creating a foundation

Hamline
The magazine of Hamline University
Spring 2007
:
Faith
creating a foundation
7
14
8
Faith
3
Features
8 Artist in Bloom An alumna’s garden becomes a palette for her art.
10 In Memory of Gordon Walker ‘51 Hamline loses one of its most dedicated alumni.
12 Relevant, Real, and REaffirming Research opportunities transform students.
14 Faith Six professors explore the human connections brought about by faith.
Departments
3 Happenings on Hewitt
24 Alumni News 24 Associations of Hamline Alumni 25 Class Notes 32 In Memoriam
36 From thePresident
Hamline Magazine
Spring 2007
From the Editor
Letter to the Editor
Politeness has its place.
Especially in Minnesota, (thanks to “Minnesota
nice”), and especially at Hamline, where we uphold
civility as one of our core values.
But if we lived in pursuit of politeness, then we
would be bound by its sacred tenet: “Never talk
about religion and politics in polite conversation.”
Our exploration of life’s hard questions didn’t stop
when we turned in our last finals. There’s a risk in bringing up faith—the rule
exists for a reason—but if we learned one thing at college, it’s that discussing
the difficult topics is a risk worth taking.
So we’re setting aside our teacups and coffee cake and bringing faith to the
table. We asked some of our esteemed faculty to share their ideas and stories,
with the modest goal of sparking thoughts, not threats, and conversation, not
conversion.
But don’t worry—Hamline magazine isn’t getting heady with its rebellion.
We are proud to remain one of your safe havens from 2008 presidential
election coverage.
Breanne Hanson Hegg MANM ’04
Correction In the Fall 2006 issue, the photo of Angela Robertson ’06
was mistakenly identified as Shynell Hill ’06. We apologize for and
regret the error.
Is writing not a fine art? I just received the
Hamline magazine and read the article, “Artist,
understood: Why students sing, act, dance, and
create.” Of the eight students interviewed, none
claimed writing as his or her primary form of
expression, yet Hamline boasts of a master’s
of fine arts in creative writing and the national
literary publication, Water~Stone. Moreover,
student fees help pay for professional-level
undergraduate publications, such as The
Fulcrum art and literary journal. I was editor
of The Fulcrum for two years, and I was proud
to be able to publish the high quality prose
and poetry that Hamline students create. In
addition, several of the annual awards given
in the spring are for writing. Therefore, I was
saddened to see that your article did not stray
from the Drew Fine Arts building. Don’t get
me wrong, I am a musician as well and spent
many an hour pounding on the drum kit in a
small room down the hall. I would just like to
see some recognition for the students who stay
up late working on the right turn of phrase or
a resonant denouement. They create because
they, too, can’t imagine not expressing their
thoughts and feelings about themselves and
the world.
Milo Mietzner ’04
Happenings
on Hewitt
Professor tracks mystery of rare Japanese coin
The Japanese coin
before (below) and
after cleaning.
More than eleven years ago anthropology
professor Brian Hoffman picked up a coin off
the ground in an Aleut house while doing his
dissertation research.
“I first thought it was a Chinese coin,”
Hoffman said. In 2006 he had it cleaned
by the Minnesota Historical Society, which
identified it as a Japanese Kanei-Tsuho
coin minted between 1626 and 1860.
But it wasn’t until Hoffman posted
pictures of the coin on a website
dedicated to rare, Oriental coins
that he found an answer.
And it took only twenty-four
hours.
“By the end of that day an
Austrian scholar identified the
coin,” Hoffman said. The scholar said
that the coin’s markings indicated it was
made between 1668 and 1673. According to
Hoffman’s best estimate, the coin circulated
for nearly a century before coming to the
Aleut house in the early 1760s, making
Hoffman’s coin one of the earliest
Japanese coins found in Alaska.
But how did the coin get from Japan
to Alaska?
“Japan had forbidden travel and trade, so it
makes the issue more complicated,” Hoffman
said. Most likely, a Russian trader picked up
the coin during widespread travels; however,
Hoffman is not ruling out other possibilities
such as illicit trading or a Japanese shipwreck
that drifted into the Alaskan Peninsula.
Hoffman is working on a paper with an
Alaskan archeologist on Japanese coins in
the North Pacific. These rare Japanese coins
represent a form of early globalization and
trade relations, due to their unique route to
North America. However, his studies would be
lacking without incorporating the Internet into
his research.
“It helps me to access knowledge in a much
more rapid fashion,” Hoffman said. “I see this
as a way for scholars to critique and review
my work in an ongoing process.” With the
help of Instructional Technology Coordinator
Kate Conners, Hoffman created a blog, “Old
Dirt – New Thoughts,” to track and
update his work. “[Technology] is
going to change the nature of
scholarship,” he said.
Volume 104 / Number 1 / spring 2007
Hamline
The magazine of Hamline University
POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Hamline Magazine,
MS-C1916, 1536 Hewitt Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55104-1284
Editor Breanne Hanson Hegg MANM ’04
Questions/letters Hamline Magazine MS-C1916, 1536 Hewitt Avenue, Saint Paul,
Minnesota 55104-1284, 651-523-2012, magazine@hamline.edu
Contributing editors Dan Loritz ’69, Jen Thorson ’96
Contributing writers Lindsay Bacher ’07, Amanda Dutcher ‘10,
Breanne Hanson Hegg MANM ’04, Quinn Kiley ‘09, Troy Mallat
Contributing photographers Bryn Harding ’10, Andy King, Eliesa Johnson,
Cory Ryan, Dawn Villella, Steve Woit
Designers Kelly Christ, Allison Long
on the cover The weaving of spring blossoms
evokes the human connections brought about by faith.
Hamline Magazine
Hamline University first published an alumni periodical in 1904, called the Alumni
Quarterly of Hamline University. Now simply titled Hamline, the magazine is published
three times per year. Hamline is printed on 10 percent post-consumer recovered fiber
stock with agri-based ink. The coating is water based.
Hoffman’s blog, and more about the coin, are
available at http://bhoffman.edublogs.org.
Hamline University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin,
ancestry, sex, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, or veteran status in its education
or employment programs or activities.
Spring 2007
Happenings On Hewitt
Murals and mosaics brighten Hamline-Midway
When some people think of the HamlineMidway area and Snelling Avenue, they
envision fast-moving vehicles, busy
intersections, and a preponderance
of gray.
With the help of a few projects, the
community is looking to change
all that.
A collaboration between the HamlineMidway Coalition and Hamline University,
called Leadership in Support of Neighborhood
(LISN), has helped neighborhood residents
take control of the traffic. Taking an idea
from the City Repair Project in Portland,
Oregon, they painted colorful murals on
the intersections of Englewood Avenue and
Syndicate Street and Pascal Avenue and
Van Buren Street. The murals are “creating
intrigue and uncertainty,” which cause most
drivers to slow down simply because they
look different from other intersections, said
Samantha Henningson, the Hancock/Hamline
collaboration coordinator who volunteered to
help manage the projects.
The intersections are not the only thing
getting some color these days. In an effort
to change the look of Snelling Avenue, the
Hamline-Midway Coalition collaborated with
local company Mosaic on a Stick to create
170 mosaic medallions to decorate the large
planters on Snelling Avenue. After receiving
a grant from the city of Saint Paul, the group
began creating the medallions with the help of
volunteers. Hamline University faculty, staff,
and students (including a few first-year seminar
classes) pitched in on the project.
“I think there is still a lot to do,” said JunLi Wang, a community organizer with the
Hamline-Midway Coalition. “We’d love to see
all the planters completed.”
Still, Wang said the projects are creating a
buzz; several groups are planning to paint their
intersections next year. Wang said she believes
that with these programs, the HamlineMidway community can become more
pedestrian-friendly.
Faculty research and achievements
earnmore.indd 1
Kate DiCamillo, Graduate School of Liberal Studies, won an
Above; mosaics on the Snelling Avenue
planters. Below; mural on the intersection
of Pascal and Van Buren.
Basketball book devotes chapter to Hamline
Hamline’s basketball fame was featured in Minnesota Hoops, a new book by Marc
Hugunin and Stew Thornley, published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press.
Hamline’s achievements in the late 1940s and early 1950s earned their own
chapter, “The March of the Pied Pipers.”
“From the early days of YMCA leagues to the modern game of the Timberwolves
and Lynx,” Hugunin and Thornley’s book offers “the complete story of the North
Star State’s most popular game.”
Hamline Magazine
7/24/06 1:53:14 PM
American Library Association Geisel Beginning Reader Honor
for her book, Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride. The book is one in
a series of humorous takes on a pig who loves buttered toast.
Margot Fortunato Galt, Graduate School of Liberal Studies,
published The Circuit Writer: Writing with Schools and
Communities, a collection of poems, essays, and teaching
strategies, with Teachers & Writers Collaborative.
Jenny Keil, management and economics, College of Liberal
Arts, published Earn More, Move Up (Center for Economic
Progress), a book that explores the pay differential between men
and women.
Stephen Kellert, philosophy, College of Liberal Arts, published
Scientific Pluralism (University of Minnesota Press), a volume
co-edited with Helen Longino and C. Kenneth Waters. The
book explores the plurality of theories at work in quantum
physics, mathematics, economics, genetics,
and other fields.
Susan Power, Graduate School of Liberal Studies, received a
$50,000 award from United States Artists, a Los Angeles-based
organization that gives money to artists as “an investment in the
nation’s creativity.”
David Schultz, Graduate School of Management, was named
a Fulbright Senior Specialist and taught election law at the
American University of Armenia in February and March.
His instruction there comes in anticipation of the May 2007
parliamentary elections in the former communist republic.
Scott Johnston, professor emeritus, was inducted into the
Pi Gamma Mu Hall of Fame in 2006. Pi Gamma Mu is the
international honor society for social science. Johnston also
wrote First 75 Years, a history of the organization on its seventyfifth anniversary in 1999. Johnston taught political science at
Hamline from 1947–1992.
m
Graduate School of Education
dean joins Education/Evolving
Hamline named to President’s
Community Service Honor Roll
Deirdre Kramer, dean of the Graduate School
of Education, left Hamline in January for a
position with Education/Evolving, a joint
venture of the Center for Policy Studies and
Hamline University. Kramer served as associate
dean, interim dean, and then dean of the
Graduate School of Education for twelve years.
Hamline trustee Mary K. Murray-Boyd,
an education and human services consultant,
will serve as interim dean through June 2007.
Murray-Boyd will take a leave of absence from
the Hamline Board of Trustees while she fills
the position.
Hamline is conducting a national search
for the dean position, and expects to have the
person in place by June.
Hamline University was named to George W. Bush’s first President’s Higher
Education Community Service Honor Roll for its outstanding community
partnerships and hurricane relief efforts.
In all, 500 colleges and universities were named to the honor roll for
responding to President Bush’s call to increase civic engagement and
community service. Hamline University was among 140 colleges and
universities recognized for excellence in both hurricane relief service and
general community service.
Hamline’s partnership with the Hancock/Hamline University Collaborative
Magnet School and hurricane relief efforts factored strongly in its
appointment. More than 25 percent of Hamline undergraduate students are
involved in the Hancock collaboration during their time at Hamline, and more
than sixty students, faculty, and staff members have participated in servicelearning projects in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
Spring 2007
Spring Sports Schedule
Happenings On Hewitt
Jacob Helling leads men’s soccer to its first MIAC finals
Jacob Helling had a very inconspicuous start
to his men’s soccer career. As a first-year, he
played in eighteen games with no points.
One year later, he netted just one goal and
two assists for four points. No one could
have predicted that by the end of his career
he would be the top scorer in Hamline
men’s soccer history and the school’s only
Most Valuable Player in the Minnesota
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
As a junior, Helling netted eleven goals
and five assists as the Pipers earned their
first MIAC playoff berth. In 2006, the
Brookings, South Dakota, native was even
better, scoring fourteen goals with four
assists to lead Hamline to a 12-5-2 record,
5-3-2 in conference play and its second
consecutive post-season berth—all after
losing five starters from the 2005 squad to
graduation.
The Pipers went on to defeat top-seeded
St. John’s 1-0 in the MIAC semifinals to
appear in the conference finals for the first
time in school history.
Helling tied for the league lead with
eight goals and seventeen points in just ten
conference games.
“Jacob has a tireless work ethic,” head
coach Andy Coutts said. “He’s really
versatile and has the ability to use both feet.
He’s quick in tight spaces and fast over a
distance.”
Helling was named to the ESPN The
Magazine Academic All-America third team.
He also received National Soccer Coaches
Association of America/Adidas All-West
Region second team and D3kicks.com AllWest Region second team honors.
Jacob Helling, MIAC Most Valuable Player
Volleyball team smashes losing streak, makes MIAC playoffs
Tasha Simmons was named Rookie of
the Year by MIAC conference coaches.
After being picked to finish tenth in the conference in the pre-season coaches poll,
the Pipers clinched the squad’s first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
playoff spot since the conference moved to a six-team format in the 2001 season.
“We surprised a lot of people utilizing great team chemistry as well as a couple
outstanding individual efforts to beat some great teams in the MIAC,”said head
coach Gina Rollie, who was named Co-MIAC Coach of the Year at the conclusion
of the season.
Hamline went 17-10 on the season, 6-5 in MIAC play. It was the first time since
1994 that the Pipers posted a winning record in conference action.
The Pipers broke several dubious streaks along the way. Hamline stopped an
eleven-match losing streak to St. Thomas, the seventh-ranked team in the country,
according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Hamline also beat
nationally ranked St. Benedict for the first time since 1987.
On the court, the Pipers relied on the leadership and talents of seniors Dana
Luiken, Jenna Witt, and Christina Rossetter. Luiken, a middle hitter, was named AllMIAC first team and AVCA All-Central Region honorable mention. She became the
sixth player in Hamline volleyball history to amass 1,000 career kills. Luiken finished
her career with 1,169 kills to rank her fourth on the all-time list.
Witt, a four-year starter, became the Pipers’ all-time leader in digs with 1,792.
Rossetter, who played middle hitter and right side, played a key role in the front row.
While three standout careers came to an end, the Pipers’ future remains bright.
Hamline will return first-year outside hitter Tasha Simmons, who was named Rookie
of the Year by the league’s conference coaches. Hamline will also welcome back
outside hitter Shelby Hyllengren, who is on pace to surpass the 1,000 kill mark, and
middle hitter Amanda Booth, sixth on Hamline’s all-time blocking list.
Baseball
Date
Opponent
Mar. 30Augsburg*(at Metrodome)
Apr. 4Macalester*
Apr. 7
at Gustavus*
Apr. 9
at Concordia-St. Paul
Apr. 10
at Carleton*
Apr. 14St. John’s*
Apr. 17
Crown
Apr. 18
at Bethel*
Apr. 21St. Olaf*
Apr. 24
at St. Thomas*
Apr. 28
at St. Mary’s* May 5
Concordia*
Time
1 p.m.
2:30 p.m.
1 p.m.
4 p.m.
2:30 p.m.
1 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
2:30 p.m.
1 p.m.
2:30 p.m.
1 p.m.
1 p.m.
Men’s Tennis
Date
Opponent
Mar. 31
Concordia*
Apr. 2
at St. Thomas*
Apr. 6
at UW-Eau Claire
Apr. 11
at St. Olaf*
Apr. 14St. John’s*
Apr. 17St. Mary’s*
Apr. 18
at Macalester*
Apr. 20
Carleton*
Apr. 21Alumni Match
Apr. 23
Bethel*
Apr. 27-29MIAC Championships
Time
2 p.m.
4 p.m.
3 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
11 a.m.
4 p.m.
7 p.m.
4 p.m.
12 p.m.
4 p.m.
9 a.m.
Women’s Tennis
Date
Opponent
Mar. 31
Concordia*
Apr. 4
at St. Thomas*
Apr. 10St. Catherine*
Apr. 12
at St. Olaf*
Apr. 14St. Benedict*
Apr. 18
at Macalester*
Apr. 19
Carleton*
Apr. 21Alumni Match
Apr. 24
at Bethel*
Apr. 27-28MIAC Championships
Time
12 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
2 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
12 p.m.
