Fall 2019
Dear Class of 1993 Alumni,
It is hard to believe a year has passed since our class reunion last fall. While we celebrated 25 years being graduates of Luther, it is startling to think we moved INTO Luther’s freshman halls 30 years ago! Here we are in the fall again, with more of our classmates sending students off for their own college adventures. Think of all the opportunities that await them that we could not have imagined 30 years ago! I don’t know about anyone else, but I could not have dreamt of social media, cell phones that perform so many functions, or not needing to use a television to watch TV shows.
It promises to be an exciting year for Luther. 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! In addition to events on campus there are many shops, restaurants, and tap rooms to explore. Of course, the beautiful outdoors awaits with biking and hiking trails throughout Decorah! Wishing you all a wonderful fall!
Kris (Felsman) Freiling
1993 Class Agent
9407 Jasmine Avenue S.
Cottage Grove MN 55016
612-325-4277
[email protected]
Mitch Thompson
1993 Class Agent
5691 Camerata Way
St. Louis Park MN 55416
612-987-3873
[email protected]
CLASS NOTES
Erik Beguin of Austin, Tex., was inducted into the Onalaska High School Hall of Fame. Beguin is a nationally recognized banking and financial services entrepreneur and consumer advocate. He founded Austin Capital Bank to serve the needs of working-class families in 2006, and in 2018, he founded Credit Strong to help Americans with low credit scores build their credit profile to break the high cost personal debt. Austin Capital Bank is one of the best performing and fastest growing banks in the nation.
Jenny (Stigers) Bosking is director of development with AbbeHealth and the St. Luke’s Foundation in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Lena (Katzenmaier) Christiansen is principal at Weaver Lake Elementary in Osseo, Minn. She previously served for seven years as principal at Dayton’s Bluff Achievement Plus Elementary in St. Paul, Minn. Christiansen has been an assistant principal and teacher on special assignment for the St. Paul School District, where she taught third and fifth grade for 14 years.
Sean Coleman is dean of mathematics and sciences and professor of biology at University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Ark.
Zain Diwan is vice president, application management and data architecture at U.S. Bank in St. Paul, Minn.
Chris Fuchs is senior product manager at MoneyGram International in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
Paul Melin is principal cloud platform specialist, analytics at Oracle in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
Lonnie Morken was named Minnesota Volleyball Coaches’ Association Class A Coach of the Year. With and overall record of 679-130, Morken is one of only 12 coaches in state history to notch more than 600 career wins. Lonnie is athletic director, and health and physical education teacher and girls’ volleyball coach at Mabel-Canton (Minn.) High School.
Steve Olson is senior network engineer at Paumen Computer Services in Buffalo, Minn.
Anjie Shutts of Des Moines, Iowa, is a family law attorney with Whitfield & Eddy, P.L.C. She was elected as an officer in line for the presidency of the Iowa State Bar Association. She will serve as the Vice President from 2019-2020, President-elect in 2020-2021, and the 135th President of the Iowa State Bar Association in 2021-2022. The Iowa State Bar Association represents over 8,000 lawyers across the state of Iowa. Anjie also serves on the Board of Regents at Luther.
Melissa Wolfe is a biologist at Western Ecosystems Technology, Inc. in Cheyenne, Wyo.
Rhonda (Bublitz) Williams is finance manager at the State of Minnesota Judicial Branch in St. Paul, Minn.
OBITUARY
Simeon Garrison of Albany, N.Y., died Aug. 26, 2018, age 57.
The full obituary of the classmate listed above can be found on the Luther College website at: luther.edu/in-memoriam
If you would like a printout of the obituary listed above in its entirety mailed to you, please contact us at: [email protected], or 563-387-1509.