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Macalester College
1600 Grand Ave
St. Paul MN 55105
alumnioffice@macalester.edu
651-696-6295
Catch up with your classmates
These alumni from the Class of 1963 have shared brief bios and remember when stories from your time at Macalester. The submissions are sorted by current last name.
Smart Tip: Can't find the person you are looking for? You can search this page using your Web browser's find. On a Mac, hold down the Command key near your spacebar and type F. On a PC, hold down Ctrl and the F key (Ctrl-F). Or, with your mouse, click Edit, then Find.
A
Stories:
Meeting Mike at the Old Green Mill
Mary Gwen Owen taught us those edgy pieces
I taught upper grades at Homecroft Elementary School in St. Paul for six years. I then retired to raise my family for 16 years. Reason: Our first child, Scott, was 7 before his sister, Angela, was adopted... then surprise, three years later (at 38 years old), their sister, Emily, was born... so the child rearing years were spread out! The surprise occurred while I was interviewing for the second time for the position of assistant alumni director at Macalester, so I took myself out of the pool -- I think I would have loved that job!!
After my first retirement, I substitute taught for 10 years having many varied experiences... a most interesting long term was at the American Indian Magnet School. While I didn't seek it out, this subbing put me in a place where I actually was asked to interview for a full time position. For 10 years I taught at Longfellow Elementary School in a third grade position. I felt I was a much better teacher since I began in 1963. Much had changed: obviously texts, busing, diversity, etc... so I was proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks...
In my second retirement I am still teaching, but in a volunteer position -- one half day in a St. Paul Public School second grade, and one half day in a West St.Paul/Mendota Heights School in fourth grade.
Life continues to be an amazing journey of joyful happiness and sorrowful heartaches. However, I must admit that the joyfulness of life has outweighed the sadness. Following graduation from Mac I accepted a teaching position in St. Louis Park, but, after two years, decided to go back to graduate school. I received a master's degree in botany and a PhD in biology/ecology. The title of my thesis was "The Daily and Seasonal Activity Patterns of the Eastern Gray Squirrel." I really enjoyed graduate school and working on my projects. I especially enjoyed working with my officemate Robert and we married in 1968. We had 21 years of happiness until he died unexpectedly in Lyon, France while accompanying our youngest daughter on a Suzuki violin trip.
I taught 7th and 10th grade biology in Roseville until 1999 and then began teaching at Concordia University, St Paul. I teach biology, ecology, and all the environmental science courses. I love it and don't know when I will retire.
I have two daughters both of whom I love and admire: Cynthia (professor of Art History at University of Wisconsin Stout) and Stephanie (violinist at High Point University, N.C.). Stephanie has two children and is married to a cello professor. Today, Hiking in Kauai, the Big Island, and the Canadian Rockies are some of my favorite activities, as well as walking my two dogs. Life at this moment is good, so I must embrace it.
B
After my junior year at Mac, I married Dave Crow '64. After my senior year, the two of us went to Rotterdam on the first SWAP program. While Dave attended seminary, I worked for the Girl Scouts in Louisville, Ky. After we had our first child, we added to our family with the adoption of two mixed race children, and I was a stay at home mom for several years.
I entered the work world again as the organizing director of a community-based corrections program in Boone, Iowa. Upon returning to the Twin Cities area, I entered United Theological Seminary and was ordained in the Presbyterian Church, USA. I began ministry on the staff of United Seminary and then turned to the field of interim ministry. I served as an interim pastor in 10 churches in Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and as co-pastor with Dave in Stavanger, Norway. While serving in those positions, I earned my Doctor of Ministry degree from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. We have lived in Portland, Ore., for seventeen years and find it a good place for retirement living.
Stories:
So many memories
Highlights and lowlights since leaving Mac—you decide which.
- Learning that armed with my Economics degree I couldn't apply for "men's" jobs.
- Returning to college to get an Elementary Ed. certificate.
- Living in great areas of Spokane, Washington and San Jose and Orange County, California.
- Living in Yakima, Washington.
- Vacationing in London, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy.
- Surviving leukemia and a bone marrow transplant.
- Learning from my cancer journey that life changes in an instant and to be grateful for every day.
- Finding myself in the right career path—marketing communications.
- Learning how to downhill ski.
- Discovering and exploring New York City.
- Learning to identify birds and their calls.
- Listening to birds
- In my senior years, meeting active, vibrant activists in the peace community
- Living in southern California and enjoying the coastline and Laguna Beach
- Relishing beach sunsets
- Re-discovering my passion for peace and justice issues and policies in my 60's
- Feeding the Minneapolis "Occupiers" a hot Thanksgiving dinner in 30-degree weather.
- Hearing Bishop Tutu speak in person at the Minneapolis Convention Center, after protesting University of St. Thomas' decision to ban Bishop Tutu from speaking on campus.
- Being in a faith community that keeps me from being too comfortable.
- Finishing my first quilt and those that followed.
- Being the oldest student in a Masters of Business Communications class at 52.
- Learning the "politics" of grades in Masters Courses.
- Lobbying Minnesota's members of Congress or their Foreign Policy advisors in D.C. in 2012.
- Figuring out that "life isn't fair" at 35.
- Realizing that I was incredibly lucky to have been born in the U.S. and to have grown up in a relatively peaceful time in mid-America.
- Living through changing paradigms in the 70's and coming out whole-or enough so to survive the swift and radical cultural changes.
- Moving 16 times since graduation.
- Discovering the scenic beauty and highlights of the Lake Pepin area.
- Losing short-term memory.
- Remembering" Mac-life" in living color and detail—I think.
My time at Mac set my life in motion. Sociology was my major with an emphasis on social work. During that time I did an internship with the St. Paul Society for the Blind. We had a group with both sight and hearing impairment. The communication was an amazing experience.
After graduation I worked as a caseworker in Chicago for Cook County. That was a growth experience. I subsequently married a Mac track grad, Steve Skjold '60. We traveled in Europe and Eastern Europe. We have two sons. Both graduated from Macalester. I went to school and received my masters of social work. I am a part-time therapist and work in our editorial photography business. My life is full with grandchildren, work, and travel. One son lives here and the other lives in Poland.
Stories:
Penguin slides down Wally stairs and more
It can't be 50 years! Guess the old saying, "Time flies when you are having fun" really is true. After graduation I landed back in my native state of Colorado. As the teaching recruiter from Roseville told me when I turned down his more lucrative Minnesota job offer to go back to Colorado, "Guess you are taking your salary in scenery." For me it was the right choice! I taught school in the Jefferson County Schools (west Denver suburbs) for several years. During that time I met my husband and we were married in June 1966. We have two sons, one born in Colorado and one born a Hoosier during a year that my husband's job took us to Indianapolis.
We raised our sons in Greeley, Colo. where my husband was a partner in an insurance firm. Those years for me included much community involvement in Scouting, church, service on boards of several community groups, lots of involvement with our local Public Radio station, etc. I think lots of us went to Mac with a family background similar to that; Macalester reinforced for us the importance of involvement and service in the community and world around us. As our children grew older, I also returned to early childhood education as both a teacher and administrator.
For many years we maintained a mountain home in Steamboat Springs, Colo. in northwest Colorado. It is a beautiful spot with great champagne powder for skiing, hiking, biking and world class fly fishing. For the last six years it has been our fulltime home. We enjoy international travel and since both of our sons have lived in a variety of foreign countries, it's a good thing we do! Currently one son and his family live in Surrey, outside of London. The other son and his family are at home in Falls Church, Va, after several years in Africa and Germany. We're just waiting to see where they go next! Our family has been enriched by five grandchildren and two wonderful daughter-in-laws. Life is good!
Stories:
But, above all
After graduate school, I dodged an aggressive draft board by joining the Navy as an officer. I still wound up in the Vietnam war, but serving in the Gulf of Tonkin on the carrier, USS Intrepid (now a museum). My next Navy duty set the direction for the rest of my professional life, placing me in the then infant information technology field. I continued to evolve with it until retirement in 2003.
My wife of 45-plus years, Carol Johnson Brezina '65, and I are enjoying our retirement years on Serpent Lake near Deerwood, Minn., having given up our metro base two years ago. We also winter 14 miles southwest of Sedona, Ariz. We are active in churches in both towns, and entertain friends and acquaintances in both places. We have been involved over the years in activities such as adoption support, hurricane reconstruction, Naval Reserve, PTA, and ballroom dancing. Now we seem to be getting involved in education foundation and lake association boards and in Lions International. We have three daughters (two adopted from Vietnam) and seven grandchildren, ranging from 5 to 17 years of age. The oldest is starting to look at college possibilities and we are beginning to feel old. We love to travel in the United States and overseas and just recently enjoyed a coastal cruise of Norway and a visit in Iceland on the way back. We still have a "bucket list" to check off before we can't handle the rigors of travel. We do enjoy cultural activities in the Northland and in Sedona and do get down to the Twin Cities frequently to take in events and shopping there. This time of life affords the luxury of enriching old friendships, making new friends, and, of course, spoiling the grandkids rotten.
Stories:
SPAN experience in Morocco
Joining the Pipe Band
Six Characters in Search of an Author
My life's journey following the Macalester years led me to Kansas University for an M.A. in French; a year in France where I taught English at the Ecole de Commerce and received a Certificat d'Etudes Superieures from the Universite de Clermont Ferrand; and a career in teaching that I loved for a very long time. Early on I accepted a position as French teacher at Concordia College and at Luther College where I met and married the love of my life.
John and I have shared the last 45 years, the good years and the dark ones when the Vietnam War kept us apart. Following his safe return, we traveled for six months, camping our way through southern Europe, Greece, and Turkey. The Chicago years followed when I taught French at the Illinois Institute of Technology and at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools; when John finished his PhD; and when our fair firstborn, Jennifer, was born.
