2008 Fall Saint Benedict's Magazine

              Saint M A G A Z I N E BenedictFa’l l s2008
To Go?
student researchers examine effects of
caffeine on athletic performance
perfect match
How cool is that? A game that actually has love in its scorecard!
Serving up a matching gift to the Annual Giving Program is like tying the
score of an already exciting game. What’s not to love-love?
The Annual Giving Phonathon team is suited up and making phone
calls for Fiscal Year 2009. When they contact you, let them know if
your employer has a matching gift program. Your Human Resources
department will give you all of the game rules.
You can also give online today: www.csbsju.edu/csbannualgiving
perfect match
How cool is that? A game that actually has love in its scorecard!
Serving up a matching gift to the Annual Giving Program is like tying the
score of an already exciting game. What’s not to love-love?
The Annual Giving Phonathon team is suited up and making phone
calls for Fiscal Year 2009. When they contact you, let them know if
your employer has a matching gift program. Your Human Resources
department will give you all of the game rules.
You can also give online today: www.csbsju.edu/csbannualgiving
in this issue
Saint Benedict’s Magazine
Editor and Designer: Heidi L. Everett
Saint Benedict’s Magazine is published four times a year
by the Office of Institutional Advancement.
Contact
College of Saint Benedict Magazine
37 South College Ave.
St. Joseph, MN 56374-2099
heverett@csbsju.edu
For address changes, please call 1-800-648-3468, ext . 1
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer
The mission of the College of Saint Benedict is to provide for women the very best
residential liberal arts education in the Catholic university tradition. The college fosters
integrated learning, exceptional leadership for change and wisdom for a lifetime.
4 From the President
5 Around Campus
6 Reunion and SaintStock pictorial
8 Cell Mates
10 Human Nature
12 After Math: The Art of the Dance
15 Alumnae News & Notes
19 I’m A Bennie
Printed on recyled paper using soy ink, of course.
12
15
8
Last spring, Pulitzer Prize winning science writer
Natalie Angier spoke during our annual Scholarship
and Creativity Day. Her topic? The importance of
science literacy. Ms. Angier noted that few Ameri-cans
can name a living scientist. She cited an annual
National Science Foundation survey that suggests
we aren’t sure how long it takes the Earth to revolve
around the sun, if antibiotics fight bacteria and vi-ruses,
and whether or not it is the mother’s or father’s
chromosomes that determine a baby’s gender. Thanks
to shows like CSI and Bones, she said, the general
public has become more interested in science. And,
although the science isn’t always ‘correct,’ these shows
do demonstrate and celebrate the wonder of science.
Well, Saint Ben’s faculty and students are no strang-ers
to the wonder of science and importance of sci-ence
literacy.
This past summer, Saint Ben’s hosted the 12th na-tional
conference of The Council for Undergraduate
Research, “Frontiers and Challenges in Undergradu-ate
Research.” More than 600 faculty, administrators,
representatives of funding agencies and others with
an interest in undergraduate research were on cam-pus.
About a dozen of our own faculty were partici-pants
or speakers or both.
And while we were busy hosting this conference, 54
CSB and SJU students were working on their own
research projects. Their research spanned many aca-demic
disciplines, including math, chemistry, physics,
biology, computer science, English, environmental
studies, psychology, nutrition, history and nursing.
Many of these projects crossed disciplinary boundar-ies
as well. A few examples include political science
applied to food delivery systems, environmental engi-neering
of campus sustainability initiatives and math-
FRO M THE PRESIDENT
Celebrate the Wonder of Science
ematical modeling used to understand molecular biology.
Thirteen CSB and SJU students traveled to five foreign
countries to conduct research projects. Eight students went
to China for six weeks with two professors participating in
a science exchange program with Southwest University in
Beibei. At the end of June, our group returned to the U.S.
accompanied by their Chinese partners to work on research
projects here with our faculty.
In this issue of Saint Benedict’s magazine, you’ll read about
two Bennies who conducted summer research with hu-man
subjects to examine the effects of caffeine on athletic
performance. You’ll also meet three of our alumnae in the
field of science who share their perspectives on science lit-eracy.
Finally, you’ll learn about Ocean, a spectacular dance
performance based on ancient mathematical equations that
is being performed this month on the floor of a granite
quarry here in Central Minnesota.
Personally, I think it’s critically
important that we lay the ground-work
for building solid founda-tions
for careers in science.
Who knows, maybe someday
a CSB grad will discover the
cure for cancer!
around camp us
5
Maria Hunt O’Phelan ’78
Distinguished Alumna Award
Maria was honored for outstand-ing
achievements in her chosen
profession and for her daily life that
reflects the Christian ideals and
mission of Saint Ben’s.
Maria, who lives in St. Paul, is
the second vice president of group
customer service and technology at
Minnesota Life, a Securian Finan-cial
Group affiliate. She leads more
than 100 employees responsible for
the administration, service and sales
support for employer group life
insurance plans. Minnesota Life is
the fifth largest domestic group life
insurer in the United States. She
has been with them for 25 years
and a vice president since 2001.
Besides raising three boys, she
has volunteered with many orga-nizations.
She is on the board of
directors for the Working Family
Resource Center, and a member
of the Nativity School Investment
Advisory Committee.
“Saint Ben’s taught me about
community,” Maria said following
her nomination. “I came in as a
scared, lonely young girl and left as
a confident young woman who had
learned how to get involved and
make a difference.”
Mary Jo Bauer Ederer ’48
Benedictine Service Award
Mary Jo, of Akron, Ohio, was
recognized for her continued com-mitment
and contributions to com-munity
service and social justice.
A mother of five, grandmother of
13 and great-grandmother of five,
Mary Jo continues to stay in touch
with her classmates and her alma
mater. She has sent two daughters
and a granddaughter to Saint Ben’s.
“The Benedictines have been
so important in her life,” said her
daughter, Vicki Ederer Way ’73.
