Dear 1956 Classmates:
Greetings to everyone! This is your annual class letter filled with Kernels about the campus, academics,
sports, alumni, financial support, and fellow classmates.
Campus Updates:
New enrollment strategies are being developed to ensure the vitality of this college. We are investing our
resources in people, our newly designed career initiative and integrated learning. In order to do this, we
must focus, innovate, and build.
With focus we are directing college resources where they will best enable us to flourish, drawing in where
we need to in staffing and operational costs, so that we can concentrate on our greatest strengths. We
have reduced staffing and operating expenses in areas of less demand in order to have resources for
innovation and growth.
We innovate by fashioning the Concordia experience for all students in a way that enhances their capacity
for innovation, rigor and risk in a highly fluid economy and in a world that needs them to be agile of mind
and generous of soul. Here we place the integrative learning, career readiness, and vocation/spiritual
practice initiatives, each of which is authentic for Concordia and highly distinctive, if not singular.
We build by creating and putting into practice new programming that increases academic range and the
appeal to new students. Here we would place the new finance major, data analytics minor, heritage and
museum studies major that builds off our Mellon digital humanities grant, and master’s in dietetics
leadership. In addition, we are building our endowment to its highest level and have begun the planned
renovation of our science facilities. Renovating science facilities includes totally gutting of Ivers and
extensively remodeling Jones. The project will begin this summer with a total project cost of $45 million
with completion in 2017. The new features will include updated mechanical systems, flexible classrooms,
teaching/research labs, larger faculty offices, social and informal learning spaces, all with lots of light and
open space.
Please note the extraordinary expression of faith in Concordia revealed this year in the record breaking
giving to the college by our regents, graduates, faculty, staff and friends. This is a challenging time in
higher education; we know that it is through faith and action that we guide Concordia to thrive.
CobbersGive.org This summer, the launch of a crowdfunding website put Concordia on the cutting
edge by offering alumni a new and interactive approach to philanthropy with a specific project-based
funding platform. CobbersGive allows you to support projects that you are passionate about and to see
the results of your contributions. Project examples include undergraduate research, music or athletic
needs, student initiatives and CLV improvements.
-2-
Cobbers for Cobbers is a giving pattern that fuels the Concordia Annual Fund, a mission motivated and
student-focused strategy of giving to support students and enhance excellence. Annual gifts are
immediately put to work where they are needed most—to provide vital student scholarships and financial
aid, academic programs, student services and general institutional support for the current fiscal year.
If you would like to make a gift today to the Concordia Annual Fund go to Cord.edu/give.
For the Class of 1956, the box below shows our participation and support.
THANK YOU!
CLASS OF 1956: 2015 Class Gift Donor Count: 101 (Class size: 223)
2015 Class Gift: $60,260.74
Class Participation: 45.29%
Lifetime Giving Total: $2,041,986.35
Music – Athletics – Academics – Language Villages
Music: The Concordia Choir will travel to the Northeast U.S. February 19--March 6, 2016, during its
National Tour. They will also perform at the newly renovated Ordway Theater in St. Paul, MN on February
13 as part of their pre-tour. The Concordia Orchestra is headed to Colorado for their fall tour, October 31
– November 8. Plans are underway for The Concordia Band to tour Spain the spring of 2016.
Athletics: Concordia was one of two teams in the conference to advance to post conference play in all
four winter sports: men’s and women’s basketball, and men’s and women’s hockey. The wrestling team
ranked in the top 10 nationwide for the entire season and nine athletes qualified for the NCAA National
Tournament. After placing multiple MIAC championships and multiple All-American awards on the
shelves, Cherae Reeves won the shot put at the NCAA National Indoor Meet to become the college’s
seventh individual national champion. The Baseball team won 26 games straight and is off to its best start
since 1995, when Coach Coste was playing at Concordia. Concordia women’s track and field moved into
the top 20 in the Apr. 21 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III
national rankings.
