Horizons Page 1

Horizons

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A Publication for Alumni & Friends of Bemidji State UniversityVol. 16, No. 2, Winter 2000-2001

BSUBSU

BSUBSU

BSUCalendarJanuary 20, 2001BSU Snow Ball.

Beaux Arts Ballroom

January 27, 2001Beavers vs. U of M Gopher HockeyBSU Alumni/Beaver Pride Reception

Radisson Hotel Metrodome5-6:30 p.m.

Hockey Game/Mariucci Arena7:05 p.m.

February 16, 2001MN State Music Educators Annual

Convention & BSU AlumniAssociation Reception, Minneapolis

Hilton and Towers

March 11-12, 2001BSU Winter Rendezvous,

Colorado Belle / Laughlin, NV

April 28 2001BSU Alumni Association Board

Meeting

May 17-18, 200150-Year Reunion of the

Class of 1951

May 18, 2001BSU Commencement Exercises

cafeteria and the other in the stu-dent center. The going rate was 35cents an hour for on-campus jobs,enough to buy a gallon of gas. Ialso worked evenings at Searsunloading and loading freight, andwas paid a big 50 cents an hour.

I made the decision to becomea teacher and coach from the ex-periences I had in high school. Myteachers were mentors and terrificrole models ... I felt educationwould be a challenging and re-warding career. Coming from asmall high school, the opportuni-ties to participate in sports, choirand theater were available to any-one. I particularly found the com-petition of sports to be exciting. Ibelieve that the team work, lead-ership and hard work that comewith athletics were important inpreparing me for all aspects of life.

What is different or similarnow compared to college life

in the ’50s?Bemidji State was a teacher’s

college when I arrived on campusand changed its name to BemidjiState College by the time I gradu-ated. There were a few majors thatdid not lead to a teaching certifi-cate. Now the range of majors pro-vides so many more opportunitiesfor our students.

Students today face many of thesame problems in meeting finan-cial costs ... though the expecta-tions are so different. Nobodycould afford a car, so there werenone on the campus. Today, withcar costs, insurance, music sys-tems, television, computers andother expectations, students as-sume more financial responsibili-ties than we ever had to take on.

Many things are very similar

That’s a thought that frightenssome administrators and

faculty. Where does that leavehigher education?

Higher education will play amajor role in preparing youngadults and in retraining those al-ready in the work force. The chal-lenges and opportunities willcome from the rising expecta-tions of society, the explosion ofknowledge, and the competitionfrom the private sector in the de-livery of educational services.Faculty will take on more of amodel of diagnosis, prescription,“treatment” and assessment thanthey have in the past. The dis-semination of knowledge will bemuch more far ranging ... facultywill become facilitators and part-ners in learning.

That’s a look into the future.What have you come to under-

stand about your career in education?Early on I found my love for

teaching. Where else can onemake such a vital contribution toindividuals as well as society asa whole? I have received dozensof awards in my career and manyof them are for achievement at thetop of my profession, but the onethat I treasure most is beingnamed by the students at Wiscon-sin-Stout as their “DistinguishedTeacher.” I have been so fortu-nate to practice my professionwith such talented and commit-ted people. They, in all cases,deserve the recognition, but I feelprivileged to have been able towork with them.

Bensen to Retire in August

(Continued on page 5)

Q

I t was the fall of 1955 when Dr. Jim Bensen started his as-sociation with Bemidji State Uni-versity. Bensen was pretty mucha typical Bemidji State freshmanfor those times: from a smalltown, straight off the family farm,and a new graduate of ErskineHigh School. On September 26of this year, he announced hewould be retiring as BSU presi-dent in August of 2001. Hislength journey in education in-cluded stops at Wisconsin-Stout,where he earned a master’s de-gree, and Penn State, where hereceived a doctorate. His profes-sional career included serving asthe dean for the prestigious UW-Stout School of Technology andas president of the DunwoodyInstitute before returning to BSUas the school’s eighth presidentin June of 1994. Bensen, who willbe 64-1/2 when he retires, re-cently took time to reflect on hisjourney in education.

You were a young kid from asmall town and straight off the

farm when you arrived. How wereyou prepared for college?

Growing up on a family farmin the ’50s I learned early aboutlong days, staying with a taskuntil completed and the rewardsthat come with a job well done.My father died when I was 16.My younger brother Kermit andI assumed full responsibility forcarrying on the duties of our farmoperation. It meant 5 a.m. morn-ings and very late evenings, as wewere both heavily involved inextra-curricular activities atschool. I was not as prepared forcollege as our current freshmenare. While I took all the math andscience courses available, thevariety and depth of offerings inhigh school today are so muchgreater than they were then.

Were you anxious coming tothe “big town” and college?

I was excited and busy. Backthen, unless you had a rich uncle,there were no financial aid pro-grams available to students with-out resources. I worked two jobson campus, one in the lab school

Q

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Qtoday than they were back when Iwas a student . . the caring facultyand staff that provide unselfishsupport for those who come tolearn. On the other hand, the paceof change today is a whole differ-ent world. Students who enroll to-day at BSU can expect the knowl-edge base in the world to doubletwice before they graduate.

Has the field of higher educationkept pace with the changing

students?We prepared for a profession

and went out and did well withwhat was taught us. Today, it ismuch more important to teach ourstudents how to learn and how tosolve problems. One of the ben-eficial trends that developed overthe years was a transition fromtheory to the application of theory.I have observed, over the years,that universities with a heritage inteacher education tend to take theapplication of knowledge right instride. Student research, design,and application of what they learnhave better prepared them to suc-ceed in the world.

What’s in store for the futureof education?

I believe that we are just at thecusp of change in education at alllevels. We will see significantlymore private ventures developingways to provide learning and edu-cational experiences. The “know-how” that is coming on the scenein telecommunications, multime-dia, and other information tech-nologies will provide tools for con-tinuous and asynchronous learning— anything, anywhere and any-time — that we could not haveimagined a decade or two ago.

Horizons Page 2

Spor

tsFall 2000 Sports

The Bemidji State volleyball team ended a roughseason in a positive fashion by winning four of itslast five matches with a variety of players makingcontributions to the team. Team leaders includedsenior Beth Virnig-Fischer (Pierz) with 288 killsand 313 digs; junior Jill Anundson (Baudette) with932 set assists and 41 ace serves; and seniorMaureen McCartney (Breckenridge) with 90 totalblocks. Coach Donna Palivec’s squad faced oneof the most ambitious NCAA Division II pre-con-ference schedules, which contributed to the slowstart as the Beavers rebuilt from their 25-7 1999campaign. The NSIC proved an arduous road aswell with the Beavers finishing sixth in a leaguethat featured a pair of nationally-ranked squads.

Men’s GolfThe Beaver men’s golf team continued its NSIC

domination by claiming its fourth consecutive and15th overall league championship as five golfersfinished in the top 10 during the conference show-down. The Beavers were led by sophomore TomJenkins (Bemidji) and junior Tom Downs(Bemidji), who tied for second in the two-day tour-nament. Joining them on the All-NSIC unit weresophomore Kevin Krigbaum (Bemidji) and sopho-more Travis Quam (Fosston). Head coach DonNiskanen was named the league’s Golf Coach ofthe Year.

Women’s GolfThe Bemidji State women’s golf team

finished its season by capturing third placein the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Con-ference Women’s Golf Championship.Freshman Jeanne Larson (Springfield)paced the Beavers by earning All-NSIChonors with a fourth-place individual fin-ish. The BSU women’s golf program, injust its fifth year, came into the league eventas the defending champion having earnedits first title in 1999. The Beavers arecoached by Jim Mergens.

The Beaver football team completed its third-straight year of improvement, ending the season with themost victories in school history (nine), claiming sole possession of second place in the conference, andshattering several individual records along the way. Sophomore running back Eddie Acosta (Bemidji)led an impressive BSU ground game and earned new records for single season rushing (1,690 yards),rushing touchdowns (18), and total touchdowns (25). Junior quarterback Geoff Martinson (Sauk Rap-ids) tied a record for pass completions (165) and set new standards for passing attempts (296) andpassing TDs (25). Junior wide receiver Jason Leden (Stevens Point, WI) set several career records witha season of play still ahead of him. He now holds the record for career receptions (135), career receivingyards (1,764) and career touchdown receptions (18). As a team, the Beavers scored 367 points this yearto break the mark of 362 set in 1999. The team also scored the most points ever in a game, rolling out 70against Minnesota-Morris. The 9-2 record lifted Jeff Tesch to 27-25 overall as the BSU head coach.

