To the Wonderful Cobber Class of 1954, Roger Maris, who grew up across The River, hit his 61st home run to beat the Babe Ruth record in 1961. And, we have our 61st anniversary of graduation this year! A group of us were together on campus last fall for our 60th. We had a gathering in the Knutson Center, went our separate ways in small groups, some of us had breakfast on Saturday morning and a picture was taken (posted at the end of this letter). This photo was sent to our class, but if you did not receive it and would like the Office of Alumni Relations to email or mail you a copy of it, call (218) 299-3734. Below, you’ll also find lists of deceased and “missing” classmates. If you would like to update your information with the college, you can do so at ConcordiaCollege.edu/classnotes or by calling (218) 299-3743.

<<<>>>> Now… let’s have a little fun! Try this Cobber Quiz: First, the hints (from our senior yearbook, the booklet from our 50th reunion and past memories). The answers are further on in the letter.

1. From X’s name you would think X can fly. Majored in Home Economics. Married to a Cobber classmate. Both love the lake.

2. Wrote a book on baseball. Obey the law when X around. Loves Star-Tribune. History is a hobby. West Central Minnesota roots. Now loves the Big City.

3. X married to classmate. Live near the Rapids. With spouse moved a long long way away. Six children, at least 15 grand, and how many great?

4. Had seven brothers. Lived above the Bald Hill Creek. Ph.D (nuclear physics). Married to Cobber. Plays in a brass ensemble.

5. First name was not George. Member of “Montana Club”. Roscoe was not the dog in the family. Social service. “The class of ‘ 54 has made a valuable difference for me.”

6. Last name is not Benson. English major and teacher. Farmers at heart. Married to “best friend” from New Jersey. Four children, 13 grand, and ? great.

<<<>>>

At our 50th anniversary, we decided as a class to start the Special Challenges Endowment at the college in memory of classmates -- Helen Torgelson Olson and Jim Langaas -- and in appreciation to others who have overcome special physical challenges through education and service. The income from the fund (which now is over $55,000) is used for the following: To assist the college to provide materials, interpreters, tutors, visual or audio equipment, etc. and for scholarships awarded through the Endowment. THANK YOU to all who have helped with this vital outreach. Our class has also responded in other ways. The current report shows that we have given $33,092 as a class gift for the current year and a total of $2,224,322 in sixty years of thanks. In regards to the budget of Concordia College, new enrollment strategies are being developed to ensure its vitality. Concordia is investing in people, the newly designed career initiative and integrated learning. With focus, college resources are being drawn in where they need to with staffing and operational costs, in order to concentrate on the college’s greatest strengths. Concordia is being innovative as it builds new integrative learning experiences for students and discusses how vocation and spiritual practice meets career. And, it builds by creating and putting into practice new programming that increases academic range and appeal to new students. Examples of this include the new finance major, data analytics minor, heritage and museum studies major and masters in dietetics leadership. In addition, the Concordia endowment is at its highest level and the planned renovation of the science facilities has begun. The College will be renovating the science buildings, Jones and Ivers, in the coming year with a total project cost of $45 million and a scheduled completion date of July 2017. New features will include updated mechanical systems, flexible classrooms, t-search labs (teaching/research labs), larger faculty offices and social and informal learning spaces.

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Karl Stumo was selected this summer as Concordia’s Vice-President for Enrollment and Marketing. Karl is a 1992 Cobber who began his career as a Concordia admission counselor. He spent most of his career at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash. We have known Karl since he was a baby. He was born while we were living in Truman, MN and serving the Trinity and Waverly Lutheran Parish. His parents, Dave and Clare, were music teachers in area schools. At the Service of Baptism, Lyle conducted the worship when God blessed and claimed Karl through the sacrament. Currently working on the same floor of the Welcome Center at Concordia is Connie (Olson) Peterson, who does outreach for Minnesota Public Radio, which has a studio in the building. Connie was baptized in Faith Lutheran Church, Hannaford, ND, also the hometown for Lyle. Her parents asked Lyle to be one of her baptism sponsors. So now, by “coincidence”, these two on the Cobber campus have a “connection” that is more than a “coincidence”.

Another job change involves Linda Soderberg, who retired in May after 29 years of dedicated service to the Advancement Division. Linda had acquired many different nametags – a testament to the multiple roles she held over the years. Monica Stensland, formerly a Gift Accountant in Advancement Services, has taken Linda’s position. She is a mother of four, including one current Cobber. Other college updates include: Music

§ The Concordia Choir will travel to the Northeast U.S. Feb. 19–Mar. 6, 2016 during its National Tour. They will also perform at the newly renovated Ordway Theater in St. Paul, Minn. on Feb. 13 as part of their pre-tour.

§ The Concordia Orchestra is headed to Colorado for their fall tour Oct. 31–Nov. 8. § Plans are underway for The Concordia Band to tour Spain in the spring of 2016.

Athletics

§ Concordia was one of two teams in the conference to advance to post conference play in all four winter sports: men’s and women’s basketball, and men’s and women’s hockey.

§ The wrestling team ranked in the top 10 nationwide for the entire season and nine athletes qualified for the NCAA National Tournament.

§ After placing multiple MIAC championships and multiple All-American awards on the shelves, Cherae Reeves won the shot put at the NCAA National Indoor Meet to become the college's seventh individual national champion.

§ The Baseball team won 26 games straight and is off to its best start since 1995, when Coach Coste was playing at Concordia.

§ Concordia women’s track and field moved into the top 20 in the Apr. 21 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III national rankings.

Academics

§ Concordia was named one of the top schools in the nation at the American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament (AFA-NIET) April 4-6 in Portland, Ore. More than 200 students from across the country competed.