Academics: Concordia was named one of the top schools in the nation at the American Forensic
Association National Individual Events Tournament (AFA-NIET) April 4-6 in Portland, OR. More than 200
students from across the country competed. USA Today highlighted the impressive work of two Concordia
business students who traveled to Kazakhstan to present their marketing plan for KazBeef, a company
flies in North Dakota cattle to grow its beef producing herds. Student Olivia Gear from Appleton, WI, was
awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program English Teaching Assistantship scholarship to Germany. Our
annual Celebration of Student Scholarship took place on April 15. This daylong event highlights student
research, scholarship, and creative experiences. Events included paper and poster presentations, music
and theatre performances, an alumni panel and an awards reception.
Language Villages: (ConcordiaLanguageVillages.org) This summer, the Russian Language Village, Lesnoe
Ozero, will celebrate 50 years of providing a language learning experience that encourages villagers to
explore all things Russian. The official celebration will kick off on July 10 in St. Paul, MN, and will continue
in Bemidji, MN, on July 11, with a visit to Lesnoe Ozero and an evening reception.
-3-
Homecoming is October 2-4, 2015 (ConcordiaCollege.edu/homecoming)
2015 Alumni Achievement Award Recipients
Paul Erickson ’74
Dr. Craig Lambrecht
Dr. Alan Hopeman ’42
Dr. Howard Nornes
2015 Sent Forth Recipients
Kristi Rendahl
’97
Michael Solberg
‘83
‘53
‘95
Called to Serve Award
On November 16, Alumni Relations Director, Eric Johnson, traveled to Crookston’s Trinity Lutheran Church
to confer the first Called to Serve Award on Ardell Knudsvig ’60. Ardell was honored for commitment to
his community as evidenced by his long teaching and coaching career, his leadership in faith development
at his church and through Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and his deep connections to UM Crookston, in
support of science education and research.
Bonuses
In 2016 we will celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the founding of Concordia College!
In 2017 we will celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation.
The college surpassed its fundraising goal and set a fundraising record of $19,970.000!
MESSAGES FROM CLASSMATES
MeMMessages from
classmates.
REV. OSCAR and PEARL
STENE
Oscar and Pearl (Knutson) Stene married 60
years, August 8, 2014. Oscar served parishes
in Madison, Fulda and Bricelyn, MN. After
retirement he served seven interims in southwest MN. Oscar underwent back surgery in
2013 which caused nerve damage and he is
unable to walk. Pearl retired early from
teaching to be with her husband in
retirement.
Fulda, MN
DARLENE SWANSON MALMO
-4-
DOLCYE TORGERSON JOHNSON
DARLENE SWANSON MALMO
To celebrate their 80th birthdays, Dolcye
Torgerson Johnson and a friend enjoyed an
eight-day Viking Riverboat Cruise from
Bordeaux, France. They toured three UNESCO
World Heritage Sites along the Gironde and
Garonne Rivers and visited the Medoc, Margaux,
Margaux, Pomerol and Sauterne wine regions.
Hello
all my SWANSON
friends from Concordia.
DARLENE
MALMO My
husband, Dick Malmo, and I live in the suburb
DOLCYE
TORGERSON
town
of Des
Moines, WA. JOHNSON
It is just south of
Seattle. Our four married children all live
within a short drive from us. We had been
owners of Des Moines Drug for many years,
but now our sons own it. We have nine
grandchildren, one great-grand, and another
on the way. We decided we’d had enough of
home and yard work, so have moved into a
beautiful retirement community called Judson
Park. Puget Sound and the Olympic
Mountains are what we see out our
windows. We are having a great time here,
with more activities than we can handle. The
people are friendly; the living is easy. We’ve
been members of Grace Lutheran in Des
Moines since 1957! Whee! Where has the
time gone???
Sheboygan, WI
RUBY HEUER FORBES
The Concordia Magazine has arrived and I find
myself scanning the class notes to see who has
died. Writing for the newsletter is like writing
one’s eulogy. Normal for 80 year-olds!
I usually get back to Fargo at least once a year.
My only trip in 2014 was to attend the funeral
of my dear friend and classmate, Janet Langlie
Hillier in October.
