dESTINY'S DEEP SEA

00s | 90s | 80s | 70s | 60s | 50s | Deaths | Send News

00s

Toni Ahrendt ’03 is a social worker for the Women & Families (Abuse) office of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska in Lincoln.

Jarom Alip ’03 is a youth worker at Cooper Village in Omaha.

Jonathan Andersen ’03 is a lab analyst at Cargill DOW in Blair.

Jessica Angus ’03 is a ministry assistant at Westside Church in Omaha.

Stacey Barker ’03 is a special education resource remedial teacher in the Bellevue (Neb.) Public Schools.

Peter Barnett ’03 is food service manager at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.

Jennifer Bock ’03 is taking cytotechnologist training at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

Stephanie Collins ’03 is pursuing her master’s in physical therapy at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

Tyler Cooper ’03 is a certified trainer for Olive Garden Restaurant in Omaha.

Crystal Cordes ’03 is a graduate student in the Biomedical Research Training Program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

Derek Davis ’03 is an art teacher at North High School in Omaha.

Jillian Dreesen ’03 is a sixth-grade teacher at Druid Hill Elementary in Omaha.

Amanda Dvorak ’03 is a social worker at Community Support Division: Community Alliance in Omaha.

Jaime Ellithorpe ’03 is a sales associate at Primerica in Omaha.

Derek Fey ’03 is a bank teller at US Bank in Omaha.

Cheston Field ’03 is a management trainee at Wells Fargo Financial in Omaha.

Elizabeth Garber ’03 married William Cunard III on Aug. 5 in Nadi, Fiji. Elizabeth is a master’s student in urban studies at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Samantha Gonsalves ’03 is doing veterinary technologist training at the Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology in Denver, Colo.

Maureen Gubbels ’03 is in the Creighton University Accelerated Nursing Program in Omaha.

Alex Gum ’03 is an associate engineer (GUI programmer) at ACI Worldwide in Omaha.

Nathan Gutridge ’03 is pursuing his nursing degree at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz.

Lisa Jackson ’03 married Christopher Irvin June 14 near Shenandoah, Iowa.

Aleksei Kriatchko ’03 is working on his master’s in medical microbiology and immunology at Creighton University in Omaha.

Amy Miller ’03 is a social work and public administration graduate student at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Ryan Milner ’03 won the 5K run at the Bluffs Challenge Cup held June 7 in Lake Manawa, Iowa. He is training for the Chicago Marathon in October.

Carle Mock ’03 is manager at Generic Motel in Sidney, Neb.
Jeffrey Nelson ’03 is a financial representative at American General Finance in Merrillville, Ind.

Matthew Prososki ’03 is assistant general manager at 24-Hour Fitness in Omaha.

Shawn Reeh ’03 is an automotive supervisor at United Parcel Service in Omaha.

Mary Rist ’03 and Zach Baro ’03 were married July 19 in Papillion, Neb. Mary is an artist and Zach is a history teacher at Hillsborough County School District in Plant City, Fla.

Jillian Scheerhoorn ’03 is a special education resource room teacher for K–6 at Norfolk (Neb.) Public Schools.

Sara Smit ’03 is an accounting associate at Target Corporation in Minneapolis, Minn.

Luke Smith ’03 is studying to be a physical therapist at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.

Erin Sorensen ’03 is a medical secretary at Heart Consultants PC in Omaha.

Lindsay Sparks ’03 is an emergency room social worker at Alegent Health in Omaha.

Rebecca Wiemers ’03 is a social worker at Alegent Health Immanuel Rehabilitation in Omaha.

Justin Wiese ’03 is this year’s recipient of the ELCA College Graduate Award, a renewable, $2,500 scholarship. Justin will use the scholarship at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, starting this fall.

Emelyn Wiggins ’03 married David Theesen in July in Lincoln, Neb. Emelyn is a fourth-fifth grade teacher at Alda (Neb.) Public Schools.

Ben Wilcox ’02 is the first wrestling coach at Lincoln North Star, a new high school in Lincoln, Neb.

Erin Williams ’03 is a youth care worker at Uta Halee Girls Village in Omaha.

Rodney Wissman ’03 is assistant manager at Casey’s General Stores in Blair.

Heather Wonders ’03 is a counseling graduate student at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Brian Anderson ’02 is starting his first year of teaching art at Burke High School in Omaha this fall.

