35-Year Reunion

Class of 1972

Reunion dates ― October 12 & 13, 2007

 

February 2007

 

O Gustavus!  O Class Letter!  O Wind Chill!  O Super Bowl!

 

Greetings from Gustavus via Valhalla . . . aka the Valley of the Gods, or if you prefer, the Moose & Elk Capital of North Dakota.  It’s time for a class letter, almost time for our 35th Reunion, and five minutes from the kickoff between da Bears and da Colts!

 

Thanks to Todd Dokken, Cokato’s legendary hometown hero, for everything he has done as co-class agent in recent years; Todd also prepared the following Class of 1972 Alumni Notes for this letter:  (Bears 7, Colts 0 . . . wow, that was quick!):

 

CLASS OF 1972 ALUMNI NOTES

Ann Duer Berger and husband, James, live in Durham, NC; their daughter, Jill, and husband, Sasha, had a daughter, Sophia, on September 29.

 

Jeri Peterson Bergquist lives in Reynolds, ND and is pastor at the Reynolds Lutheran Parish.

 

Marcia Thurber Schuehle lives in Poulsbo, WA, where she is a substitute teacher in the North Kitsap School District.

 

Cathy Cleys Tryggestad and husband, Curt, have moved from Esko, MN to Little Falls, MN.  Cathy will be a facilitator for the Morrison County Collaborative Day Treatment program and Curt will be superintendent of schools in Little Falls.

 

Mary Holmquist Lundahl and husband, Dan ’73, live in Victoria, MN where she is a public health nurse for Carver County and Dan is a financial representative for Lundahl Financial Service.  Their son, Seth, graduated from Gustavus in 2004 and they also have a son, Jay, set to graduate this year.  (Bears 7, Colts 6)

 

Bill Green decided he needed more challenges in his life.  He has been a professor of history at Augsburg College since 1991.  He also was a member of the Minneapolis School Board from 1993 to 2001 and chaired that board from 1996 to 1998.  Bill has now taken over the role of interim superintendent for the Minneapolis Public School system and is getting rave reviews for the work he’s done and a lot of support for that to become his permanent position.  There was a very complimentary article written about Bill in the December 31, 2006, Minneapolis Star Tribune lauding his appointments to fill key positions and his plans for academic improvements.

 

Cheri Knautz Roberts writes from Red Wing that she is a physical education instructor at the Twin Bluff Middle School in Red Wing.  She claims that this is her “last year” teaching and she is looking forward to her “extended vacation.”  Her daughter, Nicole, is head swimming coach and aquatics director at the College of St. Catherine and her son, Nicholas, just graduated from college and is looking for a job in the computer field.

 

Laurie Gustafson Burg is also saying farewell to her very successful teaching career.  She is leaving her position as St. Peter Middle School associate principal and will fill up her time with gardening, traveling, spending more time with her granddaughters, and doing a lot of volunteering.  There was a nice article in the St. Peter Herald in May 2006 talking about all of Laurie’s accomplishments both in the classroom and as an administrator.  (Bears 14, Colts 6)

 

Dave Bates e-mailed to say he is with Harsco (HSC) as a personnel manager.  He, too, is thinking of retirement in the very near term.  His wife, Trudy (Tomlinson ’74), is working for US FSA (Farm Service Agency).  They have a son, Mike, who is a sophomore at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (GO BIG RED).  Dave had good stories to tell of his days on the football field and baseball diamond while at Gustavus.

 

Paul Hoff also e-mailed to say he is managing director for a British company’s Asia Pacific operations, everything from east of the Kyhber Pass and west of Waikiki and from the North to the South Poles.  He has partnerships with stock exchanges and various financial services companies to provide equity, bond, and alternative investment indices to the investment community.  If you want to know more, check out this website:  http://www.ftse.com.

 

Carl Zeidler is at home in New Ulm working for the City of New Ulm as personnel director and enjoying time at his lake place.  Carl told that it’s fun to keep running into other Gusties both at work and when relaxing.  He is planning on making our big 35th Reunion in October.  (Bears 14, Colts 9)

 

Connie Hanson Martin is living in Omaha, NE, and is employed as a nurse educator at the Metropolitan Community College.  She has put that Gustavus education to good use through these years as an RN.  She especially enjoyed seeing that Jamesetta Alexander Newland was editor-in-chief for The Nurse Practitioner magazine.