During the twenty Oklahoma years we taught at Phillips University in Enid, Okla.; rejoiced at the birth of our second daughter, Mary-Catherine; and enjoyed the full life that children and an academic community had to offer. The final third of our professional careers was spent in Joplin, Mo., at the Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School where we taught French and English in the Middle and Upper Schools. When it came time to consider retirement, we decided to return to northern Minnesota to build a log home on Sugarbush Lake, to adapt again to the famously rigorous Minnesota winters. Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, investigating the snowmobile trails, and walking in the snowy woods are now favorite activities.
"What are your passions?" "What have you become?" Important questions to which I respond: I love the close relationships that we have with our grown daughters and their families. I cherish being a grandmother to Joel, Owen, and Alice; I see in them what our daughters were like those many years ago and consider it a privilege to be involved in their lives as they grow, learn, and discover the world around them. I continue learning languages and indulge this passion yearly at Spanish Language Schools in Mexico—a delightful change of pace from the January snow. I continue to love to travel, to see new places, to learn things that visiting new places can teach. We have lived and worked in China, Sweden, Morocco, France, and Central America. The next trip planned is to the Dordogne Valley to investigate its prehistoric cave paintings. I love to cook and to read cookbooks, to think about food. My most recent focus has been on how to make Norwegian flatbread and lefse. After several attempts I am pleased to report that I am making progress though much more is needed. The fabric arts are fascinating and I want to learn to quilt and to weave. I'm in the process of knitting an Aran-style sweater—a very small one for a new granddaughter. I have always loved music; I used to play the piano and think it is time again to practice and to play. For that, for active participation in social and environmental issues, for bird-watching, for reading, for gardening, for quiet meditation on the fullness of life, there is now time.
Stories:
Years of challenge, growth, and personal opening
Chapter 1: Graduate study for ordained ministry at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
Chapter 2: First marriage (to Claire Helland), ordination, and installation as pastor of Advent Lutheran Church in inner city Chicago. There we were blessed with our daughter, Marna.
Chapter 3: Two more parishes, one in rural Northern Illinois, then in suburban Chicago.
Chapter 4: Divorce, also training and employment as an addictions counselor in the Chicago area.
Chapter 5: Back in inner city Chicago and full time pastoral work in a small struggling parish, hard pressed to sustain the expense of supporting a "normal" pastoral ministry. I found work once more in the behavioral health field to provide an income and continued serving the now growing congregation part-time, compensated by rent free living in its historic old parsonage.
Chapter 6: While still in Chapter 5, I met and married Lispeth (Liz) Odell, also an ordained ELCA pastor, who is now my wife of over 20 years. In the bargain I became stepdad to Sean and Erin.
Chapter 7: One more parish, still in Chicago, where I wrote a liturgy that is still partly in use, plus several hymns. Meanwhile, Liz served several interim pastorates in Chicagoland. Then, as her MS progressed, she found it necessary to accept a disability pension. Within the next two years, I also took retirement.
Chapter 8: We now live on Little Long Lake, in the heart of the north woods near Ely, MN, where I have continued to write and perform church music, have done recent interim pastoral work, and remain available for supply preaching and volunteer work. In our spare time, Liz reads voraciously and serves on Ely's library board, while I build canoes and other things, do some writing, and keep us supplied with winter firewood. And we travel: to Ireland, where Marna now lives with her husband, to Georgia to visit Sean and Erin and their families, and around the country to stay connected with dear friends and other family members.
Dag Hammarskjold: "For all that has been -- thanks! To all that shall be -- yes!"
Stories:
Convocations exposed us to the world around us
An important lesson from Professor Glock
I only applied to one college
After graduating from Macalester I spent several years as a French teacher, first in Cleveland, Ohio, and then in Cambridge, Mass. Interestingly, a friend from our South Carolina church, now in his late 80s, graduated from that same Cambridge high school. Clearly our paths did not cross till years later!
As our sons were growing up I enjoyed raising our family and many volunteer activities. Still later, I managed the bookstore at Connecticut College for a number of years. After Jerry's retirement we moved to Glassy Mountain, S.C., and love the mild winters and life on a mountain top. I'm having fun being grandma to two young boys, I enjoy writing poetry, play in a classical guitar quartet, and live a full life with that nice guy I met at Macalester my Sophomore year.
Stories:
Crawling through the organ pipes
After graduating, I led a busy life full of family, work and music. I raised four daughters over the years and today am the proud grandmother of six grandsons and one granddaughter. While working full-time, I also volunteered as a Campfire and Girl Sout leader, Sunday School teacher and parent volunteer with my girls' schools. I spent much of my working career at 3M as an administrative assistant. In addition I served as harpist in the 3M Orchestra for over 10 years, as well as being as a free-lance harpist around the Twin Cities and playing at various functions. Today, I actively volunteer at various medical clinics around the metro area. I went back to playing the harp after my husband, Joseph, passed away in 2007. In 2012, I became a certified Healing Harpist and play weekly at Woodwinds Hospital, providing therapeutic music for hospital patients. (My granddaughter has also became a harpist, but the grandsons would prefer to play sports and that's okay, Grandma likes to go watch their games.)
C
Stories:
Hard work at Mac
Friends I made
Like many 1960s grads, my local draft board had me in their sights, so I enlisted in the US Air Force upon graduation from Mac. I served five years on active duty, met the mother of my children while stationed in California, and spent 1966 in Thailand, supporting the Vietnam conflict. When I returned I had become a regular Officer and reached the grade of Captain. We were anticipating our first child when the Air Force attempted to set me up for higher grade promotions, and I had to choose a military career or move into something else. My spouse was not in favor of a military career, and expressed an interest in raising our family in my hometown of Miles City, Mont., so I resigned from the Air Force in July 1968 and joined my father in his Independent Insurance Agency.
I owned and operated Clarke Insurance Service for over 38 years, selling the agency in 2007. During my insurance career, I served in various leadership positions in the Independent Insurance Agents organizations, both at the state and national levels, and even took up teaching insurance coverages and insurance law as it became a licensing requirement in my state. My first wife and I divorced and she then died, so I raised my two children, Brian and Sharon, as a single parent. A second marriage lasted 20 years, and I have been unmarried for the past eight years, but have a very wonderful lady friend, Judy Clark, who will be attending the Reunion with me.
In my retirement, I have become a carpenter, finishing an addition to my lake cabin, and also restoring collector cars. My Dad and I had restored a 1936 Cord when I was in high school. I still have that car and have added several Studebakers ('54, '56, '57 & '62), a couple of Avanti's, a couple of Edsels ('58 & '59), a '65 King Midget, and four '55 & '56 Packards, two of which which remain restoration projects.
D
Stories:
Amazing, life-shaping programs
Sharing confidences with Judee
Macalester prepared me for a career in teaching, first in high school English, and later in Special Education when I completed my master's degree in behavior disorders. I always enjoyed teaching and was always grateful for the ability to support myself and my family.
I have spent the last nine years as the volunteer office manager of the local county Democratic Party. I have worked with an ever expanding team of Democratic activists to develop and expand our resource center/office. We have kept it open and active since the 2004 election through good and bad years. I will "retire" from that "career" after this year's November election.
I have lived in Eau Claire, Wis., since 1979. I moved to Eau Claire as the divorced mother of two children. In 1988 I reconnected with Jim Dunning, a friend from high school and Macalester. We both had been divorced for several years and both had raised our children. Jim's two children and my two children were the attendants at our wedding in 1989. Since then we have had six grandchildren. Two are Jim's and four are mine. They all live within driving distance, and two of my granddaughters live right next door to us. We see all six regularly and take a particularly active role in the lives of the children next door.
Despite some real challenges earlier in my adulthood, life since 1988 has been good -- very, very good.
Stories:
Fun times on campus and beyond
Taught 2nd grade in Minneapolis, Minn. and Cedar Rapids -- one year each. Substitute taught in Santa Barbara, Calif. -- one year. Moved to Richfield, Minn. for four years with husband, Peter. Moved to Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas -- two years. Moved to Des Moines, Iowa in 1972. Raised three children and have enjoyed volunteering, being physically active, traveling, and maintaining many wonderful friendships over these years. Our children and grandchildren continue to be the highlights of my life but I also have plenty of time for book club, Questers and Mah Jongg!
Stories:
Long before "Cats" hit Broadway
Off campus women's lounge
Chaucer characters
After student teaching English there, I was hired by South Saint Paul High School, where I spent my 34-year career. We were the second district in the state to add the International Baccalaureate Program, and I was on the initiating team. I retired in 1997. A group of SSP teachers began annual summer travels to Eastern Europe in 1998 with a trip to Russia led by our Russian teacher, a native of Belarus. In 12 years, we hit 31 countries, branching into Western Europe as well as Alaska. Since retirement, I joined Saint Paul Branch of AAUW (American Association of University Women) and have become quite involved. I served a two-year term as President, among other offices.
E
Little did I think fifty years ago I would be sitting at a laptop coining my thoughts, attaching a digital photograph, and sending it electronically. I went off to college with an electric Smith-Corona typewriter. When I was in graduate school, the Internet was just becoming in vogue for research and communicating via e-mail. We have indeed experienced and seen many changes since our college days.
My undergraduate degree, elementary education, was completed in three years versus the traditional four at Macalester. There was an impetus to finishing college in such a timely manner. I met my future husband the first day I was at Mac, at a dance. Ron was a senior and I was a freshman. This coming summer, on August 10, we will be celebrating 50 years of marriage.
My professional life has been in the field of education since graduating from college. First, I was employed by the Los Angeles Unified School District. Since 1978 I have enjoyed being at The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, California, a kindergarten through twelfth grade independent school. I have taught all grades from preschool through sixth. Currently I am teaching a section of third grade math as well as overseeing the mathematics program for kindergarten through fifth grade. I am also the Lower School assistant principal. The diversity of my daily routine makes for many exciting and fruitful experiences, and creates the perfect balance to my school life. I have also returned to another one of my passions, playing the piano and giving lessons.
In 1976, our son, Rodney, was born. He graduated from Buckley in 1995 and Macalester College in 1999. He currently lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife. I took the opportunity when Rodney went off to college to earn my graduate degree, Master of Science in Administration, from Pepperdine University, Malibu, California.