4 p.m.
9 a.m.
Men and Women’s Track and Field
Date
Opponent
Mar. 31
at St. John’s Invitational
Apr. 6 Hamline Invitational Apr. 21 at Carleton Relays (men)
Apr. 21 at St. Olaf Invitational (women)
Apr. 25 at Macalester Twilight
Apr. 27-28 at Drake Relays
Apr. 28 at St. John’s Invitational (men)
Apr. 28 at Macalester Invitational (women)
May 3-4 MIAC Multi-Event Championships
May 4 Meet of the UnSaintly
May 11-12 MIAC Championships (St. John’s)
May 16 at Last Chance Meet (Central)
May 17 at Qualifier (UW-La Crosse)
May 18 at Last Chance Meet (North
Central College)
May 24-26 NCAA Outdoor Track and
Field Championships
Softball
Date
Opponent
Time
Mar. 28St. Benedict*
3 p.m.
Mar. 31St. Thomas*
1 p.m.
Apr. 3Macalester* 4 p.m.
Apr. 5
at St. Catherine*
4 p.m.
Apr. 6UW-River Falls
2 p.m.
Apr. 9
at Martin Luther 3:30 p.m.
Apr. 11
at Carleton*
4 p.m.
Apr. 14St. Mary’s*
1 p.m.
Apr. 17
at Gustavus*
4 p.m.
Apr. 19
at Bethel* 4 p.m.
Apr. 21St. Olaf*
1 p.m.
Apr. 23St. Scholastica
4 p.m.
Apr. 25Augsburg*
4 p.m.
Apr. 28
at Concordia*
1 p.m.
Apr. 30
at Northwestern
4 p.m.
May 1
at UW-Stout
4 p.m.
May 4-5MIAC TournamentTBD
Hosts: Bethel/Hamline
May 10-13NCAA Div. III RegionalsTBD
May 16-21NCAA Div. III FinalsTBD
* MIAC contest
Only remaining games in the season have been included.
Hamline Magazine
Fall sports finish strong
Men’s Cross Country
Hamline continued its success in men’s cross country by
winning the NCAA Central Regional for the first time in
school history. The Pipers made their second appearance in
the NCAA Championships, finishing eighteenth overall.
Senior Travis Bristow led the team to a second place
finish by winning the individual championship at the
MIAC Championships, joining Tom Kreger ’02, Dan
Spear ’75, and Dave Teague ’73 as Hamline’s individual
conference champions. Chris Yotter, Dan Steinbrecher,
and Jon Murphy earned All-MIAC accolades, and Bristow,
Yotter, Steinbrecher, and Brandon Gleason finished in the
top thirty to receive All-Region honors. Head coach Paul
Schmaedeke was named Central Region Coach of the Year by
the U.S. Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association.
Women’s Cross Country
Both Melissa Francis and Lacee Schrupp qualified for the
NCAA Championships in the six-kilometer race and received
All-MIAC and All-Region honors before running in the
national meet, where Schrupp finished 129th while Francis
was 201st in the race. The Pipers finished eighth as a team
in the MIAC Championships.
Tyler Schultz was named a
Don Hansen’s Football Gazette
Pre-Season All-American.
Chris Yotter
received AllMIAC Honors.
Football
Senior strong safety Tyler Schultz raked in the
accolades during the 2006 season. The Rollingstone,
Minnesota, native was named a Don Hansen’s
Football Gazette Pre-Season All-American. His
performance did not disappoint as he led the team
in tackles for the fourth straight season, finishing his
career with 362 tackles. For the second consecutive
year, he received All-MIAC first team and ESPN
The Magazine Academic All-District V honors. The
American Football Coaches Association also chose
Schultz to represent the United States in the Aztec
Bowl, a Div. III all-star game against the Mexican
National Team. The Pipers finished the season with a
3-7 record, 1-7 in the MIAC.
Women’s Soccer
Junior defender Christine Feely, a mainstay for the Pipers over the last three
seasons, was named All-MIAC first team for the first time in her career.
Hamline finished the 2006 season with a record of 3-11-1, 1-10 in the MIAC.
Alumni invited to a tennis reunion • Hamline welcomes all tennis alumni to a reunion
on April 21, 2007. Reminisce with old teammates and try your hand against current
team members in fun-spirited matches on Hamline’s courts. For more information,
contact coach Nathan Klonecki at nklonecki01@hamline.edu or 651-523-2310.
Spring 2007
Artist in Bloom
W
In Betty Lou’s Garden
Betty Lou Patsche ’47
Hamline Magazine
Betty Lou Patsche’s arrangements aren’t
limited by her Zone 4 garden; she
frequently orders special flowers that fit
her artistic vision. Still, she tends a large
garden every summer, for blooms to enjoy
both outdoors and in, and, of course, to
enter the State Fair’s contests each year.
One feature of her garden is a mum like
no other that was noticed by one of her
plant propagation instructors. He took a
cutting and propagated it, naming it the
“Betty Lou.” The “Betty Lou Mum” is
a large variety, growing to the size of a
shrub, with a rust-pink flower.
“Someone said, ‘Why don’t we name it
Big Betty,’” Patsche said. “But he said ‘I
don’t think Betty would stand for that!’”
The Betty Lou mum can be ordered from
Dooley Gardens in Hutchinson or Mums
for Minnesota in Faribault.
Patsche’s recommendations for flowers
that can be used in arrangements are
what she calls “the old-fashioned flowers”:
dahlias, marigolds, zinnias, snapdragons,
and sedums. She often tries out-of-zone
flowers, too, and has learned to live with
the risk.
“I’ve had a lot of failures in the garden,”
Patsche said. “I’ve
learned that if you
lose a flower, it
isn’t anything to
cry about. It used
to hurt. But I’m
growing up.”
Betty Lou Mum
here some artists use watercolors or clay, Betty Lou Patsche ’47 uses flowers.
Patsche, who said she “grew up in the garden” with her mother, has been
growing and creating with flowers her entire life. It is her passion, and her art.
For more than fifty years, Patsche has been creating and judging flower
arrangements with the Minnesota Horticultural Society and many other garden
clubs. She also teaches certification courses in judging and has won many awards
and competitions. Her love of design and color, once cultivated as an art major at
Hamline, shines through her beautiful, modern floral arrangements.
Patsche attended Hamline in the mid-forties, “good days,” as she described
them. She lived in Manor Hall with a group of friends nicknamed “The Dirty
Dozen,” who still hold a reunion every year. They weren’t as “dirty” as all
that—in the days when the dorms were “pretty held down,” her crew earned the
moniker for such pranks as putting newspapers in the dean of women’s bed.
“But art is what I remember most,” she said. “I came to Hamline to take
art [though she also had to major in English] from Lowell Bobleter. We had
pottery class in the basement of the library. I didn’t have enough money for a
lot of paints, so I would take a very long time to complete a painting. Professor
Bobleter finally caught on and let me charge the supplies. There were such good
instructors.”
After graduation she taught art at the Summit School in Saint Paul, and then
married Gil Patsche and had three children, Ronald, Barbara, and David. When
her youngest started school, she began work as a teacher’s aide.
Then, one year, she went to a flower show put on by the Parkway Garden Club.
She said, “That looks like fun,” and was hooked.
“I’m lucky I found floral arranging to go with art. It is a form of art. You use all
of the principles of design, and I love color. It takes time to learn how to do it and
do it well,” she said. “I’m learning all the time.”
Patsche prefers modern art and her arrangements follow suit. Many
competitions involve choosing a piece of art or sculpture and then interpreting
it with flowers. Others provide themes, such as “Wonders of the Galaxy” or
“Football Fun” and entries are judged on how well they represent the theme.
A favorite show that Patsche has been participating in for twenty-seven years is
“Art in Bloom” at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Floral artists are invited to
choose art pieces to inspire their arrangements that are displayed with the piece
during the exhibit. (You can see Patsche’s work at this year’s Art in Bloom, to be
held April 26–29, 2007. For more information see www.artsmia.org.)
Patsche is modest about the awards her work has won over the years and says it
is more important “if you feel good about it and someone says they liked it.”
She and the rest of the “Dirty Dozen” are looking forward to their sixtieth class
reunion this fall, and they plan to make the best of it, both at Hamline events and
some they are planning on their own.
“Hamline was a good school­—I wish I could go there now!” she said. “[But] the
best thing is the friends I made. We’ve been friends for such a long time.”
Jen Thorson ’96 is associate vice president of marketing communications.
Spring 2007
In memory of Gordon Walker ’51
H
amline University lost one of its most dedicated
alumni when Gordon Walker ’51 died on
December 17, 2006. Gordon, like his father, Lloyd
W. D. Walker ’29, before him, held his Hamline
education and experience as one of the high points
of his life. Forthcoming in sharing his well-loved stories about
his early experiences at Hamline, Gordon was also generous in
giving of his time and money.
As a child, Gordon’s father brought him regularly to campus
for basketball and football games and for many other activities
and events. One that stood out in his memory was attending
the 1937 inaugural basketball game played against Stanford
University in the then-new Norton Fieldhouse. At that time,
neither father nor son ever imagined that in 1998 Gordon
would return to campus for another dedication—this time of
the new Lloyd W. D. Walker Fieldhouse, made possible by a $5
million gift from Gordon.
When Gordon was old enough to come to the campus
on his own, he did so with a couple of lifelong friends, Joey
Hutton ’50 and Keith Paisley ’50, whom he referred to as “the
neighbor kids.” They attended Hancock Elementary School and
used Hamline as their backyard. When Gordon accepted an
invitation to join Hamline’s Board of Trustees, he talked often
about that experience, and how important it was to bring young
people to Hamline so they could have a first-hand experience
with the university.
To ensure that children and youth today have the same
opportunity to experience Hamline, Gordon created two
influential programs through a $200,000 endowment. The first
established invitational basketball tournaments for high school
boys and girls, known as the Joe Hutton Memorial Tournament
Gordon Walker at the groundbreaking
for Walker Fieldhouse in October 1996.
The gift of one
transformed to the
10
Hamline Magazine
benefit of many
and the Pat Paterson Memorial Tournament. Together, the
tournaments bring thousands of young people to Hamline
every winter.
The second created the annual All-Sports Camp for children
ages eight to fourteen. Thanks to Gordon, 400 boys and girls
(and their parents) have the opportunity to become part of
Hamline for two weeks every summer.
Despite these generous gifts, Gordon never considered
himself “done” with giving. In 2001 he came across a story
in the Oracle that impressed him. Gordon felt the author had
taken a courageous stand on an important issue, and asked to
meet her. “People who do things like this should get an award,”
he thought, so he created a $225,000 endowment to honor
undergraduate and graduate students who exemplify Hamline’s
values with annual $5,000 awards. Called the John Wesley
Awards, the program, thanks to the Board of Trustees, has
grown to add $5,000 annual awards for faculty and staff.
Given Gordon’s dedication to Hamline, it is fitting that
at his memorial service in January, President Linda Hanson
announced that a longtime wish of Gordon’s would be fulfilled.
Gordon had always wanted a bust of Joe Hutton, Sr. to be
created, to match the bust of his father in Walker Fieldhouse
and to honor Hamline’s greatest coach and the father of his
friend and classmate, Joe Hutton, Jr. Thanks to Gordon, a new
bust will be completed this year.
Generous to the end, the gifts of one person, Gordon A.
Walker, have been transformed to the benefit of many, now and
in the future.
Editor’s note: A full obituary appears on page 34.
Dan Loritz ’69 is vice president for university relations.
Hamline University’s
1949 Championship
Basketball Team.
Gordon Walker is next
to Coach Hutton in the
back row, far right.
Spring 2007
11
Relevant, real, & reaffirming
Undergraduate research, thanks to
the Carol Young Anderson Endowed Fund
Peter Elwell ’03 recently returned from Botswana. He spent
two and half years there as a Peace Corps volunteer helping the
government coordinate its HIV/AIDS education, prevention,
and treatment programs. Roughly one-third of Botswana’s
population is living with HIV/AIDS, Elwell said. While his experience as an international volunteer was
life-changing, Elwell credits his years at Hamline for his
readiness to take on the task.
“My time at Hamline really got me to Botswana,” he said.
“When I came to Hamline, I didn’t go for the most marketable
of degrees. I decided to study something that my heart was
really in.” Elwell graduated with majors in social justice and
religion. “My sole purpose in getting a liberal arts education was
to gain a better understanding of the world at large and to learn
how to be a better citizen of the world,” he said.
Elwell fulfilled his quest. A term paper he wrote in a
sophomore social justice class inspired his senior honors project.
“Just talking about social justice issues really overwhelmed
me and I started to wonder how I would be able to maintain
involvement in the issues over a long period of time,” he
said. “Reading and talking about a problem actually becomes
disempowering at a point. You spend all this time learning
about the issue but never doing anything about it,” he said.
With guidance from professors Earl Schwartz and Deanna
Johnson, Elwell created an oral history project. He interviewed
twelve longtime community activists about their work, their
inspiration, their downfalls, and their triumphs. He identified
shared themes from each interview and discovered some
“My time at Hamline really got me to Botswana”
—Peter Elwell ‘03
key thought patterns activists use to help them sustain their
enthusiasm for work in the social justice realm.
As his project progressed, Elwell applied for funding from
Hamline’s collaborative research program. The program awards
undergraduate students with stipends to help them pursue their
individual research interests. Some students use the money to
offset living expenses while they immerse themselves in their
project; others use the funds to travel to national undergraduate
conferences and present their work. Students participating in the
program pair with a faculty advisor and attend weekly meetings
where all recipients discuss their progress.
The collaborative research program pulls income from many
sources. Since 1989, one of the program’s most reliable funding
pools has been the Carol Young Anderson Endowed Fund for
the Social Sciences. Each year, this fund alone provides grant
monies to between four and six students.
Carol Young Anderson graduated from Hamline in 1946 and
served eight years on Hamline’s Board of Trustees. When she
and her husband, Dennis, who shares Carol’s commitment to
higher eductation, started to think about settling their estate,
including Hamline seemed like a logical choice. “Both my
husband and I believe very strongly in getting an education and
the importance of education,” she said.
“I really believe that students need to get out and away
from campus,” Anderson said. She remembers an opportunity
she had as an undergraduate social work student to serve as
a case manager for two young boys. “Actually going out and
having a small case load did as much for me as anything else at
Hamline,” she said. “I only worked with two boys, but I got the
feeling that I was their social worker.”
“Encouraging undergraduate research and scholarship is an
integral part of Hamline’s mission, and we’re very grateful to
have funds like this to help make it possible,” said Fernando
Delgado, dean of the College of Liberal Arts.
Peter Elwell won funding from the Carol Young Anderson
Fund to travel to two conferences during his senior year and
present his oral history project. Monika Piotrowska was also
awarded travel money from the fund. A philosophy major who
graduated in 2003, Piotrowska attended an undergraduate
conference in Portland, Oregon, and spoke about her
research—an honors project that investigated whether or not
antidepressants relieve mild mental health issues or add to them.
“Presenting at the conference was a really good experience,”
Piotrowska said. “I learned to present my ideas in a precise
manner and to think quickly on my feet. For example, if
someone asked a question and I didn’t know the answer, I had
to satisfy the question without distracting from the merits of
my work.”
Now a graduate philosophy student at the University of Utah,
Piotrowska is studying bioethics. She keeps in touch with David
Owen, her faculty advisor, and is grateful for the opportunity
to conduct research and attend a conference that Hamline
provided.
“Now that I’m in graduate school,” she said, “I realize what
a huge difference it’s made for me to have had this experience.
Most students I meet here have never presented to an audience.
They’ve never done extensive research projects or had to defend
their work in front of others. For me, the whole experience
really solidified my interests and reaffirmed what I’m capable
of doing.”
Kelly Westhoff MALS ’01 is a freelance writer for Hamline.
Dennis and Carol
Young Anderson
12
Hamline Magazine
Spring 2007
13
Faith
:
creating a foundation
We worship together at Commencement. We cite John Wesley’s charge to
“Do all the good you can.” We begin every event with an invocation.
