 | |
 | |
| Alumnotes | |
| |
| 1938 |
EDITH KIEL’s paintings were on exhibit last summer at Argent Court in Seguin. She is a resident of Argent Court.
Back to top| 1941 |
MYRTICE (NYGAARD) LARSON was recently awarded the E.L. Galyean Service Award at the Texas Retired Teachers Association State Convention in Amarillo on April 25. She resides in Arlington.
Back to top| 1948 |
MILDRED HOGSTEL has published more than 20 books for nurses. One of these books is the “Handbook for Family Caregivers of Older Adults.”
Back to top| 1950 |
Former Seguin City Councilman and Mayor Pro-Tem RODGER WEYEL was chosen by Mayor Betty Ann Matthies to be the honorary parade marshal for the “Biggest Small Town 4th of July Parade in Texas.” He served on the Seguin City Council for 44 years.
Back to top| 1952 |
WALTER MILLER celebrated the 50th anniversary of his graduation from Wartburg Seminary and his ordination into the ELCA on June 10, 2006. During his active ministry, he has served the congregations of Grace Lutheran Church in Eagle Lake, First Lutheran Church in Galveston, St. John Lutheran Church in Thorndale and Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Giddings. When he retired from full-time ministry on Feb. 28, 1998, he and his wife, MARY (WIETSTRUCK) MILLER ’59, moved to Taylor. The couple also celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 17, 2006.
Back to top| 1958 |
WILLIAM DRESSEN retired from the Lutheran ministry July 2, 2006. His last parish was Faith Lutheran Church in Talmage, Neb. and Christ Lutheran Church in Syracuse, Neb. where he served 33 years. Previously he was a missionary in Cameroon, West Africa. Two of the youth he confirmed at Faith Lutheran became pastors and were present to lead the worship service in which the retirement was voted. Pastor Dressen and his wife, Betty, now live in Syracuse where he continues to serve as interim pastor in Lutheran congregations in southeast Nebraska.
ALLEN and BETTY (URBAN) ’54 JOHANNES have been appointed cochairpersons of the Bosque County Historical Commission in Meridian.
CHARLES SCHULTZ was awarded the Jack Bauer Award for distinguished service to the North American Society for Oceanic History and for lifetime contributions to the field of maritime history at the NASOH meeting in Manitowoc, Wis. in April 2006.
Back to top| 1960 |
MARGARINE (GEISTWEIDT) BEAMAN received the MetLife Foundation National 2006 Older Volunteers Enrich America Award in the Community Champion category. The award was presented in Washington D.C. on April 28, 2006. There were only 26 individuals throughout the United States who received the award, and she was the only one from Texas. She also received the President’s Call To Order Award. She has been involved with many volunteer programs at the local, state, national, and international leveles. She is part owner of Beaman Metal Company and owner of Beaman Accounting and Consulting in Austin.
Back to top| 1961 |
CHARLES ECKERT is the part-time outreach pastor at Amazing Grace Lutheran Church in San Antonio.
Back to top| 1965 |
After more than 40 years in education and career counseling, SUE (CHRISTIANSEN) MORROW considers herself “almost retired!” She continues with writing and consulting, and she facilitates the Interfaith Worship Services group. Her spare time is filled with antiquing and genealogy. Sue and her husband, Terry, who is a professor of art at Texas Tech University, reside in Lubbock, as do their son, daughter and son-in-law.
Back to top| 1968 |
GILBERT FRANKE has had 11 poems commissioned by Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, and published in “Enrichment” magazine for “Joshua LifeLight Bible Study.” The poems explore the theme of Jesus’ ministry pre-figured in the role of Joshua at the conquest of Canaan. In May, he completed his 13th year as pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, LCMS, in Bishop. His wife, Beth, is the librarian for the Bishop Consolidated Schools.
Back to top| 1970 |
MARTY WOELFEL retired from the Kentucky State University faculty in 2004. She is enjoying more time for volunteer work with Girl Scouts and Sweet Adelines. She resides in Louisville, Ky.
