July 2020
52101
Greetings from the Alumni Office!
We hope you are well and that you are adjusting to the many changes we are all experiencing
due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Challenging times like these definitely produce anxiety, but we have appreciated the insights of Paul Gardner, Luther professor emeritus of political science, who shares
how he has coped with anxiety. See below for his article, “Anxiety in this Covid Time (or Anytime).”
Our Luther community has also been experiencing heartache and pain as we consider, and confront,
the many years of systemic racism in our nation that have led to oppression, injustices, and inequities.
In addition, because of new rules announced by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on
July 6th, we are concerned for our international students and strongly support their continued education
at Luther. These are unsettling times indeed, marked by unrest and uncertainty, but all of us here in
the Alumni Office will continue to believe in—and hope for—a better tomorrow for everyone.

Sherry (Braun) Alcock '82, Executive Director of Alumni Relations
Kirk Johnson '82, Associate Director of Alumni Relations
Alyssa Ritter '11, Associate Director of Alumni Relations
Anxiety in this Covid time (or anytime)
Paul Gardner joined the Luther faculty in 1985 and taught courses in global politics, politics and religion, and terrorism and democracy. Highlights of his career include directing the Nottingham program, leading six study groups to Northern Ireland, spending a sabbatical semester in Poland lecturing on American foreign policy, directing the International Studies program, and teaching Paideia I and II courses. Several years ago, Paul developed a January Term course for first-year students on happiness, with the current variation titled “An Examined Life IS worth Living.” Click here to read about his thoughts on coping with anxiety.
Pastor Hans Lee '83 and Calvary Lutheran Church members serve neighbors and work for racial justice
Calvary Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, is located a block south of where George Floyd was killed on May 25. Immediately afterward Pastor Hans Lee and members of his congregation began preparing to support their community. As the protests began, the church offered first aid and provided food, water, masks, hand sanitizer, and a sign-making station for anyone in need. Calvary Lutheran also operates a food pantry that provided much-needed support for the community as the pandemic started, but even more so following Floyd’s death. Calvary’s work with dismantling white supremacy was featured in the January 2020 issue of Living Lutheran , titled “Unpacking White Privilege.” Pastor Lee and Calvary were also featured in the June 2020 issue of Living Lutheran on their work for racial justice. The Luther community is proud of Pastor Lee’s work with his congregation to make the world a better place for their neighbors who continue to be oppressed. After his graduation from Luther in 1983, Pastor Lee earned a master of divinity degree from Luther Seminary. He began serving as Calvary’s pastor in April 2018 and has served congregations in Milwaukee and Cedarburg, Wisconsin; Minneapolis and East Bloomington, Minnesota; and Des Moines, Iowa.
Emerald-Jane (Aggrey-Appiah) Hunter '03 featured in Forbes
The current protests for racial justice and equality and the Black Lives Matter movement have generated wide-spread support for Black-owned businesses. In honor of Juneteenth, Forbes highlighted 15 Black-owned businesses, including the myWHY Agency in Chicago. In 2015 Emerald-Jane Hunter started myWHY Agency, an integrated marketing firm in the health and wellness industry that helps companies develop and share their WHYs using public relations, social and digital marketing, content development, brand connectivity, and more. Emerald-Jane has more than 15 years of experience in television and is a four-time Emmy Award-winning producer. Originally from Ghana, she has lived in Chicago since graduating from Luther in 2003. Emerald-Jane was also featured in the Winter 2019 issue of the Luther Magazine and attributes her success to hard work, determination, and a willingness to take risks.
NEW virtual book club selection for September - Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Fifteen-year-old Kambili's world is circumscribed by the high walls and frangipani trees of her family compound. Her wealthy Catholic father, under whose shadow Kambili lives, while generous and politically active in the community, is repressive and fanatically religious at home. When Nigeria begins to fall apart under a military coup, Kambili's father sends her and her brother away to stay with their aunt, a university professor, whose house is noisy and full of laughter. There, Kambili and her brother discover a life and love beyond the confines of their father's authority. The visit will lift the silence from their world and, in time, give rise to devotion and defiance that reveal themselves in profound and unexpected ways. This is a book about the promise of freedom; about the blurred lines between childhood and adulthood; between love and hatred, between the old gods and the new. Alumnae moderators are Michele Minske '84 and Marta Williams '19. The book club for Purple Hibiscus will meet on Zoom Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. CST beginning September 1st. For more information and to register, click here.
Virtual performance of ‘ O Lord God’ by Nordic Choir and alumni
Since 1948, Nordic Choir has been singing Pavel Chesnokov's "O Lord God" as their signature benedictory. Hundreds of Nordic Choir alumni join the choir at its Homecoming performance each
year to sing this beautiful piece. More than 500 videos were submitted for the creation of this virtual performance, including 74 from current Nordic members. Nordic Choir is conducted by Andrew Last '97, associate professor of music. Special thanks are extended to Mick Layden '04, digital media producer,
for his awesome editing work. Enjoy the performance !

