Distinguished Service Awards / Music Awards / Athletic Awards
Distinguished Service Awards
Dr. Rolf Brekken ’91
A leading cancer biology researcher at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Brekken has been a principal investigator at the Hammon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research since 2002.
FROM HIS AWARD CITATION
Brekken’s research seeks to deepen our understanding of the changes that occur during tumor growth, then use that knowledge to develop effective drugs that specifically target unique aspects of those cancer cells. One major focus of Rolf’s lab is the molecular mechanisms of cancer angiogenesis—the physiological process by which new blood vessels form to “feed” the tumor cells. Rolf’s team has been exploring the use of antibodies as anti-cancer drugs, to target tumor-specific signals to block angiogenesis, thereby crippling the tumor without doing significant damage to normal cells. Another focal point of his work is the mechanisms by which cells signal their own destruction, and how tumor cells distort those signals, seeking yet another set of targets for novel antibody development. Two drugs from Rolf’s research have already entered clinical trials, one of which is in phase III—the latest and final level of testing. Additional candidates for targeted drug use are under study. . . . Rolf has had 10 Ph.D. students, nineteen postdoctoral fellows, and numerous undergraduate researchers in his lab, and he has served on dozens of dissertation committees. He speaks warmly of the satisfaction he feels when lab members bring forward their own ideas and discoveries, progress into their careers, and pay forward to others his contribution to them. A few years ago I visited Rolf’s lab at UT-Southwestern, and the camaraderie and creativity of that space was immediately evident.
—Marian Kaehler, professor of biology
Caroline Worra ’91
A world-class opera singer, Worra is also chair of the Music Department of the Stanwich School, a private co-ed school in Greenwich, Connecticut, where she teaches prekindergarten through 12th-grade music.
FROM HER AWARD CITATION
Caroline Worra has been hailed by Opera News Magazine as “one of the finest singing actresses around.” She has sung over 75 roles in opera and is listed as a performing artist with very prestigious opera companies. Perhaps equally impressive is that nearly 30 of these opera roles were in world, American, and regional premieres. This effort often requires energetic initiative, much more skilled musicianship, and certainly greater artistic creativity in order to perform something that has never been performed before. . . . Many of us who knew Caroline as a student here instantly recognized her high-caliber skills as a collaborative pianist. She, of course, was a fine singer, but she made her musical reputation at Luther because of the large amount of time she spent on the piano bench. She accompanied numerous recitals and ensembles at the keyboard. It was clear that she had a musical maturity and an extraordinary gift as an accompanist. One of her teachers, Jessica Paul, described her as a brilliant pianist, supremely gifted, musically intuitive, a fearless performer, and graciously diplomatic. Weston Noble spoke of her natural leadership, her infectious smile, and the high respect of her fellow students, especially while she was president of Nordic Choir. All of these talents, musical and otherwise, proved to serve her well as she began a career in vocal performance.
—David Judisch, professor emeritus of music
Pete Espinosa ’81
Espinosa has held senior executive leadership positions with IBM, Vignette, Guidewire Software, One Inc., and CSC (Computer Science Corporation).
FROM HIS AWARD CITATION
After a Homecoming visit to Decorah a few years ago, Pete and his wife Kari (Tollefson) Espinosa ’84 began to seriously consider retirement in Decorah. Though the Espinosas had been considering Cape Cod, Decorah won out due to the combination of so many great things to do, proximity to Edina, where they live, plus great schools. Family connections to Luther were an important part of this calculus. Pete’s brother Paul ’68 (deceased) and sisters Pamela (Espinosa) McFarland ’70 and Ann Espinosa ’80 are also Luther graduates. But Pete’s investment in Decorah goes beyond Luther and the home they have built here. In 2014 Pete purchased and renovated Bottle Tree laundromat on College Drive. And while owning a laundromat doesn’t always rise to the top of the list of real estate investments, it serves a highly vulnerable population in a very important way. In Pete’s words: “If you want to see the face of poverty, own a laundromat.” And while he’s not sure the purchase of the property will ever be profitable, he believes, in his words, “My return on investment is feeling like I’m part of doing something good for Decorah.” Then last year, Pete opened Pulpit Rock Brewery, which has helped Decorah become even more of a craft beer destination. Pete has found unique ways to continue to connect to the community through Pulpit Rock as well. Last Thanksgiving, he hosted the men’s basketball team for Thanksgiving lunch, and then did the same later that day for Luther international students who were not able to get home to see their families over the holiday break. . . . Pete is the kind of person that makes you think “I could do more.”
