SUSAN SMITH BUDDEKE, vice president of marketing at the ABC television affiliate in Houston, KTRK-TV, received a Star Award from American Women in Radio and TV in the category of Marketing/Promotions/Community Affairs Director.
RUEBEN and MARY GOODMAN WALTER ’69 welcomed their first grandchild, Mae Ann Slagle, on May 30 in St. Louis. Rueben is a professor of chemistry at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, after retiring as dean last year. Mary retired from the biology department at Tarleton in 2003.
Back to top JENNIE BERKMAN BOATMAN of Round Rock and her husband, Joe, work with returning Iraqi veterans and their families. Jennie earned her masters of science in social work and was a statewide trainer for the state of Texas until her retirement. She has volunteered for the Hotline for Help in Austin since 1967. Jennie and Joe have been married for 37 years and have two grown sons.
Back to top STEPHEN T. WENDEL married Elizabeth A. Pipkin on June 21 in San Antonio. His daughter, KIMBERLY WENDEL CHANLER ’02, was also part of the ceremony. He is vice president for Abraxas Petroleum Corporation in San Antonio.
Back to top MARCIA KALTWASSER PALT has accepted the position of curriculum facilitator for El Campo High School. Her husband, Ray Palt, retired from teaching last year.
Back to top CHARLES INGERSOLL retired after 33 years of teaching at Marion Middle School. He now works part time as a credit analyst for Lack’s Home Furnishings in New Braunfels. He is a member of the Texas Association of Sports Officiating and is in his 37th year as a basketball official. He and his wife live in Seguin.
Back to top THE REV. JOHN T. PLESS, assistant professor of pastoral ministry and missions at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. was elected co-president of the International Wilhelm Löhe Society meeting on July 26 in Neuendettelsau, Germany.
Back to top SISTER SUSAN DICKEY, O.P. accepted a new position as director of Mission Integration, St. Dominic Health Services in Jackson, Miss.
JOHN T. HICKEY and PATY ESPARZA ’79 were married on June 7 at the Little Church of La Villita in San Antonio. The couple resides in Galveston.
Following 25 years in private law practice, STEVE PORTER has accepted a career appointment to the federal government’s Senior Executive Service and will serve in the General Counsel’s Office of the United States Department of Energy. RENEE FOWLER PORTER ’76 has completed 15 years of teaching Bible Study Fellowship. Steve and Renee will reside in Alexandria, Va.
Back to top VICKI WEHMEYER has been named superintendent of the Stockdale Independent School District. She had served as assistant superintendent there since 1992.
Back to top RANDY MOORE has been named president of EaglePicher Technologies in Joplin, Mo. EaglePicher produces batteries and energetic devices for the defense, space and commercial industries. Moore has 27 years of senior operating, defense and global experience and, most recently, was president of the Surveillance Systems Group at Axsys Technologies. A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Moore served in various capacities including contracting officer in the Office of Scientific Research and as a special agent in a counterintelligence capacity for the Office of Special Investigations. He earned his MBA from Southern Illinois University.
Back to top LAWRENCE I. BONDS, Ph.D., assistant professor of English at McMurry College, delivered a paper entitled, “The Merry Devil of Edmonton: English Faustus,” before the Marlowe Society of America in Canterbury, England.
Back to top ELLEN BRUNNER SACCONE and her family live in Spring Lake, Mich. Her husband, Phillip, works for Gerber Life Insurance in Freemont.
Back to top JEFF and RUTH ESPINOSA RUSSELL recently moved to California from England where Jeff has just been appointed assistant professor of dance science at the University of California at Irvine. He will defend his Ph.D. dissertation this fall at the University of Wolverhampton (England) on the topic of anatomy and biomechanics of the ankle and foot in classical ballet.
Dr. CAROL KLAGES SATHER was granted tenure and promoted to assistant professor at the University of Houston in Victoria. She is the chair of the undergraduate education department and the certification officer.