‘ O Lord God’ by Pavel Chesnokov (1877–1944) 
Psalm 104, Russian sacred prayer, Boston Music Company 7723
O Lord God, hear Thou my pray'r, help Thou me, and give ear to my pray'r. 
Daily do I worship Thy great name and Thy pow'r.
Thou alone canst help me; O send me Thy peace and love,
O protect me, my God. 
Let me never stray, O my Saviour. 
Leave me not, O God of my salvation.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live and praise Thy great name while I have my being. 
Hear my pray'r, hear Thou my pray'r; help Thou me, and give ear to my pray'r.
Glory to God!
Operatunity Theatre presents Opera on the Virtual River
In its first eighteen months, Operatunity Theatre has entertained and educated more than 1,200 attendees—and had the good fortune to be featured on Minnesota Public Radio and in the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press . The mission of Operatunity Theatre is to produce high quality musical performances in the Twin Cities East Metro, specifically the Stillwater/St. Croix River Valley area, that enrich the arts environment and help emerging artists advance their careers by performing alongside experienced professionals. Their signature event, Opera on the Virtual River, will be live streamed this year on Saturday, August 1st. Operatunity Theatre’s dream team includes its executive director, Obed Floan '97; his spouse, Megan Wagner, who serves as general manager; and Emily (Helin) Olson '98, development and operations manager. Obed and Emily were both active in vocal music at Luther. For more information about Operatunity Theatre and their performances, click here . Pictured at right are Obed and Emily.
Tom Maakestad '80 reflects beauty of Minnesota’s nature
The artist Tom Maakestad, who is associated with the Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis, will be showing works at the Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, Minnesota, this summer and fall. His show will include paintings from a series created in the boreal forest wilderness of Minnesota. The forest begins at the northern reaches of Minnesota and continues to the Arctic Circle, stretching from Alaska to Nova Scotia. The artist and his series were recently featured in the Norwegian American , in the article “ Back to His Roots . ” Tom Maakestad lives in Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota, where he has maintained a studio for 25 years. Click here to visit Tom’s website.
Luther's Natural Areas and Land Stewardship
Goats graze with a purpose in Luther’s Roslien Woods
As part of a novel restoration project to reduce the abundance of invasive woody shrubs, Luther’s natural areas have been home to a goat herd for several weeks this summer. Intense grazing by the goats for a short period of time targets woody species, including European buckthorn and Amur honeysuckle, which compete with native plants for sunlight and space. Buckthorn also produces a secondary compound that can chemically inhibit the growth of nearby plants and animals. The project’s director is Molly McNicoll, associate professor of biology and Luther’s natural areas land manager; she, and Luther research students, will study the grazing effects on the woodland ecology. For more information, click here .
Luther College recognized as a Bee Campus USA affiliate
Luther is one of 102 educational institutions in the nation, and one of only two in Iowa, to be officially certified as a Bee Campus USA affiliate. The Bee Campus USA program is committed to ensuring a better future for pollinators, their communities, and the planet. The mix of prairie and woodlands in the college’s natural areas makes the Luther campus an ideal environment for pollinators. Biology professor Kirk Larsen and two research students, Abby Miller '22 and Kayla Gibson '22, are studying pollinator populations on and off campus this summer, to determine which butterflies and bumble bees are present and identify the flowers that best support them. Click here to read more.
Congratulations!
Alexandra Gray '95 awarded LGBTQ Legacy Leadership Award by Des Moines Magazine
and One Iowa
In June, Des Moines Magazine and the advocacy group One Iowa announced the second annual LGBTQ Legacy Leader awards, to honor the civic contributions and achievements of Iowans who have persevered despite prejudice, to “make our state a better place for all.” We congratulate Alexandra Gray '95, who is a singer, performer, and advocate for LGBTQ people of color, and one of the six honorees. Alexandra grew up on the southwest side of Chicago and graduated from Luther in 1995. She currently lives in Des Moines and, in 2016, she played the lead role in the Des Moines Community Playhouse’s Sister Act. Click here to read more about Alexandra.
Ambassador Callista (Bisek) Gingrich '88 receives Vatican honor
On June 18, 2020, Ambassador Callista L. Gingrich received the title Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius IX by Pope Francis, the highest distinction conferred by the Vatican on laypersons. The decoration was presented by Archbishop Edgar Peña Para, Substitute Secretary for general affairs in the Vatican Secretariat of State. Callista was selected by President Trump to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See in 2017. Ambassador Gingrich graduated from Luther in 1988 and is a New York Times bestselling author and former President and CEO of Gingrich Productions, a multimedia production and consulting company. Click here to learn more about Ambassador Gingrich. At right: Ambassador and Speaker Gingrich at the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

At Luther College, we learn actively, live purposefully,
and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact.