November 2011 Bethany Report

NOVEMBER 2011 the magazine of bethany lutheran college

4Building named after Milton E. Tweit

6Celebrating Norwegian heritage

10Old Main time capsule opened and replaced

Bethanyreport

When I visit with alumni and friends of Bethany, conversations often turn to reminiscing about the enjoyable times that were part of

the Bethany experience. Whether it was a devoted professor, a tour with the choir or band, an athletic team’s experiences, or simply the memo-ries made on the Bethany Lutheran College campus, collectively these become the personal Bethany history we carry with us.

Equally as often, a unifying theme accompanies these personal stories that centers on the truths we refer to as “The One Thing Needful.” The scriptural account of the original motto reads:

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called

Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 NIV1984)

For us at Bethany, this motto accurately describes how we, as Christians, must focus on our spiritual concerns before our earthly tasks.

We are an academic institution where students can be comfortable in their Christian faith and apply this understanding to their learning. This has been true during the eighty-two years of Bethany Lutheran College, and was also a central tenet to the founding fathers of Bethany Ladies College over 100 years ago. Never was this more evident than this past August when the campus gathered to open and examine the contents of the original cornerstone from our Old Main building to recognize its centennial.

In this issue you’ll read about the events surrounding the opening of the time capsule and about the expanded collection of items returned to the original cornerstone. It is our hope and prayer that those who reopen it 100 years from now will still hold fast to the foundation that our Lord explained to Mary and Martha at the first Bethany.

editor, writer | Lance Schwartz designer, photographer | David Norris proofer | Amanda Quist

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: CXXIII

The Bethany Report is published three times yearly 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 2011 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.

On the cover: Fall colors were out in all their splendor as the campus enjoyed a very temperate autumn season.

President Dan Bruss

A century of faithBethanyreport

from the president

2 report | november 2011

August 10, 2011

Our reading consists of selected verses from the 28th chapter of the Book of Job. This chapter

has become a personal favorite of mine, after teach-ing the course on Psalms and Wisdom Literature for a number of years. The translation I am using is a composite assembled from several sources. The translation attempts to capture the fact that this chapter is an exquisite work of literary art. This read-ing comes from approximately the middle of the Book of Job. After Job and his friends have wrestled and argued extensively in their attempts to find a rational explanation for the unspeak-able tragedies that have been visited on him, Job engages in an excursus, a digression or an “aside,” on the nature of divine wisdom.

There is a mine for silver, And a place where gold is refined. Iron is mined from the earth, And copper is smelted from ore. Man lights up the darkness, And searches nook and cranny For ore in the darkness and gloom. Man puts his hand to his tools; And digs at the base of the mountains. He cuts long tunnels through rock, His eye sees everything precious. Hidden things he brings forth to light. But wisdom, where can it be found? And where is the place of insight? Frail man does not know its location, Nor is it found in the land of the living. It cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price. The price of wisdom is greater than rubies. From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of knowledge? It is hidden from the eyes of the living. God understands its way, He surely knows its place. He sees to the ends of the earth, He looks beneath all the heavens. He saw wisdom and appraised it;

He established and set its value. And to man He said, ‘The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom.’ Job 28 celebrates two things: The first is the

skill and ingenuity of mankind in extracting from the earth the things that men will find appealing, useful, and valuable. The second thing is this: That the acquisition of enduring wisdom eludes the best efforts of mankind, and finally must be revealed by God. These two things together sound remarkably like the basis of a Christian liberal arts education.

We celebrate the ability of the human mind to work with the things of this world to get amazing results. In Job’s excursus on wisdom he takes us specifically into the world of mining. Apparently they were doing some remarkable things in the ancient world to extract from the earth various kinds of metallic ore. Some could be smelted into the useful metals, iron and copper, and then fashioned into tools and implements that could facilitate work, make human effort more efficient, and remove drudgery from human existence. Some ore could be refined into precious metals, gold and silver, for the creation of works of art and the accumulation of wealth and all that went with that. Some ore yielded precious and semiprecious gemstones which could be cut and polished and fashioned into items of value, interest, and esthetic appeal.

The progress of the human race in the areas of science, engineering, and technology is simply the story of becoming more efficient and sophisticated at doing the things which Job shows us were going on in the ancient world. When people set their minds to getting something of value out of the earth, they do amazing things; they did so in Job’s day, and they still do today. This summer I witnessed first hand the oil boom going on in western North Dakota. What a flurry of activity is going on there! The tech-nology called hydraulic fracturing or hydrofraking is being used to squeeze crude oil out of the earth from deep under the Dakota prairies. Some very smart and highly-educated scientists and engineers with companies like Halliburton are working at a feverish pace to keep our gas prices under $4 a gallon. There is money to be made there, and people are literally swarming in. There is very little unemployment in

Rev. Mark Harstad

from the chapeL

Chapel continued on page 5

education that lasts beyond a lifetime 3

By Lance SchwartzDirector of Marketing and Public Relations

The Bethany Lutheran College Board of Regents unanimously resolved

at their August 2011 meeting to name the former Seminary/Bethany Commu-nication Center in honor of the Rever-end Milton E. Tweit. Tweit, who was ordained in 1936, served as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod and was a Bethany Lutheran College Regents member for fifty-six years (twenty-one years as chairman). Both are records for board service.

Tweit also served as the chairman of the building committee that authorized and oversaw the construction of the build-ing now bearing his name. The build-ing, an important space on the Bethany Lutheran College campus, is a multi-use facility serving both the art and health

science departments. Naming a building in Tweit’s honor is

also significant because it marks the first time a Bethany facility has been named for someone that has not been directly employed by the college.

At the time of his death in 2005, an article in this publication spoke of Tweit’s dedication to Bethany Lutheran College. “Pastor Tweit worked tirelessly for his

Lord and Bethany Lutheran College. His support for Bethany occurred on many levels. His service to the College speaks for itself, he supported the school through financial gifts, and was an excellent recruiter for the school.”

