Fall 2016

Dear 49ers--

The 2016 Luther Homecoming is now history. The weather was great but, in my opinion, the total attendance was less than some of the past Homecomings. Only two 49ers registered for this year's Homecoming, Luther Forde and yours truly.

I attended the Friday luncheon and meeting for Alumni Council members and class agents. The attendance was good. Many items concerning our college were presented, one of which was very alarming to me. The college's total enrollment is down again this year by about two hundred students. Luther's enrollment has hovered around the twenty-five hundred mark for several years, but for 2016-17 it is around 2,150. If fifty thousand dollars (cost per student) is multiplied by minus two hundred students, the college's budget takes a SIGNIFICANT hit. Another enrollment change is the fact that 34 percent of the students now come from Minnesota while 30 percent come from Iowa.

Luther's Homecoming opponent this year was the new Iowa Conference member, Nebraska Wesleyn, which is located in Lincoln, Nebraska. With this new member, Buena Vista University becomes the center of the conference. Luther's sports travel budget will really increase with this nearly 800-mile round trip for each sport.

Luther's lower campus suffered significant flood damage this August and September, with around fifteen inches of rain. For example, the soccer teams have only used their fields once as of October 8. However, overall, the campus is beautiful. In my opinion, we have about as nice of a campus that exists.

Homecoming weekend concluded Sunday afternoon with lots of music in the CFL. The Symphony Orchestra, Nordic Choir, and Concert Band performed at the afternoon concert. They are all really terrific!!

The college's financial needs are always present. In reference to the second paragraph of this letter, those needs are great. There are not many of us 49ers in existence anymore, but I hope that you will consider providing some support.

I hope that all of you are doing well and that you have an enjoyable holiday season. If you have any news to offer for my next letter, please inform me before it is time for me to author my spring letter.

Francis Peterson
1949 Class Agent
[email protected]

Obituaries

Karl Andresen of Eau Claire, Wis., died Jan. 1, 2016, at the age of 91. Born in Oslo, Norway, at age 5 he went to live in an orphanage, where he grew up, surviving the WWII German occupation of Norway. Karl came to the U.S. in 1947, as a Luther student. After his graduation with a history major, he received a master’s degree in history and doctoral degree in political science from the University of Minnesota. While a student, Karl worked various jobs throughout the U.S., including as a carnie, a translator for United Nations, and teacher at the University of Hawaii. He also spent a year living in Great Britain, with his family, while pursuing postdoctoral work at Oxford University in 1966. Karl joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, in 1956 and retired after a 32-year career teaching political science. Throughout his career, he served as faculty advisor to the Young Dems, faculty teachers’ union representative on the Faculty Senate, department chair, vice-president of the Wisconsin Federation of Teachers, and as a published consultant for major political science textbook publishers. An active citizen, Karl worked for the Democratic Party and as Eau Claire County chairman, attended many state party conventions and two national presidential conventions, and served as campaign chairperson for several candidates, including for U.S. Congress. He was an early opponent of the Vietnam War and helped organize peace marches in Eau Claire. Karl was a member of the Eau Claire Noon Kiwanis Club, delivering food weekly for its Meals on Wheels program, and the Twin Cities Saga Klubben--a Scandinavian Torsk and Aquavit lunch. He also enjoyed cross-country skiing, ice-skating, and soccer and was a proud Birkie Founder, skiing in the first 30 American Birkebeiner races. Karl coached the UWEC Soccer Club, twice taking second in the nation; he helped found the Eau Claire Ski Striders and Eau Claire Canoe Club; and he was a member of his poker group for nearly 60 years. He is survived by his children, Eric (Karen), Robert (Susanne), and William (Marianne), and seven grandchildren. Karl was preceded in death by his wife, Helen, in 2007.

Eric Giere of St. Louis Park, Minn., died Feb. 2, 2016, at age 88. After graduating from Washburn High School, he enrolled at Luther and graduated with a major in music. Eric attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadephia and received a master’s degree from the University of Iowa in 1964. A professional musician since age 15, playing clarinet and saxophone, Eric was a member of the Twin Cities Musicians Union Local 30-73. He was a tenor soloist for many Twin Cities churches and served 12 years as principal tenor soloist for Westminster Presbyterian Church.  Eric is survived by his wife of 46 years, Beatrice; children: Christine (Michael) Banker, David Giere, Thomas (Becky) Hennessey, and David (Millah) Hennessey; sister, Priscilla (Giere) Teisberg ’51 (Carl Teisberg ’50); nieces, Cindy (Teisberg) Hewitt ’77 (Ronald), Susan Goodwin (Greg), and Caroline Ostrom (John Karthaus); and many grandchildren, grandnieces, grandnephews, great friends, and colleagues. Memorials can be made to the Forde-Preus Music Scholarship at Luther.

Gwendolyn (Dueland) Sandven of Cedar Falls, Iowa, died Feb. 5, 2016, at age 91. Born in Ames, she majored in English and music education at Luther. After graduation in 1949, Gwendolyn taught school in Crystal Lake, Hayfield, Des Moines, and Eagle Grove. An accomplished organist and pianist, she also served as a choir director. Gwendolyn married Kenneth Sandven June 15, 1951, in Eagle Grove. She is survived by two daughters: Kim (Kevin) Engels and Michele (John) Webbink; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a sister, Cathy (Dueland) Hjelmaas ’50 (Roy).