But we never talk about faith.
If faith is, as Professor Mark Berkson wrote in one of the following essays,
“the foundation of relationships among humans,” then it is meant to
be explored, studied, and most of all, shared.
So we asked six professors to share their thoughts on faith. They wrote
about their own experiences, as children and parents, as neighbors, as
teachers. They discussed how they see the understanding of faith changing
in America. They wrote about their relationships and their communities,
and the role faith plays in their lives.
Please join in our discussion of faith.
16 Faith in a Pinch 17 Faith, Hope, and …Economics 18 Beyond What You Imagine: My World of Islam
20 Crossing the Divide: Toward a Spirit of Generosity
21 Faith beyond belief
22 Methodism: Merely heritage, or an important part of Hamline’s future?
14
Hamline Magazine
Spring 2007
15
Faith in a Pinch
shows no such restraint, and rises to his
defense. You may be prophets, God tells
Miriam and Aaron, but not a prophet like
Moses. “In all My house,” God says, “he
is the faithful one.”
Until recently I had taken the “faithful”
in this passage to refer to Moses’s faithful
service to God. “Your grumbling,” I
By Earl schwartz
My parents weren’t
all that familiar
with the role of
the Crucifixion in
Christian doctrine,
but they had
an inkling of its
implications in at least one respect: Both
believed that recognition of another’s
suffering is the one revelation that can
make a difference in a person’s life.
My father’s reasoning on the subject
was, like most everything about him,
understated and direct. He would simply
insist that it all came down to the biblical
admonition that Israelites never forget
“
petty thieves, bank robbers—a mighty
this faithfulness to objects—provided they
mix-multitude that came their way.
were secondhand. She loved the challenge
Sometimes this faithfulness seemed to
of buying used goods, but unlike more
go beyond all rational bounds. On one
prudent collectors, she followed her own
occasion a pair of painters, left alone in
inscrutable tastes. Among other things,
my parents’ house, made off with a large
she was unable to leave behind any item
jar of change (accumulated each year
that she associated with being Jewish,
to divide up among the children and
no matter how superficial or odd the
grandchildren at Hanukah) and some
association. A Star of David on a plate or
jewelry. At first, the painters denied
a Hebrew word on an ashtray was enough.
that they had committed the theft. My
When asked to explain why she would
parents, all advice to the contrary, allowed buy such things—things that were often,
them to complete the work, even as the
by any conventional aesthetic standard,
men became increasingly unguarded
eminently worthy of abandonment—she
in their comments. When the job was
would explain that she couldn’t bring
done the painters were paid and went
herself to leave them with strangers. These
their way. One
homely plates and ashtrays were stray
night, not long
sheep, in need of a safe home where they
after, a panicked
would be understood and appreciated for
young woman, the
what they were.
girlfriend of one
My brother, sister, and I grew up in this
of the painters,
world of parabolic faithfulness; faithful,
appeared at my
and yet largely untarnished by a clinging
parents’ door, stammered an apology,
need for reciprocity. You could see this in
unloaded the stolen items, and hurried
the way our mother cared for our father.
off. I can only imagine how many other
As his health declined, she was unfailingly
JeanValjeans they confounded.
by his side, but when he died, she quickly
It wasn’t that they were pious, much
surveyed her horizons and moved on.
less saintly. Consider, after all, the
She seemed to me completely free of
company they kept. I wasn’t kidding
the corrosion that comes from the selfabout the bank robber. I think he and
reproach of “could have beens” that never
his wife split up around the time he was
were. She knew how to hold on, and
sentenced, but
my parents
stuck with him
These homely plates and ashtrays were
through two
stray sheep, in need of a safe home
federal prisons,
where they would be understood and appreciated and my father
was one of
for what they were.
his sponsors
when he was
released. My parents, to be sure, never
having held fast, she knew how to go on.
robbed banks. They had their limits.
This was the household in which I
They were honest, hardworking, practical
was raised.
people, but it seems to me that it came
According to the Book of Numbers,
to this: When you pinch a bank robber
God has a household of sorts as well. It
it hurts him, too. “Never with just his
comes up in connection with Miriam
solitary cross,” the great Swedish writer
and Aaron’s complaint that their brother
Par Lagerkvist reminds us, “...always with
Moses was unworthy of the preeminence
those of the two criminals. Always with
he enjoyed (Numbers 12:1ff). Moses,
the three crosses together.”
we are told, held his peace, refusing to
My mother, in a way, even extended
strike back at his embittered kin, but God
16
Hamline Magazine
”
Earl Schwartz is a professor of religion and chair
of the social justice program. He and his wife,
Nina Samuels, have a son, Rafi, and a daughter,
Miriam.
By Jenny Keil
”
“
faithful one”—faithful to me, as he is
to you.”
I learned to think of faith that way in
our house, too.
Faith, Hope, and ... Economics
When you pinch a bank robber
it hurts him, too.
the bitterness of their own enslavement.
Anyone who remained conscious of
having been treated cruelly would
certainly recoil from embittering the lives
of others. He saw this consciousness as
the beating heart of biblical faith.
My mother, on the other hand, would
cite the story of an unpleasant old woman
who shared an apartment building
with her and my father when they were
first married. The woman proved an
irresistible target for harassment by young
children. On one occasion, when pushed
to the limit, the woman remarked to my
mother, “You know, when you pinch me,
it hurts me, too.” My father’s revelation
came from the Book of Exodus, my
mother’s from this woman, but both
learned the same lesson.
Over the years, my parents were
commonly seen as embodying many
virtues, but first among them was their
extraordinary faithfulness, which they
would attribute to this shared revelation.
This was their faith, articulated through
faithfulness to the “pinched”—beginning
with each other, but extending to their
children, their brothers and sisters, nieces
and nephews, friends, hitchhikers, fences,
understood God to be saying, “shows a
lack of faith in Me.” However, I recently
noticed something new. God’s reproof
is provoked by Miriam and Aaron’s
infidelity towards their brother—a
faithlessness Moses refuses to return
in kind. It is in this context that God
responds, “In all of my house, he is the
1 Peter 3:15 “… Always be prepared to give
an answer to everyone who asks you to give
the reason for the hope that you have…”
Let’s be honest. Much of the news
today is not good. Maybe it’s the cold,
gray, winter weather; maybe it’s the
never-ending reports of more lives lost
in Iraq. For many of us, it might be
something much more personal: a young
mother fights breast cancer, a student
mourns the loss of a parent, the painful
anniversary of a child’s death passes by.
There are plenty of reasons, it seems,
to despair. And yet, when asked to reflect
on the role of faith in my life and how
it impacts my work at Hamline, I gladly
agreed. I can’t write from a place of
scholarly expertise—I teach economics,
not religion. I am simply a Christian who
takes the lessons of my faith seriously. I
write today because every time I think
about my faith, I am filled with… hope.
And more than anything, during this
season of my life, hope is what I long for.
My faith journey is not terribly
remarkable, nor unique. I was raised
in a relatively small Methodist church
in Michigan. I would characterize
my Christian upbringing as solid and
dependable, and perhaps just a little too
comfortable. My early understanding of
faith might more accurately be described
as “habit or ritual.”
Today, my family and I are members
of a very large, suburban Lutheran church
that is very different from my childhood
church. This church is alive! No habit
or ritual here, no resting comfortably in
the pew (there are no pews!); having faith
now means taking action, and believing
we can make a difference in the world.
So we try. We feed the hungry. We
clothe the naked. We share because it is
the right thing to do. We sing crazy songs
(no hymnals!) and we talk often about
how to carry our faith with us into our
Monday through Saturday lives. This
means if I am serious about my faith, I
can’t keep it a secret.
Until this article, my experience
sharing my faith at Hamline has been
limited to private conversations and two
public talks. I spoke at Hamline chapel
in 2003 and I visited with students at
an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
meeting in 2005. But Faith, Hope and
Economics?
Is it possible
that my faith
impacts my
teaching?
I had the
privilege of
teaching a first-year seminar this past
fall to a very bright group of students,
Hamline’s Presidential Scholars. We
studied what might be considered a very
un-liberal arts topic: money. We took
an interdisciplinary approach to several
complex questions: What do the world’s
major religions tell us about money? How
much money is enough money? Should
we be alarmed about the rate of poverty
in the United States? What we discovered
as a common thread among major
religions is the call to care for those who
“
are less fortunate.
It seems that with
respect to helping
others, Christians,
Jews, Muslims, and
Buddhists are more
alike than they are
different.
We also looked
for role models in the business world
and found many positive examples of
individuals with extreme wealth and a
heart to share that wealth with those
who are less fortunate. Our initial
explorations indicated that great wealth
and the Christian values of generosity and
caring were not necessarily an either/or
proposition.
What do the world’s major religions tell us about money?
”
All economics courses begin by
distinguishing between positive
statements (describing the world as it is)
and normative statements (describing the
world as it should be). While the facts
are interesting and the tools of economics
are powerful, the fun in economics
happens when normative questions are
asked. Of course, talking about how the
world should be is impossible without an
underlying set of beliefs.
continued on page 18
Spring 2007
17
This is where my faith comes in. I
believe that as a Christian I am called
to be kind and to help those in need.
Teaching about the power of the free
market is only half the story. Teaching
in a liberal arts setting, and remaining
true to my Christian beliefs, compels me
to ask normative questions about how
great wealth should be shared. Often, the
answers do not come quickly or easily,
but at least the questions get asked. In
fact, pondering difficult questions is what
makes economics so interesting
and relevant.
And it is listening to my students’
answers that brings me back to hope.
Hamline students often speak passionately
about the need for change and their
willingness to work hard to achieve it.
My hope for them is that they will use
the tools from their education to make
a difference in the world. Find a way
to work a job that you love, to support
yourself and your family in a comfortable
way, and then be generous. Feed the
hungry. Clothe the naked. Be optimistic
about the future of our nation, and
always be ready to give an answer for the
hope that you feel.
Jenny Keil is a professor in the management and
economics department, teaching courses in micro
and macro economics and public finance.
Beyond What You Imagine:
My World of Islam
by Fahima Aziz
I have been asked
to write about
Islam. I hesitated
and had to think
about this task—a
simple task that
seems painfully difficult and complex
after 9/11. September 11th changed
many people’s attitudes and evoked
many misconceptions about Islam.
Soon after 9/11, a number of churches
and universities invited me to speak, to
“explain” Islam to America—the subtext
of these explanations often being a desire
to disperse these misconceptions.
Today, I will present fundamental
humane principles of Islam which, not
surprisingly, are common to most major
religions of the world and talk about my
experience of Islam as I know it now
and as I have lived it as a young girl in
Bangladesh.
My first memories of Islam have to
do with the religious festivals which
I celebrated with my family, which
consisted of my parents and my twelve
brothers and sisters in Bangladesh. These
festivities were interspersed with exciting
and captivating stories about Prophet
Mohammad and the early days of Islam.
My first conception of God or Allah was
18
Hamline Magazine
a kind of force, a luminous and powerful
life-giving energy. This light-energy
completely lacked corporeal substance,
and thus was neither male nor female,
and, of course, it did not belong to any
race. The Holy Book Qur’an says, “God
is beyond what you imagine.”
Thus I am deeply grateful that my
first ideas of God were formed by
Islam, because I was enabled to think
of the Highest Power as one completely
without sex or race, and thus completely
unpatriarchal. This is a powerful
concept in the hands and hearts of those
Third World women who are, like me,
both Muslim (followers of Islam) and
feminists. We begin with an ideal of a
deity who is completely above sexual
identity, and thus completely above the
value system created by patriarchy.
Whereas my childhood knowledge of
Islam came from cultural festivals and
stories, nowadays I turn to the Qur’an
(the Arabic word meaning the recital) for
a deeper understanding of the reliable
and flawless verbatim words of God, a
record preserved in Heaven, revealed to
Prophet Mohammed by Angel Gabriel
in 610 A.D. Muslims believe Prophet
Mohammad was the true messenger of
God sent to bring people back to the
religion Islam, first preached by Prophet
Abraham (the founder of Islam).
I remember being taught the Five
Pillars of Islam by my parents, which
are unfaltering faith in Allah (Shahada),
prayers (Salat), charity (Zakat), fasting
during the month of Ramadan and
pilgrimage (Hajj) to the Sacred House
in Mecca. I also remember the resolute
teaching of the oneness of God and about
God’s mercy and compassion.
The first pillar of Islam comes naturally
and easily to me. I believe in God and
live a life of a Muslim, not for the fear
of Hell, not for the desire for Heaven
but solely for God’s eternal beauty. My
upbringing helped me to view God as a
loving and compassionate creator. This
to me is the essence of Islamic spirituality
and Islamic humanism.
I was taught that a Muslim should
pray five times a day—a special way of
reciting verses from the Qur’an. I was also
taught if one couldn’t do it five times,
try three, and if that’s not possible, then
at least once a day. If one’s schedule of
the day does not permit one to pray,
then remembering Allah once, as a good
Muslim, is enough. This resilient element
of Islam was evident in our lifestyle:
My parents prayed five times a day,
but we children were somewhat relaxed
about this religious duty, and did not
feel compelled to pray five times a day
because of our busy schedule as school
and college students, nor did our parents
pressure us to do. To some degree, this
helped me to embrace Islam readily.
It also helped me to understand and
appreciate the Qur’anic statement, “There
is to be no compulsion in religion.”1
During the month of Ramadan,
Muslims of Bangladesh fasted; this meant
no consumption of food or water from
sunrise to sunset. I remember being
concerned about the hardship fasting
would inflict upon the very poor and
infirm people in the heat of Bangladesh’s
summer—where temperatures of about
100 degrees Fahrenheit or more are
common. I was quickly relieved to learn
that fasting is only recommended for
able and healthy adults. Children, and
the very old and sick are exempted from
it. I remember my parents and older
siblings fasting, and as a child I was not
allowed to do so, but I recall the joy and
solemnity associated with the festivities
and delicacies at the end of the day when
the adults ended their fast. I couldn’t
wait for those days when I could actually
fast. These days, during the month of
Ramadan, I make my own deal with
Allah, especially on those days when I
have to teach three classes in a day and
badly need my cup of tea! After all,
imparting education is my sacred charge.
God is forgiving.
A Muslim is supposed to undertake the
Pilgrimage to Mecca when one is older
and has accumulated enough wealth. I am
still waiting for that to happen in my life.
What stirs me the most about the Five
Pillars of Islam is the concept of charity
or Zakat.
When I was growing up, I recall my
older brothers and sisters helping my
parents with the simple calculations of
the obligatory charity set at 2.5 percent
of the family’s net income. In addition
to that set amount, my mother would
include rice and lentils, the staple food
in Bangladesh, and garments to clothe
the needy. I distinctly remember I felt so
proud the day I was old enough to help
with the calculations and readily handed
out alms to the destitute and beggars in
one of the world’s poorest countries. I am
deeply grateful that my religion instilled
this important value of social justice as a
guiding principle.
Social and economic justice is a
constant and oft repeated theme in the
Qur’an. I enjoy reading these specific
verses that relate to social justice: “Do you
see the one who rejects religion? That is
the one who rebuffs the orphan and does
not encourage feeding the poor”2 (107
Assistance). “And what will convey to you
what the steep road is? Emancipation of
a slave, or feeding on a day of hunger an
orphaned relative or a destitute pauper.
Then one will be of those who believe
and practice patience and kindness”2 (99
The City). Growing up in Bangladesh,
I strongly felt the humane messages
reflected in the above verses of the Qu’ran
were, to some degree, a source of solace
for all people, even the poverty-stricken
ones, despite the tribulations of this
struggling third world country.
It is Islam that first helped me to
understand myself, not just as a social
being, but as a feminist. I chose to
continue to create for myself an Islam
that is completely
free from patriarchy.
I believe that this
non-patriarchal Islam
is the original and
true form of Islam.