I have lived at the same address for nearly 53
years, raising four wonderful children and
teaching. I have been a widow for 20 years.
All my children will be home for a Forbes family
reunion in July; around 65 people will attend.
One of my grandsons, who lived much of his life
in Singapore, will be attending college in OR this
fall. He finished high school a year ago and
during this “Gap Year” he did some interesting
things: taught English in Katmundu, Nepal
(before the earthquake), and also in Cambodia,
and then deep sea diving off Bali.
Arvada, CO
God is good and we find He is out here in the
west too. Imagine! I treasure my wonderful
friends and the days spent at good old
Concordia.
DesMoines, WA
DesMoines, WA
-5-
KEN LAHTI
Greetings to Classmates of 1956: Just a few words that were not expressed at earlier reunions.
KEN LAHTI
Concordia was a life changing experience. Besides a great education, I met a most wonderful
young woman, Fran Aamodt. We have shared a remarkably rich life together. We are proud of
KEN LAHTI
our five children, twelve grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
My bio includes serving twice as president of the Church council, two times as president of the
Eveleth Lions club, receiving the Lions Helen Keller Award and the Lions Melvin Jones award,
elected president of the MN Association of Technical College Student Services Association,
Historian of Knights of Kaleva, serving as president of the Salolampi Foundation (Finnish
Language Village support group) and this year chosen as the President of the Hibbing Chapter of
the Finlandia Foundation.
I chaired a successful 1.9 million dollar building campaign for the Finnish Language Village and
authored a $275,000 grant for the Eveleth Technical College. Upon retirement President of the
College, Jerry Stuhr wrote, “There just don't seem to be enough words in the dictionary to
bestow all the compliments that you should receive for all the energetic and untiring work that
you have done”. I was a recipient of a Governor Rudy Perpich Commendation of services
rendered to Technical Education. In addition I served as Director on the Iron Range
Rehabilitation Board, the city of Eveleth Zoning Board, the East Range Vocational Center Board,
and the Arrowhead Indian Advisory Services Board.
I continue to serve in Lions, on the church council, with the Knights of Kaleva and support the
Finnish Language. In March of 2013 Fran and I and 3 other curlers from the Mesabi Curling Club
competed in a six day bonspiel in Inverness, Scotland. Fran and I have enjoyed travel to Europe,
all the Nordic countries and Nordic skiing in Lapland numerous winters. We have developed
many cultural contacts and exchanges in Finland including arranging a 12 city American tour for
the Song of Espoo choir and meeting with members of the Finnish parliament to secure a grant.
Best Wishes to all.
Eveleth, MN
PAUL OPSAHL
Hi toOpsahl
everyone Paul
Grandparenting just gets more and more fun as time goes by, with graduations, weddings, plus
every other kind of excuse to get the whole family together. I still can't seem to take
retirement as seriously as it's meant to be. For the third time, I'm serving as interim pastor, at
a parish in Fairfax, Virginia. Loving all that entails, I'd have to say.
Hope all is well with you and yours!
Sterling, VA
-6-
HELEN (SCHIEFER) HOLLAND
Carol Lee asked me to write about the changes in Fargo since we were in college. We have
lived here for several years and have seen many changes, so here are the “Fargo Facts”. The
population of Fargo is now listed at 113,658. Did you ever take the train to or from Fargo? The
Northern Pacific Depot, on Main Avenue, is now a Senior Citizen Center; a very nice place for
seniors to gather for lunch. The Great Northern Depot, still in place, is now a bicycle shop, after
being renovated into a restaurant, under different ownerships for about ten years. The actual
depot is located east of the original one and the Empire Builder comes and goes – West.
Remember going to movies at the Fargo Theater in the ‘50s? The Fargo Theater is now the
Landmark of Downtown Fargo. A restoration was done in 1999. The theater was kept as it was,
but restored with beautiful art deco. Additional meeting rooms and small theaters are in the
same building. There are movies on a regular basis, current and old; and a film festival is held
each March to feature foreign or select movies, and operas and concerts are featured
throughout the year. This spring, local musicians performed in a tribute to Lawrence Welk, in
observance of his 112th birthday, with a re-enactment of the popular TV show, at the Fargo
Theater.