—Eric Runestad, vice president for finance and administration
Steven Schaver ’76
Schaver’s long career with EchoStar Corporation, parent company of Dish Network, began in 1984, and he has held the office of president of EchoStar International since 2001, living in Madrid.
FROM HIS AWARD CITATION
In his first two years at Luther, Steve was an all-star student of Spanish, but his semester in Spain became the transformative experience of his college education. Only a year before Steve applied to study away, a scholarship fund for students of Spanish going abroad was established by alumna Patricia Gunderson ’70. Steve was the first recipient of this scholarship, a fund that continues to support January Term study abroad in Spain and Latin America. . . . In 2001 Steve established an endowed scholarship fund with three aims: to support students of Spanish undertaking study abroad to build their language skills; to provide financial aid for low-income and first-generation Latino students at Luther; and to develop the Spanish program on campus and internationally. Each year in the spring my colleagues and I gather to discuss scholarship applications from Spanish majors who intend to study abroad in the coming year, and we take great delight in telling the qualified applicants that a portion, often a substantial portion, of the expense will be covered by an award from the Schaver endowment. This fund not only makes life-changing experiences possible, it makes our academic program richer and more rigorous. Without scholarship funds, it would be far more difficult to require every Spanish major to study abroad for a semester, and we are proud that this requirement continues to be a cornerstone of the Luther Spanish program. In 2003 Steve accepted an appointment to the Luther Board of Regents, a role that he played for three consecutive terms, the maximum allowed, helping the college chart its future.
—David Thompson, associate professor of Spanish
Debra Wilson ’71 and Peggy Brenden ’76
Wilson and Brenden both pursued careers in law, each eventually serving in the judiciary. Wilson served 29 years on the bench as an appellate judge with the Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals, and Brenden served 30 years as a judge with Minnesota’s Office of Administrative Hearings.
FROM THEIR AWARD CITATION
There is a kind of symmetry and elegance to the personal and professional lives of Debra Wilson ’71 and Peggy Brenden ’76. That parallel symmetry and elegance have been marked by substantial achievement in sport, law, volunteer service, and social activism. Two examples help highlight the early beginnings of their shared story. As a high school senior, Peg was a plaintiff in a successful lawsuit allowing her to play on her high school tennis team, which, by state association rules, was limited to males, though there was no girls’ team. About the same time at Luther, Deb was finding ways to make her voice heard as a student-athlete leader regarding equal funding and opportunity for female athletes.
Their individual streams were beginning to merge.
Another element pushing them toward their eventual symmetric merging was their shared enjoyment regarding the artful game of tennis. As players and coaches, they understood the joy that such a game generates regardless of ability, and today that passion remains even though one has moved toward the miniature court of pickle ball while the other remains active on the normal court.
Though five years separated their respective Luther graduations, these beginning elements of shared interests and experiences kept drawing them together, leading to establishing their committed relationship to one another in 1977. Doing so, their parallel paths persisted as Peg earned her jurisprudence degree from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1979 with Deb soon following, earning hers in 1981 from William Mitchell College of Law. . . . For both, their exceptional courtroom careers were marked by clearly articulated decisions reached through balanced insight, perceptive listening, and thoughtful engagement with the arguments presented.
Though retired from the judiciary, they remain clearly engaged with the court of social advocacy. Intertwined with a variety of volunteer work, civic organizations, and their church, all of which have benefited from their diverse talents, Deb and Peg continue to address issues surrounding gender equity and sexual orientation. The notion of elegance surfaces since both model through patience, firmness, grace, and openness a healthy and lively interaction with all whom they encounter. In 2013 they also celebrated the legal status of their relationship with a marriage ceremony fittingly enough held in the Minnesota Supreme Court chambers.