Former Bethany President Marvin Meyer noted, “No matter where he was serving, you could always expect that [Bethany] would have students from his congregation.”

Members of Reverend Tweit’s family, friends, alumni, faculty, and staff of Bethany Lutheran College gathered on September 17, 2011, as the former Semi-nary and Communication Center was officially renamed Milton Tweit Hall.

President Dan Bruss said of the naming, “It is indeed a fitting honor for a man who dedicated his life to the ongoing welfare of Bethany Lutheran College.”

Building renamed Milton Tweit Hall

campus news

Photo by David Norris

What was originally built as the Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary has been renamed Milton Tweit Hall. The building now serves both art and health sciences for the College.

‘Pastor Tweit worked tirelessly for his Lord and Bethany Lutheran College. His support for Bethany occurred on many levels.’


North Dakota. It’s just as Job described it:

Man puts his hand to his tools; And digs at the base of the mountains. He cuts long tunnels through rock, His eye sees everything precious. Hidden things he brings forth to light.The skill and ingenuity of the human

mind are remarkable to see in action. We celebrate the fact that this is so, and make it our life’s work to help young men and women to develop their abilities to explore every aspect of human endeavor, not only in science, math, and technol-ogy, but also in the arts and humanities, the social and behavioral sciences, health, communication, and everything we do. But at the same time that we do this, and observe and honor human achievement in all these areas, we confront Job’s ques-tions:

But wisdom, where can it be found? And where is the place of insight? Frail man does not know its location, Nor is it found in the land of the

living. It cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price. The price of wisdom is greater than

rubies. From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of knowledge? It is hidden from the eyes of the living. God understands its way, He surely knows its place. There is a wisdom that is hidden from

the eyes of men; frail man does not know its location. There are two great truths in particular that are not accessible to the mind of man apart from the revelation that comes from God. Our best efforts in any or all of the academic disciplines we pursue will not show us what the essential problem of our human condi-tion is, and what God has done to provide for our redemption so that we can have hope in the face of death. Our condition is a fallen condition; the wages of our sin leave us helpless in the face of inevitable death. The death we speak of is not just

a biological phenomenon which comes at the end of a natural cycle of life. It is a horrible reality that has eternal conse-quences which do not yield to the best efforts of human intellect or will power or emotion. “Our problem is so deep a corruption,” as Dr. Luther explains, “that reason can’t understand it. It must be believed because of the revelation in Scripture.” The blunt, clear, in your face pronouncement of Scripture is this: The wages of sin is death.

But thanks be to God there is another revelation which St. Paul describes in this way:

Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for

those who love Him.”But God has revealed them to us through

His Spirit.” And his revelation is this: The gift of

God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. In him are hidden all the trea-sures of wisdom and knowledge. In the preaching of his life, death and resurrec-tion we behold the power of God and the wisdom of God for our salvation.

It is a remarkable thing that at this institution, in the midst of our pursuit of wisdom and knowledge in all branches of learning, we gather in this sacred space to be reminded of these Law and Gospel truths. The spiritual wisdom which God alone can make known to us, and which he alone enables us to embrace in faith, begins with these truths.

A few days ago I was at the Vester-heim Museum in Decorah, Iowa. They currently have an exhibit there on the history of Lutheran education that has its roots in the Scandinavian migration to America that began over 150 years ago. And it’s a fascinating history. I was curious to see how they would present our institution’s story, and was pleasantly surprised that they got it right.

The Norwegian migration to America was very small in number compared to other ethnic groups, scarcely one fifth the size of Irish, Italian, or German immigra-tion into this country. But it produced a

lot of interest in Christian education at all levels. The sad aspect of the story that is told at the museum is that in many of those Lutheran institutions where historic Christianity once flourished, where the Gospel could be heard daily in chapel services, it survives to the extent that it is studied as an aspect of history, of what once was, but no longer is the beacon light which shines through the whole endeavor. This is a very sobering and sad story. It touches many of us here in a very personal way. At institutions which were once dear to our ancestors because of their association with the Christian Gospel message, that message has been largely silenced. And that is why this institution as we know it came to be.

Perhaps you are familiar with this anecdote from the career of Benjamin Franklin, who is numbered among the founding fathers of our nation. He was with that group of fifty-five men who assembled in Philadelphia in 1787 to compose the constitution under which our nation now functions. It is reported that when he emerged from the session at which the constitution was completed, somebody shouted to him, “Mr. Frank-lin, what have you given us?” To which he is reported to have replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

Suppose we put the same question to those who years ago set in motion the kind of education which has been imparted on this campus. “What have you given us? What of value have you left to us?” Their answer which has come down to us across the decades is this, “A confessional Lutheran college, if you can keep it.”

So, what is the key to keeping it? It begins with the realization that we can’t keep it. The overwhelming evidence from the history of Lutheran education in America paints a bleak picture for us. But in the fear of the Lord, there is wisdom. The grace of God alone will preserve the heritage handed down to us. He will teach us to hallow his name, and cause his kingdom to come also among us. May his will be done. Amen. Soli Deo Gloria.

Chapel continued from page 3


Celebratecampus news

The ‘Celebrate Norway’ event at Bethany was highlighted by music, dancing, craft displays, and authentic Norwegian cuisine.

Photos by Allison Homan


Celebrate


Krum kake, fatigman, kran-sekake, kringla, brun kake, lefse, rommegrot. Familiar words? Perhaps not in every-

day discussion but they certainly were during the second annual “Celebrate Norway” event held October 13, 2011, on the Bethany Lutheran College campus. With the help of the local chapter of the Sons of Norway, Bethany fine arts direc-tor Lois Jaeger, and alumnus Harold Natvig, this festive event is becoming an important celebration of Norwegian culture for both the College and the Mankato area.

