Class Notes
Giving List

Spring 2013

Luther College Class of 2008,

Has it really been 5 years since we graduated from college?  It dawned on me as I (Cale) was getting ready to write this class agent letter that, by the time I would sit down to write another one, we will have already had our 5-year reunion.  A lot can happen in five years.  Some of us have gone on to get married and start having kids, while others have pursued higher education degrees.  Wherever the path has led you these past five years, it's important to take time to look back and remember the fond memories we made while at Luther.   I hope everyone who is able to make it back to campus in the fall does!  You will be receiving information about our reunion as Homecoming gets closer.

For those who have been doing their best to follow the presidential search Luther is going through right now to replace President Torgerson, it is definitely an exciting time.  I know it will be a tough task to fill President Torgerson's shoes, but the presidential search committee has done their due diligence to make sure the correct decision is made.

To get the latest on the presidential search and to keep up with the latest happenings on campus, "like" Luther on Facebook. While you are on Facebook, make sure you are a member of our class Facebook page, Luther College Class of 2008. As we get closer to Homecoming, October 4-6, we'll be posting updates there.

In addition to the Facebook page, make sure your information is up-to-date in the alumni directory at https://www.luther.edu/alumni/directory/. All the changes/updates are reviewed and entered manually by Luther Alumni Relations staff. Expect a three-week delay before your update appears on the website. If you have questions, e-mail alumdir@luther.edu or one of us, and we'll do our best to get you an answer. See you soon!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Cale Nelson
nelsca01@luther.edu

Sarah Carnes
sarah.carnes01@gmail.com

Ashley Solsrud-Beckman
ashleysolsrud@gmail.com

Class Notes
KATIE BENEDIX is communications assistant for the Admissions Office at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

PAIGE (BRANT) ’07 and PATRICK BURZLAFF met with Luther music professors Eric Kutz and Miko Kominami at the Malibu Coast Music Festival, where Kutz and Kominami performed works by Brahms and Ginastera.

CHRISTINA DOUGLAS is a self-employed singer and voice teacher in New York.

LINDSEY (VOTH) DUTCHAK of Red Wing, Minn., is a professional tutor at Minnesota State College – Southeast Technical.

TYLER HENDRICKSON was awarded a fellowship to attend the prestigious Aspen Music Festival and School for the 2012 season. He is head of both piano and viola instruction at the Indianapolis Suzuki Academy.

MESHA HALL-JACOBSON ‘10 and BRANDON JACOBSON live in Lansing, Mich. Brandon is a risk consultant with Federated Insurance.

ALAINA KELLY teaches English at English First in Wuhan, China.

RACHEL (DONAHOE) MARQUARDT earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of Iowa College of Public Health.

REID MASON is an accountant for McGladrey & Pullen in Chicago.

PHILLIP SADLER earned a doctorate in veterinarian medicine from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He is an associate veterinarian at Riverside Animal Clinic in Springfield, Minn.

JESSCA (HULBERG) SOUTHWICK earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a dairy veterinarian for Marshfield (Wis.) Veterinary Services. 

MARISSA TORGERSON is a second-grade Spanish immersion teacher for the Minnetonka (Minn.) Public Schools.

AMANDA VAN WECHEL is coordinator of music admissions for Moor Musical Arts Center at Bowling Green (Ohio) State University.

Marriages
ASHLEY SOLSRUD and SAMUEL BECKMAN, July 7, 2012
DANIELLE WILLI and Nick Bergthold, June 22, 2012
KACIE CLEMENT and Michael Garver, Oct. 27, 2012
ERIN DAVIS and NICK GIBBONS '05, Aug. 4, 2012
ALLISON POZDOL and Amos Lyso, June 30, 2012
CAROL REECE and MIKE LUDEKING '07, Aug. 11, 2012
RACHEL DONAHOE and MICHAEL MARQUARDT, July 14, 2012
MEGAN CRAVEN and Michael McCreesh, Oct. 6, 2012
KATIE ROTSCHAFER and Robert Merriam, Oct. 6, 2012
RACHEL DURST and Andrew Riesgraf, Sept. 22, 2012
NORA HAUPT and Reed Robinson, May 26, 2012
ALAINA KELLY and Ross Tuttle, Jan. 7, 2012
JENNIFER LAMBRECHT and Jason Silverman, Aug. 11, 2012
KATE PETERSON and Nicholas Sloop, Aug. 11, 2012
KATIE LANE and Kevin Utoft, July 14, 2012

Births
NICOLETTE (DEHAAN) and Nathaniel Kelley welcomed a son, Elijah, in May 2012.

KRISTI (GOTSCH) and KEVIN KENEALY welcomed a son, Keaton, in October 2011.  Keaton joins brother Korin.

BRITTANY (HANSON) and Tim Sparrow welcomed a son, Rylen, in May 2012.   

Don't forget your Annual Fund giving! 
Each year nearly 9,000 alumni, parents, and friends support the Annual Fund with gifts from $5 to $50,000. Strong support from alumni helps Luther secure additional funds from foundations and corporations, and your gift each year helps us reach our goal of 27% alumni giving.  Here’s how your class—and surrounding classes—did in 2012: