Spring 2017
Class of 2009 –
So. We meet again! There has been no shortage of Luther news since we last spoke. Here are some of the more notable items since our last letter:
First, we would be remiss not to start with a reflection on the passing of Weston Noble ’43. Synonymous with excellency in chorale artistry, Noble’s legacy is a significant part of Luther’s history and why our beloved alma mater is what it is today. A celebration of life for Weston will be held on the Luther campus at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at the Center for Faith and Life, Main Hall. More information about Weston’s life can be found here: www.luther.edu/headlines/?story_id=736581. I truly hope many of you can make it for this bittersweet celebration.
In other choral news, Andrew Last ’97, assistant professor of music and conductor of Collegiate Chorale and Norsemen, has been appointed to the post of Nordic Choir conductor and director of choral activities at Luther. He will begin his new duties at the beginning of the 2017 fall semester. Read more at www.luther.edu/headlines/?story_id=739476.
If you haven’t checked out the Luther Alumni website, you should take some time to do so! There is a lot of great information about what our classmates are up to, news about Luther and Decorah, as well as great opportunities for you to stay connected with your fellow Norse. For instance, did you know that Luther’s Alumni Office coordinates and/or promotes a number of travel tours each year? Information can be found on the webpage www.luther.edu/alumni/. Upcoming tours in 2017 include a New England coastal cruise in September, Holocaust history tour in Europe in July, and Vietnam and Cambodia adventure in November.
As we try to do in most letters, we want to feature someone from our graduating class so you can see what the gang is up to! We also try to feature someone from the Luther staff (past or present) so you can stay connected to campus in that way as well. Let’s hear from Ellie Meyer and Chelle Meyer!
Ellie (Meyer) Smith lives in Chicago with her incredible husband, Andre, and is a national account executive on the sales team at Meeting Tomorrow, an AV and technology rental company that supports corporate meetings and events nationwide. She was a communication major with a Spanish minor at Luther. She is so appreciative for her time at Luther for the lasting friendships she enjoys, and for the preparation it provided for her current role.
From fall 1993 until spring 2012, Chelle Meyer ’89 worked in Koren Hall (3rd floor office) with the sociology/anthropology/social work, political science, history, and Africana studies professors. In the fall of 2012 she moved to Larsen Hall. “I do miss my old building, but enjoy my new position as the program director for off-campus J-terms in the Center for Global Learning.” The CGL is responsible for both sending students abroad and also recruiting international students to campus.
“I work with faculty to plan the 18 to 24 off-campus courses that are offered each J-term. During the summer, I travel with faculty to "scout out" new locations. This gives new faculty leaders a chance to become familiar with destinations, make contact with people on the ground, and help them feel comfortable leading students.”
“I'm also a Luther grad and have learned from our director, Jon Lund, who recruits 40 to 50 new international students each year, that we are all admissions counselors for Luther College. Spread the word; bleed blue!”
Until our next letter – we hope you are doing great things and living life to the fullest!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Justin Madsen and Julian Stanke
[email protected] [email protected]
CLASS NOTES
Hannah Armstrong Stanke teaches choir at Southwest High School in Minneapolis.
Melissa Berg is an elementary school counselor at Shanghai Community International School in China.
David Keller earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the Denver School of Nursing. He is a nurse at the Colorado University Hospital in the Cardiac-Thoracic ICU Department.
Meg KenKnight Burman is a public health nurse and nurse-family partner at Public Health Madison and Dane County in Madison, Wis.
Megan (Reutlinger) Lyon is a physical therapist at Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah. She received certification in orthopedic clinical specialty.
Laura (Johnson) Mallers of San Francisco is an audit manager at Deloitte.
Kassandra (Malek) and Curtis Miller live in Savage, Minn. Kassandra is a stay-at-home mom and Curtis is a quality manager at PepsiCo in Burnsville, Minn.
Tom Miller-Bishoff is an occupational therapist at Communications Innovations in Fitchburg, Wis. He earned a master’s degree in occupational therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Matt Myers is conductor and musical director of Master Chorale of Flagstaff (Ariz.).
Siri (Dove) Mytty of Basalt, Colo., is a reception manager at Snowmass Club.
Matt Orth is a level 3 engineer at SundogIT in Dekalb, Ill.
Cody Ryberg is a study abroad advisor at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, N.C.
Andrea Schiefelbein is a graduate student in public health at the London (England) School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Andrew Stoneking is director of choral activities at North High School in Sioux City, Iowa.
Kate Thomson is a digital cloud librarian at Bibliotecha in Oakdale, Minn.
Jeff Weston is on the music faculty at the University of Pittsburgh.
