Spring / Summer 2016
Towns are in Minnesota unless noted. Alumni names appear in bold. Send CLASS NOTES information and photos to alumni@bemidjistate.edu or call toll free: 1-877-BSU-ALUM.
Class of 2015
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Nicholas Jasmer of Bertha is teaching kindergarten at Menahga Elementary School … |
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Monica Miller is working at Support Within Reach to provide training and services to exploited youth in 15 counties across northwest Minnesota. She recently participated in a panel in Crookston to raise awareness of human trafficking. A single mom, she lives in Bemidji with her two children … |
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Kristi Reid is teaching math to sixth-grade students at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle Elementary School. She lives in Long Prairie, where she also teaches dance classes with the Just for Kix Program … |
Alex Miller is working in the Office of Sustainability at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph. Miller, who lives in Waite Park, attended the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, also known as COP21. Attendees participated in sessions aimed at achieving a legally binding and universal agreement on climate and global warming … Billy Benso is the high-risk care manager for the Sanford Bemidji region. A former U.S. Marine who worked several years at the Bemidji VA Clinic, he helped establish a combat veterans’ support group to help individuals adjust while returning to civilian life. He and his wife, Alissa, live in Turtle River … Zach Manka of Warren has been hired as an officer at the Roseau Police Department … James Bettin is teaching math, multimedia production, computers and marketing in the Clearbrook-Gonvick School District. He lives in Bemidji … Brandon Van Santen is teaching second grade at the elementary school in Warroad.
Class of 2014
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Stephanie Challes is a graphic designer and paginator at the Sun Tribune Newspaper in Morris, where she lives. She works on four area publications and updates the Sun Tribune website … |
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Charlie Stier is teaching music in the Eagle Valley K-12 school in Clarissa. He directs the district’s choir and band programs and has assisted in one school play as well as the one-act competition, in which the school advanced to state and earned a star rating. He and his wife, Laura, live in Wadena … |
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Jessica Williams teaches fifth grade at New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Elementary School in Ellendale. She and her husband, Clint, live in Geneva with their three children, age 4 to 14 … |
Zach Kummet teaches physics, biology, earth science and physical science at Nay Ah Shing High School in Onamia. He lives in Little Falls with his wife, Brittany (Trettel, ’13), who is a personal banker at Farmers and Merchants State Bank in Pierz. Their family grew by one on Valentine’s Day with the birth of their first child … Tyler Brown of Elk River has been hired as a police officer in Coon Rapids … Aaron Ostlund is a patrol officer for the West Fargo, N.D., Police Department after working in the Clay County Jail in Moorhead … Anna Hamann is teaching English at Bemidji High School … Lisa Berglund was hired as a third-grade teacher at Prairie Elementary School in Worthington … Veronica Soine of Paynesville is a new sixth-grade teacher at Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City Elementary School in Atwater… Jessyca Bardzel has been named program director at Grace House of Itasca County, which has the mission of decreasing homelessness in the area. She and her son live in Grand Rapids, where Grace House is located.
Class of 2013
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Joshua Knieff was recognized for his achievements in human services as a Professional of the Year by Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide Publication. Knieff assists clients with their daily living skills in the Crow’s Nest Program, a group home in Maple Lake that ensures adult foster care services for mentally disabled and ill individuals. He lives in Annandale … |
Josh Farm has begun a job as an underwriter at the House of Insurance Agency in Montgomery. A resident of LeCenter, he has experience in personal and commercial insurance … Nick Lorenson of Karlstad is a special education teacher at Red Lake County Central Elementary in Plummer … Ally Thortsen is regional manager of the Altru Clinic in Warroad, where she lives with her husband, Tony, and a son. She focuses on every aspect of a patient’s experience at the clinic, which serves the city and surrounding communities … Katrina (Schnackenberg) Stewart teaches grade five through high school music in Clearbrook-Gonvick schools, where she also directs the band and choir programs. She and her husband, John, live in Bemidji.
Class of 2012
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Christine Malm has been employed by the Bemidji school district to teach social studies at the middle school and coach volleyball. She lives in Clearbrook … |
Gina Zubke brings experience as an LPN, RN and nurse manager to her new assignment as clinical services director for May Creek Senior Living in Walker. She lives in Laporte with her husband, Chad, and two young children.
