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Yearbook photo of Gayle Nechas Adelsman Current photo of Gayle Nechas Adelsman

Gayle Nechas Adelsman Brief
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Member of Marketing Committee
Contact through MacDirect

Right out of high school I went to work in advertising at the Herberger Department Stores headquarters in St. Cloud, Minn. Moved to the Twin Cities and continued doing copywriting and ad layouts for different firms which put me through college. I transferred into Mac my junior year so missed those early dorm memories. Married a classmate in ’57, worked as a probation officer with juvenile girls for Ramsey County Court Services after graduation and later with Lutheran Social Service as a caseworker in adoptions. We lived in Europe for two years through the US Armed Forces. Carol (Timmy) Peaker Hovland and her husband lived within an hour of us so we were ‘family’ to each other and traveled through Germany, Austria, Italy, France, the Netherlands and Spain. Our daughter Heidi was born in Germany.

When we returned to Minneapolis, Timmy and I once again joined our Macalester group of nine women friends referred to as “The Club.” Class of ’58: Sally Howard, Debbie Dingle, Marcia Burrill and ’59ers Val Hettenhausen, Jan Brokl, Diane Johnson and my twin sister Gloria who went to the U of M. I continued doing freelance writing and graphic design. I had a son, Bruce, in ’64 and two years later we adopted a son, Michael. Jon and I divorced in 1970, so I had the challenge of three children under 8 years of age. That kept me busy for years! I eventually combined my social work and advertising skills as the director of communications for Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and greatly enjoyed that work until retirement.

Life has been good in my old house near Minnehaha Creek. I enjoy hiking, playing a little golf, continuing with my artwork and volunteering in church and community. Mostly, I treasure four cute grandkids nearby and “The Club” that sill gathers regularly. (1998 was a sad year when Marcia died of cancer in May. We gathered at the hospice with her family. That fall Timmy came from Montana to tell us she was losing her battle with cancer too. She died in December. How we loved and miss those two beautiful women!) For me, Macalester is a cherished place if rich learning and friendships that have truly blessed my life.

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