MARRIAGES
FLANNERY CERBIN and Adam Bohach ’06, Sept. 27, 2014
ANDREA SCHIEFELBEIN and Jeffrey Totoritis, Aug. 20, 2016
BIRTHS
LIZ (HANSEN) and STEVE COX '08 welcomed a son, Carter Timothy, in November 2016.
Erin and TOM MILLER-BISHOFF welcomed a son, James Thomas, in May 2015.
EMILY (LOOFT) '10 and CHAD NELSON welcomed a daughter, Eleanor May, in September 2016.
CARRIE (HARRIS) and Robin Schmitz welcomed a daughter, Catherine Anne, in October 2016. Catherine joins sister Alice.
MAGGIE (JONES) '06 and JAMES STANSFIELD welcomed a son, Phillip Neale, in August 2016.
EMILY (STINSON) and ANDREW STONEKING welcomed a son, Evan Michael, in October 2014.
GAOXUE (HER) and ALEX STOPPEL welcomed a daughter, Kira, in June 2016.
The Annual Fund – make your gift today:
Your gift. Put to work, right away, where it is needed most.
Last year more than 10,000 alumni, family, and friends supported Luther’s Annual Fund with gifts from $5 to $100,000. Your gift makes a difference for each and every student at Luther, and we are grateful for your support.
givenow.luther.edu
WITH SINCERE GRATITUDE:
This list includes all gifts received January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2016. Making a gift each and every year is an investment in the lives of Luther students and a show of support for the Luther College community. Thank you for your support of Luther College through your giving.
Audrey Anderson
Laura Bandfield
Melissa Berg
Johanna Bergan
Joshua Blessing
Alison Brandell-Douglas
Erin (Torkelson) Bunge
Zachary Busch
Katherine (Westby) Campos
Siri Carlson
Tiffany Choi
Robert Coe
Alysia (Lawson) Coffield
Brien Coffield
Brett Cooper
Laura (McCarty) Cooper
Sarah Cowing
Margaret (Berven) Curtis
Laura Delikowski
Kristin (Flessland) Duesterhoeft
Catherine (Docken) Dyer
Rachel (Kerr) Elbin
Bethany (Tisthammer) Engen
Adam Ettestad
Emily Ewing
Matthew Finn
Kelly Gaul
Brent Gerike
Ean Gibson
Jenna (Gieseke) Goldberg
Alicia (Wolber) Grindle
Jennifer (Sletten) Hagen
Alyssa (Clark) Halweg
Jesse Halweg
Elizabeth Hansen Cox
Aaron Harpole
Emily (Walk) Harris
Jessica Hazelton
Kirsten Hoyme
Blake Humpal
Megan (Helderman) Humpal
Amanda Inhofer
Brianna (Kunkel) Iverson
Jerold Jaeger
Ashley Johnson
Joshua Jorstad
David Keller
Liesl Koehnen
Sarah (Will) Kowalski
Troy Kowalski
Zachary Lane
Phillip Livers
Colton Long
Sean Lunde Keenan
Megan (Reutlinger) Lyon
Justin Madsen
David McKay
Peter McLellan
Gabrielle McNally
Jennifer Meuwissen
Stephanie (Borgen) Meyer
Alexander Mierau
Andrea (Johnson) Mierau
Janet (Dobyns) Mundell
Timothy Mundell
Matthew Myers
Nathan Neis
Chad Nelson
Martha Oldenburg
Thomas Orser
Jessica (Boese) Purdie
Logan Queck
Erika Randall
Blair (Ernst) Sadler
Caitlin Sanders
Andrea Schiefelbein
Dain Schilling
Katherine (Klacan) Schilling
Carolyn (Harris) Schmitz
Elizabeth (Jeddeloh) Schultz
Eric Schultz
David Seiffert
Megan Selvig
Megan (Arneson) Sherman
Adam Sill
Kristin (Johnson) Sjoberg
Kristin Skaar
Rebekah Stadie
James Stansfield
Alex Stoppel
Gaoxue (Her) Stoppel
Kristin Swedlund
Andres Tapia
Dana (Harney) Teske
Kate Thomson
Ashley Uecker
Rachel (Schutte) Vsetecka
Joy Waughtal
Amy (Schneider) Webb
Cameron Webb
Kelsey Wettach
Jennifer (Holst) Whiley
Mary Whipple
Kathie (Palmersheim) Whitt
Laura Williams Tugana
Amy (Ekland) Worden
Joel Zook
Every attempt has been made to ensure the accuracy of this list. If an error has been made, please accept our apology and contact the Luther Development Office at 800-225-8664, or email [email protected].