Ron and I purchased a lake home on Bay Lake (near Garrison/Deerwood) in June of 2012. It is our slice of heaven. As a result of doing so, we find we are drawn more and more to returning to enjoy the splendor of what Minnesota has to offer, including the snow and cold temperatures. Our new abode is two doors away from the family cabin where I spent my summers as a child and teenager. The camaraderie of reconnecting with family, college, high school and grade school friends when we return is something we have missed as a result of having lived in California our entire married life.
Stories:
Mentors
Ice hockey team spirit
I received my MS and PhD from U of Wyoming (1965, 1968), followed by a postdoc appointment at NBS (currently NIST, National Institute of Standards and Technology). Worked as a Research Scientist at Martin Marietta (until 1974) then joined 3M in research, moving on to executive management positions. Worked at 3M for 27 wonderful years where my last position was GM of global Post-it Products. My wife Laura and I are residents of Arizona, splitting our time between Carefree and Flagstaff. We are blessed to have three adult children (Chuck, Andrea, and Brian) and six grandchildren (ages nine to 19). The oldest Emma is currently a sophomore at Mac - certainly a proud time for grandpa Tom. Laura and I have both held several leadership positions in the non profit world where we are still active. Life has brought us many adventures, but the "hike" has been most rewarding, especially as I think back to the "trail head" being Macalester College 50 years ago.
F
Stories:
What a force she was!
I married the first boy who kissed me at age 6, celebrating our 48th anniversary this past Christmas, and taught what I loved, Drama, for 37 years at Sentinel High School, Missoula, Mt. The theatre was named for me when I retired. My students have done well in "The Business"--John Shaffner, designer of 'Big Bang Theory' and 'Mike & Molly,' as well as past CEO of the Primetime Emmys, to name one. I continue "chewing the scenery" on our university and local stages as well as work with the School of Extended Lifelong Learning at the University of Montana. I have shared my love of theatre by writing two books on directing plays and classroom activities: The Drama Teacher's Survival Guide 1 & 2. For more see my website: margaretfjohnson.com.
G
Stories:
Three wonderful years
In June of 1965 I got my MS in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin. I have worked as a therapist in inpatient and outpatient mental health settings. The last ten years of my career I also did psychosocial assessments for the hospice program at Austin Medical Center, Mayo Health System. I'm married and have three children. Both my husband and I have been retired for six years. We love to spend time with our grandchildren and to travel.
Stories:
MIAC wrestling champion
Married a great lady in 1966, two children and three grandkids all living within minutes of our residence. Had a great successful corporate career and am still working full time and enjoying life to it fullest.
Stories:
Commuting to school
After Graduation, I accepted Dr. (and Col.) Spangler's invitation to join the 407th Civil Affairs Army Reserve Company at Ft. Snelling. After basic and military police training I served for six years along with many Mac grads in Col. Spangler's unit. Upon returning from active duty in December 1963, I was hired by NW Federal Savings (later Home Savings) where I spent 17 years. I was married in 1964, and was blessed with two children; Christopher in 1967 and Jennifer in 1969.
In 1981, I joined Insilco Corp where I started Plymouth Capital, a mortgage banking company serving the buyers of homes sold by Insilco's housing companies (Miles Homes in Minneapolis and Nationwide Homes in Martinsville, VA). While there I was involved in the beginnings of the mortgage backed securities business (it was a good thing then). I later moved to Miller and Schroeder Investments and then in 1988 became "self-employed" by purchasing a property management company. That same year, I was also divorced and later reintroduced to Mary Cronkhite. We married in 1990. Between us we have nine wonderful grandchildren!
During 1998, I sold the business and Mary and I moved to our lake home near Webster, Wis. I started Heart of the North Homes and began selling and building Modular homes. We have built nearly 100 homes since then; many around the lakes which dominate this area.
For five years we spent six months each year in Naples, Fla. We now live full time on Oak Lake, near Webster. We enjoy golf, lake activities, our kids and grandchildren and a lifetime of friends who have been part of our lives.
Stories:
Many opportunitites
Received my Masters of Social Work degree from University of Illinois, Urbana in 1966. I worked for the Division of Alcoholism and with another set up a detox and treatment program.
I was the director of several outpatient mental health centers in the Chicago area for 30 years. I was also in private practice with psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers for 27 years. I was the director of an inpatient adolescent program in a Chicago hospital and worked for a division of Citicorp doing retirement planning in the health care industry. My last retirement job was working in the ER doing mental health assessments in Naperville, IL for seven years.
I have a wonderful wife, Diana. Two children and two grandsons--all are in North Carolina.
Stories:
Renaissance education
Married in 1963; moved to Princeton, N.J. Oldest daughter born in 1965. Moved to Saint Croix Falls, Wis.; youngest daughter born in 1968. Moved to Minneapolis. Moved to Puyallup, Wash. (near Tacoma) in 1974. Five grandchildren born between 1996 and 2004. Three boys and two girls. 2002 life crisis; 60 and single. Currently working in divorce recovery and bereavement/grief counseling. Loving life!
H
Stories:
Dorm shenanigans
The only female
I graduated from Mac with a major in Business Administration. While my husband was serving in the Army in Vietnam I returned to school and graduated from Mankato State with an Elementary Ed degree. My teaching career spanned 31 years -- mainly in second grade in my hometown of Faribault, Minn. My life highlights involve my family. I have two sons. My older son played baseball at the U of M and in the minor leagues with the Colorado Rockies. I enjoyed traveling to many locations to watch him play. I have three grandkids. I was my grandson's day care provider for the first three years of his life. That was the most rewarding job I've ever had.
Stories:
Just talking and laughing
After Mac I worked in a family company that sent Tuppin and I to Michigan, where we have been for 47 years. I quit the family business and sold pharmaceuticals for a couple and then worked for Hallmark Cards for 13 years. In 1984 I bought two Hallmark stores and was a retailer till 2005 when I retired. Tuppin and I raised five kids over the years and traveled as much as possible. We are both retired and enjoy traveling and visiting our grandkids.
Stories:
Just talking and laughing
After Mac I worked in a family company that sent Tuppin and I to Michigan, where we have been for 47 years. I quit the family business and sold pharmaceuticals for a couple and then worked for Hallmark Cards for 13 years. In 1984 I bought two Hallmark stores and was a retailer till 2005 when I retired. Tuppin and I raised five kids over the years and traveled as much as possible. We are both retired and enjoy traveling and visiting our grandkids.
After graduating with a degree in Art Education, I taught in Denver, Colorado. I still remember my interview on campus with the recruiter from the Jefferson County Public Schools. I also taught in Minneapolis and Austin, Texas. I moved to Northern Virginia with my first husband. Our two children, Alexandra, now 40 and Justin, 43 were raised in Reston. The marriage ended in divorce, but I stayed in the area, enjoying Virginia's climate, scenery and close proximity to D.C.
I've also worked in human resources and publications. I met my husband, Mike, while I was working for a computer software company. He owned a printing and graphics business. We worked well together and one thing led to another. We have been married 33 years and life is good. We share a love for traveling and have seen much of the planet. Our last two trips were teaching English at a summer camp in China and cruising Antarctica. He has two children and together we have nine grandchildren. They live in Bend, Ore., Cedarburg, Wis. and Waterford, Va. I love being a grandmother and see them as often as I can.
Over the years I have taught Sunday school and am known as the Craft Lady. I enjoy volunteering at our church and Mike heads the world missions program. Our involvement there is an important part of our lives. I like gardening and water gardening. My fish pond has inspired me to get into photography and watercolor painting. Yoga and Pilates are part of my routine.
We sold our house a year ago and now live at our lake home near Winchester in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. It looks very much like a Minnesota lake.
I think I majored in French partly because I loved the language and partly because I saw a foreign language major as a passport to travel. When the spring of my senior year I saw a flyer on the Old Main bulletin board advertising a program called Teachers for East Africa I immediately applied. Eight months later, after a semester of orientation in New York, I found myself settled in a small bungalow on the slopes of Kilimanjaro where I spent two rewarding years teaching in a Tanzanian girls boarding school and learning a bit of Swahili. After a semester of study in France I completed two years of graduate work in French at the University of Washington. Then it was marriage to Mike, now my husband of 45 years. Mike grew up in Oklahoma, and when he arrived in Seattle and saw the snow-capped mountains and sparkling waters of Puget Sound he swore he would never leave, and we have been here ever since. I taught French and English as a Second Language for several years in the Seattle Public Schools before returning to UW for my Master's in Librarianship. I was a high school librarian until my retirement in 2006. Despite being anchored to Seattle I have managed to travel to many parts of the world. Before I retired it was often summer trips with teacher friends, the most adventurous of which was six weeks in northern Pakistan and by public bus along the Karakorum Highway into western China. Fortunately, this was years before the present unrest. As a West Coast resident and teacher of many Asian immigrants, I have found myself more and more drawn to Asia. I spent a sabbatical semester in 1994 teaching English at Tsinghua University in Beijing, later spent a summer teaching in WuHan and another in Yantai, and the year after I retired I taught for the entire academic year at NanChang Normal University. Mike and I have since made two shorter tourist trips to explore other areas of China. Voltaire's Candide, after years of amazing adventures, found that it was time to end his wanderings and cultivate his garden. I do have a small vegetable garden but look forward to more distant adventures as well.
Stories:
Speechless at Mac
Upon graduation, I accepted a teaching position in Minnesota Lake. I remained my entire career in Minnesota Lake (later consolidated as Maple River Schools), retiring in 2000. I taught Social Studies, was a Head Football Coach, Head Basketball Coach, and Athletic Director. In 1995 I was selected as the Class A Minnesota Athletic Director of the Year. I married in 1970, later divorced and have three adult children. At present I am enjoying retirement and have a wonderful relationship with a high school classmate that I met at the 50th Reunion.