Women’s Soccer(4-9-2, 2-6-1)The Bemidji State women’s soccer team

continued its improvement, finishing the2000 season with four wins after earningthree last season and one each in the team’sfirst two seasons. Three of the BSU wins,however, turned to forfeits when a playerdropped below the minimum of 12 creditsneeded to maintain eligibility. The Beaversposted its record under first-year headcoach Jeff Mitchell. Bemidji State is ayoung team that will return all of its play-ers for the 2001 season. Sophomore BeckyElk (Elgin, IL) led BSU with five goalsand four assists while sophomore LaurenMiller (Orono) added three goals and fourassists and junior Kelly Lessman (Bemidji)four goals and one assist. Sophomore NikiDalka (Rhinelander, WI) handled thegoaltending duties, ending the year with a.781 save percentage.

Women’s Cross Country

The Bemidji State women’s cross coun-try finished in sixth place at the NorthernSun Intercollegiate Conference Champion-ships this fall. Sophomore Martha Miltich(Grand Rapids) paced the Beavers, finish-ing in 21st place while senior KaiaSwenson (Brainerd) was 29th. The leagueouting capped a 10-meet schedule for headcoach Craig Hougen and his running crew.

Football (9-2, 6-2 NSIC)

Volleyball (10-19, 8-10 NSIC)

Horizons Page 3

Plans Move Forward

Where We Are ... What We’re Doing

ALL CITIES ARE LOCATED IN MINNESOTA UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

(Continued on page 4)

Vol. 16, No. 2, Winter 2000-2001

Produced by the News and PublicationsOffice and the Alumni Office at BemidjiState University, HORIZONS is publishedquarterly and distributed without chargeto BSU alumni, students, faculty, staff andother friends of the University. BSU is anequal opportunity educator and employer.

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Al NohnerDesigner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathy BerglundPhotographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . John SwartzPresident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Jim BensenAlumni Director . . . . . Marla Huss PatriasContributing Writers . . . . . . . . Jody Grau,

Cindy SerratoreEditorial Assistance . . . . . . . . Peggy Nohner

Editorial Board: Dr. Jim Bensen, BSUpresident; Al Nohner, director of newsservices and publications; Carl Baer, vicepresident for university advancement;Dr. Jeff Totten, assistant professor of busi-ness administration; Dr. Gerald Morine,professor of chemistry; Marla Huss Patrias,director of alumni relations.

Bemidji State University

HorizonsBSUBSU

The new facility will houseBSU’s American Indian StudiesDepartment, and future plans in-clude a tribal government resourceand training center, a cultural di-versity training center and a visit-ing elder program. American In-dian arts and artifacts will be ap-propriately displayed at the center,but it will not include a museum.

Physical components of thecenter will include a gatheringspace, offices for the outreachperson and American IndianStudies faculty members, a class-room, kitchen and an outsidegathering space.

“We want the building to be avery central part of the campus,”said Baer. “The program activitiesand cultural diversity knowledgeand training they will foster acrossthe campus will touch all otherareas and create a unique value-added environment for learning.”

“It’s really being built for thestudents,” said Lenee Ross, ex-ecutive director of the AmericanIndian Resource Center. “It’s in-tended to help recruit and retainAmerican Indian students as wellas providing them with a refugefrom what sometimes seems analien environment to those whohave experienced a reservationupbringing or who maintain closefamily connections with reserva-tion communities. It will inte-grate academic support serviceswith a social gathering place.”

Bemidji State University plansto break ground for a new $2 mil-lion American Indian ResourceCenter next spring, fulfilling adream envisioned decades ago byboth university and tribal leaders.

The facility will house innova-tive programs developed to at-tract, retain and graduate Ameri-can Indian students, according toCarl Baer, vice president for uni-versity advancement. The exactsquare footage and a building siteon-campus have yet to be final-ized, said Baer.

The $2 million in buildingfunds were allocated by the Min-nesota Legislature as part of itsbonding bill approved last ses-sion. To date, an additional$250,000 has been pledged byMinnesota’s tribal leaders andarea foundations to be used indeveloping the programs that willbe housed in the new facility,which should be ready for occu-pancy by spring of 2002.

“Programming will begin withthe hiring of an outreach personwho will travel to each AmericanIndian community in Minnesotato meet with students and teach-ers at the elementary and middleschool level to inform and excitethem about post secondary edu-cation opportunities,” said Baer.“Detailed planning and organiza-tion of other center programs areunderway and they will come online as funding and space becomeavailable.”

For many American Indian stu-dents, the discomfort they may feelon campus stems largely from abasic cultural difference in theirupbringing, said Ross. Havingbeen raised with a cultural dispo-sition to always put others first, interms of respect and even in na-tive speech patterns, American In-dian students suddenly find them-selves in a university environmentwhere those who are most asser-tive in classroom discussions tendto get the most positive attention.The very characteristics that mayhave been frowned upon in theirhomes and communities are con-sidered an asset in a university en-vironment where free exchange ofideas and debate is encouraged.

As evidence of the existingneed, Ross said current statistics

1930sRussell Harding (’39) writes a column aboutgardening for the Austin Daily Herald, whichappears on Wednesdays . . . Erma Weir (’36) livesalong the Pacific Coast in Oregon. She was amember of the Oregon State University physicaleducation staff for 29 years, retiring in 1974.

1950sDeEtta (Kapphahn) Watts (’57) has lived inFridley since 1963 and was a teacher for more than20 years. In 1985 she took over her husband’sinsurance agency. She became a widow in 1993. Shehas two daughters and two grandchildren . . . RayGreen (’50) was honored this summer when hereceived the Warroad High School OutstandingAlumni Award. Green taught in Badger, then taughtfor 15 years in Warroad and another 15 years inBloomington, before retiring in 1984 and movingback to Warroad. Since then he’s been an activemember of the community participating in The Z-

Men at Zion Lutheran church and singing andplaying the guitar at many community events . . .Nolan Sorenson (’59) of Colraine has enjoyedwood carving since retiring from a career as anelementary teacher. He started his teaching career ina one-room country school located between Bagleyand Fosston and then spent 32 years teaching andworking as the elementary school librarian atColeraine. He has one granddaughter.

1960sJohn Colosimo (’64) recently was named as a“Super Lawyer” (in the categories of PersonalInjury, Employment Litigation, Insurance, andSchool Law) by the publication of “Minnesota Lawand Politics,” placing him among the top fivepercent of Minnesota lawyers. He was selected bypolling 8,000 lawyers across the state. He haspracticed since 1972 and is the managing partner ofthe firm Colosimo, Patchin, Aronson and Kearney,Virginia . . . Harry Salminen (’67) filed as acandidate for a Becker County commissioner post.

He is an independent businessman and has lived inLakeview Township since 1972. He’s a formereducator and former employee of the governor’sManpower office, which oversees economicdevelopment in rural areas of the state . . . RussGoplin (’67) of Bemidji retired in 1999 afterteaching for 31 years. His wife, Mandy, is in her 31st

year of teaching, as well . . . Terry Fredin (’69) andKaren Fredin (’68) live in Windom . . . Allen

Rasmussen (’65) of International Falls plans to retirein 2001 from his position as president at Rainy RiverCollege, a post he’s held for 11 years. He’s beenemployed with the college a total of 31 years . . .Harold Knoll (’72) recently started his new positionas superintendent of schools in Park River, ND.He’d spent the last eight years in Jamestown, first asassistant superintendent at Jamestown Public Schooland then as vice president of Jamestown College. He

and his wife, Jan, have two college-age sons . . . Bob Scarpino (’69) livesin Port Clinton, OH, with his wife, Jan.He is retired from the U.S. CoastGuard and works part-time as a paperdelivery person and substitute teacher.Jan works as a receptionist at a localdoctor’s office. They have threechildren, the youngest a high schoolsenior.

1970sKathy Gilbert (’73) is the newcomputer teacher at Deer Riverschools. Her teaching experienceincludes both King and NorthElementary Schools at Deer River.She and her husband live on Deer Lakeand have two sons and a daughter . . .

show college drop out rates forAmerican Indian students rang-ing from 75 to 95 percent, de-pending on the area of country.He believes educators need cul-tural diversity training and stu-dents need strong role models inorder to improve this scenario.

“Having successful studentsaccessible who can serve as rolemodels and work with high schoolstudents and new university stu-dents is a better way of encourag-ing American Indian students topursue and complete a post sec-ondary education,” said Ross.

The center will provide an en-vironment in which BSU’s IndianStudies Program can expand.Goals for that expansion includecreating an Ojibwe languagemajor or emphasis within the In-

on American Indian Resource Centerdian Studies Program and devel-oping a technology hub to helpAmerican Indian students use theInternet to overcome distancebarriers to their education.

Baer wants the new center pro-gramming to challenge our exist-ing ideas of how to help any stu-dent population struggling toovercome individual or groupobstacles.