—Robert Larson, professor emeritus of theatre
Weston Noble Award
The Weston Noble Award is given to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the choral arts.
Edith Copley ’76
Director of choral activities, Northern Arizona University
FROM HER CITATION
Copley’s resume and list of accomplishments are impressive. Most notably, she’s been named as a Centennial Teacher of the Year from Northern Arizona University, she’s a recipient of Arizona Music Educator of the Year, received a Distinguished Service Award from Luther College in 2004, was honored with the Arizona ACDA Outstanding Choral Director Award, and in 2012 was awarded the Regents’ Professor honor by Northern Arizona University, where she was the first and only music faculty member ever to receive this rank.
Personally, I’m honored to present this award, as Dr. Copley was also one of my teachers. I will forever remember the first rehearsal that I sang under Dr. Copley’s direction. To say that I was awestruck at the efficiency of her rehearsal and her conducting gesture would be an understatement. Her ability to create musical nuance through her gesture on the very first day of a rehearsal on a piece is a memory that I proudly share with my students each and every semester of conducting I teach.
—Andrew Last ’97, assistant professor of music
Presser Scholarship
The Theodore Presser Foundation provides a generous scholarship for an extraordinary senior music major each year.
Pablo Gómez Estévez ’17
FROM HIS CITATION
Pablo’s dream was to study music in Belgium, where his father lives. However, by providence, he found out about Luther College and that—to quote him—”the music faculty behaves as though this school is a conservatory, but within the boundaries of the liberal arts.”
Pablo has a keen intelligence, interested in music, theatre, dance, philosophy, always pursuing the meaning and significance of his activities, searching for what could lead to self-realization. His inquiring attitude demonstrates a true intellectual character, combined with social grace and his well-known gregarious nature. He is noted for his academic and artistic achievements. Pablo’s compositions have been performed at Luther College, Berklee School of Music, Boston Conservatory, and in the Dominican Republic. He has successful collaborations with Luther’s Dance Department and College Ministries, serves as tutor of music theory, works as a tour guide in Admissions and a facilitator at the Spanish Table. He was a finalist in the Distinction in Collaborative Keyboard Scholarship Competition.
Pablo received a summer research grant to write and compose the music for Lulito, an illustrated and musicalized children’s book. He presented this project at the research symposium this past May.
He was a member of Norsemen, Cathedral Choir, and the Jazz Band. He is currently the pianist with the Jazz Orchestra. Pablo studies piano with John Strauss and composition with Brooke Joyce.
Pablo is an example of dedication to excellence, a distinguished musician and scholar.
—Juan Tony Guzmán ’90, professor of music
Carlo A. Sperati Award
In the spirit of Carlo A. Sperati, conductor of the Luther Concert Band from 1905 to 1943, Luther annually honors a graduate who has had a distinguished career as a music educator.
Ronald Fox
Luther professor emeritus of music
FROM HIS CITATION
Ronald Fox’s career at Luther began in 1981. He was interviewed during that summer and was also interviewed for a similar position at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. He accepted the position at Luther and never looked back. . . .
Fox maintained a very relaxed attitude in his studio. Until tinnitus became a problem for him, he often played with the students. To quote one of Ron’s students from Baylor University, “Ron had a free, resonant tone and possessed a fun-loving personality. He knew I was in trouble and invested in me in significant and meaningful ways. He often played for and with me during my lessons. There is no judgment, just opportunity, healthy repetition, and time in his studio.”
Ron’s students always played to their potential without fear of failure, always willing to take chances. His students had ample opportunities to hear him play. In 1986 he was the tour soloist with the Luther College Band, in 1987, tour soloist with the Luther College Symphony Orchestra, and then again in 1990, tour soloist with the Concert Band. His off-campus performances are too numerous to mention. In 2008 the year of his retirement, two of his students created a Ron Fox Trumpet Scholarship, which was first awarded in 2011.
