Fall 2008 Bethany Report

FALL 2008 the magazine of bethany lutheran college

6PAMA Mentors group growing

10Hall of fame inducts new members

12Name of building to honor professor

Bethanyreport

Collaboration is an important component of the educational experi-ence at Bethany Lutheran College. Going back to the days when

nearly the entire campus lived, studied, and worshiped in one building—Old Main—the notion of students and faculty working together across disciplines has been an integral part of the Bethany educational experi-ence.

Yet, as the College grew and new buildings were added, it was inevi-table that students and faculty would see less of each other—a reality not unique to Bethany. In a recent issue of this magazine, I wrote about the benefits of bringing several academic departments together in the new building currently being constructed. We are pleased to see the construc-

tion progress each day and we look forward to the time when multiple departments can share the new learning spaces and enjoy the benefits of interdepartmental asso-ciation.

When the Board of Regents met on the Bethany campus in November, one agenda item was to select a name for the new building. The Board unanimously chose to pay tribute to retired Bethany Lutheran College professor Rudolph Honsey by electing to place his name on the new building.

Professor Honsey certainly embodies the spirit of a Bethany education. During his forty-seven years on campus, Honsey taught several different courses in vari-

ous disciplines including four languages—Hebrew, German, Greek, and Latin. Of course, the decision to name the building in Rudy’s honor is more than simple recognition of his knowledge and teaching abilities. At Bethany, the classroom is both a place to learn and to share the Gospel—the true hallmark of a Bethany education. Honoring Rudy Honsey is fitting, not only because of his long tenure on campus, but also because the essence of a Bethany education (the One Thing Needful) has been the focus for all who have served this institution throughout its eighty-plus years.

Professor Honsey is remembered fondly by those who knew him as a teacher and friend. Alumni often ask me about Rudy and his wife Betty. A number will comment on the impact that he had as a teacher and mentor. Naming the new academic building in Professor Honsey’s honor, a place where the liberal arts will thrive, is fitting. Paying respect to a special kind of Christian higher education that not only Rudoph Honsey espoused, but so many others also have held dear, is truly a blessing.

editor, writer | Lance Schwartz design, photography | David Norris proofreader, writer | Emma Bauer

Please direct all correspondence, letters, news, corrections, and comments to: Bethany Lutheran College Bethany report 700 Luther Drive Mankato, MN 56001-6163Email: [email protected] | www.blc.edu507.344.7000 | 800.944.3066FAX: 507.344.7417

ISSUE: CXIV

The Report is published quarterly by the Bethany Lutheran College public relations office and distributed free of charge to the college’s students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends.

All contents © COPYRIGHT 2008 Bethany Lutheran College. Articles, images or photographs may not be reproduced without written permission.

Mission: Bethany Lutheran College, owned and operated by the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, is a private, residential, liberal arts college committed to the teachings of the Bible as set forth in the Lutheran Confessions. Bethany provides studies culminating in a Bachelor of Arts degree. The college serves Lutherans and others by offering a challenging, student-centered approach to education that fosters spiritual development, intellectual and creative growth, self-understanding, and responsible citizenship. In keeping with its heritage, Bethany aspires to produce students with a clear understanding of Christian vocation, which encourages students to make the most of their God-given talents.

Bethany Lutheran College Board of Regents:Rev. John A. Moldstad, Sr., ChairHarold A. Theiste, Vice ChairRev. Kenneth V. Schmidt, SecretaryWillis Anthony, Ph.D.Rev. Mark BartelsPaul T. ChamberlinLyle FahningRev. Herbert C. HuhnerkochJames MinorRoland ReinholtzRev. J. Kincaid Smith, D.Min.Rev. Joel Willitz Advisory Members: Pres. Dan R. Bruss, Ph.D.Rev. Lawrence A. BurgdorfRev. John A. Moldstad, ELS PresidentWilliam Overn

On the cover: Matthew Rettmann was one of many business students who got out of the classroom to challenge themselves on the ropes course. Find out more about what the students learned on page 14.

President Dan Bruss

The spirit of BethanyBethanyreport

from the president

2 report | fall 2008

November 24, 2008Explanation of The First Article from Luther’s

Small Catechism: “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them; that He richly and daily provides me with food and clothing, home and family, property and goods, and all that I need to support this body and life; that He protects me from all danger, guards and keeps me from all evil; and all this purely out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, with-out any merit or worthiness in me; for all which I am in duty bound to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.”

A twelve-year-old boy drifted helplessly on a large piece of wood in the middle of the Pacific

Ocean. The son of a wealthy family, he had survived a horrific shipwreck. Now he longed for a day when he could again see his loved ones. Dorsal fins from a nearby shark made that day seem far away.

Suddenly, there was hope. He saw the orange colors of a Coast Guard ship. They spot-ted him and headed his way. How wonderful it felt to have the sailors reach out and pull him from water. Now he sat safely on the rescue ship, drying off, and hope-ful of seeing home once again. His rescuers took great care of him. He was welcome to food from their amazing buffet. On the long trip home one of the sailors gave him a nice video game to play and keep as his own.

As he played, an unexpected gust of wind quickly blew away his sandwich and the video game. From the railing he watched them blow into the rough waters. For one brief moment he considered jumping out into the water to save his new toy.

By God’s rich grace, you and I have been rescued from the cold waters of eternal destruction. Through the work of God’s Son, our Savior, and by His Holy Spirit entering our hearts, we now have been plucked from despair through faith in Christ. As members of the Church we now travel to our heavenly home.

While on this journey to our true fatherland, God richly and daily provides us many earthly blessings for both our needs and enjoyment. Consider the amazing gifts we enjoy while in this life. Not only does He give us food, but exceptional food. Not only are we blessed with clothing and shelter, but such wonderful homes and clothing. In addition, we are granted so much for our pleasure and recreation.

However, just like the twelve-year-old boy wonder-ing if he should dive back into the water, we are tempted to lose our perspective on heaven by having our lives drawn toward these earthly blessings. Because of the joy and security they may provide us in this life, it is easy for us to become distracted from staying in God’s Church for the duration of our jour-ney. May these temporal gifts never steal away our focus on being prepared for the much greater gift of eternal life.

As Christians, we live in two kingdoms: the greater kingdom of God’s grace through faith in Christ, and as citizens of the United States in the lesser kingdom. Even in this lesser kingdom we have tremendous blessings. Years ago our country’s lead-ers selected one national holiday to compel us to give thanks. This shows that gratitude is not natural in us. Ingratitude is. Parents do not have to teach chil-dren how to complain, they know that by nature. We must be taught and reminded to be grateful to God and each other. Our sinful human pride has a sense of entitlement about our blessings.

There are many places around the world where God could have chosen to have me live. Why has He picked me to live in this fantastic country, and in such prosperous times (which they truly are, despite our recent economic downturn)? I don’t know the answer to that question. But I do know this: the answer has nothing to do with me.

Likewise, when I think about His greater kingdom, I ask again, why did God pick me to enjoy His grace in Christ? I don’t know the answer to this question either. But I do know this: the answer has nothing to do with me. It has to do entirely with the heart of God and His mercy in Christ… and we acknowl-edge this every time we say our childhood prayer from the psalms, “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever!”

Amen.

