Inside: > Rose Window shines again, 12 > Hall of Fame, 22 > Alumni Recognition Awards, 26

ourMIDDLE

NAMEA new endowed Lutheran

professorship places the

Lutheran tradition in a 21st

century context, and the

Wild Hope Project finds

a permanent home in the

Center for Vocation

PAGE 16

THE ANDERSONSARE LEAVING PLUPA G E 6

calendar

AUGUST

August 4, 7p.m.Jazz Under the StarsDavid Deacon-Joyner, pianist and PLU professorMary Baker Russell Amphitheater

August 10, 11:30 a.m.Blueberry FestivalMooncoyne Celtic-Irish BandRed Square

August 11, 7p.m.Jazz Under the StarsJim Kerl OrchestraMary Baker Russell Amphitheater

August 12, 7 p.m.PLU Night at the RainiersOmaha Cubs vs. Tacoma RainiersCheney Stadium, Tacoma

August 17, 6:30 p.m.Cooking DemonstrationGarfield Book Company Fireside Lounge

August 18, 6:30 p.m.MBA Information SessionMorken Center 103: Public Events Room

August 20, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.Annual Garfield Street FairGarfield Street, between Park and C streets

SEPTEMBER

September 1 – 6New Student OrientationLocations across campus

September 6Opening ConvocationOlson Auditorium

September 14, 6:30 p.m.MBA Information SessionMorken Center 103: Public Events Room

September 18, 12:30 – 7 p.m.University Congregation annual MountRainier Hike

September 20, 4 – 7 p. m. Natural Sciences Summer 2011Undergraduate Research ProgramPresentationsMorken Center

September 20, 7 p.m.Diversity Center 10th Anniversary Lecture:Dr. Bob Zellner, civil rights activistScandinavian Cultural Center

September 23, 6 p.m.Languages Film Festival SeriesBrazilian Documentary: “Window of the Soul”Ingram 100

Four proud – and creative – graduates during PLU’s 2011 commencement ceremony.

continued on inside back cover

September 29First annual Lutheran Studies Conference:“Flowing River, Pooled Spring: LutheranPerspectives on the Limited Gift of Water”Locations across campus

OCTOBER

October 2, 3 p.m.Lyric Brass QuintetLagerquist Concert Hall

October 3, 7:30 p.m.Seventh annual Dale E. Benson Lecture inBusiness and Economic HistoryScandinavian Cultural Center

October 4, 8 & 9, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.Norwegian Rosemaling ClassScandinavian Cultural Center

October 4, 6 p.m.Sociology Department Lecture: “Sin by Silence”Chris Knutzen Hall, University Center

October 5, 8 p.m.Carpe Diem String QuartetLagerquist Concert Hall

October 7, 8 p.m.IWO Flute Quartet (Flutists from Idaho,Washington, Oregon) Lagerquist Concert Hall

October 8, 2 p.m.MediaLab presents: “Overexposed: TheCost of Compassion”Seattle Central Public Library

October 9, 3 p.m.Organ ConcertLagerquist Concert Hall

October 11, 20 & 29; 10 a.m. – NoonNorwegian Cooking ClassScandinavian Cultural Center

October 11, 8 p.m.University Symphony Orchestra ConcertLagerquist Concert Hall

October 12, 8 p.m.University Jazz EnsembleLagerquist Concert Hall

October 14 – 16Homecoming WeekendLocations across campus

Pacific Lutheran University Scene Fall 2011 Volume 42 Issue 1

Scene is printed on 10 percent post-con-

sumer recycled paper usingsoy-based sustainable inks.The paper was manufactured at a Forest StewardshipCouncil-certified plant.

PLU SCENE FALL 2011 3

inside

Reed Ojala-Barbour ’11 stands beneath a 400-year-old Garry oak tree on the PLU campus

4 Here & Now

8 Life of the MindOne student’s imaginationshapes the landscape of PLU

12 Light FantasticAn intimate look at PLU’s iconic Rose Window

COVER STORY:

16 Our Middle NameA new Lutheran professorshipand the Wild Hope Project’snew permanent home

20 The ArtsSelections from Saxifrage, volume 37

22 Attaway Lutes2011 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees

30 Alumni Profiles

32 Alumni Class Notes

40 One-on-One

24 Alumni News & EventsMeant to Live continues as an important part of Homecoming

29 Giving Back

2011 AlumniRecognitionAwards, page 26.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Greg Brewis

EDITOR

Steve Hansen

MANAGING EDITOR

Barbara Clements

WRITERS

Chris AlbertNick DawsonAlex Schisel ’11 Chad Kearns ’12

PHOTOGRAPHER

John Froschauer

ART DIRECTOR

Simon Sung

ONLINE MANAGER

Toby Beal

CLASS NOTES

Michelle Story ‘09

EDITORIAL OFFICES

Neeb CenterBuilding #207253-535-8410scene@plu.eduwww.plu.edu/scene

PLU OFFICERS

Loren J. AndersonPresident

Steven P. StarkovichProvost and Dean ofGraduate Studies

Laura F. MajovskiVice President, Student Life andDean of Students

Karl StumoVice President,Admission andEnrollment Services

Steve OlsonVice President,Development andUniversity Relations

Sheri J. TonnVice President, Finance and Operations

OFFICE OF ALUMNI AND CONSTITUENTRELATIONSLauralee Hagen ‘75, ‘78Executive Director

Sumerlin Larsen ‘01Associate Director

Brice Johnson ‘99Assistant Director

Jessica Pagel ‘08Web Strategies, Programsand Services Manager

G. Lee Kluth ‘69Director,Congregation Relations

Nesvig Alumni CenterTacoma, WA 98447-0003253-535-7415800-ALUM-PLUwww.plualumni.org

Volume 42, Issue 1Scene (SSN 0886-3369) is published three times ayear by Pacific LutheranUniversity, S. 121st andPark Ave., Tacoma, WA.,98447-0003. Postage paidat Tacoma, WA, and addi-tional mailing offices.Address service request-ed. Postmaster: Sendchanges to DevelopmentOperations, Office ofDevelopment, PLU,Tacoma, WA, 98447-0003,deveops@plu.edu. © 2011 by PacificLutheran University

ADDRESS CHANGES Please direct any address changes to alumni@plu.edu or 800-ALUM-PLU

ON THE COVERProfessor of LutheranStudies Samuel Torvend’73 and Associate Professor of EconomicsLynn Hunnicutt.

Photo by John Froschauer.

Scene

T his Oct. 14-16, everyone in thePLU community – alumni, stu-dents, faculty and staff – will be

VIP guests for a very specialHomecoming weekend.

Typically, VIP stands for “VeryImportant Person.” At PLU, it signifiesso much more than that. For thisHomecoming weekend, VIP does notonly signify very important people, butvery important passions, projects andpossibilities – all of which come fromliving a life of purpose.

Activities are planned for all Lutesthroughout the weekend. Specialopportunities are planned for the fol-lowing classes celebrating reunions –

here & now

1961, 1966, 1971, 1986 and 2001.In addition, all nursing alumni will

be recognized, as the School of Nursing iscelebrating its 60th anniversary. Nursinghas been selected as the Meant to Liveacademic affinity group/reunion.

Further, all those individuals whoparticipated in diversity efforts aroundcampus, whether it was through pro-grams, clubs or organizations, are invit-ed back to celebrate the 10th anniver-sary of the Diversity Center. While theD-Center is 10 years young, diversityefforts on campus reach back manydecades and paved the way for thisanniversary and all who contributed tothese efforts are welcome to join thecelebration.

While activities and events are planned

4 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > HERE & NOW

Get ‘VIP’ treatment at this year’s homecoming

A scene from last year’s Songfest,a timeless tradition at PLU.

States to increase mutual understand-ing between people of the United Statesand the people of other countries.”

Allison Meyer, who has a degree in ele-mentary education and an endorsementin teaching English Language Learners,will be working with South African uni-versity students on conversationalEnglish, reading and writing.

Matthew Anderson and MatthewPalmquist, who both majored inGerman, will serve as teaching assistantsin German high schools. Andersonplans to continue to develop hisGerman language skills and pursue adoctorate degree in history once he'scompleted his fellowship. Palmquistplans to pursue a career in education –either teaching German or outdoor edu-cation.

Reed Ojala-Barbour, who has a degreein environmental studies and Hispanicstudies, will study terrestrial smallmammals in the cloud forests of theEcuadorian Andes. He’ll collaboratewith an Ecuadorian university and anational park to understand moreabout how people and land-use prac-tices impact the ecology of small mam-mals.

In addition, Associate Professor ofInstructional Development andLeadership Vidya Thirumurthy alsoreceived a Fulbright U.S. ScholarProgram Grant to study in her nativeIndia. To read more about her project, see theback page of this magazine.

special stop at the Harmonie Festival inLimburg, Germany, where they earnednumerous awards from the judges. Aspart of the four-day international event,the Choir of the West took second placeout of 17 groups – earning a gold medal– and the choir’s men’s and women’sgroups earned gold and silver medals,respectively. PLU’s men’s a cappellagroup, PLUtonic, also earned a gold.

Four more studentsearn Fulbrights

W hen it comes to amassingprestigious international fel-lowships, PLU keeps adding

to an already impressive total. This year,four PLU students increased the num-ber of student U. S. Fulbright recipientssince 1975 to 87.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department ofState, the Fulbright program was estab-lished in 1946 by the U.S. Congress to“enable the government of the United

for our affinity reunions this year, bothgroups have expressed their desire andintention that their reunion activities areopen to all Lutes in the spirit of inclu-sion and interconnectedness.

For more, visit www.plualumni.org.

Alaska governor praises2011 graduates

Sunday, May 29, was another spe-cial day for PLU as more than 650students donned their caps and

gowns as part of a festive spring com-mencement ceremony at the TacomaDome. In all, more than 850 studentsgraduated from PLU in the 2010-2011academic year.

Alaska governor Sean Parnell ’84, thekeynote speaker, acknowledged themany influential professors he hadwhile at PLU, and how their leadershipand commitment to service influencedhim. In his commencement address,Parnell encouraged PLU students tosimilarly find opportunities to live a lifeof service that is intentional and whole-hearted – “to live a life that is ‘all in.’”Andrew Reyna ’11 was this year's classspeaker. Reyna, who earned his bache-lor's of science in biology, discussedwhat it means to be a Lute, and theendless value in that association for thegraduating class of 2011.

Student musicians marksuccessful European tour

T his spring, PLU’s Choir of theWest and a small chamber musicensemble, KammerMusikk

Orchestra, toured Germany and France,including performances in locationssuch as Chartres Cathedral in France,and the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris.

The Choir of the West also made a

HERE & NOW > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 5

Matthew Anderson and Reed Ojala-Barbour, twoof PLU’s four Fulbright recipients this year.

J. Thad BarnoweSchool of Business (phased retiree)

Carolyn SchultzSchool of Nursing(regular retiree)

Merlin SimpsonSchool of Business(regular retiree)

Cathleen YetterMulti-DisciplinaryPrograms (regular retiree)

Retiring Faculty

continued on next page

here & nowcontinued

6 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > HERE & NOW

the leadership of President Andersonhas been guided by a series of com-munity-based, long-range plans andmajor fundraising campaigns.

“Working together the campuscommunity has realized so manyimportant dreams,” Anderson said.“All of us together have sharpenedand focused our mission as aLutheran university. Together wehave achieved our goals to cultivateacademic excellence, to enhance ourglobal perspective, to build anengaged community and to nurturelife as vocation in the fullest sense.

“Our community has turned thesedreams into the reality of fiscalstrength, balanced budgets, andenrollment stability while ensuringbroad access to our programs forall,” he said.

“These real and lasting accomplish-ments belong to the entire PLU com-munity and all who support and carefor this special place. It’s a sharedlegacy and will serve the universityfor years to come.”

Throughout it all, MaryAnnAnderson has been a vital part of thePLU presidency. She has served theuniversity as external relations coor-dinator, and managed the GonyeaFellows Leadership Program, thegroup of students who assist in host-ing more than 100 events that bringmore than 3,000 guests each year tothe president’s residence.

According to Bjerke, MaryAnnAnderson also has been the universi-ty’s ambassador extraordinaire.“MaryAnn has brought a sophistica-tion, grace and purpose to every-thing from campus events and activi-ties, to individual donor cultivation,to our university signature commu-nity events,” he said.

The coming academic year willinclude a series of events to celebrateand honor the Andersons and theirmany contributions to the university.

Look for more on the Andersonsand their legacy at PLU in the Winterissue of Scene.

Loren and MaryAnn Andersonhave announced their intent toleave Pacific Lutheran

University in the spring of 2012, atthe end of the academic year.

“The time is right for the universi-ty,” Loren Anderson, 66, said. “It’s aperfect time for new leadership asanother era of progress and develop-ment is about to open for PLU.”

In the coming year the university’s2020 long-range plan will be com-pleted. A highly successful fundrais-ing campaign will conclude. Well-established core pathways to academ-ic distinction will continue. A num-ber of new graduate program offer-ings will be ready for review andimplementation by the faculty. Andseveral capital projects will be fullyfunded, including the Karen HillePhillips Center for Performing Artsand lower-campus athletic fields.

“Our years at PLU have been both agreat gift and high honor,” LorenAnderson said. “We give thanks eachday for our faculty and staff col-leagues, as well as countless PLU stu-dents, donors, regents and friendswho have blessed and enriched ourlives.”

The Andersons, who came to PLUin 1992, say they are not retiring butare completing 20 years of service tothe university and then moving on to

new areas of professional focus andservice.

MaryAnn Anderson, 53, calls theirdecision, “a Wild Hope moment.”

“We are living true to Mary Oliver’sline of poetry: ‘Tell me, what is it youplan to do with your one wild andprecious life?’” she said. “It’s beenPLU’s Wild Hope Project theme andit’s now our theme – describingLutheran vocation and living lives ofservice.”

Bruce Bjerke ’72, chair of the PLUBoard of Regents, praised theAndersons for their years of service tothe university.

“The Andersons’ tenure has beenone of unparalleled accomplishment.We owe Loren and MaryAnn ourdeepest gratitude as the universityenters into the search for our nextpresident from a position of greatstrength and stability,” Bjerke said.

The Board of Regents has formed acommittee to conduct a nationalsearch to identify candidates andmake a recommendation to theboard. The work of the search com-mittee will be separate from the uni-versity administration, as the com-mittee will report directly to theBoard of Regents, who will select thenext president. The process is expect-ed to take nine to 12 months.