Back to top| 1973 |
JUDY (WOMBLE) PESCHEL, public information officer for Seguin ISD, has been given the Education Service Award by the Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce. The award goes to recipients who go above and beyond in the field of education. Judy was instrumental in the development of the Seguin Youth Leadership Academy, worked with local aid groups to help displaced Rita and Katrina evacuees find shelter in Seguin, and spent the last two years coordinating agendas and functions for the Seguin Education Foundation.
Back to top| 1975 |
JOHN PLESS, assistant professor of pastoral ministry and missions at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind., had two of his books, “Word – God Speaks to Us: Lutheran Spirituality Series” and “A Small Catechism on Human Life,” published last summer.
DIANE (TIMMERMAN) SIMECEK and her husband, Ray Simecek, were married in Big Bend National Park on Feb. 25, 2006. They reside in Seguin.
Back to top| 1978 |
VICTOR ANDERSEN has taken a new call at First Lutheran Church in Orange Grove.
JAMES “TY” FAWLEY was promoted to vice president of Vendor Management at EMC Mortgage Corporation, a subsidiary of Bear Stearns Company. He resides in Richardson with his wife Stacey.
CONNIE (STAGE) MUSANTE married Gary Musante in July of 2003. They reside in Brockport, N.Y. and have two adult sons.
The Home Builders Association of Greater Austin presented long-time member and past president WES PEOPLES with its highest honor, the “Distinguished Excellence Award.” Wes has been in the home building industry since 1978, serving as Division President of NPC Houston and vice president of Midwest U.S. Operations for Ryan Homes. He was a founding partner of Wilshire Homes and later became Austin Division president of Hammonds Homes. In 2002 he was named Austin Division president for Meritage Corporation that builds homes under the Hammonds, Legacy and Monterey brands. He and his wife, KAREN (HOLMAN) PEOPLES, have three children: Max, Kate, and Jackson.
Back to top| 1979 |
ROGER BUCHHORN began working as manager of the accounting services group at Padgett Strateman accounting firm in San Antonio in March 2006.
FERNANDO RAMIREZ was elected to the Sharyland ISD school board. He resides in McAllen.
Back to top| 1981 |
With more than 20 years of experience in a variety of executive healthcare positions in Texas, last July DENNIS PULLIN became chief operating officer for Washington Hospital Center, the largest private, not-for-profit hospital in the nation’s capital. Pullin holds a master’s degree from Texas A & M and has written numerous articles and edited several sports medicine magazines.
Back to top| 1984 |
MARK RUSSELL, Grange Insurance vice president and chief administrative officer, has been named chairman of the board of Governors for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to preventing, detecting, and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft. Mark holds an M.B.A. from Ashland University and his accreditations include Charter Property Underwriter (CPCU), Associate in Risk Management (ARM), and Casualty Claim Law Associate (CCLA). He and his wife, Lori, reside in Dublin, Ohio where he serves on the boards of the Community Shelter and the Ronald McDonald House.
Back to top| 1985 |
VERNA ESCHENFELDER completed her Ph.D. in August of 2005, and she now is an occupational therapist at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. She is a neonatal intensive care specialist with current research focus in the area of neonatal feeding and premature infants.
GRACE (GERHART) KUNDE was installed as the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority director for Guadalupe County. Her term will run through Feb. 1, 2009.
Back to top| 1986 |
BRIAN WALENTA completed his Ph.D. in instructional management in December of 2004. He was also promoted to the rank of major in the Texas State Guard in May of 2005. He resides in League City.
Back to top| 1988 |
ELIZABETH JORDAN accepted the position of director of music at First Lutheran Church, Richmond Beach, Wash. She began working there in August after moving from New York City where she had lived and worked as a composer for 15 years.
Back to top| 1989 |
JIMMIE BARRETT is the first vice president of the Court Officers & Deputies Association and will become the president of CODA in the coming year. He is currently the county security supervisor, managing a staff of 25 deputies with the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office. He has been working with the Commonwealth of Virginia to establish state guidelines for security in the state court system.
TODD DELLER and his wife, Debbie, finalized the adoption of Marc (12 years old) and Cheyenne (9 years old) in February 2006. In April, Todd started his new position as assistant controller for The Beck Group, a construction, architecture and real estate developer in Dallas.
