Are you a Luther Sweetheart? Email your story to giving@luther.edu! 

"...I'm thankful for the time I had at Luther and for introducing me to my best friend and husband."     - Denae (Erdman) Harder '87 

 

Whether they arrived at Luther College together, first spotted each other while walking across the campus lawn, or met as alumni... they are and always will be Luther Sweethearts. And, their love and support for Luther will always be important. 

One gift made together counts as support from two alumni, and helps to strengthen Luther College's alumni participation and makes a difference for future Luther Sweethearts and all students on campus. 

Nearly 6,000 alumni are Luther Sweethearts. Here are just a few, of their many, treasured stories: 

Gloria (Falk) '54 and Don Ambroson '53, Ankeny, Iowa
Megan (Anderson) '07 and Joseph Beatty '07, Chicago, Ill.
Erin (Gallagher) '06 and Chris Bellinder '06  Columbia, S.C.
Amy (Brumm) '92 and Kris Bjorklund '92, Green Bay, Wis.
Kari (Petersen) '85 and Dwight Bullard '84 Oakdale, Minn.
Becky (Weaver) '05 and Jeromy Carlson '05, Minneapolis, Minn.
Karen (Aaker) '65 and Larry Chellevold '65  Tucson, Ariz.
Wendy (Hillesland) '80 and Dave Coe '80, Madison, Wis.
Mara (Grimm) '97 and Rockne Cole '97  Iowa City, Iowa
Audrey (Hovden) '59 and John Dahle '60 Decorah, Iowa
Ann (Blado) '00 and Andrew Dybvig '98  Minneapolis, Minn.
Ami (Shoup) '96 & Steve Hall '97, Littletown, Colo.
Nori (Greenlee) '97 and Ross Hadley '95, Decorah, Iowa
Robin (Friedrichsen) '83 and Scott Hanson '81  Farmington, Minn.
Denae (Erdman) '87 and Steve Harder '84, Spring Valley, Minn.
Linda (Rosholt) '85 and Lee Hash '84, Appleton, Wis.
Gretchen (Klaus) '06 and Matthew Hazelton '07 Saint Paul, Minn.
Kris (Stenson) '91 and John Helberg, Saint Louis Park, Minn.
Jaclyn (Ohnemus) '11 and Patrick Hussey '12, Iowa City, Iowa
Mindi (Scott) '07 and Josh Johnson '07, Ellington, Conn.
Sue (Hammer) '74 and John Larson '72, Lafayette, Ind.
Karin (Knutsen) '61 and Clay Lyon '61, Pebble Creek, Ariz.
Lois (Shier) '66 and Dean Markwardt '64 Marshfield, Wis.
Chrissy (Rabe) '95 and Jeremy Murphy '95, West Burlington, Iowa
Mona (Feller) '75 and Cy Nelson '76, Decorah, Iowa
Carrie (Walling) '03 and Jake Nimrod '01, Norwalk, Iowa
Kay (Thomas) '61 and Curt Nodolf '60 Janesville, Wis.
LaMay (Sexe) '61 and Ronald Nybroten '62 Oregon, Wis.
Muriel (Bigler) '66 and Dave Olsen '63, Merced, Calif.
Jendean (Hegg) '67 and Dan Olson '67, Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
Larayne (Rahn) '73 and David Olson '73  Sioux City, Iowa
Marilyn (Knudson) '50 and Francis Peterson '49, Decorah, Iowa
Lois (Erickson) '58 and Kenneth Peterson '57 Minneapolis, Minn.
Mildred (Benson) '53 and Theodore Peterson '57"  Bemidji, Minn.
Susan (Stockseth) '02 and Mark Potvin, Princeton, Minn.
Betsy (Paschke) '82 and Chris Preus '81  Excelsior, Minn. 
Jane (Vaaler) '90 and Jeff Roets '90, Ellington, Conn.
Lynda (Hedrick) '89 and Dave Satre '90 Hockessin, Del.
Karen (Crump) '72 and Bob Spiegler '72  Mankato, Minn.
Jill (Nelson) '88 and Ronn Thomas '87, Lakeville, Minn.
Patricia (Haraldson) '56 and S.S. Urberg '54 Fort Wayne, Ind.
Marjorie (Jorth) '50 and Donald Wahlgren '50  Gowrie, Iowa
Jane (Baker) '61 and Dean Wallestad '62, Moorland, Iowa
Deborah (Corey) '73 and Joe Wemette '73, North St. Paul, Minn.