Rev. Donald Moldstad Bethany Chaplain

from the chapeL

education that lasts beyond a lifetime 3

faculty news

Leadership award given to Moldstad

Rarely does a college professor receive an honor from the local

business community. It is far more common for an instructor to receive an award for their teaching or class-room accomplishments. The mold was broken recently when Dr. Janet Mold-stad received recognition for work she had done with leadership programs in the Greater Mankato region.

The 2008 Hap Halligan Leadership Award was presented to Moldstad at a ceremony in November 2008. The award is given annually to a graduate of the Leadership Insti-tute of Greater Mankato. The Leadership Insti-tute is a yearlong leadership-train-ing program for Mankato businessper-sons. Several Bethany faculty and staff members have participated in the Lead-ership Institute throughout the years. The Hap Halligan Leadership Award recognizes and honors an individual whose “participation in the Leadership Institute of Greater Mankato program has helped to provide an impetus for outstanding contributions to the Mankato community.”

Moldstad’s recognition came on the heels of her key role in developing the first Collegiate Leadership Academy in Mankato, a pilot program started this fall in which select students come together from all five area colleges for a leadership conference. Moldstad is also involved in the Sakatah Institute, an “executive education” enterprise that offers various training seminars to area CEOs and company directors.

Photos by David Norris

Faculty recital participants included (from left) Erik Hermanson, Adrian Lo, Megan Merseth, Dennis Marzolf, Kathryn Wurster, and Ann Fredrickson.

Top: Organist Judith KresnickaAbove: Pianist Bethel Balge

By Emma BauerCommunication Specialist

In November, members of the Bethany music faculty combined their talents to

perform a variety of musical selections at a faculty recital in Trinity Chapel. The recital consisted of works for voice, violin, trombone, organ, and piano by many different composers and arrangers.

While the faculty recital gave Bethany music professors a chance to display their God-given abilities to a large audience, these performers would also consider the recital to be a wonderful teaching opportunity, as many students learn best by example. Director of Fine Arts, Lois Jaeger, explained during her introduction to the recital, “They [Bethany faculty] have devoted their careers to not only achieving a high level of excellence in their own musical endeavors, but also to passing that ‘pursuit of excellence’ mind-set on to our students.”

Bethany faculty who participated in the recital were Bethel Balge, Ann Fredrick-son, Erik Hermanson, Judith Kresnicka, Adrian Lo, Dennis Marzolf, Megan Merseth and Kathryn Wurster.

Fine arts faculty present recital

Janet Moldstad


Orrin Ausen (library) was elected chair for the MnPALS Consortium of Librar-ies Executives. The Mn PALS executive committee is responsible for developing budget priorities consistent with the Mn PALS Consortium strategic plan for 154 libraries at 96 campuses. Ausen also was elected chair for the SouthCentral Minne-sota Inter-Library Exchange (SMILE) Advisory Committee.

William Bukowski (art) exhibited in the Second Annual Summer Juried Show at St. Cloud State University, and his painting, “Opening the Garden” received a People’s Choice Award. He also showed a Sibley Park landscape in the 2008 Minnesota State Fair juried show. Bukowski was commissioned to complete an altarpiece for Reformation Lutheran Church in Hillsboro, Oregon. He is also the project supervisor for a large-scale mural depicting Mankato’s Sibley Park at Jerry Dutler’s Bowl in Mankato. The painters are recent Bethany graduates Malia Krohn and Laura Veenhuis.

Mark DeGarmeaux (religion, foreign languages) attended the Summer Hebrew Institute at Martin Luther College in July.

William Kessel (religion, social sciences) has dedicated significant time and work to world mission projects. He chaired the ELS Missions Acquisition Committee (MAC) meeting (August 5-6, 2008). The purpose of MAC is to incorporate the mission organization

Thoughts of Faith into the ELS Board for Foreign Missions. He also chaired Toward Indigenization Committee (TIC) meeting at Mequon, Wisconsin, (July 28-29, 2008). The purpose of TIC is to turn the ELS Peruvian mission over to the Peruvian Synod. Finally, he attended the World Missionary Conference at Mequon, Wisconsin (July 28-31, 2008).

Dr. Tom Kuster (communication) was part of a panel that discussed interview-ing for college teaching positions at the Communication and Theatre Association of Minnesota (CTAM) annual confer-ence. The CTAM conference brings together more than 200 high school and college speech and theatre teachers from across the state of Minnesota.

Jon Loging (communication) attended the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events in July 2008. The three-day conference, held in Peoria, Illi-nois, focused on improving the education and competition in forensic speaking.

Two articles by Ryan MacPherson (history) recently appeared in church-related publications. The July/August 2008 issue of Christian Life Resource’s Clearly Caring magazine reprinted his 1994 article concerning chastity in a special anniversary issue. In September 2008, the Lutheran Sentinel published “Education Philosophy: Who Should Teach Your Children?” an article MacPherson was invited to write because of his role as Christian Education Coordi-nator at Peace Lutheran Church in North Mankato and his on-going research concerning Christian education for the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) Historical Society.

Jon Marozick (institutional tech-

nology), together with Bethany alum-nus Loren Halvorson, co-founded the Mankato .NET User Group which enables computer software developers from southern Minnesota to get to know each other, exchange ideas, and explore new technology.

Prof. Dennis Marzolf (music) served as the guest editor of the Trinity 2008 issue of Logia: A Journal of Lutheran Theology. The issue commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Wilhelm Loehe, a 19th century leader of the neo-Lutheran movement in Germany.

Dr. Steve Reagles, (religion, commu-nication) was invited to deliver several conference papers recently. One paper at the Rhetoric Society of America Confer-ence and two papers at the Media Ecol-ogy Association Convention meeting at Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, Cali-fornia. And finally, one paper, twice, at two sessions of The National Conference on Worship, Music & the Arts (sponsored by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) meeting at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota.

Sabbaticals in 2008-09Eric Ouren (art) will be working in

the area of ceramics at the University of Minnesota to develop new approaches to the ceramics curriculum at BLC, and to develop a new body of artwork.

Lars Johnson (English) will be taking his comprehensive exams and working on his dissertation for his PhD in literature and literary criticism. The tentative topic for his dissertation is an ecocritical read-ing of slave narratives and ante-bellum black autobiography.

Faculty & Staff News

2007-08 Annual Reportis now available on the Bethany website for

downloading by visiting: www.blc.edu/annualreport


Peer-mentoring program sheds lightcampus news

By Lance SchwartzDirector of Marketing and Public Relations

When Bethany juniors Kelsi Anderson and Amy Halverson spoke last fall with representatives from Yellow Ribbon, a

national suicide prevention organization that was presenting on campus, they were moved and passionate to get involved and to make a difference.

The students asked Patti Reagles, Coordinator of Student Counseling, to help form a student branch on campus; Reagles was impressed by their energy and determina-tion. As ideas gener-ated, Reagles infused her passion into the effort and helped the students launch a peer-mentoring program on the BLC campus.

The mentoring plan became a program with the objective of promot-ing awareness for suicide prevention along with a pro-active effort in various physical and mental health issues. The goal was to focus on a different concern each month, therefore, promoting awareness, motivation, and action, which eventually became the acronym for the effort (PAMA Mentors).

