Fall 219
Dear Classmate,
I am sitting at my desk in our unit of Trillium Woods Life Care Center in Plymouth, Minn., and looking out the window to see a cloudy day with a strong wind and thinking to myself, “The fall season is upon us. I better get ready for snow, cold, and the long winter season!!! Then I was reminded of the fall seasons back in the early 1950s, when Luther College hosted a home football game. A time in the history of Luther College when everyone attended the football game, the choir concert, chapel time, and/or the presentation of a guest speaker. All of us were of that generation and thankful we were! That reminded me of our grand, old C.K. Preus Gymnasium in the center of the Luther College campus. Wow!!! What a glorious memory.
Yes, we are into the Fall of 2019, 65 years after our Luther College graduation and our first steps out into the “world of opportunity.” A world we have now worked in and played in for over 60 years. Wow! Fun! Wow! And in the fall of each year is when our second Luther College graduating class newsletter is written and sent to each of us. These letters keep us up-to-date with Luther College.
Homecoming was the weekend of October 4-6 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and Homecoming 2019 was our 65th anniversary!!!
In November, the college inaugurated its eleventh president, Dr. Jenifer K. Ward. President Ward joins the Luther community with more than three decades of experience
as an educator, scholar, and academic leader after serving, most recently, as provost and dean of the college at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana. Prior to joining Centenary, President Ward served in several leadership roles at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington, including dean of the college, interim provost, and associate provost. She was also a faculty member at Gustavus Adolphus College, where she taught German.
In a message to the Luther community, President Ward said, “Our work together must be strategic, collaborative, creative, and—most importantly—must articulate what it means to be both grounded in Decorah, Iowa with a face to the world, and set goals for how we can adapt Luther’s past and present for a sustainable future.”
A self-described extrovert and lover of art, film, and literature, President Ward started her duties at Luther July 1, and her official inauguration took place November 1–3.
Learn more about President Ward—including her thoughts on food, art, Twitter, Decorah, and higher ed—on Luther’s YouTube channel (youtube.com, then search “Luther College President Ward”) or in the fall issue of the Luther Magazine: luther.edu/magazine.
Also, while you’re at it, use this checklist to up your Luther social media game:
❏ Follow Luther College on Twitter: @LutherCollege
❏ Follow Luther College on Instagram: @LutherCollege
❏ Follow the Luther College Alumni Facebook page: @facebook.com/luthercollegealumni
And, finally, keep in mind that Christmas at Luther takes place December 5–8. This year’s theme is Whom Angels Greet with Anthems Sweet. Luther would be happy to see you there!
So, let’s all look forward to the fall season this calendar year, 2019! Let’s enjoy the changing colors of the leaves, the wearing of jackets, the thoughts that snow will sometime be falling, the start of the new school year, the kids dressed in their new clothes and off to school, and the fall sports season BEING PLAYED AT EVERY LEVEL OF PLAY. LET THE 2019 FOOTBALL SEASON BEGIN!!! GO LUTHER!!! Wow! An exciting time of the year!
We hope all of us can enjoy good health most every day of the week, if not every day, we hope we can enjoy our family members and friends every single day. We wish God’s blessing on each of us as we live and serve each day of the week, month, and year.
Soli Deo Gloria!
With my love,
Kent Finanger
1954 Class Agent
4025 N. 151st Lane
Goodyear AZ 85395
623-670-6803
[email protected]
CLASS NOTES
Maynard Anderson served as moderator for a panel discussion on the implications of Brexit, the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, in Washington, D.C., on March 20.
Hamlet Peterson was inducted into the initial class of the Hall of Fame by the Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America (POSNA) at its annual meeting in Charlotte, N.C., last May. The organization began in 1975 with a dinner party of nine orthopedic surgeons at Peterson’s home and a one day meeting at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. The next meeting in Atlanta the following year attracted 32 attendees. The recent meeting in Charlotte was attended by over 900 pediatric orthopedists from around the world and POSNA now has over 1,700 members.