DESTINY'S DEEP SEA

2000s | 1990s | 1980s | 1970s | 1960s | 1950s | 1940s | Deaths

2000s

Teri Ahrendt ’02 is an administrative assistant at Ameritrade in Bellevue, Neb. She is also dancing for the National Indoor Football League’s Omaha Beef Dance Team.

Dave Delort ’02 is currently working in radio as a disc jockey for AAA Entertainment. He resides in Champaign, Ill.

Tiffany Shellberg ’02 married Curtis Schutt on Oct. 5, 2002, at Oakland (Iowa) United Methodist Church. Tiffany is a Spanish teacher at Riverside High School in Oakland.

Rachel Lynch ’01 is currently working at University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha in the geriatric psychiatry clinic as a psychometrist and in psychopharmacology as a clinical studies assistant.

Cassandra Green ’00 married Mark Harrison Oct. 17, 2002, in Cancun, Mexico. Cassandra is an art teacher. They are living in London, United Kingdom.

Deborah Nelson-Allender ’00 and husband, Brian Allender, welcomed their second son, Cameron Thomas, on Feb. 14, 2002. He joins a brother, Jordan Taylor, 4. Deborah does outreach for covering kids with insurance. They live in Casper, Wyo.

Christina Nutter ’00 is an associate director of Ebert Ranch Camp at Cross Trails Ministry, an outdoor ministry of the Southwestern Texas Synod of the ELCA. She is living in Harper, Texas.

1990s

Rachel Heitmann ’99 married Michael Cunningham on May 31, 2002. The couple lives in LeMars, Iowa.

Michael Hemmingsen ’99 married Leah Johnston on Nov. 30, 2002, in Audubon, Iowa. Michael is an information technology applications associate for Principal Financial Group in Des Moines, Iowa.

John ’99 and Melanie (Mowinkel ’99) Olson announce the birth of their daughter, Mia Haley, on June 18. She weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces and was 20 inches long. Melanie is a seventh grade science teacher at Beadle Middle School in the Millard Public School District in Omaha. John is the landscaping foreman at Granulawn in Omaha.

Tara Stark ’99 is working as the corporate catering manager within the sales and catering office at Embassy Suites Hotel, Downtown/Old Market in Omaha.

Beth (McCabe ’98) Krominga received her master of arts in management degree from Bellevue University in June. Beth has been employed with Internal Medicine Associates, P.C. since August as their customer service/marketing coordinator. Her husband, Joel Krominga ’99 has been employed with Cass County Bank in Plattsmouth, Neb., since September as a loan officer/branch manager.

Reed Mayberry ’98 married Angie Reef on Dec. 14, 2002. Reed is employed as a retail sales manager at Monsanto in Norfolk, Neb.
Brenda (Eckhoff ’98) Rumery and husband, Matt, are the parents of Abbie Jean, born May 2, 2002. Brenda previously taught in Plattsmouth, Neb., but is now staying at home in Glenwood, Iowa, with Abbie Jean.

Diane Crawford ’97 married Tishiba (Tiger) McDonald on Aug. 16, 2002. Diane is a medical technologist and a student at Physician Assistant School in Colorado.

Laura Pierce ’97 is the director of development at the Omaha Children’s Museum. In her spare time, she volunteers at the Nebraska AIDS Project and serves as a board member of Omaha Alive! Laura lives in Omaha.

Vanessa (Brunssen ’95) Welsh and husband, Paul, welcomed twin sons, Caleb and Ethan, on Aug. 13, 2002. Vanessa is taking a year off from teaching to stay home with their sons. The couple lives in Lincoln, Neb.

Laurel Minnick ’94 and Robert Tague ’96 married on Sept. 29, 2001. Laurel is a fraud analyst at Mutual of Omaha and Robert is with Ameritrade. They live in Omaha.

Craig Olson ’92 has been promoted to purchasing manager of Concrete Equipment Company (CON-E-CO) in Blair. He has been a purchasing agent for CON-E-CO since 1995.

Thom Morrow ’91 is senior photojournalist at KSFY-TV, the ABC affiliate in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Anne (Gustafson ’91) Rahlfs and her husband, Tom, welcomed a daughter, Lyndsay, on July 17, 2002. They also have two sons, Dylan, 3, and J.T., 2. Anne has been working for the past year and a half for five neurosurgeons at Midwest Neurosurgery in Omaha as a scheduling assistant.

1980s

Griffin ’89 and Kelly (Stember ’92) Dunlop announce the birth of a son, Jacob Anthony, on Oct. 18, 2002. He weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces. He was welcomed home by big brothers Jackson, 4, and Max, 18 months. They live in Brooklyn Center, Minn.