Class of 2011
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Sara Dalton of St. Cloud is teaching K-5 physical education at Pleasantville Elementary in Sauk Rapids. She has taken time off from coaching to pursue a master’s degree but remains involved with the HyTek timing system at swimming and track meets … |
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Kandace Norby teaches kindergarten in the Ashby school. She also serves as head softball coach in the district. She lives in Ashby with her husband, Tim, and five children … |
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Samantha Ross of Stillwater is a partner in a new Next Level Fitness gym and center in Apple Valley. The facility includes a cardio section, a large turf area with giant tires and kettlebells and space for outdoor workouts or boot camps. She had prior experience as a strength and conditioning coach, personal trainer and exercise leader … |
Mary Jo Wolter and her husband, Doug (’85), are the new owners of Lakes Area Powersports north of Walker. The business sells and services ATVs, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, lawn mowers, snow blowers, chain saws and garden equipment, as well as accessories and apparel. The couple lives in Walker and has two children, one teenager and one young adult … Tyler Baker brought four years of classroom experience to his job as a new industrial technology teacher in Pine Island public schools last fall. He also has coaching assignments in the district’s football and basketball programs. He, his wife, Britanny, and one child live in Pine Island … Kailee (Jaeger) Matejcek is teaching physical education at Lincoln Elementary School in Bemidji, where she resides … Jennifer Bartsch accepted an assignment last fall to teach kindergarten in Floodwood after teaching early elementary grades in schools in the Twin Ports area. She lives with her husband and four children in Duluth.
Class of 2010
Emily Carlson of Milaca was among 13 new teachers hired at Ogilvie schools for the 2015-16 academic year. Carlson is teaching fourth-grade in the district’s elementary school … Tiffany Bergem was named Teacher of the Year in the Pine River-Backus school system. Bergem has taught special education for four years in the district after teaching two years each in Remer and Crosby-Ironton. She and her husband, Kyle, make a home in Pequot Lakes for their two elementary-age children.
Class of 2009
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P.J. McIntee has been named assistant baseball coach at Minnesota State University Mankato, where he will work with players on their hitting and infield skills. He will also assist in recruiting. He previously served as assistant coach at Morehead State in Kentucky and Southeastern Community College in Iowa, where he helped lead the team to the 2014 Junior College Athletic Association World Series. He lives in Mankato … |
Ariana Sorenson is a new third-grade teacher at the elementary school in Cannon Falls. She has previously taught in Litchfield, Farmington and West St. Paul. She plans to relocate to the Cannon Falls area from her Burnsville residence.
Class of 2008
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Kathleen Moore is the new kindergarten teacher at South Elementary School in Kensington in the West Central Area School District. Her previous experience encompassed six years in Alexandria as a learning resource educator and second-grade teacher. She, her husband, Kirk, and their two teenagers reside in Glenwood … |
Kate (Beaver) Eitenmiller has joined the law firm of Harder, Wells, Baron & Manning in Eugene, Ore., where she will focus her practice on federal disability appeals. She served as a judicial clerk in Lane County Circuit Court. Her husband, Bill, works in management and sales at Roofline Supply. The couple has one young child and resides in Eugene … Angie Baker is teaching fifth grade at Bertha-Hewitt schools after teaching in Ashby for six years. She and her husband, Brad, live in Evansville with their two teenage children … Clinton Cornell has joined the commercial lending department at Deerwood Bank in Bemidji, where he lives … Nathan Wozniak teaches technology education and industrial technology at Warren-Alvarado-Oslo public schools. He also prepares students for the Ford/AAA auto skills competition. He, his wife, Amy, and a young child live in Warren.
Class of 2007
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Carly Melin has announced she will not seek re-election for another term representing District 6B in the Minnesota House of Representatives. An attorney in the Prebich law firm, she lives in Hibbing with her husband, Zeb Norenberg (’11), who is a residential program supervisor at Mapleview Group Home. The couple has a toddler. |
Class of 2006
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Katherine Ballard-Ryan has joined the faculty at the Headwaters School of Music & the Arts in Bemidji, where she recently taught a life-drawing class. Active in the local art scene, she serves on the board for the Bemidji Sculpture Walk, had a show of her paintings and sculptures in Bemidji, and appeared in a play at the Mask and Rose Theater. She lives in Bemidji with her husband, Ryan. The couple has a blended family of six children. |
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Jim Jacobson finished his first year as head football coach at Frazee High School with a 4-6 record. A math teacher at the high school, he previously was the team’s defensive coordinator. He lives in Frazee with his wife, Jennifer, and a young child … |
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Toby Palmiscno last fall won the men’s division championship of the 2015 Vandersluis Memorial Golf Tournament at the Bemidji Town & Country Club. Palmiscno is equipment manager for the men’s and women’s Bemidji State University hockey teams. He lives in Bemidji with his wife, Jenna … |
Joe Miller is assigned to the intelligence division of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, where he specializes in gang violence prevention. A resident of Maplewood, he previously served the office as a deputy, community service officer, correctional officer and investigative assistant.
