July 2022
Dear Classmates:
I see that I cranked out exactly ONE letter to you after offering to resume the Class Agent position — and then burrowed into hibernation for two years along with the rest of the world, waiting for “Life As We Know It” to resume.
We had a brilliant reminder that Life has resumed from a resurrected Nordic Choir, winding up their tour, the first in a long, sad time, with a concert at a packed Mt Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. I waited for that first note that would tell me “Are they really back?” And, “can they really be that good — that it takes my breath away every time I hear them?” They are and they are. In Andrew Last ’97 they have found a director who channels not only the musical excellence of Weston Noble but also the deep spirituality at the center of choral singing.
An exciting new development in Phyllis (Dankers) Yes’s late blooming career as a playwright: Good Morning, Miss America is now a MOVIE!
Phyllis writes:
“I must say that I never dreamed I’d write a movie script and it would come to the big screen in my 80s. What fun this is.”
In my March 2020 letter I told of the play’s debut in Decorah, which Jom and I saw. An invitation to a Mayo doctor to attend an Austin, Minn. production led to forums after some performances, using the play as a springboard for discussion of dementia/Alzheimer’s.
With today’s devastating statistics (1 in 6 of our group, over-80s, has dementia; 32% of Americans over 85 have Alzheimer’s), no wonder many of the audience were eager to respond to the play with their own questions. For all that, the play exudes life and humor.
By an amazing series of events, Katie O’Regan, director of the Iowa and NY productions and the film, got acquainted with Ed Asner, and, with characteristic chutzpah, invited him to her newly-invented Waukon Film Festival. He subsequently participated in a reading of the play in Caledonia, Minn. and would have acted in the new film but for his passing at the age of 91 last summer. But notable in the movie cast is his daughter Liza Asner!
Note: Katie O. is not a Luther alumna but close: she attended Dorian festivals all through high school, even had voice lessons from Weston — all not far from her Turkey Valley home. So, a sort of honorary alum. She plays the lead in the film.
You can view a couple of trailers at:
Karen (Paulson) Fretheim and I have enjoyed being walking-distance neighbors since she moved from Decorah to St. Paul. However, I’ve distanced myself a bit since Jom and I have just moved from our 3 BR house into a 62+ apartment in NE Minneapolis. I imagine a lot of you classmates have made a similar life change. Karen belongs to the invaluable circle of friends, kids, and relatives that made the move possible. I learned that it takes a village to move house. We’re finding new wonders in Northeast (aka Nordeast) every day, including Theatre Latté Da just four blocks away, offering productions as brilliant as any in the country. An amusing bonus: the box office person is a Luther alumna. She recognized the ring.
I’m hoping that finally writing a class letter will elicit some news from the rest of you ’63 graduates. We’d love to know how your life is going.
Soli Deo Gloria,