PLU’s almost 20-year journey under

The Andersonsare leaving PLU

ACCOLADESBridget E. Yaden, assistant pro-

fessor of Hispanic studies and direc-tor of the Language ResourceCenter, was the MontanaAssociation of Language Teacherskeynote speaker at their spring con-ference in April. Professor Yadenalso conducted a workshop at theconference.

Lynn E.Hunnicutt, associ-ate professor ofeconomics, hasbeen elected treas-urer for theAssociation of

Christian Economists.Joanna Gregson, associate profes-

sor of sociology, received a $5,000academic research grant from theRomance Writers of America for herresearch (with Jennifer Lois, WesternWashington University) “Craft andCareer: The Gendered Culture ofRomance Writers.”

ErikHammerstrom,assistant professorof religion, has beenselected as the winner of YaleUniversity’s biennial

Stanley Weinstein Dissertation Prizefor best dissertation on East AsianBuddhism defended in North Americain 2009 or 2010. Announced in July,the awarding of this prestigious prizewill take place in September.Jon E. Grahe, associate professor

of psychology, was elected to a two-year term as Western Regional VicePresident of Psi Chi, the interna-tional psychology honor society.Donald Ryan, faculty fellow in

humanities, has a new book pub-lished by Thames and Hudson,“Time-Traveler’s Guide toSightseeing and Survival in theLand of the Pharaohs.”

Kate E. Luther, assistant professorof sociology, and Joanna Gregson,associate professor of sociology,authored the article “RestrictedMothering: Parenting in a PrisonNursery” in the International Journalof the Sociology of the Family, 37(1)85-103. The project started as stu-dent-faculty research when Kate wasJoanna’s student.Justin Lytle, assistant professor of

chemistry, was awarded the CottrellCollege Science Award. The honor,funded by Research Corporation forScience Advancement, acknowledgesfaculty members primarily at under-graduate institutions, who play anoutsized role in producing futurePhDs in the sciences.

Melannie DeniseCunningham,director of multicul-tural recruitment,was keynote speakerfor the MulticulturalStudent Services

(MSS) Graduation Ceremony atWashington State University.Colleen M. Hacker, professor of

movement studies and wellness edu-cation, received the NationalAssociation for Girls and Women(NAGWS) Honor Award on April 1.The Honor Award, the most presti-gious award presented by NAGWS,acknowledges those who have madean outstanding and noteworthy con-tribution to the advancement of girlsand women in sports.Laura McCloud, assistant profes-

sor of sociology, published with co-authors Rachel Dwyer and RandyHodson, “Youth Debt, Mastery, andSelf-Esteem: Class-Stratified Effectsof Indebtedness on Self-Confidence,”in Social Science Research 40(3): 727-741. The article was also cited in theJune 18 issue of the “Wall StreetJournal.”

HERE & NOW > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 7

Business students getdown to business

During spring break, six PLUbusiness students were doinganything but relaxing – they

competed in the InternationalCollegiate Business Strategy competi-tion in Long Beach, Calif. Their hardwork was rewarded at the 47-year-oldcompetition: They took home first placein Outstanding Performance and firstplace in Outstanding Reports.

The International Collegiate BusinessStrategy competition provides studentswith the opportunity to learn and com-pete with other universities throughsimulating the running of a company,as well as networking with businessleaders and students from around theworld. The competition challenges stu-dents to work together in making deci-sions that Fortune 500 executives mustmake every day.

For more than four months leadingup to the Long Beach portion of thecompetition, senior business studentsVitaliy Marchenko, Kasey Dorcas, SanneJacobsen, Alisha Fisher, Colin Zinneckerand Tiffany Brown worked toward mak-ing the decisions as an executive team oftheir simulated corporation.Collectively, they spent nearly 2,000hours working on the competition.

“This is just an outstanding opportu-nity for our students to experience thetop level of industry,” said Kory Brown,assistant professor of business and thegroup’s advisor. “They are now going towalk out of PLU not only with theirdegree, but an understanding of alldimensions ... not just the one they'retrained in.”

PLU’s International Collegiate Business Strategycompetition winners.

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8 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > LIFE OF THE MIND

Standing under the branches of aGarry oak tree on the hill behindthe University Center, Reed Ojala-

Barbour ’11 takes stock of the openspace in front of him. He’s imaginingwhat it must have been like more than100 years ago – before the basketballcourt, sand volleyball court, and thewell-manicured lawn bordered by a drycreek bed and residence halls.

He thinks about how the dry creekbed once flourishedas Clover Creek, withthe surrounding vege-tation part of a largeprairie. The tree thathe stands undertoday was there backthen; it is nearly 400years old. It is nativeto the area, one ofmore than 100 Garryoak on campus, mak-ing PLU a preserve ofa species native toPierce County.

The open space isan indication of whatthe entire area oncewas, Ojala-Barbour,an environmental studies major, saidof the Clover Creek watershed onwhich the PLU campus sits. “That’s alittle piece of evidence that it used tobe prairie,” he said.

It’s something he could have learnedin a book – and he certainly did – buthis experience at PLU extends wellbeyond the classroom. His experiencehere led him to work with professorswho have long been retired, communi-ty groups who offer funding and vol-unteers, PLU staff who help managethe campus.

Not only did Ojala-Barbour turn thispassion into a degree, but his passionchanged the landscape of PLU.

That passion was celebrated lastApril during Earth Week, when about60 students, faculty, staff and commu-

life of the mind

LIFE OF THE MIND > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 9

One student’s journey shapes the landscapeby imagining the past

nity joined Ojala-Barbour, PLUPresident Loren J. Anderson andProfessor Emeritus of Chemistry FredTobiason to dedicate the Fred L.Tobiason Outdoor Learning Center.The native space behind the UniversityCenter has become a symbol of whatone student, with a lot of on-campussupport, can do when he follows hispassion.

The project, culminating with a cere-monial blackberry-vinecutting this April, wasthree years in the mak-ing. When Ojala-Barbour was lookingfor a summer job uponreturning to campushis sophomore yearfrom Spain, it was sug-gested he apply for aSustainabilityFellowship.

The fellowship hadgreat appeal – he’d havea job, and the chance tomake a positive impacton the campus of hisuniversity. He divedinto researching PLU’s

footprint, and he proposed studying theimpact of invasive species to nativeplants on campus. It wasn’t long beforehe’d learn about the Garry oak and itsunique place as a native species of thearea.

Even though the university long hasembraced sustainable practices, such assetting a goal of being a carbon neutralby 2020 or investing in green buildingand renovation practices, Ojala-Barbourknew there was always more to do.

“I realized PLU wasn’t doing all itcould for the native area, but there wasa network of people who could,” hesaid.

But he also learned about many peo-ple who have been active in preservinggreen spaces in the area. One of thosepeople was Fred L. Tobiason, a former

Even though the university long hasembraced sustainablepractices, such as settinga goal of being a carbon

neutral by 2020 or investing in green building ,

Ojala-Barbour knewthere was always more to do.

Reed Ojala-Barbour '11 stands beneath a 400-year-old Garry oak tree on the PLU campus.

10 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > LIFE OF THE MIND

life of the mindcontinued

chemistry professor at PLU.“I’d be talking to other people and

they’d say ‘have you talked to FredTobiason?’” Ojala-Barbour recalled. “Hesort of showed me the ropes around theClover Creek watershed.”

Taking inspiration from Tobiason,Ojala-Barbour targeted a space behindthe UC that, back in the 1970s,Tobiason saved from becoming a park-ing lot. The site had been inaccessiblefor years, thanks to dense thickets ofHimalayan blackberries, an invasive

species that negatively affects the Garryoak tree.

He began going to conservationgroup meetings and learning all hecould. It was at a Pierce CountyConservation District meeting that hefirst heard about grants that were avail-able to help promote preservation.

With the help of PLU staff, Ojala-Barbour submitted grant proposals tothe Greater Tacoma CommunityFoundation and the Green PartnershipFund.

Help and support from people oncampus including Professor of BiologyWilliam Teska and SustainabilityCoordinator Chrissy Cooley, madelearning how to write a grant proposal a lot less daunting.

By the fall of 2009, Ojala-Barbourlearned the grants had been awarded tohis project.

“That’s when things really got goingbecause we knew we had the funds,” hesaid.

By working with the Native Plants

“I realized PLU wasn’t doing all it could for thenative area, but there was a network of people whocould.” —Reed Ojala-Barbour ’11

The next effort Reed Ojala-Barbour hopes to seethe university undertake is salvaging the nativecamas flowers from the PLU Golf Course.

LIFE OF THE MIND > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 11

Salvage Alliance, he was able to securenative seeds and native species forreplanting on campus. Plants likesnowberry, Oregon grape and beakedhazelnut. All in all, there were 25 planttypes for replanting.

The money was there, and there werepeople ready to get their hands dirty,but they needed a voice to organizethem. They needed someone to leadthem and focus on making a differencein their environment.

“I just realized it was an opportunityfor me to be a leader,” Ojala-Barboursaid.

The Clover Creek watershed is aunique environment, he said, just likePLU. Campus leadership was support-ive of his efforts. “PLU has a uniqueclimate of getting students involved inthe institution,” Ojala-Barbour said.

He learned that although PLU staffcouldn’t do all the work, he found anetwork of people passionate aboutthe Clover Park watershed, in andaround the PLU community. Local

seniors from Washington HighSchool and volunteers from thePLU sustainability club,GREAN, Girl Scout troops, Boysand Girls Club members, andstudents from the Little Buddiesclub gladly lent a hand to clearthe site of blackberries, and col-lect acorns of Garry oak. Morethan 100 people were involved inthe project.

Ojala-Barbour came to PLUinterested in environmentalstudies, but never imagined he’dbe able to engage his passion socompletely.

“It’s been a lot of time andenergy, but its also been reallyrewarding,” Ojala-Barbour said.

Someday, he hopes to combinethe land management skills he’slearned outside of the class-room, with what he’s learnedinside the classroom, and workto better preserve what nativeland remains.

This fall, Ojala-Barbour will bein Ecuador, as a FulbrightFellow, studying small mammalsand the environmental impacts

on them. He calls it another chance to get his

hands dirty. After his experiences atPLU, he’s not sure if there’s any otherway to learn. He hopes the environmen-tal work he’s done carries on to the nextgeneration of students. There’s still alot to be done. The work is never over,he said.

“I’m hoping it will become more of acampus culture,” he said. “I’m hopingwe can be better stewards of the piecesof nature we have left. Good stewardsrecognize the impact we have on theenvironment.”

Today, evidence of that stewardship istaking root at PLU, with the FredTobiason Outdoor Learning Center andbelow the far-reaching Garry oak whereOjala-Barbour first took notice of theprairie at PLU.

Below the 400 year-old tree, a dozenfoot-tall saplings of the Garry are takingroot, taking hold of the land they oncecalled home. And with a little hard work,and help, will once again.

Reed Ojala-Barbour talks with ProfessorEmeritus of Chemistry Fred L. Tobiason at theFred L. Tobiason Outdoor Learning Center.

Reed Ojala-Barbour displays aGarry oak sapling.

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12 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > FEATURES

FEATURES > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 13

L IGHT FANTAST IC

This past year, PLU’s most enduring symbolwas removed from Eastvold Hall, shipped toCalifornia for cleaning and maintenance, andreinstalled. We asked University PhotographerJohn Froschauer to give us an intimate look atthe process, and University Pastor DennisSepper to share his memories of PLU’s iconicRose Window.

14 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > FEATURES

L IGHT FANTAST IC

Ten o’clock in the morning is the best time to climb the stairs, slip in the door andtake a seat at the back of Tower Chapel. There, you are bathed in brilliant hues ofblue, red and yellow as the morning sun shines through the Rose Window. A fewmoments later, when the sun rises above Harstad Hall, the symbols of the Christianfaith and our Lutheran heritage seem to burst out as if they were in 3-D. Throughoutthe years, hundreds, if not thousands, of Lutes have had their breath taken away bythe window’s brilliant beauty. With its Rose Window, Tower Chapel is like no otherplace on campus.

But it’s not just the Rose Window that makes Tower Chapel such a special place.Whenever the subject of remodeling the Chapel comes up, the student chorus isalways the same: “Please don’t change the feel of the Chapel!” One would think withits bare concrete floors and creaky benches that the students would want new andmodern furnishings. But it is the medieval ambiance of the chapel that seems to lendthe space a spiritual quality. And well it should. The Chapel and the Rose Windowhave seen the course of human life as the generations of Lutes have come and movedon to other vocations in the world.

The Chapel is the home to early morning Bible Studies and late-night HoldenEvening Prayer services. It is, as every Lute knows, one of the most popular places oncampus to “pop the question” as couples become engaged. It is where students go topray and discern their vocational call. In the 16 years that Nancy Connor and I havebeen the University Pastors we have presided over weddings, baptisms, prayer vigilsfor social concerns, funerals and memorial services, and even the renewal of weddingvows on significant anniversaries – all in front of that Rose Window.

FEATURES > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 15

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The special nature of the Chapel and Rose Window is brought to mind eachSeptember, as a new group of Lutes are introduced to its meaning and significance byorientation guides who end their training with a blessing in Tower Chapel before theRose Window. The spiritual link is what keeps the Rose Window alive in the mindsand hearts of PLU students, faculty and staff.

Now, the window has been refurbished and restored as these pictures reveal. So, thenext time you go into Tower Chapel at about 10 o’clock in the morning to be bathedby the colors of the stained glass, you might want to savor the moment and just let ittake your breath away.

—DENN I S S E P P E R , U N I V E R S I T Y PA S TOR

To see a slideshow of the Rose Window, visit www.plu.edu/newbloom

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16 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > FEATURES

ourMIDDLE

NAME

FEATURES > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 17

A new endowed Lutheran professorship places the Lutheran

tradition in a 21st century context, and the Wild Hope Project

finds a permanent home in the Center for Vocation

WHEN AN ANONYMOUS DONOR COMMITTED to give PLU $1 million toendow a Professorship in Lutheran Studies, it was more than simply the fourth ofwhat would later become five endowed professorships or chairs on the PLU campus.

With this professorship, PLU reached yet another level of distinction by which itsets itself apart from other universities. In the words of Samuel Torvend ’73, “it puts into clearer relief the distinctiveness of Lutheran education in the competitive market.”

After a short pause, Torvend added, “After all, the distinctive part of PLU is its mid-dle name.”