The effort was sincere and real and when fellow student Mary Barczyski joined the fledgling group, more ideas began to generate and along came a newsletter, fundraising for pro-life campaigns, speakers, and other awareness efforts. These three women, along with Reagles and women’s dorm manager, Judy Miller, made PAMA happen during the spring semester 2008.

Several events have been born out of the group including a presentation by Bob Fleischman, chairman and founder of Christian Life Resources, who spoke on pro-life issues in eight classes and at Trinity Chapel. Tasha Schuh, a quadriplegic, spoke to a large audience on body image and life choices. Rick Loewen addressed drug issues and encouraged Bethany students to ‘guard their hearts’ from choices that separate us from God and His love.

Recently, the group has focused its efforts on sexual violence awareness education, which included presentations from employ-ees of CADA House (a shelter for abused women and their children), the Sexual Violence Resource Center (SVRC), and others working in the Mankato community to raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence. A component of the group’s current focus on sexual violence awareness included a luminary

lighting event on the campus green. The luminaries were placed in memory of victims of sexual violence crimes. Prior to the conclusion of the Fall 2008 semester, the group is also focusing on stress reduction and promoting stress-relieving activities and ideas for students.

PAMA Mentors has made a mark in the mainstream of the Bethany campus. Since its inception, the Bethany administra-tion has been very encouraging and supportive of PAMA’s efforts. This group was the first organization officially recog-nized by Student Senate as a viable campus group, meeting strin-gent guidelines. PAMA has grown in the current semester and is excited to have new members and more outreach possibilities.

One of the biggest challenges for the PAMA group is the cost of bringing noted speakers to the Bethany campus. It would be exciting to welcome Bethany’s own alumni to speak on matters of physical and mental health, on issues that promote awareness, inspire motivation, and ignite action. If you care to offer your expertise through this channel and impact the Bethany campus community, please contact Patti Reagles at 507-344-7306.


Amy Halverson lit luminaries to remember victims of sexual violence crimes during an event on campus.

Students read the stories of victims on red silhouette cutouts placed around campus during an event for sexual violence awareness.


campus news


Bethany students are involved. It isn’t at all out of the ordinary to find

students gathering items for a local cloth-ing or food drive, or reading to children at the Blue Earth County Library. One of those involved students is Senior Jenna Bohn. Bohn is an exercise science major from Cambridge, Minnesota, who has recently taken on the task of organizing campus blood drives for the American Red Cross.

Organizing blood drive events is no small task, but Bohn, an energetic person by nature, was up to the job when she was asked to help coordinate the events. Bohn says the coordination is ongoing.

“We plan for the blood drives year around, working with Bethany staff to make sure space is available and the events go smoothly.”

Bohn grew up in a family where dona-tions were important, if not critical. “My dad gave a kidney to my grandfather, and my grandfather has always given blood for as long as I can remember,” said Bohn. “Giving blood is something almost every-one on campus can do.”

In order to organize a blood drive event, Bohn spends a lot of time recruit-ing volunteers by emailing and phoning and then spends the entire day of the event helping register and keep the event organized.

“It’s always exciting to see new donors at the events,” said Bohn. And she says it is equally as exciting to “see those who have given gallons of blood over the years” such as Bethany professor of business, Dean Shoop.

Shoop started giving blood just out of college while he was teaching at

Annandale (Minn.) High School. “A colleague of mine said, ‘Lock your

door and come with me,’ and being the new guy, that’s what I did,” said Shoop. “Next thing I knew, I’m giving blood at the local Catholic church.”

“The best thing about giving blood back then were the sweet, little-old-ladies that brought in the equivalent of a Thanksgiv-ing feast for the donors to eat after giving

blood,” said Shoop. “It was a great way to get a home-cooked meal!”

Eventually, Shoop took a new teaching position at Bethany and found new inspi-ration to once again donate blood.

“Orville Sampson [retired Bethany maintenance employee] always gave blood and he was at his ten gallon pin when I first came to Bethany,” said Shoop. “I thought it would be kind of cool to get to that point some day.”

Shoop will reach his nine-gallon mark at his next visit to the BLC blood drive.

Bethany usually has between forty and fifty donors during each blood drive. A mark that Bohn is pleased with but says, “We have room for more.”

Southern Minnesota residents are welcome to donate at Bethany. You’ll be able to check for future events at Bethany and anywhere in the United States by going to www.givebloodgivelife.org.

Student gives time to help save lives


Bethany senior Jenna Bohn helps to organize blood drives on the campus at Bethany. She says the number of donors are good but ‘we have room for more.’

Students, faculty, staff, and community members all come through the door of Meyer Hall to donate blood at Bethany, where the Red Cross sets up.


athletics

Fall teams finish with mixed resultsBy Joseph BaerSports Information Intern

VolleyballThe Bethany women’s volleyball team

finished their 2008 season with a 14-17 record. They also finished 10-4 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) to place third. The Vikings fell short in the playoffs to second place St. Scholastica, but met preseason expec-tations of a fourth place finish. Coach Susan Wilde expressed satisfaction with her team. “I was pleased with the outcome. We had a great group of hard-working, energetic freshmen that brought in a lot of new talent. They were seven of the thirteen we had this season. Of the returnees, seniors Eva Voss (North Mankato, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran) and Emma Orth (Sun Prairie, Wis./Luther Preparatory) really stepped up to the plate and led the team in many ways, on and off the court. I felt it was a successful season.”

Statistically the team was led by hitter Voss (416 kills), setter Nicole Jones (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato East) with 972 assists, and libero Laura Parochka (Mayer, Minn./Water-town-Mayer) with 488 digs. All three led not only the team, but led the entire conference in their respected categories. Orth also carried a large bulk of the offensive production with 250 kills. Voss was selected to the UMAC All-Conference Team at season’s end, while both Jones and Orth earned UMAC All-Conference Honorable Mention accolades.

With Voss and Orth leaving, there are two holes to be filled. Coach Wilde is optimistic about the team’s depth moving forward to 2009. “We have a solid line-up returning with Nicole Jones continuing to set. Also our libero, Laura Parochka will be returning. Others return-ing who were regularly in the line-up include: Kristin Becker (Mankato, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran), Amanda Edmison (Mayer, Minn./Watertown Mayer), Vanessa Harkins (Le Center, Minn./Le Center) and Klea Swenson (Nicollet, Minn./Lake Crystal Well-come Memorial); Dani Weiderhoft (Truman,

Minn./Truman), Rachelle Rude (Puyallup, Wash./Evergreen Lutheran), and Megan James (Aurora, Col./Rocky Mountain Lutheran) round out the returning players.” The team will look to combine the returning players with the new crop of recruits for yet another successful season in 2009.

Men’s soccerThe men’s soccer team finished the season

at 5-14-1, including a 3-11 record within the UMAC. Coach Rob Pipal had high hopes going into the season. However, things didn’t turn out for the Vikings. Injuries suffered by offensive starters, including prominent goal scorers Joe Nuah (St. Paul, Minn./Arlington) and Evans Tackie-Yarboi (West Jordan, Utah/Cooper Hills), stagnated the team’s growing chemistry.

A season highlight was a 1-0 victory in New Ulm, Minn., against rival Martin Luther College. “We beat Martin Luther without our best team,” Pipal said. “We played very hard and made it difficult for them to do well.” In the win, the men were outshot 33 to one. However, that one shot ended up being a big penalty kick scored by Josh Jensen (St. Peter, Minn./St. Peter) for the big win.

