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| Alumnotes | |
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| 1949 |
LESLIE SCHULZ celebrated 50 years of membership and ministry to First English Lutheran Church in Cincinnati, Ohio on Oct. 1, 2006. He led the service and preached. He and his wife, MARGRET (WOLF) SCHULZ live in Cincinnati.
Back to top| 1956 |
Joe and JOANN (BURRIS) LEMMON celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Nov. 4, 2006. The couple has two children and four grandchildren. They reside in New Braunfels.
Back to top| 1958 |
JACQUELYN (BAETHGE) and B.C. ALLEN ’57 celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 4, 2006. They were married in Texas Lutheran’s Chapel of the Abiding Presence. The couple resides in Austin.
Back to top| 1959 |
LUTHER OELKE, TLU director of church relations emeritus and volunteer archivist, presented a paper entitled “President Carl Weeber: Denied His Promised Land” at the Lutheran Historical Conference held at Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C. last fall. The paper will be published in the 2006 LHC Proceedings.
Back to top| 1960 |
PATRICIA (WILLMANN) LINDEN is in her third year as president of the Mid-Texas Symphony Board of Directors. The MTS office is on the TLU campus, and the symphony plays half of its concerts in Jackson Auditorium. The MTS was founded by ANITA WINDECKER ’48, TLU professor emeritus of music.
Back to top| 1961 |
| 1963 |
DOROTHY (HERMS) EBERT has four grown children and six grandchildren. Her son, Max, graduated from TLU in 1998.
ROBERT WILBER has volunteered his time over the past nine years working to repair and modify handicap ramps and grab bars for the elderly and physically challenged citizens. He was honored by Bank of America Corporation in its Neighborhood Excellence Initiatives program as one of five Local Heroes, which allowed him to direct a $5,000 grant to Inner City Development, Inc. He and his wife, JUDITH (ALLSPACH) WILBER, reside in San Antonio.
| 1966 |
MILDRED WOERNDEL, a teacher at Seguin High School for 38 years, was presented a 2007 Vision Award by the Seguin Gazette-Enterprise. The honor was presented to Mildred in recognition of her tireless dedication to her students and her community involvement.
Back to top| 1967 |
Phil and MERLEANN (ZIEMER) WEAVER married on Jan. 1, 2002. Merleann retired from Killeen ISD as Harker Heights High School librarian, and Phil retired from Ft. Hood as a civil attorney and from the Air Force Reserve as a lieutenant colonel where he served as a JAG officer. After some traveling, they moved to Lake Whitney where Merleann re-entered the work world as Hillsboro High School librarian. She is also an adjunct faculty member of LeTourneau University where she teaches online courses and supervises student teachers. Phil has opened his own general law practice in Whitney. Both are enjoying the pace of small town living.
Back to top| 1969 |
DIANE (VOLLINTINE) PLEASANTS and her husband, S. Keith, announce the birth of their granddaughter, Elena Grace Boucher, born on May 10, 2006.
Back to top| 1972 |
BETSY (BROWN) CLARDY, vice president for resource development and alumni relations at TLU, has written a booklet, “Making the Most of Your Special Event,” which was recently published by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). It is the latest in the AFP’s Ready Reference Series.
Back to top| 1973 |
DEBORAH EHLER has retired after 24 years in chemistry at Los Alamos National Laboratory and is living in Golden, Colo. She is now dividing her time between hiking and skiing in the Colorado Rockies and sailing and grandson-sitting in the Bay Area.
GLORIA (ANDERSON) McNELIS is the proud grandmother of Evalynn Naomi Gilmore, born on April 7, 2005 and Kelsi Olyvia McNelis, 9. Evalynn’s father is serving in Iraq.
| 1974 |
| 1978 |
| 1981 |
| 1983 |
STEPHEN SATHER was named as a 2006 Super Lawyer in the field of bankruptcy and creditor/debtor rights by “Law & Politics.” He was one of 31 lawyers listed in the bankruptcy category from the Central and West Texas region of the state. He is currently serving as president of the bankruptcy section of the Austin Bar Association.
Back to top| 1985 |
TRACY (DEMPSEY) DEMCHUK married Tom Demchuk on Sept. 23, 2006 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She is residing in Canada where she is seeking dual citizenship. She completed her master’s degree in organizational management in 2005 and is currently the director of admissions at the University of Phoenix, Vancouver campus.
