25-Year
Class of 1983
Reunion dates ― October 3 & 4, 2008
May 2008
Dear classmates,
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am very excited about our upcoming reunion. We all will have the opportunity to gather with old friends, tell self-servingly embellished stories about our school days, and assure one another that we all still look young and beautiful. Some also will share stories about their own children, some of whom have already graduated from college themselves. I, personally, would discourage those with older children from sharing these stories, because it makes the illusion of our own youth just that much harder to sustain. But never fear, if you start feeling old, any story by or about Joe Blake will shake you out of it and right back into the carefree pursuit of youthful folly.
We also will have the opportunity to explore the campus and
the town. For those who have been away
from St. Peter for many years, you will notice some changes. And for those like John Townsend, who are likely to check out the local bars before
trying to find campus (hint for when you’re ready to look for campus,
John: head toward the big white tower
with the cross on top), here are a few items of note. Schoop’s is till there, but its called
Patrick’s now and it has been prettied up a bit. It has relatively clean carpeting, a good
beer selection, and acceptable bar food.
In short, it’s lost much of its “charm.”
The Flame also still exists, but tragically, the classic wallpaper is
gone. Even so, I return occasionally to
visit the spot where in 1983 I spilled blood as a result of an unfortunate
encounter between my forehead and a beer bottle. The Nic is gone.
Up on campus, Wahlstrom Hall, Johnson Hall, Myrum Memorial
Field House, the old football stadium and the tall trees are gone. A new football stadium, several new dorms,
Lund Center, a tennis bubble, a new science building (behind Nobel), an
expanded language building, and growing but still mid-sized trees have taken
their place. Of course, much of what you
see on campus will be familiar to us all, including Christ Chapel, Alumni Hall,
Mark Hanson, and Randall Stuckey. (Mark and Randall both have distinguished
themselves in the world of basketball.
As Gustavus’s head men’s basketball coach, Mark has built one of the top
Division
Here’s where I transition abruptly to a serious point…
At our reunion, we all will have the opportunity to meet
Gustavus’s new president, Jack Ohle (pronounced OH lee, just like the nickname
for those who attend St. Olaf), and his wife, Kris. Jack will succeed Jim Peterson ’64, who is
retiring this summer after five years in office. For the last ten years, Jack has been the
president of our sister ELCA school,
In the years ahead, Jack will ask us all to consider what dreams we might have for Gustavus. And he will invite those who are so inclined to help bring those dreams to life. Not everyone will be interested in participating in this process. But those who are will find Jack to be an engaging and effective partner.
How do I know so much about Jack Ohle? As the current chair of the Board of Trustees (believe it or not), I worked extensively with five other trustees, including Karin Stone, as part of a special search committee. We all got to know Jack and Kris very well, and are extremely excited about the years to come.
More immediately, the reunion planning committee has decided that we should leave something behind for Gustavus (aside from garbage, Mark, and Randall). Specifically, we will be raising money to fund a scholarship. Please consider making a generous gift when contacted. Money is important for Gustavus, but it will not be the principal focus of our reunion. Instead, we will devote most of our energy to enjoying time together in celebration of our years at Gustavus.
I look forward to seeing you all.
Jim
Gale
1983 Guest Letter Writer
Class News
Daniel Balach and
his partner, Liz (Eckhoff) Lang are franchisees with Jimmy John’s Gourmet
Sandwiches with four locations in
Lisa Gault is a
banker, senior vice president at Nicollet County Bank. She does much volunteer work with Lions,
Hospice,
Kent Haglund plans to attend the reunion. He is married to Margaret.
Craig Jergenson, who is married to Lisa (Peck ’85), has a 16-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter. He plans to attend our reunion.
Scott Perry and his wife, Beth, have three children 19, 17 and 13.
Please continue to share your updates. It is always nice to read about our classmates and their families. Additionally, I encourage you all to come on down to Gustavus on October 4. What a great time of year to be on campus!
If you are wondering who has already committed to joining us, go to: http://gustavus.edu/alumni/reunion/1983 and click on “Who’s Planning on Attending?” to get a list. Check it out and get your name added to the list!
Best Regards,
Daniel
Balach
1983 Communication Co-chair
Campus News
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 Berry
Leonard ’63, nursing professor,
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 were presented at the Alumni Banquet on May 31 and the First Decade Awards will be presented during Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 4.
Gusties around the world are called to gather on Sunday, September 28. The Alumni Board is designating this day as a day to intentionally connect with other Gusties. Want to do more to be connected with Gustavus? Sign up to host a Gusties Gather! event for your neighborhood or with your friends.
Grant Received for
Science Education
Gustavus has recently been awarded $1 million for science
education over the next four years from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
(HHMI) in
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
Athletics
Softball
clinched a spot in the MIAC playoffs and Julie Mahre became the Gustavus career
hits leader with 207 hits. The men's tennis team is the MIAC regular
season and playoff champions and will be appearing in the NCAA tournament for
the 15th consecutive year. The women's tennis team won its 17th
consecutive MIAC Title. Junior Lisa
Brown finished seventh in the javelin
at the prestigious Drake Relays with a career best effort 156 feet, 5 inches;
she was the only non-Division I competitor to finish in the top ten and broke
her own school record by nearly two feet.
Brown's mark of 156-5 is the best mark in Division