 

Lindy Carlson-Pestello promises to be at the reunion!  She manages to split her time between Dallas and Reno where she and Gary have a second home.  They have a daughter whose family is in Battle Ground, WA, and their youngest son and family are moving to Frisco so I’m sure their travel budget is stretched, but she is planning on coming to the reunion.

 

Nancy Evenson Lindley was in the November issue of the Minneapolis-St. Paul magazine where she was photographed attending the symphony ball with husband, Clarkson.  Nancy also e-mailed to say that she was traveling back from Seattle with her sister and, as they passed through St. Peter, she stopped to show her sister the famous (or infamous) Flame Bar.  Remember, classmates, we need current and new information about what’s going on in your lives – a Gustie from the Class of ’72 going to the Flame Bar is old news!  (Just kidding, Nancy – keep that news coming in).

 

Jean Sjoberg Bergerson lives in Grand Rapids, MN with her husband, Dan.  Jean is a public affairs officer for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and Dan is a safety specialist for Minnesota Power in Duluth.  The Bergerson’s operate a canine boarding and agility kennel, and they also breed labs.  (Colts 16, Bears 14)

 

Gioia Hauritz Egan and husband, Dennis, continue to live in Fairfax, VA.  Gioia had the opportunity to spend a week in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina as part of a missionary work project through her church.  She said it was quite an eye-opener in that the mission experience helped her understand how much she has to be thankful for in this world.  (I think most Gusties would have similar thoughts).

 

Peg Pearson Christenson has moved from Blaine, MN to Maplewood, MN.  Peg continues to teach AP psychology and sociology at Sibley High School in West Saint Paul.  Peg is a member of about 20 worthy organizations including Amnesty International, the Minnesota Human Rights Commission and the Southern Law Center.  She recently completed her master’s level of training in unconditional love and forgiveness with Mary Hayes-Grieco.  Peg will be doing some intuitive healing with adaptations of this method taught originally by Edith Stauffer.  She has no plans to retire any time soon.  You go, girl.  (Colts 19, Bears 14)

 

Jamesetta Alexander Newland continues to blaze trails in all sorts of directions.  Jamesetta received her doctorate in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002.  As near as I can read the info from her class news update, she has four jobs at the moment!  Jamesetta is a full-time teacher at the Lienhard School of Nursing at Pace University in New York.  She is also the director and nurse practitioner for Primary Health Care Associates at Pace University Health Care.  And in her spare time, Jamesetta is the editor of The Nurse Practitioner, published by Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins.  And she is also an adjunct associate professor at the Lienhard School of Nursing at Pace.  Jamesetta has three children―Kristina, Michael and Sonya, and one grandchild, Maya.  She’s a member of at least ten professional state and national medical associations.  Her most recent publication is a chapter entitled “Understanding Sickle Cell Disease in African American Women” that was published in the African American Women’s Health and Social Issues textbook.

 

Joyce Tesarek was the recipient of the Czernin Palace Bronze Medal and a Citation from the government of Czech Republic “for extraordinary contributions to Czech – American relations.”  The award was presented this past October to Joyce by the Ambassador to the UN, Martin Palous, the former Czech Ambassador to the US.  Dr. Joyce continues as the CEO and owner of the Minnehaha Animal Hospital, and is involved with all kinds of related organizations in Minnesota.  Her award from the Czech Republic came from her involvement with the Czech and Slovak Cultural Center.  Husband, Norm, continues his work as a psychologist at the Veteran’s Hospital in St. Cloud, MN.  Congrats on your awesome award, Joyce.