The event began in the fall of 2010 when Jaeger approached the Sons of Norway to see if they would be inter-ested in supplying Norwegian delicacies for a reception following a Hardanger Fiddle and Langeleik performance. Not only did the Sons of Norway agree to provide the treats, they also arranged for Norwegian dancing to take place during the reception and organized a “style show” of bunads (traditional Norwegian costumes) to occur between the recital

and the reception.Jaeger noted, “They (Sons of Norway)

seemed excited that Bethany was inter-ested in presenting an event so Norwe-gian… Last year was also the first year without our lutefisk dinner and we felt this could, in a way, replace that nod to our Scandinavian heritage.” The fine arts department arranged another musical event with a Norwegian artist for the fall of 2011 and the Sons of Norway helped to organize and facilitate the cultural event.

Both Jaeger and music faculty member Adrian Lo were the principal organizers on the Bethany campus. Lo arranged to have a young Norwegian violinist to be the key performer for the event. Also, dozens of other Sons of Norway members donated baked goods, presented demon-strations, and provided the cultural events associated with the event. Many activities were held throughout the day includ-ing a festive event in the Ron Younge Gymnasium. The gym was filled with demonstrations including many foods, woodcarving, wood chipping, rose-maling, heart baskets, textiles, bunads, and traditional Norwegian dance

demonstrations. For those interested, a Scandinavian-themed salmon dinner followed.

The featured artist was Sonoko Miriam Shimano Welde. She performed a violin concert assisted by faculty member Bethel Balge. After the concert, a reception was held in Honsey Hall with a wide variety of delicious hand-made Norwegian treats.

For Bethany students, Jaeger noted that the event offers them, “a truly multi-ethnic experience because this includes so much of another country’s background. And this particular ethnic connection has direct ties to the history of our college.”

Korens visit MinnesotaSince Bethany’s founding it has been

owned and operated by the Evangeli-cal Lutheran Synod (ELS). The ELS traces its roots to the work of Pastor Ulrik Vilhelm Koren who came to the United States in 1853. Koren was the first Norwegian Lutheran pastor to settle west of the Mississippi River. He centered his ministry just outside of Decorah, Iowa,

Norway continued on page 9


By Dr. Ryan C. MacPhersonHistory Department

Bethany’s history department has forged a partnership with the Evan-

gelical Lutheran Synod Historical Society, resulting in the publication of a 450-page anthology concerning the synod’s educa-tional philosophy. Five student interns, plus an additional five students who enrolled in Dr. Ryan MacPherson’s Reli-gion in American History course, are now published authors.

Telling the Next Generation: The Evan-gelical Lutheran Synod’s Vision for Chris-tian Education, 1918–2011 and Beyond reprints forty-five documents in which church leaders have articulated the importance of Christian education. Illus-trated with dozens of photographs from the synod archives, the book discusses homeschooling, Christian elementary schools, Bethany Lutheran High School and College, and Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary. The work was co-edited by Ryan MacPherson (A.A. 1995), Paul Madson (A.A. 1947), and Peter Anthony (A.A. 1996).

Student interns contributing to Tell-ing the Next Generation performed a variety of tasks: conducting archival research, scanning texts into electronic format, conforming diverse documents to the society’s style sheet, fact-check-ing in the library, selecting and scan-ning photographs, and copy editing. Jeremy Costello (B.A. 2007) and Paul Gunderson (B.A. 2007) co-authored an introduction to a section entitled “Government Aid to Private Education.” Another student intern, Andrew Shoop (B.A. 2009), introduced a section on “Academic Freedom and Christian Integ-rity.” Abigail Bourman (B.A. 2010) and David Reagles (B.A. 2011) each wrote several biographical introductions, as did five other students who completed both

archival research and oral interviews for class assignments: Kyle Damiano (B.A. expected 2012), Philip Kaminsky (B.A. expected 2012), Stephen Sielaff (B.A. 2010), Annie Williams (B.A. 2010), and Josiah Willitz (B.A. 2010).

Dr. MacPherson first proposed the project to the ELS Historical Society in February 2006. After five years, and with the participation of fifty volunteers, Tell-ing the Next Generation arrived in print on the campus of Bethany Lutheran College in June 2011, with just six days to spare before its debut at the annual conference of the ELS Historical Society.

Already the book has received numer-ous favorable reviews. Dr. Mark Kalthoff, a history professor at Hillsdale College, states that the book “offers a harmonious chorus … singing about ideas and issues relevant to the Lutheran task of telling the next generation about the permanent things of confessional purity.” Pastor Joel

Brandos, the headmaster of St. Paul’s Lutheran School in Brookfield, Illinois, writes that Telling the Next Generation “substantiates how richly the Word of Christ has dwelt within the Evangeli-cal Lutheran Synod through Christian education.”

The involvement of students in produc-ing this book is, in a sense, the best evidence in favor of its thesis. As noted on page three of Telling the Next Genera-tion, “Their participation demonstrates that the older generation in their midst has not merely said, ‘we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD’ (Psalm 78:4), but also has taught the next generation how to do so.”

Telling the Next Generation is available for purchase at $23.95 per copy through the ELS Historical Society as well as the Bethany Lutheran College bookstore and Amazon.com.


The book Telling the Next Generation: The Evangelical Lutheran Synod’s Vision for Christian Education, 1918–2011 and Beyond was the work of the ELS Historical Society teaming up with the history department at Bethany.

Students, Historical Society publish bookcampus news


So dedicated to his research of the English author Charles Dickens is Dr.

Robert Hanna (English) that he has been actively working towards publishing a lost play of a Dickens contemporary, Wilkie Collins. Hanna has published three Dick-ens’ scholarly books: Dickens’s Nonfic-tional, Theatrical, And Poetical Writings: An Annotated Bibliography, 1820–2000 (2007), The Dickens Family Gospel (1998) and The Dickens Christian Reader (2000).