“Messages of success are veryimportant. It’s a benefit to ourentire campus for American In-dian students to consider them-selves proud ambassadors of theirculture and local history and toshare that with the faculty andstudent body,” said Baer. “Thenwe all benefit from that knowl-edge and more fully recognize itsvalue.”

Faculty Member PublishesBook on Wild RiceSusan Carol Hauser, an associate professor

of English, has published a new book aboutthe fascinating history of wild rice, includingits mythology and lore as well as a completeguide to harvesting, preparing and serving avariety of wild rice dishes.

Wild Rice Cooking tells the story of theplant and the cultures that have dependedon it for centuries.

In addition, the book contains 80 wild ricerecipes gathered by Hauser from friends andfamily. The easy-to-follow recipes includehearty dinner entrees, light breakfasts,snacks, desserts and even beverages.

A group of college classmates from the class of 1960 werereunited at BSU this summer to renew old friendships,reminisce and tour the campus. Pictured are (kneeling)Lenore Marken, Macine Harty, (standing) Kathryn Mertz,Janette Fox, Arleen Boyd, Carol Anfinson, Pat Kjellgren,and Helen Toriseva.

Horizons Page 4

Beryl Blashill (’72) was recently promoted tocommunications supervisor, a newly createdposition in the Beltrami County Sheriff’sDepartment. She has worked in the department for 27years, starting as a dispatcher in the old Bemidji CityHall. In her new position she will oversee 13 staffmembers and be in charge of all communicationsequipment for the county. Her department will also

be working on long-range goals that includeestablishing a newemergency servicesfrequency and updatingshared frequencies.She also heads theemergency responseteam that handlesmissing persons andother emergencysituations . . . BillParish (’76), a 16-year

employee of the Cook County Highway Department,was selected recently as the department’s newsupervisor . . . Cathy (Rehn) Sutton (’71) and herhusband, Arnold (’81) , work with an internationalmissions organization as consultants to missionarychildren’s schools. They live in Camdenton, MO . . .Gregory Ferrin (’74) has been hired as the new

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown K-8 principal. Since1991 he’d been a fourth grade teacher at Morris ByeElementary School in Coon Rapids and completed aprincipal internship at St. Mary’s University…Wayne Ruud (’71) and Elaine Ruud (’71) live inKarlstad where Wayne is the city administrator.Elaine works as a reading recovery teacher atKarlstad schools . . . Steve Maanum (’72) is teachingfifth grade in Park Rapids and was selected as the K-6Minnesota Forest Educator of the Year 2000. He’sbeen married to his wife, Deb, for 27 years and theyhave two grown children, Carrie and Scott . . . SueCarstens (’77) is the new elementary LD and EBDinstructor at Roseau schools. She and her husband,John (’81), live in rural Roseau and have two

children, Sam, 20,who attends collegein Ashland, WI, anddaughter, Anna,who is a senior atRoseau HighSchool . . .Jill Geisen (’77)was hired this fall toteach second gradeat Fertile-Beltramischools. She hadpreviously taughtkindergarten, early

childhood family education and learning readiness atMentor for 23 years . . . Dave Courtier (’70) retiredin July from his 20-year career at the MinnesotaCorrectional Facility-Red Wing and filed as acandidate for Fifth District Goodhue Countycommissioner. He lives in Spring Lake Park with hiswife, Dawn, and 14-year-old son . . . DennisMarchetti (’74) was recently elected as the newnorthern area business representative for Sheet MetalWorkers International Association, Local 10. He wasa 25-year member of Sheet Metal Workers LocalUnion 10 while employed by Chisholm Heating &Sheet metal Company and Range Cornice & RoofingCompany of Hibbing, as their shop foreman and fieldsuperintendent for the past 12 years . . . Lynn Sibert(’73) is teaching fifth grade this year at Cannon FallsElementary School. She and her husband, Jerry, livein Red Wing and have two children, Tara, who isattending UMD, and Jeff, a student at Iowa State . . .Gregory Ohl (’76) is the new superintendent ofSchool District 192 in Farmington. He hadpreviously been superintendent of schools in Foleysince July of 1995 . . . Ralph Rokke (’73) wasinstalled in July as the third full-time pastor at St.James Lutheran Church in West St. Paul. He hadserved as a part-time, interim visitation pastor at St.James for the past 18 months, during which he and hiswife, Kathi (’73) , became well acquainted with thecongregation . . . Gary Lamppa (’70) has become an

associate of the firm Short Elliot Hendrickson,Duluth. He is marketing manager for northernMinnesota and joined the firm in 1990. He has morethan 30 years of experience in marketing andgovernment-related services . . . Bernice Corner(’74) moved her law offices from Blackduck to herhome in Northome in October. She began her practicein Northome in 1977, where she was the first attorneyin 25 years and the first female attorney inKoochiching County . . . Dale Merschman (’70) wasrecently named runner-up in a national woodcarvingcontest. Merschman, of Baudette, placed second witha carving featuring Minnesota Governor JesseVentura and was awarded $500 in equipment fromcontest sponsor Rockler Woodworking andHardware. He has been employed with the U.S.Customs Service since 1986, serving most of thoseyears at Baudette . . . Steve Savageau (’74) wasrecently appointed manager of administrativeservices for the St. Louis County Historical Society.He had previously served on the advisory committeefor Veterans’ Memorial Hall sponsored by thehistorical society. He lives in Duluth with his son,Robert, and daughter, Emily . . . Daniel Rose (’73), acolonel in the United States Marine Corps, retiredafter serving 27 years. He lives in Willow Grove, PA .. . Teri Brooks (’76), a former teacher at St. Philip’sElementary School, will tour Japan as a participant inthe Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program. She

was selected from a national pool of more than 2,000applicants. The program allows primary andsecondary school teachers in the United States totravel to Japan for three weeks in an effort to promotegreater intercultural understanding. Brooks currentlyteaches elementary physical education in SaukCentre . . . Mandy Goplin (’70) is in her 31st year ofteaching. She lives in Bemidji with her husband, Russ(’67) , who retired from teaching in 1999 . . .

1980sMark Beer (’87) and his wife, Kathy, of Rosevilleannounce the Oct. 9 birth of a daughter . . . PollySheppard (’86) is teaching English at Deer RiverHigh School this year. She has taught at Nicollet HighSchool in the Twin Cities area, at Waseca Jr. HighSchool and at Greenway High School. She lives inGrand Rapids with her husband , Mark (’85) . . .Carol Guy (’83) and her husband, Bruce (’96), live inRoseau with their sons, Adam, 17, and Jason, 14 . . .David Snetsinger (’88) filed as a candidate for re-election to the Mahnomen County Board, havingserved as a commissioner since 1996. He and hiswife, Pamela, have been married 28 years and havefour children. . . . Jane Trisko Chagnon (’84) lives inSt. Paul and is working on finishing her master’sdegree in management with hopes of graduating inMay 20001 . . . Debra Blomberg (’86) is employedthis year as a special education teacher in the New

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Hall of Fame

assistant coach of the CottageGrove high school team.WARREN MERTENS, who graduatedin 1977, still owns the Beaverbaseball record for single seasonERA with a 1.37 mark as well asthe career strikeout record of 124.He spent several years in the mi-nors, including one winter leagueseason with Twins manager TomKelly. Mertens now is the headbaseball coach at Central LakesCommunity College in Brainerd.DON OTNESS (1957) was a mem-ber of the basketball team for fouryears, a co-captain his senioryear, and a member of the trackteam. A high school teacher inIllinois for 35 years and a coachfor 25 years, he guided his

place finish in the1987 state tourna-ment.DAN BERGAN was afour-time letterman inbaseball who was theconference strikeoutking in 1966. He nowteaches English atHibbing High Schoolwhere he also chairsthe department. Hewas received a Minne-sota Writer’s Grantfrom 1986-88 and wasnamed a MinnesotaHumanities Fellow in1991. He also is thepitching coach atHibbing High School.LAURIE KELLY (1978)was a standout in fieldhockey where she led the team tonationals for three straight yearsand still is the all-time nationalsingle season scoring leader with93 goals. A teacher at LincolnHigh in Roundup, she guided hervolleyball team to the 1998 statechampionship, five district titles,and six conference crowns.JIM McELMURY was an All-Ameri-can skater for the Beaverhockey team, which hecaptained for three years and ledto four NAIA championships.Following graduation in 1971,he was a member of the 1972U.S. Olympic team that won asilver medal as well as four na-tional squads. He now is the

Athletic Hall of Fame Gains New members

Belleville East basketball team toone state tournament, seven re-gional championships, and sixinvitational tournament titles.DON PAPRECK was a member of thegymnastics team from 1968-1970when he set a record for the mostpoints scored in a season. Hequalified for nationals threetimes. After competing, he stayedat BSU to coach the men’s andwomen’s teams at different times.He remains active as a coach inhigh school as well as club gym-nastics and was named Region 8Coach of the Year in 2000.DICK ROBBINS was a member of themen’s basketball team when hegarnered All-Conference honorsin 1957. A teacher for 30 years,

Ten individuals were inductedinto the Bemidji State UniversityAthletic Hall of Fame during abanquet and ceremony October 6.