Torvend is in a unique place to understand that distinction, as he is the first holderof the new Professorship in Lutheran Studies. He is a 1973 graduate in history fromPLU. He also received his masters in divinity, his masters in theology and, ultimate-ly, his Ph.D. in historical theology. He returned to PLU in 1998, serving as a profes-sor of the history of Christianity. And since 2007, he has also been director of theuniversity’s innovative Wild Hope Project.

Torvend has also published on Lutheran colleges as centers of social reform,Lutheran commitments to education and social welfare, and the intellectual sourcesof social ethics in Lutheran higher education.

“Lutheran higher education looks different than what you get at, for example, theUniversity of Washington,” he mused. “At both places you can ‘follow your bliss,’but here it is linked to things that are fundamental to who, as a university, we are.”

He points to PLU’s mission statement, using its environmental language as anexample – though he notes that any portion of it would be relevant. “When we talkabout ‘care for the earth,’ it is linked to who we are as a university” Torvend said.“There is a moral and ethical connection [to such ideas] because of our middlename.”

While the $1 million commitment secures an endowed professorship, the universityis still seeking an additional $1 million to elevate the post to an endowed chair.

With the professorship comes a certain level of cachet in academic circles. Forinstance, having an endowed Lutheran professorship will increase PLU’s reputationas a leader among Lutheran universities. Torvend is now collaborating with aninternational consortium of scholars working on economic, political and socialreforms to be presented and published at the 500th anniversary of the Reformationin 2017. Thus, PLU will be the only Lutheran college or university in North Americarepresented in that international consortium. The professorship also provides otheropportunities for him to consult, lecture and publish on the role of Lutheran highereducation in linking academic study and ethical commitments.

In addition, income from the endowment will fund a yearly Lutheran StudiesConference at PLU, the first of which will take place this September 29. (For more information on the conference, see the sidebar on page 19.) >>

BY STEVE HANSEN

“The Centerfor Vocation is the placewhere studentswill be able toask importantquestions ofmeaning andpurpose intheir lives.” —Lynn Hunnicutt

18 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > FEATURES18 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > FEATURES18 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > FEATURES

ourMIDDLE

NAMEAll that is great for the university. But Torvend speaks even more enthusiasticallyabout what the professorship will mean for the students, faculty and staff of PLU.He likes to talk about placing the Lutheran tradition in a “21st century context.”

“I see the professorship as a way of promoting the intellectual gifts of Lutheranhigher education among a diverse faculty and student body who may or may nothave a connection to the Lutheran tradition,” he said. “That is part of the challengeof being a Lutheran center of learning in the Pacific Northwest.”

The naming of Torvend to the professorship also sets in motion a series of changesat the university that, while nominally related, underscores the unique nature ofinstruction at PLU – one that very much continues the university’s focus on the ideaof finding one’s vocation.

Torvend, in accepting the professorship, will relinquish his post as Director of the WildHope Project. At roughly the same time, the Lilly Endowment’s $2.5 million, eight-yearfunding of the Wild Hope Project comes to an end, as university funding continues.

Beginning this year, Wild Hope will be a permanent component of the newly createdCenter for Vocation, with Lynn Hunnicutt, associate professor of economics, as itsdirector. Torvend, in his capacity as professor for Lutheran Studies, will advise thecenter as its director for vocational reflection, a position he has held before.

Sometimes it is hard to recognize the players without a scorecard. So, what does itall mean?

It means that PLU’s Wild Hope project, and the university’s commitment to explor-ing ways to help students find meaning and purpose in life – or “vocation”– willbecome a structuralized part of the university through the Center for Vocation.Thanks to a $500,000 gift from Linda ’63 and Charles Barbo and a $100,000 giftfrom the Class of 1958, the Center for Vocation, has a growing financial foundationto continue the momentum of the Wild Hope Project. PLU hopes to raise an addi-tional $3.5 million to permanently endow the Center for Vocation.

“The Center for Vocation is the place where students will be able to ask importantquestions of meaning and purpose in their lives,” Hunnicutt said. “And it is wherethey will be able to get more information and guidance in devising their ownanswers.”

Or, to put it in the language of the Mary Oliver poem from which the Wild HopeProject gets its name, the Center for Vocation will be the place for students to con-sider “what they will do with their one wild and precious life.”

Indeed, it is hard to find a student on campus who can’t recite that signature line ofthe Mary Oliver poem. And more importantly, many of those same students striveto live it.

That this theme has such resonance with students is an indication of why WildHope has always received high praise from the Lilly Endowment. PLU has integratedWild Hope and its “big enough questions” across campus, through guest speakers,career fairs, service learning workshops and more. Many of its initiatives, particular-ly programs that foster the growth of first-year students, like The First-YearExperience and the J-Term retreat “Explore!,” have been called out for high praise.

More recently, thanks to the Class of 1958, Wild Hope’s Meant to Live program hasbeen endowed to bring together students and alumni during Homecoming to dis-cuss issues of vocation. This gives PLU students the chance to see how vocation is

“When wetalk about‘care for theearth,’ it islinked to whowe are as auniversity”—Samuel Torvend ’73

FEATURES > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 19

lived out by its alumni, and gives alumni the chance to think about how their ownvocations have evolved through their lives. (For more, see page 24.)

They all have the similar goal of, as Torvend likes to say, “allowing students, faculty,and staff to pause and ponder meaning and purpose in life – something few placescultivate.”

The Center for Vocation will also focus on training faculty and staff through work-shops, study seminars on Lutheran Higher education and the like. Early on, organ-izers realized that, to be truly impactful, PLU needed to support faculty and staff –after all, they are the ones who are here year-after-year.

“We have worked to train our faculty so we can help our students ask questions ofmeaning and purpose, to develop our skills to mentor students,” Hunnicutt said.“That’s what sets this university apart.”

The result has been a successful integration of these questions of meaning and pur-pose campuswide – in the classrooms, in student orientation, in career and academ-ic advising, in residential life – just about everywhere.

“The Wild Hope Project and the Center for Vocation are places at PLU where wecan work to make sure we are all rowing in the same direction,” Hunnicutt added.

And thanks to the Lilly Endowment, generous benefactors to the university, and thecommitment of the faculty and staff of PLU – all who want to encourage studentsto continue to ask those questions of vocation – PLU will be rowing that way for along time.

Lutheran Perspectives onthe Limited Gift of Water

As part of the newly endowedProfessorship of Lutheran Studies,PLU will host its first annualLutheran Studies Conference onThursday, Sept. 29.

Titled “Flowing River, PooledSpring: Lutheran Perspectives on the Limited Gift of Water,” the conference will focus on the onething necessary for life – water.Through the arts, film and presentations, participants willexplore the theological, sacramental,and ethical sources that shape contemporary concerns for the gift and use of water.

Among the presenters will be PLU professors of religion, SamuelTorvend and Kevin O’Brien, as wellas Benjamin Stewart of the LutheranSchool of Theology Chicago.

For more information on the conference, contact Samuel Torvend at 253-535-8106 or torvensa@plu.edu.

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20 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > THE ARTS

the artsSelections from Saxifrage volume 37, PLU’s annual

student–run literary magazine

ON THE YOUNG GIRLHOLDING THE GARTERSNAKE

The slick body, a black polished braid, coils around her pink hands. Its head squeezes through the crux of her fingers.

In the early evening, our father had caught the snake. Placed in the kiddy pool, it rippled through marbles and toy boats. She had leaned over the side, wide eyed, her braids dipping into the water.

Now it is night. I stand in the grass watching her.In the pool, she cradles its belly. Inside I noticethere are candles on the mantel, glowing like little gold cakes, or maybe moons.She splashes her feet suddenly and

I see the snake is gone from her hand− ripples pulse at her ankles. Bending towards the dark wet,she peers at the plastic floor,I imagine its reptilian jawbiting at her little round feet. I do not trust what I cannot see.

But she throws her head back−the opal shine of her eyes seems to brighten, as she laughs,

come in, you can feel it on your toes.

A N N A R A S M U S S E N ’ 1 3

TALE OF TWO CITIES: TACOMAS A R A H W I S E ’ 1 1

AMERICAA A R O N B I Z I E R ’ 1 4

THE ARTS > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 21

IN TRANSIT

Her father is driving fast tonightand wants to be home to check on Sam.Something to expect with winter,he says, is colds colds colds. The tired Ford Pinto clicks its engineand the cello, hollow like a coffin,is wedged between her legs.Missed a note in the Brahms, she mutters, skipped a line in the Schoenberg. Her father twists the dial some and Sinatra’s heavy breath seeps through dimpled plastic speakers. Now is when it happens: its flank appears, brownish-white—exposed by high beams—and the car convulses violentengine-throbbing convulsions. First

they’re sideways, then they’re turnedaround and somehow near the ditchbut they’re not in the ditch, and her cellois fine but she’s reaching for her seatbelt, trying to open the doorto get out of the car, screaming we hit it,we hit it and have to save it, andher father is yelling no, sit down, sit down and stay in the car.But listen: the cello is safe. Later when she pours over the bodyshe will find no cracks or blemishes. In time she will learn to heal.

—M A R K H E N G S T L E R ’ 1 1

TIMEJ E N J E P S E N ’ 1 2

This year’s magazine was edited by Bethany Nylander ’11 and Jonathan Post ’11. To see more from Saxifrage 37, visit www.plu.edu/sax_37.

22 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > ATTAWAY LUTES

attaway lutes

2011 HALL OF FAME

The 2011 PLU Athletic Hall of Fameclass, consisting of one national cham-pionship team, a coach and three out-

standing athletes who wore the black andgold, will be the 22nd in the Hall’s history.The list of inductees includes the 1988NAIA national championship women’s cross-country team, cross-country and track &field coach Brad Moore, basketball playersDon Brown and Burke Mullins, and swim-mer Aurora Bray.

The induction luncheon is scheduled for 11a.m., October 14, in the University Center.Tickets may be purchased by calling thePLU athletic department at 253-535-7352.

1988 Women’s Cross Country (NAIA National Champions)

In a storied athletic program at PLU, the1988 women’s cross-country team had afairy-tale ending. After a third-place finishat the national meet in 1987, the Lutes setout to win it all a year later. Led by seniorthree-time All-American Valerie Hilden, theteam took five of the top six spots at theconference meet, and it won every NAIAcompetition leading into the national finalsin Kenosha, Wisc. In a true demonstrationof skill and endurance, the Lutes cruised toa 1-4-11-12-34 finish to win the NAIA cross-country team championship. The 1988

squad showed its drive and perseverance,placing a PLU record four All-Americans(top 20 finish) at one championship.

“This team was the most focused group Icoached, and their high level of excellenceled to that championship,” coach BradMoore said. The 44 team points – the low-est team score wins – was the second-low-est total in NAIA history up to that point,and still ranks fourth all-time in the NAIArecord books. Hilden became the only NAIArunner at the time to win two individualtitles (1985 and 1988), as well as becomingthe first PLU athlete to achieve four-timeAll-America status in two sports (cross-coun-try and track & field). To round out theawards for the Lutes, Moore was namedNAIA Coach of the Year.

Aurora Bray (Women’s Swimming, 1994-98)

As a four-time All-American at PLU,Aurora Bray firmly established herself asone of the best long distance swimmers theschool has ever seen. In her first year at theschool, Bray swam primarily butterfly, withsome middle-distance events mixed in. Aspart of the 800-yard freestyle relay team,Bray helped her teammates place fifth atthe NAIA national meet to give her the firstof her All-America honors. As a sophomore,she broke onto the national stage by win-

ning NAIA national titles in 1996 in both the1,650-yard freestyle (clocking 17:40.76 towin by more than 13 seconds) and the 500-yard freestyle (5:04.44). Bray finished in thetop eight in six different races at the meet,helping PLU finish third as a team. In 1997,Bray returned to the podium at nationals,repeating in the 1,650-yard freestyle(17:37.53) and also earning top-eight finish-es in four other races. In addition, sheearned NAIA All-America Scholar Athletewith a 3.64 GPA. In her senior year, Bray wasthe only PLU women’s swimmer to earn All-America status when she finished third inthe 500-yard freestyle, third in the 1,650-yard freestyle, and fifth in the 100-yard but-terfly. That year, her 3.61 grade point aver-age earned her repeat honors as a NAIA All-America Scholar Athlete. Bray exemplifiedexcellence both in the pool and out, andwas truly one of PLU’s great athletes.

Don Brown(Men’s Basketball, 1987-91)

In a men’s basketball program with a sto-ried history, Don Brown was arguably oneof the best all-around players to representPLU. As a four-year starter, the 6-foot-8-inchbig man could do it all. With 1,625 points infour seasons, Brown finished his careerranked fifth all-time in scoring at PLU. Hejoined PLU’s prestigious 400-point club

ATTAWAY LUTES > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 23

twice, once in the 1989-90 season andagain the next season. He was not just ascorer, however. Brown accumulated careerstatistics in rebounds, assists and steals thatplace him among the best PLU has everseen. His 162 career steals places him firstall-time in that category. In addition, Brownis PLU’s all-time career blocked shots leaderwith 188 blocks.

Brown was a prolific passer as well. Heended his career with 241 assists, placinghim seventh all-time. To round out hisgame, Brown also had a stronghold on theboards, finishing with 735 rebounds to rankeighth all-time. In his junior year, Brownput together the best single season of hiscareer. In 27 games, Brown averaged 18.2points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He washonored that season with a first team all-conference selection. Brown also receivedfirst team all-conference honors in his soph-omore and senior seasons. His ability topass, shoot, rebound, block and steal hasmade him arguably one of the best playersin the program’s history.

Burke Mullins(Men’s Basketball, 1986-90)

Sharpshooter Burke Mullins establishedhimself as one of the purest shooters PLUhas ever seen during his four-year career.During the 1986-87 season, his first on

campus, Mullins ended the season leadingthe team in total scoring and scored whatwould be a single-game career-best 33points against Hawaii-Hilo. He also added49 three-pointers that season to beginwhat would be an outstanding outsideshooting career. Mullins was honored inthe 1986-87 season with a second-teamall-conference selection. His next threeseasons would continue to showcase hisability to shoot the basketball.

Mullins ended his career with 1,504points, putting him sixth all-time in scor-ing at PLU. He twice joined the 400-pointclub, in the 1987-88 and 1989-90 seasons.Mullins also finished his career placing inthe top 10 in several categories, includingthree-pointers made, three-point percent-age, field goals made, and free throw per-centage. Through 394 attempts, Mullinshit 176 three-pointers, placing him secondall-time in shots made. His career .447three-point percentage puts him third all-time in the category. Mullins made 558field goals in his career, a mark that putshim sixth all-time at PLU. His 83.1 percentcareer free-throw percentage places himat the top of the all-time career mark. Inthe 1987-88 season, Mullins hit 87.4 per-cent of his free-throw attempts to set thesingle season record for free-throw per-centage.