Lisa Grasso ’02 is attending the New England Culinary Institute in Essex Junction, Vt.

Melissa Lewis ’02 married George Schere May 24 in Cedar Bluffs, Neb. Melissa is a first grade teacher in Papillion, Neb., and is enrolled in the Cadre Master’s Program at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. The Scheres live in Omaha.

Melanie (Hinze ’02) Lyons has accepted a position at The Friendship Program, Inc., as communication/office support specialist.

Kaj Nielsen ’02 is an architectural drafter with Berggren Architects in Lincoln, Neb.

Christine Reiners ’02 married Craig Gochenour June 21 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Christine is program coordinator for Nebraska Council to Prevent Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Omaha.

Molly Fuxa ’01 married Seth Krivohlavek Aug. 2 in Sioux City, Iowa. Molly teaches and coaches in Elkhorn (Neb.) Public Schools.

Jose Garcia ’01 is a football coach at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania.

Laura Rosenberry ’01 married Steven Heller Aug. 2 in Omaha. Laura is a sixth-grade special education teacher at Lewis Central Middle School in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Traci Ahrendt ’00 is working for OfficeTeam in St. Paul, Minn., her new home.

Dana (Strege ’00) and Brock ’98 Cooper have moved to West Des Moines, Iowa, where Brock is regional officer of supervisory jurisdiction for Commercial Federal Investment Services’ Iowa, Missouri and Eastern Kansas regions. Dana is a graphic designer with the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care.

Christine Moberg ’00 has moved to Vacaville, Calif. She is a counselor for women at the Yolo County Jail.

Allison Ruhde ’00 has moved to Ames, Iowa, to work on her master’s degree in higher education: student affairs at Iowa State University.

Robert Spangler ’00 is seeking a master’s degree in exercise science at the University of South Dakota. He is also the new head cross country coach at Dana.

Amber Weber ’00 married John Beals on May 24 in Omaha. Amber is a pharmacy student at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

90s

Rob Wheeler ’99 is a registered pharmacist at HyVee in Lincoln, Neb.

D. Matt Worley ’99 graduated May 12 from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, Calif., with a master’s of fine arts in acting. In September he will move to New York to begin his career.

Patrick Dumas ’98 married Heather Haseltine July 3 in Omaha. Patrick is a contractor working toward an associate of radiology degree from Alegent.

Ben Sandy ’98 placed 67th in the half-marathon in Duluth, Minn. on June 22. Ben competed with Team Nebraska and had a time of 2:38:06.

Janet (Reisdorff ’97) and Jeff ’97 Buman welcomed their second child on March 28. Justine Gabrielle shares a birthday with big brother Tyler, who turned 3 the same day. The Bumans live in Harlan, Iowa.

Jennimarie Joslin ’97 married Asil “Ace” Ingram Nov. 30, 2002. Jennimarie also completed her master’s of business administration with a healthcare management emphasis through online institution University of Phoenix in February. She is now working with Lutheran Social Ministry of the Southwest coordinating in-home healthcare in the Tucson, Ariz., region.

Jona Williams ’97 works for eQuality as the program manager in charge of job development. Jona lives with her husband, Brian ’95, and their 31/2-year-old son, Evan, in Minnetonka, Minn.

Kristin (Knight ’96) McCormick and husband, Jeff, welcomed a son, Ethan Alexander, on May 3. Ethan was 6 pounds, 9 ounces and 21 inches long. Kristin is working as director of the early childhood and school-age programs for Family Service in Lincoln, Neb.

Anne (Bodenstedt ’96) and Jon ’93 Pestel have built a home on family land near Malvern, Iowa, where they live with their three children, Caitlin Jean, 6; Colton John, 4; and Curtis James, 19 months. Anne teaches third grade in Malvern and Jon is a dispatcher for Union Pacific Railroad in Omaha.

Chris Tauber ’94 is a family teacher at Girls & Boys Town in Omaha.

Matthew Plowman ’93 was honored with the Alpha Chi Professor of the Year and the Board of Regents Outstanding Professor awards at Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa. Matthew is an assistant professor of history. His wife, Laurie (Johnson ’94) Plowman, is a K–6 special education life skills teacher and Special Olympics coordinator in Lake Mills, Iowa. The couple has a daughter, Jocelyn, and live in Forest City.

James Peister ’92 completed an executive master’s degree in business administration at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., in May.