Balance was present in this year’s offensive attack. Nuah, who earned a UMAC All-Conference selection along with teammate Felipe Ortega (Worthington, Minn./Worthing-ton), led the team in goals with six, in an injury-filled season where he played in just over half of the team’s games. Jensen led the team in points with 15 (five goals, five assists) and was two-for-two on penalty kicks. Jensen was supported by another offensive threat in Tackie-Yarboi, who had four goals and five assists in the season. Senior Jeff Huber (Clearwater, Minn./West Lutheran) and freshman Henry Ndikum (Minnetonka, Minn./West Lutheran) both added three goals for the Vikings.

Depth, experience, and a growing chemistry will make for an exciting men’s soccer season next fall. Coach Pipal said, “I’m very excited about our ability to come back and gain some

VIKINGS VIKINGS VIKINGS VIKINGS VIKINGS VIKINGS VIKINGS VIKINGS VIKINGS

Photos by Sport PiX


respectability in our conference.” He added, “We have good players return-ing and I feel confident that we can fix this year’s problems. Recruiting is going well and we will be bringing in a number of players that will get us back on the winning track.”

Women’s soccerThe Bethany women’s soccer team

finished their season with a 5-11-4 record, which included seven losses by a single goal. They rebounded from a tough start in the UMAC and finished with a record of 3-8-3 in conference play. Coach Derick Lyngholm noted, “This was a season of great improvements, but unfulfilled promise. We improved tremendously in every statistical category and set numer-ous school records along the way; but as a team we let several wins slip through our fingertips.”

Although the win column didn’t neces-sarily reflect it, the women outshot their opponents this season 356-350 and hit their stride halfway through conference play after a disappointing 0-7 start in the UMAC. Coach Lyngholm remembered when the team started to turn things around. “Perhaps the greatest highlight of the season was a five-game unbeaten streak that started with a two-goal come-back tie vs. Northland College, a 1-0 overtime win over MLC, setting a school record with 51 shots in a 4-0 win over Presentation and the school’s first victory over Minnesota-Morris in a 1-0 thriller.”

Statistical leaders for the Vikings included sophomore’s Joelle Pipal (Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) with 11 goals and seven assists for 29 points and Emmy Breuer (Le Crescent, Minn./Le Crescent) with nine goals and five assists for 23 points. Ten players, in total, broke into the scoring column on the season. In goal, junior Katie Renner (Victoria, Minn./Mayer Lutheran) started every game registering three shut-outs and setting a school record with a goals against average of 1.82. Pipal and Breuer, along with senior defender Jessica Costello (Zimmerman, Minn./West

Lutheran), were honored by the UMAC with All-Conference selections.

The 2009 season looks to offer tremen-dous promise for the women’s soccer team.

“Our top eight scorers will be return-ing, as well as a senior goalkeeper with three years of starting experience under her belt, 10 players with significant start-ing experience, and a recruiting class that may turn out to be the deepest in school history,” Lyngholm said. “While injuries hurt us on the field in 2008, it also gave several individuals the opportunity to grow as players and earn significant expe-rience that they otherwise would not have had. Simply put, we have lofty aspirations and the potential to fulfill them.”

Men’s golfThe Bethany men’s golf team took

home a conference victory at the North Central Invitational and never finished a meet below third place. Coach Jeddeloh said, “I thought we played fairly well as a team. We were a little inconsistent early on but we were playing some of our best golf at the end of the season.”

Junior Mitchell Koepp (Arlington, Minn./Sibley East) led the Vikings through thick and thin with the team’s low average. “Mitch was really consistent most of the season,” Jeddeloh added. “He played well on just about every course and was on the All-Conference team.” Koepp finished third at the Conference meet in Alexandria, co-medaled twice during the season, and finished in the top five at five of seven meets.

Senior Paul Webber (Scottsdale, Ariz./Michigan Lutheran Seminary) also played another fine year and medaled at the New Ulm Country Club with a 74. The departure of Webber will hurt, but Jedde-loh expressed aspirations for next year’s team. “We will lose Paul Webber for next year but will have Mitch Koepp, Joe Baer (Lewiston, Minn./Lewiston-Altura), and Andrew Swanson (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) who really played well as the season went on. Devin Kassa (Glen-ville, Minn./Riverland CC) and Brandon

Johnson (Waterville, Minn./Waterville-Elysian-Morristown) will also be a big part of the team.”

Women’s golfThe women’s golf team featured four

returning members. Unfortunately, two of them missed the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference tournament, but 2007 All Conference golfers Abbie Lecy (Marshall, Minn./Marshall) and Kelsey Schlicker (Lake City, Minn./Lincoln) stepped up their games in their absence. Coach Jeddeloh noted, “As September progressed so did the games of Abbie Lecy and Kelsey Schlicker. They both took turns playing well early on and continued to play better as we went along.” Coach Jeddeloh then added, “Jennifer Johnson (Waterville, Minn./Waterville-Elysian-Morristown) and Jackie Ausen (Alden, Minn./Alden-Conger) both played well and improved as the season progressed.”

After finishing in the top five at every meet during the season, the 2008 UMAC conference tournament proved to be the knock-out punch for Lecy and Schlicker. Lecy, the returning champion, captured the big moment once again. Jeddeloh noted, “Our season highlight was definitely our conference tourna-ment.” Schlicker played really well and was named to the All-Conference team, but the day and the weekend belonged to Bethany’s Abbie Lecy. “She was five shots back after the first round and shot the low round of the tournament to get into a playoff for the championship. In the play-off, she hit her second shot into a green side bunker, one of the best bunker shots I’ve seen in competition. She managed to get up and down and claimed her second straight championship,” recalled Jedde-loh.

Coach Jeddeloh is hoping to add to the program in 2009. “As our confer-ence continues to grow with women’s golf, I’m sure our program will continue to develop,” said Jeddeloh. With all four members of the current team able to return, the future of women’s golf at Bethany looks bright.”


The Bethany Viking Hall of Fame welcomed four new members at a

ceremony on Saturday, September 27, 2008. The purpose of the Athletic Hall of Fame is to recognize individuals that best exemplify the Christian spirit, integ-rity, and philosophy of Bethany Lutheran College and the Athletic Department.

Dean Brudwick lettered in both basketball and baseball during his athletic career at Bethany. Leading the Vikings in assists, he captained the 1958-59 basketball squad that placed second at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tourna-ment in Hutchinson, Kansas—the high-est national finish ever for a Bethany team. Brudwick’s two years at Bethany were followed by two more at Mankato State University where he played basket-ball on an MSU team that won back-to-back conference titles in both 1959-60 and 1960-61. After graduation, Brud-wick taught industrial technology at Rapidan High School, St. Clair High School, Lincoln Junior High School, and Mankato West High School. He coached varsity basketball, track, and golf, and was named section coach of the year ten times, Big Nine Conference Coach of the Year six times, and Minnesota State Coach of the Year twice. Brudwick’s teams won five Big Nine championships and he took 10 teams and 26 individuals to state competitions. Brudwick and his wife, Margo (Anderson), are parents of three children and eight grandchildren.