Inductees into the hall wereLee Ahlbrecht, Bemidji; GregBeaumont, Rockville; John“Dan” Bergan, Hibbing; Laurie(Bottem) Kelly, Roundup, MT;Jim McElmury, Cottage Grove;Warren Mertens, Motley; DonOtness, Belleville, IL; DonPapreck, Bemidji; Richard (Dick)Robbins, Bemidji; and RogerTwigg, Crosby.

The Athletic Hall of Fame rec-ognizes former coaches, educa-tors or competitors at BemidjiState who have gone on to excelin their athletic, professional orpersonal lives.LEE AHLBRECHT is a 1966 graduateof Bemidji State who returned in1968 to begin an exemplarycoaching career for the Beavers.His swim teams compiled a 150-49 record during his tenure whilehe coached 151 All-Americans,four national champions andseven Olympic trial qualifiers.His teams finished in the top 20nationally every year.GREG BEAUMONT, a member of themen’s basketball team from1969-1973, was a district All-Starselection from a 1973 squad thatnotched 19 wins. He recorded777 points during his career as aBeaver. Currently at Rocori HighSchool, he coached the girl’s bas-ketball team to five conferencechampionships and a second-

Sue Carstens

primarily in California, his mathstudents finished in the top fivein the nation three times for thenumber of National Merit Schol-arship Finalists. He retired as anassistant principal and now is ac-tive as a volunteer in Bemidji.ROGER TWIGG graduated from BSUin 1971 after a career in track andfield, as well as cross country. Asa coach at Crosby Ironton, he wasnamed Coach of the Year fourtimes in track or cross country,had 71 state meet participants intrack and field, and won a dozendistrict track championships. Herecently purchased a sportsagency that assists runners inentering elite races.

2000 ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES (Front row, left to right: Roger Twigg, Don Papreck, Laurie (Bottem) Kelly, Jim McElmury,and Lee Ahlbrecht. Back row: Richard (Dick) Robbins, Don Otness, Warren Mertens, Greg Beaumont, and John “Dan” Bergan.

Bill Parish

Horizons Page 5

(Continued on page 6)

York Mills School District. She has taught in anumber of Minnesota school districts and earned herdevelopmental disabilities licensure from St. CloudState University . . . Kathryn Awe (’84) ofInternational Falls has published her first novel“Proud Mari” with Hard Shell Word Factory, apublisher that delivers its authors works over theInternet. The novel is about the feisty owner of afishing resort on the shores of Rainy Lake. Awe callsher work a romance, but says it differs from thetypical work in that genre. Readers may downloadher book from www.hardshell.com and it will soon beavailable through major book retailers, includingBorders, Amazon.com and Powells . . . Mary Moen(’83) has been named the first music director of theCentral Minnesota Boys Choir. Moen taughtelementary music in International Falls and Argylebefore accepting her current position at StaplesElementary School, where she has developed a strongchoral program. The Central Minnesota Boys Choirworks with choir members, parents and professionalsto develop talent, artistic abilities, musical interestand leadership skills in boys. Mary lives in Wadenawith her husband, Del (’82) who is a Lutheranminister, and their daughter, Britta . . . TomRinghand (’89) joined the teaching staff this fall atthe Crosby-Ironton schools . . . Randall Sims (’89)was hired this fall as the new industrial tech teacher atSauk Centre Public Schools. He has been teaching

since 1989, splitting his time among Sells, AZ, andMinnesota communities of Badger and Morris. Healso served in the Minnesota Army National Guard . . .Anne Olmsted (’83) is teaching seventh gradereading, ninth and 10th grade composition and anelective class at Isle schools. She has held otherteaching positions in West Germany, Texas andMinnesota . . . Donna Hickerson (’81) was selectedby Bemidji School District employees as the 1999-2000 teacher of the year. She has been teachinglanguage arts at the Bemidji Middle School for 11years . . . Cindy Borowski (’84) was recentlypromoted to assistant jail administrator, a newlycreated position in the Beltrami County Sheriff’sDepartment. She’s been working for the county formore than 14 years having started in the recordsdepartment in the old jail. She will eventually overseethe jail annex that is now being planned. . . . KenHowe (’87) has been hired as the new partnershipdirector for the Custom Training Services/EconomicDevelopment division of Northwest TechnicalCollege. He will be based at the Bemidji campus.Howe was previously employed as the generalmanager of Rural Vision, a television communica-tions company, and at one time he had also served asdirector of enrollment management at NorthwestTechnical College. He and his wife, Kari, have threesons . . . Lois Ball (’86) has been appointed pastor ofthe Fosston and Erskine United Methodist Churches.

She is a licensed local pastor enrolled in the Courseof Study at Garrett-Evangelical TheologicalSeminary. Ball had recently been employed as asocial worker for Mahnomen County and retiredfrom that position to continue her education andserve the Fosston and Erskine churches . . . NancyBicanich Hanson (’87) was awarded a master’s ofeducation degree in guidance and counseling fromthe University of Texas-El Paso in May . . . CraigGreen (’80) was hired this summer as Kelliher’s newK-12 principal. He taught high school Englishclasses in San Bernardino County, CA, for the past12 years. He and his wife, Kathi, recently purchaseda home near Waskish . . . John Peiffer (’80) isemployed as an international business consultant.He lives with his wife and two children inNorthbrook, IL . . . Todd Torguson (’89) managesTorguson Properties, LLC, and lives inDiamondhead, MS, along the Gulf Coast with hiswife, Kelly, and three-year-old twin sons, Michaeland Anthony . . . Jon Urquhart (’87) and Deb(Schlitz) Urquhart (’86) live in Coon Rapids andhave two sons, Alex, 8, and Tyler, 6. Jon has workedfor the Coon Rapids Police Department for 10 yearsand was recently promoted to sergeant. Deb is aconsultant for Deloitte & Touche, an accounting firm. . . Linda Frances Lein (’86) is the author of twoChristian-based books which have been published,“Mother to Mother: Letters About Being a Mom”

and “Mother to Mother: The Companion StudyBook,” a Bible study guide. Lein also writes a columnfor Agri-Guide which is distributed in fiveMidwestern states. Her columns and poems onfarming and family life on the farm are also beingpublished in “Country Reflections.” She lives on afarm near Fergus Falls with her husband and sons . . .Arnie Sutton (’81) and his wife, Cathy, work with aninternational missions organization as consultants tomissionary children’s schools. They live inCamdenton, MO . . . Jerry Vaughn (’83) marriedLynda (Schmitt) Hyland Aug. 26 in Bemidji. He is anassociate at Haack Engineering, Bemidji, and Lyndais employed as a secretary with United MethodistChurch in Bemidji . . . Daniel Swalve (’87) has beenemployed with the Minneapolis Police Departmentsince 1989 and is currently assigned as aninvestigator in the sex crimes unit. He and his wife of10 years, Maribeth, live in Inver Grove Heights withtheir children, Morgan, 7, and Nolan, 5 . . . James W.Johnson (’89) has been promoted to North Suncoastnews editor of the St. Petersburg, FL, Times. Heoversees the production of four daily regionaleditions serving the counties north of the Tampa Bayarea and had previously worked as a copy editor withthe Times for two years. He lives in St. Petersburgwith his wife, Barbara (’91) . . . Jill (Smith) Katrin(’86) of International Falls completed her master’sdegree in education in May. She teaches second grade

at Holler Elementary School . . . Dave Alfveby (’87)and Katie (Robinson) Alfveby (’87) live in Elk Riverwith their three sons, Ben, 8, Daniel, 6, and Joel, 2.Dave is employed as a sales application engineer atTwin City Fan Corp. in Plymouth . . . WendyNyegaard (’88) teaches sixth grade math at theBemidji Middle School. She lives in Bemidji with herhusband, Curt, and four children, Bruce, 18, Kayla, 8,

Nominations Sought for Alumni AssociationBoard of Directors

In MemoriamLester E. Drechsel, (’55) of Crookston

Erland Welter, (’61) of Tucson, AZ(formerly of Bemidji)

Adolph Kurtti, (’49) of Mahnomen,MN (formerly of Bemidji)

Thomas Gardner (’94) of Bagley, MN

Gloria Reuter (’69) (former staff) ofBemidji, MN

Audrey (Thompson) Leonhardt (’34)of Kelliher, MN

Com

mun

ique

sCommuniquesfrom alumni

Fifth AnnualBSU Winter Rendezvous

March 11-12, 2001

The fifth annual BSU Winter Rendezvous willtake place on March 11-12, 2001, in Laughlin,NV. The event, sponsored by the BSU AlumniAssociation, includes an opening reception,lodging at the Colorado Belle Hotel and Casino,a BSU winter golf classic tournament, and a fi-nale banquet and awards ceremony. Alumni andcurrent or former Bemidji residents are invitedto participate. Look for registration informa-tion in the mail, or for further information, con-tact the BSU Alumni Office at 1-877-BSU-ALUM (toll-free) or 218-755-3989 (local).