And there is more:
Prophet Mohammad
spoke about women’s rights almost
obsessively, both in the Qur’an and in
the various commentaries. The prophet
struggled valiantly against the patriarchal
revolution that was in progress before
his time. His great reforms included
the right of a woman to divorce a man
by repudiation; a law making it a crime
to accuse a woman of adultery without
four witnesses to the act; including
women in the decision-making process
of the community; appointing a woman
as a religious authority second only to
himself; abolition of female infanticide
and limitation of polygamy2 (4 Women).
The Quran also specifically declares
the right of women to be paid for work
and the right to inherit2 (4 Women).
These reforms were swept away by
conservative men who followed him and
who reestablished full patriarchy. It is
the specific role of the Islamic feminist
“
to challenge the Islamic fundamentalists
by pointing out that all the misogynist
interpretations and practices were accretions added later, after Mohammad’s time.
I consider myself incredibly lucky to
have inherited a form of Islam that was
nurturing and liberating. The Islam of
my parents was humane, and in the
best sense liberal: both had been deeply
influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and
the poetic humanism of Rabindranath
Tagore, neither of them a Muslim. Both
of my parents emphasized tolerance and
respect for all races and religions; and
both stressed the absolute primacy of the
individual conscience in religious affairs.
As a young girl, I was assigned several
imams (teachers of Arabic) who not only
taught but attempted to interpret the
Qur’an. One of these was a woman with
whom my sisters and I argued incessantly
about the proper place of women in
Islam. Why should women wear any
special garb that men were not required
to wear? My pious imam would only
smile. And, of course, we were right.
The Qur’an does not require any special
It is Islam that first helped
me to understand myself, not just as
a social being, but as a feminist.
”
garb for women, requesting only that
they dress with modesty—veils and other
costumes were class devices originally
borrowed from other cultures, and
institutionalized by patriarchy long after
the time of Mohammad. In retrospect,
it seems that my imam’s indulgent
smiles were a kind of signal to continue
our enquiry, which we did. My sisters
and I, all in different professions, are
all advocates for peace and equality in
Bangladesh, America, and the world
at large.
References: 1.Thomas Cleary, The Essential Qur’an,
Harper San Francisco, 1993. 2. Thomas Cleary, The
Qur’an: A New Translation, Starlach Press, 2004.
Fahima Aziz is the Howard and Darrel Alkire
Chair in International Business and Economics.
She is a professor in the management and
economics department and chair of the
environmental studies department.
Spring 2007
19
Crossing the Divide:
Toward a Spirit of Generosity
by Deanna Thompson
“There is enough!”
The speaker urged,
“Say it with me!
‘There IS enough!’”
My daughters and
I joined the chorus
of voices, “There is
enough!” “There is enough!” The speaker
concluded, “That’s the message of the
story of Jesus and the loaves and fishes, a
message that we need to heed today!”
Given that my daughters and I are
Christians, it would seem likely that we
heard these words from the pulpit one
Sunday morning. In actuality these words
were part of a rousing speech given by
newly elected Minnesota Congressman
Keith Ellison. Ellison, first Muslim
elected to the U.S. Congress, who
delivered the keynote speech at the 2007
Statewide Celebration of Martin Luther
Dr. King, Jr. in Saint Paul. The speech
not only succeeded in honoring the
likely struck many as surprising. For those
whose knowledge of Islam goes beyond
the headlines, however, it’s clear that
for Muslims, Jesus stands as a revered
prophet of God. Thus there was an
appropriateness to Ellison’s invocation
of Jesus, especially on a day set aside to
honor a Christian activist who built his
philosophy of non-violence, integration,
and equality upon central themes within
his own religious tradition.
But Ellison’s use of the loaves and
fishes story struck several other relevant
chords as well. Ellison painted a picture
of the thousands of tired and hungry
folk who had come to listen to Jesus that
day. He noted the disciples’ skepticism
that the small basket of food would
make any difference at all. Here Ellison
highlighted Jesus’s reaction, observing
that he could have heeded the skeptics
surrounding him. Jesus could have gone
along with those who claimed, “It’s just
not possible to feed these
people.” At this point
There is enough in our society,
Ellison brought this story
but fundamental inequalities exist into the contemporary
scene, observing that
that prevent the “enough” from
this is what many in our
making its way to all.
country were saying last
fall, “It’s just not possible
great American prophet (and Christian
that Minnesotans will send an African
minister) the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
American Muslim to Congress!” But
King, Jr., but it also served as a clarion
Jesus refused to listen to the nay-sayers,
call for unity across the religious, political, and instructed the disciples to hand out
and economic divides that separate us.
the food. To their amazement, there
Building on some oft-neglected messages
was enough! The impossible was made
of Dr. King, as well as on Muslim,
possible. And Ellison clearly took joy
Jewish, and Christian scriptures, Ellison
in the impossible possibility of being a
presented a startling model for unity
Muslim representing Minnesota in the
in the midst of a society all too often
U.S. House of Representatives.
preoccupied with division.
To bring this message of “There is
In our post-9/11 world, we often see
enough!” even closer to home for his
international battles cast in religious
audience, Ellison invoked some important
terms, such as the war against terrorism
words from Dr. King. Ellison relied on
framed as a battle between Christian and
aspects of King’s thought largely ignored
Islamic civilizations. Given that reality,
today. To be sure, our young people,
the fact that the heart of Ellison’s speech
having grown up with the national
was a story about Jesus and his generosity
holiday, know about King’s 1963 “I
“
20
Hamline Magazine
”
Have a Dream” speech. Some have also
been given the powerful “Letter from
the Birmingham Jail” to read as well.
But many fewer know the speeches he
gave during 1967–8, the last year of his
life. These speeches focused primarily on
two issues: the war in Vietnam and the
economic disparities embedded in our
country.
Attention to racial inequalities
remained close to King’s heart, but
the more he immersed himself in the
problem of racism in America, the more
he uncovered its interconnectedness to
things like access to living-wage jobs,
and to how racial disparities too often
mirrored economic disparities. When
King was assassinated, he was in Memphis
to march with striking garbage workers.
To overcome poverty had become his
primary work. It’s clear Ellison has read
these words of King’s, and this is where
King and Jesus’s insistence that “There is
enough!” come together.
“Let us be dissatisfied,” King recounted
shortly before his death, “until America
will no longer have a high blood pressure
of creeds and an anemia of deeds. Let
us be dissatisfied until the tragic walls
that separate the outer city of wealth and
comfort and the inner city of poverty
and despair shall be crushed by the
battering rams of the forces of justice.”
King referred to this stance as one of
“divine dissatisfaction,” for according
to his reading of the Christian message,
following Jesus meant walking the path of
justice and equality, not just for yourself
but for all God’s children. And this is
where Ellison’s recurring theme of “There
is enough” seemed to originate.
There is enough in our society, but
fundamental inequalities exist that
prevent the “enough” from making its
way to all. Ellison called all of us to be
dissatisfied with the way things currently
are, and for the creation of a “new politics
of generosity” to emerge in our country,
a politics built on the principles of Dr.
King, and embedded in the very fabric
of the Abrahamic religious traditions.
This stance of generosity prods those of
us who stand in these religious traditions
to support policies like increasing
the minimum wage, but Ellison also
challenged religious folks to cross those
lines of religious divide. He challenged
the Muslim community first to ask
themselves why women are not yet leaders
of a mosque, and to reach out to a Jewish
synagogue and start an interfaith group.
He then challenged Christians to do
the same.
I have attended at least ten such
celebrations honoring the Reverend
King, and this is the first keynote speech
I’ve heard directly connecting King’s
principles of justice and equality with
the fundamentals of his faith. The inner
logic of King’s Christian convictions was
articulated so eloquently not by a fellow
Christian, but by a practitioner of Islam.
That the speech resonated deeply with
religious and civic values held dear in
our family was not lost on my daughters,
either. As we were leaving the auditorium,
my ten-year-old remarked, “That was the
Faith beyond belief
In many of the courses I have taught,
students talk about their own religious
commitments, beliefs, and practices. Over
the last ten years or so I have noticed an
interesting trend in students’ religious
affiliations. More and more students have
described themselves as “spiritual but
not religious,” and more students have
said that they belong to traditions other
than the one into which they were born.
Increasingly, these are traditions outside
the Abrahamic monotheistic traditions,
from Zen Buddhism to Bahai to Wicca.
Surveys over the last few years suggest
that these are nationwide trends. One
of the fastest-growing groups is the
“nones,” people who indicate no specific
religious affiliation on surveys. Americans
who are religiously unaffiliated nearly
doubled during the 1990s (from 8 to
14 percent of the population). While
some are agnostics and atheists, most
describe themselves as spiritual and
indicate a belief in some form of higher
power. Some create syncretic forms of
spiritual practice, drawing on symbols
and practices from multiple traditions. In
addition, greater numbers of Americans
describe themselves as having “multifaith
identities,” either through having
parents of different religions or through
embracing a new tradition (often some
form of Buddhism) while maintaining
best speech I’ve ever heard.” My sevenyear-old added, “I think Keith Ellison
has a special relationship to Dr. King!”
I stepped out into the snowy sky feeling
that we had not only honored Dr. King,
but that we also were shown a glimpse
of how we might begin to cross even the
most difficult divides that separate us
from one another.
Deanna Thompson is chair of the religion
department and is the author of Crossing the
Divide: Luther, Feminism, and the Cross.
By Mark Berkson
a commitment to their “birth tradition”
skepticism, science)
(usually Judaism or Christianity).
have been joined by
These trends have led to an increase
new voices, including
in the number of Americans who are
feminist and GLBT
pluralists, meaning that they believe
scholarship, which
that more than one religious tradition
offer alternative
is (or can be) true and they reject the
approaches to the
notion that the only vehicle to truth and
understanding of text
salvation is through a single religious
and authority.
tradition.
When faced with such challenges,
At the same time, there is what might
religious communities often take one of
be called a “counter-trend”: the notable
two approaches: to resist these changes or
growth of fundamentalist Christian
to embrace them. In times of profound
denominations.
Fundamentalists
One of the fastest-growing groups is
generally reject
pluralism; they are
the “nones,” people who indicate
exclusivists, believing
no specific religious affiliation on surveys.
that their doctrine
is the only way to
truth and salvation, and that others are
change and dislocation, some find
misguided at best, and damned at worst.
security in standing firm on an absolute
It is worth reflecting on why these two
foundation that provides ultimate
opposing forms of religious identities
meaning, guidance, and assurance. Others
and attitudes are both increasing. I
reject the notion that any single tradition,
see both trends as responses to the
authority, or text can possess truth in its
challenges of rapid cultural change
entirety and consequently take on new
and intellectual critique. In our age of
forms of religious identity and practice.
accelerating globalization, individualism,
While both approaches can provide
and multiculturalism, traditional sources
meaning and fulfillment for people, each
of community and meaning have been
is prone to certain kinds of problems,
disrupted. Critiques of religion that
risks, or excesses. For fundamentalists,
originated in the Enlightenment (reason,
absolute certainty, exclusivistic
“
”
Spring 2007
21
triumphalism, textual literalism,
patriarchy, homophobia, and the rejection
of certain forms of scientific inquiry, can
lead to anti-intellectualism and division
between communities.
Among the syncretists, problems arise
Ultimately, students come to see
that one need not reject tradition to
find open-minded, pluralistic ways of
being religious. The key issue is not
whether one is committed to a single
religious tradition, but rather how one
is committed.
This is where we
The key issue is not whether
must consider
one is committed to a single religious tradition, different
conceptions
but rather how one is committed.
of faith.
When I
when the beliefs, practices, and symbols
ask students to define “faith” at the
of other religions are taken out of context
beginning of the semester, they often
and brought together in a superficial
respond, “unquestioning belief without
way. Father Thomas Keating explains the
evidence or proof,” assuming that faith
value of working deeply within a single
is incompatible with reason or doubt.
tradition rather than creating a pastiche:
This is the kind of faith vulnerable to
“When you make a collage of various
the criticism of rationalist skeptics such
traditions, you run the risk of digging too
as Daniel Dennett and Sam Harris.
many wells in a desert…whereas if you
Despite their tendency to generalize and
work one well that has a good reputation,
oversimplify, they pose an important
where water is to be found, it might be
question: Why would we celebrate
more rewarding in the long term.” Critics
unquestioning belief in the religious
of “cafeteria-style” religion argue that
sphere of life when we would not admire
a commitment to a religious tradition
it in other spheres of life? We must
involves a submission of the ego that
continuously test all of our beliefs in the
can be difficult but essential to spiritual
light of reason and conscience. Gandhi
growth, whereas these new approaches
wrote, “I decline to be bound by any
allow one to construct an individualistic
interpretation…if it is repugnant to
form of religion that makes things easy
reason or moral sense.”
on the practitioner. Beyond this, there is
On the other hand, there is a type of
often a lack of community for syncretists,
faith that is quite different from that
which can exacerbate the problem of
which is equated solely with belief. It
individualism.
involves an active commitment to the
“
”
path, texts, exemplars, symbols, and
communities within a tradition. This is a
faith not confined to propositional claims
one carries in one’s head; it is a faith that
is lived through body, mind, and spirit.
This kind of faith is a form of trusting
connection, which is the foundation of
relationships both among humans and
between humans and the divine, however
conceived. This faith dissolves rather than
constructs boundaries.
It has become clear to me that not only
does a strong faith allow room for doubt,
but moreover that faith needs doubt and
constant critical examination to prevent
it from descending into unquestioning
dogmatism. While all religions have their
exclusivistic, divisive tendencies, we can
also see another way of being religious
within every tradition: a way that involves
commitment to open-minded inquiry;
a celebration of reason along with an
intellectual humility; a commitment to
pluralism and the equal treatment of all
human beings regardless of race, gender
or sexual orientation; and an emphasis on
compassion and social justice.
I am encouraged by the fact that it is
this type of faith that is held by many
students at Hamline University. This is
why I think of the classroom as a sacred
space and why I am glad that the word
“religio” remains on Hamline’s seal.
Mark Berkson is a professor of religion and
teaches courses in the religious traditions of East
and South Asia, Islam, and comparative religion. Methodism: Merely heritage, or an
important part of Hamline’s future?
By Rev. Linda Gesling
When a small group
of students meets
at regular times
for activities such
as early morning
prayer, Bible study,
and community
visits, they can become easy targets for
the jokes and labels of those who consider
22
Hamline Magazine
the real calling of the student to be parties
and all-nighters.
The same was true in the 1720s at
Oxford, when the Holy Club of John
and Charles Wesley and others earned
the derisive title of “Methodists” for their
activities, a name that stuck, eventually
defining a movement and then a
denomination.
But what is the place of Methodists at
a university like Hamline today? Are they
even visible at Hamline? Does anyone
care? Such questions bubble up from time
to time—from students, parents, donors,
Catholics, even United Methodists.
Hamline’s rootedness as a churchrelated university was more visible in
the days when chapel was required
for students. There was also concrete
evidence, provided by the Methodist
section of the library stacks, streets named
Asbury and Simpson, and the steady
stream of people traveling back and forth
across Englewood to the church, where
faculty and students attended chapel and
often worshipped on Sunday.
The visual evidence today is arguably
even greater—the statue of Bishop
Hamline that serves as focal point for
the campus, along with a sign bearing a
United Methodist cross and flame that
explains the connection, as well as the
flag’s use at ceremonies. But some might
argue that the signs increase when the
meaning grows less, others that churchrelatedness is more outdated than ever in
such a pluralist society, and still others
that a relationship with any religious
institution is a thing to be feared. Does
continuing Hamline’s relationship with
the United Methodist Church make a
difference to the Hamline University of
today? Of tomorrow?
There are no easy or even single
answers to these questions. Using lenses
refracted by Wesleyan theology and
Methodist history, however, reveals that
Hamline not only has remained United
Methodist, but it also has the potential
to model deeper meanings of its churchrelatedness to enhance its sense of identity
and its distinctiveness.
There are areas where Hamline is more
church related than most people realize.
