Spring 2020
Dear Members of the Class of 1967,
Like colleges all over the country (and the world), Luther College is experiencing a spring semester like no other. Our students are participating in remote learning, connecting with their professors and classmates online. It certainly isn't the spring semester we imagined, but Luther is responding with resiliency and creativity.
Many of us are making adjustments, sometimes daily or even hourly, to these uncertain times but we wanted to connect with you and to send you Art's letter that he wrote to you, the Class of 1967, just weeks before we became immersed in the COVID-19 pandemic. We think you'll enjoy reading what he has to share, knowing, of course, that any events referenced may have been cancelled or postponed.
We hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy during these times. For updated information about Luther's response to the pandemic, visit
luther.edu.
Many thanks for your steadfast love and support.
Mariah Bringer Smith ‘95
Director of Development, Current Gifts
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Dear LC '67 Classmates!
Wow! What tremendous changes have unfolded across the world in the past few months!
It is now plainly evident, if indeed it was not before, that seemingly stable things can change quickly, and that change does not happen in isolation. Everything is truly connected to everything else, and as we have seen played out before us in recent world events, a ripple in one location can create a tidal wave elsewhere. And, as I used to remind my students often, everything is far more complicated than one can ever imagine.
I won’t claim to be prophetic, but when I wrote the fall class letter, my message was about Luther preparing its students for change, though I must admit it was change in the abstract that I had in mind. “The quality liberal arts education offered by Luther prepares students well to live and serve in a world that will see changes we cannot imagine.” I could not have envisioned such a society-jolting change as we have experienced in early 2020.
Luther president, Dr. Jenifer K. Ward summed it up perfectly in her message to the Luther community as plans were made to deal with COVID-19. “We are living in an uncertain time and we don't have answers to all of the questions right now. But I know…I have witnessed a profound testament to the power of a liberal arts education, as we have worked creatively together amidst ambiguity to find collaborative solutions. I know that our way of learning has equipped us to understand and confront a changing society, even one facing a pandemic.”
One of the key voices in helping the world deal with the pandemic situation we face is Luther alumnus, Michael Osterholm '75, an internationally known and respected infectious disease expert. An interview he gave on the Joe Rogan radio program should be required listening for those making decisions on our behalf regarding the pandemic and its ripple effects. The interview can be seen on YouTube
right here.
I can’t help but think that Osterholm’s Luther education, with its emphasis on broad preparation, helped give him the tools to be as successful as he has been in his career in public health, and that we need more people with this kind of global perspective in the public arena.
It is even more apparent in recent days that the world needs the perspective, attitudes, and abilities that Luther develops in its graduates before they set out to deal with the complexity of today’s changing world. Please do what you can to support the mission of Luther College.
In much more joyous matters, classmate Terry (Thiele) Rasmussen sent me a note that she has accomplished a goal set when her husband, our classmate Jim Rasmussen, died unexpectedly in 2009. She took up running half marathons, and last fall completed the goal of running a half marathon in each of the fifty states. A TV interview about completing her quest can be viewed
here
. I have also posted a link on our Facebook page “Luther Class of '67". It is a public group, so anyone can access it.
Best wishes! Go Norse! Stay safe!
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Art Johnson
1967 Class Agent
PO Box 155
Edgewood, IA 52042
563-928-6914
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CLASS NOTES
Howard Omdahl
of Algona, Iowa, was inducted into the Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame.
OBITUARIES
Mark Peter Reinsmoen
of Burnsville, Minn., died Nov. 7, 2019, age 73.
Ron Ruen
of Decorah, died Feb. 14, 2020, age 74.
Thomas Orville Severson
of Winona, Minn., died Feb. 23, 2020, age 75.
Harlan Gene Thorvilson
of Houston, died Feb. 20, 2020, age 75.
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