Gloria (Falk) '54 and Don Ambroson '53, Ankeny, Iowa "Don transferred to Luther as a junior in 1951.  I transferred to Luther as a junior in the fall of l952. In my dorm I met some girls from Mason City.  Being from Northwood, Iowa which was just 20 mile from Mason City we had somethings in common so became friends in just a day or two.  We had all arrived early before classes were to begin and one of the girls, Lorraine Herman knew Don and was wondering when he would be coming to campus.  As we were walking across campus we passed Larson Hall and there on the steps of Larson sat Don.  We stopped and the girls introduced me to Don.  It wasn't but a day later that Don called inviting me out for coffee, and we have been together since.

My Mother called me a couple of weeks later informing me of my grandfather's death and that I needed to come home for his funeral.  On arriving home I told my Mother I had met the man I was going to marry and needless to say, the folks came down the next weekend to look him over!

We became engaged that December.  Don had attended summer school in '52 and was to graduate at semester time in l953.  The Korean war was being fought and his draft board had allowed him to finish school before entering the service.  So in January l953 he went into the service, came home for 10 days in July on furlough, and then spent the next year and a half in Korea.  So except for those 10 days of furlough I didn't see him again until December 2, l954.  We were married December 28, l954.  This year we happily celebrated our 58th wedding anniversary! I'll be forever grateful that I transferred to Luther College!"

Laura (Blackmore) '68 and Ronald Bachman '69 Burlington, Wisc.Luther--fall of 1965--I was a sophomore and Ron a freshman. He worked in the post office with one of my roommates. A group of us often met at the Union to walk down to the field house for chapel. Because I dated several guys throughout that year, Ron and I were “just friends.” In May, riding home to White Bear Lake, Minnesota, Ron thought, “I wonder who I’ll marry.” An almost audible voice sounded, “You’ve already met her.” How cool! But who?  He didn’t have a girlfriend.

The next fall, Ron didn’t return to Luther as his dad was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and he stayed home to help with his father’s care. We exchanged some letters, and he visited campus a few times through the years. When I graduated from Luther in 1968, I invited Ron to Chicago for the Fourth of July. What a whirlwind weekend--going to the Loop, attending a play, watching fireworks, meeting my big family. A week later, Ron’s dad died. I never got to meet him. I’d ended a longterm dating relationship at Luther but was seeing someone in Chicago.

That August, one of my roommates and I camped along the Minnesota north shore, and we visited Ron upon our return. Because my Chicago boyfriend was in the Twin Cities too, Ron and I didn’t have a good visit. After one more visit in September, we decided to meet at Luther’s Homecoming. Ron’s Luther classmate Jack from the Cities had married one of my roommates (we’d both been in their wedding the summer before). Because Jack was still a student, we could stay with them in Decorah. In Chicago, as I boarded the train for LaCrosse--our rendezvous point, I told Mom, “I think Ron’s going to propose to me this weekend.” He did! He later sold his car to buy me a diamond ring. We never dated; we just got engaged. We rarely saw each other during our seven-month engagement. We wrote each other nearly every day. I was living at home, doing graduate work at Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois. Ron was living at home, finishing his B.A. at University of Minnesota.

I attended Ron’s graduation June 7. He and his family came for our wedding a week later. That was 1969. So, 2013 will mark 44 years of marriage. We have two beautiful daughters and three grandchildren. What a wonderful life. Ron is a Lutheran minister, and I’m a writer, editor, and worship dancer. We believe that the Lord brought us together at Luther. He has blessed us abundantly as we have been faithful to each other and to Him.

