25-Year
Class of 1983
January 2008
Dear Classmates,
I hope all is well with you and your families and that you enjoyed a wonderful holiday season. This is my first Gustavus class letter ever. Over the course of the year, you will be receiving letters from other guest writers―as we approach our 25th Class Reunion!
Many of your classmates and I gathered in September and again in November to kick-off planning for the reunion. The first meeting was on campus. I found the day to be one of reconnection for me―to the campus and to my classmates. I hadn’t been back on campus for a few years, last attending the Nobel Conference in 2004. It was great to see and hear college leaders talk about the changes the college has undergone and the plans they have for the future. I was also overcome by the familiar “home away from home” feeling I always had when I went to school there. Our lives take us in so many directions―it was wonderful to take a little time to reconnect with friends I hadn’t seen in years. For me, this reunion is a time of grounding and reconnection.
The event committee has been busy―laying out the broad guidelines for the weekend. As we fine tune our planning we will need your help in collecting photographs to help share our fond memories.
Here is what we know so far:
·
We have approximately two dozen classmates on
the planning committee and we would love to have more! If you are interested please contact me
(email: jubbamara@hotmail.com; phone
612-596-8756;
·
Our next planning meeting will be
· We plan on calling all of our classmates between March 1 and March 15 to encourage attendance at the reunion.
·
The reunion will be held on
· We are collecting photographs for the event. Please send electronic copies to Randi Ness Kelley at: rkelley@ptc.com. She will compile a slide show for the event.
· Susan Sherb Path will serve in the role as resident historian. Please contact her (slpath@comcast.net) with any ideas you may for our “museum.” An example, the clothing we used to wear, hairstyles, music we listened to, old clichés and so on.
· We also want to organize an up-to-date class email list so we can contact everyone more quickly and more often. Therefore, would you please take a minute and send an e-mail to the Alumni Office at alumni@gustavus.edu and provide your email address. The office will forward those addresses to the Committee so we can be in further contact with you.
· I am serving as the Event Chair. Dan Balach and Eileen Applegate Sternard will serve as Communication Co-Chairs. Brad Somero, Scott Gilyard, Scott Winter, Brad Emch and Cindy Hendricks will serve as Giving Co-Chairs.
We know you are all very busy, but please put
Jim
Mara
1983
The following is updated information on our fellow classmates:
John Biewen was
featured in the Morris Sun Tribune
last August. He is the audio programs
director of the Center for Documentary Studies at
Natalie Carlson
Bloomquist is the director of Christian education at
Kris Haugen is a
senior program manager for the employee health promotion program for Park
Nicollet Health Services. John Hatlestad is principal scientist
for Boston Scientific. Miranda Millen Johnson is a nurse for
at VNA Care Network and resides in
Paul McKenna is
operations manager for
Rebecca Schneider
Lantz is the new School Board Chair in
Christine Sorenson
Swanson was recently hired as an administrative specialist for the Federal
Reserve Bank in
Congratulations to you all for making such great
contributions to your families and your communities! We are looking forward to talking with many
of you in March when we do our
Eileen
Applegate Sternard
1983 Communication Co-chair
Campus News
Forensics Team
Continues Excellence
The Gustavus forensics team continues the tradition of excellence, with major team and individual wins this season. Last season the team ranked in the top 20, which is impressive since 14 of the top 20 schools are “Division I” schools that have more funding and more coaching staff. While many schools have several full-time forensics coaches, the Gustavus coach also is a full-time professor. So a unique aspect of the Gustavus program is the team meets weekly for peer coaching, a technique the team has found to be very successful.
Gustavus Dancing With
the Profs
Inspired by the popular television show Dancing with the Stars, a standing room only crowd of students, faculty, and St. Peter community members filled Alumni Hall on November 2 to watch Gustavus students and faculty/staff members swing dance to raise money for the St. Peter United Way. The event, “Dancing with the Profs 2,” featured six teams of one Gustavus student and one faculty/staff member. In preparation for the evening competition, the Gustavus Swing Club gave the teams dance lessons, while members of GAC-TV documented the learning to provide a video showcase on each couple.
Athletics
Men's tennis coach Steve Wilkinson has been named the
national winner of the United States Tennis Association (USTA)/Intercollegiate
Tennis Association (ITA) Campus Recreation Award. This awards program, which began in 2003, was
open to more than 2,000 ITA head and assistant coaches at the NCAA Divisions I,
II, and
Fine Arts Events
“Destination Anywhere:
A Juried Exhibit of 15 Award-Winning Young Artists With Disabilities,”
is now on display at the Hillstrom Museum of Art at Gustavus. The exhibit, a product of a partnership
between VSA arts (formerly Very Special Arts) and Volkswagen of America, Inc.,
strives to recognize and showcase young artists with disabilities, ages 16-25,
who are living in the
Alumni Fund
The 2008 Alumni Fund has a goal of $1.95 million from 8,000 donors. Continue a Gustie tradition―join other alumni to reach the goal with your participation in the 2008 Alumni Fund. Enclosed is a Reunion Class Giving Card to kick off your reunion year―please consider making a special gift this year in honor of your 25th Class Reunion!
Upcoming Alumni
Events
Twin Cities Gustie Breakfast featuring Doug Nimmo, Wind Orchestra Conductor - Jan. 16
Gustavus Gathering in Phoenix/Sun City, AZ - Jan. 20
Gustavus Gathering in
Winter Retreat
For more information on alumni events, go to: gustavus.edu/alumni/events