JIM LINDEMANN was recognized for his many years of volunteer service to the hospital district board and the Bellville Hospital Authority on May 24, 2007.
Back to top On May 25, 2007, the faculty of Kate Bell Elementary in Houston held a retirement luncheon to honor VIRGINIA “JINI” BLALOCK who retired from Houston ISD after 39 years. She served as the school’s librarian for the last 21 years. She was a classroom teacher before obtaining her master’s degree in library science and becoming a school librarian.
Back to top TOM KROHN and JILL (ZUNKER) KROHN ‘69 announce the birth of their seventh grandchild, Brooke Albracht, born on May 31, 2007. Tom is an optometrist in Seguin, and Jill is a retired teacher.
Back to top DR. MARY (NAGEL) LEIDA has been appointed dean of advising and associate dean of students at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa.
Todd and DANA (LARSON) SCHOLER announce the birth of their first grandchild, Ava Elliott, on May 24, 2007. The proud aunt is ASHLEY SCHOLER ‘05.
Back to top DR. MIRIAM (HAMILTON) BELLIS and her family have relocated from Miami to Birmingham, Ala. where she and her husband are teaching in the English department at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Back to top ROY CARRIZALES and his wife, Nancy, recently moved back to Austin. In 1993, they moved to New Mexico and later to Illinois for career reasons, and have decided it is now time to "come home."
HILTON CHANCELLOR is attending The University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs in Austin.
Back to top DR. LORI (ELLEFSON) BADE has been promoted to the rank of professor in the College of Music and Dramatic Arts at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. In addition, she has been appointed interim director of graduate studies for the School of Music and continues to serve as area coordinator for voice. She maintains an active performing career in opera and oratorio, including recent performances with the Mobile and New Orleans Opera companies as well as mezzo soprano soloist with the Austin Symphony Orchestra and the Canterbury Choral Society/Oklahoma City Philharmonic. As visiting professor of voice, Dr. Bade has taught in Salzburg, Austria as well as Rio de Janeiro and Terasina, Brazil. She and her 15-year old son, Michael, live in Baton Rouge.
JEAN (BERGSTRAESSER) LILLEY is the director of marketing and membership for the Hawaii Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations.
Back to top REV. JEFF LILLEY accepted a call to serve the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Back to top After being a stay-at-home mom for 19 years, KATHLEEN (WILFONG) CARLSON now works as an early childhood screening RN. She and her husband have two daughters: Kirsten, 19, and Kimberlee, 16. In addition to work, Kathleen also volunteers at the schools and at church.
Back to top TAJ (OLIVER) BROWN has five children: Jonathan 16, Emily 14, Elisabeth 12, Josiah 10 and Daniel 8. Taj is in her eighth year battling cancer and appreciates hearing from alumni and faculty. Her Web site is www.caringbridge.org/tx/tajbrown.
ANDREW MORGAN and his wife, Jennifer, announce the birth of their daughter, Isabelle, born on Sept. 4, 2007.
Back to top LISA (LABBERTON) GARDNER reports the sudden death of her husband, James, Sept. 5, 2007. We ask that you keep Lisa and her daughters, Elizabeth and Emily, in your prayers.
ROLF HERMANSON married Deana Rambo on Aug. 11, 2007 in an outdoor setting in Carbondale, Colo. There were eight other Texas Lutheran alumni there along with their families to help Rolf and Deana celebrate their marriage. Rolf, Deana and her two children (Tyler, 13, and Ryan, 10) live in Glenwood Springs, Colo. where Rolf works for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
Back to top HEATH DILLARD has been named emergency department director of McCune Brooks Hospital in Carthage, Missouri.
DENISE (BENAVIDEZ) PROCHAZKA began her fourth year at Rice Consolidated ISD last fall, where she teaches sixth and eighth grade math at Eagle Lake Junior High. Denise and her husband, Stan, have been married for over 17 years and have three sons, Ben, 14; Andrew, 12; and Joey, 8. The family resides in El Campo.