Brad Moore (Cross Country and Track & Field Coach, 1980-2005)

In more than 25 years of experience atPLU, Brad Moore firmly established himselfas one of the greatest coaches to ever stepfoot on campus. Teaching and guiding morethan 160 NAIA and NCAA Division III FirstTeam All-Americans in cross-country andtrack & field, Moore won a combined 52conference championships (24 in cross-coun-try, 28 in track & field) between the years of1980-2005.

“My coaches and I wanted to develop aculture that strived for excellence,” saidMoore. This excellence led Moore’s 1988cross country team to win the NAIA nationalteam and individual titles, with blazerValerie Hilden leading the Lutes to victory.

“The national title was an outcome of thatdesire to strive for excellence,” said Moore.Continuing his already long list of honors,Moore was twice named NAIA cross-countrynational coach of the year (1988 and 1990),NAIA regional track & field coach of the year(1995), seven-time cross country conferencecoach of the year, and eight-time NorthwestConference coach of the year for track &field. To multiply Moore’s impact at PLU, hewas a full-time professor within the schoolof physical education while coaching twosports each year.

BY ALEX SCHISEL ’11 AND CHAD KEARNS ’12

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alumni news & events

24 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS

Meant Fumbling for his confidenceAnd wondering why the world has passed him byHoping that he’s bent for more than argumentsAnd failed attempts to fly, flyWe were meant to live for so much moreHave we lost ourselves?Somewhere we live inside . . .. . . Maybe we’ve been livin’ with our eyes half open . . .We want more than this world’s got to offerWe want more than the wars of our fathersAnd everything inside screams for a second life, yeahWe were meant to live for so much moreHave we lost ourselvesWe were meant to live

SEVEN YEARS AGO A NEW STUDENT-RUN PROGRAM wasstarted with funding from the Lilly Endowment. Part of the uni-versity’s Wild Hope Project, it was aimed at giving students newconfidence and insight into their personal aspirations and goalsfor living full and meaningful lives.

In 2004 a small group of students met to plan the inauguralevent. They discussed naming the program and establishing thethemes that would sustain it.

At the time, the students were fans of the rock band Switchfoot.They found inspiration in the lyrics of the band’s song that wonthe Gospel Music Association 2004 song of the year. The lyricsincluded:

ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 25

toLivecontinues as an important part of Homecoming festivities

The title of that song, “Meant to Live,” became the name of thenew campus program. Its lyrics inspired program themes that fitperfectly with the goals of the Wild Hope Project. It challengesstudents to ask themselves the “Big Enough Questions” such as“What am I living for?” “Whom do I really want to become?”“How do I work toward something when I don’t even know whatit ultimately is?”For several years, student organizers of Meant to Live brought

professionals, musicians, performers, artists and intellectuals tocampus to share their inspiring life stories. The speakers sharedthe events, people and passions brought them to their current lifesituations.More recently, the program has evolved to become a permanent

part of Homecoming. Now each year a group of PLU alumni areasked to share with students their own career stories and lifegoals.“Because the School of Nursing is celebrating its 60th anniver-

sary, this fall nursing alumni have been selected as the Meant toLive Academic Affinity,” said Sumerlin Larsen ’01, associate direc-tor of the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations.“Related activities will include Homecoming chapel, School of

Nursing simulations, a Vocation in Progress panel discussion, aMeant to Live speaker and a Meant to Live reception,” she said.

For more information and to register, visit www.plualumni.org

Get V.I.P. treatment atHomecoming!

October 14-16, 2011Highlights Include:Class Reunion Activities for Classes of 1961, ’66, ’71, ’86 and ’01

Homecoming Football Tent and GameHomecoming Alumni Award Banquet Homecoming WorshipBanquet

Meant to Live activities: Homecoming ChapelSchool of Nursing SimulationsVocation in Progress PanelMeant to Live Lecture:

Charleen Tachibana ’77Meant to Live ReceptionSchool of Nursing 60th

Anniversary Banquet

Diversity Center 10thAnniversary CelebrationActivities:Diversity Center 10th Anniversary

Celebration: “Voice, Inclusion, Passion”Multicultural NightDiversity Center Open HousePast, Present and Future Panel

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26 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS

2011 ALUMNI AWARDSD I S T I N G U I S H E D A L U M N U S A W A R D

Dale & Jolita BensonThrough many years of dedication and

service, these alumni have achieved pro-fessional and vocational distinction in thecommunity. Dale ’63 and Jolita (Hylland’63) Benson receive the DistinguishedAlumnus Award. The Bensons haveendowed two chairs at PLU; The BensonFamily Chair in Business and EconomicHistory, and The Jolita Hylland BensonChair in Education. They have also sup-ported many other projects at PLU, includ-ing student scholarships over the years.Dale currently serves as a member of thePLU Board of Regents.

In addition to their work at PLU, theBensons support an organization calledMinds Matter in Portland, Ore. The mis-sion of Minds Matter is to transform thelives of accomplished high school studentsfrom low-income families by broadeningtheir dreams and preparing them for col-lege success. The Bensons support theorganization’s annual operating budgetand have established a scholarship pro-gram for two Minds Matter students toattend PLU each year.

They have also shown their generosityand involvement in the greater Lutherancommunity around the Portland area.Each year they provide tuition support forany member of St. Luke’s LutheranChurch who enrolls in a Lutheran collegeor seminary. Through this commitment, in2010, their foundation supported 11 stu-dents from their congregation.

O U T S TA N D I N G A L U M N U S A W A R D

Roger AdamsFor excelling in a special area of life,

Roger Adams ’79 receives theOutstanding Alumnus award. Adams isthe creator of Heelys, athletic shoes withwheels in the heels. These shoes allowwearers to go from walking to skating, or“heeling” without having to changeshoes. Adams invented the shoes in hisgarage in 1998, and today they have sold4.5 million pairs of shoes in 70 countriesworldwide.

Adams grew up in Tacoma. His parentsowned the Adams Roller Bowl, thebiggest skating rink in the PacificNorthwest. After attending PLU, Adamswent on to become a clinical psycholo-gist, mental health supervisor and region-al coordinator for the state of Oregon. Bythe late ’90s, Roger was experiencing pro-fessional burn-out. He decided to takesome time off, and during this time herented a little house in HuntingtonBeach, Calif. It was there that he got theidea for Heelys while watching peopleskate down the boardwalk.

Reader’s Digest Magazine also namedHeelys as the “Best of America” for 2005.Roger started with an idea and trans-formed it into a movement, proving thatwith a little hard work and a good ideayou can achieve anything.

O U T S TA N D I N G R E C E N T A L U M N U SA W A R D

Mike WautersFor his outstanding service to the med-

ical community, Michael Wauters ’07receives the Outstanding Recent AlumnusAward. He spent the 2007-2008 academicyear in Ecuador on a Fulbright Fellowshipstudying the Chagas Disease. When workwas slow, Michael started volunteering atthe Baca Ortiz Hospital, spending manyhours reading to sick children anddelighting them with his hand puppet,Marco the cat.

Michael’s most significant accomplish-ment in Ecuador came after theEcuadorian government failed to followthrough with its promise to fund theChagas Disease project. In responseMichael initiated a campaign to seekdonations from friends and family in theUnited States. Michael’s efforts were suc-cessful, and he and his team were able tocontinue the project.

Michael is currently in his second yearof medical school at the University ofWisconsin School of Medicine and PublicHealth, where he spends his spare time inactive service to others. For instance,Michael is a co-coordinator for a clinic,where he teamed up with a group ofother medical students to offer medicalservices for the uninsured. In 2010, hereceived the McGraw-Hill/Lange MedicalPublishers award for the many hoursdevoted to medical school organizationsand activities outside of the classroom. In2011, he received the McGovern-TracyScholarship “for demonstrated commit-ment to community service.”

ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 27

A L U M N I S E R V I C E A W A R D

Melanie BarnesFor her outstanding volunteer leader-

ship and service to the community,Melanie Barnes ’82 receives the AlumniService Award. Melanie is a pediatric psy-chologist at Mary Bridge Children’sHospital. Every day she helps familieswhose children have critical or terminalillnesses. One disease in particular, sicklecell anemia, affects many of the familiesshe encounters. Because of this, Melaniewent above and beyond her job tobecome the founding member of the NWSickle Cell Camp.

Melanie hosted the first sickle cell campin 1993. The camp continues today andtypically hosts 30 to 50 children with sick-le cell, as well as their siblings. It providesa safe place for the kids to leave homeand have fun with the necessary medicalsupport for their illness. Melanie has beena primary financial advocate for the campby writing for grants and meeting withcommunity supporters and fundraisers.

In addition to being responsible for theMary Bridge Sickle Cell Clinic, Melanie isinvolved with the rest of the Mary BridgeChildren’s Hematology/Oncology Clinic.She loves to volunteer her time at socialevents for the clinic. Outside of her serv-ice to the hospital, Melanie has been aGirl Scout leader for eight years, helpingyoung girls become confident leaders andcontributors of their community.

H E R I TA G E A W A R D

Fred TobiasonFor years of dedication and service to

the university, Fred Tobiason ’58 receivesthe Heritage Award. As a former profes-sor, Tobiason has made enormous contri-butions to the chemistry department atPLU and also in the broader researchcommunity. He promoted and successfullyimplemented several faculty-studentresearch fellowships, and has presented

papers at the national American ChemicalSociety meetings with his students.Tobiason was also an advocate for, andled a study away trip to Chengdu, China,in the late 1980s. As a faculty member heconceived the Natural Areas Committeethat has today evolved into theSustainability Committee.

Tobiason is also known for advocatingthat the wooded area south of theUniversity Center be preserved as an edu-cational habitat in 1970. Fred maintainedthat area until he retired in 1991. In April2011 the area was dedicated as the FredL. Tobiason Outdoor Learning Center.

Tobiason is the founding member ofthe Clover Creek Council, a citizen non-profit organization that has a mission ofprotecting and restoring the natural sys-tems in the Clover Creek Watershed.Tobiason has been involved in severalconservation projects and is responsiblefor the conservation of more than 100acres of land near PLU.

S P E C I A L R E C O G N I T I O N A W A R D

Rodney SwensonFor his special service to the university,

Rodney Swenson receives the SpecialRecognition Award. Rodney is creditedwith making the Fulbright program whatit is today. The Fulbright is the U.S. gov-ernment’s premier scholarship program,sending more than 800 scholars and pro-fessionals each year to more than 155countries to study internationally. He isknown for encouraging applicants andhelping them with the process. PLU hasan extraordinary track record of Fulbrightawards, and Rodney is responsible formuch of this success.

While at PLU, Rodney also served forseven years as the chair of theDepartment of Languages andLiteratures. He taught every Germancourse in the curriculum and developedseven courses for J-Term. Rodney alsopublished about 30 professional articles

and book reviews, and has a professionalinterest in teaching English as a secondlanguage. He has studied 13 foreign lan-guages. This passion for foreign languagedrove Rodney to found the TacomaGerman School.

He also served on the council of hischurch and has been a choir member formore than 25 years. Rodney was also avolunteer leader in many positions forthe Boy Scouts of America.

B R I A N C . O L S O N L E A D E R S H I PA W A R D

Adam Story For his leadership and commitment to a

lifelong relationship with the university,Adam Story ’11 receives the Brian C.Olson Leadership Award. Adam workedin the Office of Development for morethan three years. His primary position as aTelALute supervisor, gave him incredibleopportunities to be a liaison between PLUand its many constituents. He masteredthe art of articulating the university’s mis-sion and is an excellent fundraiser.

During his senior year, Adam was thedonor relations intern. In this position, hewas responsible for managing the endowedstudent scholarship program, which createsmeaningful connections between donorsand students. Adam met with soon-to-be-graduating seniors to discuss donating tothe university. Donating to the university isvery important to Adam, and he wants hisfellow classmates to start to make a differ-ence in their university by giving back.

Adam is also one of the most recentUbuntu award receipts for his leadershiproles on campus. Adam was hired to workat a local non-profit in Seattle helping toraise money to make legal aid available forthose in need. In addition to working,Adam will be one of the class representa-tives for the class of 2011 for PLU. S

Pencil Us InUPCOMING EVENTSAugust 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PLU Night at the Rainiers, Tacoma

September 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .First Day of Classes

September 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PLU vs. California Lutheran FootballTailgate in Thousand Oaks, Calif

September 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Norway Connection Event

October 14-16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Homecoming Weekend 2011

October 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alumni Board Meeting, PLU

October 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PLU vs. Linfield FootballTailgate in McMinnville, Ore.

October 29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PLU vs. Lewis & Clark Football, PLU

November 4-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Family Weekend 2011, PLU

November 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Parent’s Council Meeting, PLU

November 30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Music Affinity and GOLD Affinity Reunions,Portland, Ore. (PLU Christmas Concert)

December 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Music Affinity and GOLD Affinity Reunions,Seattle (PLU Christmas Concert)

For more information: www.plualumni.org or call 800-ALUM-PLU.

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28 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS

More than 8,250 alumni havealready registered for PLU’sAlumni Online Directory.

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GIVING BACK > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 29

When PLU President Loren J.Anderson announced in Maythat PLU’s fundraising cam-

paign had crossed the $100 millionmark, it was a moment of pride for theentire PLU community.

It was not, however, a time to relax.There is much more work to be done.

A school with a strong commitmentto the liberal arts must provide high-caliber facilities to support its academ-ic and co-curricular programs.Architecturally distinctive facilities,complete with appropriate equipmentand technology, inspire students andfaculty and enhance the academic vital-ity of the university.

Of particular focus now is the 26-year-old, 88,500 square-foot Rieke ScienceCenter. The facility has served theDivision of Natural Sciences well, howev-er, the building is outdated and requiresupgrades to meet the needs of facultymembers and the students they are edu-cating particularly because undergradu-ate student and faculty research is onehallmark of a PLU education.

“The renovation of Rieke ScienceCenter will give us more flexibility with

Karen Allyn ’85 and Carol Sheffels (’58) Quigg meet Michaela Burke ’12 and other students who will be using the newly remodeled Louis and Lydia SheffelsBiology Lab. Even though PLU reached its $100 million goal, there are still opportunities to upgrade facilities and equipment in Rieke Science Center.

Rieke Science Center campaign aims for $6 million goal

respect to how we can use the facilityto support the kinds of teaching wewant to do,” said Angie Alexander, PLUprofessor of biology and former deanof the natural sciences.