Beavers vs. U of MGophers, Hockey

January 27, 2001

The BSU Alumni Association will co-host areception in conjunction with the Beaver men’shockey game at Mariucci Arena in Minneapo-lis on January 27, 2001. Game time is 7:05p.m. The reception, co-hosted by Beaver Pride,will be held at the Radisson Hotel Metrodomefrom 5-6:30 p.m. Alums and friends of BSUare invited to attend. Tickets for the game maybe available by calling the Gopher hockeyticket office at 1-800-U Gopher (toll free) or612-624-8080 (metro area). A few tickets arealso available on first-come, first-served basisthrough BSU by calling 1-877-3HOCKEY (tollfree) or 218-755-3993 (local).

40 Year Reunionof the Class of 1960

Held at the David Park House on October 6, 2000

Members of the class of 1960 celebrated their40-year class reunion this October during Home-coming, at the David Park House. We had over25 people from that class participate, as well asseveral graduates of the classes of 1959 and1961. A good time was had by all, catching upwith friends not seen for many years, and reliv-ing memories of the good times at BSU.

and Marla Huss Patrias, Director of Alumni Relations

announced following the Aprilboard meeting.

Board members whose terms willexpire at the end of the current fis-cal year include Don Gross ’81,Council Bluff, IA; Peggy MarvinJohnson ’67, Warroad, MN; JoanneProvo ’82, Minneapolis, MN; PamRaden ’86, St. Cloud, MN; JeffWallin ’70, San Diego, CA; andHarvey Westrom ’57, Bloomington,MN. There is also one vacant posi-tion that will be filled through theelection process.

Any member of the BSU AlumniAssociation can nominate a candi-date to seek election to the board.Nominations need to be submittedin writing and should include a briefprofile of the nominee, includingsuch things as:• employment experience;• previous involvement with the

Alumni Association and / or theUniversity;

• special skills nominee will bringto the board;

• notable accomplishments orachievements; and

• other pertinent information.Submissions and inquiries can be

forwarded to the BSU Alumni Of-fice, BSU - Box 17, 1500 BirchmontDrive NE, Bemidji, MN 56601-2699 or by email at alumni@bemidjistate.edu. The telephonenumber for the Alumni Associationis 1-877-BSU-ALUM (toll free) or1-218-755-3989.

You’ve indicated that you planto stay active in BSU after you

retire with work for the BSU Foun-dation as well as writing, consult-ing, and volunteering. That may keepyou busy, but there will be things youmiss. What do you think they’ll be?

I will miss the daily adrenal rushthat comes by getting up in the morn-ing and heading off to be with myfriends! I don’t expect to be any lessinvolved or that the pace of my lifewill slow down much. I have had nu-merous people already contact mewith opportunities to be involved insome very exciting ventures. Now,the challenge will be to choose wiselyand sort out new priorities. Nancy andI have been on a lifetime partnershipthroughout our marriage and I expectthat the things that we take on will bedone as much together as possible.

You’ve traveled the world andlived in many places, and still

you and Nancy have decided to re-main in the Bemidji area. Does thatbring your life into a full circle?

We love the lifestyle that we areafforded by living on Big TurtleLake, close to a university and in awonderful community. We treasurethe arts, theater, music, sports andculture that are so abundant inBemidji. We want to stay involvedin ways that can make a contributionback to BSU and to society that hasgiven so much to us. Mostly, how-ever, we want to stay in the upperMidwest so that we can stay close toour family and our friends.

BENSEN RETIRES (Continued from page 1)

Q

Q

Curt and Wendy Nyegaard and family

Active members of the BSUAlumni Association are encouragedto become candidates for one of theseven upcoming openings on theAlumni Association board ofdirectors.

In order to qualify to seek a posi-tion, candidates must have beenawarded a degree from Bemidji StateUniversity and must be an activemember of the organization. Activemembership is defined as an alumwho makes an annual contribution of$30 or more to the University Fundor any other program within the BSUFoundation. To be an eligible candi-date, an alum must have made a giftsince July 1, 1999.

Nominations must be postmarkedno later than February 1, 2001. Bal-lots will be mailed to all activealumni on March 1, 2001 and mustbe postmarked for return to theAlumni Office no later than April 1,2001. New board members will be

Horizons Page 6

Where We Are ... What We’re Doing(Continued from page 5)

David, 6, and Stephen, 4. Curt is employed atPotlatch Corp. . . . Andrea Baker (’88) and KevinHovila (’81) were married Sept. 2 in Bemidji andnow live in Bigfork. Kevin is self-employed at thePederson-Hovila Insurance Agency in Bigfork.Andrea had taught at Desert Rose ElementarySchool in Palmdale, CA, for 12 years . . . TessPinkerton (’84) and Steve Pinkerton (’84) ofBemidji announce the Nov. 4 birth of a son . . . KateMohler (’89) is teaching English at EstrellaMountain Community College in northwestPhoenix. From 1998 until recently she worked ascoordinator of Arizona State University’s WritingCenter. She lives in Tempe, AZ.

1990sCurt Nyegaard (’93) is employed at Potlatch Corp.,Bemidji. His wife, Wendy (’88), teaches sixth grademath at the Bemidji Middle School. They live inBemidji with their four children, Bruce, 18, Kayla, 8,David, 6, and Stephen, 4 . . . Andrea (Godwin)Miller (’90) married Greg Miller June 24 and thecouple now lives in Bloomington. Andrea isemployed as an account manager at redtagbiz.com inEden Prairie and Greg is the national accountingmanager at Electronsonic in Minnetonka . . . TessDrotts (’90) is the new sixth grade teacher at KingElementary in Deer River. She lives north of DeerRiver with her husband, two sons and a daughter . . .

Stephanie Dailey (’99) is the new junior and seniorhigh vocal music instructor at Mahnomen schoolsand will also teach sixth-grade music. She is marriedto Mike Dailey, a band instructor at Mahnomen, andpreviously taught in Nevis . . . Bill Fredin (’96) isteaching high school and middle school industrialtechnology at Windom-Walnut Grove schools. Hehad previously taught at Benson for a year and atJackson for the past three years. Fredin owns andraces sprint cars at Rock Rapids and at Huset’sSpeedway in Brandon, SD. He also plays in the townhockey league in Windom and is an assistant coachfor the Windom area girls hockey team . . . BradNepsund (’96) is teaching physical education andhealth to the sixth through eighth grades atPaynesville Middle School and spent the past three

years teaching at Rockford . . . Jerald Ferdig (’99)was hired this year to be in charge of the Butterfield-Odin school’s instrumental music department whichincludes the concert bands . . . Christopher Mills(’93) is the new superintendent of schools of SACDistrict 2856 . . . Vicki Greenstein (’99) is workingto start a new charter school in Duluth by the fall of2001 that would serve 50 students in ninth throughtwelfth grades. She is a licensed teacher who hasworked with troubled adolescents and has experiencewith charter school curriculum . . . Angela Dalzell(’98) is teaching the second and third grade multi-ageclass at the new Crosslake Community School thisyear. She has also worked as the synchronizedswimming coach and aquatic coordinator for BemidjiCommunity Education . . . Michelle Derosier (’99) is

teaching mathematics this year at Cambridge-IsantiHigh School. She comes to her new positionfollowing a year of teaching at McGregor HighSchool . . . Mark Syvertson (’92) is teachinggeometry and tech prep mathematics at PaynesvilleHigh School. For the past six years he’d beenteaching eighth grade math at Pequot Lakes . . .Melissa Brelje (’92) teaches English at LincolnHigh School in Lake City. She previously taught inSt. Louis Park . . . Shaun Pomplun (’99) wasrecently hired as an officer with the Arlington-GreenIsle Police Department. He and his wife, Alese, akindergarten teacher, live in Arlington . . . RyanBronson (’95) was recently hired as operationsmanager with the Minnesota Deer HuntersAssociation. For the past four and a half yearsBronson worked in the Minnesota Legislature, mostrecently as the committee administrator for theHouse Environment and Natural Resources FinanceCommittee. Bronson will work out of Grand Rapidsand plans to relocate there from St. Paul . . .KarenLundin (’99) is teaching third grade at HinckleyElementary School. She was previously a substituteteacher in Ely and the St. Louis County schools Herhusband Justin Lundin (’98) is teaching fourthgrade at Hinckley Elementary School. He previouslytaught in Ely and also coached girls basketball andBabe Ruth baseball there . . . Sandi Juni (’92) is anew teacher at St. Michael School in Morgan,