Class of 2005
Ben Hughes of Gonvick is the new physical education teacher at Bemidji’s Central Elementary School, where he also helps coordinate the 21st Century After School Program. He had served the district as a paraprofessional since 2012 … Sean McDermott was promoted to communications manager for the Washington National Primate Research Center at the University of Washington in Seattle. In his new position, he is responsible for press information, newsletters, web development and outreach efforts. His wife, biologist Monica Ponce-McDermott (’03), works with the city of Bainbridge Island on monitoring water quality issues and volunteers at the Seattle Aquarium as a life sciences interpreter and laboratory technician. They live in Seattle.
Class of 2004
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Kelly Hallberg is the guidance counselor at Lincoln High School in Lake City, where she now lives. Her previous experience included teaching and counseling at schools in Minnesota and Texas … |
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Cheri Howe has been named the 2015 Coleen Yatckoske Middle Level Educator of the Year by the Minnesota Middle School Association. Howe teaches science in grades seven and eight at the Math and Science Academy, a charter school for grades six through 12 in Woodbury. She lives in White Bear Lake with her husband, Scott, and two sons … |
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Janeen “Bobbie” Kleffman has joined the staff of Maven Perspectives, a Grand Rapids small business providing workforce development programs and other creative programming for individuals, organizations and communities. Kleffman brings a broad spectrum of work experience to her new job, including business owner, manager, teacher, grant writer and American Sign Language interpreter. Her husband, John Bauer (’80), works as development director and an on-air personality at KAXE Radio in Grand Rapids. He also developed “What’s Left,” an exhibit raising awareness about suicide that has been displayed in Grand Rapids, Rochester and Coleraine. The couple lives in Grand Rapids and raised two adult children … |
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Brent Utech received a 2015 Materials Resource Division Central Technology Excellence and Innovation Award from 3M. A senior analytical chemist at the company, he developed spectroscopy methods for all adhesives made in the division, which eliminated testing steps and allowed for monitoring of production in real time, thus maximizing efficiencies in their various processes. The award program is in its 33rd year at 3M and honors individuals as well as teams worldwide for their outstanding technical contributions to the company. He lives in Woodbury with his wife, Emily, and three young children … |
Jaimee (Sebo) Meyer has been named development director for Cass County and will lead efforts to foster activities that provide for quality job creation and sustainable employment. She previously held positions at the Bemidji Area Small Business Development Center and a BSU office that promoted recruitment strategies for careers in manufacturing. Her husband, Scott (’03), owns Exhibit Lawn, a business that specializes in care, maintenance and growth of healthy landscapes. He previously worked at the Bemidji Town & Country Club. The couple lives in Bemidji and has three children, ranging in age from 15 months to 11 years.
Class of 2003
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Jake Cook is a licensed, independent financial advisor in Faribault, where he lives with his wife, Dana, and three daughters … |
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Shane Graham has been teaching physics, chemistry and physical science for 18 years, as well as college physics for seven years at Park Rapids High School. He lives in Dorset with his wife, Taylor, and three children … |
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Matt Nohner and his wife, Grace, welcomed their second child into their Delano home last September. Nohner teaches math at Delano High School, where he is as an assistant track coach. He was also selected by Project Lead the Way to teach a class in digital electronics as part of the state’s STEM initiative … |
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Molly Zupon of Bloomington has been hired as a drama specialist at Sheridan Elementary, an arts magnet/Spanish immersion school in northeast Minneapolis. Zupon also performs professionally across the Twin Cities, most notably in a comedy-improvisation band, The Dregs, where she plays violin, sings and writes original material. The group appears regularly at the Renaissance Festival … |
Ryan Welle was selected to chair the board of the Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce for 2015-16. An investment and commercial loan officer with First National Bank, he and his wife, Bryn, live in Bemidji with their two young children … Jennifer (Frank) Setter owns her own accounting practice in Babbitt, where she resides with her husband, Chris … Carri Jones was recognized by the Minnesota Indian Education Association as the Tribal Official Leader of the Year. Jones is the tribal chair of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. She makes a home for her two young children in Cass Lake.
