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ALUMNI NOTES

The University of Minnesota Duluth Bridge publishes Alumni Notes. You can send us notes by e-mail: alumni@d.umn.edu, by fax at 218-726-6186 or by sending the form on page 22. If you are in the U.S., you can send your note to: Alumni Director, University Relations, University of Minnesota Duluth, 315 DAdB, 1049 University Drive, Duluth, MN 55812. This issue of the Bridge reflects the notes we received before December 15, 2003.

1965
Carol Marie Worthing, of Austin, TX, received her Ph.D. from the Graduate Theology Foundation in May. Worthing was also named John Macquarrie Fellow for 2002 due to the superior quality of her dissertation. She is the executive director of the Texas Conference of Churches.

1966
Robert Harder, of Chicago, IL, recently published a book called The Devil’s Holiday. It is an adventure set in eastern Aitkin County during the great 1918 Cloquet-Moose Lake forest fire. Harder also wrote a four-volume series, A Minnesota Remembrance.

1968
Jennie K. (Dahlman) Hanson retired in June of 1999 and continues to substitute teach in the Cromwell-Wright area. She has also been the president of the Carlton County Retired Educators for the past two years.

1972
Diane Rauschenfels, BS ’72, MA ’75, EdD ’00 of Duluth, MN is currently employed by Proctor Public Schools as a Principal. She was also selected as one of the 40 principals and superintendents around the world to attend the Oxford Round Table in England in July 2002. The Round Table is a forum for dialogue regarding the future of public education.

1974
Rick Hogue, of Beaverton, OR, received the Volunteer of the Year award from his employer, RBC Dain Rauscher. Rick received the award because of his dedicated efforts as the board chairman elect of the Oregon and Southwest Washington Make-A-Wish Foundation.

1977
Douglas Anderson of Lakeville, MN, was named Hamline University’s Vice President for Finance and Treasurer in August 2002.

Joe Whalley, of Westford, MA is currently employed with Mitre Corporation in Bedford, MA, as a Principle Software Engineer. He is a commander in the Navy Reserve and was mobilized in February for Operation Enduring Freedom. He serves as Chief of Cryptologic Services, Prince Sulton Air Base, Saudi Arabia.

1978
Lonnie Swartz, Duluth, has been named the president of the National Bank of Commerce. He has worked with Wells Fargo Banks for the past 24 years, with the most recent 15 years in the Duluth market. He has been active in banking and community organizations, presently serving on the boards of the Duluth Area Family YMCA, the United Way of Greater Duluth and the Hermantown Baseball Association.

1981
Shawn Perich, of Hovland, MN, has a new book, Backroads of Minnesota. It explores Minnesota's natural landscapes and historic places from Pipestone National Monument on the southwestern prairie to the North Shore of Lake Superior in the northeast. The book showcases the nature photography of co-author Gary Alan Nelson.

1982
David Russell Larson obtained his Master’s in English Education from the University of Minnesota in July of 2001. He is currently teaching and is the language arts department chair at Hastings Senior High School, Hastings, MN. David, his wife, Melody, and two children live in Farmington, MN.

1983
David Uttley of Duluth and Rebecca Jacott of Superior, were married in June. David works for Mount Royal Fine Foods in Duluth. Rebecca is a medical social worker at St. Mary’s/Duluth Clinic. .

1990
Christy Sampson and Mike Mergen were married in November of 2001. Christy is a client services representative for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. The couple resides in Minnetonka, MN.

1991
Scott C. Leach, of St. Paul, is the vice president of financial operations for the Alexander Institute. The Alexander Institute is a private medical foundation in Minneapolis.

1992
Jere Fremling, St. Louis Park, MN, married Laurel Rogers in May, 1998. Their first baby, Joel Lawrence, was born in April, 2001.

Carolyn Frisk and Chris Capriglione, Hermantown, were married in June. Carolyn is a manager at Champs Sports in Duluth. Chris is a sales and information technology adviser for Jersey City, Inc.

1993
Chad Helgemo, of Savage, MN, was recognized with the 2002 sales award from Barrett Moving & Storage Company. Chad has been a National Account Executive since 1994 and was recently recognized as a member of the United Van Lines Masters Club. Only 135 salespeople nationwide were awarded this honor for 2002. In addition, Chad was recognized with an Eagles Club award because of his 2001 sales achievements.

Michelle Kanuit of St. Louis Park, MN, and Michael Klemesrud of Champlin, MN, were married in Hawaii in September. Michelle is a senior staff accountant for CSM Corporation in St. Paul. Michael is the owner of Klemesrud & Associates in Champlin.

Matt Novitzki and Amy Johnson, Duluth, were married in July. Matt is a programmer analyst for Minnesota Power. Amy is a physical therapist assistant for Residential Services, Inc.

1994
Kevin Carlson and Jody Anderson, of Hermantown, MN, were married in April in Las Vegas. Jody is a medical biller and registrar for Lakewalk Surgery Center in Duluth. Kevin is a mechanic for Sappi Paper Company in Cloquet.