Hanna’s interest in the play The Light-house recently took an interesting twist

when he traveled to the United King-dom to begin the process of researching and eventually publishing the Collins’ play. Hanna traveled to Bournemouth, England, to explore newspaper reports of the play’s 1867 premiere that, according to newspapers, was performed first in the London home of Charles Dickens.

Hanna will be working on publish-ing the play in the 2013 Dickens Stud-ies Annual where he plans on writing an introduction and appendix to the published play.

Dickens expert to help publish play

Koren family makes campus visit from Norway

faculty news

at a small settlement known as Wash-ington Prairie. He was one of the leading pastors in the newly formed Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, also known as the Norwegian Synod, serving as its secretary, vice president and president during his lifetime. The ELS (known until 1957 as the Norwe-gian Synod of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church) considers Koren one of its theological fathers.

On Monday, October 17, about thirty members of the Norwegian Koren family visited the Bethany Lutheran College campus and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod’s Ottesen Museum located at the Synod headquarters just a few blocks from the Bethany campus. Their trip to Mankato was part of a nine-day visit to the United States following the steps of U.V. Koren.

The Koren family planned to visit the Ottesen Museum in Mankato in order to see the Museum’s displays about Koren and its replica of a log cabin similar to the

one Pastor Koren and his wife first lived in when they arrived in Iowa.

During the visit, the Koren family presented to the ELS a copy of a photo of U. V. Koren wearing the Order of St. Olav, which was presented to him by the Swedish-Norwegian King in 1903. Among the speakers at the event were

current ELS President John Moldstad, President of Bethany Dan Bruss, and Bethany Lutheran College Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux who spoke about his work translating Koren’s works from Norwe-gian to English.

Lois Jaeger and Rebecca DeGarmeaux contributed to this article.

Norway continued from page 9

Photo by Lance Schwartz

John Moldstad, President of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, was presented a photo of Ulrik Vilhelm Koren by retired Pastor Petter Ulrik Koren from Oslo, Norway.

File photo by David Norris

Dr. Robert Hanna is working to get a play published by Charles Dickens’ contemporary Wilkie Collins.



Old Main, the large red brick edifice looming over the Minnesota River

Valley, is now officially recognized as a century building on the Bethany Lutheran College campus—in fact, it’s the only building that bears this distinc-tion.

Old Main has been the hub of the Bethany campus for most of the College’s existence. Fremder, Holte, Honsey, Johnson, Lee, Meyer, Moldstad, Teigen, Younge—just a few faculty names that represent the many esteemed instructors who are part of the history of Bethany’s Old Main building. But what about Brinkmann, Emmel, Messerli, Schlüter, or Winter and what significance do these names have in the history of the campus?

During the fall of 1910, a group of mostly German pastors and lay persons from southern Minnesota set out to build a new educational institution for young women. This group of committed indi-viduals and pastors placed a cornerstone in the newly-constructed building on the Bethany Ladies College campus in October 1910. Some reports have noted that nearly 2,500 persons were in atten-dance for the widely publicized dedica-tion/cornerstone event. The Governor of Minnesota even marked the event with a hand-signed letter sent to the College’s governing body.

A building cornerstone, at times, will contain a time capsule in which important documents are placed. This practice is not always part of the construction process but, on the assump-tion that a capsule might have been

placed during the construction of Old Main, the College decided to have the cornerstone examined in an attempt to substantiate the existence of a capsule. The work was done by a firm with x-ray equipment which confirmed the exis-tence of a cavity that could contain a time capsule.

While the possibility of a time capsule seemed likely, there was no certainty whether or not the cornerstone would contain anything significant or that any materials inside a capsule would actu-ally have survived all these years. The anticipation was tempered with a sense of cautious optimism.

So on a beautiful summer day in August 2011, almost 101 years after the original cornerstone was put in place,

Time Capsulecampus news

Opened and replaced

Photos by David Norris

Shelley Harrison of the Blue Earth County Historical Society and President Dan Bruss moved the time capsule contents to a box for transportation, while Professor Erling Teigen retrieved more items from the Old Main cornerstone time capsule.

Because the time capsule box was firmly embedded in the cornerstone, the lid of the box had to be cut and removed.


Detail from Mankato Daily Free Press, Mankato, Minnesota, October 14, 1910. Story on Old Main cornerstone laying for Ladies’ Seminary

St. Paul Volkszeitung newspaper from St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 14, 1910, addressed to Rev. A. F. Winter in Mankato, Minnesota

First mortgage bond for construction of Old Main

Report of the Minnesota Synod, 1907

Century old artifacts

Letter from the Governor of Minnesota, Adolph O. Eberhart dated February 10, 1910

To view photos of all the time capsule items, please visit the Bethany Flickr page at www.flickr.com/bethanylutherancollege.

a group of Bethany employees, friends, community members, and Regents of the College gathered around that original cornerstone to watch as the capsule was exhumed.

Shelly Harrison, from the Blue Earth County Historical Society, assisted Presi-dent Bruss and Professor Erling Teigen as they carefully peered into the cavity to find a large tin box. The box required some careful work to open as it was wedged into the opening very tightly. As hands protected with archival gloves

reached into the capsule, piece by piece the history behind the founding of Beth-any Ladies’ College was revealed.

Nearly every document found inside the time capsule was an exhibit of the founders’ views regarding the impor-tance of Christian education. And while the documents were mostly artifacts of German Lutheranism, they truly speak to the lasting legacy of Christian education at Bethany Ladies’ College and Bethany Lutheran College.

After they were removed, the capsule

items were displayed for a short time in the Memorial Library, and then archived in the College’s rare books room. A new collection of items have been put together and placed in the Old Main cornerstone. In a similar manner to the founders of Bethany Ladies College, the items placed in the new time capsule also represent the enduring mission of Bethany Lutheran College—that is an excellent education rooted in the “One Thing Needful.”