Remember taking the city bus to go shopping in downtown Fargo? The entire downtown area
has taken on a very lively new look. Several shops, restaurants of all kinds (up-scale, coffee
shops, fast food, and bars) are on Broadway. During warm weather there are crowds on the
weekends up and down Broadway, with out-door vendors catering to customers. There are
boutique shops, book stores, and clothing and art deco stores there as well.
This is the 10th Anniversary of the Fargo Marathon. Publicity on the Marathon listed it as 26.2
miles, and the route is different each year, but it starts at the Fargo Dome. A Half Marathon is
also part of the fun.
The NDSU campus has expanded to downtown, taking over older buildings to renovate for
dormitory space (hotel building), and expanding some of their schools into these areas. The
college has put Fargo on the radar screen because the NDSU Bison football team has won their
Fourth National championship in a row this past season. In 2013 and 2014 they were visited
and televised on national TV, being ESPN College game coverage on two Saturday mornings.
Fortunately the weather was perfect both times. The entire filming crew set up for this the day
before, by blocking off Broadway in front of the Fargo Theater. Thousands of people showed
up for the show. The team marched a small buffalo through the theater to a flat-bed to escort
the TV crew to the game, now held indoors at the Fargo Dome
Growth in Fargo has been on the south side and also West Fargo. Sanford Hospital is building
on the south side, but will remain in the Broadway location which has been updated. In our
college days it was known as St. Luke’s, then MeritCare. Wahpeton is almost a suburb now!
Fargo, ND
-7-
JANET SULERUD HESBY and LOIS FAGSTAD BROWNLIE
Darrel Hesby and I grew up together in Halstad, MN, and married after college graduation. We
had two children: a son, Jay, who has three children, and a daughter, Jill who has two sons. We
were blessed with a wonderful family, extra special since Darrel and I had no brothers or sisters.
In 1960 we moved to Wayzata, MN where Darrel was a math teacher and basketball and baseball
coach until 1991 when he retired. From 1968 – 1985, I was a part-time tutor in special education
at Wayzata High School. In 1970 we had a home built in Wayzata just three blocks from beautiful
Lake Minnetonka and have continued to enjoy living here.
We exercise Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Ridgedale YMCA and also enjoy the
camaraderie. Darrel played basketball until just a few months ago. It has been a wonderful
retirement activity for us. We also enjoy vacationing in Branson, MO, and have gone twice a year
for 20 years. Our current favorite is the Texas Tenors, opera voices that do a variety of musical
selections.
LOIS FAGSTAD BROWNLIE, a Concordia classmate and I have become very good friends and
attend concerts and activities together. Lois lives at Long Lake, a few miles west of Wayzata.
After 51 years of marriage, her husband, Jim Brownlie, passed away in March 2010. Lois
continues to maintain her home. She has two sons and two grandchildren and is very active with
many friends. She taught elementary at Orono, MN for 25 years.
Wayzata, MN
Long Lake, MN
CAROL WADE LEE
Classmates who have passed
away since our last class letter:
Janet Langlie Hillier (10/08/2014)
Marlys Jones Hove (10/13/2014)
Leo Haagenson (10/26/2014)
Kenward Steinbach (12/2014)
Loren Waa (2/2015)
Ronald Dittmer (2/3/2015)
Greetings from your class agent in Phoenix, AZ where
the temperature today is 104 – a cool day in Phoenix!!
A thank you to everyone who contributed messages for
the letter. Our life revolves around our family, and our
church where we have many friends, attend services
every week, enjoy the monthly senior luncheons, adult
classes, and for me, book club. I am currently having
cataract surgery--one eye done, second one June 10th.
I also enjoy an e-mail group with seven high school
friends who write several times a week; and my college
friends keep a Round Robin letter going, reaching
everyone about twice a year.
Phoenix, AZ