MIRIAM (RECKS) MOORMAN completed her M.B.A. at The University of Texas, and she is now serving as executive director, sales and marketing for Select One Hospitality Management. Miriam and her two sons, Mitchell and Mason, live in Austin.
| 1988 |
| 1989 |
Diane and BLAIR ROGENESS announce the birth of their daughter, Hanna, on Nov. 24, 2006. The family resides in Colorado Springs.
Back to top| 1990 |
CHRISTINA (NILMEIER) PIERCE and her husband, Scott, announce the birth of their son Andrew Scott on Nov. 9, 2006. He was welcomed by his older brother, Jonathon, and his older sister, Amanda. The family resides in Plano.
Back to top| 1991 |
| 1992 |
| 1993 |
SUSAN (HERBER) MAYES was married to Scott Mayes at Christ Lutheran Church in Austin on Nov. 19, 2005. Scott is a software engineer for IBM in Austin. Susan is an instructional technology facilitator for Leander ISD. The couple resides in Round Rock.
Back to top| 1995 |
KRISTIN (FERREIRA) DAVIS was married on Aug. 24, 2006 in Maui, Hawaii.
FREDDIE MARTINEZ and his wife, Amy, have two sons ages 9 and 7, and a daughter, 19 months. The family resides in Devine.
RUTH PRIETO became the associate director of admissions for Wartburg Theological Seminary and the Lutheran Seminary Program of the Southwest in October 2006.
| 1996 |
CINDY AGUIRRE-HERRERA, assistant news director at KWED and the Seguin Daily News, was this year’s winner of the Rosie Ornelas Media Award during the 2007 Seguin-Guadalupe County Hispanic Chamber Awards Banquet. Aguirre-Herrera was also installed as first vice-president for the Hispanic Chamber during the event.
MICHAEL and KELLY (KRISCH) DOUCET have moved to Corpus Christi where Michael is now general manager at CMC Rebar. He completed his M.B.A. at UTSA last spring. They have two children: Addie, 5, and Camdyn, 3.
Daniel and AMY (VEREECKEN) MEYERS are the proud parents of Warren, 4, and Hope, born May 26, 2006 and Michaela (deceased). The family resides in San Antonio.
NATHAN BLOM and his wife, Liza, announce the birth of their son, Noah Benjamin, on July 25, 2006. Noah is welcomed by his older sister, Abby, 3. Nathan is a pastor at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in San Antonio.
| 1997 |
ALLEN WILSON and Veronica Cuenca-Wilson announce the birth of their second child, Lillian Mae, born on July 14, 2006. They also have a daughter, Hannah. The family resides in San Antonio.
Back to top| 1998 |
STEPHANIE BRADOW starred in the musical “Hello, Dolly!” as matchmaker Dolly Levi. The musical was produced by Masquerade Theatre and was performed at the Hobby Center in Houston, Nov. 15-26, 2006.
RITA (RODRIGUEZ) PALMORE and her husband have three children, twin sons born in October of 2003 and another son born in April of 2005. The family resides in San Antonio.
Andy and LINDEN (KRON) KRON-WENDLE announce the birth of twins on Aug. 4, 2006: a son, William Chandler, and a daughter, Charis Marie. The family resides in Hood River, Ore.
CHRIS ELLEY married Cile Spelce on May 13, 2006 in the Big Bend region of Texas. The Austin-based couple produces television and film through their company Electro-Fish Media LLC. This company just released the documentary film, “Barbecue: A Texas Love Story,” which is now available for rent through Netflix. In 2007, the company will premiere the documentary film “Ghost Town: 24 Hours in Terlingua,” which is about offbeat characters who live in a real-life Texas ghost town. Chris is currently directing a new film in Texas and Tennessee about the changing state of today’s country music. He is also directing a film about the famous horse Gonzales Joe Bailey, known as the most prolific “stud” of his time.
RACHEL (WEDEMEIER) POWELL and her husband, John, have three children: Corey, 10; Matthew, 4; and Samuel, 9 months. The family resides in Sugar Land.
CYNTHIA REICHERT recently passed the America Board of Neuroscience Nursing certification exam and earned her Certified Neuroscience Registered Nurse (CNRN) designation. She is currently working at the Neuroscience Intermediate Care Unit at Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa.
| 1999 |
SARAH (WASMUND) THOMAS married Tom M. Thomas II on Nov. 24, 2006 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The couple resides in Dallas.