 

Jane Flygare Lantz and husband, Jim, continue to live in Green Bay Packer country – Neenah, WI!  Jane is a fourth grade teacher at the Coolidge Elementary School in Neenah, and Jim is an American history teacher at nearby Armstrong High School.  The Lantz’s have four children -- Sara, Maggie, Kathryn and Andrew – and three grandchildren.  Abby and Evan are Sara’s children, and Nicolas is Maggie’s son.  Andrew is a senior at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa; he recently spent a semester studying in Ecuador.  (Colts 22, Bears 14)

 

We need to have all kinds of updated information from everyone for our big 35th Class Reunion.  Please send your class news to Gustavus via the postal service or via e-mail:  alumni@gustavus.edu.  Info about grandchildren is appreciated, too!

 

OUR 35TH CLASS REUNION

Yikes, where did those 35 years go when we weren’t looking?!?  Yes, the calendar does say that we are supposed to be old enough to be attending our Big 35th Class Reunion this coming October as part of the fun Homecoming Weekend.  It should be a great time with the new football field being one of the many new structures being showcased during the celebration.  We also need as many people as possible to help out with the Reunion.  For now, please save that date on your busy social calendars:  Friday and Saturday, October 12 and 13.  We are really working hard to have lots of our former class members attend the Reunion.  If you can help out in any way, please contact either of us at the following e-mail addresses: 

 

Todd Dokken:  todd_dokken@hotmail.com

Mitzi Thornberg:  melaniethornberg@hotmail.com

 

And for the class members who live in the Twin Cities, please try to attend the Gustavus Winter Retreat taking place on Saturday, February 24, at the Normandale Lutheran Church on Highway 100 in Edina.  The meeting will begin at 8:45 am and continue through lunch.  Please contact the Gustavus Alumni Office by February 20 if you can attend this meeting to help plan our Reunion; you may call them at:  1-800-487-8437 or send an e-mail to alumni@gustavus.edu.  Since most of our members have e-mail addresses, if you could all e-mail your friends for now to “Save the Date,” that would be great!  How did we all work before e-mail?

 

Philly Kauffmann from the Alumni Office sent the following info to pass along to you folks regarding some fun Reunion activities and ideas:

 

“The plans for reunions are much more flexible in the last year or two.  Now the reunion committees tell us what they would like.  Last year three reunion classes (’61, ’81 ’96) had Friday events.  1961 had a dinner at 5:30 and the other two classes had a class party at off-site places.  On Saturday there are all sorts of campus activities for everyone:  seminars on hot topics (like terrorism), morning praise and worship, a fun run, tennis or a golf outing, the Homecoming parade and one class even had a campus scavenger hunt.  Lunch times varied anywhere from 10:30-1:00, because of the football game, some just had a tailgate picnic.  A couple of classes had informal tent parties starting at 11:00 that kind of went all day and (don’t faint) they let them have beer, wine or soda - on campus.  We still have the Homecoming Banquet where the alumni awards are presented and that is at 5:00 p.m., but some classes opted to go off-campus or to just have a separate meal at another campus location.  Following the evening meal were either more opportunities to gather as a class or individually to go to the comedy troupe, or to the concert in Bjorling, or to go sky watching at the Olin Observatory or to watch a movie in Wallenberg Auditorium.”

 

Sounds like we won’t have any problems filling up our time on campus.  For those of you who haven’t been back in awhile, the campus is absolutely beautiful with all the landscaping/ Arboretum work, plus the new buildings are awesome and the people who work there now still share the same love for the college as the former teachers and administrators who were there when we went to the College on the Hill.

 

We will miss saying hello to Mrs. Young, Moose, Beard, Cec, Jack Clark, Melva Lind, Paul Granlund and all the other giants who influenced our young lives in such great, positive ways.  But hopefully we’ll be able to see Elvee, Sam, Moose Malmquist, Esby and lots of other teachers and administrators who will also be at Homecoming.  And of course, our former Class Agent, Deano Wahlund, will be there to help host all kinds of events as well.  Dean has done a great job at Gustavus; no wonder he is now one of the Deans of the College (:>).  It’s not until we leave Gustavus that we realize how lucky we were to have gone to such a special college.  We can’t get a nickel cup of coffee in the real world . . .