Knowledge applied to life. Recent
scholarly interest in John Wesley has
focused on his contributions as a practical
theologian. Solidly schooled in the
classics, he continually translated complex
theological concepts into everyday
insights about the nature of holiness that
followers of many education levels could
appreciate. Similarly, one of Hamline’s
strengths is its commitment to offering
students opportunities to move back and
forth between academic endeavor and
practical application. While this appears
to be an educational philosophy, it is
theologically rooted as well.
Inquiry as sacred, knowledge as necessary.
John Wesley was intrigued with the
scientific developments of his day, even
experimenting with electricity and
promoting various medical remedies. He
also embraced developments in textual
criticism that enhanced the study of the
scriptures. The Methodists who founded
this university on what was then a prairie
wanted not just clergy for the churches
they saw coming along, but doctors,
lawyers, and teachers for the increasing
population. To be a United Methodist
university is to be engaged in the
search for truth in the many ways it
can be found.
There are also several aspects of
Hamline’s United Methodist identity
that if enhanced, could
strengthen Hamline’s
ability to achieve its
mission of developing
students’ knowledge,
values, and skills for
successful lives of
leadership, scholarship, and service.
Education of the whole person. United
Methodists are concerned about the
physical, mental, and emotional aspects
as well as the spiritual well-being of all
persons. While the Hamline Plan and
other initiatives aim to develop the whole
student, further ownership of who we
are as a Methodist university could give
permission to conceive of this in new
ways. Just as some schools require a
physical education class to educate the
whole person, Hamline could increase
opportunities for spiritual and emotional
development in its education process as
part of a theologically rooted statement
about health.
Citizens of the world. Within the United
Methodist heritage is a commitment to
social justice, an activism for righting the
wrongs of the world in the here and now.
Actively claiming this identity would be
“
an affirmation for focus and direction
in the years to come. Church-related
universities have the particular potential to
become an energetic force in a religiously
pluralist society, and can lead toward
greater openness and understanding in
a way that many public institutions and
church-exclusive (as in “only Christians
allowed”) universities cannot.
Fear and misunderstanding mark
some of the dialogue at Hamline when
efforts are made to lay greater claim to
a church-related present rather than
mere heritage. Some fear that it means
excluding those of other faiths or denying
scientific endeavor its right to objectivity.
Others hope that it means day-in-and-out
efforts to encourage more commitment
to Christianity. But Hamline’s history of
inclusivity precludes such a fate, for its
There are areas where
Hamline is more church related
than most people realize.
”
founding charter in 1854 stipulated that
“no religious tenet shall be required of
any person.”
There is the possibility for a third
option—a strong, present, church-related
identity that strengthens everything we
do and enhances our ability to succeed
in the future. Forging this identity will
take an equally strong belief that it
can make a difference and real courage
and patience to confront the fear and
misunderstanding.
The opportunity remains open.
Rev. Linda Gesling is director of church
relations and is the author of Mirror and Beacon:
The History of the Mission of the Methodist
Church 1939-68.
Spring 2007
23
The Vern Mikkelsen Story recounts the life of Hamline basketball legend
The Vern Mikkelsen Story, a biography about Hamline basketball legend Vern Mikkelsen
’49, was published last fall. Compiled by John Egan, former sportswriter for the Sioux Falls
Sentinel, the book tells of Mikkelsen’s serendipitous start to his induction into the NBA
Hall of Fame in 1995.
Alumni Notes
24 Association of hamline alumni news
25 Class Notes
While in high school, Mikkelsen planned to follow his father’s advice to wait a year for
college to raise money for his tuition. But everything changed when Al Holst, a Hamline
University recruiter, ended up in Mikkelsen’s hometown of Askov, Minnesota, with a flat
tire. While the tire was being replaced, Holst followed up on a lead. He had heard of “a
pretty darn good basketball player” in Askov who was to be a senior the following fall.
Holst drove his Buick right into the rutabaga field where Mikkelsen was working. Before
Mikkelsen knew it, he was Hamline-bound.
32 In Memoriam
Connections . . .
The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes the word
“connection” as a noun, coming from the Latin word
conectere, and as the act of connecting or the state of
being connected. Connection also means something that
connects or links, by means of communication. A person
can have a connection with another person either by
marriage, kinship, or common interest.
As any good alumni staff person would do, I invite you
to remain connected with and informed about
Hamline University!
Continue to read the magazine to learn about the
major issues in education today, the teaching and
learning that happens in our classrooms, and about the
thought-provoking programs and lectures that help us
distinctly remember our Hamline experience.
Return to campus to see a theatre production, concert,
or athletic event and remember how activities like
Since that day, the “toweringest” basketball player in Askov has laid claim to quite a few
titles. As a Hamline player, he was named All-Conference three years and All-American
two years. He was a member of the 1949 National Championship team and has been
inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame. He went on to play professional basketball with
the Minneapolis Lakers for ten years. These stories and more are available in this new
book by Nodin Press, available in bookstores and online.
these enriched your education. You’ll enjoy these
activities as much today as you did when you were
a student!
Visit Hamline’s website for updates on the strategic
planning process (www.hamline.edu/strategicplan)
or to learn about upcoming events
(www.hamline.edu/events/calendar).
Log in to the Alumni e-Directory to stay connected
with your classmates and friends and also to network
(http://alumni.hamline.edu).
These are just a few ways to remain connected with
your alma mater and your classmates and friends.
As always, if you have suggestions, questions, or
concerns, please feel free to contact me at 800-767-5585
or aha@hamline.edu.
Betsy Brenden Radtke ’89
Executive Director, Associations of Hamline Alumni
College of Liberal Arts
1958
Alumni Board President:
Rushik Mehta ‘00
See photo, at right.
1949
Richard Scott retired from a long career
teaching art in North Minneapolis schools and
moved to New Mexico with his wife, Anaia
Song. He creates metal sculpture, jewelry, and
knives, and teaches art at a local alternative
school. He and Anaia are involved in sustainable living projects and community garden
programs in the Silver City area.
1952
2007 Printed Alumni Directory
It’s not too late to connect and network with fellow Hamline alumni!
Hamline has contracted with Publishing Concepts Incorporated to produce
the 2007 Hamline University printed alumni directory—the first printed
directory since 2000. The directory includes alumni from the College of
Liberal Arts, Graduate School of Education, Graduate School of Liberal
Studies, Graduate School of Management, and the School of Law.
Thank you to all alumni who have updated their information and ordered
a directory. The directory shipped in March. If you have not received yours
yet, you should shortly.
Haven’t ordered your copy yet? Directories are still available in limited
supply. To order, please call PCI at 800-982-1589.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact Chairesia Chatham at
800-767-5585 or 651-523-2655.
24
Hamline Magazine
Lyle Hanks was elected to the Elk River High
School Sports Hall of Fame. He was a fullback
and guard on the Elks’ undefeated 1947 football team as well as a guard in basketball, a state
pole-vault qualifier in track, and played infield
in baseball.
1956
Kay Petterson Shaw published Nepal Trek:
A Woman Alone, with Xlibris. It is based on
her 1999 travels in Nepal. She also had a
photograph of an American lotus selected as
a reference for a postage stamp set titled
“Wonders of America.”
1957
Sally Gronner Michener will travel to Jingdezhan, a porcelain factory town near Shanghai,
China, during May and June for a six-week
ceramics residency.
1964
Jane Christopherson Jensen-Chapman
married Donald Chapman on October 21,
2005. They live in Morton, Illinois.
1965
Stan Carlson was named director of the St.
Cloud State University Men’s Choir.
Jim Miller. See 1967.
1966
Lynn Ruark “semi-retired” from Western
Seminary in Portland, Oregon. After working
full time as dean of students, he now works
part time as financial aid director.
Mary Dalbotten, Chuck Diesen, Rich
Strohkirch, Tom Strohkirch. See 1967.
1967
Stanley Beck completed twenty-nine years of
service as the Water Quality Chemist with the
City of San Clemente, California. His wife,
Nancy, works as a keyboard and voice instructor. In 2004 they took in a homeless girl, Erika,
who started at Brigham Young University in
January 2007.
Dave Streeter visited Hamline in October,
taking a tour with Jim Miller ’65, Chuck
Diesen ’66, Rich Strohkirch ’66, and
Tom Strohkirch ’66. He also golfed with
1958 Six members of the class of 1958 met
for an annual reunion at a bed and breakfast
in Northfield, Minnesota, in October. Pictured
are (front row) Mary K. Houston Moen, Janet
Wierwill Hudak, Beverly Putz Burmeister, and
(back row) Dianne Larson Gravesen, Georgia
Mitchell Thomas, and Marilyn Christian Twite.
Mary Dalbotten ’66. Dave lives in Whitefish,
Montana, and teaches naturalist subjects at a
community college. He also plays in the only
Marimba band in Montana, called the Tropical
Montana Marimba Ensemble.
1968
Bruce Reichow retired after thirty-seven years
with West Publishing/Thomsen Legal and
Regulatory. He also announces the birth of his
second granddaughter, Alora Reichow.
Spring 2007
25
1969
1975
Margaret Keyes Farrell (also MALS ’93)
was featured in an Education Week article as
an example of a team-teaching model that has
been credited with helping raise test scores in
Saint Paul Public Schools. Farrell, who earned
her ESL certification from Hamline’s Graduate
School of Education, works as an English language learning teacher at Como Park Elementary School.
Mike Dalager. See 2001.
Bev Clink Oster Ornelas was elected president
of the 2006–2007 board of directors of the San
Diego Advertising Fund for Emergencies. Bev is
president and founder of Oster and Associates,
an advertising agency in San Diego.
1971
Edward Holland serves as the coordinator of
spiritual care and grief support at Methodist
Hospital Hospice, Park Nicollet Health Services
in Minneapolis, a program he helped create in
1979. He and his wife, Mary, live in Shoreview,
Minnesota.
Luci Radde Botzek began work May 31, 2006
as deputy administrator for Sherburne County,
Minnesota.
1972
hamline university
college of liberal arts
1978
Joel Montbriand received the Ernst & Young
Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 Award in the
health and life sciences category for the Rocky
Mountain region. He will attend the national
award competition in Palm Springs, California,
with his wife, Susan Goodnature ’78. Joel is
president and CEO of Gastroenterology of the
Rockies in Boulder.
1979
David Montross was named chief executive
officer of Equis, a global corporate real estate
services firm based in Chicago. David has more
than twenty-two years in commercial real estate
and has served as Equis’ chief operating officer
for four years.
1980
Chris Freudenreich. See photo.
Shelley Peterson Glodowski published her
second mystery, Murder on a Philosophical Note:
Blood on the Lake Path.
2007
homecoming
& reunion
weekend
Elizabeth Williams Holland continues to
teach seventh grade math in Eden Prairie. She
recently was in Greece studying the journeys of
Paul and appreciating the antiquity of Greek
civilization.
1985
Kevin Haglin has been named Cambridge
Who’s Who Professional of the Year in
Physics Education. Kevin is a professor and
department chairperson of physics and astronomy at St. Cloud State University.
1989
Mike Wynne was named executive director of
Emerge, a part of Pillsbury United Communities focused on connecting low-income residents
in the Twin Cities with employment and housing opportunities.
1990
Karla Keller Torp and her husband, Dave,
welcomed daughter, Maria Nicole, on August
20, 2006. She joins brother, Alex, 3.
Joy Svoboda moved to the Crocus Hill neighborhood of Saint Paul and became an officer
and member of TSP, a regional architectural,
engineering, and construction services firm.
1991
Thomas Jensen was elected shareholder of
Leonard, Street and Deinard in Minneapolis.
He focuses on corporate and securities law, with
an emphasis on providing strategic counsel to
energy companies.
Heidi Soderfelt Omerza won a seat on the
Ely City Council in November and began her
term in January 2007. For the past ten years,
she has been a stay-at-home mom with her four
children, Elliot, 10; Evan, 8; Eric, 5; and Elizabeth, 2.
Mark your calendar!
Friday, October 12
• Golden Anniversary Luncheon
1980 Chris Freudenreich crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2 with his good friend, Jim, and had “the best vacation ever.”
1997 Kristin Bjork and husband, Ezra Hale, welcomed daughter, Harriet Louise on September 22, 2006. Kristin is an archivist with the Harvard University
Planning Office, and the family lives in Arlington, Massachusetts.
2002 Meg Bredehoft Martinez married Luis Martinez on September 9, 2006. The couple lives in Eden Prairie and both work at Goodwill/Easter Seals
Minnesota in Saint Paul. In the wedding party were Joanna Pilegaard ’02 (back row, third from left) and Holly Johnson ’02 (back row, second from right).
1992
Heather Megarry participated in the Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad program
in Morocco and Mali this past summer where
she learned about grass-roots development and
non-governmental organizations. She is working on a teacher’s guide to The Director, a collection of short stories by Moroccan writer Leila
Abouzaid.
Heather Klotzbach Riviere and her husband,
Philippe, welcomed daughter, Liv Maiwenne,
nomination form
in February 2006. She joins sisters Cheyenne,
7, and Savannah, 4. Heather has taken a leave
from her job at Gide Loyrette Nouel law firm
in Paris to be a stay-at-home mom and writes,
“Should you happen to come through the Paris
area, there’s always room for a guest or two at
the table!”
Matthew Traiser (also JD ’95) accepted the
position of assistant general counsel, real estate,
with Global Signal, Inc. in August 2006. Located in Sarasota, Florida, the company owns and
develops wireless communications towers.
1993
Jenni Foss Charrier and her husband, Stephen, welcomed son, Adam, on May 27, 2006.
He joins brothers Austin, 7, and Andrew, 5.
Tiffaney Bakken Clark and her husband,
Brian, welcomed son, Nicholas Garneau, on
October 20, 2006.
1994
Kjersti Monson coordinated a conference
with the Fudan University Center for Urban
CLA Alumni Board and Alumni/Faculty Awards
Saturday, October 13
• Memorial service • All-Campus Picnic • Homecoming Football Game
• Pre-parties for classes ending in a “2” or “7”* • All-College Reunion Dinner
your name
nomination for:
your class year
Sunday, October 14
• Brunch • Hamline United Methodist Church service
Alumni Board Member (We request nominations for a woman from the 1940s, a
woman from the 1960s, and a man from the 1980s.)
your address
Outstanding Achievement Award This award goes to a degreed alumna/us of the
college who has done extraordinary work in his/her career or volunteer activities.
* If you graduated in a year ending in “2” or “7” and are interested in helping to plan your
reunion pre-party, please call the alumni office at 651-523-2015 or email alum@hamline.edu
your home phone
your work phone
More than 1,000 alumni attended last year’s College
of Liberal Arts Homecoming & Reunion Weekend.
To view online scrapbooks of the All-College Reunion
Dinner, pre-parties, football and soccer games, and
other festivities, visit www.hamline.edu/alumni.
Distinguished Service Award This award goes to a degreed alumna/us of
the college who has demonstrated distinguished dedication and service through
volunteer activities at Hamline (e.g. class agent, on boards or committees,
leadership role as a volunteer, efforts on special projects, etc.).
First Decade Award This award is the same as the Outstanding Achievement
Award, except the achievement must take place within the first ten years after
graduation.
Making the World A Better Place Award This award goes to a degreed alumna/
us of the college who has made the connection between learning theory and putting
it into practice and connecting the liberal arts education to his/her profession and
work within the community. This person is ethical and caring and serves society.
Outstanding Faculty Award This award goes to a current or former faculty
member of the college who exhibits/exhibited exemplary teaching and/or writing in his/her field, and has been involved in activities that reflect support and interest
in Hamline.
nominee’s name
nominee’s class year
nominee’s address
nominee’s home phone
nominee’s work phone
continued on reverse
26
Hamline Magazine
Spring 2007
27
Studies and the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Solutions in Shanghai, China. The theme
was “Urbanization China” and featured several
international scholars.
1995
Kevin Coan was elected partner in Parsinen
Kaplan Rosberg & Gotlieb P.A. He is a member
of their Employment Law and Litigation teams.
Daniel Koes (also JD ’97) was selected as a
Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Star
for the third consecutive year.
Tom Mattson. See 2001.
1996
Aaron Crandall was elected shareholder at
Leonard, Street and Deinard in Minneapolis.