teaching a combined third and fourth grade class andmusic. She taught three years on the Leech LakeReservation at Cass Lake and three years at Madeliabefore taking two years off. She and her husband,Dan, have two daughters, seven-year-old Katelyn,and Colleen who is three and a half . . . Darcy Qual(’98) is the first and sixth grade reading instructor atHinckley Elementary School. She is married toRandy Qual and previously had taught for two yearsin Houston, TX . . . Sherri Spencer (’95) is teachingkindergarten special education in the LitchfieldSchool District . . . Jennifer Telecky (’95) is teachingseventh and eighth grade English in the LitchfieldSchool District . . . Carla Olsen (’98) is teachingseventh grade keyboarding and two sections of eighthgrade English in Roseau. She and her husband,Shawn, have a three-year-old son, Derek . . . HeatherNetland (’98) began teaching this fall for District 547Public Schools in Parkers Prairie. She previouslytaught at Herman-Norcross Community School in

Six graduates of Bemidji StateUniversity received OutstandingAlumni Awards as part of 2000Homecoming festivities October 7.

Recipients of the highest honorpresented by the Alumni Asso-ciation were Dr. Steve DeKrey,Hong Kong; Dr. Clinton Moen,Superior, WI; Dennis Peterson,Bemidji; Moses Tsang, HongKong; Joe Vene, Bemidji; andYvonne Wilson, Deer River.

The Outstanding AlumniAward was established to recog-nize the contributions BSUgraduates have made to their pro-fessions, communities, and almamater. Since 1972, 90 individu-als have been named outstandingalumni.DR. STEVEN DeKREY, a 1975 BSUgraduate, is currently the associ-ate dean at the Hong Kong Uni-versity of Science and Technol-ogy School of Business andManagement. He received amaster’s from the University ofWisconsin, a doctorate from theUniversity of Iowa, and an MBAfrom Northwestern University.He previously was the directorof MBA programs at the Univer-sity of Florida and served theNorthwestern University J.L.

Kellogg Graduate School ofManagement in a variety of ad-ministrative posts. He has servedas the president of the KelloggAlumni Club of Hong Kong aswell as the Kowloon RotaryClub.DR. CLINTON MOEN graduated in1969 and is currently at theDuluth Community Health Cen-ter. He received his medical de-gree from the University of Min-nesota and performed his generalsurgery and orthopedic residen-cies at the Yale Medical Center.He has served as a clinical in-structor for medical schools atYale and UM-Duluth. In 1999he completed a fellowship to theUniversity of Utah Medical Cen-ter at Salt Lake City in total jointarthroplasty. His volunteer ac-tivities include providing ortho-pedic education and orthopediccare at a hospital in Uzgorod,Ukraine and at the Children’sOrthopedic Hospital in Caracas,Venezuela.DENNIS PETERSON, a 1979 gradu-ate, taught two years in Waconiabefore moving to the Deer Riverschool district to teach highschool art in 1981. He is the re-cipient of several awards for

teaching, including the Minne-sota Secondary Art Teacher of theYear Award in 1988; a ChristaMcAuliffe Fellowship in 1989;a Visual Arts Teacher of the YearAward presented as part of theDisney salute to teachers in 1993;and Teacher of the Year Hall ofFame Award from BSU in 1995.He also assisted in the produc-tion of a 1990 movie, “EverydayHeroes,” which dealt with im-proving understanding betweenthe Native American and Whitecultures in the Deer River area. MOSES TSANG completed hismaster’s at the University ofIowa and course work for a doc-torate at the University of Chi-cago after graduating from BSUin 1972. He joined the firm ofGoldman Sachs in 1978. Tenyears later he was named a gen-eral partner and appointed chair-man and managing director ofGoldman Sachs in Asia, where heopened offices in Beijing, Shang-hai, Seoul and Taipei. Follow-ing retirement as a general part-ner in 1994, he remained activeas an entrepreneur, developer andsenior advisor to Goldman SachsAsia. He is a trustee of the HongKong Center for Economic Re-

Nominations are now being ac-cepted for candidates to be consid-ered for the Bemidji State Univer-sity Outstanding Alumni Award.

Presented annually duringHomecoming, the award is thehighest honor presented by theBSU Alumni Association.

Recipients are honored for ex-ceptional service and contributionsto Bemidji State and to their com-munity, state and nation. All nomi-nees must have graduated no lessthan 10 years ago from BemidjiState University. Nominations willbe accepted until February 1, 2001,and can be made by anyone exceptan immediate family member.

Current faculty, staff and mem-bers of the board of directors of theBSU Alumni Association are noteligible for consideration.

A nomination form can be ob-tained by calling the Alumni Of-fice at 1-877-278-2586 (toll free)or 218-755-3989 (local), or by go-ing to the website info.bemidjistate.edu/. Click on the alumni linkand then Award Programs.

Nominations BeingAccepted for

Outstanding AlumniAward

search and is a member of theYoung President Organization ofHong Kong. (Note: Moses Changhad a family emergency, and wasunable to attend the award cer-emony in October.)JOE VENE has served as the super-intendent of the Northwest Juve-nile Training Center in Bemidjisince earning degrees fromBemidji State in 1974 and 1975.In 1998 he was named Correc-tions Person of the Year in theState of Minnesota by the Min-nesota Corrections Association.Well known for his vocal talent,he earned a Finalist Award in1970 from WGN Opera Audi-tions of the Air in Chicago, wasan award winner in the 1973Metropolitan Opera Auditions,and received the Stage AuditionAward from the New York CityOpera in 1975. Vene served onthe board of directors for theBemidji State University AlumniAssociation from 1979 to 1999and was president in 1986.YVONNE WILSON earned her under-graduate degree from BemidjiState in 1985 and a master’s in1993. A first-grade teacher in theDeer River school system since1985, she has been the recipient

of many awards, including aChrista McAuliffe Fellowship; anOutstanding American IndianTeacher Award from the Minne-sota Education Association in1989; and a Teacher of the YearHall of Fame Award from BSU.She has served on the nationalteacher advisory board for In-structor Magazine and is cur-rently serving her fourth term onthe Minnesota Indian EducationAssociation board of directors.

Bill Fredin

Sandi Juni

Christopher MillsJerald FerdigBrad Nepsund

Dr. Steve DeKrey Dr. Clinton Moen Dennis Peterson Moses Tsang Joe Vene Yvonne Wilson

Outstanding Alumni Honored

Horizons Page 7

(Continued on page 8)

Herman for two years . . . Lorinda Chapin (’98) isemployed as an EBD teacher at Detroit Lakes HighSchool . . . Debra Raps (’94) has been hired as anassociate software test engineer with IntellisolInternational at Fargo, ND. She and her son live inWest Fargo . . . Bruce Guy (’96) and his wife, Carol,live in Roseau with their sons, Adam, 17, and Jason, 14. . . Michelle Slover (’94) graduated this past summerfrom the University of North Dakota’s School ofMedicine and Health Sciences with a doctor ofphilosophy degree in anatomy and cell biology. Shehas accepted a position as assistant professor at ClarkeCollege in Dubuque, IA, where she will teach anatomyand physiology her first year and gross anatomy tophysical therapy students the next year. Her husband,Jason, is employed by Wilde Construction . . . KerrySlagle (’91) has been named special eventscoordinator - marketing assistant with the Fargo-Moorhead YMCA. She lives with her husband inMoorhead and previously worked as communicationscoordinator at Nodak Mutual Insurance . . . MarkEvans (’98) was recently hired by the Leech LakeTribe’s Management Information Systems office. Heis a Microsoft certified systems engineer, a Microsoftcertified database administrator, as well as a computerrepair technician . . . Jessie Townsdin (’99) recentlyjoined Lake Country Journal Magazine as a graphicdesigner at is Baxter offices. She is a publishedillustrator, as well as freelance designer and has had

several gallery exhibits of her paintings andillustrations . . . Melissa Marcotte (’92) has beenhired by USLink as a financial analyst. She is acertified public accountant and has worked as afinancial and operational analyst for MinnegascoHome Service Plus. She lives with her husband, Glen,in Nisswa . . . Melanie (Yarrington) Rice (’94) isliving in Grand Rapids and working for ItascaCommunity College at their Computer EducationCenter . . . Jannelle Knott (’97) was newly hired thisyear by the Min-E-Mac School District to teach fifthand sixth grade language arts, fifth grade math andserve as junior high volleyball coach. She and herhusband, Jason, live in Red Lake Falls where he isemployed as an electrician . . . Sarah (Olander)