“She even went to the original
mother house in Pennsylvania after
reading the history of the order and
continues to grow in her love for
the Benedictines.”
Mary Jo has demonstrated her
sense of hospitality by opening her
house to various guests. She has
also displayed a sense of volunteer-ism
at the Nazareth Retirement
Home in San Diego, as well as the
Dominican Convent and Our Lady
of the Elms Church in Akron.
“The more I learned about the
Benedictine values, the more I real-ized
just how much she lives them,”
said Terri Way ’03, Mary Jo’s grand-daughter.
“She has taught us the
value of community and service.”
Melissa Jordan ’98
Decade Award
Melissa received the Decade
Award for outstanding achieve-ments
in her chosen profession in
the ten years following graduation.
Melissa, who lives in Portland,
Ore., became a youth minister
in Alexandria, Minn., following
graduation. She coordinated the
confirmation program, led retreats
and participated in St. Cloud Area
Youth Ministers.
In 2001, she moved to Portland
and took a job at a drop-in center
for homeless youth. She screened
youth and referred them to case
management within the Homeless
Youth Continuum.
Melissa became a program su-pervisor
in 2002 at Bridge House,
a transitional housing program for
homeless youth, where she served
until 2007. She then moved to
Harry’s Mother, a runaway youth
center.
“She holds fast to her belief that
she is doing what she is meant to
do and what she knows she should
do,” said Toni Schewe ’98, who
nominated Jordan. “The commit-ment,
fortitude and quiet humil-ity
she has demonstrated are truly
worth recognizing and emulating.”
Alumnae Honored at Reunion 2008
Reunion &
More than 500
Bennies from the
classes of 1938
through 2008 came
home to Saint Ben’s
June 27 to 29.
Alumnae enjoyed the
annual picnic, tours,
and Gala Dinner as
well as the new 5K
walk/run and yoga.
SaintStock
The bands played on despite
storm clouds and sudden bursts
of rain for this year’s event. Happy
campers and concert goers rocked
all the way through headliner
G.B. Leighton. Thanks to all of
our volunteers who gave their
time and dry clothes to make
SaintStock a success.
Cell Mates
by Heidi L. Everett
Karin Remington, PhD, ’85, director of the
Center for Bioinformatics and
Computational Biology at the National
Institute of General Medical Sciences of
the National Institutes of Health
Ronda Rolfes, PhD, ’83, associate professor in
the Department of Biology at Georgetown
University
Photo courtesy Georgetown College Research News/Roland Dimaya
Laura Torborg Kakach ’83, senior scientist
at Kingfisher Biotech, Inc.
9
Water solidified a love of science
for three graduates of Saint Ben’s.
Well, what happens in and around
water, really.
Laura Torborg Kakach ’83 and
Ronda Rolfes ’83 loved looking at
pond scum under a microscope in
elementary school.
Karin Remington ’85 never re-ally
felt a calling until long after
her PhD. During an effort to mine
genome sequence data from seawa-ter
taken in the Sargasso Sea near
Bermuda, she realized why.
“I realized just how open the
field was, and how sometimes
even the most naïve questions (my
specialty!) were difficult to answer,”
she said. “The exchanges with
top-notch scientists who were both
extremely knowledgeable, but also
humble enough to question their
own assumptions, led me to under-stand
how the excitement of science
wasn’t in the knowledge, but in the
search.”
Now, all three Bennies are mak-ing
a splash on the science scene in
their own way.
Laura is a senior scientist at
Kingfisher Biotech, Inc. where
she clones genes and expresses the
proteins they encode to be used
to develop research tools for the
veterinary research market. Most
recently, she was co-owner and
co-founder of ATG Laboratories,
a molecular biology services com-pany.
Karin is director of the Center
for Bioinformatics and Compu-tational
Biology at the National
Institute of General Medical Sci-ences
for the National Institutes of
Health. The center provides grant
funding to academic researchers
for projects that bring computer
science and mathematical tools to
biological research and lead to bet-ter
understanding of life processes,
which ultimately leads to improve-ments
in the diagnosis, treatment
and prevention of disease.
Ronda, who found herself
hooked by her biology and chem-istry
courses, is associate profes-sor
in the Department of Biology
at Georgetown University where
she teaches and conducts research
centered on molecular genetics.
“Some people want to know that
something works,” she said. “I want
to know why it works.”
While the average reader might
not feel they have the scientific
credentials to investigate how Sac-charomyces
senses the abundance of
nucleotides, as Ronda does, they
do share an essential trait in science
literacy: healthy curiosity.
“We all are born scientists, ask-ing
‘why?’ and ‘how?’ all the time.
Parents know that too well!” Karin
said. “If we can keep that question-ing
spirit, then there is so much
that is accessible to even the most
general audience.”
As Ronda explained, ��Science
teaches you how to make good
observations and predictions about
what happens next.” In her labora-tory,
she studies how cells sense
their environment and use that
information to communicate and
change their gene expression.
In layperson’s terms: “If you walk
into the living room during the
day, you sense light and can read
a book,” she said. “At night, you
observe that it is dark and must flip
a switch to turn on the lamp before
there is enough light to read by.
Light is the critical environmental
item. I am interested in under-standing
the molecular equivalents
of the sensor, switch, wires, and
lamp used to make light at night.”
Science exists everywhere in day-to-
day thinking. “In small things
like trying to make good choices
about what we eat, in big things
like trying to make the right choice
about medical treatment for our
loved ones, and in shared issues like
trying to ensure that our environ-ment
is healthy and sustainable,”
Karin said. “When I think of ‘sci-ence
literacy,’ I think of a comfort
level that we all can and should
have when talking and reason-ing
about the areas where science
touches our lives.”
Laura agreed. “The more we un-derstand
the better we are prepared
to make decisions, whether it is in
the political arena, our neighbor-hoods,
or work environments.”
Ronda took it a step further.