Back to top| 2000 |
KIM CALLIS is teaching fifth grade at Copeland Elementary School, a charter school in San Antonio. Her class had a celebrity visitor this spring when All-Star Spurs Guard Tony Parker came to Copeland to announce that her class had won the Jeep “Tunes with Tony” contest. Her students won the contest with a rap song that they wrote and sang, entitled “Teamwork.”
SABRINA HERVEY is currently working on her master of arts degree in international policy with a specialization in international development at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, Calif.
LYNN (BERNARD) COX received her master’s degree in public administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio on December 14, 2006. She was recently promoted to special projects coordinator for the development services department of the City of San Antonio.
VANESSA (BOKA) and ERIC BURK announce the birth of their daughter, Taylor Kaelyn, on Sept. 20, 2006. The family resides in San Antonio.
DENISE (HARTMAN) HINOJOSA married Tre’ Hinojosa on Oct. 21, 2006 at Concordia Lutheran Church in San Antonio. The couple resides in San Antonio.
JASON JAMES married Kristina Sedlacek on Oct. 28, 2006. They reside in Stockdale.
JOANNA NICHOLS received a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship and recently completed her master’s degree in international health at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
Back to top| 2001 |
JENNY (SONG) and JESSIE BLACKWELL announce the birth of their son, Jackson, born on Aug 21, 2006. The family resides in Austin.
AMY (TACKITT) and MARK MAYTUM ’97 announce the birth of their son, Logan James, on Oct. 5, 2006. The family resides in San Antonio.
Back to top| 2002 |
AMANDA SACKREITER is living in Durham, N.C. where she is working toward a dual master’s degree program in divinity from Duke Divinity School and in social work from UNC-Chapel Hill.
BRENDA GASTON announces the birth of her daughter, Tavia Anai Womack, on March 22, 2006. They reside in Seguin.
NECIE (BUTLER) GREEN and her husband, Joshua, announce the birth of their daughters, Madeline Rene and Madison Rayne, on Oct. 24, 2006. The family resides in Virginia Beach, Va.
NATASHA CERVANTES married Bryan Reiswig in September of 2006 in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.
| 2003 |
JAMIE (MEADE) CLEVLEN and her husband, Jason, welcomed their first daughter, Avery Marie, on May 18, 2006. The family resides in Austin.
CHRIS and HOLLY (LAKOTA) HICKS were married in Fort Worth on Nov. 11, 2006. Members of the wedding party included MATT WOLFE, BRIAN CAMPBELL, AMIR MORTAZAVI ’04 and KATRINA (RATHBURN) CAMPBELL. Chris and Holly live in San Antonio.
Back to top| 2004 |
BRIANNA (YARBOROUGH) CENTENO married Joe Centeno Jr. on Sept. 23, 2006 at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Lake Jackson. Bridesmaids were Holly Yarborough (current TLU student), JENNIFER (SAFARIK) WEBSTER, and JULIE SODOLAK ’05. The couple now resides in Houston.
JEFFREY ERICKSON received his master of science degree in clinical exercise physiology from Texas A&M University in December of 2006.
AMANDA (STAHL) DRIFFILL married Greg Driffill on Dec. 26, 2006. Amanda, Greg, and their son, Ethan, live in Stockdale.
Back to top| 2005 |
RACHEL (GOLD) BROWN married Dale Brown on Sept. 23, 2006 in Kyle. The couple resides in New Braunfels.
NATALEE NAJERA is currently serving as Choral Director at Steele High School and Dobie Junior High in the Schertz- Cibolo-Universal City ISD. She is also serving as an assistant band director at Steele High School.
Back to top| 2006 |
JEFF RAY and BRYNN SALT ’05 were married in San Antonio on Dec. 19, 2006. Jeff is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
Back to top| In Memoriam |
1930s
WILLIE MAE (VALENTINE) DAHL ’35 passed away Dec. 15, 2006, at the age of 93. She was converted and baptized in the Methodist Church of Turnersville at the age of 13 years old. She was confirmed and transferred her membership to the Trinity Lutheran Church of Clifton in the fall of 1934.
OLETA SCHULTZ DOSSMAN ’30 passed away Sept. 9, 2006, at the age of 95. Oleta taught Sunday School for many years. Both Oleta and her husband, Walter, were active, involved, and faithful church members.