McNeil (’97) and her husband, Terry McNeil (’94),recently purchased a home in Osseo. Sarah is anaccount supervisor at the public relations firmFlieshman Hilliard in Minneapolis and Terry is asales executive for legal publisher Lexis-Nexis . . .Dawnelle Martin-Sobb (’97) and Jeff Sobb (’97)were married on May 27 and currently live inCalgary, Alberta, Canada. Jeff played hockey while atBSU and eventually went on to play professionalhockey in Europe . . . Ted Halbur (’95) and AmyEngler (’98) were married June 24 and now live inShoreview. Ted is a senior art director for Dayton’sand Amy is currently a fourth and fifth grade teacherat Circle Pines . . . Gretchen Danielson (’95) and herhusband, Jim, announce March 27 birth of their firstchild, Tyler James. Gretchen is employed atMeritCare Clinic, Bemidji, as a supervisor in thecoding department . . . Kelly Porter (’91) and herhusband, Kent Porter (’92), have been living inMontevideo for the past two years and have twochildren, Hannah, 6, and AJ, 3. Kelly works at ProjectTurnabout/Vanguard in the compulsive gamblingtreatment unit at Granite Falls as a program aide. Kenthas been employed full-time with the National Guardfor the past two years . . . Brad Boser (’92) isemployed with Wells Fargo Financial Acceptance inthe credit department and has worked for thecompany for six years. He and his wife, Andrea, livein Shoreview with their daughters, Jacenta and Haley

. . . Eric Poehler (’97) lives in Charlottesville, VA,and is beginning his doctorate studies in classical artand archaeology at the University of Virginia. Thissummer he completed his third field season ofexcavation and survey in Pompeii, Italy. . . . JenniferDahlen (’98) is employed as a visiting professor atValley City State University in North Dakota and,since graduating from BSU, has earned a master offine arts in creative writing . . . Glen Drexler (’97) isliving in Duluth and employed with DavidsonPrinting Co., Duluth. He is taking some graduateclasses at the University of Minnesota Duluth andhopes to coach pole vaulting this winter and spring . .. Melissa (Beaver) Korman (’90) is employed as afinancial advisor with US Bancorp Piper Jaffray inMinneapolis. She and her husband, Kurt, have twosons, Quayd, 3, and Charley, 1. Kurt is employed asan electrician and the family lives in Elk River . . .Wayland Denny (’93) is teaching sixth grade inReno, NV, and is also coaching youth soccer andfootball. He married Lesa Dutton in August and plansto pursue a master’s degree in educationaladministration . . . Melanie Rice (’94) and herhusband, Michael, of Grand Rapids announce theSept. 23 birth of a son ... Heidi Buchmeier (’99) isteaching fifth grade at the middle school in Dassel . . .Darin Halverson (’93) and his wife, Becca, ofBagley announce the Oct. 2 birth of a daughter . . .Angela Vincent (’95) and her husband, Clark, of

Renate met Harold. Renate is verypleased that she was able to es-tablish this scholarship duringHarold’s lifetime. The first schol-arship was awarded this year toKathy Wilson.

Marie BishopMarie Bishop, BSU professor

emerita of edu-cation, recentlypresented to theBSU Founda-tion a generousgift used to es-tablish a gift an-nuity. Bishopreceived a gen-erous tax de-duction for thegift. Additionally, she is to receive in-come from the annuity for the remain-der of her life. The charitable amountof her gift has been directed to theMarie Bishop Early Childhood/El-ementary Education EndowmentFund, which she established in 1989.Bishop received her bachelor’s de-gree from Northeastern State Univer-sity at Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and hermaster’s degree from Northern Colo-rado State College, now the Univer-sity of Northern Colorado. She startedat Bemidji State in 1950 and retiredin 1976. The minor for BSU elemen-tary education and sociology majorswith bachelor’s degrees in earlychildhood education that Bishop con-structed while at BSU were acceptedfor certification to teach nurseryschool, day care centers and HeadStart. Bishop continues to make herhome in Bemidji and actively partici-pates in and supports programs andevents sponsored by the University.

LegacyBuildersDon Anderson Using Unique

Ways to Support BemidjiState University

Donald Anderson, a professoremeritus of English at Bemidji State,recently established the AndersonFamily Scholarship Endowment.This unique scholarship will beawarded to students and faculty fromOak Hills Christian College who alsoattend Bemidji State University. Notonly was Anderson able to establisha scholarship to help students at twoinstitutions that mean a lot to him,but he is also using unique giftingmethods to establish this scholarship.He has gifted a contract for deed tothe BSU Foundation to establish thescholarship. He also hopes to com-plete the paperwork this year to makea retained life estate gift of his home.He and his wife, Vicki, will live inthe home for the rest of both of theirlives. After their deaths, the housewill be sold and the BSU Founda-tion will receive a portion of the in-come. Anderson has included hisfour children in the will and each willreceive a portion of the sale pro-ceeds. This gift allows Anderson toreceive a sizable income tax deduc-tion during his lifetime and reducesthe size of estate taxes owed at hisdeath.

American Indian ResourceCenter Donations

Donations or pledges have beenmade to the American Indian Re-source Center by several MinnesotaAmerican Indian Communities. Theyinclude, Red Lake, $50,000; LeechLake, $50,000; White Earth, $50,000;

Mrs. Arnold Johnson HonorsLate Husband’s Memory

In honor of the memory of her latehusband, Arnold L. Johnson, NancyJohnson recently made a generous gift

to the scholar-ship fund he cre-ated three yearsago. In addition,she converted itfrom an annualscholarship fund,where the princi-pal is paid out inannual awardsuntil the funds

are gone, to an endowed scholarshipfund that pays awards from interestearnings, and protects the principalforever. The Bemidji State AthleticHall of Fame member funded theArnold L. Johnson Basketball Schol-arship in 1997. The scholarship cur-rently provides $1,000 annually to amember of the men’s basketballsquad. Johnson was able to attendBSU, earn a degree, and excel insports because he was given a schol-arship. The alumnus later did his partto see that the cycle repeated itself.

Renate Hagg Honors HerHusband, Harold Hagg

To honor her husband and their60th wedding anniversary thissummer, Renate Hagg establishedthe Harold T. Hagg History Schol-arship. This endowed scholarshipwill provide a scholarship to ajunior or senior student majoringin history. Harold T. Hagg is aprofessor emeritus of history atBSU. He began teaching at theUniversity in 1936 after receivinghis bachelor ’s degree fromCornell College and master’s aswell as doctorate from the Uni-versity of Iowa. He retired in1976. It was also while workingfor Bemidji State University that

This new column will be a regular feature in each issue of HORIZONS. The column will highlight major gifts made byindividuals or organizations to the University that support the mission of Bemidji State and build a legacy for the future.

Jannelle Knott

Heidi Buchmeier

Bemidji announce theOct. 16 birth of adaughter . . . AllisonKreibich (’96) andTodd Kreibich (’98) ofBemidji announce theOct. 17 birth of a son . . .Michele Strand (’98)and Rob Strand (’98)of Bemidji announcethe Oct. 17 birth of a

daughter . . . Erika Danielson (‘98) is teaching fifthgrade at North Elementary at Deer River. Havingtutored at King Elementary as well as taught a half of ayear in the third grade, Danielson will be beginningher third year within the district. She lives with herhusband and daughter on Deer Lake . . . NadineKruger (’95) is teaching EBD at King Elementary,Deer River. She is single and lives in Bemidji whereshe previously spent a year teaching at the BemidjiMiddle School . . . Barbara Johnson (’91) works forthe Human Resources Institute at Eckerd College inSt. Petersburg, FL, where she researches and writesabout human resource issues for U.S. corporations.She lives with her husband, James, in St. Petersburg . .. Denise Drennen (’94) is the new reading instructorat King Elementary in Deer River. She and herhusband Dan (’94) live in Grand Rapids . . . Kandice

Mille Lacs, $50,000; Bois Forte$40,000; and Shakopee, $12,500.This spring, the legislature provided$2 million to build the center. Thecapital campaign will continue toraise dollars to support programs tobe delivered through the Center.

