To the Wonderful Cobber Class of 1954, Roger Maris, who grew up

To the Wonderful Cobber Class of 1954,
Roger Maris, who grew up across The River, hit his 61st home run to beat the Babe Ruth record in 1961.
And, we have our 61st anniversary of graduation this year!
A group of us were together on campus last fall for our 60th. We had a gathering in the Knutson Center,
went our separate ways in small groups, some of us had breakfast on Saturday morning and a picture was taken
(posted at the end of this letter). This photo was sent to our class, but if you did not receive it and would like the
Office of Alumni Relations to email or mail you a copy of it, call (218) 299-3734. Below, you’ll also find lists
of deceased and “missing” classmates. If you would like to update your information with the college, you can
do so at ConcordiaCollege.edu/classnotes or by calling (218) 299-3743.
<<<>>>>
Now… let’s have a little fun! Try this Cobber Quiz: First, the hints (from our senior yearbook, the
booklet from our 50th reunion and past memories). The answers are further on in the letter.
1. From X’s name you would think X can fly. Majored in Home Economics. Married to a Cobber
classmate. Both love the lake.
2. Wrote a book on baseball. Obey the law when X around. Loves Star-Tribune. History is a hobby.
West Central Minnesota roots. Now loves the Big City.
3. X married to classmate. Live near the Rapids. With spouse moved a long long way away. Six children,
at least 15 grand, and how many great?
4. Had seven brothers. Lived above the Bald Hill Creek. Ph.D (nuclear physics). Married to Cobber.
Plays in a brass ensemble.
5. First name was not George. Member of “Montana Club”. Roscoe was not the dog in the family.
Social service. “The class of ‘ 54 has made a valuable difference for me.”
6. Last name is not Benson. English major and teacher. Farmers at heart. Married to “best friend” from
New Jersey. Four children, 13 grand, and ? great.
<<<>>>
At our 50th anniversary, we decided as a class to start the Special Challenges Endowment at the
college in memory of classmates -- Helen Torgelson Olson and Jim Langaas -- and in appreciation to others who
have overcome special physical challenges through education and service. The income from the fund (which
now is over $55,000) is used for the following: To assist the college to provide materials, interpreters, tutors,
visual or audio equipment, etc. and for scholarships awarded through the Endowment. THANK YOU to all who
have helped with this vital outreach.
Our class has also responded in other ways. The current report shows that we have given $33,092 as a
class gift for the current year and a total of $2,224,322 in sixty years of thanks.
In regards to the budget of Concordia College, new enrollment strategies are being developed to ensure its
vitality. Concordia is investing in people, the newly designed career initiative and integrated learning. With
focus, college resources are being drawn in where they need to with staffing and operational costs, in order to
concentrate on the college’s greatest strengths. Concordia is being innovative as it builds new integrative
learning experiences for students and discusses how vocation and spiritual practice meets career. And, it builds
by creating and putting into practice new programming that increases academic range and appeal to new
students. Examples of this include the new finance major, data analytics minor, heritage and museum studies
major and masters in dietetics leadership. In addition, the Concordia endowment is at its highest level and the
planned renovation of the science facilities has begun.
The College will be renovating the science buildings, Jones and Ivers, in the coming year with a total project
cost of $45 million and a scheduled completion date of July 2017. New features will include updated mechanical
systems, flexible classrooms, t-search labs (teaching/research labs), larger faculty offices and social and
informal learning spaces.
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Karl Stumo was selected this summer as Concordia’s Vice-President for Enrollment and
Marketing. Karl is a 1992 Cobber who began his career as a Concordia admission counselor. He spent most
of his career at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash.
We have known Karl since he was a baby. He was born while we were living in Truman, MN and
serving the Trinity and Waverly Lutheran Parish. His parents, Dave and Clare, were music teachers in area
schools. At the Service of Baptism, Lyle conducted the worship when God blessed and claimed Karl through
the sacrament.