MARY (RIEDER) REIDENBACH and her husband Paul announce the birth of their son Kenneth on July 22, 2005. They reside in Northport, N.Y.
DAVID and JESSICA (GAYTAN) ‘95 SZYMANSKI live in Ruston, La. with their two children, Dawson, 3, and Justin, 1.
Back to top| 1992 |
DEREK FARLEY and his wife, Robin, announce the birth of their daughter, Cameron Reese, on July 31, 2006. Cameron has twin older brothers, Jack Paul and Nicholas Dukes. The Farleys reside in Oak Point.
MICHAEL HUBER, M.D. is in private practice in Lukfin. He and his wife, Stephanie, have two children: Jarrett, 6 and Emily Grace, 3.
Back to top| 1993 |
J.P. GREGORIEW was named the “2006 Allen ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year.” He teaches theatre arts at the Lowery Freshmen Center in Allen. His wife, Kelley, is an algebra teacher and the head volleyball coach for Allen High School. They have an 8-year old daughter, Kylie.
Back to top| 1994 |
JENNIFER (GIESBER) HOXIE became a third grade teacher at Vogel Elementary School in Seguin ISD after completing the Alternative Certification Program at TLU. She and her husband, Rory, also have a 5-year old son named Alex. They reside in San Antonio.
Back to top| 1995 |
STEVEN LUTZ took the position of assistant men’s basketball coach at Southern Methodist University after serving in the same capacity at Stephen F. Austin University for the past six years.
Back to top| 1996 |
KATHRYN (SHARP) BARRIENTES completed her masters of science in taxation at the University of Texas at Arlington in December 2005. She has accepted the position of vice president of income tax at Harry and David Operations in Medford, Ore.
SONJIA (BROWN) FRITZ married Evan Ralph on July 15, 2006 in Buda. The couple resides in San Angelo.
ERIC GILBERTSON received his Ph.D. in philosophy in May 2006 from Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University. He now teaches at Lewis & Clark College and the University of Portland.
CHRISTOPHER ‘95 and ALLISON (ALBRIGHT) GORREBEECK were married on June18, 2006 and moved to Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Christopher received his M.B.A. in May 2005 and Allison was promoted to major in the USAF in June.
JENNIFER (GAARDER) SKINNER and her husband, Thomas, announce the birth of their daughter, Grace Kelley, on Jan. 19, 2006. The family resides in Spring.
Back to top| 1997 |
MICHAEL MOYER completed his Ph.D. in counseling and educational psychology in December of 2005 from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He and his wife, ALYSON (SHUFELT) ’99, have moved to San Antonio where Michael accepted a faculty position in the counseling program at UTSA.
CHELLE (LAGOSKI) NORTHCUTT and her husband, Joshua, announce the adoption of 22-month old Michael Carter on June 29. Just 24 hours later, she married Joshua. The family lives in the Houston area.
ADRIENNE (JOBE) QUIRE and her husband, Michael, announce the birth of their first child, Andrew Michael, on Nov. 26, 2005. The family resides in Kyle.
Back to top| 1998 |
KATHRYN (PFEIFFER) ANDERSON and BOB ANDERSON announce the birth of their first child, Owen William, on June 20, 2006.
SARAH (PITNER) YOUNG and her husband, David, announce the birth of their second child, Nathan Westley, on May 10, 2006. Sarah is taking a break to stay at home with the boys, and David is in the Navy. They are in Norfolk, Va.
BETHANY ERICSON graduated from the University of Queensland in Australia with her master’s degree in international studies, peace and conflict resolution. She relocated to Quito, Ecuador and helped a local nongovernmental agency, CENIT, write a grant proposal. CENIT helps uneducated women and their children, encouraging education, proper health habits, and job skills. In June 2006 she arrived in Sri Lanka and is living in the capital city, Colombo, where she works for Norwegian Peoples Aid. Part of her work concerns land mines and part is working with other non-governmental agencies doing relief work for those hard hit by the tsunami.
Back to top| 1999 |
AMBER (MILLS) BAUMANN married Jarrod Baumann on June 24, 2006 at Second Baptist Church in Houston. SHANNON (WAGNER) ROHLFING was the matron of honor.