 

CAMPUS NEWS:

Alumni Starring in The Cherry Orchard

The Department of Theatre and Dance is celebrating 75 years of theatre at Gustavus this year with two featured events:  Theatre Reunion May 11-12 and a gala performance of The Cherry Orchard followed by admission to the cast party on February 10.  The Cherry Orchard will be Professor Rob Gardner’s final directing work before retirement.  A cast of professional theatre alumni will join the student actors for this very special production.  The alumni cast includes:  Peter Breitmayer ’87, Karen Esbjornson ’80, Kevin Kling ’79, Scott Novotny ’75, and Michael Glenn (Waldhauser) ’97.  A sold-out performance is expected for this unique celebration, so order your tickets soon.  For more information and to order tickets, go to the Cherry Orchard site from <gustavus.edu/alumni>.

 

Lindau Symposium brings Richard John Neuhaus to campus

The Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, a well-known conservative Catholic intellectual, will address “Religion in American Public Life” at the inaugural Lindau Symposium at Gustavus on Tuesday, May 8, 2007, 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall.  A gift to the College from Phil ’58 and Nancy Lindau, given prior to Phil’s death last April, established the symposium at Gustavus that bears his name.  Lindau, a commodities broker and executive who served Gustavus as a board member, campaign chair, and longtime volunteer leader, was passionate about the faith-life intersection and the church-relatedness of his alma mater.  The symposium, which the Lindau family and College officials anticipate will be an annual event, aims to provide a forum in which diverse intellectual voices and mainstream beliefs and values can be brought together in a liberal arts environment.

 

Gustie Pages

Looking for a dentist, doctor, lawyer, pastor, Realtor, or other professional?  Make it a Gustie!  Look in the Gustie Pages, an online database of Gusties who have submitted information about their profession.  Use the Gustavus network to meet your needs, or submit your professional information if you would like other Gusties to become your customers.  Go to the Gustie Pages at the alumni website at:  <gustavus.edu/alumni>.

 

Career Connections with Students

Sign up now for the 2007 Gustavus Career Connections Reception.  The reception will be Monday, February 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Minneapolis Hilton.  The gathering allows Gustavus alumni to provide advice, encouragement, and career networking opportunities to Gustavus students seeking internships and career opportunities.  Alumni are invited to attend and assist current students in their career search.  You do not have to be hiring at your company to attend – just willing to share your experience.  E-mail the Career Center at career-center@gustavus.edu or call 507/933-7586 if you can attend or want more information.

 

Give Every Year to Gustavus?

Do you give to Gustavus every year and plan to give every year in the future?  Then you should become a member of the Cec Eckhoff Society.  Members of the Cec Eckhoff Society simply make the public commitment that they plan to give financially to Gustavus every year.  It does not matter how much you give and this is not a formal pledge for a certain amount of money.  Cec Eckhoff ’56 led the alumni office from 1963-1994.  Cec believed that part of being an alum of Gustavus was to give monetarily each year to the College.  To become a member of the Cec Eckhoff Society, please call The Gustavus Fund office toll-free at 866/487-3863 or e-mail <gustavusfund@gustavus.edu>.  Thank you for your support of Gustavus!

 

Summer Sport Camps at Gustavus

Gustavus’ strong athletic tradition is evident with numerous summer sports camps featuring knowledgeable coaching staffs, acclaimed athletic facilities, and quality dining service and housing accommodations.  Camps offered this year include: golf, hockey, basketball, tennis, volleyball, soccer, throwing, and swimming.  For more information go to <gustavus.edu/athletics/camps/> or contact the Athletic Department at

507/933-7617.

 

Upcoming Music Tours

This year nearly 300 students will participated in music tours as members of the Gustavus Wind Orchestra, Gustavus Choir, Gustavus String Orchestra, Gustavus Jazz Lab Band, and Choir of Christ Chapel.  The Gustavus Choir toured Spain and Portugal January 11-30.  Performances were scheduled for Lisbon, Seville, Malaga, Grenada, and Madrid.  The Wind Orchestra toured Minnesota, Madison and Milwaukee, WI and Chicago.  The String Orchestra was in Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota.

