1965

Marcia Schneider ’65 met with Professor Emerita Kathryn Swanson and her husband, Jack, while they were in Arizona. Marcia was a part of a trip to Thailand and Cambodia that the Swansons led in 2017.

1966

David Johnson ’66, who received a doctorate in the history of religion from the University of Iowa, returned from teaching as a visiting professor in China. His books include “Western Thought for Asian Readers” and “Indian Thought Between Tradition and the Culture of Technology.”

1967

Dennis Miller ’67, professor emeritus of food science and nutrition at Cornell University, is one of the participants in a research project to transform nutrition and water use in the poultry industry to improve its environmental impact and enhance human health. The U.S. Department of Agriculture funded the research through a $9.95 million grant, one of the largest grants ever awarded by the USDA.

Thad Danielson ’67 has retired from his boat shop and now teaches a two-week class, The Fundamentals of Boatbuilding, at the Wooden Boat School in Brooklin, Maine. He also wrote the book, “An Introduction to Wooden Boat Building: Always More to Learn.”

1969

Janis Mathison ’69 was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at Shawano Community High School in Shawano, Wisconsin. The honor recognizes her work as a coach and pioneer of women’s athletics at the school.

1970–79

1972

After 26 years, Robert Engelson ’72 has retired from his role as a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arizona Global Campus.

1973

Sheldon Anderson ’73 published a memoir, “Jump Shooting to a Higher Degree,” which chronicles his basketball career in Minneapolis, West Germany, and Poland, where he did research for his doctorate.

1979

With more than 500 wins in his prep coaching career, Douglas Greseth ’79 has been named boys basketball head coach at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School in Spring Hill, Florida.

1980–89

1983

In November 2021, Luverne Seifert ’83 directed a melodrama, “The Last Train to Winnipeg,” for the Lyric Center for the Arts in Virginia, Minnesota. The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council supported the play with Rural and Community Art Project grant funding.

Brian Hoffman ’83, associate professor of anthropology at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, was about the excavations he leads on campus—most recently, the remains of a St. Paul home near the corner of Hewitt Avenue and Pascal Street.

1984

Anne Marie Erickson ’84 has created a website with excerpts from essays she’s written about living with her husband’s 17 years of dementia.

1985

Jean Taylor ’85 was of American Public Media Group, the parent company of Minnesota Public Radio, in 2021.

1988

Dallas Miller ’88 was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame for playing hockey at Kennedy High School in Bloomington, Minnesota. Miller was inducted into Augsburg University’s Hall of Fame for his award-winning hockey career.

1990–99

1994

Michelle Steever ’94 received the Outstanding Librarian Award from the Rhode Island Library Association in 2021. She is the school library media specialist for the Jamestown School District in Rhode Island.

Judell Anderson ’94 retired after leading the Alliance of Auto Service Providers-MN for nearly 26 years.

1998

Rollors, a lawn game by Matthew Butler ’98, was featured in the Rolling Stone article “From Grills to Boombox Speakers, These Are the Products We’re Using Labor Day Weekend” (September 2, 2021).

1999

Kale Henry ’99 was named the head coach of the Forest Lake High School baseball program. He is a previous winner of the Minnesota State High School Baseball Coaches Association’s Rob Fornasiere Assistant Coach of the Year Award.

2000–09

2000

interviewed Ross Murray ’00, ’09 MBA about his founding of the Naming Project, an ELCA-based camp for LGBTQ youth. Murray wrote the book “Made, Known, Loved: Developing LGBT-Inclusive Youth Ministry,” and he is the director of news and faith initiatives for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLADD).

Nathan Budde ’00 completed the Ironman Wisconsin in 2021. He finished 77th out of roughly 1,800 competitors and seventh among the 180 people in his age bracket.

2003

Kari Lucin ’03 has returned to The Globe newspaper in Worthington, Minnesota, as community editor. She was previously the Globe’s education reporter and online content coordinator.

Keneeshia Williams ’03, MD, gave a , “The Prosperity of Investment: A Journey From Murder Witness to Trauma Surgeon,” that uses her life experience and medical expertise to offer non-divisive, proven solutions to gun violence in America. Williams is an assistant professor of surgery at Emory University in Atlanta and director of medical student education at Grady Memorial Hospital.

2005

Eddie Frizell ’05 MAL was nominated by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as U.S. Marshal for the District of Minnesota. He previously served as chief of police for the Metro Transit Police Department in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Christe Singleton ’07 MBA was named vice president of Minnesota Gas at CenterPoint Energy, Minnesota’s largest natural gas utility.