BETHANY (FRITZ) GRISSOM and her husband, Russ, announce the birth of their second child, Melaina Sharon, on May 16, 2006. They reside in New Braunfels.
ALYSON (KRIPPNER) and KOREY KIRCHNER ’98 celebrated the birth of their daughter, Madison Paige, on March 31, 2006. ALYSON received her master’s degree from UTHSCSA and will complete a residency in obstetrics and gynecology in San Antonio.
TYLER and BRIANNA (JACKSON) MARVIN moved to Des Moines, Iowa where Tyler is running the offices for TEK Systems, the computer consulting company where he has worked since graduation.
SHANNON (WAGNER) and MARK ROHLFING celebrated the birth of their daughter, Abigail Marie, on April 14, 2006. The family resides in Houston.
Back to top| 2000 |
SARAH (JESKE) and LUCAS LAND ’01 announce the birth of their son, Asher Jeffrey, born on May 24, 2006. Sarah is in her fourth year teaching elementary music in the Killeen ISD. Lucas is in his second year at Truett Theological Seminary in Waco. They reside in Copperas Cove.
JENNIFER (BUCHANAN) PRINCE and her husband, Chad, welcomed their first child, Connor Chadwick, on Dec. 23, 2005.
Back to top| 2001 |
JILYN (CHANDLER) OLIVEIRA received her master’s degree in education in July 2005 and is near completion of her doctorate in education from the University of Montana. She and her husband currently reside in Helena, Mont.
Back to top| 2002 |
DANE BOYLE, director of the Guadalupe Regional Wellness Center, was named “Business Leader of the Week” by the American Bank of Texas. He is married to Beth and they have three children, Kayla, Greg and Kevin. They reside in Seguin.
LISA HUMPHREYS graduated in May 2006 with a master’s degree in human services with a counseling emphasis. She currently works in Comal ISD as a counselor/social worker at the elementary school level.
WES KOLLE accepted the position of head baseball coach in Yorktown. He currently resides in Victoria with his wife, Jessica.
JENNIFER (CICCO) LAYTON and her husband, Bryan, announce the birth of their daughter, Natalie Ann, born on March 20. They reside in Chester, Va.
RYAN LOYD and SARAH LONNEVIK were united in marriage June 3, 2006 at the Chapel of the Abiding Presence at Texas Lutheran by campus pastor Rev. Greg Ronning. The couple met in Langner Hall during their freshman orientation in 1998. The couple resides in San Antonio.
CHRISTINA (LORENZ) QUINTANILLA and her husband, Joel, a current TLU student, announce the birth of their first child, Addison Grace, on June 22, 2006.
MELISSA (BAKKEN) TRAINER married Edwin Trainer on May 13, 2006 at the Cypress Chateau in Cypress. They reside in Houston.
Back to top| 2003 |
LAUREN DOW is a student at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, S.C., with plans to earn a masters of divinity degree.
KARI (CORDER) PASTRANO married Jason Michael Pastrano on April 8, 2006 at the Doubletree Hotel in San Antonio. They reside in Converse. Kari is pursuing her M.B.A. at the University of Phoenix.
JASON SENDELBACH married KIRSTEN (ROGERS) SENDELBACH on June 17, 2006 in Florida. He is a technology assistant at Wheeling High School in Chicago. Kirsten works for the McLeuhan County Youth Collaboration. The couple resides in Hawthorn Woods, Ill.
Back to top| 2004 |
CHRISTOPHER DYE married Brittany Wilson on June 24, 2006 in Atlanta, Ga. He received his masters of music degree in May from Columbus State University and now lives in Lubbock where he is a band director at Frenship Middle School.
JEFF ERICKSON and the rest of the personal training staff at Fitness Together in College Station were voted “Best in the Brazos Valley.”
BRIAN HALLETT and JENNIFER (WEISE) HALLETT were married on June 10, 2006. They live in San Antonio.
ERIN (SPESSARD) HILL married David Hill in June of 2005 at TLU. Erin works as a children’s ministry assistant at Central Baptist Church. They reside in Bryan.