History of Old Main1910 - Time capsule placed in cornerstone

1911 - Bethany Ladies’ College opens

1927 - Purchased by Norwegian Synod and renamed Bethany Lutheran College

1987 - Elevator installed in Old Main

1994 - Renovations: New dining and kitchen facilities, mail room, computer rooms, student recreation and fireside rooms; second floor added new admissions offices and bookstore.

1995 - Attic of Anderson Hall renovated to add 25 new rooms on fifth floor.

2011 - Time capsule opened, replacedSeveral media outlets and many spectators gathered to see the contents that were placed in the time capsule 100 years ago.


1. New time capsule made of stainless steel.

2. Anniversary Bethany Scroll, July 1987. Contains Clara Scholtzhauer’s account of the first two years of the Ladies’ College and S.C. Ylvisaker’s article dealing with the years 1927-1947.

3. Opening of the Academic Year 2011-12 program, August 21, 2011.

4. College academic catalog, 2010.

5. Report of the 94th Annual Convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, 2011.

6. College viewbook, 2011.

7. Telling the Next Generation, The Evangelical Lutheran Synod’s Vision for Christian Education, 1918-2011 and Beyond.

8. Pictures of the campus across the decades, from the cornerstone opening of August 9, 2011, and a current campus map.

9. (Stacked items) An inventory of the original box which was opened on August 9, 2011; - A copy of the original inventory written in German Fraktur Script and a translation thereof; - Copy of Pres. Dan R. Bruss’ address for opening service, August 21, 2011; - Chapel sermon by Chaplain Don Moldstad, October 3, 2011; - Cornerstone remarks by Prof. Erling Teigen.

10. We Believe Teach and Confess, A Concise Doctrinal Statement of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, adopted June 1992.

What’s in the box?

Here’s a list of what went in the new

Old Main cornerstone time capsule.

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11. DVD and flash drive containing photos and documents, and a flash drive from the communication studio with music, videos, and photos.

12. With Hearts and Lips Forever We Shall in God Rejoice! An Anecdotal History of The Choirs of Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato, Minnesota. Compiled by Dennis Marzolf, 2002.

13. Bethany 75th Anniversary picture cube, 2002.

14. Sigurd Christian Ylvisaker 1884-1959: A Commemorative Volume at the Centennial of His Birth.

15. Old Main commemorative medallion given to Heritage Society members, 2011.

16. Old Main pewter Christmas ornament given to Heritage Society members, 2004.

17. Program from new cornerstone service, October 3, 2011.

18. Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, 1996.

19. The Lutheran Sentinel, September 2011.

20. Bethany Scroll, September 6, 2011.

21. Bethany Scroll, October 18, 2011.

22. Mankato Free Press, August 10, 2011.

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Bethany business administration faculty member Shane Bowyer

has established a relationship with the Mankato-based Riverbend Center for Entrepreneurial Facilitation (RCEF). As a result of this relationship, the RCEF moved into a house located on the Beth-any campus in November 2011.

RCEF is a non-profit entrepreneur and business development organization that provides one-on-one business consulta-tion services to start-ups and established businesses. The free services include busi-ness plan development, business skills training, feasibility analysis, advertising/

sales, marketing research, financial analy-sis, and strategic planning.

In addition, they instruct business-training sessions and are engaged in many entrepreneurial focused projects and events to support and bring value to the community.

The organization plans to interact and engage students and faculty on proj-ects that will span across various majors on campus. The partnership will bring an applied learning opportunity to the campus and strengthen the College’s rela-tionship with the Mankato community.

For more information on the RCEF

please visit www.rcef.net or contact Beth-any professor and RCEF Board member Shane Bowyer at [email protected].


Bethany senior Marcie Flygare was chosen as one of six 2009-10 Phil-

lips Scholarship recipients. This program rewards students who “identify commu-nity concerns, explore ways to create social change, and develop ambitious programs to meet a variety of human and social needs.” Flygare’s project came to realiza-tion during the summer of 2011. Flygare, who is pursing a degree in exercise science with a biology minor has plans to pursue graduate studies in alternative/integra-tive medicine as a specialist of science in nutrition and clinical health psychology. She hopes to be able to recognize disease processes and the dynamic relationship between nutrition, mental health, and a person’s holistic health. Flygare credits her advisor, Patty Lind, for her interest in the medical field. During her freshman year at Bethany, Flygare took a nutrition class taught by Lind and has appreciated working with her since.

As part of her Phillips Scholarship proposal, Flygare had a goal of helping

developmentally disabled residents of southern Minnesota better understand healthy diet choices.

“After some earlier work with devel-opmentally disabled persons in New Ulm, Minnesota, I have seen the need to emphasize health and wellness among

this population.” Her project, called “Healthy Fun at

Heart,” took place during a ten-week time frame. It was designed to educate both developmentally-disabled individu-als and children of lower-income families in the New Ulm community about the risk factors of heart disease.

The project was held for five hours a day and afforded discovery of new infor-mation attainable to the participant’s learning abilities. She designed hands-on recreational activities, crafts, lessons, and occasional field trips to inspire aware-ness regarding healthier habits. Flygare encouraged the program participants to keep, with their caregiver’s assistance, a daily nutrition and fitness log. This allowed the participants to track their daily exercise, food intake, fitness goals, and accomplishments.

Flygare reflects about the opportunity, “The Phillips Scholarship allowed me to grow because it has taught me to be flex-ible! I got to experience first hand how to start a new project on my own while balancing my goals and plans.”

Educating others on healthy choicesstudent news

Photo courtesy of Marcie Flygare

Out of the variety of activities within the ‘Healthy Fun at Heart’ project, working on physical fitness was one of the key focuses. Marcie Flygare (center) helped others work towards a healthier heart by playing group yard games.