The Fall of 1963 found me teaching 11th grade English at Hopkins Senior High after marrying Harlan Hanson '61 that August. Three years later, I happily interrupted my teaching career (never to return) to start our family. We had two sons, Mark and Scott. Mark was just 14 months old when he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. And thus began my new "career"--volunteering in numerous ways for the cause of diabetes, from initiating a parents' support group to fundraising for research to serving in leadership positions of state and national boards. This was to occupy the better part of the next 20 years through divorce, remarriage, and second divorce.
With the children raised, I turned to work in which I could use my English credits as well as a proficiency in photography and skills I had learned in my volunteer positions about publishing, project management, and marketing. I worked part time and freelancing until 1990 when I was hired at the University of Minnesota in University Relations. Retiring 14 years later in 2004, I returned to freelance editing, writing, and print production for several University clients and a web-based retail business.
From 1992 to 2008 I enjoyed city life in a wonderful townhome community in Southeast Minneapolis where the bike trails and riverfront were only blocks away. In 2002 Richard LaBree '62, and I became reacquainted, and in 2008 we bought a home together in St. Louis Park, a step away from the bike trails of the western suburbs.
I am happy to say that Mark is doing well at the ripe old age of 46, and living in Blaine with his wife, Kate. Scott lives near Lake Minnetonka with his wife, Jen, and their twin daughters, Zelie and Solveig, now 2-1/2 years old.
Stories:
Horrific snow storm
Saradipity, you could call me. A wildflower child raised in North Dakota. Offspring of a smart, stay-at-home Girl Scout leader mom who raised her three girls on homegrown vegetables, handmade clothes, craft projects, Sunday School and a love of learning. My Dad, who the town called "Doc", taught science at a nearby college in Minot for about half-a-century and was the chief wild-bird watcher and bandit honey-bee collector. As a young man he taught in Iran for five years and as a family man, encouraged family travel. After I graduated from college and taught for a year, I joined the Peace Corps and through the years traveled extensively throughout Europe, Central and South America and the United States.
My husband, Leo, and I have spent most of our lives together in rural Minnesota, where we continue to share our mutual interests in reading, biking, animals, languages, and music, especially opera. After the snow seeps deep into the soil, we indulge in the delights of Minnesotan raspberries, rhubarb, and asparagus, as well as vegetables from my husband's well-tended garden in Hayward, Minn. I love photography, write obsessively -- poetry, journaling and newspaper columns -- and work creatively to keep seniors as independent as possible. We have one son who is a journalist and report for the St. Cloud Times.
I
Finished my preliminary education, at last after training at the U of Minnesota (medical school), U of California in San Francisco (medicine), and Oregon Health and Science University in Portland (pulmonary disease). Spent two years, ten months and ten days as a major in the United States Air Force in Libya, where I coached football. We won the North African Championship (my lifetime coaching stats are 100% wins, eat your heart out, coaches!) and in Germany, during the Vietnam era of Saint Vitus Dance. Met Gladys Marie Beddoe, MD, on the couch waiting for the credentials committee to give us their blessing for staff physician privilege. We were married and had a daughter, Valerie. Supported Gladys during her successful career as an ENT and Facial Plastic surgeon, as she did me during my career as a pulmonary, critical care and sleep physician. The greatest experience was to share her days as she battled ovarian cancer. She was giant of courage and determination. I was out of the home, for three decades working, so I retired to spend our last year together. We enjoyed the marriage of Valerie to Jeremy, and now we have Avery, their daughter. Gladys remains in our lives always. I had the opportunity to be involved in the medicine teaching program at Saint Vincent Hospital and Medical Center. There one could innovate new programs and enjoy their success. All of the programs have survived and morphed into six of the western states. Now, I contemplate.
J
My husband, Tom, and I will soon celebrate 50 years of marriage. We raised our family of three children in Glen Ellyn, Ill. Six grandchildren, five girls and one boy, keep us young. After raising our children, I went back to the classroom and taught 4th grade for 16 years. After Tom's retirement in 2007 we moved to Lake Mills, Wis. where we currently reside. Golf is one of our favorite activities.
After graduation, Jane Bellows James and I were part of the SWAP program spending seven weeks in Amsterdam and three weeks traveling down through Germany into Switzerland. We returned to our roots on the east coast and settled in southeastern Pennsylvania. By 1965 we had built a house, had a son, and I had begun a career in manufacturing engineering (deciding things like: how to make it, how long will it take, and what tools and equipment will be needed). I worked for four different manufacturers over the years; construction equipment, heavy truck assembly, rail and subway equipment, and industrial textiles. The last two were British owned and I had many opportunities to travel to Europe on business. I eventually moved into R&D and worked on both product creation and design/build of production machinery. I retired in 2006 with 10 patents and numerous proprietary processes.
Jane and I divorced in 1989 having raised three fine sons and having designed and built a passive solar house. In 1990 I married Joan Baker and got two more sons with the present count at 9 grandchildren in Pennsylvania, Washington, South Carolina., and Georgia.
Over the years I have been involved in education and environmental organizations. I am on a board of directors of a Continuing Care Retirement Community, and active in local township efforts at sustainability and retaining open space. I volunteer one Saturday a month in Lancaster County in an effort to re-create a 1920's era machine shop complete with overhead line shafts. Having been directly involved in manufacturing during my years in industry, I have collected a decent machine shop and wood working shop at home. My current focus is improving the appearance and functionality of a 1903 Curved Dash Oldsmobile.
Joan and I have enjoyed traveling in the USA and Canada with a pop up camper, (35,000 miles since 2006) and have taken various foreign trips including a number to Europe, and to China, Morocco, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Mexico.
I have attended a number of reunions and each time discovered classmates with incredible experiences who were a joy to talk with.
Stories:
Dear friends
After marrying Jeffrey Van in June of 1964, I continued to teach second grade in Saint Paul while Jeff was in grad school at the U of Minn. When our first daughter arrived, I stayed at home for five years that included a year of residence in Cambridge and London, England. Upon our return, I auditioned for the Dale Warland Singers and was able to continue performing with that wonderful choir, even as we gained a second daughter and I returned to Mac for Early Childhood Certification. In 1979, I co-founded the Jean Lyle Children's Center (the outgrowth of the Miss Woods Children's Center that was on campus in our days). I had the best of both worlds experiencing singing with children during the school day and concertizing with the DWS in rehearsals (usually at Mac), performances and recordings for the next fifteen years. Directing this special school (a Macalester original for sure) and helping it grow into a very excellent early childhood model has been an awesome adventure! I retire this spring and our new director (also a Mac grad) will keep this unique facility alive. We plan more time for museums, concerts, and our five grandchildren! Life is full of wonders!
Stories:
A life of music
After serving two years with the U.S. Navy in Oppama, Japan it was a "natural" to return to Minnesota and enter Macalester. (Father Hollis L. Johnson '32 was founder of Mac Choir and Band). Met Karen Matlock '61 (chapel & convocation organist) on back of Little Choir tour bus to MENC national convention in Chicago. We married in 1964 and have "made beautiful music together" ever since! After B.A. I remained at Mac for a Masters Music Education. Upon graduation, I began long tenures in music education and professional performance: 1964-1996 Roseville Schools - High School Choir Director and Music Department Chair. (Karen-accompanist and elementary music teacher.) 1966-present - Director of Music, Falcon Heights UCC. (Karen-organist) 1963-present - accepted Professor Nee's invitation to perform at New Hampshire Music Festival, first as Tenor Soloist and in 1970 became Conductor of the 120 voice NHMF Symphonic Chorus and Orchestra performances. (Karen - organ, harpsichord and orchestra librarian.) Karen and I have two wonderful children. Andrew Hollis Johnson, BA, U of M & MBA U of St. Thomas, Senior Financial Analyst - Pro Quest. Heather Johnson, BA, St. Olaf & Masters in Music, The Manhattan School, Mezzo Soprano - Metropolitan Opera. Life is good ... Thank you, Macalester!
Stories:
Mixing things up
I joined the Peace Corps after graduation and was assigned to Ghana where I taught high school chemistry, physics, and algebra for two years. I then obtained a master's degree and a Ph.D. in animal physiology from the University of Minnesota. That was followed by a two-year post-doc. at the University of Michigan, a one-year teaching appointment at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin, a few years at Bethel College, and the rest of my career teaching physiology and some biochemistry at Northwestern College of Chiropractic, now Northwestern Health Sciences University, in Bloomington, Minn. I retired in 2005. Some years ago I volunteered for the Public Safety Committee in Shoreview which led to a part-time appointment as the City's Emergency Manager, a whole new interest. This in turn led to volunteering with the Salvation Army's Emergency Disaster Services which primarily serves fluids and food at major fires, tornadoes, and other things we may be called to.
Stories:
Appreciate it all
Started teaching physical education at Roseville, Minn. in a junior high. Retired after 34 years of teaching there. Married a fellow teacher in 1966. Most weekends headed north to camp. Now in retirement enjoy fishing most of the summer at Lake of the Woods. Do go to Florida for some of the winter. Very blessed.
Received MA in International Relations from American University, 1969. Married Paul Lansing July 1967. Have three children Lois, David and Jacob. Worked for the National Security Agency 1966-197. Was a stay at home mom with part-time work selling Tupperware and at the Arlington County VA School Board 1971-1983. Communication Director & Associate Executive Director National Peace Foundation Washington, DC 1983-2005. Office Administrator at Baptist Joint Committee 2005-present.
Stories:
Serving the country
I received my Masters in Hospital Administration in 1965 from the University of MN following my Administrative Residency at St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth. My first job was at Saginaw General Hospital in Saginaw, MI as an administrative assistant. In 1983 I became President and CEO of Saginaw General Hospital and Saginaw General Healthcare Corporation. I retired in 1998 and moved to Kalamazoo, MI.
K
Stories:
Such a contrast
We are a MIAC family. My husband Don and older son Brad are Saint Olaf grads and our younger son Doug and wife Anne are Augsburg grads. This means that there are interesting rivalries regarding sports. For our 50th anniversary, our son Brad and wife Yukiko took us to Japan to visit her family. We had quite a fun time with Yukiko as our tour guide and interpreter.