RICHARD and KATIE (McCLUSKY) ‘88 STAUDT have relocated to Payson, Ariz. with their son, Michael, 5. Richard is a lead senior occupational therapist and continues to instruct myofascial release seminars.
Back to top TODD HENKE and his wife, Michelle, announce the birth of Allyson Michell, born April 5, 2007 in Cypress. She joins her three brothers Logan, Cameron and Joel.
Back to top DR. KEVIN GALLAGHER, his wife, Cindy, and their two children, Jack, 5, and Ryann, 18 months, moved to Fredericksburg in July 2007. After finishing his cardiology fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, Kevin accepted a position with Austin Heart and will practice in Fredericksburg.
Back to top MICHELE and BRYAN DZIADIK-WILLINGHAM ’92 announce the birth of their first child, Brielle Grace, on May 7, 2007. The family resides in Stillwater, Okla., where Michele is employed by Oklahoma State University.
WHITNEY LYNN THURMAN married John Taylor Cargill on March 31, 2007 in Las Vegas. The couple resides in Wimberly on the Blanco River.
SARA (CUDLY) VOGLER and her husband, Blake, announce the birth of their son, Chase Jameson, born Oct. 21, 2006. Chase was welcomed home by sisters Hallie, 6, and Nicole, 3. The family resides in the Dallas suburb of Allen.
Back to top RAUL GARCIA III was commissioned as an Associate in Ministry (AIM) in the ELCA at Lord of Life Lutheran Church on Nov. 10, 2007. Raul is the only Mexican-American male AIM in the ELCA.
Christopher and MICHELLE (GRANTHAM) SAMPLE welcome their first child, Amy Justine, born on March 8, 2007. The family resides in Schertz.
Back to top MOLLY THORESON and her husband, Kevin Seale, announce the birth of their son, Blaise Truett Seale, on June 20, 2007. The family lives in Nashville.
Back to top CATHERINE McBRIDE has been teaching and coaching for 10 years. Currently, she teaches high school mathematics and is the head softball coach and assistant volleyball coach at San Marcos High School. In her six years at the school, the softball team has been to the second round of the playoffs three times (area finalists), and the first round once (bi-district finalists).
Back to top CHRIS ELLEY was nominated for an Emmy Award for his film “Barbecue: A Texas Love Story” narrated by the late Governor Ann Richards. The film is available through Netflix and various retail locations around the world. His film “Ghost Town: 24 Hours in Terlingua” has been accepted into several film festivals, winning Best Documentary Awards at Thin Line Film Festival, Chicago International Reel Shorts Film Festival, and Seguin Film Festival. He was honored with the first Outstanding Alumnus Award presented by the Graduate School of Communication at Texas State University. As such, he will be the inaugural member of the school’s new Hall of Fame exhibit. Chris is currently producing a series of short documentaries dealing with tourism in Virginia while also producing two feature-length documentaries that are shooting across the U.S. His partner in Electro-Fish Media LLC is his wife Cile Spelce, an Emmy Award winning producer.
Bristol and WHITNEY (DAUM) MYERS announce the birth of their son, Archer Thomas, born on May 8, 2007. The family resides in Austin.
CHRIS OGBURN recently attained his Fellowship in the Society of Actuaries (FSA). He works at USAA Life Insurance Company in San Antonio as an actuarial manager over annuity and health insurance product development. Chris and his wife, Michelle, live in Helotes.
ADDIE (FRETS) REED and Bryan Reed announce the birth of Julia Adeline, born April 15, 2007. She is greeted by her brother, Jackson, 2.
Back to top Roy and AMY (GRUNWALD) LOHSE announce the birth of their daughter, Brooke Ashlyn, born Nov. 24, 2006. Brooke’s sister, Whitney Kate, is three years old. The family resides at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, but plans to move back to Texas in 2008.
Paul and SUZANNE (HALL) SEALEY announce the birth of their son, Ian William Sealey, born July 4, 2007. The family resides in College Station.
