Fall 2009

Dear Classmates of ’63:

For the first time in years, we missed Luther Homecoming, thus missing the 40^th birthday celebration for the Preus Library.  We missed the 1969 dedication too, because at the time, I was busy giving birth to the Preus Baby.  This tells me our baby Catherine is now 40 years old.

We couldn’t be in Decorah on October 2-4 because we were in Croatia.  Why Croatia? Short answer:  see Pula amphitheatre on the Internet.  No, I’d never heard of it before either, but Claudius (Apostle Paul’s time) and Vespasian (who expanded it around the time of the Vesuvius eruption) built for the long haul.  It still holds 23,000 spectators for opera and concerts.

We were up for a trip outside the US and had heard that Croatia was a dream destination for classicist/historian types.  Plus, just this once, we were willing to trade Decorah’s glowing maples for palm trees and the sparkling aquamarine Adriatic; we’re big fans of that too.

This country includes ancient Illyria and Dalmatia, integral parts of the Roman Empire since the 1^st century BC, though the Illyrians didn’t give up trying to chase the Romans out until Claudius’s time.  See also Romans 15:19 and II Timothy 4:10.

Greeks, Byzantines, Ottomans, Venetians, and Austro-Hungarians all got their licks in over the centuries before Yugoslavia came into being—and then went out of being again.  (One still sees appalling scars of the 1990-92 breakup.  George Bernard Shaw once wrote, “The Balkans produce more history than they can consume locally.”)

We went with just smallish backpacks and no fixed plans, free to pick a town, go to the bus station or the ferry, and debark in time to book a room for the night—or two or three if we really liked the place.  We walked our feet off, and none of it on flat ground; I have two pairs of worn-out shoes and a 5-pound weight loss to show for it.  Our most memorable cup of coffee:  on a sunny plaza inside the walls of Diocletian’s palace, which surrounds almost the entire old city of Split.  Diocletian, an Illyrian, like several other Roman emperors, turned against the Christians at the end of his reign in 303-311, the last serious persecution.  Ironically, two of the martyrs that Diocletian sent to the Salona arena just up the hill now rest in the Split cathedral, a rather odd cobble of wings surrounding the grand pillared mausoleum Diocletian built for himself.  Last laugh goes to the Christians.

Meanwhile you, my friends of ’63, are showing up better and better in the stats!   Our participation in all funds in 2006 was 35 percent, in 2007 was 39 percent, and now in 2009, 42 percent of you donated to Luther.  We even ranked third of all classes in dollar amount given to the Annual Fund this year.  Well done!  This is particularly commendable since the last year has hit everyone pretty hard.  Thank you for coming through in your support of Luther.  Hope you gave your Phonathon caller a thrill.  If you have not made your gift yet, you can do so at givenow.luther.edu. 

Know any high school juniors or seniors you would like to see attend Luther?  The college wants to hear about them and has a new scholarship program.  You may nominate 2010 or 2011 high school graduates up until Feb. 1, 2010.  The form is at https://www2.luther.edu/admissions/form/.  If they enroll at Luther, they will be awarded a one-time $1,000 scholarship toward their first-year tuition.  The students will be notified of your nomination, so they will be aware of your contribution to their college search.  

Spring letters will be sent out by postal mail.  And let ME hear from you, either news to relay to your classmates or just to tell me what you’re up to: email, snail-mail, or phone will do.  That’s what makes my job fun and interesting.

All the best,

Mary C. Preus
1963 Class Agent
[email protected]

Class Notes
THOMAS BERVEN of Neenah, Wis., was honored as the Wisconsin Division I Boys Tennis Coach of the Year.

BOB SELSVOLD was inducted into the Colorado Youth Soccer Hall of Fame. Bob has served as president of Club Columbine and has served on the Colorado Youth Soccer board for ten years, five of which he was president. Bob is a member of the Colorado Joint Referee Committee and has served on many other committee appointments. He has been a referee for over 20 years and has refereed over 3,000 matches.

Obituary
BEHREND “BEN” AGENA of Nashville, Ark., died May 5, 2008.