“Citizens have to appreciate the sci-ence
that is known as well as how
it is used and manipulated.” She
recommended learning to differen-tiate
between shoddy studies from
well-performed studies by paying
attention to who did a study, what
their vested interest is in the results,
and if the results can be supported
from other studies.
While the general public may
cringe at recollections of their high
school or college science course per-formance,
the reality is that asking
‘why’ and ‘how’ will set them on a
course for greater science literacy.
“Ask a question and look for
information,” Laura advised.
“Whether it’s a health question,
how a computer works, or how a
hummingbird holds its place at the
feeder.”
“When you start to question
what you hear or read,” Karin said.
“you can appreciate just what it
means to be a scientist.”
by Heidi L. Everett
10
Mind Games
CSB nordic skier Makenzie Wright is a senior psychology major who competes against
herself in each peformance test. Senior researcher Laurie Verant (top right) fits
Makenzie with a mask. Senior researcher Ashley Davenport increases Makenzie’s
incline. Of the 54 CSB/SJU students who conducted summer research, Laurie and Ashley
were among the few to work with human subjects.
human nature
exhaustion and being more alert),
not much has been done on its ef-fects
on female athletes. These two
Bennies want to add to the body of
knowledge on the subject.
Of the 54 CSB/SJU students
conducting summer research, Ash-ley
and Laurie are among the few
conducting research with human
subjects. The choice was easy for
them. As Ashley puts it, “I couldn’t
spend every day sitting in a lab.”
More than a dozen human sub-jects
step up to be harnessed and to
run until exhaustion.
After drinking a beverage (one
a placebo or one with the caffeine
equivalent of two cups of coffee),
each subject completes a 5-minute
warm up on the treadmill. Then,
the fun begins. At a pace of 6
mph, the subjects are given a 2.5%
incline every 2 minutes. The test is
complete at the point of exhaustion
(usually 15 minutes or so), or when
the subject chooses to stop.
“When you’ve had enough, hop
off,” Amy Olson calls out to one
subject. “It’s clearly written in the
informed consent that they can
step off at any time,” she tells me.
A professor of nutrition, Amy is
partners with associate professor
of biology Mani Campos as the
faculty research team advising this
work. “We want to make sure that
no undo risks are posed to human
subjects,” Amy says. This includes
that their confidentiality is pre-served
when results are shared and
that they are safe during tests.
Students develop their own
research proposal and submit it
to the Institutional Review Board
for approval to work with human
subjects. Students also recruit their
own subjects, explain the tests, se-cure
informed consent paperwork,
administer the tests, analyze results,
and draw conclusions. As Amy puts
it, “Students get the whole research
story from start to finish.”
Biohazard training and safety
workshops are chapters in this
story. For Ashley, Laurie, and their
subjects, urine samples are the
bookends of each test; passive drool
tests through a straw and frequent
finger pricks are also integral.
To find their subjects, Ashley and
Laurie contacted coaches. Coaches
contacted athletes. Athletes con-tacted
the researchers. And, they
ended up with subjects that in-cluded
nordic skiers, hockey play-ers,
distance runners, recreational
athletes, and soccer players.
Some withdrew after the practice
Research continued on page 18.
by Heidi L. Everett
They’ve already grabbed coffee.
It’s 10:30 a.m. when seniors Ash-ley
Davenport and Laurie Verant
sit down for this interview. They’re
gearing up for another day of sum-mer
research, and a boost of energy
would be great.
Summer is an ideal time to col-lect
research data and draft a formal
research paper because of the slower
pace, but these aren’t the only
things on their agendas. Ashley,
a nutrition and biology double
major, is studying for the M-CAT.
Laurie, a biology major, is deep in
applications to osteopathic medical
school.
For today, though, the focus is
on caffeine and the effects it has
on maximal oxygen consumption
(VO2 max). “The better you are
at giving oxygen to your muscles,
the better your work out,” Laurie
explains.
While studies have shown ben-efits
of caffeine on athletic per-formance
(like running longer to
the art of the dance
by Heidi L. Everett
after math
Coproduced by the Benedicta Arts Center of the College of Saint Benedict, Walker Art Center and the Cunningham Dance Foundation and Northrop Dance at the University of Minnesota. Major
support is generously provided by Sage and John Cowles and the National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces: Presenting program. Additional support provided by The Minneapolis
Foundation: Goodale Arts Fund, Leni D. & David Moore, Jr. / The Moore Family Fund for the Arts, and the Dale Schatzlein and Emily Maltz Fund; HRK Foundation: Hayes Fund, Hynnek Fund, Art
and Martha Kaemmer Fund, Pugsley Fund, and the Mary H. Rice Foundation; Russell Cowles, Molly Davies, Penny Rand Winton; and the Sewell Family Foundation. Special thanks to Martin
Marietta Materials and the city of Waite Park.
To summarize the event, one
might say it is the intersec-tion
of earth science, advanced
mathematical sequencing of the
ancient Chinese, Einstein’s phi-losophy,
and, of course, artistic
leotards. The New York Times calls
it “a vision of creation constantly
reshaping itself into ever more
wondrous forms.”
Both describe – but in no way
capture – the monumental re-staging
of Merce Cunningham’s
landmark work Ocean this month
near campus.
Ocean premiered at Lincoln
Center in New York in 1994.
Because of its scope, the work
has been seen only in Brussels,
Amsterdam, Venice, Berkeley, New
York City, Belfast, Montpellier, Lon-don,
Miami, and Niigata, Japan.
The latest performance, spon-sored
by Saint Ben’s and a host of
others, brings Ocean to the floor
of a granite quarry, 150 feet below
the Earth’s surface.
Ocean features Merce Cun-ningham
Dance Company and 150
classical musicians performing an
orchestral score by Andrew Culver
(Inspired by John Cage) and elec-tronic
score by David Tudor.
The dance is based on the I
Ching, one of the oldest of the
Chinese classic texts that provides
a symbol system to identify order
in chance events. The system cen-ters
on the ideas of the dynamic
balance of opposites, the evolu-tion
of events as a process, and
acceptance of the inevitability.