Megan (Anderson) '07 and Joseph Beatty '07, Chicago, Ill.  "We met while working an over night for the Decorah middle and high school students with Young Life during our sophomore year. We ended up working the same rotations in the SRC and became fast friends. Well, you know the end... friendship turned into love... and the rest is history!"

Erin (Gallagher) '06 and Chris Bellinder '06  Columbia, S.C. "Chris and I met freshman year at Luther. At orientation we were split up into groups based on the month of our birthdays. Chris and I are both April birthdays (in fact only a day apart). In that sharing, we learned that we were both big band nerds in high school. Later that day, our floors were also paired up to go to the freshman dinner together and we sat by each other. In my head, I had to call him Chris from Kansas to try and remember who he was because of the amount of people you are meeting at the time! We started hanging out after that initial meeting. We drove to La Crosse for our first date in November of 2002. Here we are 10 years later and happily married for 4 1/2 years and expecting our first child (appropriately another April birthday). We couldn't be happier with our time at Luther and the fact that it brought us together. We can not wait for our future son or daughter to be brought up in the Luther spirit! We miss it like home everyday." 

Amy (Brumm) '92 and Kris Bjorklund '92, Green Bay, Wis. "Kristofer and I met the first day of our sophomore year in Richard Simon Hanson's class, The Biblical Story. After class in Koren, we'd walk together to Main for our Norwegian and Greek classes, talking all the way. Our first date was to the movies at the Viking Theatre. Kristofer proposed in the CFL, on stage, singing and playing guitar. We just celebrated our 20th anniversary!"

Kari (Petersen) '85 and Dwight Bullard '84 Oakdale, Minn.
"Kari and I met in Oneota on a typical busy morning.  The tables were all so full. I was a chess player and needed to fill out a postal chess card and there was only one spot open at a table. I knew one person at the table and she had to go so Kari was left. I noticed right away how cute she was and we started talking about how she had injured herself playing Racquetball.  Kari never received any mail so I started sending her mail in her SPO.  It all started from there!"  

Becky (Weaver) '05 and Jeromy Carlson '05, Minneapolis, Minn. "We met as Freshmen - but it was not love at first sight! Jeromy was dating someone else and thought I was a little brazen. I thought Jeromy was standoffish. By the next school year, he was single. We started hanging out and quickly became good friends. People asked us what we going on between us (because it was obvious there was something,) but we were still in denial. But during finals of the first semester, Jeromy asked me to be, "more than friends." We dated the rest of college, were engaged in 2006, married on October 6, 2007, and had our first child on August 8, 2011. Luther Love!"

Karen (Aaker) '65 and Larry Chellevold '65  Tucson, Ariz. "We met as freshmen, shared the drive back and forth to our parents' homes in Wisconsin during school breaks, became great friends, started dating our Junior year and friendship turned to a love that has lasted and grown for 47 years."

Wendy (Hillesland) '80 and Dave Coe '80, Madison, Wis. "When Dave and I attended Luther in the late 70s, the directors of student housing were Pete and Sue Smith. They coined the phrase "shoebox couples" for Luther students/alumni who married each other because we come in pairs. Dave and I met serving banquets. He belonged to the Sigma Chi fraternity and I was a Tau Delt. We earned money for our organizations by serving the various banquets held on campus. Dave was substituting one night for someone and he held the tray of salt and pepper shakers that I was putting on the tables in the Oneota Room. He kept asking me questions like "Where are you from?" and "What is your major?" and I thought he was kind of pesty. However, he worked up the courage to ask me to the Sigma Chi formal a couple of weeks later. The rest is history. We've been an item for the last 36 years. Ironically, that was the only time we served a banquet together. We were meant to be!"

Mara (Grimm) '97 and Rockne Cole '97  Iowa City, Iowa  "Rockne and I met our senior year at Luther College in Larsen Hall in 1996. We lived on the top floor, the only co-ed floor on campus, and he was my RA. He likes to joke that he took advantage of his position.

Two years earlier he had stood directly in front of me in Cathedral Choir - he as a Bass II, I as an Alto II. Rockne is a very tall, blonde, Nordic looking man. At the time I thought he was a Norwegian foreign exchange student with an incredibly low voice.