He practices business law with an emphasis on
security compliance at the firm’s St. Cloud,
Minnesota, office.
adopted Drew, were able to take him home
from the hospital when he was one day old.
Tara Roffler married Mark Borgschatz on July
22, 2006. Tara is an environmental coordinator
at Target Corporation, and Mark is a systems
analyst at United Health Technologies. The
couple lives in Apple Valley.
Ben Zurn and Brittan Bacon Zurn ’98 live
in Roseville, Minnesota, with their two sons,
Alec, 2, and Ashton, 9 months. Ben is a product
development engineer with Cardinal IG and
Brittan is an engineer manager with Honeywell.
Ben writes, “Life is good, so feel free to stop by
for a visit.”
1998
Josh Larson. See 1999.
Brittan Bacon Zurn. See 1997.
1999
Jenny Paulsen Kozlowski and her husband,
Mike, welcomed daughter, Katharine Victoria,
on August 17, 2006.
Courtney Shultz Juvland and her husband,
Joe, welcomed son, Oliver Grey, in December
2005. Oliver joins brother, Max.
1997
Charlie Meyerson and Angela Peterson were
married and live in Saint Paul. In attendance
were Darin Broton ’99, Jon Hunter ’99,
Courtney Shultz Juvland ’99, Josh Larson
’98, and Sarah Weaver ’99. Charlie works as
the human resources director for ACR Homes,
hiring staff to work with people with disabilities.
Kristin Bjork. See photo.
Marti Harris and her husband, Matthew
Facktor, welcomed son, Grant, on June 16,
2006. The family moved to Pennsylvania from
Washington, D.C.
Rian Horsfall Otto and her husband, Andy,
welcomed son, Drew Michael. The Ottos, who
Anastacia Quinn (also JD ’02) and Kristopher
Davis ’99 married on August 19, 2006. The
couple lives in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
Your reasons for nominating this alumna/us and/or faculty person:
2000
Grace Baldridge is pastor of Caldwell
United Methodist Church in Caldwell,
Wisconsin.
Jeremy Karger-Gatzow was named co-coach
of the year for women’s cross-country by the
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. He coaches at University of Minnesota–Morris.
Nathan Schneeberger completed his PhD in
industrial and organizational psychology in
December 2006. He and his wife, Megan
Keskitalo ’00, are assistant coaches for the University of Albany track and field team.
Carrie Andresen-Strawn and Natalie Howard
Lund. See 2001.
2001
Mary Boss Lukkonen and Nick Lukkonen
were married on June 3, 2006. Michele
Chupurdia ’01, Carrie Andresen-Strawn ’00,
and Natalie Howard Lund ’00 were in the
wedding party. Also in attendance were
Megan Dalager ’01, Mike Dalager ’75,
Linnea Dockter ’01, Aimee Erickson ’01,
Tom Mattson ’95, and Teresa Olsen ’01.
2002
Linsey Hamilton completed her doctor of
physical therapy degree at the University of
Minnesota. She works for OrthoRehab Specialists, a private practice outpatient clinic in Edina,
Minnesota.
Background information about nominee:
Brian Hart competed at the World Choir
Olympics in China with “Men in Blaque,” a
men’s chamber chorus. The group won two
silver medals.
Meg Bredehoft Martinez, Holly Johnson,
and Joanna Pilegaard. See photo, page 31.
2003
Aimee Hanson Herbes and her husband,
James, welcomed son, Ansel Douglas, on
August 26, 2006.
Graduate School
of Education
2002
Isis Roper MAED received a $25,000 Milken
Educator Award, one of two given this year
in Minnesota. The award has been called the
“Oscars of Teaching” by Teacher Magazine.
Isis teaches fourth grade at Crossroads in Saint
Paul.
Graduate School
of Liberal Studies
1990
Kathleen Lindsay MALS, MFA ’00. See
2000.
1993
Margaret Keyes Farrell (also BA ’69) was
featured in an Education Week article as an
example of a team-teaching model that has
been credited with helping raise test scores in
Saint Paul Public Schools. Farrell, who earned
her ESL certification from Hamline’s Graduate
School of Education, works as an English language learning teacher at Como Park Elementary School.
1994
Kirsten Dierking MALS will publish Northern
Oracle with Spout Press. She also had a poem
appear in the anthology To Sing along the Way:
Minnesota Women Poets from Pre-territorial Days
to the Present, published by New Rivers Press.
1996
By recognizing the outstanding contributions of alumni and faculty, these awards inspire the Hamline community and celebrate the success of Hamline and its alumni and faculty members.
Nominations for all awards are due on May 1, 2007. Nominations will be reviewed by the Nominations Committee of the CLA Alumni Board of Directors and approved by full board. All nominations will remain confidential. Final candidates will be selected in May 2007 and presented at the All-College Reunion on Saturday, October 13.
Please send nominations to: Hamline University, CLA Alumni Relations MS-C1920, 1536 Hewitt Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55104 or fax nominations to 651-523-3048.
If you have questions, please contact Betsy Radtke at 651-523-2201 or 800-767-5585. Nominations can also be submitted at www.hamline.edu/alumni/cla/alumnom.
28
Hamline Magazine
2000
Libby Irwin MFA published poems in California Quarterly, Poetry Motel, and Poetic Lives.
She teaches creative writing through the Washington County Adult Education program.
Kathleen Lindsay MFA, MALS ’90 published
Somewhere Between Wind and Water with IGI
Publishing.
2002
Judy Bartolett MALS had a short memoir,
“When We Began,” published in the anthology
Friends: Stories of Friendship, by A Measure of
Words Press. The story is a memoir of Bartolett’s college years.
Sheila Lynch-Salamon MFA was selected as
a finalist in the Loft Literary Center’s Mentor
Series in the poetry category.
2003
Merodie Clark MFA was selected as a finalist
in the Loft Literary Center’s Mentor Series in
the fiction category.
2004
Sherry Anderson MFA won first place in the
Florence Poets Society Annual Contest for her
poem, “Yes is vibrant red.”
Stephani Booker MFA has an excerpted
version of her spoken-word piece, “A Woman
of Wealth,” in 60 Seconds to Shine: 221 OneMinute Monologues for Women, published by
Smith and Kraus. She was also selected as a
finalist in the Loft Literary Center’s Mentor
Series in the fiction category.
Susan Koefod MFA published poems in
Talking Stick 15 and in Miracles of Motherhood:
Prayers and Poems for a New Mother, published
by Center Street.
2005
Nena Haus Johansen MFA was selected for
the Loft Literary Center’s Mentor Series in the
poetry category. She was selected through
anonymous competition to work intensively
with a nationally acclaimed writer of poetry.
Sherrie Maze MFA received an honorable
mention in the Loft Literary Center’s Mentor
Series for the creative nonfiction category.
Dianne Gray MALS published Tomorrow, the
River, with Houghton Mifflin. The story tells of
a fourteen-year-old girl traveling the Mississippi
River on a riverboat in 1896.
Brenda van Dyck MFA published her essay,
“Losing My Father,” in the anthology Voices of
Alzheimer’s, published by the Healing Project.
1998
2006
Nicole Kelby MFA announced that her novel,
Whale Season, has been optioned for a movie
starring Dwight Yoakum.
Jane Bedell MFA, along with co-writer Terry
Gunnell, published Hildur, Queen of the Elves
with Interlink Publishing.
Jane Eastwood MFA left her job at the
Science Museum of Minnesota after fifteen
happy and growth-filled years. She is now the
director of external relations and partnerships
with the Minneapolis Public Library system.
John Medeiros MFA was selected as part of
the SASE Mentorship Series to work with writer Joel Turnipseed. His essay, “Thoughts of the
Lyric Artist: Updates in HIV Therapy” received
honorable mention and will be published in
The Talking Stick.
Michele Heather Pollock MFA was selected
for the Loft Literary Center’s Mentor Series in
the poetry category. She was selected through
anonymous competition to work intensively
with a nationally acclaimed writer of poetry.
Maya Washington MFA was published in the
fifteenth volume of The Talking Stick, a collection of prose and poetry by Minnesota writers.
Scott Wisgerhof MFA was selected as a finalist in the Loft Literary Center’s Mentor Series
in the poetry category.
School of Law
Alumni Board President:
Don McNeil JD ’89, dmcneil@chvv.com
1978
David L. Ayers recently celebrated twentyeight years of marriage to his wife, Barb, and
twenty-five years of practice with Harry Riehm,
in the firm they founded, Ayers & Riehm, P.A.
Ayers was nominated for inclusion in “The Best
Lawyers in America.”
Jeff Brinckman moved to the city of Utrecht
in the Netherlands to participate in an international law master’s program for one year.
Marcus Christianson was recommissioned by
Governor Tim Pawlenty to the Commission
on Judicial Selection as a Fifth Judicial District
attorney member. He was a member of the
committee since 2003. Christianson is an attorney in Mankato at the firm of Maschka, Riedy
and Ries.
William H. Manning was inducted into the
American Board of Trial Advocates.
James D. McCabe, senior vice president for
Wells Fargo Private Client Services in Beverly Hills, California, was honored as one of
the America’s 100 Best Financial Advisors by
Barron’s in September. A twenty-eight-year
financial services industry veteran, McCabe has
served clients at Wells Fargo for eighteen years.
1979
Donald R. Betzold was reelected to a fifth
term in the Minnesota State Senate. He has
Spring 2007
29
also been named chair of the Senate’s State
Government Budget Division.
Jay D. Carlson was appointed by Governor
Tim Pawlenty to fill the Seventh Judicial District Todd County trial court bench. Carlson
was in private practice for the majority of his
career in the Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, and
Fargo, North Dakota, areas.
1980
Glen Schumann was appointed by Governor
Tim Pawlenty to the Commission on Judicial
Selection as a Tenth Judicial District attorney.
Schumann is a shareholder at Moss and
Barnett.
Jerry Yost, Jeff Baill ’80, and Dan Boerigter
’95 added two new associate attorneys to the
firm of Yost & Baill, LLP. The general practice
firm was founded in 1980 and now has a total
of thirteen attorneys practicing in Minnesota
and Wisconsin.
1981
Michael Dougherty was reappointed as a First
Judicial District attorney member by Governor
Tim Pawlenty to the Commission on Judicial
Selection. He was a member of the commission since 2003. Doughterty is an attorney with
Severson, Sheldon, Dougherty and Molenda in
Apple Valley.
Michael S. Ryan wrote an article for the spring
2006 issue of Minnesota Defense. Ryan is the
Minnesota state representative for the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association Defense
Research Institute.
1983
Honorable Gregg E. Johnson was recognized
by the National Alliance of Mental Illness
of Minnesota with a Criminal Justice Award
for starting a mental health court in Ramsey
County.
Thomas Miller has joined the Minneapolis
City Attorney’s Office as an assistant city
attorney.
Mary Frances Skala was re-elected by the
Benedictine Health System Board of Directors
as its board chair. Skala is an attorney with the
Duluth law firm, Fryberger, Buchanan, Smith
& Frederick, specializing in public finance.
Barry A. Sullivan was appointed to the bench
in the Tenth Judicial District in Anoka County
by Governor Pawlenty.
1984
Julie Anderl filed declaration of candidacy
papers with the Wisconsin State Elections
Board on December 1. Previously, she practiced
30
Hamline Magazine
family law, joined a Stanley law firm, started a
private practice in Chippewa Falls, and served
as Chippewa Falls city attorney. She now works
as a court commissioner and small claims commissioner in addition to working in her private
practice.
Peter Coyle was elected president of the firm
Larkin Hoffman Daly & Lindgren Ltd. Coyle
is a shareholder and chair of the firm’s government relations practice group and coordinates
hiring of new attorneys for the firm.
1985
John R. McDonald joined the firm of Briggs
and Morgan, P.A. as a shareholder. McDonald
is a member of the financial institutions and
real estate section.
Debra E. Yerigan, a partner in Rider Bennett
LLP’s family law practice group, was named to
the 2007 “Best Lawyers in America.” Yerigan
joined Rider Bennett in 2000 and practices
family law, and is a member of the American
Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
1986
Katherine M. Bergenthal, a partner at Coleman, Hull and van Vliet, PLLP, Minneapolis,
was elected to the board of directors at First
Commercial Bank.
Marianne Settano was inducted as a member
to the Minnesota Chapter of the American
Board of Trial Advocates.
Jay Sommer was named a finalist by Governor
Tim Pawlenty for the Ninth Judicial District
trial court bench vacancy in Hubbard County.
He has been the managing attorney in the same
district since 1996.
Janet Stellpflug was recently elected to membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates. Stellpflug specializes in personal injury
and death cases related to automobile, defective
product, and construction site accidents.
1987
Leo Brisbois (also BA ’84) was appointed by
the Minnesota Supreme Court as an attorney
member for the First Judicial District. Brisbois
is an attorney with the law firm of Stich, Angell,
Kreidler & Dodge, P.A.
Joan Quade was appointed to a second term by
the Minnesota Supreme Court as an attorney
member for the Tenth Judicial District. Quade
is a shareholder and practice group manager at
Barna, Guzy & Steffen.
Kim Marie Wacek founded a consultancy firm
that assists American law firms and English barristers and solicitors in international transfers.
Wacek works out of Florida and London.
1988
Paul Beaumaster won his third four-year term
as Rice County attorney.
1989
John J. Igliozzi won the race for City Council Ward 7 in Providence, Rhode Island. He
was elected to the City Council in 1997, and
is senior legal counsel for the Rhode Island
Department of Transportation.
Robert Kramer was elected to the American
Board of Trial Advocates.
Thomas H. Pertler was accepted by Governor
Pawlenty as a finalist to fill one of the two Sixth
Judicial District trial court bench vacancies.
Pertler has been the Carlton County attorney
since 2005. He is also an adjunct instructor at
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College
in Carlton.
1990
Gregory Gray was unanimously endorsed by
the DFL as the District 2 Hennepin County
Commissioner candidate.
1991
Ward Einess, acting commissioner of the
Department of Employment and Economic
Development, was named to Governor Pawlenty’s cabinet as his new revenue department
head. Before taking over as head of employment
and economic development last year, Einess was
deputy commissioner at the department and a
senior policy adviser to Governor Pawlenty.
Journal. Suzanne practices in the areas of real
estate and condominium law with the McDonald Fleming Moorhead law firm.
Dan Boerigter. See 1980.
Nicholas Gumpel is an assistant vice president
with Liberty International Underwriters, Inc.,
part of the Liberty Mutual Group, in the professional liability claims department in its New
York City office. After working for Thompson
Publishing for nine years, his wife, Kathleen
Matthews ’96, stays home with their three
children, Anna, 6; Ryan, 4; and Charlotte, 1.
They would love to hear from any classmates at
ngumpel@comcast.net.
Stoney Hiljus started as Coon Rapids city
attorney on January 8. Previously he worked
as a Cambridge city administrator and a
Cambridge city council member.
Margaret K. Johnson Koberoski joined the
law firm of Kakeldey & Associates, P.A, focusing on real estate planning, estate planning,
business planning, and probate and long-term
care planning. She serves as president of the St.
Mary’s Catholic School Board in Madelia, Minnesota.
Dan Lew has accepted a position as the managing attorney of the public defenders office in
Duluth.
Matthew Traiser (also BA ’92) accepted the
position of assistant general counsel, real estate,
with Global Signal, Inc. in August 2006. Located in Sarasota, Florida, the company owns and
develops wireless communications towers.
1992
1996
Lisa Groves Bloomquist moved to the
American Southwest and “is living the cowgirl’s
dream.” She designs jewelry out of Native
American petroglyph imagery.
Kathleen Matthews. See 1995.
1993
Stephanie Opp Zorn is a senior labor and
employee benefits attorney with Energizer
Holdings, Inc. in St. Louis, Missouri. She joined
the company three years ago after serving in a
two-year federal clerkship and for seven years
in private practice with a management defense
labor and employment firm
1994
Jane Carlson is Izzy’s Ice Cream Café People’s
2006 Choice Contest winner with her suggestion of Hot Brown Sugar flavored ice cream.
1995
Suzanne Blankenship was selected as one
of the “Top 40 Under 40 Up and Coming
Community Leaders” by the Pensacola Business
Frank Klahn works in international mergers and acquisitions in Washington D.C., but
plans to leave the practice of law soon so he can
return to teaching Russian.