Rebecca (Brabec ’89) Vande Hei and her husband, Todd, live in Aliso Viejo, Calif., and are the proud parents of Jack, 21/2 ; and Mary, 11/2. Rebecca works as an licensed clinical social worker consultant at Newport Bay Hospital.

Karla Larsen ’85 married Corey Rusie on Aug. 10, 2002, at St. Mark Lutheran in Omaha. Karla is employed at Tilly in Omaha as the alterations manager. The couple resides in Omaha.

1970s

Kirk Tyler ’78, president of the Atlantic (Iowa) Coca-Cola Bottling Company, has been elected to the Board of Directors of Wesley Retirement Services Inc. in Iowa. Kirk is also on the board of the Association of Business and Industry in Atlantic and is serving as secretary for the Des Moines Rotary. He lives in Waukee, Iowa.

Pamela (Miller ’74) McVeigh attended the National Federation of the Blind Center for the Blind in Ruston, La., and is working on starting a non-profit support group for varying conditions. Pamela also received her amateur radio license a few years ago and is attempting to get a full ticket. She lives in Ruston.

Craig Parkinson ’74 is head football coach at Akron-Westfield in Akron, Iowa. His team won the class 1A football championship, finishing with a 13-0 record. His career record is 164-96 and state playoff record is 7-3. He was also named the 1A/2A Region 1 Coach of the Year. Craig has been at A-W for 26 years. He and his wife, Mary, have four children, Mike, 18; Andrea, 16; David, 12; and Sarah, 10.

Joel M. Eskelsen ’73 is president-elect of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. He will take office at the NIAAA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind., in December. Joel was also named the National Boys Track Coach of the Year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association last year. He will be inducted to the Wyoming Coaches Hall of Fame this summer. He is in his 30th year of coaching and his 21st at Big Piney High School in Big Piney, Wyo.

Carol Wood ’73 was awarded the Arlene Steege Award for her work in the social work profession. Carol works at Children’s Square U.S.A. in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and has served as CEO for the past 10 years.
Mark R. Musick ’72 recently gave a presentation about “Patriotism in Early America” at a special Brown Bag program at the Alliance (Neb.) Learning Center. General Musick has served as chief of staff, state headquarters, Nebraska Air National Guard in Lincoln, Neb., since January 1999.

Gene C. Wulf ’72, formerly vice president and controller at Bemis Company Inc. in Minneapolis, Minn., has been promoted to vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer. Gene joined Bemis in 1975 and has held various finance and information technology positions.

1960s

Ruby (Bushnell ’66) and Philip ’65 Dynneson have retired and are living in Kalispell, Mont.

Fran Jordan ’64 has a successful tree farm, which he has been running for more than 30 years in Turin, Iowa. He was recently featured in an article in the Sioux City Journal for his production of Christmas trees.

Marcella (Ridlen ’63) Ray, senior fellow in the School of Public Policy and adjunct professor in the Sociology and Anthropology Department at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., has published a book entitled The Changing and Unchanging Face of U.S. Civil Society (Transaction, 2002).

1950s

im Youmans ’50, a World War II veteran, spoke to students of Walnut (Iowa) High School at the annual Veteran’s Day program. He discussed the importance of honoring veterans from all the wars and conflicts in which Americans have served in the past century. Jim lives in Persia, Iowa.

1940s

Arthur M. Pedersen ’45 retired from the practice of medicine on Jan. 24. He was in general practice in Council Bluffs, Iowa, for 25 years, in emergency medicine in North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama for 20 years, and in mental health for 11 years. He lives in Gaffney, S.C.

Deaths

Linda (Simon ’79) “Lyn” VanSlyke died Jan. 16 in Broken Bow, Neb. She taught in Arcadia (Neb.) Public Schools for 23 years and was a member of the Nebraska Teachers Association. Survivors include her husband, Michael; five daughters; her mother; a brother; two sisters and four grandchildren.

Marjorie Dibben ’73 died Nov. 27, 2002, in Omaha. She is survived by her husband, Darrell; daughters, Sherri Andersen ’86 and Shelli (Meyerholz ’80) Mosser; sons, Dave ’84 and Dan ’84; nine grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; a sister and a brother.

Kenneth R. Nelsen ’73 died Oct. 6, 2002, in Omaha. Survivors include his wife, Judy; a daughter; her parents; two stepchildren; a sister; a brother and three granddaughters.

Rev. Mark Olson ’73 died of complications from multiple myeloma Nov. 7, 2002, surrounded by his family at home in Eau Claire, Wis. He spent the last six years as pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in Eau Claire. He is survived by his wife, Elaine (Bringewatt ’72); a son; a daughter; brothers and a sister.

Garyld “Kus” Kuster ’68 died Dec. 18, 2002. He worked in the paint room at Kelly Ryan Equipment Company and retired in January 2002 due to ill health. He is survived by his wife, Kathy (Niemeyer ’68) of Blair.