Ocean includes solos, duets,
trios, quartets, and ensembles in-volving
the entire cast of 14 danc-ers
moving in 128 ever-changing
phrases. “Each time we go over
what has been worked on,” Cun-ningham
said, “I see possibilities
missed. Through chance opera-tions
I try to utilize them.”
Performing on the floor of a
quarry adds more possibility. It’s
theater in the round, underground.
“In reference to the space, it
brings up Einstein’s work about
curving space,” Cunningham said.
“We tend to think flat. I told the
dancers, ‘You have to put yourself
on a merry-go-round that keeps
turning all the time.’ I use chance
operations to determine where
they face at each moment in a
phrase. Difficult, but fascinating.”
The level of difficulty extends
beyond the dance. The granite
backdrop, over a million years in
the making, is second to diamonds
in terms of hardness, as strong as
steel in terms of durability, and an
ideal choice for sustainable build-ing.
As a stage and performance
hall, this breathtaking organic
setting introduces fascinating
challenges to musicians who
will encircle the audience from a
granite ledge; the technical crew
managing the lighting, sound, and
stage; and the audience who will
be escorted to their seats below
the Earth’s surface.
The audience will experience
Ocean on a grand scale—at the
bottom of a granite quarry, under
nighttime skies, in the round, sur-rounded
by a 150-piece orchestra
that includes the St. Cloud Sym-phony
Orchestra and students and
faculty from Saint Ben’s and Saint
John’s. This extraordinary event
will be captured in a five-camera
shoot by renowned filmmaker
Charles Atlas.
13
This revival of Ocean is a co-commission of the Benedicta Arts Center of the College of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, MN and Dance Umbrella. Major support is provided
by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and members of the Board of Directors of the Cunningham Dance Foundation. The filming
of Ocean is made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with additional support provided by The Ford Foundation and Save America’s Treasures, a partnership
between the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
14
Alumnae mile stone s
For complete news and notes from classmates, log on to www.csbsju.edu/csbalum/news
The Alumnae Class Notes section has
undergone some changes which will affect
future submissions. Depending on space
availability, the class notes section will only
contain Alumnae milestones or professional
advancement updates. Personal announcements
of marriages, births and deaths will get printed
if they have taken place in the past 12 months
from the date of the magazine.
For a full version of class notes, please check
your online class page at:
www.csbsju.edu/csbalum/classpages
Also, for the most current updates from your
classmates and to post your own notes and
information go to the online community at:
www.csbsju.edu/csbalum/community
1981
Diane Gerdts Hovey is publishing Princess
Sophia’s Gifts, a beautifully illustrated
children’s book, available in Sept. ’08. It is her
daughter’s story in the form of a fairytale; a
story about loss, a journey to wisdom and life’s
truest gifts. Diane’s website where the book in-formation
will be available is: www.aheart.com
1985
Beth Hentges was honored with the 2008
Distinguished Teaching Award by the Minnesota
Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges.
The award honors instructors who foster curios-ity
and generate excitement about mathematics
in students and are widely recognized for their
successful teaching. Hentges has been with
Century College in White Bear Lake, Minnesota
since 1992.
1991
Suzanne Bettendorf was appointed Executive
Director of Aveda Institutes Development where
she will be responsible for 50 network institutes
as well as 3 corporately owned Aveda Institutes.
She’s been with Aveda since 2004, first as the
School Development Education Manager, then
as Director of the Aveda Institute in Washington
D.C. She will be relocating back to Minneapolis
this year.
1993
Kate Fulton Rice received an MBA in Finance
& Risk Management from Walden University in
May ’07. She graduated with a 4.0 GPA and
was inducted into the Sigma Iota Epsilon - Zeta
Rho Chapter.
1997
Deana Zaccagnini is now working in the
Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant program
at the University of Minnesota-Fairview as a
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.
2001
Karla Ziegelmann Fjeld has joined Micro-
BioLogics Inc. as an industrial quality control
technologist. Later this year, she will lead a
research development team. Fjeld majored
in Biology and Chemistry at Saint Ben’s. She
went on to earn her PhD from Michigan State
University and has expertise in molecular biol-ogy,
biochemistry and computational tools. She
also has a U.S. patent pending. MicroBioLog-ics
specializes in manufacturing lyophilized
microorganism preparations for quality control
and diagnostic testing. It works with 130 quali-fied
distributors in 100 countries and works
primarily in the clinical, food, pharmaceutical
and environmental industries.
2002
Gina O’Neill Wesley is opening an Optometry
office in the Medina/Hamel area. Her website
will be www.completeeyecareofmedina.
Lori Walz Geller received a Masters of Science
in Nursing from the University of Minnesota in
May ’08. She will be joining the group practice
Western OBGYN in Waconia, MN as a Certified
Nurse Midwife in August ’08.
2004
Alissa Keene received her Doctor of Pharmacy
degree from Creighton University School of
Pharmacy & Health Professions, graduating with
honors in May ’08.
Saint Ben’s welcomes
Shannon Verly Wiger,
Annual Giving Associ-ate.
Shannon comes to
CSB with experience
in alumni relations,
student recruitment, and
fundraising. She will be
furthering the mission of
the college as she builds
relationships with alumnae and educates donors
about philanthropic opportunities on campus.
2005
Nicole Minier Lang-Wieber has been accepted
into Indiana University-Purdue University
Indianapolis (IUPUI) graduate program to pursue
a Master of Applied Communication degree.
Nicole is also currently two courses away from
completing her Master of Theological Studies
degree from St. Meinrad School of Theology and
will graduate from St. Meinrad in August ’08.
Johanna Hatch recently relocated to Madi-son,
WI and accepted a position at Wisconsin
Women’s Network as Administrator. The
Wisconsin Women’s Network is a coalition of
organizations and individuals that advances the
status of women and girls in Wisconsin through
communication, education, and advocacy.