Jan Dobbins came to Bethany in 1960, where he was a standout athlete in basket-ball on teams that played in back-to-back NJCAA tournaments in 1961 and 1962. Dobbins hit the winning free throws in the 1962 regional that put Bethany into the national tournament that year. In the six games Bethany played during that tournament, Dobbins went 28-for-28 from the line. After graduation from Bethany, Dobbins went back to Indiana

and worked for General Motors for thirty-four years before retiring in 1996, during which time he continued to play and coach basketball serving as a mentor and resource for many area youth. Dobbins and his wife, Judy, currently reside in Chesterfield, Indiana. He is the father of Misty, J., and Kreigh, who also attended Bethany, and stepfather to David and Kim.

Thaddeaus Hilliard played forward for Bethany’s basketball team from 1992-94. A two-time letterman for the Vikings, Hilliard was a team captain and MVP during the 1993-94 season, was a member of the All-Region team, and a second-team NJCAA All-American. Hilliard continued his playing career at the University of Wisconsin-Stout where he garnered two all-tournament team awards, as well as UW-Stout’s Iron Man, Top Rebounder, and Most Improved Player. Hilliard’s interest in athlet-ics continued by coaching high school basketball for three seasons and serving as a part-time athletic director for three years. Most recently, Hilliard has turned his attention to officiating basketball and football at the state tournament level for the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. He has also officiated the

McDonald’s High School All-American Game and continues to officiate basket-ball games at the collegiate level for the NCAA.

Ron Roehl was a four-sport athlete while at Bethany, competing in basketball, baseball, golf, and track from 1952-54. Roehl played forward on the basketball team averaging 22 points per game and totaled a team record 533 career points. He was selected as the captain of the 1952-53 squad while also being recognized as an all-conference performer and NJCAA All-American. In addition, Roehl played pitcher and shortstop for the baseball team and set a conference track r ecord in the 100-yard dash in 1954.

After he left Bethany, Roehl coached football, basketball, and track at Fox Valley Lutheran High School in Apple-ton, Wisconsin, from 1956-59 and then coached track for three years at Imman-uel Lutheran High School and College in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He coached high school baseball for 23 years and also coached basketball for a total of 38 years in both high school and college. Roehl was instrumental in starting the Lowes Creek Little League in Eau Claire. Roehl currently resides in Eau Claire with his wife, Eunice.

athletics

Hall of fame inducts new members

Photo by Peter Londgren

The 2008 Bethany Athletic Hall of Fame inductees were (from left) Thaddeus Hilliard, Dean Brudwick, Ron Roehl, and Jan Dobbins


Hotdogs and brats, caramel apples, spinach quiche, chocolate fountain, sautéed chicken, super fries, and

nachos…from the sound of it, Fall Festival is all about eating. But don’t forget about the invigorating,

early-morning Norseman 5K Run, the inflatable boxing ring, interesting speakers, entertain-

ing musical acts, enjoyable reunions, and thrilling soccer and volleyball matches.

When you combine all of these activi-ties with glorious sunshine and Arts on the Green, you are left with a true sense of Fall Festi-val. Old friends and classmates had a chance to reconnect, visit Bethany, and exclaim about the recent additions to campus. Fall Festival was a great weekend to celebrate all that makes Beth-any special.



The Bethany Lutheran College Board of Regents recently met on the campus. One of their agenda

items included the naming of the new academic build-ing being constructed on the corner of Division and Marsh Streets. The Board unanimously approved the naming of the building in honor of Professor Rudolph Honsey.

When Rudolph (Rudy) Honsey arrived at Bethany Lutheran College as a student in 1938, he was eager to learn and eventually study to serve the church as a minister of the Gospel. Honsey graduated from semi-nary and became an ordained pastor, but a change in plans occured before he was called to the parish, which affected his life and possibly hundreds, maybe thousands of others as a result.

S.C. Ylvisaker, Bethany’s President at the time, needed new faculty members to teach the growing

numbers of students on the Bethany campus. The year was 1945 and more and more young men were returning from serving the United States military during World War II and were looking for educa-tional options. Ylvisaker recognized Honsey’s talent and personality and thought it would be a good fit for the Bethany campus. So, before Honsey could deliver his first sermon at a Synodical Conference parish, Ylvisaker convinced him to accept a temporary call to teach at Bethany. The call was made permanent in 1946 and the rest, shall we say, is history.

Honsey taught an array of courses in those early years. It wasn’t unusual for professors to be in the classroom for nearly twenty hours each week — that’s just in the classroom and does not include prepara-tion time, advising time with students, or preparing sermons for daily chapel for which he preached weekly. No doubt, it was a busy time for Honsey and others on the faculty. But Honsey remembers the days fondly.

A humble honor

Photo by David Norris

Betty and Rudy Honsey recently celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary.

campus news

New academic building will be named in honor of long time Bethany professor Rudolph Honsey


“I really enjoyed it, for some stupid reason,” Honsey says with a smile on his face. Of course, Professor Honsey is rarely seen without a smile on his face.

It was also during this time that a young woman named Elizabeth (Betty) Lillegard began teaching at nearby Mount Olive Lutheran School. The two were united in marriage in 1950 and were blessed with five children: Judith, Carole, Philip, Ellen, and Ralph.

Honsey had a special connection to his students. That connection hasn’t gone unnoticed over the years. There rarely has been an alumni reunion or event that Honsey hasn’t made it a point to be at. At those rare events that he and Betty didn’t attend, there would usually be several people asking, “How is Professor Honsey?” Maybe that special connec-tion to his students came about because of his educational philosophy. When asked about his days in the classroom Honsey said softly but honestly, “The subject matter was important, but the students were more important.” Perhaps that approach explains why the Chair of the Bethany Lutheran College Board of Regents, John Moldstad Sr. noted, “Taking away nothing from the others, of all the faculty that I’ve known down through the years, he [Prof. Honsey] was probably the most loved by the students.”

Of special significance, Honsey recalls fondly the days of the “Mequon Program.” The program was an inten-sive pre-seminary program that prepared men (many times older, second career individuals) for entry into the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod’s seminary in Mequon, Wisconsin. Honsey taught summer Hebrew and Greek to classes that were sometimes as large as twenty-five students.

“We were in class up to four hours straight with a quick coffee break,” said Honsey. And those were the days before air conditioning in classrooms.

But Honsey didn’t mind the long hours or the inconveniences of a small campus. He was always up to whatever challenge was given to him. In fact, in 1962 a small

parish in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was in need of a pastor. Honsey was called to serve and accepted the role of full-time pastor. He also was a nearly full-time student at the time, as he studied at Bran-deis University in order to earn a master’s degree in Mediterranean Studies. He kept this pace up for four-and-one-half years until he returned to the campus in the fall of 1965 to once again teach full-time at Bethany.

Regarding his return to Bethany after being in Massachusetts, Honsey remarked, “I preached the last Sunday in August in Cambridge and made it back to Mankato to start the school year a few days later.”

All of this, of course, was taking place while he and Betty were raising a family.

“I suppose I wasn’t the best family man during that time,” Honsey noted. Betty, sitting next to him, after hearing his comment shook her head as if to say “perhaps, yes and no” and smiled.

Honsey continued to teach full time and also served vacancy calls in Cotton-wood and Tracy, Minnesota, in the late 1960s.