Currently working on the same floor of the Welcome Center at Concordia is Connie (Olson) Peterson,
who does outreach for Minnesota Public Radio, which has a studio in the building. Connie was baptized in
Faith Lutheran Church, Hannaford, ND, also the hometown for Lyle. Her parents asked Lyle to be one of her
baptism sponsors. So now, by “coincidence”, these two on the Cobber campus have a “connection” that is
more than a “coincidence”.
Another job change involves Linda Soderberg, who retired in May after 29 years of dedicated service
to the Advancement Division. Linda had acquired many different nametags – a testament to the multiple roles
she held over the years. Monica Stensland, formerly a Gift Accountant in Advancement Services, has taken
Linda’s position. She is a mother of four, including one current Cobber.
Other college updates include:
Music
§ The Concordia Choir will travel to the Northeast U.S. Feb. 19–Mar. 6, 2016 during its National Tour.
They will also perform at the newly renovated Ordway Theater in St. Paul, Minn. on Feb. 13 as part of
their pre-tour.
§ The Concordia Orchestra is headed to Colorado for their fall tour Oct. 31–Nov. 8.
§ Plans are underway for The Concordia Band to tour Spain in the spring of 2016.
Athletics
§ Concordia was one of two teams in the conference to advance to post conference play in all four winter
sports: men’s and women’s basketball, and men’s and women’s hockey.
§ The wrestling team ranked in the top 10 nationwide for the entire season and nine athletes qualified for
the NCAA National Tournament.
§ After placing multiple MIAC championships and multiple All-American awards on the shelves, Cherae
Reeves won the shot put at the NCAA National Indoor Meet to become the college's seventh individual
national champion.
§ The Baseball team won 26 games straight and is off to its best start since 1995, when Coach Coste was
playing at Concordia.
§ Concordia women’s track and field moved into the top 20 in the Apr. 21 U.S. Track & Field and Cross
Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III national rankings.
Academics
§ Concordia was named one of the top schools in the nation at the American Forensic Association
National Individual Events Tournament (AFA-NIET) April 4-6 in Portland, Ore. More than 200
students from across the country competed.
§ Student Olivia Gear was awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program English Teaching Assistantship
scholarship to Germany. Gear is the daughter of William and Debbie Gear, Appleton, Wis.
§ USA Today highlighted the impressive work of two Concordia business students who traveled to
Kazakhstan to present their marketing plan for KazBeef, a company flies in North Dakota cattle to grow
its beef-producing herds.
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Concordia Language Villages
ConcordiaLanguageVillages.org
This summer, the Russian Language Village, Lesnoe Ozero, will celebrate 50 years of providing a
language learning experience that encourages villagers to explore all things Russian. The official
celebration will kick off on July 10 in St. Paul, Minn. and will continue in Bemidji, Minn. on July 11
with a visit to Lesnoe Ozero and an evening reception.
Alumni Awards
§ Called to Serve: On Nov. 16, Alumni Relations Director Eric Johnson traveled to Crookston’s Trinity
Lutheran Church to confer the first Called to Serve Award on Ardell Knudsvig ‘60. Ardell was honored
for commitment to his community as evidenced by his long teaching and coaching career, his leadership
in faith development at his church and through Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and his deep
connections to the University of Minnesota Crookston in support of science education and research.
§
The National Alumni Board met in Jan. to vote on the 2015 Alumni Achievement and Sent Forth
Awards. Their purpose is to honor alumni who have distinguished themselves in their careers and
service to others, thereby honoring The College. These individuals have profoundly influenced the
affairs of the world through thought, word and deed. Alumni Achievement Award recipients must be
alumni of a minimum of 20 years, while Sent Forth recipients are alumni of less than 20 years.
2015 Alumni Achievement Award Recipients
Paul Erickson ’74
Dr. Craig Lambrecht ‘83
Dr. Alan Hopeman ‘42
Dr. Howard Nornes ‘53
2015 Sent Forth Recipients
Kristi Rendahl ‘97
Michael Solberg ‘95
Bonus “Kernels”
The College surpassed its fundraising goal and set a fundraising record of $19,970,000!
In 2016 we will celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the founding of Concordia College!
In 2017 we will celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation.