Mary Murphy Powers works as senior counsel
with the Wells Fargo Bank law department in
Minneapolis.
Gretchen Hall Voorhees and Andy Voorhees
welcomed daughter, Margeaux Ann. She joins
Luke, 4; and Ella, 2.
1997
Daniel Koes (also BA ’95) was selected as a
Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Star
for the third consecutive year.
Jorge Saavedra was named executive director of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice.
Previously he worked at the Nonprofit Voter
Engagement Network and served as executive
director and chief legal officer of Centro Legal.
1998
Patricia Carter joined HealthPartners’ law
department as associate counsel in June.
1999
Eric Gonzaga was named managing vice president at Clark Consulting–Healthcare Group,
a firm he has been with since graduating from
Hamline. Eric received the “Best Practice
Award” from ASHHRA, a professional society
for healthcare human resource executives, for
his publication on alignment of performance
management programs.
Sherri Gryboski is a deputy district attorney
assigned to the Special Victims Unit of the
District Attorney’s Office in El Paso County,
Colorado. She and her husband have two children, Lauren, age 3, and Adam, 14 months.
2000
Nicole Hines and her husband, Christopher
Murphy, welcomed daughter, Eleanora Elaine,
on September 19, 2006. She joins Lauren, 4,
and Owen, 2.
Debra Lund moved from the Scott County
Attorney’s Office to the Hennepin County
Attorney’s Office.
2001
Megan A. Blazina joined Carlson Hotels
Worldwide, Inc. as in-house counsel, focusing
on franchise and business law.
Stacey Francoline accepted a position at
Regnier, Taylor, Curran & Eddy in Hartford,
Connecticut, focusing on insurance defense,
premises liability, wrongful death, and trial
practice.
Kelly Shannon joined Foley & Mansfield’s
Minneapolis Office in its commercial practice
and litigation group, as well as the employment
law, and commercial finance and corporate
transactions practice groups. Previously,
Shannon won a verdict in excess of $1 million
for a bankruptcy client involving pre-petition
transfers.
2002
Kyra Ladd was appointed the Wadena County
attorney in March 2006. She previously worked
as an assistant county attorney in Morrison
County.
Jessica Mason Pieklo joined the law firm of
Parsinen Kaplan Rosberg & Gotlieb P.A. as an
associate attorney in its litigation team.
Anastacia Quinn (also BA ’99) and Kristopher Davis BA ’99 married on August 19,
2006. The couple lives in White Bear Lake,
Minnesota.
Emmerson Ward completed the certification
process to become a Minnesota State Bar Association Board Certified Real Property Specialist.
Ward is an attorney in the real estate department of Leonard, Street and Deinard in Minneapolis.
2003
Rebekah McDonald joined McDonald and
Associates, PLC, focusing on family lawdivorce, custody, paternity, CHIPS, adoption,
and post-decree matters.
Jennifer Lehman Thompson was named a
2007 Rising Star by Law & Politics. She was
also made partner at Hammargren & Meyer,
P.A., which focuses on construction law.
Trisha A. Vicario joined the firm of Hansen,
Dordell, Bradt, Odlaug & Bradt, P.L.L.P, as an
associate focusing on personal injury, workers’
compensation and employment law.
2004
Patricia Assmann was admitted to the Florida
Bar. She works for the Law Office of Ann
Loughridge Kerr, Esq., which specializes in
divorce law.
Michelle Basham was appointed Coordinator
of Organizational Planning and Stakeholder
Relationships by Minnesota Department of
Human Services.
Anthony DeGuerre accepted a position with
Votto, Cassata & Gullo, LLP in Staten Island,
New York. His practice focuses on litigation,
insurance defense, and real estate law.
Sarah Frisque and Jerry Schmitz were married
on September 23, 2006. Jerry is a product manager at the Bergquist Company in Chanhassen,
and Sarah is an attorney in the insurance coverage group at Meagher & Geer, PLLP in Minneapolis. The couple lives in Minnetonka.
Sara Smith married Kevin Melvin JD ’06 on
October 7, 2006. Sara is an attorney advisor
with the Federal Immigration Court in Bloomington. Kevin works as a development officer at
the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Sara motioned
for Kevin’s admission to the Minnesota Bar on
October 27, 2006.
2005
Tamara Cabán-Ramirez opened her own
office in September, focusing on immigration,
entertainment, and general civil litigation.
Cabán-Ramirez was selected as one of the “25
on the Rise” by the Minnesota Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Ilissa N. Ramm joined the Crow Wing County
Attorney’s Office in Brainerd, Minnesota.
Nisha Taneja joined the firm of Meagher &
Spring 2007
31
2006
Jillian Book was sworn in to practice law in
the State of Illinois in November. She works at
Querrey & Harrowin, focusing on vehicle and
premises liability litigation.
Megan Barnett joined Leonard, Street and
Deinard, focusing on business and commercial
litigation.
Colleen Daugherty joined Rider Bennett in
its litigation department, focusing on labor and
employment, real estate and defense.
Geer P.L.L.P., working in the firm’s health care
group.
Adam Maier has joined Leonard, Street and
Deinard, focusing on real estate.
Kevin Melvin. See 2004.
Brodie Miller joined the Rinke Noonan
Law Firm, focusing on general business and
commercial law.
In Memoriam
College of Liberal Arts
1930
Gladys Miller Swensen died May 16, 2006.
Gladys majored in social studies. She is preceded
in death by her husband, Richard, and survived
by sons, Marshall and Curtis.
1932
C. Gordon Fredine died August 8, 2006. He
majored in biology and was president of the
student senate. He worked for the National
Park Service and in 1964 became the acting
chief of the international affairs division, helping to establish the Latin American Committee
on National Parks. He received the Interior
Department’s Distinguished Service Award and
co-wrote Wetlands of the United States, which
is still used for wetland inventory today. He is
preceded in death by his brother, R. Donald
Fredine ’35, and sisters, Marian Fredine Place
’27 and Helen Fredine Hawkins ’29. He is
survived by his wife, Edith Handy Fredine ’32;
son, Jack; daughter, Patricia; and four grandchildren.
Isabel Johnstone Rogers died April 4, 2005.
Isabel was a retired social worker for the Child
Protection Division of Hennepin County.
1933
Julia Jaehning Lothrop died August 10, 2006.
Julia majored in physical education and was a
member of Torch and Cycle. She taught physical education and dance at Greenway High
School in Coleraine, Minnesota. After marrying
in 1939, she worked as a substitute teacher for
many years. She was preceded in death by her
husband, Charles. She is survived by her daughter, Nancy; sons, Jerry and John; eight grandchildren; and seventeen great-grandchildren.
1936
Maryan Herrick Monteith died April 26,
2006. Maryan was a member of Alpha Rho
32
Hamline Magazine
Delta and worked as an office secretary for
the Mound-Westonka School District for
thirty-seven years. She is preceded in death
by husband, Darrel; and sister, Elizabeth Herrick McKeen ’39. She is survived by son, Jim;
daughters, Jeanne and Sue; five grandchildren;
seven great-grandchildren; and two great-greatgrandchildren.
Cornelia MacGregor Nachbar died October
20, 2006. A journalism major, Cornelia participated in Torch and Cycle, debate, Quill club,
and Pi Kappa Delta. In 1960, she earned her
master’s in journalism from the University of
Minnesota. She taught on and off for twentyfive years in the Bloomington, Minnesota,
school system, and for ten years was the K-12
language arts coordinator. Cornelia wrote a
series of language arts books for McGraw-Hill
and Houghton Mifflin. She retired to New
Mexico in 1980. She is survived by her daughter, Ouida; three grandchildren; and four greatgrandchildren.
1937
Richard Carlson died February 19, 2005.
Richard majored in economics and served in
World War II after graduation. He worked
as a banker at Chino Valley Bank in Ontario,
California, until retirement in 2002.
Mary Hickman Kessel died October 29,
2006. Mary majored in English literature, and
participated in the English Club, the Oracle,
the League of Women Voters, and Kappa Delta
Epsilon. She served as a social worker for the
Ramsey County Welfare Board, the South
Eastern Pennsylvania chapter of the Red Cross,
Children’s Service in Saint Paul, and as a consultant with the Minnesota State Department
of Public Welfare until her retirement in 1979.
She is preceded in death by her husband,
Vernon Kessel ’36; sister, Jean Hickman ’46;
and brother, William Hickman ’49. She is survived by her sons, Greg and David Kessel ’75,
and four grandchildren.
1938
Ruth Codding Bracken died March 20, 2006.
A music major, Ruth participated in the A Cappella Choir, band, Kappa Delta Epsilon, League
of Women Voters, and field hockey. She graduated from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
in 1947 and became a public health nurse. She
also worked for the Dallas Independent School
District as a music teacher until her retirement.
Mildred King Walser died October 25, 2006.
She majored in English literature and French,
and played violin in the orchestra. She married Vergil Walser ’39 in 1941, and taught in
the Saint Paul school district for twenty-five
years before retiring to New Mexico. Mildred
is preceded in death by her husband, her sister,
Eleanor King ’28, and her father, Dr. James
S. King, a Hamline professor from 1901–1952.
She is survived by her daughter, Mary, and sister, Edna King VanderWagen ’52.
1939
George Rysgaard died December 25, 2006.
George wrote for the Oracle, was a member of
Theta Chi, Beta Beta Beta, and was sophomore
class president. After majoring in biology at
Hamline, he went on to earn a master’s degree
in environmental studies from Michigan State,
and an MD from the University of Minnesota.
George served in World War II, spending several years in the Pacific. George worked as curator
and taught ornithology at the Bell Museum of
Natural History at the University of Minnesota
before working as a family doctor and surgeon
from 1950 until his retirement in 1984. He
was preceded in death by his wife, Frances, and
father, Jens Rysgaard, founding professor of the
Hamline physics department. He is survived by
sister, Mary Rysgaard Kimball ’33; son, Robert Rysgaard ’72; and daughter, Mary Ellen.
1940
Joseph Casper died May 18, 2003. A member
of Beta Kappa and the American Chemistry
Society, Joseph majored in chemistry. In 1940
he joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
In 1962, he was promoted to assistant director
and supervised the planning and building of the
F.B.I. training facility in Quantico, Virginia.
He retired in 1972, ending a career that included working on such cases as the integration of
Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas
and the kidnapping of Frank Sinatra, Jr. Joseph
is preceded in death by his first wife, June Gustafson Casper ’39. He is survived by his wife,
Frances.
Gerald Fridlund died September 29, 2006.
An economics major, Gerald participated in
Phi Theta Chi and Band. Upon graduation,
he worked at the Hill Air Force Base in Utah
and became an ensign in the merchant marines.
From 1946 until his retirement in 1968, Gerald
worked for the Cargill Company as a senior
computer operations technician. He purchased
and ran a drive-in restaurant in New Ulm until
1989. Gerald is survived by his wife, Irene;
daughter, Sherry; and sister, Dorothy Fridlund
Ruttger ’44.
Muriel Johnston died August 11, 2006. Muriel majored in religion, and participated in Pi
Lambda Theta and Delta Kappa Gamma. She
earned a master’s degree in religious education
from Scarrett College and a teaching license
from Claremont Graduate College. Muriel
taught in the Ontario-Montclair School District
in Ontario, California, for twenty-six years.
Muriel was preceded in death by her brothers,
Donald, John, and Frederick Johnston ’24,
and her sister, Dorothy Johnston Allen ’27.
She is survived by her longtime friend, Gertrude Riggle.
1941
Doris Benson Swanson died April 21, 2006.
A member in Kappa Phi and Alpha Rho, Doris
majored in English. She earned an MA in English from the University of St. Thomas in 1973.
From 1948 until her retirement in 1981, Doris
taught English at Harding High School in Saint
Paul. She is preceded in death by husband,
Walter, and is survived by daughter, Kristine.
Word has been received of the death of Mary
Baskerville Vogel. Mary majored in art and
was a member of Sigma Gamma Delta and the
Oracle. Mary was a homemaker and lived in
Fairmont, Minnesota.
1942
LeRoy Wickstrom died August 1, 2006.
LeRoy majored in economics and was a member of Theta Chi. He worked for many years
at Di-Arco in Lake City, Minnesota. He was
preceded in death by wife, Bette. LeRoy is
survived by daughter, Carol; son, David; and
four grandchildren.
1945
Albert Miller died August 2, 2006. Albert
served in Korea with the U.S. Army Medical
Corps from 1950 to 1952, and joined Children’s Hospital in Saint Paul as a pediatrician
in 1953. He was named chief of staff in 1970.
Albert is survived by his wife, Inez; sons, Steven
and Scott; sister, Blanche Miller Rumpho ’48;
and three grandsons, including Kenneth Miller
’08.
1947
Kenneth Merritt died November 6, 2006. A
physical education major, Ken played basketball
for four years under coach Joe Hutton. After
earning his master’s degree from the University
of St. Thomas, Ken taught American history for
thirty-seven years in the Hopkins, Pipestone,
and Winthrop, Minnesota, school districts, as
well as coached basketball and football. He is
survived by his wife, Louise; sons, Mike, Rob,
Tom, and John; daughter, Pat; thirteen grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
1948
Lorna Elsen Hammergren died August 4,
2006. A member of A Cappella Choir and
Sigma Gamma Delta, Lorna majored in sociology. She was a homemaker and worked as a
nursery school teacher at Luxton Nursery in
Minneapolis. She was preceded in death by
her husband, Donald Hammergren ’49.
Lorna is survived by her sons, Stephen, David,
Eric and Jeffrey Hammergren ’73; and four
grandchildren.
Jean Holcomb Ivonen died July 8, 2006. Jean
graduated from the Hamline/Asbury School of
Nursing and worked as a nurse at the Chisholm
Memorial Hospital. She was preceded in death
by husband, Richard, and daughter, Linda. She
is survived by sons, Richard, Jon and David;
daughters, Susan and Pamela; nine grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Glen Sonnenberg died November 11, 2006.
Prior to Hamline, Glen served in the Air Force
as a meteorologist developing weather charts
for pilots in the Pacific. At Hamline Glen
majored in psychology, and he earned his
master’s in educational psychology from the
University of Minnesota. Glen worked for
the Minneapolis Public Schools as a teacher,
counselor, and administrator for twenty-nine
years. He also managed India Imports. Glen
is survived by his wife, Evelyn Erickson Sonnenberg ’48; daughters, Melanie and Melissa;
sons, Scott and Karl; five grandchildren; and
one great-grandchild.
1949
after which he was a farmer in Beauford Township. He is survived by his wife, Réve; daughters, Dawn and Lori; sons, Dana and Quentin;
fourteen grandchildren; and eleven great-grandchildren.
Richard Martin died June 23, 2003. Richard
worked as a journalist and as a journalism professor at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota before retiring to Arizona. He was preceded
in death by his wife, Trudy. Richard is survived
by his brother, George.
John Miller died July 9, 2006. John worked
as a State Farm Insurance Agent for forty
years. In 1996 he became president and CEO
of the World Travel Center of Hutchinson in
Hutchinson, Minnesota. John is survived by
wife, Sedona; daughters, Carol and Mardi; sons,
Gary and John; and nine grandchildren.
1950
Elizabeth Sechrist Carlson died January 18,
2007. A member of Alpha Phi Theta and the
A Cappella Choir, Elizabeth majored in dramatics and speech. She lived in Minnesota,
Indiana, Florida, Sweden, and Maryland, and
was a volunteer and choir member. She was
preceded in death by sister, Frances Sechrist
Kottke ’50. She is survived by her husband,
Edward; sons, Steve and Bradley; one grandson;
and sister, Carolyn Sechrist Zirbes ’57.