Our senior year we met one morning as I was heading to the shower in my bath robe. It was surprising we had never officially met before, since we had several friends in common and were in choir together Sophomore year. Once we got talking I realized he did not have an accent and was not, in fact, a foreign exchange student, but a native of Decorah. We had lots of great talks those first few weeks of school over endless cups of coffee, and he ended up asking me to the Flamingo Ball for our first official date. We dated our entire senior year and ended up parting ways after graduation.

That fall we reunited in Iowa City, and got married the following Christmas of 1998 in Decorah with many of our Luther friends returning for the celebration. This year will mark our 15th year of marriage, and our daughter Nora's 5th birthday. She was named for the strong character Nora in Ibsen's "A Doll's House", a play we both saw our Freshman year at Luther. We hope she someday will attend Luther as well, and have as transforming an experience as we both did." 

Audrey (Hovden) '59 and John Dahle '60 Decorah, Iowa"  John and I have been life-time members of Madison Lutheran Church. We were confirmed on the same day, and we were loyal Luther Leaguers. Attending Luther at various times we saw each other at daily chapel. I received my two-year elementary education teaching certificate, and then I taught in Lutheran day school in southern California followed by one year at Clarion, Iowa. Upon returning to Luther, John picked me up for dates in his father's Chevy at Brandt Hall. (My graduation photo which also became my engagement photo was taken the morning following the gym fire.) I receive my BA degree and marriage certificate in August 1962."

Ann (Blado) '00 and Andrew Dybvig '98  Minneapolis, Minn. "We first met on a J-Term study abroad trip to South Africa in 1998. Andy was a senior and I was sophomore. Andy was interested in me, but I didn't think too highly of him at first. (I thought that him and his friends on the trip were obnoxious and immature!) But, by the end of the trip, I had gotten to know him better. We had our first date on the last evening of Cape Town and we continued dating once we returned. We were married the summer after I graduated."

Ami (Shoup) '96 & Steve Hall '97, Littletown, Colo.
"Freshman year, Steve and I were both interested in each other. He showed me by asking out my roommate. He says he flirted with me, but I didn't recognize it. Sophomore year to senior year, we were good friends. Steve took a year off so I graduated one year before him and started dating a man who had the same last name as him. Finally we figured it out. God sent him the message to find a girl in Brandt 106, God told me to get the last name - we just needed a couple tries. Married 14 years this August."

Nori (Greenlee) '97 and Ross Hadley '95, Decorah, Iowa  "Ross and I met when I was in the Symphony Orchestra at the time that he was running lights at the CFL for a concert in 1993. Of course, there's more to the story, but that's the 'clean' version."

Robin (Friedrichsen) '83 and Scott Hanson '81  Farmington, Minn. "It was the fall of 1979, my freshman year, when we first met in Spanish class. We soon became best friends. In October 1983, we were married. Nearly thirty years later, we remain best friends and are so thankful for our time at Luther. We received a wonderful education and even better, carried the Luther traditions into our marriage. Luther is a special place. Even though our three children didn't attend Luther, as we visited colleges we always looked for and pointed out the things that made Luther special." 

Denae (Erdman) '87 and Steve Harder '84, Spring Valley, Minn.
"The first time I saw Denae was at a pizza party the Men's and Women's Swim Team had to get to know the new swimmers sometime in October of 1983, my senior year and her freshman year at Luther.  Just another new face.  We actually met in the pool as we shared a lane for at least a weeks worth of practice at the beginning of the season.  At that time both men's and women's teams often practiced at the same time as we had small teams.  I was dealing a chest injury and was moved over to an outside lane, where Denae and a couple teammates were, to work on my kicking.  I got to know her and the other new swimmers that week but got better and eventually moved over to the men's lanes.  The season progressed we rarely saw each other, or frankly, thought of one another.  It wasn't until the last month or two of school that we caught each other's attention and spent more time together, mainly with other mutual friends.  After my graduation, I helped her and her mom Audrey, who had signed my diploma as secretary of the Board of Regents (ever been nervous about meeting someone's mom?), pack her up as she left for the summer.  We figured that we probably wouldn't see each other much, if at all, as I was going to be in Des Moines at school and she would be at Luther.  As "luck" would have it, my dad severely fractured his leg that June and ended up in the hospital for several weeks in Denae's hometown of Rochester.  That led to weekend visits to visit him and a chance to see Denae.During the week, she visited my dad daily and kept his room supplied with fresh flowers.  We continued seeing each other, maintaining a long distance relationship, and were married on December 20th, 1986, midway through her senior year (she had finished her studies in 3 1/2 years).  Now, 26 years later, we live in Spring Valley, MN and have been blessed with 3 fantastic kids... twenty year-old twin boys Jacob (at UMD), Trenton (at Luther) and Rachel (age 16) at home.  We have fantastic memories of Luther.  It occupies a special place in our hearts.  And we're still sharing the same lane..."