 

Upcoming Alumni Events

The Cherry Orchard Gala Performance – February 10

Orlando Gustie Gathering – February 13

Tampa Bay Gustie Gathering – February 15

Naples/Marco Island Gustie Gathering – February 17

Tucson Gustie Gathering – March 16

Phoenix Gustie Gathering – March 17

Sun City Gustie Gathering – March 18

Celebrating 75 years of Theatre Reunion – May 11-12

 

Here is the official campus news as written by Randy Stuckey ’83, the fabulous director of Alumni Relations at Gustavus!  While all the news doesn’t specifically pertain to our class, it is awesome to see how many wonderful things are happening at Gustavus:

 

Rev. Grady St. Dennis ’92, a pastor at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis since 1999, has been named director of church relations at Gustavus and will begin on February 19.  In his new position, St. Dennis will lead the college’s relationship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and its congregations, particularly those in the Gustavus Adolphus College Association of Congregations.  During his six years at Mt. Olivet, he developed and implemented several programs, including outreach ministry programs for young adults.  In addition to helping build, strengthen, and support Lutheran higher education in general and Gustavus in particular in his new position, he will represent the college at ELCA gatherings, synod assemblies, and other church-related gatherings.

 

Two new people have joined the Gustavus advancement staff.  Kari Clark ’91 has started as a gift planner and will be deployed from her Twin Cities home.  Since graduating from William Mitchell Law School, Kari has spent the majority of her planned giving career working for Children’s Hospital in St. Paul.  Tony Pasiak has started as associate director, Gustavus Fund.  Tony has spent most of his career doing annual fund/alumni relations work for his alma mater, Hamilton College, a private liberal arts college much like Gustavus in New York state.  He has recently moved to St. Peter and has been commuting to his annual fund position at Normandale Community College.  Tony’s wife works as a forensic psychologist at the state hospital in St. Peter.

 

Congratulations to Margaret Anderson Kelliher ’90 who has been elected and sworn in as House Speaker for the Minnesota House of Representatives.

 

We welcome several new class agents―joining Scott Nelson as co-class agents for the Class of 1990 are Liesl Batz, Anne Miller and Dan Michel.  Also, Luther Hagen and JoAnn Wackerfuss Quackenbush have joined Gail Chase Ericson and Dave Pieper as co-class agents for the Class of 1988.

 

Congratulations to associate director of the Gustavus Fund, Kathy Erlandsen and her husband, Tyler, on the birth of their daughter, Abigail, and to associate vice president for Advancement Teresa Harland ’94, and her husband, Chad, on the birth of their son, Nolan.  Both babies were born in December and both Kathy and Teresa should be back at work sometime in March.

 

Finally, some good and inspiring news to start 2007.  Alumni Board member, Scott Gilyard ’83 returned to work January 2 as president of Medco’s UnitedHealth Group Division after an incredible year battling leukemia.  Scott was also named The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society 2006 Man of the Year.  Last year during his courageous recovery, Gilyard raised the most funds of any individual during a nine-week campaign for LLS.  Congratulations and all the best, Scott!

 

THORNBERG NEWS:

Time does seem to be going faster the older we get.  It’s hard to believe that four of our five children are pretty much on their own now.  Lace (28) graduated from Concordia in Moorhead and now lives in Seattle where she is the development coordinator for the Washington Trails Association (http://www.wta.org).  She is going back to school to get her master’s degree in museum-ology, so that will be good for her, too (to become a museum curator, or someone in charge of museum exhibits, displays, collections).  If you get to Seattle, give Lace a call and take a hike.

 

Erick (25) got married last summer overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Redondo Beach, California.  He took a few semesters off from Minnesota State University - Moorhead (MSUM) to work, so he will actually graduate this May.  His wife, Sarah, just sang the National Anthem during the Monster Truck Show (:>) at the FargoDome this past weekend.  Baby number one is due this July 5.  While in California last summer, Erick worked at Paramount Studios, so he had a lot of fun “working.”