The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Riverbend Center for Entrepreneurial Facilitation was held on November 17, 2011.

Business brings applied learning opportunitycampus news


http://www.rcef.net/

mailto:[email protected]

Guest directors aid Band Invitationalcampus news


To know Adrian Lo (music) is to understand his appreciation for all

things music. Lo has directed various bands and ensembles at Bethany for the past fifteen years. His love for music is certainly reflected in the talented students giving performances on the campus and through the numerous professional artist performances he assists in bringing to the campus each year.

Perhaps the greatest testament to a music instructor are the students that he inspires. For some it is reflected in their decisions to keep music in their lives or make it their vocation.

Several Bethany alumni who chose to make music their career were involved with a unique concert held during Fall Festival in September. Lo organized an event that would not only bring back music alumni, but also allow them to share their gifts with the Bethany community. Alumni directors Ben Faugstad, Erik Hermanson, Erin Otto Meissner, Josh Taylor, Josiah Willitz, and Miles Wurster each led one move-ment from a larger work, or one complete work, and were accompanied by current

Bethany band students and band alumni members.

Lo noted, “I felt it would be refresh-ing for my students to perform under the direction of someone else. This way, in one concert, they were able to sample different points of views and attitudes toward our repertoire.” He also remarked, “It was also a chance for my current band members to see those who have gone on to make music and teaching their career.”

The Bethany bands perform for a vari-ety of events throughout the academic year including Advent Music Festival, Christmas at Bethany, Fall Festival, Fall Music Festival, Faculty Recital, Band Tour, and Commencement.

The success of this inaugural event has inspired Lo to plan a similar event on an annual basis. Alumni interested in participating in future events may contact Adrian Lo at [email protected]

When staff members of our advancement office visit with Bethany’s generous donors, specifically, alumni of Bethany Lutheran College, High School, or the Seminary, the conversation inevitably turns to fond memories of the past. Almost without exception, the strongest and most clear stories shared center around classmates, teachers, and administration.

Not that coursework and classroom experiences are not mentioned, but most often people are the focus of any reflecting alumni do as they reminisce about their time on the Bethany campus.

In the spirit of holding on to the memories that enrich our past, we are appealing to our alumni for donations of Betha-ny’s history, especially the things which identify those who

have attended Bethany. The campus library and archives, which catalog information and preserve our past for future generations, could use a number of items to complete their collections:

The Fidelis, Bethany’s yearbook: The editions missing from our campus are years: 1935-36, ’38-’39, ’41-’46, ’50 and ’73-’75All-school photos: Missing are copies from years: 1930-40, ’43 and ’60

onward (we are unsure of when the all-campus photo tradition ended).

If you are willing to donate any of the items mentioned, please call our advancement office at 800-944-3066 extension 313.


Guest band directors for Fall Festival were (from left) Ben Faugstad, Josiah Willitz, Erin Otto Meissner, Bethany Band director Adrian Lo, Miles Wurster, Josh Taylor, and Erik Hermanson.

Preserving memories of who we are


Drs. John Boubel (History) and Ryan MacPherson (History) took eleven juniors and seniors to the Northern Great Plains History Conference in Mankato on September 21-23. Also attending was Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Language, Religion). Dr. Boubel participated in the day trip to Native American battle sites. Dr. MacPherson presented “From Pedagogy to Publication: Involving Students in a Documentary History of Their College’s Educational Philoso-phy,” discussing the involvement of ten Bethany students in the publication of Telling the Next Generation: The Evangeli-cal Lutheran Synod’s Vision for Christian

Education, 1918–2011 and Beyond (ELS Historical Society, 2011).

The book is available through the Bethany Lutheran College Bookstore www.blc.edu/bookstore.

Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux’s translation of Pontoppidan’s 1737 Danish Catechism Explanation (Truth Unto Godliness) was published in Christian Catechetical Texts (a three-volume anthology) by William P. McDonald, by Edwin Mellen Press.

June 18-19, 2011, marked the centennial anniversary of Mission-ary Edgar Guenther’s work on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona. Dr. William Kessel (Sociology), along with his uncle, Rev. Arthur Guenther, led a tour of sites important in Wiscon-sin Evangelical Lutheran Synod mission history. On Sunday, June 19, Rev. Kessel conducted the celebratory service at the Lutheran Church of the Open Bible,

Lutheran Apache Mission.Prof. Tim Tollefson (Music) was

commissioned by the Wisconsin Evangel-ical Lutheran Synod (WELS) to compose music for the 2011 National Conference on Worship, Music, and the Arts. The conference was held July 19-22, 2011, at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., and several hundred people from around the country were in attendance. Tollefson’s composition, a choral alterna-tum setting of the hymn, “Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Savior,” was performed in Christ Chapel at the evening worship service of Wednesday, July 20. In May 2012, Northwestern Publishing House will publish Prof. Tim Tollefson’s compo-sition, Song of Simeon for SATB choir. A slightly different version of the piece was performed multiple times by the Bethany Lutheran College Concert Choir in 2008.

Faculty & Staff News

Bethany Lutheran College is pleased to announce that its admissions

website is among the most highly rated in the country, ranking number eight of all sites evaluated in a recent national study. The site was recognized in the thirteenth annual My College Options® Enroll-ment Power Index® (EPI), an analysis of the admissions websites of nearly 3,000 colleges and universities.

Bethany Lutheran College embarked on a year-long website rebuilding effort in July 2010 and launched its new site in late June 2011. The site’s naviga-tion was completely redesigned by an in-house team of designers and web usability experts.

My College Options is the nation’s largest online college planning program. Every summer, its staff of college admis-sions and Internet experts conducts a research-based analysis that measures how well college and university websites provide information to prospective

students helping them through the appli-cation process. Of the post-secondary institutions whose websites were graded, less than 45% earned a score of A or B. However, scores for the top ten institu-tions increased significantly from last year.