Cathy (Keck ’90) Adcock and husband, David, have a son, Michael Paul, born May 16. Michael weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. He joins sister Isabelle, 5, and brother Charles, 3. The family lives in Omaha, where Cathy is a stay-at-home mom.

Todd Kollbaum ’90 has finished his year of vicarage at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau, Mo. He will be going back to Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Mo., to complete his masters of divinity.

Dawne (Preston ’90) White is an advisor and tutor to 50 students at Nebraska Indian Community College. She is constructing a home in Lyons, Neb.

80s

Ted Bansen ’89 has been elected vice president of the Blair Farmers Market. Ted and his family live in Blair, where Ted is groundskeeper for Dana.

Darlene (Christensen ’89) Bowman and husband, William, welcomed a new daughter March 6. Chenoa Corrine joins her older brothers Ben, 11, and Dakota, 7. The Bowman family lives in Little Sioux, Iowa.

Steven Meister ’88 has been named department head of the Naval Hospital Guam Family Medicine department, the largest family medicine department in the U.S. Navy outside of a teaching program.

Joel Barratt ’86 has been promoted to associate creative director of the Sacco Group, an Omaha-based advertising agency.

Mary (Franzen ’85) Costello and husband, John, announce the birth of their baby boy, Ethan Thomas. Ethan was born April 11, and was 7 pounds, 3 ounces, and 19.75 inches long. He joins brother William, 7, and sister Emily, 5. The family lives in Omaha.

Michael Martin ’83 has been appointed assistant professor of technical communication and composition at University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, Wis. He recently presented a paper at the Penn State Conference on Rhetoric and Composition titled “Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Rhetorical Journeys.”

70s

John Hibbing ’77 had his work featured in The Washington Post in February. John is a political scientist at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, where he resides. Through polling, he found that nearly half the country would prefer for the country’s most significant decisions be made by unelected experts or business leaders rather than politicians or average citizens. His latest research examines how individuals strike a balance between self-interest and cooperation through the use of a “ultimatum bargaining” game.

Dave Stickrod ’75 is the new principal at Glenwood (Iowa) Community High School.

Steve Hardiman ’73 was honored as one of six distinguished alumni by the University of Nebraska-Omaha in April. Steve is principal at Thomas Jefferson High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

John Christensen ’71 has been named interim vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. John has been with UNO since 1978.

Rod Christenson ’70 was selected to receive a Good Neighbor Award from the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben Foundation and the Omaha World-Herald. The Good Neighbor awards recognize individuals from Nebraska and western Iowa who have performed neighborly acts and deeds unselfishly without personal gain. Rod organized a group of individuals to help fix the old Craig (Neb.) High School and turn it into a community center. He lives with his wife, Diane (Schmidt ’71) Christenson in Blair.

Twila Juel ’70 retired at the end of the 2002-03 school year from her position as a teacher in the Millard (Neb.) Public Schools, where she had been for 33 years. Twila lives in Omaha.

60s

Helen (Hansen ’68) Sorenson serves as the American Association for Respiratory Care’s special representative to the American Institute for Life Threatening Illness and Loss and is assistant professor in the department of respiratory care at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

Kathy (Anderson ’62) Bliese is the author of a new book, Healing His Way, published by Xolun Press. The book is based on Kathy’s experiences around the world. She lives in Grand Island, Neb.

50s

Marilyn (Ward ’57) Nichols and her husband, Roger, are spending an academic year in Cologne, Germany, where Roger will be a Fulbright Professor at the University of Cologne.

Warren “Bud” Kruse ’56 was inducted into the Council Bluffs (Iowa) Relays Hall of Fame in April. Bud was chosen for assisting in the race and entering 20 teams from Iowa School for the Deaf into the relays, as well as his teaching and coaching. Bud lives with his wife, Sandra (Lamb ’57) Kruse, in Council Bluffs.

Deaths

Klemens Namwira ’90 died November 23, 2000, in Grootfoutein, Namibia, after a bout of pneumonia. Klemens was a planner with the Ministry of Education and Culture of Namibia. Survivors include a wife, Rosaline, four sons and a daughter.

Ruth (Hansen) Jensen Weaver ’72 died May 23 in Blair. Ruth taught for the Hewett, Fontanelle, Nashville, Glendale, Spiker, Summers, Wranch, District 77 and District 89 schools in Nebraska. She originally attended Dana for one year in the 1930s and then completed her degree over 16 years of summer and night classes in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. She was a member of the Herman (Neb.) Community Church, Circle II & III, Washington County and Boyd County teachers associations. Survivors include four daughters, a son, a brother, 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Gerald Petersen ’70 died on April 11 in Omaha of cancer. Gerald was a civil engineer working for DRL Group in Omaha. Gerald loved the outdoors. Survivors include include his wife, Lynne (Norgaard ’69) and three daughters.