Joy (Fechner) Recker, received her MBA in July 2002 from the University of St. Thomas. Joy gave birth to a son, Cole Alan, in August. Joy and her husband live in Savage, MN.

John Mooney and Wendy Kurtz were married in August. John is a partner and software programmer with Saturn Systems in Duluth and Wendy is an executive travel manager for Abby Travel in Duluth.

Megan Mikulich and Scott Gordon were married last February in their home on Lyman Lake in Wisconsin. Megan earned a master’s degree in education from St. Mary’s University in Winona, MN. She is a teacher for IDS #709. Scott is a firefighter in Superior, WI.

Susan Yurek, of St. Paul and Michael Costley (’95) of Two Harbors, were married last May. Susan is a sales representative for Louisiana Pacific Corporation in Minneapolis. Michael is an equity trader at American Express.

1995
Shad Cook, Mounds View, MN, married Jennifer Houston in September, 2001. Shad is a Probation Case Manager for youth.

Fred Hendrickson and Kimberly Patrow, of Blaine, MN, were married in April. Kimberly, a 1994 graduate of Bethel College, is a community education instructor for the Anoka-Hennepin school district. Fred is an executive team leader for Target Corporation in Eden Prairie, MN.

Denise (Bormann) Jans, of Rochester, MN, is an internal auditor at the Mayo Foundation in Rochester. Her husband Doug is a software engineer at IBM. The couple had their first child, Adam, in June of 2001.

1996
Roger Fossum and Brenda Perrault, Duluth, were married in June. Roger and Brenda are both computer data entry clerks at the U.S. Postal Service Remote Encoding Center in Duluth.

Craig Marion has won the 2001 Air Force Semper Viper Award for his actions during an F-16 mission over Afghanistan. Marion launched from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, in November 2001 as a flight lead for a two-ship F-16 force. The mission successfully defended an Army Special Forces unit leading a convoy of more than 1,000 anti-Taliban forces near Kandahar, Afghanistan. The award was presented to Marion in October by representatives from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. Marion is based at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.

1997
Amy Hiedeman, of Hartford, South Dakota, is a fourth grade teacher in the West Central school district. After graduation, Amy received her Master’s degree in education from St. Mary’s University in Winona, MN.

Shannon Kolpin and Ryan Richards, of Middleton, WI, were married in December 2000. Shannon is a teacher in the Madison Metropolitan school district. Ryan, (’98), is the director of operations for the Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation.

Angela Laaksonen and Victor Nogueras, Orlando, Florida, were married in March. Angela is a crisis counselor for We Care Crisis Center. Victor is the general manager for Orlando Foods, Inc.

Brendon Schrader and Carrie-Beth Davidson were married last October. Brendon is an advanced marketing communications analyst for 3M, and Carrie-Beth is an academic advisor and faculty associate at Capella University in Minneapolis. The couple resides in Woodbury, MN.

1998
Gayle Gorman (MA ’98) is exhibiting the public art project, “Musselman and Hart: Selling the Finest in Survival Skills/Custom Fit for Your Comfort and Ease in Wear by Out Experience Providers.” The show opened in September in the CEPA Gallery Window on Main Street in Buffalo, NY.

Ryan Morris and Sonya Bjorklund, Duluth, were married in July of 2002. Sonya is preschool teacher and Ryan is employed by the city of Duluth.

Christopher Rogge (MIS ’02) and Kelly Schweiger, Richfield, MN, were married in August. Kelly earned her Bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Wisconsin, Superior. She is a second grade teacher at Sojourner Truth Academy in Minneapolis. Christopher is a safety manager for Best Buy as well as being on active duty with the 148th Fighter Wing of the Minnesota Air National Guard.

Angela R. Smith, of Fergus Falls, MN, received her Doctor of Medicine degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin in May. Angela will begin her pediatric residency at the University of Minnesota. At commencement, Angela was honored with the Merck Manual Award for her outstanding scholastic achievements.

Aaron Trompeter and his wife, Jessica (’00) are both currently attending Shenandoah University. Aaron is working on his MSED and will graduate in December and Jessica is enrolled in her second year of pharmacy school. Aaron recently won the Bruce C. Souders prize for fiction.

Melinda Zapp, and Jered Granley (’97), were married in February. Melinda, is a research assistant with the City of Superior Wastewater Treatment Plant. Jered is a senior risk analyst for Minnesota Power.

1999
Kimberly Cary and Mario Lucarelli (’00), Plymouth, MN, were married in July of 2001. Kimberly is a buyer for the Best Buy Corporation. Mario is a financial planner for Waddell & Reed.

Jeremy Hoover and Alyssa Horvat, Cook, MN, were married in May. Alyssa is employed by RLK-Kuusisto in Hibbing. Jeremy is an assistant residential supervisor at Mesabi Academy in Buhl.

