertson Merritt has been retired for four years from being a human resources manager. She’s now living the good life in the Arizona desert.

John Knox will retire from Idaho State University in June to become Dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology at Minnesota State University-Mankato. Karen Matteson Knox ’69 will also be retiring in June from District 25 of the Pocatello, ID school system where she was teaching English.

Ted Mays has retired from his teaching job in Minnesota Lake and now looks forward to spending time in his garden. Also, Ted is getting back to health after knee replacement surgery last year.

In the Spring 2008 issue of the Gustavus Quarterly, the 40^th Reunion class has quite a news section, so be sure to take a look. Also appearing in this issue was some very sad news that Frank Crassweller passed away, October 18, 2007. Frank had been a social studies and history teacher in the Duluth Public School system.

Think Spring……….Think Reunion!

John, Kris, Paula

And the 1968 Reunion Committee

Campus News

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 will be 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 J-Term has come to an end and second semester is upon us. This 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 Guatemala, Fiji, Tanzania, South Africa (My roommate went on this trip, I’m so jealous), India, and Australia. Along with all of the classes the Orchestra toured in China for their international tour this year. The tour started on January 18^th and went through February 1. If you look on the Gustavus page you can see the orchestra doing the Gustie Rouser on the Great Wall of China! I wonder how many times that has been done before? The orchestra concluded with a home concert in Christ Chapel on February 17. Speaking of tours, the Gustavus Wind Orchestra will be touring to Florida over Spring Break this year. The tour runs from March 22 to March 29 with a home concert on April 5 at 3:00 pm. The Gustavus Choir (I am a first tenor in this choir!!) will be postponing its tour this year due to Dr. Aune needing to leave for the remainder of the year for medical reasons. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Gustie winter sports teams are having another great year, as all are near the top in the MIAC.

Other things that happened this semester include the 13^th 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 Rwanda spoke at this year’s conference. The Gustavus Music Showcase was held at Orchestra Hall on March 9. The Gustavus Choir, the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra, and the Gustavus Wind Orchestra were all featured at this event.

I cannot believe that this J-Term has gone 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!!!!