Ronald Bosworth ’69 died on March 10 in Davenport, Iowa, following an unexpected illness. Ron was an engineering technician at the Alcoa Company, Davenport Works, where he had been employed for 23 years. He was a member of the Sierra Club and enjoyed camping, hiking and boating. Survivors include his wife, Sheila, a daughter, three sons, a sister, a granddaughter and mother.

Theresa (Moler ’60) Ernst Jansen died June 14 in Norfolk, Neb. She taught for 47 years in rural schools and at O’Neill (Neb.) Public School. Theresa was a member of Sacred Heart-St. Mary’s Catholic Church and the Catholic Daughters of the Americas. She is survived by a daughter, a son, two sisters, four brothers, six grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

Yvonne (Hansen ’56) Vorthmann died May 10 in Omaha. Yvonne was a homemaker and owned a small country store on Main Street in Treynor, Iowa, from 1986–96. She was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Treynor and was an associate member of the American Lutheran Church of Sun City, Ariz. Survivors include her husband, Alfred, a daughter; three sons, including Niles ’88; three sisters, including Gayla (Hansen ’73) Newmeister; and two brothers, Gary Hansen ’54 and Timothy Hansen ’68.

Dorothy (Paulsen ’49) Eriksen died April 29 of Lou Gehrig’s Disease at her home in Reinbeck, Iowa. After working for Mutual Insurance Company in Omaha, Dorothy and her husband, Shirley, farmed south of Reinbeck. She was a devoted member of the Amity Presbyterian Church near Reinbeck and was a lifetime member of the AMVETS Auxiliary Post #10 in Lincoln, Iowa, and served as state president for 1987–88. Survivors include her husband, four daughters, a brother, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The Rev. James W. Olsen D ’40 T ’49, former member of the Dana College Board of Regents, died June 7 in Loveland, Colo. James’s pastorates were Farmington, Minn., Lincoln, Neb., Reno, Nev., and Scottsbluff, Neb. He also served Dana as vice president of church relations and development from 1961–63. Among his church positions were service as president of the Nebraska District UELC, and vice president and later secretary of the American Lutheran Church Central District. James was also an avid barbershop chorus singer. Survivors include a son, a daughter, Kathryn (Olsen ’65) Goetz, two sisters, including Donna (Olsen ’48) Johnson, four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Herbert B. Larsen ’38 died April 22 in Audubon, Iowa. Herbert and his wife ran the family farm near Kimballton, Iowa, for more than 40 years. He was an avid bowler and won many tournaments. Survivors include a brother, Chester Larsen ’35, a sister, nieces and nephews.

Andrew Staby D ’36 T ’39 died May 6 in Loveland, Colo., following a short illness. Andrew served parishes in Red Cloud, Neb., Plainview and Winnetoon, Neb., Oregon, Wis., Fremont, Neb., Brush, Colo., and Chadron, Neb. He also served as assistant to the central district president over all the rural ALC parishes in Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas and parts of Oklahoma. In retirement, Andy read widely, used a computer, kept up on current events, learned to cross country ski and continued to play golf into his late 80s. Survivors include a wife, Martha (Rasmussen ’39), and four children, including Paul ’69 and Mary ’76.

Friends

Tom Allan died June 27 in Lincoln, Neb., of leukemia. Tom was a retired reporter for The Omaha World-Herald and was given an honorary doctorate by Dana in 1979. Suvivors include a son, a daughter, a brother, a sister and three grandchildren.

Robert C. Hunt died June 10 in Saint Paul, Minn. Bob founded Great Plains Communications in Blair in 1974 after working with his father, Emory Sr., and brother, Emory Jr. He served as president of Great Plains until 1986 and as chairman of the board until 2002. Bob was a great friend to Dana, stepping forward with financial help after Old Main burned down in 1989. He also served as a computer class instructor for a brief time in 1979. Bob is survived by two daughters and three grandchildren.

Send Your News

Send your alumni update to

scavanah@fs1.dana.edu

Please include your name (and maiden name if applicable), class year, address, telephone and e-mail.