Dear Classmates,
In a very few months, we will have the opportunity to again gather at Luther College for our 40th class reunion. It is so hard to imagine that 40 years have passed since graduation. As freshmen, we experienced wearing beanies, climbing the greased pole, chasing a greased pig, bomb scares, Sunday afternoon visiting in the dorms, strict curfew hours, tryouts for musical organizations and athletic teams, folk mission teams, all night study sessions for tests, J-term freedom to have only one class, sports accomplishments, drama presentations, freshman floor meetings, and so much more.
In four short years, with the help of all of our dedicated professors, we developed into confident young people ready to leave Luther and begin our lives of service and employment. We are so grateful for the Luther experience that shaped our lives.
In December we were able to attend Christmas at Luther. It was such an uplifting experience to see and hear the students in the choirs and orchestra. As we were surrounded by the sounds of the performance, it brought back memories of our years of involvement in music and the important role that music and worship still play in campus life at Luther.
We toured the new Sampson Hoffland Laboratories and had a special introduction to the greenhouse and biology labs. While much has changed in the physical aspects of the campus, the spirit and support that is the Luther experience remain the same.
Please join us in our financial recognition for all that Luther has meant to us so future students will continue to have the wonderful opportunities offered there. Let’s see if we can increase our percentage of classmates giving as well as the total amount for our 40th anniversary reunion year. Please go to givenow.luther.edu to find out much more about your opportunities for giving. Also, remember to give your email address to the college at [email protected].
Hope to see all of you on October 8-9, 2010, at our 40th Anniversary Reunion at Luther College!
Bill and Carolyn (Peterson) Kobler
1970 Class Agents
[email protected]
PS. Thanks to the generous support of many alumni donors, Luther has benefited from the member-matching program—GivingPlus—with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Unfortunately, GivingPlus was eliminated by Thrivent at the end of 2009. The "replacement" program—Thrivent Choice—will include a component called Choice Dollars, which some members will be eligible for. Members eligible for Thrivent Choice can still choose to direct their charitable support to Luther (which will be greatly appreciated, thank you!). More information about the program (which is scheduled to begin sometime in April) is available at https://www.thrivent.com/thriventchoice/news/index.html.
PPS. Please share your individual or family updates by logging on to the Alumni Directory, emailing [email protected], or posting them in the comments section below.
Class Notes
MEG (FUNFAR) ‘69 and GLENN NIELSEN live in McFarland, Wis. Glenn is director of the New Horizon’s Band.
BRUCE HANSEN is a field technical specialist at Gemini, Inc., in Cannon Falls, Minn.
SUSAN (ANDERSON) NELSON of Calmar, Iowa, is author of In Search of Emily, published by RocketDog Books. This women’s fiction book is about Emily, a thirty-something woman in a bad marriage who inherits her grandmother’s estate and sees it as her chance to “get out.” The book is available for purchase at Agora Arts, Bookends and Beans, J. Tupy’s, and McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita, all in Decorah.
LOUISE (SPIELMAN) and JIM STROMBERG’69 live in Houston, Minn. Louise is a pastor at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church.
Obituary
RANDAL K. ANDERSON, age 58, died June, 14, 2006, in Overland Park, Kansas, after a six-month battle with brain cancer. Among his survivors: his wife, BONNIE (SHILLING) ANDERSON ’72, (U. of Missouri grad), two children and four grandchildren. Randy was a third-generation Luther grad, and he and Bonnie met at Luther and were married in Decorah the day before graduation in 1970.