To that end, Rieke currently has anew smart classroom under renova-tion, thanks to generous contributionsfrom multiple donors. Additional gen-eral maintenance on Rieke is also tak-ing place this summer, including theinstallation of a new roof.

Completed earlier in the year was theLouis and Lydia Sheffels BiologyLaboratory, which would not havebeen possible without the support ofCarol Sheffels (’58) Quigg, JerrySheffels ’54 and the entire Sheffelsfamily.

“The Rieke Science Center is animportant part of the education ofPLU students going out into theworld,” Carol Sheffels Quigg said.

The lab is the first of many renova-tions planned for Rieke. The goal is toraise $6 million for an overall upgradeof the building. Currently, gifts to theuniversity for Rieke Science Centerhave reached $1.6 million.

Future plans for Rieke include thereconfiguration of an interior laborato-ry space supporting and enhancing sci-entific instructional methodologies forstudent and faculty research, updatingmore classrooms, improvement of thesecond floor "open lab,” and updatingbuilding infrastructure such as heatingand ventilation.

“Compared to what I think of as ‘theold days’ when most of the teaching waslecture and many of the labs were demon-stration-based labs, we are now doingmuch more project work in the labs,”Alexander said. “Teaching has shifted not entirely away from lecture, but certainly toward problem solving, project work, discussion groups andgroup work during class periods.”

All this points to continued efforts tocreate a space where PLU’s studentshave the resources and support to meetthe demands of scientific inquiry in the21st Century.

To learn more about the renovation of RiekeScience Center, and the variety of namingopportunities that are available, visitwww.plu.edu/campaign, or call 800-826-0035.

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giving back

30 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > ALUMNI PROFILES

alumni profiles40 years of caring for others

Marilynne (Buddrius ’68)Wilson came to PLU planningto study social work. But a

simple conversation with her parentsone day led to a different career path.

“I called home and told my parents Iwas in something I didn’t think I want-ed,” Wilson said. “They called the min-ister. He called me and said, ‘whatabout a nurse?’ I said ‘okay.’”

The Almira, Wash., native subse-quently earned a bachelor’s degree innursing.

After graduation, Wilson began hernursing career at Sacred Heart MedicalCenter in Spokane.

It was at that job she realized the twomost important skills her PLU profes-sors taught her: how to problem solveand how to think logically. “I rememberwhen I got my first job at Sacred Heartand thinking, ‘I don’t know how to doanything,’” Wilson said. “Lo and behold,I discovered I knew how to think.”

Wilson met her husband, Lewis, in1969. The couple married two years later

and relocated to Western Washington,where she worked at ProvidenceHospital in Seattle while Lewis attendedlaw school at the University ofWashington.

They returned to Spokane in 1975 andWilson entered home health care, a fieldshe says was “right up [her] alley.” Shespent the next 28 years as a field nurseand in administration.

“Nursing has been good to me,”Wilson said.

The mother of two and a soon-to-be

School of Nursing celebrates its60th anniversary at Homecoming!Join us October 14-16, 2011

ALUMNI PROFILES > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 31

grandmother, Wilson is passionateabout exploring new places and makinga difference.

Wilson traveled to Cuba in 2010through Witness for Peace, to observeCuba’s health care system.

Wilson anticipates retiring in 2012from her part-time job at DeaconessMedical Center’s Hyperbaric Wound

Care Center. But she plans to remainactive, and says she may even remainon-call after she retires. Marilynne andLewis are undecided as to when theywill fully retire.

“We have always felt we wanted tocontribute,” she said.

Wilson also expects to stay involvedwith Spokane’s Peace and Justice

Action League, that focuses on non-vio-lent responses to issues. Communityinvolvement is a commitment theWilsons share.

“I couldn’t have stayed married toanyone else for 40 years,” Lewis said ofMarilynne. “She knows who she is andwhat she wants.”

— Hailey Rile ’13

A life of servicethrough environmental protection

Shella Biallas ’04 says she ispursuing a career in publicservice because she values

community, and more specifically,the protection of the environment.

“What motivates me is a passionfor the outdoors,” Biallas wrote dur-ing a recent online interview. “Beingat PLU, where Mt. Rainier was in mybackground, really made me realizehow lucky we are up there to haveaccess to all these great, naturalresources and beauty.”

Currently, Biallas is working inWashington, D.C., as a policy ana-lyst in the Office of the Secretary atthe U.S. Department of Interior.

Biallas’ desire to serve others hasled to many opportunities to explorethe United States and the world.

Biallas worked for a year withAmeriCorps VISTA, a national serv-ice program designed to fightpoverty. For that position, she trav-eled to St. Paul, Minn., where sheworked at the Immigrant LawCenter of Minnesota. There, shewas responsible for recruiting vol-unteers and grant writing.

She has also worked as a PeaceCorps volunteer near Gorda, Belize,where she helped develop eco-tourism income-generation projectsin a small Mayan village.

“The challenges of a developingcountry are nearly insurmount-able,” Biallas said. “There is corrup-tion. There are lots of competing

“This passion [for environmentalpolicy] was affirmed when I was inBelize,” Biallas explained. “When Icame back to Seattle, I pursued itas a profession in the hope that Icould make a difference at thehighest levels of policy making.”

During her time at PLU, Biallasdouble-majored in sociology andpsychology, and had the opportu-nity to be a teaching assistant inboth departments.

Biallas also was involved in numer-ous extra- and co-curricular activi-ties, volunteering as an orientationguide, serving as orientation coordi-nator, working for ASPLU, as well asfor Impact and in the Career Center.

Biallas says she often misses thePLU atmosphere.

“The community of people weregenuine,” Biallas wrote, adding,“where people were genuinely nice,open, and compassionate withoutanother agenda.”

—Anne Walters-Cooke ’12

needs, and you are working withvery limited resources. But doing itwas well worth it.”

Upon her return to the U.S.,Biallas completed a master’s in pub-lic administration at the Universityof Washington’s Evans School ofPublic Affairs, where she decided topursue a career in environmentalpolicy. As a result, Biallas alsoearned a certificate in environmentalmanagement from the UW.

“This passion [for environ-mental policy] was affirmedwhen I was in Belize,when Icame back to Seattle, I pur-sued it as a profession in thehope that I could make a dif-ference at the highest levelsof policy making.”

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32 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > ALUMNI CLASS NOTES

alumni class notesClass Representative positions available:1968, 1975, 1980, 1986, 1991, 1992, and1995

1931-1935 Golden Club Class RepresentativeCommittee

T. Olai Hageness died March 15. Olaiwas an educator for 43 years, retiring assuperintendent of the Clover Park SchoolDistrict, where he served from 1948-1974.Prior to his tenure with Clover Park, hewas the principal of Fife (Wash.) HighSchool and county superintendent ofschools. He also served as a naval offi-cer from 1943-1946. Olai served onnumerous educational boards, as well aschurch boards, university boards, andhospital boards. He was also active inseveral community affairs. Olai was pre-ceded in death by his first wife, Irene(Dahl ’27) Hageness, and his daughter,Linda. Olai is survived by his second wifeof 50 years, Sarah; 4 children, 11 grand-children and 8 great-grandchildren.

1936 Class Representative – Volly (Norby)Grande

1937-1939Golden Club Class RepresentativeCommittee

1937Dorothy Kapphahn died Jan. 15. Aftergraduation, Dorothy had a long careerteaching in the Bethel School District.Dorothy was known for her arts andcrafts, which she shared with students,friends and relatives.

1940 Class Representative – Luella (Toso)Johnson

1941-1944Golden Club Class RepresentativeCommittee

1941Evelyn (Knibbe)Elliott and herhusband,Chalmers, cele-brated their 67thwedding anniver-sary in February.Evelyn is a sub-

stitute teacher on occasion in theHighline School District. Evelyn and herhusband live in SeaTac, Wash.

1944Per Ivar Pihl died April 27. He receiveddegrees from PLU and AugustanaTheological Seminary, and was ordainedby the Lutheran Church in 1952. Ivarshared the good news of God’s graceand love in churches and communities inMassachusetts, California, Oregon,Washington and Alaska. Ivar is survived

1950 Class Representative – DickWeathermon

Irene (Christensen) Suprunowski diedJan. 20. She worked for Dr. Middleton forseveral years in Port Orchard, Wash., asa receptionist and medical assistant.Irene met her husband, Henry, (alsoknown as “Gene”) when he came to Dr.Middleton’s office in 1954. They weremarried April 5, 1956, and remained sofor more than 54 years. Irene was ahomemaker, and was active in herchurch, Emmanuel Lutheran, and was amember of Sons of Norway for manyyears. She is survived by her husband,Henry; sons William and John, daughtersJean and Janet; and numerous grand-children and great-grandchildren.

Jess Thompson is a former pastor, story-teller, folk singer and fisherman. He haswritten essays on religion, politics, histo-ry, as well as two novels, all laced withhumor and based mainly on the truth.Some older graduates may remember hisstories and songs at banquets andschool functions. “Blood on the Saddle,”“The Blue Tail Fly,” and “I Once Ate atthe Boarding House at Dear Old PLU”were big favorites. Jess has written andpublished a batch of books: “The SexyLady-North to Alaska,” “Sweet MollyMalone’s Love Ad,” “Now Hear This” and“All Aboard.”

Curtis Holum died March 26. He joinedthe Navy in 1943, serving in thePhilippines until the end of World War II.After his military service, he earned hisB.A. from PLU, and attended graduateschool at San Francisco State University,under the tutelage of S.I. Hayakawa.Curtis taught at Coontz Junior High, andwas one of the original teachers at EastHigh School, as well as English depart-ment chair and golf coach. He was“knighted” for his distinguished service.He retired in 1980, working at Rolling HillsGolf Course, winning the men’s clubchampionship, and scoring a hole-in-one.Curtis is survived by his wife of 30 years,Carol; daughters Karen and Catherine;five grandchildren and two great-grand-children.

1951-1952 Golden Club Class RepresentativeCommittee

William Vaswig died Jan. 23. He was thepastor at Mission Hill, Gayville andYankton Lutheran Church in S.D.,Resurrection Lutheran in Dublin, Calif.,and Shepherd of the Valley LutheranChurch in Canoga Park, Calif. He wasalso the pastor and president ofPreaching and Prayer Ministries, Inc.,since 1978. William was preceded indeath by his wife, Marcine (Vohs ’55)Vaswig. He is survived by his childrenPhilip, Joanna, John ’80, Charis, Rene,and Mairi; nine grandchildren and twogreat-grandchildren.

1953 Class Representatives – Naomi (Roe)Nothstein and Carol (Schuler) Karwoski

1954 Golden Club Class RepresentativeCommittee

Paul Steen was recently awarded a life-time achievement award when he wasinducted into the KPBS Hall of Fame.Paul was the longest serving generalmanager of San Diego–based KPBS,where he oversaw both the radio andtelevision stations from 1974-1992. DuringSteen’s term, KPBS accomplished broad-cast history by transmitting the first over-the-air digital HDTV signal. While gener-al manager, Steen made the decision tochange KPBS radio into an all-news andpublic affairs format in 1990. He retiredfrom KPBS in 1992.

1955 Class Representative – Phyllis (Grahn)Pejsa

1956 Class Representatives– Ginny (Grahn)Haugen and Clarene (Osterli) Johnson

1957 Class Representative – Ed Larson

Carol (Jacobson) Arestad died Feb. 22.Carol moved to Washington fromWisconsin to attend PLU. While at col-lege she met her husband, RogerArestad ’55. Carol was preceded in deathby her husband. She is survived by hertwo children.

1958 Class Representative – Don Cornell

1959 Golden Club Class RepresentativeCommittee

1960 Class Representative – Marilu (Miller)Person

Larry Johnson was elected president ofthe Scandinavian American Cultural andHistorical Foundation in Thousand Oaks,Calif., for 2011. The organization, basedat California Lutheran University, oper-ates the Scandinavian Center and spon-sors the monthly Scandinavian LectureSeries, the annual Nordic SpiritSymposium and the annual ScandinavianFestival. Before retiring as pastor of HolyTrinity Lutheran Church in ThousandOaks, he served at other congregationsin California. He also is currently activein the community mental health associa-tion and assists with the Holy Trinity foodprogram for the homeless.

Jan Aust attended the 50th PLU Classreunion and was grateful for the warm,loving connection with her vibrant classmates. Since graduating, traveling

by his loving wife, Joan (Satern ’46) Pihl;children, Helena, Carol, Susan (Pihl ’80)Ferguson, and Marshall Pihl ’83; and 11grandchildren.

1945 Class Representative – AnnabelleBirkestol

1946 Golden Club Class RepresentativeCommittee

1947 Class Representative – Gerry Lider

1948 Class Representative – Norene(Skilbred) Gulhaugen

Doris (Vinje) Thompson died March 18.Doris truly made the world a betterplace. She was an extremely thoughtfulperson, often buying cards for people’sbirthdays or anniversaries. Doris was astrong supporter of the ChristianAppalachian Project, sending little booksor shoes to the children of Appalachia.Doris is survived by her husband, JesseThompson ’50, and son, Jim.

Ernest Hopp died March 31. DuringWorld War II he enlisted in the Navy andstudied at the University of SouthCarolina. Upon his honorary discharge,he continued his study at PacificLutheran College, Washington StateCollege and Oregon State College, wherehe received his B.S. in poultry husbandryin 1949. He then began his career as anassistant extension agent with theWashington State University AgriculturalExtension Service. In 1962 he receivedhis master’s degree from Oregon StateUniversity and became a full facultymember and state supervisor at theextension center. Ernie was a devotedfan of the Chicago Cubs, as well as thePLU football and basketball teams. Hewas a Rotarian, served on the PierceCounty Land Commission and is one ofthe founding members of the PLU Q Club.Ernie was preceded in death by his wife,Irene (Fearn) Hopp. He is survived by histhree daughters, Michelle (Hopp ’77)Mussie, Renee (Hopp ’80) Robbins andJeanine (Hopp ’82) Wernofsky; andgrandchildren, Marquel Mussie ’09,Jessica Mussie, Shelby Robbins, JaclynWernofsky and Daniel Wernofsky.

1949Golden Club Class RepresentativeCommittee

Doane Blair recently retired as vicepresident of Shoreline CommunityCollege. Doane’s daughter Kendall Blair’05 is now in her fourth year of medicalschool at Des Moines University in Iowa.Her brother, Kyle Blair, graduated fromthe University of Washington in 2010.Doane and his wife, Alice (Andersen ’51)Blair, currently live in Mt. Vernon, Wash.

has been Jan’s passion. In the next fewyears, she hopes to visit both Africa andAustralia.