—Fred Nyline, professor emeritus of music, and Joan deAlbuquerque, associate professor of music and director of bands
Hemp Family Prize
The Richard C. and Joann M. Hemp Family Prize for Orchestral Performance is awarded to a Symphony Orchestra senior for exceptional performance, talent, musicianship, and leadership.
Namuun Tsend-Ayush ’17
FROM HER CITATION
In 2011 Namuun was one of a handful of Mongolian students invited to enroll at the United World College in Duino, Italy, where she studied for two years. During her time at United World College, she studied with members of the Trio di Trieste. Namuun is now a senior at Luther College majoring in violin performance. Her violin professor is Dr. Igor Kalnin, visiting assistant professor of music at the college.
For the third consecutive year at Luther, Namuun has been selected as winner of the Torgerson Concertmaster Chair; she has served since fall 2014 as concertmaster of the Luther College Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra. Among her many musical achievements as a Luther undergraduate, Namuun was one of the winners of the 2015 Luther College Concerto Competition. She also earned a first-place award in the American Protégé Concerto Competition.
In addition to music, Namuun studies accounting. During her free time, she enjoys dancing and participating in many sports, such as ping pong, soccer, and volleyball.
In December 2016 Namuun performed in New York City at Carnegie Hall under the auspices of the American Protégé competition.
—Daniel Baldwin, professor of music
Athletics Meritorious Service Award
Vernon Spilde
Retiree from Luther’s Facilities Department
FROM HIS CITATION
On February 1, 1992, Vern retired after 35 years. During his time at Luther, Vern would go to the baseball and softball diamonds in the spring after he was done with his work and practices were concluded for the day. He would drag the fields, pick up garbage, and clean the dugouts. He knew that if it rained during the night, the fields would be a mess and it would be difficult to get them ready and safe for the student athletes the next day. He did all of this outside of his regular duties for the college. In retirement, he continued to volunteer his time for six more years, taking care of both fields, and never took a dime for the hours that he toiled.
Vern and his wife, Kay, were loyal Norse fans and were at almost every home event together until her death in 2014. Vern still finds time to get to Luther sporting events and is an annual contributor to the Norse Athletic Association. . . .
During the spring of 1992, Brian Solberg ’88 was coaching softball with Betty Hoff ’60 on a cool spring afternoon, and his wedding ring fell off his hand while he was coaching. Noticing it was gone, he alerted everyone to keep their eyes open. Vern, while dragging the diamond between games, suddenly stopped the tractor around the shortstop position, got out, walked across the entire diamond almost to the first base line, kicked in the dirt, and pulled out Brian’s ring. Vern had noticed a glimmer from the stone at a distance, stopped, and walked directly to it.
—Renae Hartl, director of intercollegiate athletics and head softball coach
Athletics Hall of Fame
Mike Lopez ’06
Accountant for Manitou American, living in Cedarberg, Wis.
FROM HIS CITATION
As a senior, Mike was dominant in wrestling from beginning to end. He went undefeated against Division III opponents, winning the IIAC Tournament and being named Outstanding Wrestler of the IIAC. He also placed at the UNO Open and the UNI Open and won the IIAC Conference tournament. At the NCAA Championships, he wrestled a tough wrestler from Augsburg in the finals who had transferred into Augsburg midyear. In a hard-fought match, Mike persevered in double OT to win an NCAA title and finish his career with a record of 118-40. He also led Luther to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Tournament that year.
Mike loved his experience at Luther and in Decorah. His favorite parts of that experience include his time spent with teammates and the time he spent running the many great trails in the Decorah area. You see, Mike ran almost every day of his career at Luther. Rain, snow, or sun, he would go outside and run. It played an important role in his ascension to being an NCAA champion. Mike also loved the great hunting and fishing opportunities he had in Decorah, and he still comes back to the area to take advantage of those whenever he can.