The many students he taught during his nearly forty-seven years on the Beth-any campus surely won’t dispute Chair-man Moldstad’s words about Professor Honsey. Naming a new academic build-ing for Professor Honsey is an honor no one will disagree with. Except for Profes-sor Honsey that is.

Honsey, upon learning of the news, couldn’t believe it. “I don’t deserve it,” he said. He added, “I hope there won’t be too many protests.”

The news about the naming of the academic building has been public knowledge now for nearly two months. The only protest on record is still the one from Professor Honsey himself.

Photo by Whispershots

This aerial photo shows the construction site of the new academic building on campus in late October. Old Main is shown in the upper right.

Academic buildingMore information, including a construction timeline, can be found on our website at: www.blc.edu/facilities/newacademicbuilding. Also included are progress photos from the construction and a link to the live webcam.


academics

An educational


(ABOVE) From left: Yuliya Shkuro, Joshua Gasow, and Lindsey Severtson tackle three of the challenges posed to them on the ropes course during an Adventure Education Program at Minnesota State University, Mankato. TOP OF PAGE: Andrew Wills decended after completing a challenge.

adventure

From left: Desiree Bicknase, Andrea Brandner, Georges Massaad, and MSU grad student Addy Hutchison assisted with belaying a participant on the course, which includes managing the slack in the climbing rope for ascent and descent.

The ropes course was renovated in 2005 to feature 50-foot high steel poles. Three different teams were simultaneously working on this particular section. Students also conducted team-building exercises on the ground at different locations.

More photos from this student adventure can be found on Bethany’s Website photo gallery at: gallery.blc.edu/v/academics/0809/


Bethany business administration students spent a productive day off

campus on Tuesday, October 28, learn-ing about teamwork and leadership. The event took place at a ropes course on the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato. Dr. Janet Moldstad (business administration) led the group.

The goal was to foster a spirit of trust among the students so that they, as indi-viduals, would feel comfortable partici-pating in class discussions or interacting with fellow students in group activities.

Bethany’s business administration curriculum places high value on team-work and group projects. Students work collaboratively throughout their time on campus and especially during their junior and senior years.

Students gained several applicable skills:• Becoming comfortable with each

other as a group • Learning to reach out to others• Trusting others at a high level • Learning to work with others they

don’t know • Developing courage to step into

informal leadership roles


By Sarah HarstadDirector of Alumni Relations and Annual Fund

From Merriam-Webster’s dictionary—Pursuing: 2: to find or employ

measures to obtain or accomplish: SEEK 3: to proceed along 4 a: to engage in b: to follow up or proceed with

Balance: 3: to weigh in or as if in a balance 4 a: to bring to a state or posi-tion of equipoise b: to poise in or as if in balance c: to bring into harmony or proportion

One hundred twenty women from all areas of Minnesota and Wisconsin converged on Chanhassen, Minnesota,

this October in the pursuit of balance. They came with old college friends, former roommates, mother-daughter groups, church friends, and some parents of former and current students. For a brief period of time that Friday evening and Saturday, the group paused their busy lives to come together, share mutual concerns, and be strengthened in their faith.

The Women’s Retreat focused on skills “to engage in” and “to bring into harmony” all of the areas affecting women’s lives. We quickly learned we had touched an important note when

our registration went over capacity. Focus sessions were held on the topics of health, relaxation, exercise, finance, family, and faith. Women enjoyed mini-manicures, yoga, shoulder massages, and quiet time with friends. On Friday evening, we even learned of a resident celebrity when Bethany President Dan Bruss’ third grade teacher announced her presence.

A weekend away, delicious food, laugh-ing with friends, and time of peace in the Word of God refreshed and energized the women of all ages. The overwhelming feedback from the group demanded more retreats like this in the future.

Women’s Retreat balances huge turnout

By Sarah HarstadDirector of Alumni Relations and Annual Fund

Ask any college student and they will affirm: they are busy people.

Between classes, homework, extracur-riculars, time with friends, and more homework, students barely have time to sleep. Yet, the activities one former Beth-any student added to her hectic schedule during her time at BLC has resulted in a rewarding career.

When Eryn (Mawe) Michlitsch (’03) was only four years old, her grandmother decided she needed a ballerina grand-daughter. Eryn’s dainty frame, grace, and coordination made her the perfect candi-date for grandma’s attention. Thankfully, Eryn also loved the new sport.

This early interest continued as Eryn progressed through the dance levels. When she moved from Tacoma, Wash-ington, to Mankato, Minnesota, to attend college at Bethany, it was only natural for her to bring dance with her. As a freshman, Eryn got involved with the Mankato Ballet and performed in their

principal show, The Nutcracker. It just so happened that the Mankato Ballet, without its own theater, performed this first show of Eryn’s career in Minnesota on Bethany’s stage. Eryn was home.

Eryn will tell you that her original plan was not to stay at Bethany for four years. She fully intended to get a brief taste with two years and move back to Washington to finish at the University. God’s plan for Eryn was different and the introduction of a business major and a young man named Mike at Bethany changed her life forever. Consequently, Eryn remained on Bethany’s campus and loved her college years.

“I never regretted my decision,” Eryn commented. “The personal attention and professors in the business program were fantastic.”

So, you may be thinking, what does a

ballet dancer from Washington want with a business degree in Minnesota? After graduation, Eryn and Mike moved to the Twin Cities area but Eryn remained involved in teaching dance in southern Minnesota on top of working in the accounting field.

Her passion and talents came together when in August 2008 the Mankato Ballet approached her with an interesting proposition. They were searching for an artistic director and desperately needed a business manager —two diametrically opposed skill sets. But in Eryn they found a wonderful combination of the two.

So Eryn embarks on her new venture as the Director of the Mankato Ballet. Ironically, one of her star students, Kath-erine Smith, is a current Bethany student. Smith performed the lead role in The Nutcracker, which was recently staged in St. Peter, Minn.

From Washington to Minnesota, a ballerina has arrived.

alumni profile: Eryn (Mawe) Michlitsch, Class of ’03

Michlitsch dances to role of director

Eryn Michlitsch



Sean King, a 1995 Bethany gradu-ate, recently had his first screenplay

produced in a made-for-television movie on the Hallmark Channel. The movie Generation Gap aired in October 2008. King was a member of the Bethany men’s basketball team during his years on campus. He hopes to continue to find interested producers for his work. What follows is an interview conducted with King by email.

Your Hometown? Originally from Portville, New York. Now living in Hollywood, California.

Years at BLC? 1993-1995Tell me about your life after Bethany.

I played football and basketball at Dakota State University (DSU) in Madison, South Dakota. After graduating with a B.S. in education, I took a job as a youth mentor at the Randolph Children’s Home in upstate New York. It was a state facility for juvenile delinquents. I mentored for a year before moving to Los Angeles to take a teaching job at Pinecrest Middle School. I taught math and English there for four years. Currently, I am writing and also working for Clear Channel Communica-tions in sales.

When did you become interested in writing? I had always been interested in creative writing, but the problem was I could never find the time to do it. Sports dominated my life so much that I didn’t really focus on anything else. I took a creative writing class at DSU and each week we had to contribute to a public online journal. It was a lot of fun to see other people’s reactions to my bizarre thoughts.