The two years following graduation from Mac brought new experiences. The first year I lived in Lawrence where I earned a master's degree in French at the University of Kansas. I spent the next year in France on a teaching Fulbright. I was assigned to a high school in Albi, a city in Provence, where I made many friends and learned about French culture outside the urban center. When my Fulbright came to an end, I accepted a position as a French instructor at Illinois College in Jacksonville. There I met and married Gene, a history professor, and we moved to Fort Collins, Colo., where he had been offered a position at Colorado State University. During my first two years in Fort Collins, I taught in the University's Foreign Language Department and then retired (for the first time) to raise a family. Our daughter Anne was born in 1971, followed by her brother Thomas (Tad) in 1974. In 1979 the chair of the department called me with bad news and questions: one of the French instructors had suffered a heart attack and could I take over his teaching schedule immediately. My answer changed my life for the next twenty years. Besides teaching French at Colorado State University, I also served as the supervisor for French education, guiding prospective teachers in their choice of classes and student teaching experience. In a short time I became acquainted with French teachers throughout the state and was persuaded to take on the additional task of secretary-treasurer of the Colorado Congress of Foreign Language Teachers, a position I held until 1999. But life was not all work. Gene had a Fulbright to the University of Genoa in Italy in 1981-82 and the entire family accompanied him. During that year we traveled throughout Italy and into Germany, Austria, and France, where I reconnected with many friends. As the children grew older and went their ways, Gene and I went back to Europe several times, especially to Scandinavia and the islands of the North Atlantic. In 2002 I retired from CSU but poor health has kept me close to home for the last several years.
Stories:
Lots of good experiences
1964 to 1967 Fairbanks, Alaska, 1967 to 1998 Minneapolis, Chanhassen, Eden Prairie. 1967 Met my bride-to-be, Margaret Mary Wegmann, and had three children. We now have seven grandkids. I spent 41 years in residential and commercial real estate buying, selling, appraising, developing, and managing property. 1998 to 2012 Cambridge, Minn. 2012 to present Bloomington, Minn./Green Valley, Ariz.
L
After graduation from Macalester I married Karen Nygren of South St. Paul. We had a great time as we raised our four children and now have three wonderful granddaughters who are growing up much too fast.
After completing graduate work at the University of Minnesota I joined the Macalester faculty. I am still actively engaged in a career of teaching, research and service that is focused on geography but includes historic preservation and urban planning. Teaching at Mac has been great fun and I was honored by being named the John S. Holl Chair in Geography. The contemporary students are much like we were at their age but they come from more distant locations. From 1977 to 2003 I had the opportunity to be part of the non-profit corporation that restored and now manages Landmark Center (formerly the Federal Court Building) in St. Paul. I also served on the St. Paul City Planning Commission and the Board of Directors of several non-profit housing and community development corporations. I have long been involved in efforts to reform and promote geographic education at the state and national level. I am currently the Chief Reader of the Advanced Placement Human Geography Exam. Because we are scoring the exams during the first weeks of June, I will miss our reunion festivities.
After graduation, in June 1963, I married my high school sweetheart, Bob Goldenstein. I was the office manager at our Clara City Medical Center for one year. I then went on to teach business and Spanish at MACCRAY High School. I took out several years to stay home with our children, Gregg and Gara. Our deepest valley was losing Gregg in 2005. Bob retired from farming and I from teaching in 1999. We built a log home on Ten Mile Lake near Fergus Falls and love it here. Bob is a woodturner, loves to hunt and fish. I play bridge, read and we both do volunteer work in our church and community. We also have the travel bug and travel with Road Scholar often. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in June.
Stories:
Dr. Stocker and my career in chemistry
When Dr. Mitau threw open the windows
Cynthia (Cindy) Burr and I were married in June 1964. We have two sons and daughters-in-law and two grandsons.
After graduation from Macalester, I obtained a PhD in synthetic organic chemistry from MIT in 1967. I then joined the research division of Pfizer Inc. in Groton, Conn. I began my career as a research chemist and subsequently held various positions in clinical research and Human Resources. I retired in 1999 as senior director, Human Resources. Cindy and I moved to South Carolina in 2000 where I have been active in the local Habitat for Humanity chapter building houses.
Stories:
Teaching and learning
Traveling the U.S. with international students
I've had a wonderful life: a great husband, terrific daughters (three), and six remarkable grandchildren. Ron and I have lived in White Bear Lake, MN for 48 years of our married life. Since retiring from careers in education, we have enjoyed winters in Florida. We keep busy with family, friends, travel, volunteering, church, and many activities. Two favorite pastimes are golf and tennis. Life is never dull.
Stories:
Our Red Cross chapter
A trip sponsored by Upjohn
Picketing against segregation
Alpha Delta Theta meetings at the Frenzels
After graduation I went to work in the clinical laboratories at University of Minnesota Hospitals, and worked there until I retired as laboratory director in 2009. Over the course of the years, I have been very active in professional organizations, including the presidency of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science and of one of the bodies that administers certification exams to new graduates in medical laboratory science.
I married Lee Hansen (South Dakota State U.) in 1964. He worked in research in the field of pediatric lung disease and holds a patent on a device to administer therapy to patients with cystic fibrosis and other obstructive lung diseases. Lee and I have two children. Laura Smith is a third generation Mac grad (my father was first) and is associate professor of geography at Macalester. She and her husband, Greg, have two boys, Tyler age 6 and Corbin age 3. Our son, Eric, got his PhD at the University of Otago in New Zealand. He works in research at the VA Medical Center, and has one son, Vince, age 2 1/2.
Since retirement, I have been a part-time consultant to the laboratories at Fairview Health Services. Much time is spent as "Grammy" with the three grandsons, which is great fun. We are so fortunate to have them all nearby. Volunteer work at church and other causes takes up the rest of my time.
Stories:
Loud but loved
A favorite stop
After graduating from Macalester, I started teaching first-grade children. I was married in 1964, and continued teaching in various school districts. Bob, my husband, returned to school in 1968. Our son was born in 1970. Bob finished school in 1972 and we moved to the beautiful Saint Croix Valley in Hudson, Wis., where we have lived for 41 years. Another son was born in 1975. I continued teaching special education students in the Stillwater School District. I retired in 2004. Since then I have enjoyed retirement, our children and grandchildren. We travel whenever we can.
After Macalester, I did graduate work at Indiana University and the University of Minnesota and eventually took education classes at a California State University to obtain my teaching credential. I was a political science and international relations major at Macalester, but have worked mostly in education.
My first taste of teaching was as a civil rights worker in Georgia in 1965 when I taught adult literacy classes. I taught elementary students in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and secondary students in Los Angeles. I researched and wrote Minnesota history curriculum materials at the Minnesota Historical Society. For over 22 years I worked as reference archivist at MHS. After retirement, I studied for and received a TEFL certificate at Hamline University and for eight years taught English to adult immigrants in the Twin Cities.
Although I didn't participate in SPAN while at Mac, in 1974 I was a co-advisor for the SPAN group to Czechoslovakia (with my then-husband whose specialty was Czech history). I enjoy travel and have been to Europe many times since living in Prague in 1967-68.
Now that I am retired, I am active in the St. Paul AAUW. I love to read and enjoy studying Swedish and maintaining my Czech. I continue to dabble in crafts weaving, jewelry making, embroidery, and Swedish straw weaving. My daughter, Alexandra, is a doctoral candidate in history at Northwestern University and will be doing her dissertation research in England, giving me another opportunity to travel to Europe.
Stories:
A good omen
Highlights: My life has been spent at the "obsolete" profession - homemaking. Four years in Boulder, CO while husband, Helmut, received his Ph.D. degree. The rest of the time in St. Paul, Minn. and Hudson, Wis. raising daughters: Helmi, a neurology professor at Oregon Health and Science University, and Marja, an international tax lawyer at Morgan Stanley and mother to my grandsons: Mattias (4) and Mikael (1).
M
Stories:
Fun in and out of class
After Mac, I taught middle school English in Racine, Wisconsin and high school English in Grandville, Michigan until we had our first child in 1968. I stayed home to raise our five children until the youngest was in middle school. O.D. and I raised three biological children and two adopted Korean children before I decided to return to teach. After completing a Masters in Middle School Education and a bilingual endorsement in Spanish, I returned to teaching - this time as an ELL instructor for high school refugee and immigrant students. After retiring from teaching I remained for four years as Coordinator of ELL Education for our district. Now I am happy to be totally retired and enjoying travel and "whatever I want to do!"
Stories:
Taking a stand against Joe McCarthy
My favorite Mac profs
While at Mac I spent my junior year at the American University of Beirut. After graduation, I worked in NYC for three years and then moved to St. Louis where I was married and enrolled in a graduate program in anthropology at Washington University. During the St. Louis years I worked on a two year project studying the poorest white census tract, spent a summer studying Persian at Berkeley, took a trip to Guatemala and had an initial research trip to the desert regions of eastern Iran.
Leaving St. Louis and married life behind, I moved to Philadelphia and taught at Rider College. Woven in was 18 months conducting dissertation research in ecological anthropology in villages on the edge of the desert in northeast Iran. My work was part of a larger project of Iran's Department of Environment that eventually became the basis for Iran's Alternate Case Study to the UN Conference on Desertification in 1976. When I went back to Iran in 1979 for a final six-week period of research, it coincided with the Iranian Revolution and I experienced then that brief period when there was no censorship in the country. In these years I also had several trips to Afghanistan and shorter trips to Abu Dhabi, Pakistan, India, and Kenya.
Upon return to Philadelphia I began teaching at the University of the Arts (then the Philadelphia College of Art). This was followed 18 years as Assistant Director/Outreach Coordinator of the University of Pennsylvania's Title VI Middle East Area Studies Center. In those years I also traveled to Turkey on a summer Fulbright, to Egypt and Iran for academic conferences, and to Saudi Arabia on a trip for educators.