—David Mitchell, head wrestling coach
Ben Barclay ’01
English teacher, St. Charles (Minn.) High School
FROM HIS CITATION
On the mat, Ben was a four-year starter, and he helped us take a team that in 1997 had two national qualifiers and no All-Americans to one in 2001 that had five national qualifiers and four All-Americans and finished fourth in the country. In addition, I think Ben’s engaging personality and appearance in a singlet single-handedly doubled the number of fans that came to watch us at home duals! Ben qualified for the NCAA Championships three times, earned two All-American honors and two Scholar All-American honors. He developed himself to the point where he was right in the hunt to win an NCAA title as a senior. During his strong senior season, Ben placed third at the UNI Open, beating a number of Division I wrestlers in the process. He also won the rugged IIAC Championships, avenging his only non-Division I loss of the regular season in the finals of the IIAC Tournament. Ben finished his career with a record of 122-46, which is third all-time in Luther wrestling history for wins.
—David Mitchell, head wrestling coach
Shaun Meinecke ’01
Assistant track coach, University of Wyoming–Laramie
FROM HIS CITATION
Shaun’s high school career as a four-sport athlete prepared him well for his future in the decathlon—the 10-event, two-day competition that includes sprints, hurdles, jumps, throws, and the 1,500-meter run. Starting his sophomore year at Luther, he decided it was time to expand his events. Perhaps foreshadowing his future as a track and field coach, Shaun became a great student of the sport as he became proficient at the 110-meter high hurdles, high jump, long jump, shot put, discus, javelin, pole vault, and triple jump—eight events at which he had no previous experience!
To improve his overall development, Shaun also ran three seasons of cross country for the Norse. He produced top-ten performances on our all-time track and field lists for six different events indoors and four different events outdoors. Add the honors of all-conference in the triple jump, conference champion in the 400-meter hurdles, earning All-American status as a member of the NCAA indoor national champion distance medley relay team, and a sixth-place finish at the NCAA outdoor championships in the decathlon to earn All-America in that event too. A Hall of Fame resume!
—Jeff Wettach ’79, head track and field coach
Brett Stender ’01
Eden Prairie, Minn.
FROM HIS CITATION
Being a multisport athlete in college is very challenging. Brett not only met that challenge, but excelled. Brett was a four-year letter-winner in both football and wrestling. In football, Brett started his first two years at defensive tackle and his last two at offensive tackle, where he was a two-time all-conference player. On the wrestling mat, Brett earned two All-American honors at heavyweight, placing third at the NCAA Championships as a junior and fourth in the nation as a senior, amassing a career record of 90-26. Brett played a huge role in helping bring Luther wrestling back into national prominence. His fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships in 2001 helped lead Luther to a fourth-place team finish, giving us our first team trophy in program history. . . .
I think we all thoroughly enjoyed Brett’s great sense of humor and good nature. Some of my best memories as a coach involve Brett Stender and his great sense of humor. One time during his sophomore year, he came off the mat after beating a very tough opponent in a very intense match, and I met him matside. I looked up to him, patted him on the back, and said, “Brett, that was awesome! Way to go! Whatever you did to get yourself motivated to wrestle that way, do it every time.” Breathing heavy from the match and with no hesitation, Brett immediately responded, “It was easy, Coach. I just pictured your head on that guy’s body!”
—David Mitchell, head wrestling coach
Siri Thompson ’01
Director of manufacturing engineering for Boston Scientific Corporation, living in Bloomington, Ind.
FROM HER CITATION
Siri hit the ground running upon her arrival for cross country training camp at Luther. In addition, she pursued her academic interests in physics, mathematics, and art; she joined the Varsity Band; and as soon as the cross country season ended, it was prep time for track and field. Siri followed this hectic schedule four years, and each year she just kept getting better and better, as a cross country and track runner.
I will highlight some of Siri’s many academic, athletic, and professional achievements. Cross country: two-time all-conference, two-time all-region, two-time academic all-conference, member of three conference champion teams, member of two NCAA top-15 teams. Track and field: two-time all-conference (top three individuals) in the 1,500-meter run; one-time all-conference in the 800-meter run; NCAA qualifier in the outdoor 1,500-meter run, placing 11th in the nation; lead-off runner for the 2001 NCAA champion distance medley relay team, earning All-American recognition.