1961 Class Representative – Ron Lerch

Gene Schaumberg died Jan. 19.Schaumberg was one of the first instruc-tors in Sonoma State (Calif.) University’snatural science division, and was credit-ed with hiring most of the chemistrydepartment faculty. Schaumberg pre-sented seminars on environmental issuesin numerous countries and was therecipient of five Fulbright lectureships.While at SSU, he led an annual study tripto Nepal and Thailand. Schaumberg wasa consultant for the National ScienceFoundation and was one of six scientistschosen as senior research fellows in theIndo-American Fellowship Program.Gene is survived by his wife, Terrie; chil-dren, Tara, Jocelyn, Jason, and Nathan;and five grandchildren.

Marty Schaefer has composed a collec-tion of ten piano settings of Christmascarols. Titled “Quiet Carols,” the set hasjust been published by AugsburgFortress. Marty and his wife, Barbara(Weber ’61) Schaefer, will be celebratingtheir 50th wedding anniversary inNovember.

1962 Class Representative – Leo Eliason andDixie (Likkel) Matthias

Frederick Hansen died Feb. 11. Fred methis wife, Marilyn (Paulson ’62), whileattending PLU. They married in 1965 andsettled in Northern California. Hansenenjoyed bowling, climbing, boating withfriends and relatives, and buying andselling cars. Fred and his family returnedto the Northwest, making a home inBremerton, Wash. He was dedicated tohis church, Emmanuel Lutheran, wherehe was church president. He is survivedby his wife, Marilyn; two sons, Jen andKristian; and four grandchildren.

Larry Flamoe died March 1. After gradu-ating, Larry spent eight years active dutyas a navigator, earning the Air Medalwhile flying combat missions inSoutheast Asia. He then finished his 22years of military service in theWashington Air National Guard. Larrymarried his college sweetheart, Karen(Bird ’61). Larry and Karen built a homein Browns Point, Wash., where theyraised their family. He was also veryactive in coaching his kids’ sports teams.He worked for many years running hisown business selling fasteners. Larryloved the family cabin in Longbranch,Wash., and spent 45 summers there withfamily and friends. He was also involvedfor many years as a group leader with aBible study fellowship. Larry was a long-time member of Marine ViewPresbyterian Church. Larry is survived byhis wife, Karen; three children, Mike,Chelle and Mark ’92; and seven grand-children.

1963 Class Representative – Merlyn and Joan(Maier) Overland

1964 Class Representative – Jon and Jean(Riggers) Malmin

Arvin Meyer died Feb. 9. Arvin joined theCoast Guard after graduation and servedone year active duty, and four years ofreserves. He resumed his education atPLU and graduated with a degree inchemistry. Arvin worked at the OregonPrimate Research Center, and in theReed College (Portland, Ore.) radiationdepartment. He later moved to Tacoma,Wash., and worked for Mann RussellElectronics and Jesse Engineering,where he retired in 2004. Arvin loved life,traveling with family and friends, hiking,fishing, golfing, hunting, camping andsailing. He is survived by his wife of 31years, Jan; children, Cathleen, Wendy,Steven, Julie and Kevin; and five amaz-ing grandchildren.

1965 Class Representative – Dave Wytko

Cynthia(Weaver)Bennett and herhusband Walterrecently cele-brated their 45thweddinganniversary with

a family dinner. The couple was marriedat Tower Chapel at PLU.

1966 Class Representative – Frank Johnson

1967 Class Representative – Craig Bjorklund

1969 Class Representative – Rick Nelson

Paul Dessen died Jan. 4. He died peace-fully at home, surrounded by family andfriends. Paul was a role model of opti-mistically living for the future despitehaving a terminal illness. He moved toOregon where he began 30 years ofservice as a dedicated teacher, workingat Newport, North Marion, Knappa andAstoria high schools. He coached hun-dreds of student athletes in swimming,diving, cross-country, football, baseballand basketball. After his retirement,“Coach D” kept going and completed his40-year coaching career as an AstoriaHigh School volunteer. Paul could oftenbe found playing golf at the GearhartGolf Links with his Men’s Club friends.Paul was a longtime lector at St. Mary’sCatholic Church. He served as the meetdirector for the district swim meet formany years and was the SMART pro-gram volunteer. The highlight of Paul’scoaching career was his 2010 inductioninto the Astoria High School Sports Hallof Fame, both as a coach and as a volun-teer. Paul is survived by his devoted wifeof 40 years, Helen; his daughters Lisaand Laura; and three granddaughters.

Thomas Brierley died Jan. 11. Thomaswas awarded a certificate of apprecia-tion from Gov. Mike Lowry for 38 years ofservice with the Washington LiquorControl Board.

Judy (Gyldenvand) Odegaard died Mar.23. Judy held a number of administrativepositions over the years atWeyerhaeuser, Westin Hotels & Resorts,and Sherron Associates. Her most enjoy-able jobs were as the registrar at TrinityCollege in Issaquah, Wash., and in sec-retarial roles at the WestminsterPresbyterian Church and AnacortesLutheran Church. These jobs enabled herto utilize her organizational skills andadministrative proficiency in a work envi-ronment with like-minded people of faith.She saw these opportunities as being aprivilege to be of service. She loved play-ing her piano and singing in the churchchoir. Judy also enjoyed Bible study,walking, bike riding, gardening, traveling,baking, and creating beautiful scrap-books and quilts. She is survived by herhusband, Rod; children, Jeff, Joanna andJulie; and four grandchildren.

1970 Class Representative – Bill Allen

William “Bill” Cody died Oct. 10, 2010.Bill was a U.S. Army veteran of theKorean War, and was one of the mostinfluential and memorable teachersWhite Hall (Ark.) High School will everknow. He loved and served the Lord withall his heart, and for many years he andhis wife ministered through music at sev-eral area nursing homes. He was pre-ceded in death by his son, Rex Cody. Billis survived by his wife and best friend of38 years, Beverly Cody; five daughters,14 grandchildren, numerous great-grand-children, and many other loving familyand friends.

Mikki (McDermid) Stevens was recentlyhonored as a recipient of the Women ofDistinction Award in the Arts and Culturecategory by Soroptimist International ofCoeur d’Alene, Idaho. Stevens is thefounding member of the performinggroup, the Red Hot Mamas. The Red HotMamas were a dance, march, song andcomedy theater group that performed for17 years. When they were very active,the Mamas performed a dance routine inthe Macy’s Day Parade, and in front of apast president.

1971 Class Representative – Joe Hustad, Jr.

Dennis Bryant directs the conferenceand events function at CaliforniaLutheran University, and was commend-ed in a column in the Ventura CountyStar for his “informal leadership” at theuniversity. The columnist also called him“the glue” that “keeps the campus work-ing.”

Judith (Zatterberg) Davis died Feb. 03.Judith has many fond memories of heryouth. In high school she was honoredas a Daffodil Princess, not rising to be“Queen”, but aptly chosen as “MissCongeniality.” Later on when she attend-ed PLU she was chosen as a “LuciaBride.” She earned her degree in educa-tion, which led to a career teaching atDelong Elementary School in Tacoma,Wash. She positively touched the lives ofher many young students, just as herearly mentors touched her. Judy was

preceded in death by her parents andsister, Kristine. She is survived by herbrother, Glenn.

1972 Class Representative – Molly Stuen

Steven Cook is working at SoundMortgage in Tacoma, Wash., as a loanoriginator. He is helping others throughthese tough financial times.

1973 Class Representative – Karen(Wraalstad) Robbins and Sandy(Dimler) Privett

1974 Class Representative – David E.Johnson

William Rudolph is living a happy lifeon an 80-acre farm in Gillingham, Wisc.,practicing a bit of country law andkayaking the world over.

Martin Babbitt died May 20, 2010. Hislife was filled with many purposefulprojects, working from sunrise to sun-set. After serving his country in the U.S.Navy, Martin received his degree inBusiness Administration from PLU. Hewent on to establish a commercial sitedevelopment company, which he ownedand operated for more than 20 years.This pioneering spirit also carried overto his contributions to the communitywhen he created the first PeninsulaSoccer Club, and spent many hoursworking on the gymnasium addition toChapel Hill Presbyterian Church ofwhich he had been a member for 46years. He is survived by his wife,Arlene; children Laurie, Douglas, Brian’92 and Bonnie; and numerous grand-children.

Chuck Mitchell and Gay (Thompson ’75)Mitchell celebrated their 35th anniver-sary in December.

1975 Class Representative – Vacant

David Smith was recently appointed co-chair of the Federal Bar AssociationCriminal Law Section for the WesternDistrict of Washington. Smith practicesin the areas of white-collar criminaldefense and complex civil litigation. Inaddition to the FBA, Smith is a memberof the American Bar Association’sWhite-Collar Crime Committee.

Rebecca Thompson owns her ownNeuropsychology private practice inNapa, Calif. She also has been teachingat Napa Valley College for 24 years.Rebecca is the founder and facilitatorof the North Bay Fibromyalgia Forum.She is the vice president of the NapaValley Bonsai Club and has enjoyedparticipating in the intensive bonsaistudy groups every month for the pasttwo years. She is the past president ofthe Redwood Empire Swing Dance Club.Rebecca sings in three choirs: her localchurch choir, the Harlen Miller Chorale,and Cantare Con Vivo. With CCV, shehas traveled to Russia, Estonia, Finland,Sweden, Austria, Germany, Slovakiaand Poland.

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 33

David Engebretsen died Feb. 1. Hereceived his master’s degree inhumanities at PLU. David served hiscountry for 23 years, three in the U.S.Navy as a midshipman, and 20 as achaplain with the U.S. Army, serving atCamp Desert Rock (Nev.), Snelling AirForce Base (Minn.) and at bases inKorea, France, Ft. Ord, Calif., Savannah,Ga. and Vietnam. He retired as Lt.Colonel in June, 1976. He is survived byhis wife Roberta; their children andnumerous grandchildren.

Joseph “Doc” Pagkos died April 5.Joseph earned his master’s degree atPLU and his Ph.D. from Ohio StateUniversity. He was a consultant, mentalhealth therapist, school psychologist, and special education director. He lovedteaching and learning, and he enjoyedthe outdoors – especially hiking andSCUBA diving. He also loved workingwith disabled children. He is survived byhis wife, Debbie Tygart-Pagkos ’91.

1976 Class Representative – Gary Powell

Gary Payne died Jan. 18 at his home inBuckley, Wash. Gary received his mas-ter’s degree from PLU and worked as areal estate broker. He was very active inchurch activities through MessiahLutheran Church in Auburn, Wash.,Morningstar Fellowship in Israel andNew Water Fellowship. He also gave toorphanages. Gary is survived by his wife, Michelle Payne ’79; children Abe and Bethany. He was preceded indeath by his parents; Dwight and LouisePayne.

Susan Kerns is a computer specialist forWest Point Elementary School in WestPoint, N.Y.

1977 Class Representatives – Leigh Erie andJoan (Nelson) Mattich

1978 Class Representative – Pete Mattich

Kirk Nelson was recently named presi-dent and CEO of AAA Washington.Nelson came to AAA Washington fromQwest Communications, where he hasbeen the Washington president since1999. He currently serves on the execu-tive committee of the Seattle SportsCommission and the advisory board ofthe Albers School of Business andEconomics at Seattle University.

Bruce Neswick will join the JacobsSchool of Music at Indiana University asan associate professor of music (organ)in the fall of 2011.

1979 Class Representatives – Dave and Teresa(Hausken) Sharkey

1980 Class Representative – Vacant

Ray Francis was recently awarded thecredential of Associate Certified Coachby the International Coach Federation.

Russell Rowland recently co-edited ananthology that will be published by theUniversity of Texas Press called, “Westof 98: Living and Writing in the NewAmerican West.” This collection featuresessays from writers all over the Westtalking about what it means to be fromthe West, and how they see the Westernidentity changing. The anthology includeswriters such as Larry McMurtry, LouseErdrich, Ursula Le Guin, Rick Bass, David

Guterson and 60 others. Russell was alsorecently named the fiction editor for“New West,” an online magazine.

1981 Class Representative – Dean and Susan(Lee) Phillips.

1982 Class Representative – Paul Collard

Deborah Erickson is the assistant deanof the School of Education at CaliforniaLutheran University in Thousand Oaks,Calif. She has recently been named tothe statewide Commission on TeacherCredentialing.

1983 Class Representative – Dave Olson

Brian Trefry has taught in the Post Falls(Idaho) School District since January of1984. Brian is currently teaching worldhistory and A.P. United States history. Heis also the varsity cross-country coach.His wife is a mathematics instructor atWhitworth University in Spokane, Wash.

1984 Class Representative – MarkChristofferson

1985 Class Representatives – Janet (Olden)Regge and Carolyn (Plocharsky) Stelling

Elise Lindborgand KelliHenderson cele-brated their 20thanniversarytogether onMarch 23. Theyare anxiously

awaiting the day when they can legallymarry in the United States!

1986 Class Representative –Vacant

1987 Class Representatives – Lisa Ottoson and John Carr

Sylvia Montosa died June 8, 2010. Sylviagraduated Magna Cum Laude from PLUSchool of Nursing and became a regis-tered nurse. She worked in TacomaGeneral, Black Hills Hospital (Olympia,Wash.), Queens Medical Center(Honolulu) and Valley Medical Center(San Jose, Calif.). Sylvia always put herfamily’s welfare first. She is survived byher husband of 38 years, Rich; children,Richard Jr. and Angel; and four grand-children.

Darrel Bowman was named the NationalVeteran Small Business Champion by theU.S. Small Business Administration.Darrel served in the U.S. Coast Guardbefore becoming an entrepreneur, com-munity leader, humanitarian and veteransadvocate. Darrel is currently living inTacoma, Wash.

1988 Class Representative – Brenda Ray Scott

1989 Class Representative – Brendan Rorem

Gwen (Norlander)Porter marriedChristopher J.K.Porter Dec. 4,2010 at theMedicine CreekWinery inOlympia, Wash.

The bride wore a Scandinavian bridalcrown rented from the Scandinavian GiftShop in the Garfield Book Company atPLU. Gwen is working as a flight atten-dant with Delta Airlines and Christopheris the senior corporate counsel forTransaction Network Services. The cou-ple is currently living in Lacey, Wash.