Class of 2002
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Dr. Meghan (Stritesky) Baruth is researching behavioral intervention programs aimed at improving the diet and exercise program of pregnant women. An assistant professor of health sciences at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan, she received research support grants that will fund her work for the next three years. Baruth, who earned a doctorate degree from the University of South Carolina, lives in Saginaw with her husband, Randy, and one young child … |
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Tanya (Flikka) Mattson teaches welding, manufacturing, computer-aided drafting, woodworking and robotics at Fertile-Beltrami High School and has added a new industrial arts class for seventh- and eighth-graders. Mattson previously taught at schools in Minnesota and North Dakota, where she received the 2005 North Dakota Technology Education Teacher of the Year and the 2007 North Dakota Young Technology Educator of the Year awards. She is a single mom living in Beltrami with her two children … |
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Travis Okerlund is an assistant principal at North Junior High School in St. Cloud, where he previously served as principal of Madison Elementary School. His background includes classroom assignments in Minnesota and Nevada. An avid outdoorsman, he has climbed a 14,000-foot mountain, met a shark while kayaking and hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. He and his wife live in St. Augusta with their two children … |
Margarette Rue last fall began her first year of teaching Spanish at Fosston High School. She had previously taught the language for 12 years and also provides online courses through Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls. She and her husband, Randy, make a home for their four young children in Fosston … Alison (McFarlane) Fish is teaching early childhood family education to 5-year-olds in the Warroad School District. She accepted the full-time position after substituting in area schools for 10 years. She lives in Warroad with her husband, Dale, who is an officer for Customs and Border Protection. They have four children ranging from 7 to 12 years old.
Class of 2001
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Loren Dryburgh switched schools last fall, moving from Bagley High School after 13 years to Fosston, where he works with students in grades seven through nine involved with the individualized education area of the special education program. His wife, Sarah, is a specific learning disability teacher at Magelsson Elementary School in Fosston and has been varsity volleyball coach for nine years. They live in Fosston with their three children. |
Class of 2000
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John Babineau started teaching physical education this academic year at East Central Elementary School, located between Sandstone and Askov. His wife, Bekki (Vodden, ’02) is a development associate at the University of Minnesota Duluth. The couple lives in Cloquet with children ages nine and 17 … |
Renae Bakke has returned to teach special education in the Clearbrook-Gonvick School District, where she taught for 13 years before moving for one year to handle a classroom at the Mahnomen Elementary School. She now works with K-12 developmental cognitive disability students. She and her husband, David, raised three adult children and live in Gonvick …
Class of 1999
Dana (McGeary) Flint teaches 7-12 vocal music at West Central Area Secondary School in Barrett, where she also directs the junior and senior high choirs as well as a newly formed show choir. She and her husband, Mike, live in Elbow Lake with their two children … Mandy (Johnson) Gallant has taught 17 years at Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary School, the last 10 in a kindergarten classroom. Her husband, Norm, is the activities director and dean of students at WDC, where he also coaches wrestling. The couple lives in Wadena with their two children … Tammy Radtke-Looker is teaching second grade at in the Hancock School District after spending 14 years in Northome school classrooms. She and her husband, Joby, are relocating to the Morris area with their two young children.
Class of 1998
Kevin Johnson teaches life science and biology in Warren-Alvarado-Oslo schools. He also is the biology instructor of the college in the classroom program in the district. He and his wife, Nicky, live in Warren. They have three children ranging in age from 10 to 24 … Dr. Mark Ulven received a doctorate degree from Capella University specializing in management and leadership. Ulven is co-owner and president of Excel Education Systems in Plymouth. The organization operates an online high school and online business college, both regionally accredited. He and his wife, Jennifer (Schmidtke, ’97), live in Big Lake with their two children.
Class of 1997
Joshua Stevenson has been appointed the land commissioner of Cass County, where he also serves as human resource director. He first joined the county in 2005 as forest resource manager. He lives in Backus with his wife, Stephanie, and three children … David Witt is a full-time artist whose work has appeared as posters for bands, album covers, comic books and in many other forms. His client list includes 3M, Nike, City Pages Magazine and the Zombie Pub Crawl. He lives in St. Paul with his wife and a young child.
Class of 1996
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Grant Nellis has joined Greencore USA, a manufacturer of convenience foods, as the head of product innovation for frozen foods. He previously worked at E.A. Sween for 20 years. His wife, Maria (Strand, ’93), teaches third grade in Orono. The couple has three children between the ages of 10 and 17 … |
Karen (Gomall) Groth is teaching kindergarten at Ulen-Hitterdal public schools after previously teaching in Ogema, where she lives with her husband, Ryan, and four children … Stephanie Ramsrud and her husband, Bryan, were selected to participate in the year-long Emerging Leaders Program because of their contributions to their community and involvement with agriculture. The couple lives in rural Bagley, where they raise beef cattle and Bryan owns a painting and dry wall business. They raised four children … Eric Gorghuber was named the information technology senior director at American Solutions for Business in Glenwood. He joined the firm in 2011 after working as a software developer for a healthcare group in the Twin Cities for 11 years. He lives in Garfield.