Amber Lange Kalla received her MBA from St.
Cloud State University in May ’08.
2007
Abby Johnstone received the Peters Achieve-ment
Scholarship from the University of
Minnesota-Duluth. This scholarship is given to
a pharmacy student based on extra-curricular
activity and involvement. Abby is in her second
year of grad school and will be graduating in
2011 with a Pharm-D degree.
Sabrina Walters was named Diabetes Therapy
Consultant of the year (Northeast). This is
awarded to an individual who has gone above
and beyond the call of duty as a Medtronic
employee, including taking Medtronic Diabe-tes
University classes on her own time and
volunteering with organizations outside the
company (Juvenile Diabetes Research Founda-tion,
National Kidney Foundation, and American
Diabetes Association).
Marriages
1993 Necoe Otto to Damian Parkinson,
April ‘08
1996 Jennifer Olson to Steve Erffmeyer,
May ‘08
1998 Kelly Jordan to Howard Bowers, Jan. ‘08
2002 Melissa Hogan to John Gombola,
Nov. ‘07
15
2002 Susan Wimmer to Christopher
S exton ‘02, May ‘08
2003 Danielle Flakne to Peter Lippmann,
April ‘08
2003 Jessica R Foster to Ben Imdieke ’02,
April ‘08
2003 Annie Cushman to Gabriel
Berendes ‘03, Aug. ‘07
2003 Kelly Shroyer to Anthony Anderson
‘03, Aug. ‘07
2003 Stephanie Casey to Ryan Bielat ‘03,
May ‘08
2003 Kristine Champley to John Kelly,
Aug. ‘07
2004 Sara Peterson to Robb Swanson,
Jan. ‘08
2004 Alison Boser to Keith Posch, May ’07
2004 Maggie Kane to Brent Masica, April ’07
2005 Maria Wilkes to Jirka Majkus, May ‘08
2005 Rachel Wermager to Travis Rajdl
‘04, June ‘08
2006 Stacie Meyer to Kirk Thornton, Sept. ‘07
2006 MaryBeth Gleason to Peter Mueller
‘04, May ‘08
2007 Margaret Reisdorf to Ethan
McCallum, May ’07
2007 Laura Zwach to Scott LaVoy ‘06,
Sept. ‘07
2007 Heather Johnson to Michael Kruk
‘06, May ‘08
2007 Jennifer Scarrella to Matthew Vos
‘04, May ’08
2008 Shaina Crotteau to Richard Raile
‘07, May ‘08
2008 Anastasia Cheney to Zachary Brown,
May ‘08
Births
1987 Kay Pasquesi & Matt Walker, Girl,
Lucia, March ‘08
1990 Kathleen McDevitt Klinkhammer &
Mike Klinkhammer, Twin Boys, Aidan
& Joshua, May ’07
1990 Karla Lauerman Cummins &
Brendan Cummins, Boy, Sebastian,
Feb. ‘08
1992 Kathleen Bauler Holst & John Holst,
Girl, Evalena, April ‘08
1993 Heather Herron Christenson & Don
Christenson ‘94, Boy, Peter, May ‘08
1993 Amy Hergott Meath & Bart Meath,
Girl, Kate, April ‘08
When Colleen Quinlivan OSB ’88 (third from left) was a student, Sister Marlene
Schwinghammer ’71 (far left) invited her to join Sisters Across Campus, a program which
connected students with sisters. Colleen requested a connection to Sister Colman
O’Connell ’49 (second from left), CSB president at the time. S. Colman agreed but with
the understanding that Sister Emmanuel Renner ’49 (far right) would be available as well.
All three of Colleen’s first close Benedictine friends were delighted when she became
a Benedictine of St. Gertrude’s monastery in Ridgely, Maryland. They were even more
delighted when, on July 12, Sister Colleen was installed as the sub-prioress of her order.
When asked about the evolution of her vocation, Colleen says that she felt called to
become a Benedictine because that is “where the energy was.” She has an undergradu-ate
degree in social work, a Master’s degree in school counseling and has also worked
as a religion teacher, a campus minster and a vocation director. Her advice in making life
decisions is to be attentive, listen to God, and then follow your interests and passions.