Frances Sechrist Kottke died December 1,
2006. Frances majored in speech and English;
and participated in A Cappella Choir and Alpha
Pi Theta. She is survived by husband, Robert;
daughters, Jennifer, Linda, and Jane Kaysen
Barnes ’77; son, Steven; sisters, Elizabeth
Sechrist Carlson ’50 and Carolyn Sechrist
Zirbes ’57; seven grandchildren; and one greatgrandchild.
Thomas Kunz died December 12, 2006.
Thomas majored in education and social studies. He played football and hockey, and played
on the undefeated 1947–48 hockey team,
which was inducted into the Hamline University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. He worked
as a security manager in the Univac division of
the Sperry-Rand Corporation. Thomas is survived by wife, Joyce Kunz ’50; daughters, Jill
and Jean; and two grandsons.
Word has been received of the death of Paul
Williams. Paul received a bachelor of science
degree and medical degree from the University
of Minnesota. He served in the Korean War as
a doctor and flight surgeon. He helped start the
Silver Lake Clinic, where he worked from 1957
until his retirement in 1989. Paul is survived by
his wife, Arlene; sons, John, Tom, and Jim; and
five grandchildren.
Jerome Krengel died June 29, 2006. Jerome
served in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953,
Spring 2007
33
1951
Wallace Behm died September 25, 2006. A
biology and education major, Wallace was a
member of Alpha Sigma Chi and Kappa Phi
Kappa. He earned his master’s in educational
administration from the University of Minnesota in 1956. Wallace served as a high school
principal in the Fulda and Morris school
districts until his retirement in 1985. He is
survived by his wife, Kay, and daughter, Jo.
Geraldine “Gerry” Sprigg Haas died August
22, 2006. Gerry graduated from the Hamline/
Asbury School of Nursing and she participated
in Tri Beta. She was a nurse and homemaker.
Gerry is survived by husband, Lyle Haas ’51;
daughter, Susan; son, Scott; and two grandsons.
Richard Hougen died August 8, 2006. Richard
majored in business administration, economics, and history. He was a member of Theta
Chi and the Republican Club. He served in
the Korean War and worked as a United States
Postal Service letter carrier until his retirement
in 1989. He is survived by wife, Janice; daughter, Lauretta; sons, David and Corey; and four
grandchildren.
Chauncey Peterson Jr. died August 11, 2006.
He majored in economics. He worked for thirty-seven years at the Minnesota Department of
Revenue, retiring as the assistant commissioner
in charge of enforcement after holding a variety of positions. Chauncey is survived by wife,
Lucille; son, Chauncey III; daughter, Betsy;
three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Gordon Walker died December 17, 2006.
After serving in World War II, Gordon
attended Hamline and majored in education
and mathematics. He played basketball and
was inducted with the 1951 basketball team in
the Hamline University Athletic Hall of Fame
in 1976. Gordon started his career as a school
teacher, assistant coach, and bus driver, and
eventually became president of Colt Firearms,
chairman and CEO of US Industries, executivein-residence at IMI in Geneva, Switzerland, and
owner-CEO of Hollinee, a glass fiber filtration
company. In 1997, Gordon funded the building of the Lloyd W.D. Walker Fieldhouse at
Hamline, named after his father, a 1929 graduate. Gordon also served on the Hamline Board
of Trustees from 1997 to 2005 and was named
an emeritus trustee. He is preceded in death by
father, Lloyd W.D. Walker ’29. He is survived
by wife, Janice; sons, Douglas, Ronald, and
Gordon Jr.; and daughter, Deborah.
1952
Kathryn Gurney Macemon died October 12,
2006. An English major, Kathryn was a member
of Philo Browning and the residence hall council. Kathryn was a homemaker for many years.
34
Hamline Magazine
Kathryn is preceded in death by her husband,
Wallace. She is survived by daughters, Julie and
Marcia; son, Mark; niece, Tracy Allen Barnett
’70; and five grandchildren.
Kenneth Schliemann died October 14, 2006.
Kenneth majored in art, English, and philosophy, and participated in the Hamline Players,
Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, and the
Oratorio Society. He had a long career in visual
merchandising and interior design/decorating,
and retired as vice-president of Lord & Taylor
in New York City.
1953
Robert Bush died January 6, 2007. After
attending Hamline for three years, Robert went
to the University of Minnesota medical school
and graduated in 1956. He served as a pediatrician at the Manitowoc Clinic in Manitowoc,
Wisconsin, from 1959 to 1992. Robert also
served as chief of staff at Holy Family Hospital.
He is survived by wife, Lois; children, Scott,
Kathy, Eric and Chris; and six grandchildren.
Joanne Sandstrom Cheney died September 11,
2006. A graduate of the Hamline/Asbury School
of Nursing, Joanne was a homemaker. Joanne
is survived by husband, Preston; son, David;
daughter, Gail; and three grandchildren.
1954
Dallas Breitbarth died November 7, 2005.
After graduating with a degree in business
administration, Dallas managed the Hamline
bookstore for four years. He also managed the
University of North Dakota and University of
Washington bookstores.
Barbara Nelson Palmberg died October 14,
2006. A graduate of the Hamline/Asbury School
of Nursing, Barbara worked as a school nurse
at Prospect High School. Preceded in death by
husband, Galen, Barbara is survived by sons,
Terry and Todd, and three grandchildren.
1956
Geraldine “Gerri” Galles Custer died June 28,
2006. Gerri majored in art and was a member
of Alpha Phi Theta. As an officer’s wife, she
traveled all over the United States and Europe
during her husband’s thirty-year career. She is
survived by husband, Leslie; sons Bradley and
Blake; daughter, Tracy; seven grandchildren; as
well as her cousin, Robert Bjork ’58, and his
sons, Steve Bjork ’87 and Jeff Bjork ’05.
Norman Pilgrim died August 2, 2006.
Norman was a member of Alpha Phi Omega,
Christian Fellowship, A Cappella Choir, orchestra and swimming, and majored in English.
He attended Garrett Theological Seminary and
graduated with a bachelor of divinity degree.
In Boulder, Colorado, he worked at the Foreign
Policy Association and New York Life Insurance
until founding Pilgrim Associates Broker, Inc.
He is preceded in death by father, Walter, and
stepmother, Geneva Hanna Pilgrim ’37. He is
survived by his brother, Richard Pilgrim ’60.
Word has been received of the death of Loren
Prill. Loren majored in political science and
was a member of Alpha Sigma Chi, the Young
Republicans, and Pi Gamma Mu. He worked
as a social worker at the Minnesota Residential
Treatment Center until retiring from the Anoka
Metro Regional Treatment Center as a recreation therapist. He is survived by his brothers,
John and Robert, and sister, Linda.
1957
Robert Heimerl died September 18, 2006.
Robert majored in psychology, speech, and
drama education, served as editor of the Oracle,
and participated in the National Collegiate
Players and Torch and Cycle. He earned his
master’s in speech education from Northwestern
University in Illinois in 1966. Robert taught
speech and drama at Stillwater High School
for thirty-five years. Robert is survived by his
brother, Richard.
1958
Russell Wann died September 25, 2006.
Russell majored in chemistry and was a member
of the Young DFL and the American Chemical
Society. He received his master of science degree
from the University of Minnesota in 1975.
Russell worked as a chemical engineer and
senior research specialist for 3M for thirty-one
years. In 1990 and 1992, Russell’s four-man
curling team won the National Senior Men’s
Bonspiel championship. He is survived by his
wife, Janice; daughter, Jennifer; two sons,
Steven and Timothy; six grandchildren; and sisters Donna Wann Moncrief ’52 and Margaret
Wann Ellavsky ’59.
1960
Norman Horton, Jr. died December 8, 2006.
An economics major, Norman participated in
football, wrestling, and track and field. Norman
owned Norm’s Auto Parts in Saint Paul and
in 1978 played the part of Titan, Prince of the
North Wind, at the Saint Paul Winter Carnival.
He is survived by his wife, JoAnn; son, Mark;
daughters, Linda and Nancy; and five grandchildren.
1965
John Gravlin died July 9, 2004. He worked as
a local blues musician. He is survived by wife,
Carol; daughter, Sarah; son, Demian; and three
grandchildren.
1966
Carol Beggs died December 1, 2006. Carol
majored in chemistry and went on to earn a
master’s in theology. She worked as a chemist
for the State of Wisconsin in the Department of
Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
1970
Jill Barnum Gidmark died October 3, 2006.
Jill majored in English and philosophy and participated in band, Hamline Players, swimming,
Kappa Phi and Alpha Phi Theta. She received
a higher diploma in Irish literature from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and a master’s
and doctorate in English from the University
of North Dakota. Jill taught at the University
of Minnesota for twenty-eight years. She also
published three books on Herman Melville and
maritime literature. Jill is survived by her sons,
Benjamin and Nicholas.
1972
David Holth died July 10, 2006. David
majored in biology and played in the jazz lab
band and concert band. He practiced medicine
with Multicare Associates in Blaine, Minnesota.
David is survived by his wife, Jan; daughter,
Elizabeth; and sons, Michael and Daniel.
1973
David Dunn died August 30, 2006. David
majored in physics and was a member of Alpha
Tau Omega. He received his master’s of science
in computer science from the University of
Minnesota. David worked as a software engineer and was an associate professor of management of information services at Northwestern
College in Saint Paul. He is survived by wife,
Faye, and sons, Joshua and Michael.
Lance Riley died September 16, 2006. Lance
majored in American studies and English. He
graduated from the University of Minnesota
School of Law in 1977 and started Riley Law
Offices, P.A. Lance is survived by his wife,
Maribeth; sons, William, Kyle, and Joseph; and
daughter, Erin.
1974
Carl “Rocky” Barfuss died March 21, 2005.
Rocky was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon
and majored in sociology. He was the CEO of
En Route, and also worked at the Canterbury
Card Club. Rocky is survived by his wife, sons,
Gus and Sam; and one grandson.
1979
Joel Levine died September 2, 2006. Joel
played hockey while he attended Hamline, and
worked as a youth coach for Bloomington
Jefferson hockey. He is survived by wife, Mary,
and sons, Ben and Josh.
Graduate School of
Management
Charles Murphy died October 3, 2006. After
serving in the U.S. Army, Charles majored in
business education and was a member of Pi
Gamma Mu. He earned his master’s degree
from Eastern Michigan University. He was the
founder and owner of CM Sales in Ann Arbor,
Michigan. He is survived by wife, Melania, and
daughters, Megan and Jennifer.
1997
1987
Ian Thompson died October 23, 2006. A
Spanish major, Ian traveled through Central
and South America as a student and worked
for a migrant agency. He also worked as a
carpenter, and taught in the Albert Lea school
district for six years. Ian earned his certificate in
Teaching English as a Second Language from
Hamline’s Graduate School of Education. Ian is
survived by his parents, Marjorie and Thoburn,
and his sisters, Catherine, Susan, and Sarah
Thompson Tonn ’85.
1994
Julie Snyder Miller died May 11, 2006. Julie
majored in art history and worked in the Hamline University Graduate School of Education
for seventeen years. She also co-owned the
Paperback Trader bookstore. Julie is survived
by her husband, Tom; sons Thomas and Peter;
daughter, Jean; and five grandchildren.
School of Law
1976
Michael Mogul died December 11, 2006.
He is survived by wife, Cherrie, and two sons,
Samuel and Jameson.
1979
Christopher Kepler died September 3, 2006.
Christopher worked as a municipal judge in
Muenster, Texas, as a county tax judge in Dallas, Texas, and eventually as a private attorney.
1993
Michael Johnson died July 15, 2006. Prior
to attending Hamline School of Law, Michael
graduated from the University of Minnesota
and worked as a teacher and counselor at Washburn Child Guidance Center for fifteen years.
After earning his law degree, he worked as a
public defender in the 10th Judicial District of
Anoka County. Michael is survived by his parents, Bob and Dorothy.
Lisa Shodean MAPA died December 3,
2005. Lisa also graduated from California State
University-Fresno. She served as a major in the
U.S. Army, working as a career manager with
the officer management division in the human
resources command in St. Louis, Missouri.
She is survived by her father, David, and stepmother, Pat.
Friends
W. Harry Davis died August 11, 2006. Harry
served as an emeritus trustee of Hamline and
received an honorary doctorate of education in
2002. He served on the Minneapolis School
Board for twenty years and founded the Minneapolis Urban Coalition. In 1971, Harry
became the first African-American man to run
for mayor of Minneapolis with major party support. He was also an excellent boxer and was
one of Minnesota’s most successful amateur
boxing coaches. He was preceded in death by
his wife, Charlotte. Harry is survived by his
daughter, Rita; his sons, Harry Jr., Richard, and
Evan; thirteen grandchildren; and four great
grandchildren.
Margaret Neece died July 10, 2006. Margaret
graduated from Missouri State University and
earned a master’s degree from Oklahoma State
University. She taught at the elementary level
and at Northwest Missouri State University.
Her husband, Harold, worked as assistant
treasurer and vice president for financial affairs
at Hamline from 1956 to 1971. Margaret is
survived by Harold; two daughters, Nancy and
Linda; four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
William Norris died August 21, 2006.
William served as an emeritus trustee of Hamline and founded Control Data Corp. He
retired as CEO in 1986 and went on to found
the William Norris Institute, which used technology to improve schools, encouraged small
business development, and founded a technical
training program for Russian entrepreneurs.
He is survived by his wife, Jane; sons, William, George, Daniel, Brian, Roger and David;
daughters Constance and Mary; twenty-one
grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Donna Swindal died November 26, 2006.
Donna taught as an adjunct professor of education from 1996 to 2000, and also taught
elementary school in the Burnsville School
District from 1969 to 2000. She is survived
by her husband, James; sons, James, Ken and
Keith; and daughter, Mindy.
Spring 2007
35
From the President
As spring arrives and we anticipate Commencement
2007, we also bring closure to a year-long process of
strategic planning for Hamline’s future. We started in
September to examine our strengths in fulfilling the
Hamline promise to students and to determine our
distinction in a world of change. This effort has been
wholly embraced by the entire university community,
resulting in unprecedented levels of participation and
important, aspirational goals.
Change is expected whenever a strategic planning
process is undertaken, yet faith in the university’s
mission and in ourselves as a community have generated
a vision that honors the past and pulls us forward in
transforming ways. By building on Hamline’s strengths
as a diverse and collaborative community of learners,
we have identified several strategic directions that more
fully integrate academic units and guide us as a learning
community for the students of today.
A strategic direction that emerged early in the
process is the following: Create a cohesiveness around
Hamline’s identity as a mission-driven university. This
led to the objective of adopting university-wide learning
outcomes for all students. Understandably, one might
have correctly assumed there have always been learning
outcomes—yet, they have been specific to each academic
program. Through the planning process, we have come
to believe quite passionately that all Hamline graduates
should leave us with a definitive educational experience
characterized by specific learning outcomes.
A Hamline University graduate will be able to—
• serve, collaborate, and lead in a community
• solve problems in innovative, integrative, analytical,
and ethical ways
• work and create understanding across cultural
differences locally, nationally, and internationally
• use information and technology competently and
responsibly
• communicate effectively in writing and in speaking
• apply the theories and methods of a field of expertise
• engage independently and reflectively in lifelong
learning
As you conclude reading this issue of Hamline
magazine, which has looked at faith from multiple
perspectives, I encourage you to reflect upon the
role of faith in a mission-driven university and the
impact of a Hamline education. Often in an academic
environment we move seamlessly among knowledge that
can be qualified and quantified, although in most life
circumstances, underlying what we know and how we
know it is a healthy measure of faith. The stories of faith
shared in this issue, although from personal and spiritual
views that are quite diverse, resonate with beliefs that
are widely held at Hamline: faith in our students, faith
in ourselves as a community of learners, and faith in the
transformational nature of a Hamline education.
We look forward to sharing Hamline’s strategic plan
with you and welcome your comments on sustaining
Hamline as a mission-driven university:
A diverse and collaborative community of learners,
dedicated to the development of students’ knowledge,
values, and skills for successful lives of leadership,
scholarship, and service.
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Linda N. Hanson
President
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36
Hamline Magazine
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