—Jeff Wettach ’79, head track and field coach
Craig Crandall ’86
Self-employed with his own tax preparation service, living in Champlin, Minn.
FROM HIS CITATION
During his running career at Luther, Craig earned all-conference honors five times in track and two times in cross country. . . . His times in the 3,000-, 5,000-, and 1,500-meter runs still rank him third, fifth, and seventh respectively on Luther’s all-time lists. Craig’s name also appears on the top-10 lists for four different Luther relays.
He was the track team’s most valuable freshman in 1983, and, as a senior, Craig was recognized for his leadership when he was chosen to serve as captain of both the cross country and track teams. During Craig’s tenure at Luther, his teams won four Iowa conference championships in track and three in cross country. Craig ran on Norse cross country teams that placed fifth in the nation in 1984 and won the NCAA Division III national title in 1985.
—Kirk Neubauer ’76, senior associate director of admissions
Denise (Wills) Thoen ’86
Homemaker, living in Bloomington, Minn.
FROM HER CITATION
Denise played volleyball all four years while at Luther College, making a real impact as a first-year student. . . . In volleyball, Denise was an all-conference selection in her sophomore and senior seasons and was selected as the team MVP in both of those seasons. She was blessed with incredible physical athletic ability and coordination that we had rarely seen at Luther up until then. She was always ready to play and in control on the court. In addition to her natural physical prowess, she would never give up—she would always go for the ball, often times diving on defense to get a touch on the ball, and that determination was the key to her success. . . .
In softball, Denise was blessed to play for legendary coach Betty Hoff. I’d like to share some memories in Denise’s own words: “The 1985 team that placed fourth at the NCAA tournament thrived on phenomenal pitching by Darsi Doyle ’87 and almost perfect fielding by our defense. It was not unusual for Darsi to strike out a dozen opponents or more in each game of a double header. Errors were extremely few. If we lost it was because we didn’t produce enough runs. The individuals on this team set high personal expectations; we were a bunch of perfectionists. But I don’t recall any big egos. As teammates, we wanted to perform well for each other. So it’s no surprise that my strongest memories were not of my own individual plays, but of how my team responded emotionally in clutch moments.”
—Ellen Drewes-Stoen, assistant professor of health and physical education
Jim Scott ’61
Retired football coach, Aurora University, Aurora, Ill.
FROM HIS CITATION
Jim’s development as a player, teacher, and coach comes from a series of challenges that he managed over his distinguished Hall of Fame career. Jim moved from his small high school to one of the finest small college football programs in the nation and was coached by the legendary Edsel Schweizer. During his four years as a Norseman, Jim’s teams were 29-6-1 and won two conference championships.
At Luther he learned to lead from some outstanding mentors: Coach Schweizer; math professors Don Pilgrim, Herbert Rebasso, and Bob Jacobsen; Coach Kent Finanger ’54 and his close friend and confidant Dale Hoffman ’61, who, sadly, passed away the year following their graduation together. But the most important thing Jim took away from Luther was his best friend and partner for the last 54 years, Lorraine (Thompson) Scott ’63. For eight years Jim cut his teeth as a math teacher and coach at small schools where resources were limited, coaching staffs were small. Jim took the reigns at the much larger Sterling (Ill.) High School in 1969 [and his] teams went 96-49-2 with seven conference titles, five state playoff appearances.
With Lorraine’s insistence and support Jim then pursued the head football job at Aurora University in the western suburbs of Chicago. The Aurora University Spartans had dropped football after the 1952 season, and Jim and Lorraine started it back up in 1985. In year seven (1992), AU went undefeated in the regular season and was selected for the NCAA Division III national playoffs, the first Chicagoland D-III team to make the playoffs, all in just seven years. This is the fourth Hall of Fame induction for Jim Scott. He is in the Illinois High School Hall of Fame, the Sterling High School Hall of Fame, and the Aurora University Hall of Fame.
—Paul Hefty ’86, past football coach