Alumna installed as Sub-Prioress
in Maryland Order of Benedictines
Alumnae mile stone s
R asmussen ‘99, Girl, Molly, March ‘08
1999 Melanie Ziskovsky Peterson & Chris
Peterson, Girl, Annika, March ‘08
1999 Jean Notch Sakry & Benjamin Sakry,
Boy, Maxwell, April ‘08
1999 Heidi Jo Leadens Linhoff & Joseph
Linhoff ‘00, Girl, Mackenzie, May ‘08
1999 Jean Eisenzimmer Weyandt & Hans
Weyandt ’99, Boy, Elliott, Oct. ‘07
1999 Melissa Winters Diehl & Nathan
Diehl, Boy, Carter, May ‘08
1999 Stephanie Haen Young & Shawn
Young, Boy, Jonathon, May ‘08
2000 Joelle Hedin Cognetta & Jason
Cognetta ‘99, Boy, Dimarco, Feb. ‘08
2000 Rachel Reuter, Boy, Norman, Jan. ‘08
2000 Katie Schweizer Hansen & Eric
Hansen, Girl, Hallie, Apr. ‘08
2000 Anne Panian Sinna & Gabe Sinna
‘00, Boy, Andrew, April ‘08
2000 Jennifer Staufnecker Bruzek &
Scott Bruzek, Girl, Madison, May ‘08
2000 Amy Sevcik Walstien & Michael
Walstien, Boy, Maxwell, April ‘08
2000 Jody Stueve Durand & Michael
Durand, Girl, Sophia, April ‘08
2001 Jackie Cronin Dols & Brandon Dols
‘01, Girl, Kylle, March ‘08
2001 Angela Busse Boylan & Arthur
Boylan ’01, Girl, Claire, Dec. ‘07
2001 Jill Roehl Herkenhoff & Paul
Herkenhoff ‘01, Boy, Drew, Feb. ‘08
2001 Jenny Kelly Graves & Ryan Graves,
Girl, Addison, Feb. ‘08
2002 Diana Walter Rydell & Mike Rydell
‘02, Girl, Natalie, Sept. ‘07
1994 Kathy Keppers Lutgen & Mark
Lutgen ‘94, Twins, Abigail & Daniel,
July ‘07
1995 Sheila Hicks Risacher & Joe
Risacher, Girl, Emma, Feb. ‘08
1995 Robin Stubblefield Sweeney & Dan
Sweeney, Boy, Conor, April ‘08
1996 Lori Dagit Wendt & Scott Wendt
‘96, Boy, Jackson, Jan. ‘08
1996 Shelly Clifford Schaefer & Jeff
Schaefer, Boy, Benjamin, March ‘08
1996 Sara Weisbeck Schreier & Ryan
S chreier ‘98, Girl, Lillian, Sept. ‘07
1996 Karen Ernst & Alvin Graham, Boy,
Levi, May ‘08
1997 Susan Switras Meyer & Carl Meyer
‘99, Girl, Iris, Sept. ‘07
1998 Stacy Schmitz Jansky & Ben
Jansky ‘97, Girl, Jenna, July ‘07
1998 Heather Wolney Thompson & Jamie
Thompson, Boy, Griffin, June ‘07
1998 Julie Russomanno Nilsson & Steve
Nilsson, Boy, Samuel, March ‘08
1998 Sarah Oberpriller Damm & Gregory
Damm, Twins, Luke & Veronica, Nov. ‘07
1998 Kara Peske Jones & Christopher
Jones, Boy, Anders, March ‘08
1998 Trista Vucetich Anderson & Colin
Anderson, Boy, Layton, April ‘08
1999 Jackie Wendlandt Olson & Pete
Olson, Girl, Clara, Feb. ‘08
1999 Kristin Kuhlmann Francois &
S amuel Francois ‘99, Girl, Paige,
Dec. ‘07
1999 Kelly Stockwell & Eric Hanson ‘94,
Girl, Emma, April ‘08
1999 Karrie Schmitz Rasmussen & Dave
2002 Christin Miller Kassulke & Jed
Kassulke ‘02, Girl, Avery, Feb. ‘08
2002 Billie Jo Hiemenz Emory &
Jonathan Emory, Boy, Jackson, Jan. ‘08
2002 Anna Collins Tauer & Ryan Tauer
‘02, Boy, Leo, March ‘08
2002 Lora Harris Smith & Brandon Smith
‘02, Girl, Addie, Jan. ‘08
2002 Carissa Johnson Ridenour & Mark
R idenour ‘02, Boy, Braeden, Feb. ‘08
2002 Emily Mages Rath & Brennen Rath
‘03, Boy, Owen, April ‘08
2002 Sarah Nett Eveslage & Steven
Eveslage, Boy, Elijah, May ‘08
2002 Kris DePauw Noble & Josh Noble
‘02, Twins, Colton & Ava, May ‘08
2002 Polly Kulas Berendes & Charles
Berendes, Boy, Everett, May ‘08
2004 Angela Holzer Bachmann & Vance
Bachmann, Girl, Kallie, Feb. ‘08
2004 Chelsea Rynerson Terning & Bren
Terning, Girl, Morgan, Sept. ‘07
2004 Sara Sorell Svenby & Joel Svenby,
Girl, Lily, Dec. ‘07
2005 Rachel Gruber Young & Chris Young,
Girl, Joelle, Dec. ‘07
In memoriam
1931 Caroline Hassman Ryan, Oct. ‘07
1937 Elaine Truzinski, April ‘08
1938 Edmund Sharrock, spouse of
Josephine Antony Sharrock, May ‘08
1939 John Kuefler, brother of Wivina
Kuefler Malveaux, Nov. ‘07
1939 Vincent Malveaux, spouse of Wivina
Kuefler Malveaux, June ‘08
1942 Margery Hartman, May ‘08
1943 Mary Doyle Schaeffer, April ‘08
1943 Isabel Beaver, April ‘08
1945 Leonard Haakonson, brother of Leona
Haakonson Snyder, April ‘08
1945 Mary Rabaey Tillemans, Sept. ‘07
1945 Edward Kalinowski, brother of
Marjorie Kalinowski, May ‘08
1948 Hazel Yogerst Mahoney, Feb. ‘08
1948 Dolores Meyer, sister of Rosemary
Bechtold Warnert, May ’08
1949 Edward Kalinowski, brother of Sr.
Kathleen Kalinowski, May ‘08
1950 Lynn Gresser ‘75, daughter of
The extended Welle family gathered 22 years ago at Margi Welle Sitzer’s 10th reunion and at
her daughter Bridget’s graduation in May ‘08. From left to right in both photos are Margi Welle
Sitzer ’76, her daughter Bridget Sitzer’08, her mother Jeannette Thielman Welle ‘45 and her
sister Karen Welle Bellmont ‘66.
Nancy Rectenwald Kendzora ’81, Hayley
Rectenwald ’09, Jane Kozlak Barrett ’82,
and Trish Kozlak ’10 completed the 2008
Gary Bjorklund 1/2 Marathon in Duluth.