What works of yours have been published? I haven’t sold anything other than screenplays. I’ve been slowly writing a novel that may or may not see the light

of day. Keep your fingers crossed that my agent will like it!

What are you working on now? I am working on a children’s Halloween movie for Casey Silver Productions. We also have three other scripts that are making their way around town.

What is it like to work on a movie set? Controlled chaos! Ray [King’s writ-ing collaborator] and I didn’t want to interfere with the director’s vision, so we mainly tried to stay out of the way. It’s an exhausting process for everyone involved as everything takes so much time to set up etc… “Hurry up and wait” best describes a movie set. It was also very surreal to see Rue McClanahan and Ed Asner recite our lines during their dinner scene. Prior to that moment, they were just words on paper that we had written so long ago.

How did your time at Bethany prepare you for this experience? My time at Bethany prepared me for Holly-wood in a lot of ways. I learned to organize my time while I was at Bethany. I still do that every week while I’m juggling, writ-ing sessions, meetings with my agent and a full-time job. Bethany’s influence also helps me stay grounded in an extremely liberal and bizarre place. A lot of people buy into the glitz, glamour, and shallow-

ness of Hollywood. I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn’t change who I am or my values for success. If I make it in this town, I want to do it on my terms and the right way. So far so good!

Advice for young writers? I would tell any young writers to write! I wish I would have written more when I was younger because it set me behind the eight ball once I decided to write professionally. Just like anything else in life, the more you practice, the better you get at your craft.

I would also tell young writers to remember that writing is a very subjective art. Just because someone doesn’t like it, or agree with it, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not good. Write for yourself and your audience, because you’ll always have crit-ics no matter how successful you are.

What did you take from this recent movie premier experience? This experi-ence validated the move out to California in 1999. It hasn’t been an easy journey along the way, but it’s finally starting to pay off. When I met Ed Asner, he said he took the part because he really liked the script and how well his character was written. He loved how the shared experi-ences between each generation showed that all of us, no matter how old or young, can learn from one another’s experiences. Hearing that from a Golden Globe winner and Lou Grant himself, makes me think I may be on to something!

Anything else you would like to add? Yes. Looking back on my Bethany experi-ence I can honestly say that it was two of the most memorable years of my life. I was so lost and unsure about myself during those years. The tight knit community of students and teachers really helped mold me into who I am today. I still keep in contact with many people from my class and will cherish the memory of my years at BLC forever.

alumni profile: Sean King, Class of ’95

King’s screen play produced for TV

Photo courtesy of Sean King

Sean King (right) with television personality Ed Asner (center) and Raymond Starmann.


1945Jack and Barbara (Ylvisaker)

Newsom, who were married in 1958 after a five-week courtship in New York, observed their 50th anniversary in October 2008. In March 2008, thirty years after the publication of The Art Museum As Educator—a national study for which Barbara was project director and co-editor—she was invited to give the keynote address at the art educators annual meeting in New Orleans. It was an interesting reunion, she says, and a change from the intellectual challenges of landscape painting and six wicket. The Newsoms moved to Florida in 2005 after living in the New Hampshire hills for twenty-five years and, before that, work-ing for the better part of three decades in New York. The two of them continue to be active in trying to improve the lives of children and young families, and together created the Firetower Children’s Fund in New Hampshire, which helped to build a family resource center in the central part of the state.

1951Donald and Jean (Kangas) Mahnke

were married on October 16, 1954. They

have three children: Norbert (and Lisa) Mahnke, Sandra (and Dennis) Clary, and Patricia (and Kenneth) Phelps, along with seven grandchildren.

1952Rev. Lyle H. Rasch (Sem.) retired in

1995 but has served five area churches since then. He is still the full-time pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Cincin-nati, Ohio. Rev. Rasch says, “I learned real love for God and for His people at Bethany.”

1959Bethany President Emeritus Marvin

Meyer and his wife Pat (Salomon) are

enjoying retirement. This year Marv and Pat took the “Meyer 10” to Alaska in early celebration of their 50th wedding anniver-sary. They spent a week RV’ing to Denali, Valdez and down to the Kenai Peninsula. The following week they cruised from Whittier, Alaska, to Vancouver, British Columbia, before flying back to Minne-sota. Marv and Pat are now at home in Brainerd. They would like to hear from friends and family at [email protected].

1962Edwin and Dorothy (Naumann) Von

Hoene celebrated three big events in

2008: The birth of their first grandchild, Lucy Nora Adair, born to daughter Heidi and son-in-law James Adair in August in North Virginia; the marriage of their son, Luke Von Hoene, to Sharron Scott in Atlanta, Georgia, in October; and the celebration of their 40th wedding anniver-sary on November 2, 2008. The “Baron & Baroness” currently live in Pelham, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham.

1963In September 2008, Karen (Unseth)

Luecke and her sister, Vivian (Unseth) Weseloh (’60), took a ten-day trip to Norway along with Karen’s daughter, Mari, and Vivian’s daughter, Kirsten. The highlight of the trip was visiting relatives and the home where their great-grandfather Unseth once lived, as well as the home where their grandfather Jaastad was born and the church where he was baptized.

1969Patty Jo Weseloh and Frank Wozniak

were united in marriage on April 19, 2008, at New Life Lutheran Church in Shoreview, Minnesota. They had a family-only wedding and then on May 18 they hosted a party for family and friends. They will be wintering in Mesa, Arizona, and spend summers in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota. They welcome all visitors and can be reached at 480-396-8254.

1981Nancy Noben-Trauth was awarded

the 2008 Golden Apple Award for Teach-ing Excellence from the medical students at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where she was course director for Medical Immunology. This fall, she accepted a position at The University of Maryland as assistant direc-tor of biological sciences.

1988Matt Hallman is in his second year as

general manager of Oak View Golf Club. His wife Stephanie (Potter ’89) teaches

alumni news


alumni news

fourth and fifth grade at Alden-Conger school. They currently live in Alden, Minnesota, with their four children: Sam (18), Katie (16), Eli (12) and Jordan (11).

1989Tyler Johnson has been promoted to

associate athletic director for business and internal affairs from his current position as assistant athletic director for operations at the University of Tennessee. In addi-tion to his current duties, Johnson will oversee day-to-day operations of the busi-ness office and report to CFO Bill Myers.

1990Teri Radichel is currently running a

business among other things—Radical-Software.com. Friends can connect with Teri on Facebook or LinkedIn.

1991Thomas and Colleen (Klima) Elert

adopted Bella Seon Elizabeth Elert on October 30, 2008. Bella was born on January 1, 2008, in Seoul, Korea. She joins big brothers: Chais (7) and Chris-tian (4).

1996Sara (Merseth) Traylor earned her

master’s degree in nursing education in May and works as a nursing instructor at a local technical college. Sarah, her husband, and their two dogs live on six acres in western Wisconsin. She has a 19 year-old stepdaughter, a 17 year-old step-son, and 1-1/2 year-old stepgrandson.

1997Christopher (Sem. ’04) and Sarah

(Harstad) Dale (’99) have two children: Alex (3-1/2) and Grace (9 mos.) Sarah is a part-time registered nurse at a local clinic and Chris is pastor to Calvary Lutheran Church in Ulen, Minnesota, and Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Hawley, Minnesota.