BRENT WILLIAMS ‘97 and MADDIE (KLASING) WILLIAMS announce the birth of their twins, born March 2, 2007. Their son is Tate Lee and their daughter is Tagan Maureen. They also have a three-year old son, Trent Lee. Brent and Maddie coach and teach at Klein Collins High School. The family resides in Houston.
Back to top Alisha and SEAN BYRNE were married June 24, 2006 near Washington D.C. where they live.
MARK DURFEE is teaching in the Belton ISD.
BEVERLY HARTZENDORF and Justin Bauer were married on Nov 10, 2007 in Mexico.
LESLIE JEAN-PIERRE and Sean Dinwoodie were married on Aug. 26, 2006 in San Antonio. Leslie passed the California Bar Exam and is currently practicing law in Los Angeles.
VICKY (ETHEREDGE) MASTERSON has two children, Dylan Michael, 9, and Kelsey Victoria, born Dec. 8, 2006.
LORI THOMAS and Michael Darchicourt were married April 14, 2007 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in San Antonio. The couple lives and works in San Antonio.
Back to top KARL KRUEGER completed his Ph.D. in chemistry at Rice University in May. His original research focused on nanotechnology. Karl resides in Houston.
AUSTIN LATOUR and his wife, Marisa, welcome their new child, Caleb Daniel, born July 19, 2006.
Back to top JACOB and RACHEL DELL have two daughters: Carolyn Anna, 3, and Abigail Ellen, 2. The family resides in San Antonio.
NECIE (BUTLER) GREEN received a master’s degree in arts in journalism from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va. in May 2007. She and her family now reside in Houston.
Luke and ANDREA ROSKE-METCALFE were married in August 2006 in St. Paul, Minn. The couple moved back to the Chicago area in the fall where Luke is finishing his final year of seminary and Andrea is completing her parish internship.
Chinelle and JIMMIE SPEARS were married on April 7, 2007.
JACK “RONNIE” THOMAS JR. is a military policeman attached to the 18th MP Brigade in Mannheim, Germany. He was recently promoted to the rank of sergeant and was deployed to Camp Victory, Iraq in early October 2007.
CAROLYN (DAHSE) WALLACE graduated from South Texas College of Law in Houston as the valedictorian on May 19, 2007. She accepted a position with Baker Botts LLP as an associate attorney.
LUCAS WRIGHT graduated with a master’s degree in business administration on Dec. 16, 2006.
Back to top KELLY (CLAIRE) BUNDICK graduated from The University of Texas College of Pharmacy as president of her class with a doctorate of pharmacy degree in May. She will be a pharmacist at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin.
AMY CANON and MASON ALVES were married June 16, 2007 in San Antonio at the Chapel of the Incarnate Word. The couple resides in San Antonio.
BRANDON CHANCE and Amanda Greenwood were married recently in Conroe. The wedding party included GREG WILLIAMS, CHRIS KNOWLTON, and STEPHEN McCONNELL ‘04. The couple is working overseas at Texas A&M at Qatar.
DANA (GOTTSMAN) and JOHN LARAMORE were married on June 29, 2007. Dana teaches third grade in the Northeast ISD in San Antonio.
JUSTIN KRUEGER and Emily Williams were married on July 9, 2007 in Corpus Christi. Members of the wedding party included JEFF KRUEGER ‘05, JOHN GROUNDS ‘04, BRANDON SEHLKE, DEEDEE (OWENS) LILLIE, and ANDREW VINYARD. Justin works at Anderson-Shiro CISD. The couple resides in Anderson, Texas.
JAMES MULLINS is currently serving in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
KARISSA (RIGGS) SANSOME and her husband, Alan, announce the birth of their daughter Meghan Reilly, on Nov. 15, 2006. The family resides in San Antonio.
COLLEEN SARGENT married Sridhar Reddy on May 26, 2007 on a mountainside near Lake Tahoe. The couple lives in Austin.
