Spring 2020
Dear Members of the Class of 1960,
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 Ken's letter that he wrote to you, the Class of 1960, just weeks before we became immersed in the COVID-19 pandemic. We think you'll enjoy reading what he has to share!
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 Members of the Class of 1960,
1960 to 2020
:
Sixty years
have come and gone since we spent our days walking the winding paths of the campus, going to class in what we called “New” Main, spending hours upon hours in the Koren Library, doing research for our senior paper, taking a break in the “Canteen," attending functions of all kinds in the C.K. Preus Gymnasium and beginning to look forward to our future. I don't know how it was for you, but I remember those days filled with excitement and joy, hopefulness and fear, even sadness and loss knowing that I would be spending my last days as a student at Luther College. Perhaps some of you may have experienced some of the same feelings.
1960 to 2020
:
Sixty years
means it is time to plan ahead to gather and celebrate our
class
reunion.
Homecoming this year is scheduled for Friday, October 9 to Sunday, October 11 and there are all kinds of activities planned to enjoy. Some that directly affects our class and are of special note: the Alumni Dinner on Friday evening, where our own classmate, Karen Julesberg, will receive a Distinguished Service Award. Congratulations, Karen! Saturday noon, when we will gather for our special class reunion luncheon in the Mott-Borlaug Rooms in the Dahl Centennial Union. Lots of additional time to enjoy visiting and sharing stories of our memories of days long past. For more information about Homecoming, go to the
Luther Homecoming website
. Also, more specific information for our class will be forthcoming.
The Inauguration of Jenifer K. Ward, Ph.D. as the 11
th
President of Luther College
It was
an exciting weekend on the Luther campus and the Decorah community the weekend of November 1-3, 2019, when
Dr. Ward was inaugurated
as the 11
th
president of Luther. The weekend included an “Inaugural Night on the Town” with events at local businesses, a research symposium called Agora, and the inaugural ceremony with performances by the Concert Band, Aurora, Norskkor, and Nordic Choir, as well as the Investiture by Bishop Michael L. Burk, a member of the Board of Regents. The service included an inaugural hymn
Draw Us, O God
debuted for the first time and commissioned by President Ward. The overall theme for the weekend was
Always Becoming
which Ward explained was meant to prompt an exploration of how Luther has changed throughout its history and to provide inspiration for future changes. She added, “What I was trying to signal with the theme is that there's no point in Luther's history where the college said, ‘Now we're done – no more adaptation, no more evolution’. We are at a time with a new president where we have to ask again: Who are we? What are we going to be in the future? What is the mission of this college? How do we live it out?” As a participant in the activities, I must say, it was a renewing and memorable weekend.
Good News for Prospective Social Workers
In keeping with the theme
Always Becoming
, President Ward and Northeast Iowa Community College President, Liang Chee Wee, recently signed an agreement which will allow a “
Social Work Transfer Pathway.
” Prospective Social Work students can attend Northeast Iowa Community College for two years and receive an Associate of Arts degree. They would then be able to directly transfer to Luther, allowing them to receive their B.A. in social work after two more years at Luther. President Ward said, “I am grateful to our faculty and staff and to our counterparts at NICC for the work that enables us to collaborate in ways that benefit both our students and the communities they will serve as social workers in Northeast Iowa and beyond.” If any of you know of someone who might benefit by this new program, encourage them to check it out by calling NICC or Luther.
Luther Announces the Launch of a New Global Health Program
Always Becoming
:
Beginning in the Fall of 2020, Luther College will offer a program to equip students with the knowledge and skills to improve the health and wellness of people worldwide. This
new major entitled Global Health
will be an interdisciplinary field that addresses health, health equity, and socioeconomic concerns of people around the world. With the recent concerns about viral pandemics affecting people throughout the world, this program couldn't be more timely. Maryna Bazylevych, associate professor of anthropology, has said, “If prospective students are genuinely interested in understanding how the disease burden is distributed globally and the reasons behind various trends in population health, this major is for them. If they are interested in doing something about it, this major is also for them.” Please share this important news with any potential students in your family, church, or community who are looking for something timely and exciting.
Nordic Choir to Africa
Always Becoming
: In January 2021, Nordic Choir, under the direction of Andrew Last, is scheduled to make a trip to South Africa and Namibia. They already are preparing a unique repertoire to present in the program. It will be a busy year for the choir with a Homecoming Concert,
Christmas at Luther
, the international tour, and a 75
th
Anniversary Midwest Tour as well. Yes,
Always Becoming
: Luther will be always changing, always growing, always adapting, and always challenging as the college responds to the future. You and I are a part of that “becoming” as 1960 alumni of the college.
Finally, as each of us age, we should be thinking of the legacy we will share in our future. In addition to your yearly gift to Luther, I would encourage you to join the Heritage Club by making a
planned gift to Luther
. There are currently 15 of our classmates who have already made lifetime gifts to the college. Karen and I have done so, and we would invite you to consider it as well. Check with the Development Office for many ways, large or small, there are to do so. Hope to see as many as possible next fall at our 60-year Reunion .
With best wishes,
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Ken Melby
1960 Class Agent
911 Ridgewood Drive #104
Decorah, IA 52101
563-382-4687
kenruth705@gmail.com
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Karen Julesberg
1960 Class Agent
2820 Mickelson Parkway, #304
Madison, WI 53711-6482
608-271-1701
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OBITUARIES
Fred Robert Arnold
of Spring Grove, Minn., died Nov. 21, 2019, age 81.
Gary D. Baldwin
of Evergreen, Colo., died Aug. 7, 2019, age 81.
William Dale Harold Barth
of Wyoming, Minn., died March 7, 2020, age 82.
Lee Mentink
of Le Mars, Iowa, died Nov. 3, 2019, age 86.
Marlyn Ellsworth Sundheim
of Fergus Falls, Minn., died Oct. 3, 2019, age
80.
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