10-Year
Class of 1998
Reunion date ― October4, 2008
February 2008
Greetings, Class of
’98! My name is Alicia Sutphen
Schimke and I’m writing on behalf of our class’s 10-year reunion planning
committee.
The temperature is
currently below zero as I write this letter, and I find myself wondering (as I
do every year during this season) why in the world I still live in
As appealing as all
of the above may seem, they actually have little to do with my residence in
this frozen tundra. It’s because it’s
where I belong…at least for now. It
makes me happy to be surrounded by sincere people that care about me. There are opportunities for learning, growth,
and service for me and my children.
Really, the same reason that I chose Gustavus. Despite making a firm claim during my college
search (I admit it was during the winter) that I would NEVER go to a college in
Minnesota…I would surely choose something in Southern California, Arizona, or
at least Iowa…I settled on a small college in St. Peter, MN. And I’m so glad that I did.
Would I have been
able to sled down a hill on a cafeteria tray had I ended up at the
Along with the cold
weather in January, we got to experience something that I still need to explain
to most of my non-Gustavus friends:
J-term. When in our lives will we
get to experience such a thing
again? Whether you used your January
term to travel abroad, do an internship, concentrate on a difficult course, try
a class that peeks your interest, but has NOTHING to do with your major, or
just take the month off physically or mentally (hey, don’t knock it, there’s
value to be had in doing that sometimes too)…think about your J-term
experiences and how lucky we were to have them.
The “grown-up” world just doesn’t have a place for the concept of a
J-term. Maybe because there isn’t enough
time, or maybe because the knowledge gained is considered a luxury and not
necessity. I took a class called
“Parenting” during J-term, just for fun, and that is currently the college
course that has the most relevance in my life!
The class called “Discrete Mathematics” (with Jeff Rosoff – Mr. “Quite Easily Done!”) was the one that I thought
was going to put my life on hold for a month, and turned out to be fun and
light on the homework, leaving lots of time for, a-hem, other activities. I thought that was pretty fun so the next
year I took a class called “Strangeness in Everyday Life” with Rich Hilbert, which I thought would
give me plenty of time to goof off. I
was surprised by the daily writing assignments and horribly difficult reading
assignments, but still remember the heated in-class discussions, and the
fascinating theories in the book. My
remaining J-term was spent in
Enough about J-term
and all the fun we had. I’m supposed to
be giving you the “scoop” on an autumn event:
our 10 YEAR
Here’s some
information that we have determined so far about our upcoming event:
Ø We are intentionally not
planning a Friday event. Use this night
as an excuse to plan a smaller get-together with some close Gustie
friends! We don’t want to divide the
group by having multiple “large group” events.
We want to see as many of you as possible on Saturday, October 4th.
Ø We’ll start the day off
right with some brunch food at the ’98 tailgating tent, and then head to the
football field to cheer on the Gusties.
If you haven’t seen the new stadium, it will blow you away…it’s
beautiful. A grassy berm surrounds the
field, so families can sit on a blanket and informally watch the game!
Ø If it’s been awhile
since you have been on campus (or if you just feel like a nice walk), there
will be campus tours available after the game.
There has been an unbelievable amount of transformation since our time
up on the hill.
Ø If you have little ones,
it’s time to release them to the capable hands of some Gustavus volunteers and
go to a cocktail hour, dinner, and presentation. If you don’t have little ones, you’ll just
get the first choice of tables. J
Ø After that, we’re
thinking that a visit to Patrick’s may be in order for those that are not ready
to call it a night (unfortunately, you’ll have to figure out what to do with
those little ones at this point, as bringing them to the bar is not
recommended).
We need YOU!
Ø PICTURES! If you have any pictures that you’d be
willing to send, it would be appreciated.
You may only have pictures of a small group of people, but if 50 people
sent in pictures of a few of their close friends, we’d have a great group of
pictures to use for slide-shows, etc.
Please note the year of the picture, if you know it. Anecdotes are welcome!! Please send photos (scanned or digital
copies, please) and anecdotes you’d like to contribute to the Alumni Office via
email at alumni@gustavus.edu.
Ø We need your donations. We will be contacting all of you during the
next few months to talk about contributing to the Alumni Fund on behalf of the
class of ’98. Keep in mind that our goal
is to raise the equivalent of one year’s tuition, room and fees as they exist
for this present generation of students.
Our goal, therefore, is $35,310.00. It’s a big one. But we have 529 people to do it! Something to consider is that if you don’t
have much to give in a particular year, giving something, no matter the amount,
really helps. Other foundations that
give grants to the school look at the level of alumni participation when
deciding if and how much they will give Gustavus. Strong alumni participation begets better
gifts from other foundations. Even if
you don’t normally give financial gifts to Gustavus, please consider a gift
this year in honor of our 10 year reunion.
If you look online at www.gustavus.edu/giving/gustavusfund/classtotals
, you can track our class’ progress.
Employment Updates:
·
Matt Kusilek is
a print/web publisher for Super Lawyers magazine.
·
Chad Gilpin is
living in
·
Katie Otting
is a security counselor at the
·
Rachel Dault Hudson is a biology instructor at
·
Molly Bohn Lee
is a physical therapist at Sister Kenny Sports and Physical Therapy.
·
Gwendolyn Kelly
is a doctor of chiropractic and a certified chiropractic sports physician, and
is the owner of Kelly Chiropractic, P.A.
·
Cari Navara Lundell is owner of Snap Fitness in
·
Colleen Mulvihill Pacem is a nurse practitioner at the
·
Joe Gold is a
financial services consultant at TIAA-CREF.