David Maysrecently cele-brated his one-year anniversaryworking on theCEO communica-tions team atKaiser

Permanente, the nation’s largest nonprof-it integrated health-care system. Earlierthis year, David’s team created andlaunched a national public awarenesscampaign to promote the significanthealth benefits of regular exercise, called“Every Body Walk!” David also recentlycelebrated his 1,000th skydive atSkydance Skydiving in Davis, Calif. Davidand his wife, Janice Alley, live in SanFrancisco, where she teaches graduateclinical psychology courses at GoldenGate University.

1990Class Representative - Erick Benson andMark Kurtz

34 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > ALUMNI CLASS NOTES

Kathy (Schramm) Falk ’85, Janie (Buehler) Davis ’85 andStephanie (Nelson) Mantey ’83 flew to Sausalito, Calif., fora weekend reunion in November 2010 and stayed onboarda 75-foot private yacht. They spent the weekend laughingand reminiscing about their time spent at PLU. They hopeto do this again in the near future.

Lynn Bartlett-Johnson ’74, Beverly (Owens ’74) Hobackand Annette (Getzendeanner ’75) Janka pose at theSeattle Center in November 2010. Their friendships go wayback: Annette and Bev began singing together in sixthgrade, and added Lynn to make a trio in high school. Allthree sang with the Choir of the West at PLU. Today Lynnplays first violin with the Pacific Northwest Ballet and theAuburn Symphony. Bev is an elementary music teacherand sings with many PLU alumni in the choir, Cora Voce,directed by Randall Spitzer ’74. Annette performs with aCeltic band in Cardova, Ala., where she and her husbandoperate a charter boat.

Picture Perfect

Would you like to share your pictures with your fellow alumni?Send pictures to us by e-mail at alumni@plu.edu, or by mail to the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations, Pacific Lutheran University, 12180 Park Ave. S., Tacoma, WA 98447. Please feel free to call us at 800-ALUM-PLU if you have any questions.

1997 Class Representatives – Andy andStephanie (Merle) Tomlinson

Sarah (Werner) Bostelle is currentlyworking as a psychiatric evaluation spe-cialist for the King County Jail. She isalso a massage therapist. Sarah lives inSeattle, Wash.

Devra Sigle-Hermosilla and Dovie Sigle’97 are pleased to announce the openingof their law firm: Sigle Law in Ellensburg,Wash.

1998 Class Representative – Shannon(Herlocker) Stewart

Keven Wynkoop was appointed interimprincipal for Ballard (Seattle) HighSchool. Wynkoop has five years of lead-ership experience as assistant principalat Ballard, and also served as theschool’s activities coordinator from 2002-2007. He is a third-generation BallardHigh School graduate, who has workedthere for his entire professional career.

1999 Class Representative – Julie (Johnston)Bulow von Dennewitz

Casey Selfridge was hired as the newhead football coach at Lakeside (Wash.)High School.

2000 Class Representative – Ashley Orr

Melanie (Isaman)Dean marriedJames Dean onJan. 29 in Seattle,Wash. Melanie is currently working as a registered nurse

at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

1931 T. Olai Hageness died March 15.1937 Dorothy Kapphahn died Jan. 15.1944 Per Ivar Pihl died April 27. 1948 Doris (Vinje) Thompson died March 18.Ernest Hopp died March 31.1950 Irene (Christensen) Suprunowski died Jan. 20.Curtis Holum died March 26.1952 William Vaswig died Jan. 23.1957 Carol (Jacobson) Arestad died Feb. 22.1961 Gene Schaumberg died Jan. 19.1962 Frederick Hansen died Feb. 11.Larry Flamoe died March 1.

In Memoriam1964 Arvin Meyer died Feb. 9. 1969 Paul Dessen died Jan. 4.Thomas Brierley died Jan. 11.Judy (Gyldenvand) Odegaard diedMarch 23.1970 William “Bill” Cody died October 10, 2010.1971 Judith (Zatterberg) Davis died Feb. 3.1974 Martin Babbitt died May 20, 2010.1975 David Engebretsen died Feb. 1.Joseph “Doc” Pagkos died April 5.1976 Gary Payne died Jan. 18.1987 Sylvia Montosa died June 8, 2010.1991 Sandra Olson died Nov. 15, 2010.

Robert Vogelsang graduated with honorsfrom Pacific Coast Banking School inSeptember of 2010. His senior manage-ment report, “How to Maintain andIncrease Core Deposits While OperatingUnder Regulatory Orders,” was awardeda citation for excellence. PCBS, held inconjunction with the School of BusinessAdministration at the University ofWashington, is a three-year masters-level extension program for senior offi-cers in the banking industry. Robertjoined Silicon Valley Bank in Decemberas a global treasury advisor.

Stephen Wangen, founder of the IBSTreatment Center in Seattle, Wash., cele-brated five years of successful business.His office has moved to a brand newclinic space in north Seattle and patientscome from around the country, and inter-nationally, to see him. His wife, TaraShadduck ’91, works to market his booksand to promote him as an author andspeaker specializing in food allergies andirritable bowel syndrome. They live inSeattle, Wash., with their two kids.Stephen’s business partner, ThomasMercer ’91 is also a PLU alumnus.

Paul Sundstrom recently launchedwww.arghcentral.com, the first websiteto feature movie reviews in a cartoonformat. Paul and his wife, Carol, live inSeattle, Wash.

Linda Trendler was hired at Pasado’sSafe Haven where she will be the “spaystation coordinator.” The Spay Station isa mobile unit that offers free and low-cost spays/neuters for dogs and cats allover Pierce County. Owners can alsovaccinate, microchip, and treat their petsfor fleas, worms, ear mites, when theiranimal is “fixed” on board. Recently sheadded “event coordinator” to her title,and will be working on the Pasado’s Barkat Marymoor Park in Redmond, Wash., inJuly.

1991 Class Representative – Vacant

Cameron Galford is an adoption supervi-sor for the Riverside County (Calif.)Department of Public Social Services.

Tyler Clements was awarded the 2010All-Star Sales Manager of the year for VFLicensed Sports Group/Majestic Athletic.Now in his fifth year with the company,he is managing the Pacific Northwestand Northern California territory. A high-light of his year was watching hisaccount, the San Francisco Giants, winthe World Series. Tyler is currently livingin Spokane, Wash., with his wife of 17years, Erin. He has two sons, Jacob, 16, and Griffin, 13, and one daughter,Sydney, 11.

Jeremy Desel works for KHOU-TV as ageneral assignment reporter. In March,Desel was honored with six TexasAssociated Press Broadcaster Awards,including “Best Reporter.” Jeremy is a17-time regional Emmy winner. He wasmost recently honored for the third con-secutive year with the Emmy award fornews writing. The Houston Press Clubhas twice named him television journalistof the year.

Dai Ike is currently living in MachidaCity, Tokyo, Japan, doing freelance work.He was married to Yumiko on March 21,1994.

Sandra Olson died Nov. 15, 2010. Sandidevoted her life to serving God, lovingher family and reaching out to friends.She was an active member of herchurch, serving as a Sunday schoolteacher and youth group leader. She wasalso involved in women’s ministries andBible studies. For 15 years, she was acommitted teacher at the Dieringer(Wash.) School District. She also spenttime teaching English as a SecondLanguage at Pierce College. Sandi is sur-vived by her loving husband, Ron; sonsJustin, Kevin and Ryan; and five grand-children.

Jon Funfar was named the new commu-nications specialist for the city of Pasco,Wash.

1992 Class Representative – Vacant

Michelle (Thieling) Landis has a newposition at Under Armour as an accountplanning manager for U.S. apparel. Sheis happy to hear from anyone (alumni orcurrent students) interested in UnderArmour (for jobs or summer internships).Michelle is living in Ashburn, Va.

1993 Class Representative – Barbara (Murphy)Hesner

1994 Class Representatives – Dan Lysne andCatherine (Overland) Hauck

1995 Class Representative – Vacant

Doug Nierman is the winemaker at ZerbaCellars. Zerba Cellars was just awardedwinery of the year by Wine PressNorthwest. Doug has been at ZerbaCellars since 2007.

Amy Herman has been awarded tenureat Olympic College in Bremerton, Wash.Amy is a full time library faculty memberwho also serves as the systems anddatabases librarian.

1996 Class Representatives – Steve and Kim - Leifsen

Andrew Dreyer has assumed responsi-bility for the periodontal practice of Dr.Mark Katz, who retired in November.Dreyer earned a bachelor’s degree inbiology at PLU; and went on to study atCreighton University School of Dentistry.After working for a year as a generaldentist, he attended the University ofTexas Health Science Center to earn amaster’s degree in periodontics. Hereceived a certificate in periodontics atthe Air Force Periodontics Residency atWilford Hall Medical Center. Dreyer isboard-certified in periodontology, and in2008 was named the Air Force MedicalService Outstanding Junior ClinicalDentist of the Year.

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 35

2001 Class Representative – Brianne(McQuaig) Vetrees and Michael Mauss

Greg Thomasfinished his tourof duty in Iraq,and is now usinghis educationaldegree as a

contractor with Raytheon. He teachesmembers of the U.S. Army how to fly andoperate the Army’s latest unmannedaerial vehicle, the MQ-1C “Gray Eagle.”He is now living in Sierra Vista, Ariz., andworking at Fort Huachuca. He wasremarried on Oct. 11, 2009, to Leslie D.Brady of Anchorage, Alaska.

2002 Class Representatives – Nicholas Gorneand Brian Riehs

Bridget (Baker)Vandeventermarried MichaelVandeventer onSept. 25, 2010, inthe Great Hall atSunriver, Ore.

Lutes in the wedding party includedmatron of honor Jessica (Baker ’99)Petkun and Gillian (Hanson ’03)Carnahan. Lutes in attendance includedKimberly Miller ’02, Becky (Summerer’02) Rassi, Sally (Porterfield ’02) Kroon,Katie (Gilliam ’02) Streit, Juli Miller ’03and Geoff Ledgerwood ’98. Bridget is thecommunications and community rela-tions manager at the Tacoma-PierceCounty Health Department. Michael is aregional sales representative for SynthesSpine. The Vandeventers live in GigHarbor, Wash.

Roger Eller is currently working as a fire-fighter/EMT for the Command NavyRegion Northwest Fire Department onIndian Island in Washington.

36 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > ALUMNI CLASS NOTES

Damon Armeni is currently earning hismaster’s degree in foreign affairs fromthe University of Virginia. Armeni remainson active duty with the U.S. Army whilefinishing his degree.

2003 Class Representative – Elisabeth (Pynn)Himmelman

Erica Sponberg finished her master’sdegree in English studies and communi-cations at Valparaiso University inValparaiso, Ind. She also earned herTeachers of English to Speakers of OtherLanguages certificate. She will be teach-ing English at Hiroshima BunkyaWomen’s University in Hiroshima, Japan.

Scott Olson mar-ried KimberlyGiusti on Aug.15,2010, at theWillamette ValleyVineyards inTurner, Ore.Members of the

wedding party included PLU graduatesAaron Lunday ’03, Benjamin White ’04and Marrianne (Silvera ’04) White. PLUattendees were Daphne (Smith ’04)Buren, Erich Bergerson ‘01, DaisukeYamauchi and Gary Whiteman. The cou-ple resides in Bern, Switzerland, wherethey both work at the U.S. Embassy inBern. Scott received his master’s degreein public policy from George WashingtonUniversity in 2007.

2004 Class Representative – Tammy LynnSchaps

Michael Hensonmarried StephenNash on July 31,2010, at WhidbeyIsland, Wash.Lutes in atten-dance includedJack (Karen)

Granberg ’04, Aimee Lawrence ’04, RyanHealy ’05, Jamie Marble ’06 and RoseMcKenney, associate professor of geo-sciences and environmental studies.Michael is currently working as an oper-ations associate at the NorthwestNetwork of Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian, andGay Survivors of Abuse in Seattle, Wash.The couple currently resides in Seattle,Wash.

Chris Gray mar-ried Kari Brownon May 23, 2009,in Shoreline,Wash. Lutes inthe weddingparty wereCharles Dorner

’04, Brandon Kyriss ’04, sister-of-the-bride Emily Brown ’04, and sister-in-lawof the bride Diana (Kucera ’08) Brown.The currently reside in MountlakeTerrace, Wash.

Aaron Dennis completed an internship atthe Asian Development Bank in 2009, andhas since been working on social devel-opment issues in connection to a nickeland cobalt mining initiative in NorthMaluku, Indonesia.

Eileen (Padden)Kemink marriedAustin RobertKemink on Aug.22, 2010, at theRobinswoodHouse inBellevue, Wash.

Eileen is currently working at PLU’sOffice of Development as a gift officer forannual giving. Her husband, Austin, is acorporate pilot.

2005 Class Representative – Michael Steele

Tia Woodall is the executive director atBonaventure Senior Living in Tualatin,Ore.

2006 Class Representative – Jenna(Steffenson) Serr

Wesley Telyea will be the new associatepastor at Saint Andrew’s LutheranChurch in Bellevue, Wash. After graduat-ing from PLU, Wes received his master’sof divinity at Pacific Lutheran TheologicalSeminary in Berkeley, Calif., in May 2010.Wes is married to Emilee (Sieverkropp’06) and they have a 13-month-old sonnamed Noah. Since completing seminary,Wes has been serving as the interimyouth ministry assistant at Our SaviorLutheran Church in Issaquah, Wash.

2007 Class Representative – Kaarin Praxel

Jackie-Lynn(Sasaki) marriedTroy Andrade ’07on Dec. 18, 2010,in Honolulu. Lutesin attendancewere LarsTanaka ’09,

Wailhea Perreira ’07, Desi Koanui ’08,Shelly (Furutani ’06) Cassler, LeightonRichards ’05, Misty (Hug ’07) Smith,Sheila Nakayama ’08, Joe Cassler ’07,Shayna Doi ’09 and Scott Matsumura ’07.

Kristi Clough was recently named aspartner and shareholder of Firmani +Associates Inc., a marketing and publicrelations firm in Seattle, Wash. In 2009,Clough’s work earned the firm a PublicRelations Society Totem Award for thestrategic development and implementa-tion of a community outreach programthat uses integrated word-of-mouth mar-keting strategies to raise client companyprofiles among target audiences in thePacific Northwest.

Scarlet(Engelhardt) mar-ried BruceWilson on May15, 2010. Scarletworks as a healthand fitnessteacher for theSoap LakeSchool District

in Washington.

John McClimans is an electronic com-munication specialist at the University ofthe Pacific in Stockton, Calif. He is cur-rently living in Lodi, Calif.