SCOTT and MIRIAM (MALINSKI) ’04 SEELY moved to Ambridge, Pa. to attend Trinity School for Ministry. Scott is pursuing a master of divinity degree while Miriam is pursuing a master of arts degree in mission and evangelism.
Back to top Bernie and BRANDI (DUBLE) ACOSTA and their children Skyler Madison and Shanne Brennan live in Lakewood, Colorado where Brandi works at the Lutheran Church of the Master, and Bernie is stationed at Buckley Air Force Base.
AMY GAWLIK graduated from St. Edward’s University in May 2007 with a master’s degree in liberal arts. Amy currently resides in Austin and works as the marketing coordinator for Zebra Imaging, Inc.
MATT GREGORY graduated from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology with a master’s degree in theological studies on May 14, 2007.
NICOLE NEULS married Jason Dieter on Oct. 6, 2007 in Austin. The couple resides in Plano where Nicole currently teaches third grade.
JESSICA RODERIQUE and Todd Haney were married on June 17, 2007. They reside in Lago Vista, northwest of Austin.
Back to top MEGAN FIELDEN married Randall Gene Lingo Jr. on June 2, 2007 in St. Hedwig. AMY LAMONY was the maid of honor. The couple now resides in La Vernia.
TRAVIS HAWKINS is the news director for KSNT 27 News, an NBC affiliate in northeastern Kansas. He directs the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts and special events.
SARAH (WILCOX) and JONATHAN McDANIEL announce the birth of their son, Landon Elijah, on Oct. 12, 2007.
DIANNE LAUT and Dustin Ellison were married Nov. 10, 2007 at First Lutheran Church in Galveston. Dianne finished her A.A. degree in Veterinary Technology from Cedar Valley College in Lancaster in May 2007. She is employed as a registered veterinary technician at the Sandy Lake Animal Hospital in Coppell. Dustin is employed by TDAmeritrade. They reside in Lewisville.
Back to top JOSH ADKINSON and KATIE HAVERLAH were married on June 9, 2007 in Seguin.
SARAH KOEHLER and Carl Brandes were married at Trinity Lutheran Church in Victoria on Sept. 15, 2007. JENNY GROWCOCK ‘05 and LAUREN DOBSON served as bridesmaids. The couple now resides in Victoria.
DAVID GARCIA is in his first year at St. Mary’s School of Law in San Antonio.
Back to top JESSICA HEXT and Brandon Stahl were married on May 19, 2007 in Fredericksburg. They live in New Braunfels.
Back to top 1930s
MILTON CHARLES DUSEK ’39 passed away on Nov. 7, 2006 at the age of 87. He was the Elgin Wildcat Band Director for 35 years. In those 35 years, he touched the lives of many students. He and the bands he directed received special recognition on numerous occasions.
LOTTIE MAE (HOEL) GUTHRIE ’32 passed away on June 13, 2007 at the age of 93. She was living at the Clifton Lutheran Sunset Home at the time of her death.
MILTON HATERIUS ’38 passed away July 19, 2007 in Lubbock. Milton served in the U.S. Army during World War II, from 1942 to 1945. After leaving military service, he returned home to farm and ranch with his family. Milton was a member of Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church for 87 years where he was a Sunday school teacher and board member.
1940s
THE REV. WILBURN “W.C.” AHLRICH ’47 passed away on July 14, 2007 at the age of 79. Rev. Ahlrich began his ministry as a pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in New York and continued his ministry throughout Texas and Oklahoma before retiring in Robstown.
HENRY LEHNHOFF ’48 passed away on Sept. 30, 2007. He was a life-long resident of Seguin. He joined the staff of the Seguin Broadcasting Company at its inception in 1948, and retired after 39 years. Following a year of volunteer work and 15 years of part-time employment at TLU, he retired once again.
JACK W. LOPER ’43 passed away on June 14, 2007. He was 81.
HELEN (EICHERT) SLEZINSKY ’41 of El Campo passed away on July 19, 2007. She was a retired postal clerk and a member of Christ Lutheran Women of the Church and a past officer of the local chapter of AARP.