Denae's version: "The first time I "noticed" Steve was hearing a laugh coming from the guys side of the table at the pizza party.  I was shocked to find out the giggle had come from a large man!  We spent the rest of the season just hanging out as a group that had a lot of workouts and meets in common.  If it had not been for the pool and our Fellowship of Christian Athletes gatherings, we never would have crossed paths since we never even had a class together.  If it also had not been for his father's injury, I'm not sure our story would have turned out the same.  Our hometown's were in different states and schools were in Decorah and Des Moines. We weren't even sure if we would be able to stand each other after we were married since our entire relationship was long distance!  I'm thankful for the time I had at Luther and for introducing me to my best friend and husband."

Linda (Rosholt) '85 and Lee Hash '84, Appleton, Wis.
"We actually did meet at Luther.  Lee was a junior AHD in Miller, and I was a sophomore living in Dieseth.  My good friend Lisa was also an AHD in Miller and she introduced us one of the first days of school.  Our first date was to see the on-campus movie, “Psycho.”  Don’t try to figure that one out!"

Gretchen (Klaus) '06 and Matthew Hazelton '07 Saint Paul, Minn. "Gretchen and I played in the Orchestra - I played bass and she played violin. We met my Junior year at an Orchestra social, "wine and cheese party" and just started spending more time together after that!"

A special thanks to Professors Refsal and Moeller for their roles in matchmaking - however unintentional!"

Jaclyn (Ohnemus) '11 and Patrick Hussey '12, Iowa City, Iowa "In December of 2008, Luther hosted auditions for its first Jterm "Dancing With The Stars" competition.  Having heard about the competition, I decided to audition because it sounded like fun and I was going to need something to do on campus while my friends traveled abroad for Jterm.  Patrick, on the other hand, was dragged to the auditions by his friend Julie Shiely, an instructor for the competition.The second night of auditions consisted of pairing the guys and girls together to see who would make good partners. While dancing swing style together, Patrick and I officially met. Though we only had time for introductions and small talk, a lasting impression was made! Unfortunately Patrick and I were not picked to compete as partners, but we reconnected during January after Patrick tracked me down and found out that I was an RA in his friend's building. The occasional drop by visit turned into a daily ritual and we quickly became close friends.  We had our first date at Mabe's Pizza in April of 2009.

Patrick and I became engaged in April of 2011 and were married on July 28, 2012.  We were surrounded by many members of our "Luther family" including a choir 25 Luther students/alumni who sang during our wedding ceremony. It was an awesome day!"

Mindi (Scott) '07 and Josh Johnson '07, Ellington, Conn. "We met on the 2nd day of freshman year. We both played basketball at Luther, and have been together ever since. All 4 years of college we played and traveled together with the basketball team. We moved to Chicago, got married in 2008, had our first son in 2008 and another son in 2011 before moving to Connecticut. We even met a couple at our church who are also Luther alumni."

Sue (Hammer) '74 and John Larson '72, Lafayette, Ind.  "John and I met through mutual friends in 1973. Although I turned down a date to the Whippy Dip the first time he called, (I told him I didn't like ice cream.) We were married in June of 1974."

Karin (Knutsen) '61 and Clay Lyon '61, Pebble Creek, Ariz.

