Fall 2009
Dear Classmate,
Greetings to you from the Class of 2003! We hope this finds you doing well and enjoying all the beautiful changes that autumn often brings.
First of all, we’d like to extend our gratitude to those of you who gave a gift to the Luther College Annual Fund (LCAF) through Phonathon 2009 or other giving programs. We understand that there are many other organizations with which you may be affiliated, and please know that each gift given to Luther does not go unnoticed. On behalf of the students, faculty, and staff, thank you for your gift. If you haven’t made your gift yet, please consider giving online at givenow.luther.edu.
When asked, most of us can recall numerous times when we have encountered fellow Luther grads at the mall or grocery store and reminisced about our respective Luther experiences. There also may be special high school students in your life that have begun the college search process and like a reflex, you encourage them to take a look at your alma mater in a small town called Decorah. Because those instances are so common, the Admissions team has implemented a new scholarship program in which alumni play an integral role.
If you are aware of any rising juniors or seniors who would be a great addition to the Luther community, this scholarship program is for them! As an alum, you may nominate these high school students graduating in 2010 and 2011, and, should they enroll at Luther, they will be awarded a one-time scholarship of $1,000 toward their first-year tuition. Nominations must be received by February 1, 2010. The students you recommend will be notified of your nomination so they will be aware of your contribution to their college search. Click here for the nomination form.
Whether you are looking for a way to connect with friends or a great opportunity to network with fellow Luther alums, check out the alumni site at http://www2.luther.edu/alumni/. Keep your eyes peeled for Young Alumni events, such as the Get Down Give Back scholarship benefit, happy hours, and other events for 'recent' graduates!
We invite you to read through the updates from our classmates regarding exciting life changes. And as always, if your contact information has changed, please remember to update your file with the Alumni Office by signing on to the alumni directory, completing the alumni update form, or calling 800-225-8664.
For all the latest updates on campus, check out http://www2.luther.edu/!
Regards,
Kate (Swenson) Cinnamo
2003 Class Agent
[email protected]
Joel Sommers
2003 Class Agent
[email protected]
P.S. A matching gift is a great way to double the impact of your gift to Luther! To find out if your company participates in matching gift programs, visit your Human Resources office to obtain the appropriate forms.
Class Notes
MOLLY (VANDERSTOEP) and MATT BEATTY live in St. Paul, Minn. Molly is a nursing student at the University of Minnesota. Matt is a doctoral candidate and a fulltime faculty member in the University of Minnesota’s International Student Admissions Department.
DUSTY BENNETT earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Dubuque and is an international customer services representative for Trek Bicycle in Waterloo, Wis.
AMY (LARSON) ’01 and PETER CALHOUN live in Iowa City, Iowa. Peter is a doctoral student in music at the University of Iowa.
LISA (SHAPPELL) CHATFIELD is a stay-at-home-mom in Charles City, Iowa.
KATY DANE earned a master’s degree in choral conducting from Texas State University and is choir director and theory teacher for the Cibolo (Texas) School District.
ANN DEHNING HINTZ of Hortonville, Wis., earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. She is assistant registrar at St. Norbert College.
KRISTIN DOROW is a team lead wellness coach at UnitedHealth Group in Atlanta.
PETER ELIASON is manager of marketing analytics at SuperValu in Minneapolis.
ABBY FROST earned a master of music degree in choral conducting from the University of Arizona and is a choral music teacher for Hamilton Public Schools in Hamilton, Mass.
PETE HOYEM teaches mathematics and coaches Nordic skiing at Stillwater (Minn.) High School, and he is head cross country and track and field coach at Oakland Junior High. Last May Pete won the inaugural Stillwater Marathon with a time of 2:50:32.
RILEY (McNURLIN) HUEBSCH teaches first grade at West Elementary School in Jefferson, Wis.
JANE (AGGREY-APPIAH) HUNTER of Chicago is an executive producer and CEO of the television show “24/7 Chicago,” broadcast only on NBC 5.
RYAN KLING-PUNT is director of publications for Rochester Area Builders in Rochester, Minn.
RACHEL (YOW) and KYLE KNOEPFEL ’04 live in Los Altos, Calif. Rachel earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Creighton University and is a staff registered nurse at Stanford University Hospital.
KELSEY KNUTTI is a registered nurse in the U.S. Navy. She is deployed with Navy Expeditionary Medical Unit-09 in Landstuhl, Germany, caring for wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
JIM KOWITZ is a senior relocation counselor at Plus Relocation Services in Minneapolis.
KRISTINE (HOLLEQUE) LOWER is a psychometrician at NCS Pearson in Bloomington, Minn.
ANDREW NELSON earned a master of divinity degree in May from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. He accepted a call as associate pastor of education and youth ministry at Bethel Lutheran Church in Rochester, Minn.