DAVE SATHER was appointed to the board of directors of Business Bank of Texas, N.A. in Austin. He is president of Sather Financial Group in Victoria where he lives with his wife, CAROL KLAGES SATHER.
Back to top REV. KARL BIERMANN was elected chair of the ELCA Southwestern Texas Synod Commission for Communications at the Synod’s May 2008 assembly. Karl, a freelance writer, was featured as the lead writer of the 2008 Stories of Faith in Action ELCA stewardship resource. He serves as pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Bandera, near San Antonio. Karl and his wife, Lana, have a daughter, Kendall, 4; and a son, Erich, 18 months.
Back to top CAPT. NOAH STEINBERG completed Ranger School July 3 at Fort Benning, Ga. The 61-day course develops leadership and combat arms skills under arduous training conditions. Noah is the physician assistant for the Mountain Phase of Ranger School at Camp Merrill in Dahlonega, Ga. He and his wife, MICHELLE DRIGGERS STEINBERG, live in Dahlonega with their children, Rachel and Adam.
Back to top MONICA CARSON, CPA, has joined the Ginac Group in Austin as professional career architect where she provides clients with career development services. She is a recent graduate of the National Society of Career Management’s career coaching program.
Back to top TAYLOR CALLAGHAN CARLETON is the new director of alumni relations at TLU. She, her husband, Mitch, and son, Luke Ayers, live in Seguin.
JULIE GAINES and TERRY NORMAN were married in Houston in the fall of 2006.
HILLARY ROBISON STALEY welcomed her son Pierce Martin Staley in June 2007. The family lives in Grapevine.
Back to top TIM BARR and his family have relocated to Seguin from Houston where he has been named director of TLU’s Jon and Sandra Moline Center for Servant Leadership.
REBECCA REINHARDT RAUTIO and her husband, Kaarle, welcomed their first daughter Emmi Kaarina Rautio, born April 2.
ANDREA SAGEBIEL TAYLOR is in sales at the Scooter Store in New Braunfels. She and her husband GARY TAYLOR ’95 have two children: Cori, 5, and Cole, 7.
Back to top ROSANNE GAIDA GREEN accepted a new position with Southwest Securities Group, Inc. as the retail administrative manager for the financial services and private client group divisions.
Back to top GEOFF ELDRIDGE received a doctor of philosophy in inorganic chemistry from the University of Tennessee College of Arts and Sciences on May 18. He has accepted a position with the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in Patuxent River, Md. as a civilian chemist and will relocate to Maryland with his daughter, Leanna.
NICOLYN ("NICKI") HARRIS has accepted a commercial litigation position at Richie & Guerringer, P.C. in San Antonio.
Back to top JACK "RONNIE" THOMAS JR. is serving in Iraq with the 18th Military Police Brigade in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 2007-2009. He is serving as the Brigade CSM’s (Command Sergeant Major) Personal Security NCO.
Back to top MATT BROCK and Brianna Morris were married in San Marcos on June 6.
RACHEL FRY has earned a Master of Music degree in vocal performance from Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. She is auditioning for young artist programs in regional opera companies.
DUSTIN WYATT and his wife, LINDSEY HAHN WYATT ’07 are living in New Braunfels. Dustin is in graduate school at Texas A&M and in his third year teaching science and coaching tennis at Seguin High School.
Back to top BRAD LAMBERT and PATTI HANK were married on July 26 at New Hope Lutheran Church in Sugar Land.
DIANA TOMAS and JOHN LOFTIS ‘05 were married in Round Rock on July 26.
SUZANNE WALKER and ADAM BRAATEN were married on July 5 in Austin. Suzanne is currently teaching second grade in the Northside ISD in San Antonio. Adam is a second year law student at St. Mary’s University.
Back to top DIANE BLACKERBY and Steve Helmer were married on Jan. 5 in Corpus Christi.
BLAKE SADLER works as a marketer and community educator for Altus Harbor Hospice in Houston.