The study grades institutions on a 100-point scale that includes functional-ity, design, and technology components. The criteria for the study is reviewed and updated annually by internal experts as well as current high school students. Statistical tests are used to determine the specific EPI criteria to be used and their relative importance to students in college planning.

This year’s study examined thirty-nine different criteria in four main categories:

• Ability to find desired information• Personal contact with admissions staff

and students• Online interactive tools• Website design and navigation

Admissions website nationally ranked

www.blc.edu/admissions


alumni news

1954Margaret (Harstad) Matzke and her

husband, Fred, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on August 12, 2011, in Tacoma, Washington. Earlier in August, they traveled to Minnesota and Wisconsin to celebrate with family members. They have been blessed with three children and three grandchildren.

Rev. Gerald Milbrath and his wife, Gloria (Hoffman) (’55), welcomed their first great grandchild, Eva, born on their 52nd wedding anniversary, August 1, 2011.

1958Neil Jungemann is finally a grandfa-

ther! James Russel Jungemann was born on January 23, 2011.

1959Helen Levorson and her husband,

Paul Levorson (’60), have been married 50 years. They have two children, seven grandchildren (with number eight due in December), and one great-grandchild (with number two due in March). They are both retired. They still farm 100 acres near Oakfield, Wisconsin. Helen has four miniature horses and Paul enjoys working on old tractors.

1971

Katherine (Schlomer) Wixom, Linda (Narges) Krebsbach, Gayl (Edwards) Johnson, Terri (Severson) Westphal, and Linda (Zawacki) Loge celebrated

their 60th birthdays in Bloomington, Minnesota, in June 2011.

Prof. Mark Woods graduated with a doctorate degree in urban studies from Kean University in spring 2011. His youngest daughter, Monique, is an honor student at Kean University entering her senior year this fall and majoring in crim-inal justice.

1979Ned Silber has retired as a police offi-

cer from the City of Eau Claire, Wiscon-sin. He has worked there since 1984. He has been married to his wife, Jayme, for 25 years. They have three sons: Matthew, Paul, and Daniel. Ned recently obtained his master of organizational leadership degree from Northwestern College in Roseville, Minnesota. He and his wife look forward to seeing where this new chapter leads.

1981Becky (Harper)

and David Swan-son (’82) happily announce the marriage of their eldest daughter, Emelia (Swan-son ’11) to Carl Gaudian (’10) on July 24, 2010, in Vancouver, Washington. Emelia and Carl were blessed with a baby boy, Isaiah Vincent, on June 4, 2011. They are so thankful for all of their blessings.

1995Yukie Lee is working with The Sisters

of Saint Joseph in the Twin Cities Metro as a registered nurse providing free healthcare to the underinsured and/or uninsured.

1997Peter J. Durow and Jodi (Pelley-

mounter ’98) recently moved to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where Peter is the newly appointed director of choral activities at Southeast Missouri State

University. Jodi will be continuing her graduate studies for speech-language pathology. They have two children: Jonah and Nadia.

Peter Moeller and his wife, Kellie, son Alex (8), and daughter Lauren (7), recently moved from Minnesota to Southern California, about an hour north of San Diego. Peter recently celebrated 12 years with The Toro Company and

currently serves as the director of market-ing for its irrigation business, headquar-tered in Riverside, California. The Moellers can be reached at [email protected].

2001Timothy Sielaff

and his wife recently welcomed their first child into the world. Their daughter, Char-lotte Louise, was born approximately four weeks early on July 10, 2011, at Theda Clark Hospital in Neenah, Wisconsin. She was 4 lbs. 10 oz. and 17-1/4 inches.

2003Dustin Reese and Amanda (Rank)

(’05) are happy to announce the birth of their son, Aiden William, who was born

on January 18, 2011, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He is welcomed home by his 17-month-old brother, Asher.


alumni news

2007Luke Willitz and his wife, Kim, are

proud to announce the birth of their son, Levi Joel, on June 8, 2011. His sister, Aurora, turned two years old in May. Luke, a student of Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary, is currently serving as a vicar at Bethany Lutheran Church and School in Port Orchard, Washington.

Jesse Scherber and Rachel (Erhard ’08) were married on January 24, 2009. They welcomed a son, Kenton Reid, on September 9, 2010. He was 7 lbs 4 oz and 20 inches long. Kenton is named after his great grandpas Kenneth and Hilton. They reside in Watertown, Minnesota.

Andrew Olsen and his wife, Bridget, of rural Nicollet have welcomed Halley Isabelle into their home and their hearts. Halley Isabelle was born Wednesday, June 15, 2011. She weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. and was 21.25 inches long. Halley’s grandparents are Perry and Joan Hulke of rural Courtland and Julie and Oren Olsen (’76) of rural Nicollet. Great grandparents are Harley and Sylvia Hulke, Dennis and Ruth Ann Wills, Audrey Starkson, and Phyllis Olsen.

AJ Hafner and Sarah (Cordes) were married on November 27, 2010, at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Lombard, Illinois. They moved to Watertown, Massachusetts, where AJ currently works for Prescription Turf Services as a licensed lawn techni-cian and Sarah works as a family travel advisor at Thomson Family Adventures. They currently enjoy exploring the great history New England has to offer and are

looking forward to visiting Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands in April 2012.Worms, a short play by Jacob Kemp-

fert, was featured at the Minnesota Shorts Play Festival at Mankato West High School Theater. The play was directed by Michael Lilienthal (’11) who also performed. The play also featured Ethan Bartlett (’11) and current Beth-any students Kristin Carr, Mary Hackett, Dan Roemhildt, Nicholas Lilienthal, David Roemhildt, Rai Gleason, and Lydia Grabau. Worms features a man who casually reads a harmless scientific article, but unexpectedly finds himself question-ing the boundaries of his existence. Jacob Kempfert and his wife, Anna (Basel ’11), currently live in Orono, Maine.