§ Student Olivia Gear was awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program English Teaching Assistantship scholarship to Germany. Gear is the daughter of William and Debbie Gear, Appleton, Wis.

§ USA Today highlighted the impressive work of two Concordia business students who traveled to Kazakhstan to present their marketing plan for KazBeef, a company flies in North Dakota cattle to grow its beef-producing herds.

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Concordia Language Villages ConcordiaLanguageVillages.org

This summer, the Russian Language Village, Lesnoe Ozero, will celebrate 50 years of providing a language learning experience that encourages villagers to explore all things Russian. The official celebration will kick off on July 10 in St. Paul, Minn. and will continue in Bemidji, Minn. on July 11 with a visit to Lesnoe Ozero and an evening reception.

Alumni Awards

§ Called to Serve: On Nov. 16, Alumni Relations Director Eric Johnson traveled to Crookston’s Trinity Lutheran Church to confer the first Called to Serve Award on Ardell Knudsvig ‘60. Ardell was honored for commitment to his community as evidenced by his long teaching and coaching career, his leadership in faith development at his church and through Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and his deep connections to the University of Minnesota Crookston in support of science education and research.

§ The National Alumni Board met in Jan. to vote on the 2015 Alumni Achievement and Sent Forth Awards. Their purpose is to honor alumni who have distinguished themselves in their careers and service to others, thereby honoring The College. These individuals have profoundly influenced the affairs of the world through thought, word and deed. Alumni Achievement Award recipients must be alumni of a minimum of 20 years, while Sent Forth recipients are alumni of less than 20 years.

2015 Alumni Achievement Award Recipients Paul Erickson ’74 Dr. Craig Lambrecht ‘83 Dr. Alan Hopeman ‘42 Dr. Howard Nornes ‘53 2015 Sent Forth Recipients Kristi Rendahl ‘97 Michael Solberg ‘95

Bonus “Kernels” The College surpassed its fundraising goal and set a fundraising record of $19,970,000! In 2016 we will celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the founding of Concordia College! In 2017 we will celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. Reconnect with classmates at Homecoming Oct. 2-4, 2015 (ConcordiaCollege.edu/homecoming) The following classmates passed away this year. We remember and honor them: Marlene Rayment (Aug. 5, 2014), Lyle Irvin Hunter (Sept. 27, 2014), and Avis Leone Opheim (Nov. 21, 2014) A full list of all deceased members of the Class of 1954 is posted at the end of this letter. And these classmates are “lost”, meaning that the college is unsure of their location and contact information. If you are in touch with any of these classmates, encourage them to reconnect with the college by providing their biographical info. Gerald Albrecht Arija Miesnieks Mary (Barrett) Carlson Marlin Mohn Lois (Allen) Chai Allan Olson Marvin Christiansen Jarle Olson Adeline (Svendsbye) Elverud Frances Orr Anita Folland Geraldine (Johnson) Ray Velma (Johnson) Gitlin Jeanette (Veen) Skadberg Lloyd Hougen Joanne Sorvig Wilmer Klebe Maynard Tingelstad Marceil (Hamnes) Kringen Robert Vieths John Kruse

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<<<>>> Answers to the Cobber Quiz

1. Barbara (Burd) Kaldahl. Married to Dave. Owners of Fair Hills Resort near Detroit Lakes MN. Now in the third generation of the family. Both active and helping.

2. Jim Johnson wrote biography of deaf baseball player. Retired attorney. Wife Marilyn worked for Star Tribune. Grew up in Kerkhoven, MN, now in Minneapolis.

3. Alice and Erv Toso. Pelican Rapids, MN. Missionaries to Madagascar. 4. Millard Lee. Hannaford, ND. Science and Physics search and teaching. Married to Carol Wade. Live

in Phoenix. 5. Mary Ellen (George) Diercks. From Roscoe, Montana. Married to Art Diercks (C. 1950) 6. Ramona (Dalen) Olson. Married to classmate, Norman Olson, from New Jersey. Live on farm near

Starbuck, MN. <<<>>>

Thanks for this chance to visit. Remember the famous “last words” of Lawrence Welk:

“Keep a song in your heart.”

Concordially yours,

Lyle and Joan Rich For further info or questions: imrich32@q.com Concordia College Alumni Relations (218) 287-1375 (218) 299-3734, alumni@cord.edu,

http://www.ConcordiaCollege.edu/alumni

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First Name Last Name Maiden Name Miles Aakhus

Margie Bonin Johnson Marie Briscoe Westby Clyde Brueland

Margaret Callsen C Duane Carley

Carl Carlson Jean Dahlstrom Evenson

Marlow Davidson Stanley Dolan Donald Dyrhaug

Alan Ericksen A Joan Ernst Quamme Bruce Frojen Eileen Hahn

Avis Halter Setnes Loralee Hansen Henning Ethelyn Haugland Jacobson Donald Helm

Ralph Hoppe Lyle Hunter

Cathryn Huntsman Berntson Doris Hustad Hanson

Borghild Jacobson Schoberg Clarence Johnson

Vernon Johnson Paul Johnson

Donald Kerlin Marilyn Knutson Miller

Benjamin LaMay James Langaas Helen Lerud Peterson Marlin Lindquist Emily Lindquist Olson

Clifford Lingen Carl Lucky

Arthur Malme Thomas Natterstad

Helen Olson Torgelson Vernon Opheim

Avis Opheim Walwick Norman Peterson

Lloyd Peterson Edith Pornish

Robert Prescott Doris Richert Joan Salveson Stenberg

Helen Savereide Smith Vernon Severson Wilmer Stolt

Mary Turmo Anderson Carl Vold

Robert Walkin Phyllis Westerson Kvern

Joan Wilson Fiemann W Harvey Wilson

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