 

Ashley (23) graduated from MSUM in 2005.  She had a fun time last year since she taught English to elementary school children in Montataire, France, just 45 minutes north of Paris.  I was able to join her for the month of February along with her daughter, Miss Addy.  We were able to visit Paris, of course, but also travel down to Nice, Cannes, Monaco and then Rome.  Out of all the places I’ve seen in this world, I would certainly recommend that Rome is the place to visit as far as historical artifacts, museums, sculptures, paintings, etc.  As the good Lutherans that we are, we even saw Pope Benedict give his weekly service in Vatican Square.  The Sistine Chapel, Caesar’s Columns, the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, the Coliseum, the works of Michelangelo, Bernini and all the rest . . . are all unbelievable.  Paris, the Mona Lisa, the Louvre, etc, were all great, of course, but Rome was “awesome.”

 

Ashley is a reporter/producer for KVLY TV in Fargo (http://www.kvlytv11.com); fun

to see her on the telly from up here in Walhalla.  Miss Addy is now a kindergartener in Fargo going a hundred miles a minute.  She learned a lot of French last year in school in France and is now taking Norwegian from the Sons of Norway (UFF DA).  Grandchildren are certainly treasures, even if we can’t keep up with their energy.

 

Candace (21) graduates this May from MSUM.  She has worked for FOX TV in Fargo  

(http://www.answers.com/topic/kvrr) for the past couple of years as a reporter and backup weekend weatherperson while in college.  She is also the anchor of the University’s campus television station.  Jordan (17) is a junior at the Walhalla High School.  He’s into the usual high school stuff―football, basketball, baseball, etc.  He’s also into music, playing the piano and guitar.  The baby of the family is now over six feet tall . . . he’s my little buddy growing about an inch taller every day.

 

Bob, fifty something (:>), is still president and CEO of SweetPro Feeds, a company that makes horse and cattle feed supplements using distiller’s grains leftover from the ethanol fermentation process from the ADM plant in Walhalla.  Need naturally good feed supplements for your horses or cattle?  Check out http://www.sweetpro.com.

 

Et moi?  In the past few years, I’ve been involved with several endeavors/projects trying to solve North Dakota’s out-migration crisis through sustainable nature tourism initiatives.  One project is the Great Plains Nature Trail that will eventually extend from Canada to Mexico; it’s being created by Ted Eubanks of Fermata, Inc. (http://www.fermatainc.com).  The first phase was initially called the Heart of North America Nature Trail, but it’s now morphed into the trailhead for his Great Plains Trail.  As we’ve been researching more about the rich history of the Red River Valley, we’ve been documenting lots of cool stuff about the many ancient civilizations that have existed here in the heart of the North American continent; lots of incredible burial mounds, petroglyphs, stone circles, arrowheads and other artifacts that date back more than 10,000 years to the time of Glacial Lake Agassiz, the Ice Age, woolly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers.  Some of these discoveries relate to Stonehenge and the Pyramids, so it’s been a fun project to pursue.  Hopefully, you’ll be able to read about all this cool stuff in a national publication some day.

 

I’m on the North Dakota Humanities Council (http://www.nd-humanities.org) and Preservation North Dakota (http://www.prairieplaces.org).  At the moment, I have three fun part-time jobs that kinda-sorta almost add up to one job:  I substitute teach in Walhalla, Pembina, Cavalier, etc (finally using my teaching degree)…  I also work at the Frost Fire Ski & Snowboard Area as a skiing instructor (quit laughing); as needed, I also sell lift tickets, set bindings, wait on tables, whatever.

 

The ski area is located in the picturesque Pembina River Gorge and is honestly the most beautiful part of North Dakota:  http://www.frostfireskiarea.com; they also produce a great musical every summer in their outdoor amphitheatre; check out http://www.frostfiretheatre.com.  During the summer, I work for the North Dakota State Historical Society as an interpretive guide at the Gingras Trading Post (http://www.state.nd.us/hist/gingras/index.html).  Jolly Joe Rolette, the fur trader who prevented St. Peter from becoming the capitol of Minnesota, was also active up here in Walhalla and Pembina, so it’s fun to also learn more about Jolly Joe.  All of these things do somehow tie-in together even though they all seem disjointed at times.  Heck, with the Internet, anyone can become an amateur archaeologist, interpretive guide, trail blazer, substitute teacher…  Walhalla is located halfway between Winnipeg and Grand Forks:  Come up and see me sometime.