What’snewwith you?

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> Please fill out as much information below as possible, including city of residence and work. Feel free to use another piece of paper, but please limit your submission to 100 words. Photos are welcome, but only one photo will be used, and on a space available basis. Notes will be edited for content. Photos must be prints or high quality jpegs. Please, no reproductions or copies from other publications.Deadline for the next issue of Scene is September 1, 2011.

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 37

Future Lutes1992

Julie Blum wel-comed the birthof her daughter,Zoe Grace, onMarch 28, 2011.The family lives inShoreline, Wash.

1993Karen Koll andhusband,MatthewWilliams, wel-comed the birthof TheodoreGeorge on Jan. 7.Teddy joins big

brother, Alfie, 4. The family lives inSeattle, Wash.

1994Kim (Alexander)Willoughby andhusband, Mark,welcomed thebirth of theirdaughter,Keegan, on Aug.23, 2010. Keegan

joins big brother, Ryker, 7.

1997Noelle (Dennis)Nelson and her husband,Christopher, welcomed thebirth if theirdaughter,

Hannah Rose, on June 28, 2010. The fam-ily resides in Seattle, Wash.

1998Peter Finstuen and wife, Jessica, wel-comed the birth of their daughter, SiriEvelyn, on Jan. 30. The family lives inBellingham, Wash.

1999Jennifer(Klumpp) Cramerand husband,Matt, welcomedthe birth of theirson, Preston, onNov. 26, 2010.Preston joins

big sister, Siena, 2.

Heather (Carter)Hamner and hus-band, Daks, wel-comed the birthof their son,Ryland Tucker, onDec. 2, 2010. Thefamily resides in

Atlanta.

2000Gretchen (Voge)Matthews andhusband, Marc.welcomed thebirth of their son,Oscar Steven, onSept. 8, 2010.Gretchen is a

Zach DeBoard recently graduated with aM.D. degree from University ofWashington’s School of Medicine. He willbe starting a general surgery residencyin Santa Barbara, Calif.

2008 Class Representative – Christy OlsenField and Courtney Stringer

Erin (Parr) Calatamarried DomCalata ’08 on July5, 2010, in HappyValley, Ore. Lutesin the weddingparty included

Kathryn Claus ’10, Mark Doherty ’09 andChris Oledan ’08. Erin is currently com-pleting her master’s degree in music atArizona State University and will gradu-ate this year in May. Dom is currentlydeployed in Iraq working as a companyexecutive officer.

Steven Davis married Kimberly (Henry’08) Davis on Aug. 28, 2010, inSnohomish, Wash. There were manyLutes in attendance at the wedding. Theyhave been living and working in Page,Ariz., and will be returning to Snohomish,Wash., in July 2011.

2009 Class Representative – Amy Spieker

Sarah Knutson has accepted a positionas the new staff assistant for Congress-man Peter Defazio, of Oregon’s 4thDistrict. It is a joy to be employed with arespected and dedicated representative.

Ashley (Opdyke)Harris marriedJohn Harris onAug. 21, 2010, inVancouver,Wash. Ashley iscurrently working

as a social worker at a skilled nursingfacility in Portland, Ore.

2010 Class Representative – Nick Caraballoand Jillian Foss

Hannah (Pershall) Hantho married EricHantho on Oct. 15, 2010, in Vancouver,Wash. Hannah is currently working as aregistered nurse for the family birth center at Legacy Health System.

Anne (Mioni) Lantz married Daniel Lantzon Jan. 9 at Thornwood Castle inLakewood, Wash. Anne is employed as a pediatric nurse in Olympia. The couplehoneymooned in Kauai, Hawaii, beforemaking their first home in Centralia,Wash.

Asher Smith is a well-site geologist atHess Oil Corporation/Neset Consulting in Tioga, N.D.

Stacey (Duryee)Deuring marriedThomas Deuringon July 24, 2010,on PLU’s RedSquare. Lutes inthe wedding

party where Jesica Tanner ’09 and WillDeuring ’12. They live in Missoula, Mont.

neonatology fellow at the Mayo Clinic.Marc is the medical director of the MayoFamily Clinic in Kasson, Minn.

Satoshi Shimojiand wife,Heather(Hochhalter ’00)Shimoji,announce thebirth of theirdaughter, Erica

Mei-Lynn on Dec. 25, 2010. The familylives in Olympia, Wash.

Mindy (Norris)Sneva and hus-band, Jordan,welcomed thebirth of their son,Emrey, on Nov.24, 2010. Emreyjoins big brother,

Asher, 3. The family lives in Burlington,Wash.

Tara (Millet)Bennie and hus-band, JasenBennie ’02, wel-comed the birthof their daughter,Kenley Elaine, on Nov. 3, 2009.

Kenley joins big brothers, Kael, 6 andKaden, 4. The family lives in Layton, Utah.

2001Stacie (Lintvedt)Hanson and hus-band, Jason ’01,are happy toannounce thebirth of theirdaughter, ElleryAnna, on Sept.

11, 2010. The family resides in Denver,Colo.

Katherine (Koch) Knight and husband,Ryan, welcomed the birth of their son,Tristan Matthew, on Feb. 4, 2011. Thefamily lives in Selma, Calif.

Ann (Hogberg) Johnson and husband,Charles, welcomed the birth of their son,Henry, on Jan. 21, 2011. Henry joins bigbrother, Thomas, 2. The family currentlyresides in St. Peter, Minn.

2002Brian Riehs andwife, Abbey(Schuetze) Riehs’04 welcomedthe birth of theirson, Ethan, on Dec. 12, 2010.Ethan joins

big sister, Emma, 2. The family lives in Tacoma.

Lisa (Greeno)Jones and hus-band, DJ Jones,welcomed thebirth of their son,Christian CharlesGreeno-Jones,on June 10, 2010.

The family lives in Sedro Woolley, Wash.

Jacy (James)Ramsey and hus-band, Ben, wel-comed the birthof their first child,Baylor DavisRamsey, on Nov.15, 2010. Jacy is

a health and fitness teacher in theBethel School District and is the headfast-pitch softball coach at Rogers HighSchool in Puyallup. The family resides inPuyallup, Wash.

Zach Zimmermanand wife, Anne,welcomed thebirth of theirdaughter, JillianOpal Zimmerman,on Dec. 9, 2010.

The family just moved to the north end ofTacoma. Zach has worked for theDepartment of Financial Institutionssince 2007.

2004Chris Gray andwife, Kari, wel-comed the birthof the first son,Marcus St. John,on March 27,2011. The

family currently resides in MountlakeTerrace, Wash.

2005GabrielleBrockman andpartner, JennMurray-Brockman, wel-comed the birthof their twins,Saylor and Ryder,

on Sept, 29, 2010. The family currentlylives in Omaha, Neb.

Erin (Anderson)Gwinn andJoseph Gwinnwelcomed theirdaughter,Ashleigh Piper,on March 10,2011. She joins

big brother, Clayton, 2.

2006Allison Norriswelcomed thebirth of her son,Baylor, on Aug. 3,2009. The familylives in Seattle.

2007Scarlet(Engelhardt)Wilson and hus-band, BruceWilson, wel-comed the birthof their son, LeviSamuel, on

March 28, 2011. The family lives in SoapLake, Wash. S

38 PLU SCENE FALL 2011 > ONE-ON-ONE

one-on-onecontinued from back page

east India this fall, she will be lookingfor other instances of funds of knowl-edge, particularly as they relate to earlychildhood education in the Muslimcommunity. When she took a group ofPLU education students to India last J-Term to visit schools, she realized sheknew very little about the cultural prac-tices in Muslim community schools. Itmade her wonder – what are the learn-ing practices that south Indian Muslimchildren bring from home that mightfacilitate learning later in the class-room? And how could those culturalpractices inform what is later taught inthe classroom?

“Children come [to school] with awhole lot of socio-cultural processeswhen it comes to learning,”Thirumurthy said. “So we need to findout how teachers can connect newknowledge to their cultural practicesand how it informs curriculum.”

Beginning in October, Thirumurthywill use her Fulbright grant to find out.Over seven months, she will meet withstudents and families in the Muslimand Hindu communities in Chennai, as

well as observe the rituals and culturalpractices of the children in their homesand communities. In the end, she willgather her findings and report back tothe schools in hope of helping themdevelop a curriculum that takes advan-tage of these funds of knowledge.

“If I know more about their culture,then the better I can connect with

them,” she said. “Learning for thosechildren becomes a little bit easier.”

In many ways, Thirumurthy’s upcom-ing studies are a slice of something inwhich she’s invested her entire career:understanding and exploring other cul-tures.

It is one of the big reasons why sheenjoys taking students to India as partof her J-Term course “ComparativeEducation in India.” Some of the stu-dents who took part in the J-Termcourse in the past years have become, orwill someday, be teaching in the class-room. And every opportunity to beexposed to different cultural practicescan help make students better teachers.

“It changes their perception of theworld,” she said.

And that’s a good thing. As a teacher,she’s also the first to admit it isn’t justher students that see a positive benefitfrom their travels to her home country.She does too.

“I see India differently because ofthem,” she said. “They help me under-stand Indian culture.”

—Steve Hansen

FOR TICKET INFORMATION VISITwww.plu.edu/christmas 253.535.7787

PACIF IC LUTHERAN UNIVERS ITY

A PLU CHRISTMAS

November 30, 7:30 p.m.Arlene Schnitzer Hall, Portland, Ore.

December 3, 8 p.m.Lagerquist Concert Hall, PLU

December 4, 3 p.m.Lagerquist Concert Hall, PLU

December 5, 7:30 p.mBenaroya Hall, Seattle

December 9, 8 p.m.Lagerquist Concert Hall, PLU

S

MAGNIFICATMY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORD

calendarcontinued from inside front cover

October 15, 8 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.University Symphony InvitationalLagerquist Concert Hall

October 16, TBADedication: Black Box TheatreKaren Hille Phillips Center

October 16, 3 p.m.Wind EnsembleLagerquist Concert Hall

October 18, 6:30 – 8 p.m.Mystery Lovers Book Club of TacomaGarfield Book Company Community Room

October 26, 7 – 9 p.m.Celebration of Martin Luther’s reformationof the ChurchThe Cave, University Center

October 27, 8 p.m.Regency String QuartetLagerquist Concert Hall

October 30, 3 p.m.Concert: Early and BaroqueLagerquist Concert Hall

NOVEMBER

November 2, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Photographs of Alaska's Brook Range, byDavid StreiffertGarfield Book Company Community Room

November 2, 7:30 p.m.Sixth annual David and Marilyn Knutson LectureSpeaker: Marcus BorgLagerquist Concert Hall

November 3, 3:30 p.m.Visiting Writer Series: Nikki McClureGarfield Book Company Community Room

November 3, 7 p.m.Visiting Writer Series: Book reading byNikki McClureUniversity Center Regency Room

November 4 – 6Family WeekendLocations across campus

November 6, 3 p.m.Mary Baker Russell Music Scholars RecitalLagerquist Concert Hall

November 11, 11:15 a.m.Veteran's Day CeremonyLagerquist Concert Hall

November 11, 8 p.m.Pianist Erin Chung & Violinist QuintonMorrisLagerquist Concert Hall

November 12, 5:30 p.m.PLU/UPS Saxophone Student ConcertLagerquist Concert Hall

November 13, 3 p.m.Organ ConcertLagerquist Concert Hall

November 14, 8 p.m.University Jazz EnsembleLagerquist Concert Hall

November 15, 8 p.m.University Symphony Orchestra ConcertLagerquist Concert Hall

November 15, 8 p.m.University Concert Band PerformanceLagerquist Concert Hall

November 19, 3 p.m.Solvvinden Flute EnsembleLagerquist Concert Hall

November 19, 8 p.m.Choral Union ConcertLagerquist Concert Hall

November 20, 6 p.m. & 8 p.m.PLUtonic/HERmonic ConcertLagerquist Concert Hall

November 29, 8 p.m.Percussion and Steel Pan EnsemblesLagerquist Concert Hall

CALENDAR > PLU SCENE FALL 2011 39

LuteGear

For an upcoming issue of Scene,we will be profiling alums in thehealth care industry. Are you aphysician, or nurse? Perhaps youknow someone who does greatwork in global health for an NGO.If so, we’d love to hear from you.Send us your suggestions – and

include contact information and aphoto if you have one – toscene@plu.edu. Given how manyLutes are out in the world doinggreat things, we can’t be sure wecan profile everyone, but we willcertainly do our best!

Is there a doctor in the house?

CALL FOR SUGGESTIONS

S

luteworld.plu.edu

continued on page 38

PLU Scene, Tacoma, Washington 98447-0003Address change: If this copy of Scene is addressed to your son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home,please notify the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations with his or her new mailing address. You can reach us by phone at 253-535-7415 or 1-800-ALUM-PLU. You can also fax us at 253-535-8555 or e-mail alumni@plu.edu with the new information. Thanks!

Each morning, on the doorstop ofevery home in VidyaThirumurthy’s hometown of

Chennai – indeed, in much of SouthernIndia – women and girls create what’sknown as a kolam out of rice flour.

An intricate geometric pattern basedon a series of dots, a kolam is an artfuldesign that Hindu households use tocommunicate with community: If thereis a kolam on the doorstep, then all iswell inside; if there is not, then neigh-bors know that all is not well.

Thirumurthy remembers the dayswhen she and her sisters would spendconsiderable time designing their fami-

ly’s kolam – in a gentle spirit of compe-tition, they would view their neighbor’sdesigns and, each day, endeavor todesign something more elaborate, morebeautiful.

Thirumurthy uses the kolam todescribe something else – somethingfor which she earned a prestigiousFulbright U.S. Scholar Program grantto study in her native India.

She uses the kolam to describe whatis called “funds of knowledge” – theidea that children, especially younggirls, gain knowledge not simply in theclassroom, but through their familyand their culture. In the case of the

kolam, children learn not just a Hindutradition, but they learn simple mathe-matical concepts, and spatial orienta-tion and relationships through theirdaily creations. Children will unknow-ingly take those concepts they learnedon their doorstep and use them, later,in the classroom.

“At the time, I never thought muchabout it,” Thirumurthy said. “But thereis probably a relationship betweendesigning kolams and mathematicalconcepts.”

When Thirumurthy returns to south-

Vidya Thirumurthy, associate professor of instructional development and leadership, received a Fulbright faculty fellowship to study the cultural practices ofchildren in Chennai, India, and to see how those practices inform learning in the classroom.

one-on-oneConnecting the dots

Photo by John Froschauer