AMANDA (BENEDICT) and JUSTIN OBENAUER ’01 live in Lakeville, Minn. Amanda is a career services representative at Everest Institute.
MICHAEL OLSON is a senior sales support specialist at Kronos Incorporated in Minneapolis.
BRONSON POWER is a certified public accountant at LarsonAllen, LLP, in New Ulm, Minn.
LINDSAY (LEHMANN) REITEN earned a master’s degree in education mathematics from the University of Wisconsin–River Falls and is a teacher and MathCounts Coach at Irmo Middle School in Columbia, S.C.
ANGELA (WILSON) RICHARDS is a plant controller for Hormel Foods Corporation in Beloit, Wis.
JENNIFER RUST ANDERSON is a contract specialist at Community Health Partnership Inc. in Eau Claire, Wis.
KELLY SHOMPER is a special education aide for the San Francisco Unified School District.
ERIK SILL teaches business and coaches 9th grade football at Minnetonka (Minn.) High School. He also served as varsity assistant coach for the boys basketball team that won the Class 4A state title in 2008.
KIM STIETZ serves as the ELCA's director for international public policy in Washington, D.C. She works with diverse faith and secular advocacy organizations to coordinate campaigns and lobby the U.S. Congress and administration on a wide range of issues, including foreign aid, debt forgiveness, international trade, agriculture subsidy reform, global AIDS, and conflict. Stietz was an author of a proposed ELCA Strategy on HIV and AIDS, which went before the 2009 Churchwide Assembly in August.
GWEN (LYKKEN) STRAND is a laboratory technologist at Metropolitan Medical Laboratory in Moline, Ill.
CRYSTA WEIDMANN is a general accountant for the Art Institute International Minnesota in Minneapolis.
ANDREW WEISPFENNING graduated from the Des Moines (Iowa) Regional Police Academy and is a patrol officer for the Des Moines Police Department.
NICOLE (VERMETT) and NICK WOLF live in Walworth, Wis. Nicole is an accountant at Panasonic; Nick is plant accountant at Greenlee Textron.
Births
AMANDA LINDBERG-AGANGA and OLA AGANGA '01 welcomed a son, Liam, in April 2009. Liam joins brother Kieran (1).
AMY (LARSON) '01 and PETER CALHOUN welcomed a daughter, Rachel, in Aug. 2008.
LISA (SHAPPELL) and Jeremy Chatfield welcomed a daughter, Isabelle, in Dec. 2008. Isabelle joins sister Tabitha (4).
KATIE (WOLTJER) and Viet Doan welcomed a son, Nathan, in March 2008.
EMILY (LARSON) and Steve Forssberg welcomed a daughter, Maia, in Sept. 2008.
Jennifer and DUSTY JOHNSON welcomed a son, Noah, in Dec. 2008.
ANGELA GENO-STUMME and TOM STUMME '04 welcomed a daughter, Trinity, in April 2009.
MARY (KVITRUD) and Jimmy Gosse welcomed a son, Aaron, in June 2009.
Kari and BRYAN PRATT welcomed a daughter, Leila, in March 2009.
ASHLEY (SLOAN) and RYAN SHERLOCK welcomed a daughter, Jessa, in Jan. 2009.
BETHANY (WILSON) and Joseph Stadler welcomed a daughter, Ella, in April 2009. Ella joins brother Ryan (2) and sisters Maya (5) and Claire (3).
NICOLE (VERMETT) and NICK WOLF welcomed a daughter, Lily, in Aug. 2007.
Marriages
DUSTY BENNETT and VICTORIA OLSEN '04, Feb. 28, 2009
DAN HANSON and HOA NGUYEN '02, Jan. 13, 2009
LEA HAYS and Mark Donovan, Feb. 12, 2005
ANN DEHNING and Andy Hintz, May 16, 2009
RILEY MCNURLIN and Bill Huebsch, July 30, 2008
CHAD KRAUS and Amanda Beerbower, March 24, 2007
LEAH THOMSEN and Lee Malmstrom, April 4, 2009
ANDY MILLS and ELLIE VALETA '05, Sept. 20, 2008
BRONSON POWER and Amber Moszer, June 14, 2008
JOE SIEVERS and Amy Clarke, Sept. 27, 2008
JESSIE JEZIORSKI and Chad Wilson, June 20, 2009
PAULA NEEMANN and Jesse Houser, May 23, 2007
Obituary
SARAH CARROLL PULVERMACHER of Iowa City, Iowa, died Dec. 17, 2008, at age 27. A biology major at Luther, she completed her doctoral requirements at the University of Iowa and was due to graduate on Dec. 20, 2008, with a Ph.D. in microbiology. Sarah met the love of her life, Sean Connolly, six years ago, when they both attended a summer microbiology internship program. They were engaged and planning an Oct. 17, 2009, wedding. Sarah and Sean were killed in a tragic car accident. She is survived by her parents, a sister, and two grandmothers.