2007

Travis Paul ’07 MBA is the regional chair of administration for Mayo Clinic Health System in Southwest Minnesota. Paul has 26 years of progressive health care experience at Mayo Clinic, including 18 years in leadership roles and numerous years as a front-line nurse.

Emily Bastian ’07 MSW, Avivo’s vice president of ending homelessness, was about Avivo Village in Minneapolis, an indoor grouping of tiny houses offering safety, comfort, and dignity to 100 residents.

2008

Anthony Vicino ’08 is a founding partner of Invictus Capital and co-author of “Passive Investing Made Simple.”

Nicholas Zeimet ’08 MSW is an assistant professor of social work at Bethel University in Arden Hills, Minnesota. He has served as the Minnesota Chapter President of Syrian American Medical Society and has led a mental health mission to Lebanon and Jordan. He holds a volunteer position with Mt. Sinai’s Human Rights Program as a remote mental health evaluator for those seeking asylum or other immigration matters.

Michael Henrichsen ’08 is lead vocalist and rhythm guitar player for ’80s cover band Nite Wave, which was recently featured in an article in 425 Magazine. The band has produced a live album and has performed with Billy Idol three times.

Katherine LaGrave ’08, digital features editor for AFAR Media, was named Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year by the Society of American Travel Writers in 2021.

Nicole Richards ’08, a certified public accountant, was promoted to principal at Boeckermann, Grafstrom & Mayer in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Dianna Robinson ’08 was promoted to market president and director of private banking, community markets at Associated Bank in Rochester, Minnesota.

Michael Graber ’08 MBA has been appointed president and CEO of Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp.

2010–11

2011

Kyle Potswald ’11 was promoted to vice president of commercial lending at the Citizens Bank Minnesota Lakeville branch.

Elle Thoni ’11 wrote the musical, “Queen B: A New Work of Honeybee Futurism,” which toured Minnesota farms and green spaces in August 2021.

2012

Emily Nichols ’12 is general manager of the Kimpton Alton Hotel in San Francisco’s iconic Fisherman’s Wharf neighborhood.

2013

As executive director and founder of MN Renewable Now, Kristel Porter ’13 is working toward the installation of solar systems in North Minneapolis, among other environmental justice projects.

2013 and 2019

Daley Knochar Farr ’13 and Maximillian Bray ’19 married June 11, 2021, in New Orleans. Connor Krenik ’13, Kacie Lucchini Butcher ’13, Kevin Butcher ’13, Morgan Thompson ’09, and Gabrielle Miller ’09 were in attendance.

2016

Rayna Lindsey ’16 appears in season 9 of “Below Deck” on Bravo.

Lisa Archer ’16 MAN has been named chief nursing officer for Mayo Clinic Health System in Southwest Wisconsin.

2019

Jeffrey Boldt ’19 MFA published his debut novel, “Blue Lake,” in March 2022. Boldt drew from his legal and environmental background to write the Wisconsin-based thriller.

2020s

2020

Alison Uselman ’20 won the Wisconsin Academy of Science, Arts & Letters’ 2021 Wisconsin People & Ideas Fiction Contest for her short story, “Honor Cord.”

2021

Isaac Tadé ’21 started dental school at the University of Minnesota, where he received the Xhonga Scholarship and a National Health Service Corps Scholarship.

The post Alumni Class Notes, Summer 2022 appeared first on Augsburg Now.

The sounds of service

“The intent, when it started, was to help out on campus where they needed help,” said Eunice Dietrich ’65. “The original Associates were spouses of faculty members and other women who had an ear to what was going on.”

Dietrich, a former Associates board chair who earned a degree in home economics at Augsburg, said assistance was needed across all facets of campus life. From stuffing envelopes for alumni and donor mailings to setting up a “nice meeting space” for the university’s Board of Regents when they gathered, the Associates saw needs and then filled those voids.

But it didn’t take long for the work to morph from occasional events to addressing a situation requiring a sound solution.

“The Associates came out of the Lutheran tradition of ‘We’ll do anything for service,’” said Jerelyn Cobb ’63. So in the 1980s, when an idea began to circulate about bringing an organ to campus, the Associates orchestrated a plan.

“In those days, people still didn’t have a lot of money, but they could give us donations of goods,” Cobb said.

That’s how Trash and Treasure Sales began. Dishes, linens, and other household items were packed into boxes and readied for sale. Sporting goods and games were brought in. And furs, jewelry, and even gowns from the Dayton’s department store’s prestigious Oval Room were cleaned, pressed, and readied for a chance at a new life.