Lorraine Barthel Gresser, April ‘08
1954 Hazel Yogerst Mahoney ‘48, sister of
LaVerne Yogerst Barrett, Feb. ‘08
1954 John Paul, spouse of Renee
Lenzmeier Paul, May ‘08
1959 Margery Hartman, sister to Marilyn
Hartman Tisserand, May ‘08
1961 Gerald Skjolsvik ‘57, spouse of Mary
Kay Hendrickson Skjolsvik, May ‘08
1961 Frank Jelinek, spouse of Barbara
Malecha Jelinek, May ’08
1961 Barbara Malecha, mother of Barbara
Malecha Jelinek, April ’07
1963 Midge Burmaster, sister of Carolyn
Offerdahl Billing, April ‘08
1964 Gertrude Donovan, mother of Diane
Donovan Wohletz, April ‘08
1964 Elaine Truzinski ‘37, mother of JoAnn
Truzinski Kuffel, April ‘08
1965 Thomas Filiatrault, brother of Jeanne
Filiatrault Laine, April ‘08
1966 Monica Conn, mother of Patricia
Conn, April ‘08
1967 Midge Burmaster, sister of Mary Lou
Offerdahl Doherty, April ‘08
1968 Agnes Fuchs, mother of Sandra
Fuchs Sexton, April ‘08
1968 Caroline Hassman Ryan ‘31, mother
of Mary Ryan Godfrey, Oct. ‘07
1969 Robert J. Tweedy, father of Barbara
Tweedy Patten, May ‘08
1972 Charles Merer, father of Becky
Mercer Mittelstaedt, May ‘08
1972 Betty Wolf, mother of Lola Wolf, May ‘08
1973 Donald Carlson, father of Mary
Carlson Cates, April ‘08
1973 Geraldine Magnus, mother of Nancy
Magnus Jacobs, April ‘08
1974 Victor Stein, father of Mary Stein
Brachman, Jan. ‘08
1974 Dorothy Stein, mother of Mary Stein
Brachman, April ‘08
1975 Lynn Gresser, April ‘08
1976 Geraldine Magnus, mother of
Geraldine Magnus Sjoblom, April ‘08
1976 Clarence Schwegman, father of
Bonnie Schwegman Smith, May ‘08
1977 John Easton, brother of Patricia
Easton Clauson, April ‘08
1977 William Kaufman ‘75, brother of
Susan Kaufman Utecht, April ‘08
1978 Donald Carlson, father of Peggy
Carlson Philp, April ‘08
1978 Lynn Gresser ‘75, sister of Nina
Gresser Wirtz, April ‘08
1979 Donna Stromwell, mother of Kathy
Stromwall Binsfeld, April ‘08
1979 Suzanne McLain, mother of Maria
McLain Cox, April ‘08
1979 John Ulrich, father of Arlene Ulrich
Bevin, May ‘08
1979 Larry Schmid, brother of Laurie
Schmid Brown, May ‘08
1980 Leo Maurer, father of Patricia Maurer
Messer, April ‘08
1980 Richard Yurek, father of Lorinda Yurek
Mathwig, April ‘08
1980 Carol Wieber, sister of Linda Theis
Ruhland, May ‘08
1980 John Ulrich, father of Debra Ulrich
Field, May ‘08
1981 Robert Borrell, father of Rebecca
Borrell, April ‘08
1981 Jennifer Edgar, stepsister of
Katherine Roepke, April ‘08
1981 Carol Wieber, sister of Brenda Theis
Bechtold, May ‘08
1981 Dr. Henry Banal, father of Mary Ellen
Banal Sauser, June ‘08
1982 Lawrence Donohue, father of Maggie
Donohue, April ‘08
1982 Veronica Solinger, sister of Juliana
Lauer, April ‘08
1982 Richard Yurek, father of Michele
Yurek Klein, April ‘08
1982 Carol Wieber, sister of Sandra Theis
Walz, May ‘08
1982 John Ulrich, father of Julie Ulrich
Smith, May ‘08
1983 Bernard Traut, father of Theresa Traut,
April ‘08
1983 Jeanne Gunderson, May ‘08
1983 Michael Ebner, brother of Pat Ebner
Arneson, May ‘08
1983 Patrick William Butler,father of Sheila
Butler, Feb. ‘08
1984 Harold Ungar, father of Christine
When Tina Jensen ’04 married John Simberg in June 2008, there was no shortage of Bennies
on hand to celebrate, including her mom, aunt, and alumnae.
Ungar, April ‘08
1984 Joe Egan ‘76, brother of Denise Egan
Loonan, May ‘08
1984 Lemont Lenarz, father of Ann Lenarz,
May ‘08
1984 Dr. Henry Banal, father of Susan
Banal, June ‘08
1984 Keith L. Stanton, father of Jamie
Stanton Maloney, March ‘08
1985 Gerard Brown, son of Catherine Dean
Brown, August ‘07
1985 John McCarthy ‘56, father of
Catherine McCarthy Pogge, April ‘08
1985 John Ulrich, father of Mary Jo Ulrich
Connelly, May ‘08
1986 Harold Ungar, father of Jennifer
Ungar Lasswell, April ‘08
1987 William Berger, father of Mary Kay
Berger Jan. ‘08
1987 Marvel Peterson, mother of Jill
Peterson Connors, April ‘08
1988 William Kaufman ‘75, brother of
Theresa Kaufman Voit, April ‘08
1988 Dick Paulson, father of Diane Paulson
Swanson, May ‘08
1990 Jeanne Gunderson ‘83, sister of Jan
Gunderson, May ‘08
1990 Dick Paulson, father of Sue Paulson,
May ‘08
1992 Kris Avery, sister of Melissa Perry
Littman, April ‘08
1993 Janice Anderson, mother of Amy Jo
Anderson Harguth ‘93, May ‘08
1993 Judith Mettling Coplan, sister of S.
Janine Mettling, Jan. ‘08
1993 Mavis Mettling, mother of S. Janine
Mettling, June ‘08
1994 Robert Richtsmeier, father of Nancy
Richtsmeier Breyen, April ‘08
1995 Pe Chareunrath, father of Sanh
Chareunrath, April ‘08
1995 Ronald McElroy, infant son of Kristine
Tupy McElroy, May ‘08
great barrier reef
russia
ancient greece
danube river
switzerland
thailand
malaysia
singapore
Travel with Saint Ben’s
www.csbsju.edu/csbalum/travel
Research continued from page 10
run. One subject was claustrophobic, and the mask
and harness were simply too much. Another with-drew
because of sensitivity to caffeine. And, another
twisted an ankle waterskiing and couldn’t perform.
