Fall 2009

Dear Classmates,

As I sat in church on a recent gloomy Sunday, tuning out a sermon that seemed to be leading nowhere, for some reason I got to thinking about loss. Loss is usually seen as a negative – unless it’s weight you are trying to lose! Loss can be progressive. Even if we work super hard to keep in shape, we will, as we age, lose muscle, hair, and bone. Loss can also be sudden. Over the past year many of us lost money in the stock market. A house we might have been planning to sell has suddenly lost value. Like me, you may have lost a parent, or maybe a beloved aunt or uncle, a dear friend, a sibling, or a spouse. Whether we like it or not, loss is part of living. Think of it this way: if we are fortunate to get old enough, we will all become good at losing.

(I’m sure by this point the Alumni Office is getting a little nervous about where I’m going with this, but bear with me!)

Loss makes us think about what we are missing. It forces us to determine what we can do without, or to figure ways to fill in the gaps. Much lip service has been given this past year to living simply, to getting back to the basics. Gardens were planted, gas-guzzling cars replaced with more fuel-efficient models, belts tightened.  But if the end result was that we ate better, were more environmentally conscious, or lost a few pounds, then didn’t what we lost actually turn into something we gained?

There are, of course, many things in life that are not subject to fluctuating stock markets or careening home prices. Friendships, family, faith – like it or not, once these are established, they become a part of us. Memories are things that are not easily lost either. They come to us unbidden at the strangest times, through our senses or in our dreams, startling us with their clarity. Carve out a four-year chunk of your life and think about that time. Can you think of another four-year period that gave you more vivid memories than the years you spent at Luther? 

If the recent past has taught us the joys of simple living, maybe it’s time for simply giving.

Here’s how you can support the mission of Luther College:

• Make a current gift to the Annual Fund. The Class of 1971 may not account for the largest donations to Luther, but we do rank in the Top 10 in number of donors, both to the Annual Fund and as donors to All Funds.  It’s easy to give online at givenow.luther.edu.
• Planned (future) gifts in the form of bequests, insurance, gift annuities, or charitable trusts.
• Matching gifts. (If you are a Thrivent member, this is the last year Thrivent’s GivingPlus program will match your gift of up to $300. So take advantage of this final opportunity!)

And there’s another way you can help!

• Did you know you can nominate high school juniors or seniors for a $1,000 scholarship to Luther, payable if the student applies, is accepted, and then enrolls? What fun! I’ve nominated two so far!

Here are some ways Luther wants to keep in contact with you.

• LUTHER NEWS  - To subscribe to Luther News, the college’s weekly (each Thursday) e-newsletter, go to the following site and use the subscribe function: http://http//publicinformation.luther.edu/luthernews/. Luther News is a weekly electronic publication aimed at keeping alumni, the Luther and Decorah communities, parents, and friends of the college updated on Luther's current events.

• TUESDAYS  -The most recent edition of Tuesday is available for viewing on the Luther College Web site via the Office of Public Information home page. The address for viewing Tuesday is www2.luther.edu/~pubinfo/tuesday.html. If you would prefer to subscribe to Tuesday as a weekly email, send a two-line message to [email protected], which says, subscribe

• PLEASE NOTE - The fall class agent letters will now be sent by email, and spring letters will be sent by postal mail. If you have not shared your email address with the college, please do so by either sending a message to [email protected] or by signing on to the online alumni directory at http://https//www2.luther.edu/alumni/directory/. (You may need to add [email protected] to your address book to allow messages through your spam blocker.)

Keep in touch!

Jeri Jenson Smith                                                        
1971 Class Agent                                                         
[email protected]    

Nancy Heerens-Knudson
1971 Class Agent
[email protected]                                           

PS. “Luther College Women and Work Study”

Luther Professor of Accounting Ramona "Mona" (Feller) Nelson ’75 is conducting a research project on the career history, leadership experiences, entrepreneurial pursuits, work/life balance experiences, and general work-related perceptions of Luther alumnae from the graduation years of 1969-94. Women from the 1969-94 grad years are invited to participate in an online survey at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=x_2ff8dDNR8F96f3gdck4Xfw_3d_3d

If you have already completed the survey, thank you.  If you did not receive previous notice of the survey, please go to the web address and complete it before January 5, 2010. Questions can be directed to Mona Nelson at [email protected].

Class Notes
LEROY BRADWAY is interim pastor at First Lutheran Church in Chariton, Iowa.

 JANE (LARSON) FISCHER of Jacksonville, Fla., is a self-employed education consultant.

 JAN (STORHOFF) WEBER ‘69 and JON LAHANN  were honored for their long years of singing in the Minnesota Chorale at the 2008 Minnesota Choral Singer Recognition Event in Edina, Minn. Jan completed 25 years as an alto, and Jon, a charter member of the Chorale, completed 36 years. They both sang together in Nordic Choir during the 1968-69 school year. The Minnesota Chorale, founded in 1972, has sung with the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and it has been the principal chorus of the Minnesota Orchestra since 2004. 

SCOTT LEE retired after 33 years teaching fifth grade at Trempealeau (Wis.) Elementary School; he works in environmental education and nature programs with school and adult groups.

JIM McCAFFREY and his wife, Brenda, are owners of a new restaurant in Decorah called McCaffrey’s Dolcé Vita, located near Twin Springs Park. Dolcé Vita, which translates as “sweet life,” serves wood-burning brick-oven-baked pizza, pasta, salads, sandwiches, and appetizers, along with a full wine and bar menu. In the future, the restaurant plans to introduce bakery and specialty items to the menu, as well as live entertainment.

KARL NELSON of Shell Rock, Iowa, was elected to the Butler County Board of Supervisors.

JAN PITTMAN VANDERPOOL earned a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Southern California. She is assistant adjunct professor in business and psychology in the Los Angeles Community College Districts and executive director of Bridge Over Digital Divide, an urban educational technology transfer non-profit in Inglewood, Calif.

TODD RUEDISILI celebrated his 35^th year as director of Lake Hubert (Minn.) Tennis Camps and his 25^th year as a USPTA tennis pro. Todd officiates tennis professionally nationwide.

BRAD TOWNSEND of Byron, Ill., is a retired guidance counselor.

THOMAS WILLIAMS of Twin Lakes, Wis., is a graphic computer operator at Graphic Partners and a realtor at Bear Realty, Inc.

Obituary
PATRICIA JUVIK-WOODS of Benicia, Calif., died Jan. 31, 2009, at age 59 from complications of syringomyelia, a disorder of the spinal cord. She earned a master’s degree from the University of Iowa in 1976, and worked for the Iowa Department of Corrections as a correctional counselor, a parole officer, and as assistant to the director of corrections. Patricia also worked as district administrator for the Iowa Department of Social Services. In 1980 she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and worked as a manager of contract administration for an engineering consulting company. Patricia finished her professional career at Avanti Corporation in the Silicon Valley in administration management. She is survived by her mother, a step-daughter, three grandchildren, a brother, and two sisters, including MARY JUVIK ’73. She was preceded in death by her husband, Harry Woods.