CLARA NIERDIECK RIEWE ’36 died Nov. 23, 2006 in Abilene. She was a member of Zion Lutheran Church and taught Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, and was active in LWML-Lutheran Women’s Missionary League.
VOLETA SCHULZE TROTTER ’38 passed away July 3, 2006, at the age of 89. In the early 1940s, after moving to Clifton, she transferred her church membership from Norse to Trinity Lutheran Church. She was an active member at both churches, serving at Trinity on various committees. She was a faithful member of the Naomi Circle and active in the Trinity Lutheran Church Women’s group.
1940s
EVELYN MARIE BOHLS ’42 passed away Nov. 18, 2006, at the age of 83. She worked for many years as a nursing faculty member at Scott and White Memorial School of Professional Nursing. Evelyn participated in many community activities and was active in nursing professional organizations, as well as the Scott and White Nursing Alumni Association. In 2004 the Scott and White Nursing Alumni Association presented her with a Nursing Excellence Award for her outstanding contributions to nursing education and the nursing profession.
HURLEY PAGE ’41 passed away May 22, 2006, and his wife, Margaret Page passed away Jan. 24, 2007.
1950s
REV. WESLEY ANTON GERHARDT BASSEN ’51 passed away Oct. 30, 2006 in Clifton at the age of 77. He served 20 years as a chaplain in the military, and 39 years as a civilian parish pastor. He celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination into the ministry last June.
JEANETTE HELEN ESSE BILBREY ’56 passed away on Nov. 4, 2006, at the age of 74. For a brief time she was an elementary school teacher before choosing her family as a full-time career. She was also an accomplished artist and had a passion for cooking and entertaining. She lived in Houston.
REV. JAMES PARK BURNETT JR. ’54 passed away Nov. 5, 2006 in Victoria at the age of 73. He was a Lutheran minister and attended Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.
JOYCE PROBST FRIEDRICH ’54 died on Dec. 15, 2006 in Houston at the age of 75. A very active member of Faith Lutheran Church, she sang in the choir and served in many leadership roles.
CLINTON ROHNE ’53 passed away on Oct. 25, 2006 in Clifton. He worked in banking and retired in 1996.
1960s
LEE ELESON HERRICK ’66 passed away Nov. 28, 2006, at the age of 62. He was a faithful member of Faith Lutheran Church in Seguin where he was a head usher, past congressional president and a member of the barbecue pit crew.
PHIL MACARTHUR WAGNER ’64 passed away October 9, 2006, at the age of 66. He was a retired teacher and lived in Clifton.
1980s
DENNIS CRAIG LUDWIG ’82 passed away Nov. 19, 2006 in Houston after a lengthy illness. He was 46. He was an accomplished pianist and served as an organist for several Lutheran churches. Dennis played the organ for many special occasions, including his sister’s wedding, and especially enjoyed accompanying his father while he sang.
After a courageous battle with cancer, STACEY DOWNS McELHINNEY ’86 passed away on Jan. 4, 2007, in the arms of her beloved husband Patrick Darren McElhinney. Together, they toured the world at wakeboarding tournaments, and built their worldrenowned McElhinney Wakeboard School into a thriving business.
1990s
FRANK POYTHRESS ’92 of East Ridge, Tenn. died July 6, 2006, at the age of 45. He served in the U.S. Air Force during Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield.
WYLIE ERWIN REEVES ’90 passed away Dec. 22, 2006 at the age of 39. He was a passionate and beloved history teacher at Navarro High School.
2000s
TLU student KIRSTEN E. MARTIN, 37, passed away Thursday, Nov. 23, 2006. She was a sophomore education major.
Other
ELSIE M. “PEGGY” GUSTAFSON passed away Jan. 12, 2007 at the age of 99. She was associated with Texas Lutheran for over 76 years, teaching classes, coaching volleyball and basketball, and as a longtime friend and supporter of the university. For 51 years she was married to the late Dr. Arthur “Prof” Gustafson, who had taught for 45 years at TLU and served as acting president on two different occasions before he retired in 1974. Dr. Gustafson passed away in 1981.
RUBY LINDEMANN, assistant dean of women emeritus, died Nov. 24, 2006. She was 93. She was a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Bartlett where she lived.
HERTHA CLEMENTINA WEEBER, age 88, of Hondo passed away Feb.4, 2007. Her father, Dr. Carl Weeber, was one of the first presidents of Texas Lutheran University.