Zachery Painovich and Jennifer Petrick, Cloquet, MN, were married in July. Jennifer earned her Bachelor’s degree from the College of St. Scholastica and is a kindergarten teacher. Zachery is a special education teacher for the Duluth Public Schools.

Troy Pfingsten and Amy Moore, Minnetonka, MN, were married in September. Amy earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Illinois, Champaign in 1998. She is a buyer for Target Corporation in Minneapolis. Troy is the owner of Home Mortgage Solutions in Minnetonka.

Christopher Schwab and his wife Amy, Chaska, MN, were married in May of 2000. The couple is expecting their first child in December of 2002. Christopher works in the credit department of General Motors.

Reine Shiffman (MLS ’99) was elected to sit on the executive committee of the National Committee on Planned Giving (NCPG). Reine is principal of Reine A. Shiffman & Associates, a consulting business in the Twin Cities.

Jennifer Stevens and John Gilles, Duluth were married last July. Jennifer is an account clerk for the Minnesota Department of Transportation. John is self-employed as a professional football player.

2000
Todd Nelson and Katie Lundeen, Duluth, were married in April. Katie is a nutritional hostess and diet clerk for the Miller-Dwan Medical Center. Todd works for Park State Bank in Duluth.

Jeffrey Rykken, of Philadelphia, PA, received his Master’s degree in medical
sciences at MCP Hahnemann University. He is now a medical student at Drexel University College of Medicine.

Amy Swanson, Portland, OR, won third place best in the show at the Oregon Potter’s Association ceramic showcase.

Sarah Stone and Erik Skafte were married in October. Sarah works for Hirshfield’s Design Studio in Minneapolis. Erik works for Silver Lake Dental in New Brighton, MN.

Jeremy Zahn (MIS ’00) and Mandy Berg (MA 2001), of Somerset, WI, were married in August of 2000. The couple’s son, Xavier Berg, was born in November. Jeremy is a safety manager for Northstar Steel in St. Paul, and Mandy is a school counselor at Mahtomedi Middle School.

2001

Sara Angst, Cloquet, MN, contributed original artwork for a 24-month calendar to help fund the City of Cloquet Centennial Celebration. An art exhibit was held in her honor to display the original works.

Josh Carlon, Minneapolis, worked on editing and motion graphics for the WDSE-TV historic documentary, Waasa inaabidaa - We Look In All Directions, that celebrates Ojibwe history and culture. The series won five regional Emmy Awards from the Upper Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and Best Documentary Feature for one section of the piece from the American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco.

David Eastman (MEHS ’01), of Superior, and Amber Goette, of Two Harbors, were married in September. Amber is a cardiology technician at St. Mary’s/Duluth Clinic. David is an environmental technician for Louisiana Pacific in Two Harbors.

Lynsey Eckert and Matthew Wittenberg, Duluth, were married last October. Matthew earned his associate degree in law enforcement from Fond du Lac Tribal Community College.

Kelly Eckman and Bryan Price (’01), Duluth, were married in August. Kelly is working as a coder at St. Mary’s/Duluth Clinic and Bryan is Employed with Evergreen Sprinklers in Robbinsdale, MN.

Kristy Clark and Joe Gunderson (’01), Duluth, were married in August. Kristy is employed by Our Place Covenant Enabling Residence in Duluth and Joe is a graphic designer for H.T. Klatzky and Associates in Duluth.

Adam Hummel, New York, NY, who wrote the play, The Movie Game, which was performed by UMD theatre at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. has news. The play will be published by Dramatic Publishing, Inc. and will be available sometime in 2003.

Jesse Kaczmarek, Minneapolis, received a Silver and a Bronze Award for interactive design in the design competition, ONE SHOW held in Minneapolis last fall. Jesse worked with the agencies Periscope and Carmichael Lynch on the projects.

Shari Moland married Erik Myhrman in August. They live in Duluth, where Shari is employed at Qualex. Erik is employed by InsTent Advanced Awning Design in Scanlon.

Jane Zitnak, of Blue Earth, MN, is a member of Team in Training, a non-profit organization that benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She ran the Anchorage, Alaska Midnight half marathon in June and is working to raise $5000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

2002
Barbara (Beltz) Titus (MA ’02, BA ’00), Duluth, is a communications instructor at UMD and a bereavement coordinator for St. Mary’s/Duluth Clinic.

Amy Carlson and Jon Svobodny, Duluth, were married in May. Amy is a math teacher at Superior High School. Jon, a Southwest State graduate, is a financial analyst for Uniprise in Duluth.

Amy Grossnickle and John Paton, Duluth, were married in August. Amy is a figure skating coach with the Duluth Figure Skating Club and an office consultant with Full Circle in Duluth. John is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in management information systems from UMD.

DeAnna Hagen and Andy Asbury, (’01), were married last July. Deanna is a mortgage originator for Tag Mortgage in Edina and a freelance model. Andy is the founder of the Promotional Pad.

Sarah Kueffer (MS ’02) is a mathematics instructor at the Anoka Ramsey Community College.