"I was born in Bergen, Norway.  In 1950, after World War II our family immigrated to Winnetka, Illinois. I attended New Trier High School graduating in 1956. I chose to attend Luther College because its heritage was rich with Norwegian history, as well as a small, very lovely campus.

Now we live in Pebble Creek, Arizona after living in Palos Verdes, CA for 29 years and Minnesota prior to that. The reason we moved to Pebble Creek was retirement which brought us full circle from Luther.  Clay came to Pebble Creek to play in a golf tournament for Luther put on by Coach Kent Finanger. Clay and I have lived in Pebble Creek, very close to Coach Kent and his wife Lois."

Lois (Shier) '66 and Dean Markwardt '64 Marshfield, Wis. "I met my Dean at Luther College 49 years ago. We met in a class called, "Argumentation and Debate" - now that's how you start a marriage! We will be celebrating our 50th anniversary this year."

Chrissy (Rabe) '95 and Jeremy Murphy '95, West Burlington, Iowa  "Chrissy and I were friends at Luther and she requested me as her physics tutor. We got to know each other better and ended up dating after Luther. We have been married 13 years and have 3 children."

Mona (Feller) '75 and Cy Nelson '76, Decorah, Iowa "Cy and Mona's love story began in the IGA grocery store in their hometown of Oelwein, Iowa. It was the classic checker and carry-out that moved quickly to be more than co-workers. Mona is the older woman who selected Luther first and Cy started a year later. We were a couple before Luther, through all of our Luther years and married 6 weeks after Cy graduated from Luther. Luther has been central to our lives since 1971 and became even more significant in 1990 when I joined the faculty. Love and Luther continue to be the theme as we now have 2 of our 3 sons who have Luther degrees and wonderful wives they met at Luther."

Carrie (Walling) '03 and Jake Nimrod '01, Norwalk, Iowa "We are so grateful for the wonderful opportunities Luther provided us! Most of all being our thankfulness and fellowship opportunities through prayer groups (in Campus Ministries). We felt supported during our college years and it gave us an opportunity to meet people we otherwise may not have met - each other. After our very first prayer group meeting we knew we had each met someone special and that was the beginning of our very blessed and Christ centered love story for the past 13 years and counting."

Kay (Thomas) '61 and Curt Nodolf '60 Janesville, Wis. "We met when Kay was going to Transfer to Madison.  She found out her classes wouldn't transfer and she needed a ride back to Luther.  A friend told her she was riding back with a guy from Belmont.  I came to pick her up and had a 1936 Chevrolet with no trunk.  She had to sit on a suitcase and every time we hit a bump her head would hit the top of the car.  She made lots of crazy comments and everyone was laughing which is when I noticed her."

LaMay (Sexe) '61 and Ronald Nybroten '62 Oregon, Wis. I transfered down from St. Olaf at the end of my sophomore year. LeMay was a part of the Centennial Class (1961). She went to go teach elementary school with a group of women up near Circle Pines, Minnesota. I was going to go to Wartburg seminary but we got pretty serious, so I went to Luther seminary closer to her. She was my future frauwl (German word for wife)."

Jendean (Hegg) '67 and Dan Olson '67, Sturgeon Bay, Wis. "Dan and I met first in the registration line at Luther, when our parents discovered each other. Dan's father and my mother had been friends during their Luther days!"

Religion class together continued the "meeting" and working together at KWLC, (Dan as program director and announcer, myself as writer and announcer) cemented us! I actually made the first advance for a Sadie Hawkins date! We wed after I returned from a Nordic Choir trip to Norway. We're still married 45 years later! Two of our three children are Luther grads - Andrew and Angela."

Muriel (Bigler) '66 and Dave Olson '63, Merced, Calif. "I came to Luther in the fall of 1959 from the plains of South Dakota. By Fall of 1960, looking for a less expensive dining option to the B.C., I took a job at Ostrandor's Cafe, Water Street in Decorah, for $0.50/hour and dinner on the days I worked. Muriel, a junior at Decorah High School, was a waitress and a student in Chemistry. I, being a Luther Chemistry major was happy to assist with her Chemistry studies... Our 50th Anniversary is in August 2013."