Back to top| 2005 |
AMANDA (WITTENBURG) and JAKE COMPTON were married on July 23, 2005 in Edna. Amanda and Jake are currently pursuing master’s degrees in exercise science from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.
There are now three recent TLU graduates working at the San Antonio Greater Chamber of Commerce. LORI DEVER is departmental assistant for public affairs, BRYNN SALT is the director of publications, and THERESA COOK ’06 is assistant vice president of public affairs.
Since graduation, TRAVIS HAWKINS has worked for KSNT 27 News in Topeka, Kan. In a year and a half he has quickly moved up from running audio to camera operator, editor, newscast director, and is now the station’s lead director, working on the evening news.
After 20 years in the Air Force, PAT MURPHY and his wife, Jeanna, are the new owners of Computer Link. They reside in Schertz.
KATIE (MEYER) and ADAM SARGENT ’03 were married on June 17, 2006 in Pflugerville. The couple resides in Seguin.
MELISSA (WICK) TROST married Joel Trost on Sept. 2, 2006 at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Seguin. The couple resides in Granbury.
Back to top| 2006 |
ERICA (BECK) LEU married Aaron Ta-tsung Leu at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Plano on June 3, 2006. The couple resides in Austin.
KELLY RABON is working as a news reporter for WLOX. She is currently reporting in the Gulf Coast, and resides in Pascagoula, Miss.
JENNA WALKER is an assistant producer on the “San Antonio Living Show” on WOAI-TV.
Back to top| In Memoriam |
1930s
OLETA (SCHULTZ) DOSSMAN ’30 passed away Sept. 9, 2006 at the age of 95. She was an avid reader, seamstress, needle and handworker, and enjoyed quilting perhaps most of all. She produced many quilts used and treasured by her family.
CHRISTIAN WILLIAM PFLUGER JR. ’34 passed away June 29, 2006 at his Coupland home at the age of 90. After the death of his father in 1944, Bill went to work at Coupland State Bank, founded in 1905 by a group which included his father. At the first directors’ meeting, Bill Pfluger was elected president of the bank and remained in that position for the next 43 years. Even after his retirement in 1987, he continued to be very active in the bank, serving on the Board of Directors for many years.
1940s
ERWIN FORSHAGE ’48 died on Sept. 3, 2006 in San Antonio at the age of 81. He was in the accounting profession and was Seguin’s first practicing CPA.
TED R. KRUEGER ’43 of Austin passed away on July 30, 2006 at the age of 82. He was employed by the Texas Highway Department until his retirement in 1986 at which time he had 40 years of service.
A. EARL MGEBROFF, M.D. ’45 of Yoakum, passed away May 27, 2006 at the age of 79. He was a TLU regent emeritus and recepient of the TLU Distinguished Church Service Award.
DORIS (SMITH) WILLIAMS ’40 of Seguin died June 8, 2006 at the age of 85.
STANLEY LEE WEISS ’48 passed away Aug. 10, 2006 at the age of 80. He worked as a clothier and tailor for 30 years in Killeen where he owned Stanley Weiss Men’s Store, Mark’s Army Store, an appliance repair store and several apartment buildings. At an age when many consider retirement, Stanley became a stockbroker for A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc., where he worked until finally retiring some two decades later.
1950s
NORMA (WIEGMANN) TAYLOR ’55,
passed away Aug. 9, 2006 at the age of 77. She taught in San Antonio’s Northeast Independent School District for 33 years. She was a teacher at Coker, Wilshire and Jackson Keller elementary schools.
1960s
BERNARD LEITER ’66 died Friday, July 28, 2006, in Seguin. A graduate of Texas Lutheran, Bernie recently retired as senior buyer for The University of Texas at San Antonio.
1970s
RICHARD T. KIRK ’73 passed away at the age of 62 on May 20, 2006. He worked for the Internal Revenue Service where he served as a senior excise/employment tax specialist, teacher, coach and mentor, and retired in 2000 after 27 years of service. Richard was a co-owner of a real estate company in Austin from 1988 until 1997.
DORCAS STROECK ’78 died Sept. 6, 2005 after a long and lingering illness. She lived in San Antonio.
RICKY WIGINTON ’78 passed away May 10, 2006 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Back to top