The items were enough to fill a semitrailer, then eventually two.

“Every Wednesday night, I’d have people come over, and we’d sort everything,” Cobb said. “All the dishes in one box, all the clothes in another, the sporting goods in another corner.”

Then when the date of the sale neared, items were transferred from the trucks to the site of the sale.

“The football team would come, and for two blocks we would line up next to each other and pass boxes into the gymnasium.”

The first sale raised $600, Cobb recalled. The next year: $4,000. Then $10,000, $15,000, and $28,000.

When everything was done and counted, the Trash and Treasure Sales netted a quarter of a million dollars. And Augsburg got its organ.

(Archive photo)

Projects funded or supported by Augsburg Associates

• Trash and Treasure Sales
• Welcome party for the 2011 visit of Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway
• Velkommen Jul buffets and boutique sales
• Norwegian coffee at Taste of Augsburg Homecoming events
• Christensen Center’s welcome desk construction
• Foss Center’s Green Room renovation
• Christensen Center’s Augsburg Room and Marshall Room renovations
• Lindell Library’s special collections room creation
• Hoversten Chapel’s Dobson pipe organ purchase
• Christensen Scholars program funding
• Various scholarships

President Paul Pribbenow (center) talks with King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway during their visit to campus in 2011. (Archive photo)

Welcome king, queen, and Christmas

Norwegian words echoed off the walls of classrooms and hallways when Augsburg was founded, so there was little surprise, though great delight, when King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway visited campus in 2011. The Associates were there to mark the day with special care—while wearing traditional Norwegian bunads, the proud folk outfits worn by men, women, and children on such occasions of cultural significance.

But before Their Majesties graced the campus, the Associates had already begun making sure the heritage of the school’s founders was celebrated and remembered.

Velkommen Jul, an annual celebration welcoming the seasons of Advent and Christmas, took hold with attendees donning thick, gorgeous Norwegian sweaters and sampling delicious traditional foods including krumkake cookies. The celebration has become a loved tradition in the Augsburg community, even among students who don’t necessarily have Scandinavian heritage.

Money raised at Velkommen Jul and through estate sales and other efforts ultimately went to fund scholarships as well as the Christensen Scholars, a cohort of students who explore theology, faith, and vocation while engaging in community-based learning experiences.

That, said Augsburg University President Paul Pribbenow, is a lasting legacy for the organization: “Over many years, the Augsburg Associates have been faithful and generous supporters of Augsburg. Through their tireless efforts, the Associates have raised scholarship funds and have helped countless students pursue an Augsburg education.

Augsburg Associates roll lefse, a traditional Norwegian potato flatbread, for Velkommen Jul in 2011. (Archive photo)

“The annual Velkommen Jul celebrations, graciously hosted by the Associates, highlighted our Norwegian roots, even as they welcomed new generations of diverse students, faculty, and staff. Personally, I am deeply grateful for the members of the Associates who have supported me and my family over the past 15 years as we worked together to advance Augsburg’s mission,” Pribbenow said.

Though the time of the Associates’ dugnad has come to a close, some of the group’s members are continuing their volunteerism with another group: Augsburg Women Engaged. Since it was formed by a group of Auggie women in 2009, AWE has strengthened connections in the Augsburg community and encouraged philanthropy to keep the university’s hands-on education accessible to a broad range of students. These overlapping commitments shared by AWE and the Augsburg Associates demonstrate the deep-seated commitment to service that is so emblematic of Auggies of all stripes.

For the women doing the work, the Associates were more than a service organization—they were family.

“You give and you get, you feel good about what you’ve done. You don’t start out for that reason, but oftentimes when you’re volunteering, you get more out of it than what you give,” Dietrich said. “These women were so dedicated and did this work with such joy.”

Anne Frame (left), the late spouse of Augsburg’s ninth president, Bill Frame, was also a member of the Augsburg Associates. Read more about Anne’s life and work. (Archive photo)

Augsburg Associates oversee food and drinks at Velkommen Jul in 1992. (Archive photo)

DID YOU KNOW?

• The Augsburg Associates have raised about $400,000 through their group initiatives.
• Members of the Augsburg Associates and their spouses have given more than $50 million to the university as a whole.
• Within their 600-person membership, there were 38 households that were members of the Sven Oftedal Society, a group of some of Augsburg’s most generous donors.

The post The Scandinavian work ethic that inspired the Augsburg Associates’ decades of service appeared first on Augsburg Now.