Then my life underwent a significant change as I brought my mom, herself a Mac grad, from St. Paul to live with me in Philadelphia. She suffered from Alzheimers and I was her major caregiver. I took early retirement from Penn but kept on teaching at the University of the Arts as an adjunct during those 10 years. After she died in 2009. I briefly became a volunteer courier for the National Marrow Donor Foundation until their mandatory retirement time. I also became an active participant in the Philadelphia Ecumenical Working Group for Middle East Peace and traveled again to Israel/Palestine/Jordan and the following year to Egypt .
I continue teaching cultural anthropology part time at the University of the Arts in the winter and spend my summers at our family cabin on East Battle Lake in Minnesota.
Stories:
Beautiful campus
I hope a short list is O.K. :)
-Spanish teacher 1963-69
-Home to raise three children
-Back to teaching 1985-2001 in Saint Louis Park
-1965-Fulbright summer scholarship (one of 20) in the U.S.) to Colombia, South America - 8 week study and travel
-On committee of parents and staff to get a Spanish Immersion program going in St. Louis Park
-Several superior student performers in Spanish state exams-oral and written
-After retirement returned as a paraprofessional 2001-2005 - learned a lot about autism.
-Now involved in the Restorative Justice Program in conferences with parents, offender, Restorative Justice team and myself and (at times) other community members - together we make a plan to restore the offender to good behavior and actions - at the second meeting 5-6 weeks later I have seen wonderful changes in attitude and conscientious behaviors :)
-Still useful and caring for others-something Macalester helped me understand well! Thanks!
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in physical education, I taught 9-12 grade physical education in Sun Prairie, Wis., for four years. In 1964, I married Stan Caine '62 who was getting his PhD in American history at the University of Wisconsin. In 1967, we moved to St. Charles, Mo., where he taught history at Lindenwood College for four years. During those four years, we had two girls. I also coached field hockey, basketball, and tennis. Our next home was DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., for six years. I spent two years teaching part-time in the physical education department, then had our son and found enough time to complete my master's degree.
Stan became the Vice President for Academic Affairs at Hanover College in Hanover, Ind., for the next 12 years. I spent my time playing in the college pep band, coaching the tennis team, assisting with the softball team and, on several occasion, taught for a team in the physical education department. I also did a lot of substitute teaching. In 1989, Stan became the President of Adrian College, a position he held for the next 16 years. Besides my duties as the president's wife, I also coached the women's tennis team for 15 years and the high school tennis team for 14 years.
All three of our children are in education and have married interesting spouses. We have eight wonderful grandchildren. After retiring from Adrian College in 2005, we spent a year each at Wilmington College in Ohio and North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, N.C. We continue to live in Adrian, Mich., where I continue to play a lot of competitive tennis, juggle three book clubs, travel, and continue to serve on several community boards.
Stories:
Inspired to this day
Great Mac biology educators
My life is filled with highlights! After my degrees in biology, chemistry and geography at Mac, I entered the Peace Corps for a teaching program in Malawi, Africa. In the fall of 1963 the assassination of President John F. Kennedy became an event forever etched in my memory, Instead of meeting the President at the White House as planned, our group attended a memorial service for him at Harvard University. After Peace Corps Service, I continued teaching overseas at Anatolia College in Thessaloniki Greece to teach English and biology.
Another highlight was an invitation to study at the Rackham School of Graduate Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where I received my MS in biology and my PhD in geography (emphasis on biogeochemical processes). With each move I pursued geochemical studies. My academic teaching/research began at the geography department of the University of California, Los Angeles; then, I moved to the geography department at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1973-1979 where I conducted the Baltimore urban garden project (which is recognized as a research milestone); I expanded my urban geochemistry studies in Minnesota, 1979-1988, where I was hired as a faculty member at Mac and I also worked at the University of Minnesota Center for Regional and Urban Affairs.
A major highlight was successful testimony before the U.S. Senate to ban lead additives in gasoline because of the damages the enormous tonnage of lead dust were doing to cities. In 1988 I moved to New Orleans to join the faculty of the College of Pharmacy at Xavier University where I continued research on urban environments and health; after Hurricane Katrina I was invited to join the faculty of Tulane University. This year I was invited to join the faculty of the Tulane University School of Medicine. I have a HUD grant for a "Re-Cover New Orleans" project to haul low lead alluvial soil from the Mississippi River to cover children's play areas as a method of prevention in severely lead contaminated communities of New Orleans.
My daughter Beverly received her MD and MPH degrees and is a fellow in endocrinology at the University of Washington, Seattle. She and her husband Jon are expecting in December 2012. If Macalester was the beginning, then after Mac has been a series of life's highlights.
Stories:
Remembering Evelyn Albinson
Before there was a Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center...
Dont fence me in!
When I graduated from Macalester with a German major, I planned to teach German and knew I would always have a job because foreign languages were a required subject. Then came the late '60s when every requirement was up for discussion and there was no such thing as a sure job! So, after spending a wonderful year in Berlin on a Fulbright grant and receiving my Ph.D. in German from Indiana University, I found myself doing a number of different things professionally: in addition to teaching German at colleges in Ohio and Mississippi, I also did computer support and training for government contractors and private business, and worked as a librarian in a community college. I loved them all!
With my husband and our son, I lived in several states in the Midwest and also spent 15 years in Mississippi, an experience which enriched our lives in untold ways. We retired in 2006 and moved to Evanston, Illinois, where we had lived in the 1980s and where my sister has lived for many years. I enjoy retirement immensely and have taken up handweaving as a hobby along with genealogy. After co-authoring and publishing three articles on my g-g-grandfather, a Minnesota territorial pioneer, my husband and I have now turned our attention to his family history and to generations to come. We will be spending the winter within two blocks of our sons family in Texas where we hope to become better acquainted with our granddaughters, ages 2 and 5.
Stories:
Race and dating 2
I graduated law school at the U of MN in 1965 and became the first woman lawyer with White & Case in NYC. I went to Mississippi in March 1967 as a staff attorney with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and then as Chief Counsel of its office in Cairo, IL. While in Mississippi we got the first jury verdict since Reconstruction for over a million dollars on behalf of the estate of an African-American man murdered by the Klan. In 1989 I was only the second woman from Illinois inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. In 1999, I was one of the first 12 Laureates of the Illinois State Bar Association's (ISBA) Academy of Illinois Lawyers, recognizing lawyers who exemplify the highest character, integrity, ideals and diversity of the legal profession, and personify the greatness of lawyers through a pervasive record of service to the law, the profession and the public. In 2004 I received the Chicago Bar Association Justice John Paul Stevens Award, for individuals demonstrating extraordinary integrity and service to the public and/or community. In 2012 I received the ISBA's Elmer Gertz Award for commitment to the advancement of individual rights, civil liberties, and helping underserved communities, and in 2013 the Illinois Women's Bar Association Esther Rothstein Award for women who have demonstrated a visionary approach in their professional endeavors by making a contribution to the well-being and empowerment of women, while also freely giving back to other women and members of the profession. I sat on the Circuit Court of Cook County, in Juvenile Justice, Child Abuse and Neglect, and as Supervising Judge of the Parentage and Child Support Court where I have introduced many innovations. One of those was a pilot restorative justice project, the first to our knowledge in the country, and one many other similar courts are looking at. Throughout all of this I have done a great deal of consulting, educating and training in restorative justice, violence prevention and intervention, and conflict resolution for children and adults.
N
Stories:
Summit House, Room 5
Small Town Girl to City Woman
After graduating from Mac, I married Ron Nelson and moved to Northern Wisconsin. For two years, I worked as a child welfare worker for Forest County, Wis. (my social work training did not tell me how to delouse children's hair or remove flies from their noses). After two years in the woods of Forest County, we moved to Fond de Lac, Wis. where I worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor at Winnebago State Mental Hospital and Taycheedah Women's Prison. I took leave from the paid work world to raise two sons. Retooling, I obtained my master's degree in student development while working as a school-to-work coordinator at the University of Wisconsin--Oshkosh. This morphed into writing grants and running school-to-work programs for high school students through Wisconsin's Cooperative Educational Services Agency (CESA).
Inspired by Dr. Mitau's words to be involved in the political process, I was elected to the Fond de Lac County Board of Supervisors, serving 14 years as chair of the Social Services Board and Committee. During this time our county became one of two pilot counties in Wisconsin's work-not-welfare initiative.
Since retirement in 1998, Ron and I have been living in Ron's Stillwater, Minn., boyhood home. We love to travel (all 50 states and four continents) and feel fortunate to live in an area that has a plethora of music and events, theater offerings, and art exhibitions. We enjoy entertaining, especially our family of two sons, two daughters-in-law, and our two perfect grandchildren; and, of course, the friends we have made over the years.
P
After attending Macalester for two very good years, I transferred to the University of Minnesota where I completed my BA degree. The fall of 1963 I entered the School of Social Work and after the first year, I transferred to UCLA where I graduated with a Master of Social Work. Between my years of graduate study, I married Roger Frerichs. We lived in Minneapolis while he was in a residency for General Surgery. We then moved to Fergus Falls where we lived for 32 years while rearing our five children. During this time I worked for Lutheran Social Services as an individual and family therapist.
Our children have various degrees in education, medicine, graphic design, law and the arts. We have 14 wonderful grandchildren.
Nine years ago we moved to Chanhassen to be close to most of our children and grandchildren. Roger continues to work full-time and I am retired. We enjoy the amenities of the City, traveling and spending summers at our lake cabin.
Stories:
Original radio DJ, among other things
In brief summary, I entered the US Army after graduation, returned and spent three years working in Tucson, then moved to Silicon Valley to work in various industry groups over a 32-year period. I returned to Minnesota in June 2005 and have remained here since. I currently sit on the city council for Lake City, and was elected to a second term.
Stories:
Singing with the Minnesota Orchestra
Snow princess and snow storms
I've been married for 21 years to Bob who is a retired family practice physician. Both of my children--son and daughter--live out of town. The love of my life is grandson, Samuel, who is now 13 years old. Since leaving Macalester I have stayed with my elementary education background--either as a teacher or volunteer. While living in Mankato I went back to school at MSU and obtained my BA in music. Retired lifestyle is wonderful; I'm too busy to work!