Back to top MEGAN BURNETT married Nicholas Doherty on July 19. AIDA DEL MORAL is the new marketing and communications assistant at Texas Lutheran University.
RUDY FERNANDEZ has assumed the position of assistant men’s basketball coach at TLU.
ASHLEY MARTINEZ is working as an internal auditor for KCI in San Antonio.
ALECIA McKEE is a new admissions representative for TLU. She will be responsible for prospective students in the Houston region.
ALICE SCHNELLE and WIL BASSETT ’07 were married June 6. Alice is the marketing communications specialist for the Texas A&M Foundation.
ALLISON SEAMS and MARCUS ALSUP were married May 24. The couple lives in Austin where Marcus works for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Allison is working on her teaching certification for high school math at Texas State.
SHAUN WASHINGTON and TARA SEIDER were married in Menomonee Falls, Wis. on Aug. 16.
Back to top 1920s
LINDEN NORINE ANDERSON ’25 of New Braunfels died April 26 at the age of 100. She worked as a teacher early in her career and then became recreation supervisor for the Red Cross where she worked throughout the world.
EARLEY REGINA HOLMBERG MAGNUSON ’28 of Austin died April 5. She was dedicated to teaching and was a member of Gethsemane Lutheran Church for 62 years.
1930s
JESSIE CAROLYN BROWN ’38 died May 13 in San Antonio. She served on the TLU Development Board. She and her husband will be remembered for their generous spirit.
1940s
ADELE PFITSCH HAMILTON ’41 died May 28 in Birmingham, Ala. After graduating from Texas Lutheran, she graduated from the University of Texas and John's Hopkins University.
1950s
AGNES Fey HOLT ’55 died May 8 in Yorktown, Texas. She was a member of the New Life Fellowship Church, P.E.O. Women's Organization, Gideon's Auxiliary and the Kairos Prison Ministry.
PASTOR RUDY A. KELLING ’53 of Brenham died May 14. He served congregations in Edinburg, Pasadena, Temple and Brenham.
MARY ANN STICE ’58 of Midland died June 7. She served as organist and choir director for Midland Lutheran Church for 43 years and taught kindergarten in several Midland church schools.
DOROTHY MARIE TSCHOEPE ’52 of Corpus Christi died June 20. She was 77.
THE REV. DR. AUGUST EMIL WENZEL ’57 died May 5 in San Antonio. He was campus pastor and an assistant professor of theology at TLU, and in 1978 he became bishop of the Southern District of the American Lutheran Church. He served as director of the Lutheran Seminary in Austin from 1990 until he retired in 2001.
DON WILLIAMS ’55 died July 24. He was a public school administrator and an adjunct English professor. He was active in his church where he served as director of Jubilation Ringers, was a choir member, and taught Sunday school.
1960s
BEN FARRELL BEHRENS ’62, a resident of Leander and San Saba, died April 29 at the VA Hospital in Temple.
JIM DAVIS ’69 died May 26 in San Antonio. He worked for the Devine ISD for 23 years and retired as superintendent in 2005. He was a member of the First Methodist Church and the Lions Club.
DR. BEVERLY JEAN MISCHER ’60 died May 30 in Pacific Palisades, Calif. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in 1989 and taught communications.
DR. KURT STUEMER POEHLMANN ’60 died April 20 in El Paso. He practiced medicine in Fredericksburg, Dalhart, Ennis, Comanche, and Kinsely, Kan.
MARY SPREEN ’60 died in San Antonio on July 17. She taught school for 32 years and was an active member of Hope Lutheran Church for 45 years.
CAROL SCOTT SPRINGS ’60 died June 5. She taught school in Seguin for 29 years and was active in the PTA, AWBA, Miss South Texas Pageant and the Red Hat Society.
1970s
JOHNNY TURNER ’75, a member of TLU’s first national championship football team, died May 3 in San Antonio.
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