FLORINE (LANGBERT) WILCOX ’47 passed away in Houston Aug. 14, 2007 at the age of 79.
1950s
JO ANN BREWER ’58 passed away on May 31, 2007 in Arlington. She received her nursing degree from the University of Texas at Galveston and her master’s degree from UC-Berkley. Jo Ann was the Region 5 nursing director for the State of Texas.
EUDORIS JANETTE (ROHNE) DAHL ’53 passed away on Oct. 29, 2007. She was a teacher, counselor and consultant for 45 years in the Cedar Hill Independent School District, and was a member of the Norwegian Society of Texas.
MILTON GLEN DAHL JR. ’59 passed away Aug. 31, 2007 at the age of 70. He was a farmer and rancher most of his life. He had served on the Clifton ISD Board of Trustees, the Central Texas Youth Fair Association, the National Guard, and Our Savior’s Lutheran Church council.
THE REV. ALBERT E. FLATHMANN JR. ’58, passed away on Sept. 2, 2007. He was a member of the Texas German Society, served the American Legion as Chaplain and was a volunteer cancer driver. He served as a missionary in Papua New Guinea for 20 years. After returning he served in many parishes throughout Texas. After retirement he continued to minister in nursing homes in the Halletsville area.
GLEN HAUSMANN ’54 passed away at his home in Austin on June 8, 2007. He was born in LaGrange, Texas on June 16, 1933.
MERWYN “HANK” KNAKE ’56 passed away on Aug. 4, 2007 at the age of 80 after a long bout with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Hank was a WWII veteran and a pilot, and his passions included golfing, joking and storytelling with his friends and family.
JOHN DAVID KNUDSON ’51 of Dallas passed away on May 7, 2007 at the age of 75.
THE REV. EUGENE KRUSE ’56 died March 12, 2005, in Missouri, after retiring from the ministry in June 2000. Following graduation from Concordia Lutheran Seminary in Springfield, Ill., he served congregations in South Dakota, Missouri and Colorado.
CHARLES “CHARLIE” SCHWARTZ ’57 passed away Aug.10, 2007 at the age of 72. Charlie was the recipient of the TLU Distinguished Church Service Award. He was active in the ELCA, and he completed his term as national president of Lutheran Men in Mission in August of 1999.
CONSTANCE “CONNIE” MARY (ATHEY) WINDECKER ’52 passed away at her home in Boerne on Dec. 1, 2007. Connie taught public school for 30 years in Seguin, Boerne, San Antonio, and Helotes before her retirement.
GUS W. WOLF ’54 passed away Oct. 16, 2007 in Houston. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, a former Texas Highway Patrolman, and retired from the Johnson Space Center.
1960s
THE REV. DAVID C. BRONSTAD ’66 of Omaha, Neb., passed away on Oct. 1, 2007 at the age of 63.
BETTY SUE ( ALLEN) SCHUMANN ’66 of Clifton passed away in Waco on Nov. 15, 2007. She enjoyed painting, pottery, quilting, cooking, gardening, crocheting, and tennis.
1970s
DENNIS LEE ECKHARDT ’72 of San Antonio passed away unexpectedly on Aug. 27, 2007 at the age of 57. Dennis was an avid outdoorsman. He loved hunting in south Texas. He was also a talented wood craftsman.
VILHELM HESNESS ’73 passed away in Austin on July 11, 2007 at the age of 56.
WILLIAM “BILL” HUFF ’70 of Seguin passed away on Nov. 16, 2007 at the age of 59.
MIKE R. KUYKENDALL ’78 passed away on Aug. 27, 2007. He loved the university and treasured his football days there. He lived in Baytown.
1980s
JUDY LYNN (BLOCH) VADER ’80 passed away on Sept. 25, 2007. She was a longtime school teacher in Seguin.
Faculty / Staff
CLIFFORD B. HUNT, director of physical plant emeritus, died Oct. 4, 2007 in Seguin. Hunt, 90, had worked at TLU for 20 years, retiring in 1981.
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