Rick and Marcella ShermanDonate Pottery CollectionThe Bemidji State University Vi-

sual Arts Department was the recipi-ent of an in-kind donation of 54pieces of pottery made availablethrough the bequest of the late RickSherman. The Rick and MarcellaSherman Pottery Collection wasadded to the Margaret Harlow Col-lection, whichincludes piecesof pottery ofwe l l - knownpotters fromaround the na-tion and world.Rick Shermanwas a profes-sional potterand arts orga-nizer who resided in San Jose, CA.He was a friend of MargaretHarlow, who had established theteaching collection to benefit stu-dents at BSU. After Sherman vis-ited Bemidji State University in thespring of 1995, he decided that hispottery collection would somedaygo to the University. This past Oc-tober, the Sherman Collection wasdisplayed in the Talley Gallery andMarcella Sherman, Rick’s widow,attended a special reception whereshe presented historical facts andinsights about the collection.

Arnold Johnson

Marie Bishop

Marcella Sherman

Dave Odegaard

Gift Annuity Purchased byDave and Brenda Odegaard

Present Gift to BSUFoundation

Dave and Brenda Odegaard recentlypresented another generous donationto the BSU Foundation. Their gift wasdesignated tothree endow-ment and schol-arship programswhich they initi-ated and contrib-ute to on an an-nual basis: theDeloitte & Tou-che Scholarship,awarded to aBSU junior majoring in accounting;the Clearbrook - Gonvick Scholar-ship, awarded a student from theClearbrook-Gonvick High Schoolto attend BSU; and the Chet Ander-son Scholarship, awarded to an ath-lete who participates in football,with preference given to those fromMinnesota. Dave Odegaard is a1966 graduate of BSU with abachelor’s degree in accounting. Healso received a master’s degreefrom the University of North Da-kota. Odegaard currently is a part-ner in Deloitte & Touche and is onassignment as the Nordic tax direc-tor and assisting European tax prac-tices. A standout in two sports,Odegaard was inducted into theBSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984.In 1993 he received the BemidjiState University Alumni Associa-tion Outstanding Alumni Award, thehighest honor presented by the as-sociation. Dave and Brenda haveone daughter, Tammy, who is mar-ried and living in Seattle with herhusband, Nate Luce, and two chil-dren, Anna and Spencer.

Horizons Page 8

Chan

ges

Where We Are ... What We’re Doing(Continued from page 7)

Campus ChangesBenefit Students

Bennett (’98) is teaching learning disabilities at KingElementary in Deer River. She comes to Deer Riverfrom the Grand Rapids school system . . . KariWahlstrom (’99) is the new fourth grade teacher atNorth Elementary in Deer River. This is her firstteaching position. She is single and lives on Sand Lake. . . Pamela Johnson (’91) is the new librarian at KingElementary in Deer River. She has seven years ofexperience teaching theater and dance at the MilesRief Performing Art Center as well as having served asa Head Start teacher. She’s married, with twodaughters and one grandchild, and lives with herhusband Jeff (’82) north of Grand Rapids . . . JohnCarlson (’92) of American Family Insurance inBemidji has been granted the Life UnderwriterTraining Council Fellow professional designationwhich is conferred upon insurance professionals whomeet exacting training and educational requirements.He is also a member and officer of the HeadwatersAssociation of Insurance and Financial Advisors . . .Russell Torkkola (’98) is teaching technologyeducation at St. Clair . . . Stacey Parteka (’99) isteaching junior high mathematics at St. Clair . . .Terese Ahrenholz (’99) is teaching third grade thisyear at West School in Raymond . . . Amy Myster(’90) is a computer specialist at Belle PlaineElementary School. She previously worked withBlaine Public Schools . . . Brian Sportelli (’98) and

Sandi Sportelli (’98) live in Hutchinson where Brianis an engineering technician at HTI and a member ofthe Hutchinson Fire Department and Sandi is acorporate capital analyst for HTI . . . GregoryBrickell (’90) has been teaching middle school socialstudies for 11 years in Covington, GA, and is also ahigh school wrestling coach. He lives with his wife,Connie, and their two children in Conyers, GA . . .Sharon Mealey (’90) was recently promoted to asupervisor of the repair department for Iowa Telecom,a local telephone company. She lives in Grinnell, IA... Scott Morris (’91) and Tracey Morris (’91) live inSt. Michael with their children, Shawn, 6, and Shane,1 . . . Randy Broderick (’99) works as a senior projectestimator/cost controller with Agra Moneco inOakville, Ontario, Canada. He lives in Etobicoke,Ontario, Canada . . . Leslie Grisanti(’90) was recently recognized as theNorthland Community and Techni-cal College Alumni of the Year. Sheis currently field producing for theOprah Winfrey Show in Chicago.Grisanti has also worked for CNNfor eight years and PBS for twoyears. She is single and lives in Chi-cago . . . Saskia Stange (’97) worksas a business analyst withLeapSource, Inc., Tempe, AZ, andlives in Scottsdale, AZ.

2000Kelly Clafton (’00) is spending the first half of thisschool year as a tutor and the second half as a thirdgrade teacher at King Elementary in Deer River. Sheis engaged to be married and lives in Grand Rapids... Derek Gladen (’00) married Megan Meade inAugust at the Tenstrike Community Church inTenstrike. The couple lives in Duluth . . . BrianStuvland (’00) is teaching construction, welding,computer science, principles of technology andeighth and ninth grade industrial technology atPelican Rapids High School this year. He also servesas the seventh grade volleyball coach . . . ChrisBjerken (’00) was hired in May as a full-time patrolofficer with the East Grand Forks Police Departmentand is living in East Grand Forks . . . Ben Brovold

(’00) of Bemidji has joined the JeffreyRadke Agency of Aid Association forLutherans in Grand Forks, ND. As adistrict representative he will serveLutherans in Beltrami County . . .Amber Lane (’00) recently joined thestaff of Bark Design, Inc. as a publicrelations manager in charge of thecompany’s creative writing, technicalwriting and customer service.

Brian Stuvland

LOOKING FOR MEMORIES OF BSU

A s part of the Alumni Phonathon this year, callers are collecting

the favorite memories of alums from their time at Bemidji

State University. The favorite stories of the students will be compiled

and printed in the Summer 2001 issue of Horizons.

Alumni with a fond memory of BSU to submit should share it with the

student caller when they are contacted. Memories may also be sub-

mitted in written form and mailed to: Bemidji State University Founda-

tion, 1500 Birchmont DR NE, Box 17, Bemidji, MN 56601-2699.

Students and visitors at Bemidji State University can enjoyseveral new amenities on campus this fall, including a newvisitors center in Deputy Hall, a state-of-the art indoor climb-ing wall, and new homes for the BSU bookstore and Out-door Program Center.

excursions, equipment rentalsand longer outings to studentsas well as the general public.

Climbing WallA new indoor climbing wall

makes one more exciting recre-ational option available to BSUstudents who want a new chal-lenge and opportunity to buildstrength, stamina and confidence.The wall, which is located on thesoutheast corner of the indoorrunning track at the Gillett Rec-reation-Fitness Center, opened in

sions Office theme, “The Lake,the Learning, the Life.”

Planned to open in early win-ter, this multi-purpose room willalso be available to faculty andstaff who want to welcome guestson campus.

Bookstore andOPC relocation

The BSU bookstore movedfrom Memorial Hall to a newlyremodeled space in the lowerHobson Union. Its location in theold TV lounge, billiard and rec-reation area is more accessibleand offers natural lighting on twosides to create a more welcom-ing atmosphere for visitors. Thenew space features compactshelving for text books and moremodern display areas for otheritems, including an expanded dis-play of clothing and noveltyitems to appeal to students andvisitors.

The Outdoor Program Centermoved down the hall toward thefood court in the lower Union.It now features a more comfort-able and inviting area for visi-tors to read, browse throughmaterials or plan an outdoor ex-perience. It continues to offerworkshops, clinics, weekend

and VisitorsVisitors Center

The visitors center features aremodeled reception area for theAdmissions Office and a newNorthwoods Room, both locatedon the first floor of Deputy Hall.The reception area located at themain entrance of the building in-cludes a new front desk andmodular furniture to create a morecomfortable and appealing areafor prospective students and othervisitors just arriving on campus.

The Northwoods Room will bean enlarged and renovated recep-tion area featuring tongue-and-groove pine paneling, elegantcountry style furniture, a televi-sion monitor, computers and re-source material. The woodsy, yetprofessional, ambiance is consis-tent with the Northern Minnesotasetting of BSU and the Admis-

September and has been a popu-lar addition to the recreationalopportunities available to thecampus and larger community.

The climbing wall was con-structed by Nicros Inc. of St. Pauland consists of a natural rock sur-face featuring cracks, corners,overhangs and ledges that can beadjusted to accommodate differ-ent degrees of difficulty forclimbers. It stands 35 feet tall and40 feet wide and is one of themost modern, high quality facili-ties in northern Minnesota.

The Climbing Wall in the Gillett Recreation-Fitness Center was a busy place this fall.