Rev. Jesse Kauffeld and his wife Jodi bought their house in Wisconsin and have another addition coming to their family. They have five boys: Kyler, Shawn, Anto-nio, Christian, and Elijah. In December they will welcome a baby girl, Samantha Faye. In addition to Jesse’s pastoral duties, he is also an executive in the publish-ing company Books of the Way. Jodi has received a promotion to senior telecom-munications specialist for the Charleton Group. The family sends best wishes to all for the Christmas season.

1999Chris and Anna (Brooks) Brandt

welcomed their first child, Lillia Eliza-

beth, on July 6, 2006. Ethan Charles was born this past March 19, 2008. Anna is a substitute organist around St. Louis and Chris is a computer analyst at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.

2001Anna (Holte) Logan and her husband,

Kevin, announce the birth of their

daughter, Kjersten Emma Joy, on March 22, 2008. She was a wonderful Easter surprise, born two weeks early. Anna is now working her “dream job” as a stay-at-home mom and learning something new everyday! Kevin is a software engi-neer at Omnitech Inc. in Sioux Falls,

South Dakota. Pictured with Kjersten are grandparents James (’68) and Karen (Thomsen ’69) Holte and new cousin.

2002Rachel (Ohlendorf) and Larry

Kovaciny (’03) live in Connecticut, where Rachel is a stay-at-home mom, a freelance writer, and runs her own online craft store. Their son, Daniel, turned one in October and is currently learning to run and talk.

2003Laura (Hougan)

and Joshua Mears (’05) welcomed Magdalena Arlene Mears into this world on Septem-ber 22, 2008. Magdalena was 6 lbs, 11 oz., and 19 inches long. Mom and dad have already started her Bethany Lutheran College fund!

Gretta Nelson was married to Jake Krier (’06) on July 12, 2008, in Mankato, Minnesota. They both live and work in Mankato. Gretta is a social worker for Nicollet County and Jake works for Greater Mankato Growth (Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development).

2004Joe and Nicole

(Zahn) Becker have been resid-ing in Bozeman, Montana, since the summer of 2007. Joe is employed with Construc-tive Solutions Inc. where he is the lead trim carpenter. This summer Joe and members of the Constructive Solu-tions team built the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) home in the state


alumni news

of Montana, which received Gold Certi-fication from the United States Green Building Council. Nicole is employed at the Museum of the Rockies, in Bozeman, as the exhibits program coordinator. In their spare time Joe and Nicole enjoy all the biking, hiking, camping, and skiing the Big Sky State has to offer. If you are ever in their part of the state, give them a call or send an email to [email protected].

2005Melissa (Grams) and Greg Vander-

mause (’06) welcomed their first child,

Brevinn Greg, on September 16, 2008. The family resides in Bristol, Connecticut, where Greg works for ESPN and Missy works at home as a professional portrait photographer and graphic designer.

Peter and Kristin (Lussky ’07) Faug-stad were married on June 15, 2007. They welcomed their first daughter, Marit Elis-abeth, on May 14, 2008. Pete is serv-ing his vicar year at Parkland Lutheran Church in Tacoma, Washington. Kristin loves staying home with Marit and teaching piano lessons and handbells to the students at Parkland Lutheran School.

CorrectionIn the Summer 2008 issue of the Beth-

any Report, there was an error in a news announcement. Timothy Connolly (’97), who passed away on February 18, 2008, is survived by his mother Carol, his father Joe, and a sister.

We need your personal and professional updates to include in our alumni news. You may also submit alumni news by emailing it to [email protected], or through ourWeb site at www.blc.edu/submitnews.

Name __________________________________________________________________________ Class year _________________

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City ___________________________________________ State __________________________ Zip _______________________

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news (attach additional information and photos as necessary)

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birth/adoption announcement

Parents’ names ____________________________________________________________________________________________

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[ ] Daughter’s name [ ] Son’s name ___________________________________________________________________________ First Middle Last

Date of Birth ___________________________________ Place of Birth ______________________________________________

marriage announcement

Name __________________________________________________________________________ Class year _________________ (first name/maiden or birth/current last name)


Date of Marriage _______________________________ Current Residence _________________________________________

Cut out (or photocopy) and send to: Alumni News, Bethany Lutheran College, 700 Luther Drive, Mankato, MN 56001

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alumni news

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PAIDMinneapolis, MNPERMIT No. 4656

ADDReSS SeRvice RequeSteD

Key: SFC – Sports and Fitness Center; YFAC – Ylvisaker Fine Arts Center. Dates and times are subject to possible changes. Please call in advance to confirm dates and times of events before traveling: 800.944.3066 or 507.344.7000.

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Calendar of Events

january15 Art Lecture and Reception for Denice Woller, YFAC, 7 p.m. 16 Women’s/Men’s Basketball vs. Martin Luther, SFC 5:30/7:30 p.m.17 Winter Softball Camp, SFC, 8 a.m.18 Winter Baseball Camp, SFC, 1 p.m.23 Women’s/Men’s Basketball vs. Northland, SFC 5:30/7:30 p.m. 24 Women’s/Men’s Basketball vs. St. Scholastica, SFC 5:30/7:30 p.m. 25 Winter Baseball Camp, SFC, 1 p.m.30, 31 “The Mikado” performed by the Bethany Choraliers YFAC Theater, 7:30 p.m.

february1 Winter Baseball Camp, SFC, 1 p.m.1 “The Mikado” performed by the Bethany Choraliers YFAC Theater, 2 p.m.6 Women’s/Men’s Basketball vs. Northwestern, SFC 5:30/7:30 p.m. 6 “The Mikado” performed by the Bethany Choraliers YFAC Theater, 7:30 p.m.7 Women’s/Men’s Basketball vs. Crown SFC, 3/5 p.m. 7 “The Mikado” performed by the Bethany Choraliers YFAC Theater, 7:30 p.m.8 Winter Baseball Camp, SFC, 1 p.m.15 Winter Baseball Camp, SFC, 1 p.m.19 New Music Recital, Trinity Chapel, 7 p.m.22 Winter Baseball Camp, SFC, 1 p.m.25 Baseball vs. Hamline @ HHH Metrodome Minneapolis, Minn.28 Softball @ Finlandia, Marquette, Mich.

For more calendar events, visit: www.blc.edu

Think a private college

is too expensive?

Think again.

A Bethany education is an exceptional value. A small college where students thrive in an atmosphere of high academic integrity with a commitment

to individualized instruction, study abroad opportunities, and excellent preparation for rewarding careers. At Bethany you’ll find accessible, dedicated professors, state of-the-art facilities, and a values-based Christian focus. But even with these tremendous benefits, families of prospective students express concern about the cost of attending a private college.

We believe that earning a college degree does not need to put your financial future in jeopardy. And we are certain that enrolling at Bethany is a worthwhile investment. It all starts with the fact that Bethany annually has the lowest tuition cost of any private liberal arts college in Minnesota.

Other financial considerations include:•Over 98% of Bethany students receive some type of financial aid •The average aid package for a full-time student in

2007-08 was $18,773•Bethany awards over $9 million in financial aid to students •The average loan debt for a 2008 Bethany graduate was $21,876

compared to an average of $25,200 at all other Minnesota private colleges. (MN Office of Higher Education, March 2006)

•Bethany scholarships are annually renewable

Think Bethany.

Documents

Fall 2008 Bethany Report