Dennis D. St. Clair ’68 died Jan. 10 in Omaha. He was an avid sports fan and especially enjoyed baseball, a sport he competed in at Dana as a pitcher. Survivors include his mother and two sisters.
Geneva C. Symonds ’67 died Jan. 12 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. She was an elementary school teacher for 42 years in the Iowa towns of Mercer, Carbon, Massena and Council Bluffs. Survivors include two sons and four grandchildren.

Jo (Williams ’66) Bohannon died Dec. 11, 2002, in Lyons, Neb., after a long battle with cancer. Jo was bookkeeper for her father’s business, Art William’s Trucking & Redi-Mix, and mail clerk at the Tekamah (Neb.) post office. Survivors include her husband, LeRoy; two sons; two daughters; grandchildren and brother, Roy Williams ’64.

Gregory Russell “Mitch” Mitchell ’66 died Nov. 15, 2002, at Berlin Memorial Hospital (Wis.), following a battle with emphysema. Greg played football for Dana and served his country as a sergeant in the Air Force, stationed at Campion Air Force Base in Alaska. He was a well-known bartender in the Wisconsin towns of Berlin, Oshkosh, Milwaukee and Green Lake. Surviving are a daughter; his mother; grandchildren and a sister, Bette Mitchell ’69.

Bartel Adrian Borglum ’59 died Feb. 6, 2002, after a lingering battle with lung, brain and bone cancer.

Duane Lubkeman ’56 died Nov. 28, 2002, in Hampton, Iowa. He was a member of the Hampton Lions Club, Hampton Country Club and Iowa Farm Bureau. Survivors include his wife, Jeanette (Petersen ’59); his mother; daughter, Lori ’80 Lester; son, Roy D. ’83; sisters, Kaye ’61 Christensen and Maxine ’68 Scott; and three grandchildren.

Marion (Nielsen ’55) Hansen died Jan. 5, in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., after a long battle with breast cancer. Marion was employed as an associate registrar at the University of Iowa and at Shimer College in Mount Carroll, Ill. She was an early pioneer of computer applications for university registration systems and achieved national recognition when her systems ideas were used across the country. Marion is survived by her husband, Gary F. ’54; three sons; a daughter; sisters, including Luella Nielsen ’42, Eleanor (Nielsen ’50) Schou and Margaret (Nielsen ’61) Rodenburg; brothers, Dr. John W. Nielsen D ’47 T ’53 and James Nielsen ’53; and several grandchildren.

Betty (Jensen ’51) Nygaard died Nov. 28, 2002. She was certified as a senior Lauback tutor and since 1978 she had been a trained advocate with the Northfield Victim Support program. She was also the director of parish education for nine years at St. Peter’s Lutheran, in Northfield, Minn. In 1989 she received the Service to Mankind Award from the local and district Sertoma Men and Women’s Club. She is survived by her husband, Gerhard D ’50 T ’53; brother, Bruce Jensen ’52; three daughters, including Linda ’76; and two grandchildren.

Doris Andersen ’50 died Nov. 30, 2002, in Blair. Doris joined the staff at Dana College in 1964. She is survived by a brother.
Andrew Jensen ’50 died Dec. 18, 2002, from head injuries he sustained in a bicycle accident. He worked in the parts and sales departments of Eugene, Ore.-area trucking companies. Survivors include a daughter, a son and two grandchildren.

Rhoda (Carlsen ’48) Holl died Feb. 5, 2002, in Spokane, Wash., at the age of 84. Survivors include her husband, Elmer; three children; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; a sister, Eunice (Carlsen ’47) Larsen; and three brothers, Verner Carlsen D ’36 T ’39, Stanley Carlsen D ’45 T ’47 and Niels Carlsen D ’49 T ’56.

Alfred Tan Creti ’47 died Aug. 26, 2002. He served with the Air Force in World War II, earning two purple hearts and the Distinguished Flying cross. He was a long-time resident of West Des Moines, Iowa.
William Steinmeyer ’42 died Nov. 5, in Lincoln, Neb. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II in the South Pacific. William returned to Clatonia, Neb., and served more than 30 years as postmaster for the Clatonia Post Office. He is survived by two sons, grandchildren, a stepson and a sister.

Don Nelson ’36 died Dec. 31, 2002, in Atlantic, Iowa. He served as chief clerk and staff sergeant in the U.S. Army from 1943-46, receiving the American Theater Service Medal and the European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal. Following military service, Don was an insurance agent and auto parts man in Atlantic. He was a member and volunteer for the Danish Immigrant Museum in Elk Horn, Iowa. Survivors are his wife, Fern, and a daughter, Cathy (Nelson ’71) Allen.