·
Reginal Klindworth is a pastor at the Crown of Glory Lutheran Church in Chaska.
·
Dan Kelly is a
general manager of operations for the Winston-Salem National Industries for the
Blind.
·
Peter Kluge is
a cardiology fellow at Garden City Hospital in
·
Karl Sundquist
is an assistant county attorney for Saint Louis County Attorney’s Office.
·
Sean Lewis is
a QA Technical Specialist for Jefferson Pilot Financial Insurance Company.
·
Stephanie Johs Thiede works for Park Nicollet as a physical therapist.
·
Sara Loftus Wishart is a third grade teacher for the
·
Wade Leuwerke
is an assistant professor at
·
Kjerstin Moody
is still in
·
Erik Hagberg
is employed at
·
Cristina Zarate Larson is a teacher (and on-call athletic trainer) at The Blake School.
·
Amanda Paulson Laden is at
·
Angie Henrikson Fahl is a marketing manager for Allianz Life Insurance Company.
·
Pete Eklund is
finishing up an internship at
·
Matthew Christenson is a 5th grade teacher at Spring Lake Park ISD #16.
·
Jessica Hansen Carr is a kindergarten teacher for Osseo Area Schools (ISD #279).
·
Kari Seidel Aase is a 1st grade teacher at
·
R. John Buckley
is teaching English and focusing on his own travel writing in
·
Melissa Johnson
is now the director of children, youth, and family ministry at
·
Karin Hogberg Schatte is the choral director at
·
Carrie Nordlund
is an assistant professor at
·
Jessica Iverson
is a paralegal at the law offices of Thomas E. Francis, P.C. in
·
Macey Miller Mulheron is a choir director at Saint Bernard’s School. She and her husband Joshua ’99 are both
members of the Two Rivers Chorale.
·
Tennille Davis Haro is a 3rd grade teacher at
·
Sheila Schonrock Schultz is a basketball and cross country coach for
·
Rachel Gustafson Gosney is the owner of the Appleton Veterinary Clinic in
·
Shane Thielke
is the principal at
·
Heidi Pettis Meyer has begun a tenure track position in the Nursing Department at Gustavus!
More Education (for those
that can’t get enough):
·
Matt Detert is
pursuing his MBA at the
·
Gigi Wait Dobosenski is pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership through
·
Theodore Rice
received his Ph.D. in mathematics from
·
Stacey Olson Huebner received her master’s in education from
·
Erin Tripp Halverson received her master’s of education from
New Babies (aka Future
Gusties!):
·
Cristina (Zarate) Larson and her husband, Blake, had a daughter named Eliza, born
·
Jenel Anderson Wavra and Brent had a daughter, Lindsey, born on July 11th of
2006. They currently reside in
·
Mary Ann Dodd-Hermansen and Joel had a new baby named,
·
Adrian and Christy (
·
Lindsey Anderson Fabian and Peter had a new baby girl named Leah Marie, born
·
Matthew Christenson and Michelle had a baby boy, Owen, born in October of 2007. They currently reside in
·
Molly Bohn Lee
and husband, Zach, had a baby boy named, Dylan Robert, born
·
Heidi Pettis Meyer and Mitchel had their third daughter, Sophie Rae, on
·
Sara Strain Kujala and Jake had a baby girl named, Emma Rose, born
·
Karin Hogberg Schatte and William had a baby girl, Anna Grace, born
·
Tammy Warren Krez and Ted had a baby boy named, Emmett Thomas, born
·
Sarah Jaeb Jensen and husband, Todd, had a baby girl, Callie Anne, born
·
Heather Kuhlman Lorentz and Tim had a baby boy, Daniel Richard, born
·
Katherine Whitman Sallah and Omar had a baby girl named Rubiatou Cheryl, born
·
Heidi Anderson Bonner and husband, Marc, had twin boys, Aidan Conley and Cian Lewis, on
Weddings/Engagements:
·
Ryan Benedict
married Leah Theisen on
·
Stacy Bauer married
Scott Carel on
·
Tenille Davis Haro married René Haro on
·
Rachel Gustafson Gosney is engaged to Justin Bakeberg, and the couple will get
married in June of 2008.
I’m adding another
category to this Class Letter. It’s
going to be called…
Something You Probably Didn’t Know:
·
Maura Shuttleworth was a gymnast at Gustavus, and is now an international competitor with
USA Powerlifting. She is a three time
national champion on the Bench Press, three time world bench team member, and a
Minnesota state record holder with a 187 pound bench press in the 105 lb
class.
Thanks for taking
the time out of your busy schedules to read this letter. I hope it finds you well. Please mark October 4th on your
calendars…it’s an important day! Make
time for these important moments in life, or they will pass you by.
Alicia
Sutphen Schimke
1998 Guest Letter
Writer
Campus News
Greetings and
salutations from on top of the hill! My
name is Adam Eckhardt and I am interning with the Alumni Relations Office over
J-Term and through second semester! 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 before we know it the second semester will be
upon us. Over January I had the
privilege of interning full-time with the Alumni Office but coming this spring
I will be on a part-time basis along with my classes. 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
that 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
Gustie winter sports
teams are having another great year, as all are near the top in the MIAC.
Other things that
are happening in the following months of the semester include the 13th
Annual Building Bridges conference. This
conference will focus on Genocide Awareness: How will history judge us? Paul
Rusesabagina, whose life story was the basis of critically acclaimed movie Hotel
I cannot believe
that this J-Term has gone so fast and before I know it I will be graduating and
be an alum myself. 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!!!!