 

Check out:  http://www.tradecorridor.com/walhalla.  It’s the only gorge in North Dakota.  We’re also building a log cabin up on Brush Island on Lake of the Woods using white oak logs and dove-tail corners.  Looks just like the Gingras Trading Post from a hundred years ago.  You are all invited to visit; it’s the “second most northern island” in the Lower 48 that you can live on; Canada is just a good stone’s throw from the island.  It’s up at the very top of the Northwest Angle.  Perhaps we could host a Gustavus get-together there (:>)…fantastic fishing, awesome Northern Lights, spectacular stargazing and great rock petroglyphs, too.  Probably will retire there, come back to good old Minnesota and become one of those legendary hermits on the lake.

 

And although I do try to keep up my sense of humor, it’s getting kind of hard to find any humor in the new global warming reports, as well as all the latest news regarding the war in Iraq (maybe Iran and Syria next?), world hunger, poverty, the extinction of species and all the rest of the bad stuff happening in the world today.  Since North Dakota is the Peace Garden state, am trying to do what I can to create peace on earth, solve the out-migration crisis on the Great Plains, promote birding and other nature tourism activities, figure out what we can all to do fight global warming; check out:  http://www.fightglobalwarming.com (their ads “Tick” and “Train” are powerful.  Also check out the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change:  http://www.ipcc.ch. 

 

Some days the world looks kind of bleak, that is for sure.  Looks like we are all going to have to do what we can to fight global warming through various efforts in our churches, towns, schools, work places and homes.  Gotta let our respective governors and senators know that they also have to do what they need to do to fight global warming, too.  (Colts 29, Bears 17)

 

But whenever I get a tad depressed about the world situation, I try to remember all the good advice that Mrs. Young constantly gave me.  Phrases like “Go out and make this world a better place in which to live,” “kill ’em with kindness” and “one person can still make a difference in this world” have helped me numerous times when the going has gotten tough.  A planet is a terrible thing to waste, so we all need to honestly use our time, talents and resources to “Think Green,” support any of those worthy causes that are trying to solve global warming, world hunger and poverty, AIDS, etc.  Creating world peace would be “a good thing…” since creating peace on earth would go a long way toward solving all of the other of the world’s problems.  Check out the International Institute for Peace through Tourism:  http://www.iipt.org.

 

With everyone in our class doing such great things, Todd and I invite you all to send us new material, websites, stories, insights; lessons learned from life…whatever…from throughout the world to help us all make this world a better place in which to live.  We all have been given much, and to whom much is given, much is required.  Please send your keen insights to us at our e-mail addresses listed above, or to the Alumni Office, directed toward the Class of ’72 for our next class letter.  Mrs. Young, Cec and all the rest of the great Gustavus leaders would be proud!  We need to leave this world in better shape than we inherited it, and unless we all do our part, and quickly, the world might be a scary place for our children, and our children’s children.

 

Here is a cool website just so we end on a happier note.  Check out the Northern Lights picture on this website for some awesome pictures called “Capturing the Heavens.”  This is one of the latest trends in ecotourism―stargazing, planet parties and capturing the heavens through all the latest high-tech cameras and telescopes: 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070202/sc_afp/indiawildlifevultures_070202140836

 

Save the Dates―Friday and Saturday, October 12 - 13, for our big 35th Reunion.  And Happy Valentine’s Day.  Show the ones you love how much they mean to you.

 

GIFTS TO GUSTAVUS:

Please keep in mind that you may certainly designate any contributions that you make to Gustavus to your favorite programs.  The College needs unrestricted gifts for all kinds of projects and expenses, but it feels good to also donate to specific groups like the Friends of Linnaeus Arboretum or the Gustavus Library Associates.  Dean would be able to assist you with any special contributions that you might like to make to the College that would be “over and above” your annual alumni gift.

 

Colts 29, Bears 17.  Congrats to Tony Dungy, a former Minnesota Gopher!

 

“Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty.”

 

Gramma Mitzi (aka Grammie) and Todd

1972 Co-class Agents