Stories:
Where I met my husband
Earned a degree in medical technology from Mac and Miller Hospital and married in 1965. Lived in Norfolk, Va. where Tom was a naval officer on a ship and I worked in the blood bank at the Gen Hospital. Toured Europe for six weeks after Tom's release. Moved to Bloomington and worked in the micro lab at the VA until Kristin was born in 1967. I was a stay-at-home mom for 14 years (Steve born in 1970) and served as Cub Scout and Girl Scout leader, field trip driver, etc. Then employed for three years at a med lab in Edina. Worked ten years in strep and staph DNA research labs at the U of M and U of M hospital. After Fairview bought the hospital I was head tech in the micro lab until retiring in 2005. Our daughter and her husband Alan live in Oakdale and are parents of twins Alessandra (Ally) and Tobias (Toby) born December 2011. Our son lives near us in Bloomington. In 1969 we built a year round cabin near Cumberland, Wis. which we still enjoy along with family and friends. Traveling, bridge, gardening, and reading are my pastimes.
Stories:
Bagpipes and Mary Gwen Owen
Friendships for life
"Why not!"
Immediately after leaving Macalester, I decided the career for me was in radio and television and began attending Brown Institute of Broadcasting in Minneapolis. Upon graduation from Brown, I went to work at KCUE in Red Wing. I shortly learned I needed an FCC First Class Commercial License and returned to Brown for more classroom work. When not attending classes, I received further experience at KTCA-TV, Channel 2 during its very early days. Do you remember black and white television? I had duties as a control room and transmitter tech while doing "booth" announcing. Thereafter, I joined the Naval Air Reserve for six years as a "Weekend Warrior" specializing in helicopter-based anti-submarine warfare. Upon completing my reserve training, I married my college sweetheart, Mary Greenslit in May of 1964. She was one of the Saint Barnabas Hospital student nurses taking classes at Mac. Our very first home was in Rochester where I worked at KWEB as a DJ and commercial copywriter. One of my more memorable writings was an initial creation of a radio commercial for a new beverage called Mountain Dew being test-marketed in the Rochester area. "Yahoo, Mountain Dew"! Before long, we moved to the Twin Cities where I worked on-the-air at WMIN, WLOL and KRSI full and part-time for nearly 25 years. After a few local moves, we established our home in Edina where we raised three children, six cats, four dogs and numerous goldfish. I gradually moved out of broadcasting into business product sales working for such companies as IBM and Bell & Howell, finishing off my working career as a self-employed manufacturers rep in office furniture, retiring about four years ago. Mary retired early in 2011. I now do volunteer work in Community Television in the Lake Minnetonka area and volunteer with the Hennepin Theatre Trust. Our current home is on Lake Zumbra just west of Excelsior. We are enjoying our senior years as the grandparents of five grandchildren and travel as we are able. Our 49th anniversary will be celebrated just a few weeks before the Mac reunion.
R
Stories:
Smoking
My wife Kathy and I have been married 44 years and have two great daughters, two great son-in-laws and three really great grandsons. I have been retired seven years after 37 years of being the photographer and Supervisor of Photography for the College and now University of Saint Thomas. While there I was able to make memorable trips with students to Cuba, Italy and Guatemala I still like to go on canoe and camping trips every year with a bunch of guys called the Lost Boys of the Boundary Waters.
I think I majored in French partly because I loved the language and partly because I saw a foreign language major as a passport to travel. When the spring of my senior year I saw a flyer on the Old Main bulletin board advertising a program called Teachers for East Africa I immediately applied. Eight months later, after a semester of orientation in New York, I found myself settled in a small bungalow on the slopes of Kilimanjaro where I spent two rewarding years teaching in a Tanzanian girls boarding school and learning a bit of Swahili. After a semester of study in France I completed two years of graduate work in French at the University of Washington. Then it was marriage to Mike, now my husband of 45 years. Mike grew up in Oklahoma, and when he arrived in Seattle and saw the snow-capped mountains and sparkling waters of Puget Sound he swore he would never leave, and we have been here ever since. I taught French and English as a Second Language for several years in the Seattle Public Schools before returning to UW for my Master's in Librarianship. I was a high school librarian until my retirement in 2006. Despite being anchored to Seattle I have managed to travel to many parts of the world. Before I retired it was often summer trips with teacher friends, the most adventurous of which was six weeks in northern Pakistan and by public bus along the Karakorum Highway into western China. Fortunately, this was years before the present unrest. As a West Coast resident and teacher of many Asian immigrants, I have found myself more and more drawn to Asia. I spent a sabbatical semester in 1994 teaching English at Tsinghua University in Beijing, later spent a summer teaching in WuHan and another in Yantai, and the year after I retired I taught for the entire academic year at NanChang Normal University. Mike and I have since made two shorter tourist trips to explore other areas of China. Voltaire's Candide, after years of amazing adventures, found that it was time to end his wanderings and cultivate his garden. I do have a small vegetable garden but look forward to more distant adventures as well.
'63-'69 air traffic controller US Army Reserves. '64-'71 Minnesota adult parole agent/supervisor. '67-'69 Tulane University, MSW. '72-'95 retirement, self employed as owner of a number of varied business ventures. Married '73, two fantastic children. Divorced '80. '93 married my "soul mate." We live in Florida and spend five months in Minnesota and Wisconsin lake homes seeing our kids and three wonderful grandchildren. '80 to present very active in 12 step recovery program, playing pipes in two bands, world travel, and in '05 I traded racing motorcycles for golf. Life has been one big candy store and I have been blessed with those things that really count in earth's journey. God bless us all!
S
Stories:
Ambassadors for Friendship
No matter how much I studied
Married 47 years. Mother of three. Grandmother of four. Kindergarten teacher for 30 years. Friend of many. Volunteer and traveler.
After Mac I moved to Salt Lake City to attend grad school at the University of Utah, receiving my MS (1965) and PhD (1967) degrees in Counseling and Educational Psychology. There I met Kathy and we were married in 1965. In 1967 we moved to Iowa City where I was on the staff of the University Counseling Center, becoming Director in 1971. In 1975 we moved to Utah where I began teaching, writing and research as a professor in the Marriage & Family Therapy Graduate Programs. Retired from BYU three years ago to end my career as a faculty member and administrator. Kathy and I have five children and now enjoy visiting them, their spouses and our nine grandchildren. We enjoy more time for travel, outdoor activities, friends, extended family, community and church service. When I was driving my VW bug at Mac, never did I realize that I would one day qualify for the 130 MPH Club on the Bonneville Salt Flats in another German car. Life is good and Mac was a significant boost for me.
Stories:
Canadian American Conference
After graduating from Macalester College I moved to Oakland, California to teach elementary school for the Oakland Unified School District. During my tenure in Oakland I worked as a classroom teacher, team leader, vice principal and principal for more than 30 years. For a brief period I served as an adjunct professor of the California State University, Hayward instructional faculty for credential training of interns. I met John Dorsey while he was attending UC Berkeley and we were married in 1966. We have three wonderful children. We traveled with our children to Europe and Africa several times because my husband worked in the travel industry. It was rewarding to give our children the experience of visiting the motherland. Even today they remark that the flight, staying at the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge and being so close to the wildlife was most memorable. For two years I served as Port Commissioner for the City of Richmond, California which expanded my understanding of global commerce. In 1988 after my divorce I moved to the East Coast and worked as a senior trainer for a nonprofit agency in New Jersey. Later I served as a principal in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Currently I live in Oakland, enjoying my retirement and working on my memoirs. The true joy of my life is spending time with my children and six grandchildren.
After graduating from Macalester I moved to Cleveland, Ohio, completed a master's degree in social work at Western Reserve University and then set off on a four month trip through Central America. Total immersion in the language and the culture of these intriguing countries turned my life in a new direction, toward working with the under-served and rapidly growing Latino population in Minnesota. After serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia, I spent nearly 30 years working for Ramsey County, initially as a social worker, often working directly with Latinos and developing new services with them. In 1978 I married Segundo Velasquez whom I had met in Bolivia while working in the Peace Corps. Over time his parents, brothers, sisters and nephews immigrated to the U.S. and lived with us for several years.
After obtaining a doctorate at the University of Minnesota in 1979, I created a research and evaluation office at the County's Community Human Services Department and had the good fortune to conduct many interesting human services research projects that helped inform our program planning and service delivery. When I became too ill to continue this work, my husband and I founded Mano a Mano International Partners, a Minnesota-based non-profit organization whose mission is to create partnerships with poor Bolivian communities to improve health and increase economic well-being. Since then, we have worked together on a pro bono basis as leaders of this organization. Many Mac grads have joined us. Together we see that we can reach across national borders to make a dramatic and positive difference in the lives of others and transform our own lives in the process. I encourage other Macites to check us out at www.manoamano.org
Stories:
Embarking on a life of ministry at Mac
On February 12, 2012, I was designated as Pastor Emerita of the First Congregational United Church of Christ, Portland, Oregon. I retired from that church in June 2008 following 12 years service as the church's senior minister and an additional ten as associate minister. I was the first woman to serve as senior minister in this 161 year old church. While I led the congregation we significantly increased the church's participation in local missions, restored the sanctuary to its historic beauty - but with earthquake retrofitting and much better sound equipment. My journey into ordained ministry was colored by the fact that when I started women clergy were rare. I served on the denomination's first Task Force on Women in Church and Society which worked to pave the way for women in ministry. Throughout my career I advocated for and supported women in ministry. Following graduation from Macalester, I attended Chicago Theological Seminary. There I met Eugene Ross. We married in 1964, moved to Oregon in 1966 and served churches in and around Portland, Oregon. Gene served as Conference Minister of the Central Pacific Conference. We raised two children and we have one grandchild. Daughter Sara graduated from Reed College in Portland; son Jon from the University of Montana in Missoula. Our granddaughter is in the eighth grade.