Susan (Stockseth) '02 and Mark Potvin, Princeton, Minn. "We meet singing in Nordic Choir. I was a week away from going to student teach and we hit it off at a New Year's Eve party. We went out for lunch and dinner in the same day because we had so much fun. We never actually dated on campus but did the long distance thing for a while and now we're married for almost nine years." 

Larayne (Rahn) '73 and David Olson '73  Sioux City, Iowa

"David and I met the Sunday, (Dec. 10, 1969) before finals. Nobody wanted to study so everyone was outside having a snowball fight. David says I hit him with an ice ball - I claim innocence to this day! We started dating that J-Term and we were married in August 1971. As I tell David, it seems like only 41 minutes - UNDER WATER!"

 

Marilyn (Knudson) '50 and Francis Peterson '49, Decorah, Iowa  "Sixty-four years ago (Feb. 2012), Marilyn accepted a diamond engagement ring from me. We were in the C.K. Preus Gymnasium at the west end, after a basketball game. She was waiting for me to shower and get dressed. From there, we walked to Larson Hall, because all females had to be checked in by 10 p.m.!"  

Lois (Erickson) '58 and Kenneth Peterson '57 Minneapolis, Minn.

"I first noticed Lois at Holt's Dairy. I figured out what her name was so I called her and was able to make a date. We enjoyed many movies and long walks. This was in 1957. We were married in June 1959 and have been sweethearts ever since. We will celebrate 54 years in June. It was the best thing that happened at Luther. Our degrees were important also."    

Mildred (Benson) '53 and Theodore Peterson '57"  Bemidji, Minn. "I met Ted at a Sadie Hawkins Square Game when I kicked him in the shins! That was in February of 1953 and we were engaged in May, three months later, when I graduated from the two-year elementary education program. Ted left Luther for an equivalent of two years, due to his Mother's accident, while I was teaching in Iowa. During that time he did carpenter work in his home town of Franklin, MN. We were married in June 1955 after which Ted returned to Luther. We lived in Decorah until he graduated in 1957. Luther is very special to us for our education and, of course, because that is where we got to know each other. We will have been married 58 years in June!"

 

Betsy (Paschke) '82 and Chris Preus '81  Excelsior, Minn. "Our first date was Halloween of 1980 in Valders 117 where we saw Creature of the Black Lagoon in 3D."   

Summer before our Senior year, our friend Kate who had been a steady part of our threesome, left to spend her Senior year in Israel and we were left alone.  I still wasn't interested:-)  BUT, I went on vacation with my family and while away, I realized that after our senior year I would probably not see him again and just thinking about that made my heart pound!  I returned from vacation, made my intentions clear and by October, we were talking about "when we get married!" We already knew each other so well, once we decided this was it, our path was laid out.  We were officially engaged in March of our senior year and married on August 3rd, 1991.  The rest is history!"

Lynda (Hedrick) '89 and Dave Satre '90 Hockessin, Del. "It was my second week of senior year when we met. Being a nursing major, I was gone for junior year, and was just returning back to campus. I went to a Tau Delt function, and a friend said I needed to meet a nice guy. My friend found Dave, a junior, and introduced us. We dated from that day on, got married, and now have 10 children!"

Karen (Crump) '72 and Bob Spiegler '72  Mankato, Minn. "When asked how we met, this is the rather unusual Luther College story I tell about meeting Karen Crump. (We will have been married for 39 years this June. We have 3 children (Courtney, Ben and Chris). Courtney was married on our anniversary last June and is expecting a baby girl, our first grandchild this June.)