Reconnect with classmates at Homecoming Oct. 2-4, 2015 (ConcordiaCollege.edu/homecoming)
The following classmates passed away this year. We remember and honor them:
Marlene Rayment (Aug. 5, 2014), Lyle Irvin Hunter (Sept. 27, 2014), and Avis Leone Opheim (Nov. 21, 2014)
A full list of all deceased members of the Class of 1954 is posted at the end of this letter.
And these classmates are “lost”, meaning that the college is unsure of their location and contact information.
If you are in touch with any of these classmates, encourage them to reconnect with the college by providing their
biographical info.
Gerald Albrecht
Mary (Barrett) Carlson
Lois (Allen) Chai
Marvin Christiansen
Adeline (Svendsbye) Elverud
Anita Folland
Velma (Johnson) Gitlin
Lloyd Hougen
Wilmer Klebe
Marceil (Hamnes) Kringen
John Kruse
Arija Miesnieks
Marlin Mohn
Allan Olson
Jarle Olson
Frances Orr
Geraldine (Johnson) Ray
Jeanette (Veen) Skadberg
Joanne Sorvig
Maynard Tingelstad
Robert Vieths
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Answers to the Cobber Quiz
Barbara (Burd) Kaldahl. Married to Dave. Owners of Fair Hills Resort near Detroit Lakes MN. Now
in the third generation of the family. Both active and helping.
Jim Johnson wrote biography of deaf baseball player. Retired attorney. Wife Marilyn worked for Star
Tribune. Grew up in Kerkhoven, MN, now in Minneapolis.
Alice and Erv Toso. Pelican Rapids, MN. Missionaries to Madagascar.
Millard Lee. Hannaford, ND. Science and Physics search and teaching. Married to Carol Wade. Live
in Phoenix.
Mary Ellen (George) Diercks. From Roscoe, Montana. Married to Art Diercks (C. 1950)
Ramona (Dalen) Olson. Married to classmate, Norman Olson, from New Jersey. Live on farm near
Starbuck, MN.
<<<>>>
Thanks for this chance to visit.
Remember the famous “last words” of Lawrence Welk:
“Keep a song in your heart.”
Concordially yours,
Lyle and Joan Rich
imrich32@q.com
(218) 287-1375
For further info or questions:
Concordia College Alumni Relations
(218) 299-3734, alumni@cord.edu,
http://www.ConcordiaCollege.edu/alumni
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First Name
Miles
Margie
Marie
Clyde
Margaret
C Duane
Carl
Jean
Marlow
Stanley
Donald
Alan
A Joan
Bruce
Eileen
Avis
Loralee
Ethelyn
Donald
Ralph
Lyle
Cathryn
Doris
Borghild
Clarence
Vernon
Paul
Donald
Marilyn
Benjamin
James
Helen
Marlin
Emily
Clifford
Carl
Arthur
Thomas
Helen
Vernon
Avis
Norman
Lloyd
Edith
Robert
Doris
Joan
Helen
Vernon
Wilmer
Mary
Carl
Robert
Phyllis
Joan
W Harvey
Last Name
Aakhus
Bonin
Briscoe
Brueland
Callsen
Carley
Carlson
Dahlstrom
Davidson
Dolan
Dyrhaug
Ericksen
Ernst
Frojen
Hahn
Halter
Hansen
Haugland
Helm
Hoppe
Hunter
Huntsman
Hustad
Jacobson
Johnson
Johnson
Johnson
Kerlin
Knutson
LaMay
Langaas
Lerud
Lindquist
Lindquist
Lingen
Lucky
Malme
Natterstad
Olson
Opheim
Opheim
Peterson
Peterson
Pornish
Prescott
Richert
Salveson
Savereide
Severson
Stolt
Turmo
Vold
Walkin
Westerson
Wilson
Wilson
Maiden Name
Johnson
Westby
Evenson
Quamme
Setnes
Henning
Jacobson
Berntson
Hanson
Schoberg
Miller
Peterson
Olson
Torgelson
Walwick
Stenberg
Smith
Anderson
Kvern
Fiemann
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