2008Erin (Peek) Kempfert and her

husband, Ben, welcomed their daugh-ter Margaret Evelyn (Gretchen) into the world on July 21, 2010. They are excited to celebrate her first birthday the week before they move back to Minnesota for Ben’s first call into the ministry. Ben will be serving as the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Oronoco, Minnesota. Erin is currently a stay-at-home mom.

Paul Gansen and Elizabeth (Retz) are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Hannah Jane, on January 28, 2011. Josiah Willitz and Anita (Weimer ’10) and Adam and Stephanie Stallman were witnesses as Hannah became a child of God on February 20, 2011. The Gansen family currently resides in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where Elizabeth is a student in the doctor of audiology (AuD.) program. Paul is working at Best Buy while looking for work as a secondary mathematics teacher.

Leslie Bremer and Reed Wokasch announce their engagement. Leslie works at Profinium Bank and Reed works at Mayo Clinic. They plan to continue living and working in Fair-mont, Minnesota.

2010Brittany (Schlomer) and Matthew

Schaffer were married on June 5, 2010, at Zion Lutheran Church in Mobridge, South Dakota. Matt is in his second year of medical school at Rocky Vista University and Brittany is in graduate school at the University of Colorado, Denver, for mathematics. The couple is living in Englewood, Colorado.

In Memoriam

1960 Shirley A. Julson,

wife of Dennis Julson, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 72 on Aug. 27, 2011.

Preceded in death by parents, John and Lois Lightner; brother, John Lightner; niece, Tanya Alden. Survived by husband, Dennis; children, David, Lora (Jason) Kelley, Denise (Nick) Reynolds; grand-children, Daniel Julson, Kayla Mountain, Kevin Mountain, Trenton Reynolds, Austin Reynolds; siblings, George (Judy) Lightner, Wanda (Gary) Krause, Dwight (Ellen) Lightner; sister-in-law, Sue Light-ner, and many other family and friends.

Shirley was born in Watertown South Dakota. The family moved to Sacramento, Claifornia, in 1941. They returned to the midwest in 1948 to a farm


alumni news

in Chetek, Wisconsin. Shirley’s father loved farming. They grew vegetables and Shirley enjoyed helping pick them all. She and her siblings looked forward to spend-ing as much time as they could playing in the river that ran through the farm as well. Shirley had a bachelors degree in education. Dennis and Shirley met at JC Penney where they both worked. They were married for 47 years. She loved gardening, dancing, listening to music, and most of all her family. Her pride and joy were her five grandchildren. She will be greatly missed!

1967Gail (Anderson) Lillo lost her

2-1/2 year battle with breast cancer on December 26, 2010. She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Gary (’67); sons Todd (’89) and Mary; Channing (’91) and Sheila; Tasha (Lillo) Zanto and Andy; and seven grandchildren in Anchorage, Alaska.

1949Lois Westcott Jung-

kuntz died at the age of 81 from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease on June 8, 2010, at Huron Woods, a memory loss center, with her family by her side. She was born Febru-ary 28, 1929, in Selma, Alabama, the daughter of Reverend Edward Sr. and Louise Westcott. Lois, the youngest of five children, was raised in Selma moving to Watertown, Wisconsin, when she was 16. After graduating from Bethany in 1949, she taught for ten years in Lutheran elementary schools after which she was married to Pastor Ted Jungkuntz in Erlangen, Germany, on August 1, 1959. After various moves, including 17 years in Valparaiso, Indiana, the couple settled in Ann Arbor in 1983 to serve Cross and Resurrection Lutheran Church until Pastor Jungkuntz’s retirement in 1999. Throughout her life, Lois actively served both her church and her community. She is survived by her husband, her children, Becky Jungkuntz and Ted (Katherine) Jungkuntz, and her grandchildren, Josiah and Faith.

1949Ulrik Julius “Jules” Larsen passed

away on March 17, 2011. Larsen was born on January 5, 1927, in Tracy, Minnesota to Ulrik and Helen Larsen (Oscarson); Jules was the eldest of ten children. He attended Bethany Lutheran High School, College, and Seminary from which he graduated with a master of divinity in 1951. In 1958, he married Elizabeth Koehler, and they had four sons. Jules was instrumental in starting Wisconsin Lutheran High School in Milwaukee where he taught chemistry and coached football until 1988. He was an avid woodworker, specializing in turning bowls. Jules was active in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, into which he was ordained for the ministry. He is survived by his four sons, Ulrik, Matthew, Peter and Andrew and his siblings Signe, Paul, Norman, Ingolf, Margaret, Rolfe and David. Service and committal was at the Oakwood Cemetery in Red Wing, Minnesota on May 21, 2011.

Waterfall with Class

During this year’s Fall Festival, members of the Bethany Lutheran High School Class of 1961 were reunited to see the waterfall feature they had helped make a reality through their financial gifts.

Seated from left: Marlene (Zimmerman) Kackman and Fran (McCarthy) Schultz.

Second row from left: Marjorie (Ingebritson) Malin, Marge (Otto) Lillo, Karen (Rucktaeschel) Avenson, and Ruth (Tweit) Smith.

Third row from left: Dale Anderson, Jim Meyer, Mel Parker, Sonja (Dorr) Binder, and Bruce Neumann.

Back row from left: Dennis Minor, Ernie Lillo, and Michael Sponberg.



alumni news

Hosted by Bethany Lutheran College

Women’sRetreat

Empowered by GraceApril 13-14, 2012

Chanhassen Dinner Theatre and Country Inn & SuitesChanhassen, Minnesota

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Calendar of events can be found at:blc.edu/events

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Documents

November 2011 Bethany Report