The fall of our freshman year I was walking down to the fieldhouse and was the first person to come across a very pretty freshman girl named Chris who was very upset because she had lost an eye contact on the walkway between the hill and the fieldhouse.There was a swirling wind and the contact could have blown anywhere. Coming from Waukon where we faced swirling wind problems all the time, I suggested that she drop her other contact and see where that goes and we would find both of them! (Nobody else thought this was a great idea). But she said OK. By then others had stopped to help, and circled around her as she dropped the contact. The contact blew right by one of the guys and over the edge (heading towards Calmar). Now she was really upset and I was in big trouble as she had now lost both contacts. While the others looked around up top and then left for class, I went down below to discover two 4 foot pine trees and no contacts on the ground. Hoping they were in the trees I proceeded to shake the tress and look on the ground. About 30 minutes later one of the contacts drops out on the ground so I ran it up the hill to Chris and a guy friend who waited with her. She did not seem overly happy to be back to only having one lost contact. I told her I would go find the other one and back down the hill to shaking the pines I went. After a few prayers the other one fell out. Thank you Lord. I grabbed it and turned to see they had given up waiting and left. Fortunately the guy was still in range to hear me, so he took the contact and said he would get it to her.Years later I found out she was not upset with me and had sent a Mabe's Pizza over to the dorm that night as a thank you. The guys at the front desk ate it. She wondered why I did not thank her and I tried to avoid her thinking she felt I'm still a bad memory. Then in January of our senior year Chris and I ran across each other and she tells me twice (this guy needs help) to ask her friend "Crumpy "out. I did and Karen became not only my wife but my best friend. I remember Coach Schwiezer telling us guys to" keep our eyes open, we may just meet our wife at Luther." Thank you Lord for the many Luther Blessings!

Jill (Nelson) '88 and Ronn Thomas '87, Lakeville, Minn.
"Ronn and I knew each other for awhile, (I even set him up with my friend!), but it was not until we had Cost Accounting together that our romance began. Wonderful memories of walking to the Whippy Dip together, suckers in my SPO, and hikes in the beautiful Decorah parks. Even after 23 years of marriage we still love going to Luther's Homecoming and sharing our memories with our son!"  

Patricia (Haraldson) '56 and S.S. Urberg '54 Fort Wayne, Ind. "We never met while students at Luther, but at a Twin Cities alumni meeting while S. S. was at Luther Theological Seminary and I was teaching in Bloomington, Minnesota."  

Marjorie (Jorth) '50 and Donald Wahlgren '50  Gowrie, Iowa "We have many good memories of our time at Luther College. Donald and I had known each other before we came to Luther in the fall of 1949. We had taught in the same school in Ringsted, Iowa the previous year. (I had been there 2 years.) But, we became engaged while at Luther and were married in June of 1950. So we spent half of that summer living in the "recycled" army barracks on campus so I could finish my courses for my B.A. Then, we left in September of 1950 for Nigeria where we taught in Lutheran Mission high schools and pre-seminary for the next eight years. He had started seminary in Blaire, Nebraska and finished in Dubuque, Iowa on furloughs." 

Jane (Baker) '61 and Dean Wallestad '62, Moorland, Iowa "Dean and I met at Luther and the rest is so they say, history. In 1959 Dean and I had both stayed back at Luther during January semester break. There was a get together for all students on campus and we met for the first time at Olson Hall and player pool together. We did have a lovely courtship on the beautiful Luther College Campus. The wonderful memories of basketball and football games, long walks, long talks and the indispensable "java" hour. My roommates could not understand how I could spend so much time on the phone. We enjoyed concerts and activities with Pi Epsilon Tau, Pi Kappa Tau and the Wisillminows. What a special time; what a special place!

We are thankful for the opportunity to have a great education at Luther College to serve us well all our life. Soli Deo Gloria. It was a lasting love and the Lord has been good to us. We have been married for 53 years. We thank the Lord for His faithfulness to our family. We have a daughter and son as well as 5 beautiful, smart grandchildren. We were Luther Sweethearts and really we still are. We treasurer our time at Luther. THANK YOU LUTHER!"

 

Deborah (Corey) '73 and Joe Wemette '73, North St. Paul, Minn.
"We met during registration in September 1969 and were married in May 1973. In between: Core, Mabe's, Dante's, 4th Meals, papers, blue books and changing majors.  Now, 40 years later: 2 careers, 2 kids, a family total of 8 degrees, and gratitude for Luther - being where it all began."