Sarah Gervais, a senior dietetics major, stayed. Her
perspective is unique because she is conducting her
own research with a human subject. She is research-ing
blood glucose and lactate response in an adult
male marathon runner recently diagnosed with Type
1 Diabetes.
She’s also a runner and is curious about her fitness
level in comparison to other athletes. She tells me,
“I’m a habitual coffee drinker and want to know if it
helps or hurts my performance.”
She definitely prefers to be on the researcher side.
Nordic skier Makenzie Wright is a senior psychol-ogy
major with two interests in the research. The
results of the tests can help her establish an endur-ance
training plan. She’s also intrigued by the mental
engagement.
“It takes real psychological motivation to complete
these tests,” she says. “You play mind games with
yourself to beat how far you went last time.”
As Makenzie is introduced to a steeper incline every
few minutes, Laurie shouts above the whirr of the
treadmill, “Stay strong.” “You’re doing great.” “Keep
pushing.” “You’re almost there.”
After 15 minutes, Makenzie reaches the end of her
test. Applause erupts from around the room. While
Makenzie clutches the handle grips, Ashley starts
unhooking the oxygen mask and harness. She tells her
subject, “That was amazing. Great job.”
Interacting with new people is one of the benefits
of working with human subjects. Providing useful
information to them is another draw. As Laurie puts
it. “They helped us do the research, and we can help
them in return with information.”
The nature of the business is also one of challenges.
For example, a heart monitor kept slipping from one
subject. “We couldn’t get a heart rate, so we had to
cancel the test and ask her to come back,” Ashley
says. “She’s a good sport.”
By far, though, scheduling subjects for their tests
has been the most difficult. As Laurie puts it, “Plants,
animals, and inanimate objects don’t work 8 to 5.”
Please describe your work:
As a rheumatologist, I am a
physician who specializes in the
diagnosis and treatment of adult
rheumatic disease such as lupus,
rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s, vas-culitis,
psoriatic arthritis and gout.
Many diseases I treat stem from
problems with the immune system
and affect the muscles, bones, skin
and other organ systems.
What is exciting or rewarding to
you in your work?
It is a privilege to care for pa-tients
especially when they are in
such a vulnerable state with chronic
illness. I enjoy developing a trust-ing
relationship with patients which
is something that takes time to
build. Helping a patient’s disease
go into remission is a fantastically
rewarding and exciting experience.
Supporting and guiding patients
with less responsive disease can be
rewarding in a very different but
equally satisfying way.
New treatments have revolution-ized
certain types of rheumatic
disease. We are learning more about
the immune system each day, and
many new medications are coming
into the market. That being said it
can be an incredibly humbling field
as there are many diseases for which
we are lacking treatment.
“i ’M A BENNIE”
How did you end up doing what
you are doing?
I had a difficult time deciding
on a career path. I took some basic
science classes at Saint Ben’s and
enjoyed them, so I took some addi-tional
ones. The more I learned, the
more the health field interested me.
I also loved the arts and French,
so I pursued a major in biology and
a minor in French.
I decided to study abroad in my
third year which meant delaying
my application to medical school.
Although I hesitated before decid-ing,
it was one of the best decisions
I made in college.
After Saint Ben’s, I received a
Doctor of Medicine at Creighton
University Medical School in Oma-ha,
Nebraska, then completed my
Internal Medicine Residency at The
University of Wisconsin Hospital
in Madison, Wisconsin. Finally, I
completed a Rheumatology Fellow-ship
at St Louis University in St
Louis, Missouri before moving to
St. Cloud.
Which aspects of your CSB
experiences helped you?
The phenomenal professors at
Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s provid-ed
me with the skills and motiva-tion
to reach my goal. The science
classes I took at Saint Ben’s taught
me not only facts and theories but
more importantly how to build
upon knowledge learned and ap-ply
it. It is that application of the
sciences to real life situations that
drew me toward medicine.
Completing a minor in French
taught me a beautiful language,
but also the value of translation
and communication. In medical
training, I learned quickly that if a
patient does not understand a dis-ease
or treatment it will be hard to
guide them successfully in the care
of their disease.
The Benedictine values of service,
faith, and community helped to
smooth the transition each time I
moved to a new state and had to
work on developing roots.
I considered my great-aunt Sister
Kristin Malloy ’43 my guardian
angel as she always had a patient
ear and sound advice. There was
no one I trusted more to critique
papers and applications to medical
school. Through her I was blessed
to have the chance to dine with the
sisters and see Saint Ben’s through a
very different pair of glasses.
Do you have any general advice to
students?
Trust what you have learned and
experienced at CSB/SJU. Learning
to trust your own knowledge and
judgment is a very difficult thing to
learn, but it is so important.
She cares above all
19
Anne Malloy Wolff ’97
Rheumatologist
Institutional Advance ment
37 South College Avenue
St. Joseph, MN 56374
Address Se rvice Re queste d
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
College of Saint Benedict
Re d Mass
A celebration for
attorneys, judges, policy-makers and citizens
5 p.m.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Sacred Heart Chapel
Featured participants:
DePaul Willette ‘51
Federal Judge Diana Murphy
Abbot John Klassen OSB
Mary Cullen Yeager ‘82
For further information contact 320-363-5020.
7th
annual
Come Celebrate on Campus
Great Things are on the Horizon
Thanks to you!
A Celebration in Honor of
Saint Ben’s Campaign Donors
As Saint Ben’s concludes its historic capital
campaign, Our Place in the World:
A Campaign to Inspire and Transform,
we want to celebrate with you!
Join us for an evening of music, food,
student presentations, and more.
Saturday, Sept. 20
5 to 8:30 p.m.
Gorecki Dining and Conference Center
College of Saint Benedict
RSVP by Sept. 12 to
dblitvich@csbsju.edu or 320.363.5013