T
The highlight of my life was my three-year stint teaching English in Kenya and Uganda. I found the people to be very endearing. I also taught German in Mahtomedi, Minn. and did substitute teaching in the Twin Cities area. After that I taught at Immaculate Conception Elementary School (Italian and Spanish) in San Francisco. I was a waitress at a Chinese-American restaurant in San Francisco owned by the Yang family who were prominent in Taiwanese history. I stayed in San Francisco for 30 years and also sold real estate. Recently I worked with the elderly in the Twin Cities and San Francisco. Now I am busy caring for my mother who is in long-term care in Glencoe, Minn.
Stories:
Convocations gave us global awareness
A "Legacy" is a gift that comes to us from beyond ourselves. My Macalester Legacy came to me in a little Presbyterian Church in Volga, S.D., when a kindly soul suggested that I think about Macalester College if I wanted a "good" education. That voice set me on the road to St. Paul in the fall of 1960. Macalester was a strange new land for me and became the foundation for many life changing experiences--experiences which continue to this day.
After graduation in 1963, I set out to serve our world as a Presbyterian Pastor. I received a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1966. Years later, I earned a Doctor of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary. Through my working years I served Churches in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, and Montana. From 1993 to 2003, I was an Interim Ministry Specialist serving five congregations. One year was spent as the executive director of the camping ministry for two Presbyteries.
My most recent gift from Mac occurred when I volunteered to become phone solicitor for the Annual Fund. (I detest phone solicitation, but I'm still a volunteer!) The gift was, like the first time, a new vision--a new vision of the students attending Macalester. We all know that Mac is an elite school where many apply and few are chosen. Before making my phone calls I spent time listening to a few of the students talk about why they chose Mac and what they hoped to do with the education they were receiving.
Because of what I heard from those students and what I saw in their eyes I will continue to work for the Annual Fund and for reunion events that involve more and more alumni in support for Macalester. Together we are equipping young men and women to shape a future where justice, peace, and equality will be available for all people.
So, if you want your hope renewed and your spirit lifted, come back to Mac. I guarantee you will go home as a changed person, carrying with you a Macalester Legacy!
Stories:
Eight quick memories
Having graduated from Mac without a clear idea of what I really wanted to do, I worked for a year at the Minneapolis YWCA as a T-Teen adviser. The next year I went to study in Germany. Languages were never my best subject and I was determined to see if I could learn German by learning it in the country. This approach seemed to work better and I spent a semester studying at the University of Heidelberg before returning to grad school at the University of Minnesota in European history. Before finishing I was hired to work as an adviser with international students at the University of Minnesota. This stilled the degree completion (it took the full 7 years!) but landed me in a career that Mac had clearly prepared me for in so many ways.
I got married during this time and we managed to be house parents in a residence hall at Hamline. Unfortunately, we never had any children. After getting a divorce and while still working at the University of Minnesota I returned to graduate school, this time in Educational Psychology with a specialty in counseling and got a second M.A. and Ph.D. I taught Cross Cultural Counseling courses as well as other counseling related courses part time for the next 30 years while working as the director of International Student and Scholar Services. During this time I served as national president of NAFSA; Association of International Educators and had two Fulbright grants, one to Japan and the other to Korea. Mac prepared me well for this long career in international education.
After retiring in June of 2011, I have kept very busy serving on some boards and starting to do more with the refugee population. A trip to Ghana in January 2012 with a friend whose late husband had been in the Peace Corps there introduced us to people he had worked with over 40 years ago. We have now started a non-profit called GROW (Greater Recognition of Women) to raise money to improve the lives of the women by building them a new market and helping them start a small school near the market for the kids.
I feel very fortunate to have seen as much of the world as I have and to be able to have friends around the world. I look forward to keeping this connections alive and to fine the next way in which I can make a contribution in the years to come.
Stories:
Energetic cheerleading!
The Twist, favorite teachers, and turning 21
A wide variety of Macites
After graduating from Mac with a BA in English, I attended Mankato State University, earning a BS in Elementary Education. I taught kindergarten for about 35 years for the Anoka-Hennepin District. I retired in 2001, but still volunteer in kindergarten classes, presenting homemade flannel board stories. My husband, Jim, is also a retired teacher. Our daughter, Tracy, owns her own business. We have one grandson, Lincoln. I enjoy traveling, reading, crafts, gardening, and volunteering. I'm a member of League of Women Voters, Philotectian, and the Anoka Recycling Board.
Stories:
Alphabetical love
Race and dating
Summer of '63: SPAN (Student Project for Amity among Nations) study trip to Brazil. Research: Chagas Disease. 1964 completed Macalester med tech program; married Charles Turner '64. We lived in Boston, Vermont, and Fargo-Moorhead before moving to Davenport, Iowa. I remain in that Quad City area today. We had two daughters, one, an '88 Mac grad. I worked in medical and research labs for many years.
Summer of '63: SPAN (Student Project for Amity among Nations) study trip to Brazil. Research: Chagas Disease. 1964 completed Macalester med tech program; married Charles Turner '64. We lived in Boston, Vermont, and Fargo-Moorhead before moving to Davenport, Iowa. I remain in that Quad City area today. We had two daughters, one, an '88 Mac grad. I worked in medical and research labs for many years.
In 1985 my daughters and I biked the RAGBRAI across Iowa. In the '80s I traveled twice to the USSR with Peace and Friendship groups. In 1987 my 16 year-old daughter and 77 year-old father went along with me on the Peace Walk from Leningrad to Moscow by 200 Americans and 200 Soviets.
In the '90s I remarried, traveled, and developed an interest in horticulture with my husband. Today I am a widow, rehabbing a 150 year old river pilot's house. I remain interested in peace work and environmental issues.
Our classmate Ellen Binger Hanley was a dear friend over the years until her untimely death.
U
Stories:
Professors who made me think
My satisfying and enjoyable 34-year career as a teacher at Wausau East High School was, naturally, the focal point of much of my life after Macalester. During that period I taught English, German, English as a Second Language and Theory of Knowledge, a course in the International Baccalaureate program, which I coordinated for 18 years. Colleagues and I all agree that we taught during a "golden age," when we had respect, modestly rising salaries, and were able to negotiate working conditions. Who knew that time would be so short! I didn't just teach, of course. My husband and I had no children, but a series of wonderful dogs, who have given us much pleasure and helped to keep us fit, and a shared love of travel, particularly in Europe. For me that began with a post-college trip with three Mac friends to England and the Continent, and in Dave I found the perfect partner for many more visits. We still go annually, alternating now between the north of England, where we hike on the North Yorkshire Moors and in the Lake District, and The Netherlands and northern Germany, where we bike. No longer tourists, we go to experience the landscapes and cultures that we love, and to enjoy an access to the countryside not possible in this country. At home in Wisconsin, we hike and bike, too, spending as much time as possible out-of-doors in all seasons, and are also involved in volunteer work of various kinds, including a fair trade craft project and being friends to people with mental health issues. We are both keenly interested in politics and have to write a lot more letters and do a lot more phoning these days than ever before. I continue to love to read, I'm a pretty fair cook, I sew and knit and love to work in the garden. Plays and concerts are high on the list of favorite things, too, and though I have no family in the Cities now, we are frequent visitors for the world class biking, the Minnesota Symphony, and Theatre in the Round. And somehow this so easily summarized assortment has taken up the last 50 years.
V
Stories:
Choir with Dr. Ian Morton
After finishing grad school at the University of Minnesota, I began a busy 42 year career in the University School of Music as head of the classical guitar department. Following our year in Cambridge and London, England, I returned to an emerging cultural scene that provided varied performance opportunities in many venues, including Guthrie Theatre shows, orchestra concerts and chamber and choir concerts. Through these years I have premiered over fifty works with guitar, including five concertos, chamber music and choral works, while appearing on many NPR broadcasts, and performing on many solo and ensemble recordings, including ten recordings with the Dale Warland Singers. I have performed in great halls throughout our country. My students have become renown in their own careers. Now, in retirement from teaching, I still perform and compose works for guitar, choir, and varied ensembles. We enjoy keeping our lives full with friends and grandchildren.
Highlights of 50 years since Mac:
1) Married to a beautiful redhead, Linda, for 46 years
2) Two tall and handsome sons: Mike who lives in Rochester, Minn. and Jeff who lives in Duluth, Minn. Three and a half grandchildren: two for MikeJohannes and Alexaand one and a half for JeffElizabeth and ?.
3) A 43-year career working in the investment/finance industry
4) A philosophy of "helping others" as a driving force during my 43-year career
5) A summary of life being one of "paying back" others. Paying back for the gifts that have been provided to me by my family, my vocation, my friends, and my church. To sum up, I'm not doing too badly, but have a lot of work still to be done.
Z
Stories:
Insightful professors
Connecting after graduation
For 24 years I taught elementary, middle and high school youngsters in regular classrooms and resource rooms working with learning disabled, emotionally disturbed and physically handicapped students. The locations were in Orono, White Bear Lake, Saint Paul and North Street Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale Schools Districts in and around the Minnesota Twin Cities area. Additionally, I was a Teacher Trainer for the Quest Program in the last district listed. Concurrently, I directed church choirs in Long Lake, Minn. and White Bear Lake, Minn. churches. While our daughters were in preschool, I tutored, taught homebound and hospitalized children and directed multi-choirs rather than hold a fulltime teaching position. I earned an M.S. in Special Education: Learning Disabilities and Emotionally Disturbed, from Saint Thomas University in Saint Paul, Minn. in 1988. As I continued teaching fulltime, I took additional specific classes in this education field from Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minn. Singing in church and semi-professional choral groups has been a good outlet for me. I sang with the Valley Chamber Chorale based in Stillwater, Minn., for thirteen years and currently with the SWFL Symphony Chorus (renamed the Symphonic Chorale) for fourteen years. I have volunteered at ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization) home-based in North Fort Myers, Florida, and have served on their ECHO Board for nine of the last eighteen years. I was married to my husband for 39 years before his early death in 1998.