Class of 1995
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Michael Carr is sheriff of Wadena County and has 20 years of law enforcement experience, with 15 of those in the department of 40 employees he supervises. He lives in Verndale … |
Kristin Dahlberg and Jonathan McCollum (’93) were married in 2015. Kristin is a social worker with adult protection for Stearns County Human Services, while Jonathan is an area claims supervisor for Pro Ag Management, a crop insurance company. The live in Clear Lake with their blended family of four teenagers …
Class of 1993
Lezlie Grubich has been promoted from assistant director to executive director of Paul Bunyan Transit in Bemidji, where she lives. The company has a fleet of 25 buses and offers its services in Beltrami, Roseau and Lake of the Woods counties.
Class of 1991
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Brian Weierke was selected to serve as the top police officer in Fridley last fall when he was named the city’s director of public safety. Weierke has 20 years of service in Fridley and will now supervise both the police and fire departments. He and his wife, Birgitta, live in New Brighton and are raising three teenagers. |
Class of 1990
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Kevin Abrahamson of Cook will serve as interim superintendent of the Ely School District until June. He retired last December as curriculum coordinator for Virginia schools before accepting his current assignment. He previously had served as a principal, assessment director and technology coordinator in districts across the Arrowhead Region … |
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David Cox of Brainerd was named the fire marshal and deputy chief of the Brainerd Fire Department. The 2002 Brainerd Firefighter of the Year, he joined the department in 1998 and had been serving as a battalion chief prior to his promotion … |
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Lisa (Holland) Olson was named a Teacher of the Year in the Prior Lake-Savage school system. Olson is a reading intervention teacher in Grainwood Elementary School, where she is a member of the problem-solving and the positive behavioral intervention and support teams. She lives in Prior Lake with her husband, Andy, and their three children. |
Class of 1988
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Erich Campbell has been named the magistrate judge of the Second Kansas Judicial Court in Pottawatomie County, Kan. In his new position, he will oversee non-felony cases going to court. Campbell just retired after 29 years in military service, most recently as a staff officer for the commander general of the Kansas National Guard. He and his wife, Roline, have four children and live in Onega, Kan. |
Class of 1987
Laurie Villwock is a media specialist at the elementary school in Dassel. She previously taught at Goodridge and International Falls.
Class of 1986
Mike Korpi stays active in retirement by running marathons and has completed 68 since he left the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Police as a sergeant. His appearance at the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth this summer will be his 37th running of that race. He also has competed in 26 Twin City Marathons, three Boston Marathons and a New York City Marathon. He lives in Soudan … Karen (Tester) Graham is the aquatics and recreation director of the Fosston Civic Center. Her job also includes running the town’s softball complex and hockey rink, as well as the programs in those facilities. She and her husband, Jeffrey, live in Bagley.
Class of 1985
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Jean Musgjerd of Rochester was among the first class of inductees in the Hall of Fame for Kenyon and Wanamingo schools. A three-sport athlete in high school, she was a four-year starter in volleyball at BSU and was inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010. She is athletic director at Rochester Community and Technical College and also is serving as a search and rescue volunteer by working with her dogs to help find lost or missing persons in Wisconsin and Minnesota. |
Class of 1983
Randy McIntire was honored as the Tracy Area High School 2015 Teacher of the Year. He taught two years in Edgerton following graduation before joining the Tracy faculty in 1985 to teach high school art. During his tenure, he also coached girls’ and boys’ basketball, track, football and golf. He and his wife, Robin, have two adult children … Rick Rivard and his wife Mary (Vanderah) recently celebrated the 33rd anniversary of their meeting at BSU by enjoying their 31st anniversary of marriage. Rick is the work experience coordinator in special education at Harding High School, where he also coaches junior varsity girls’ soccer. Mary is an employment counselor for Hire, Inc., a company that provides job skills training and employment assistance to dislocated workers, low-income adults and unemployed individuals transitioning to work. The couple has two young adult children and lives in White Bear Lake.
Class of 1982
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Mark Dickinson has been elected as a trustee to the George W. Neilson Foundation, which supports Bemidji-area community development projects that improve the lives of children, adults and senior citizens. Dickinson is owner of Century 21 Dickinson Realty in Bemidji, where he lives with his wife, Wanda (’81) and two children … |
Judy (Mulcahy) Brekken decided to shake up her educational experience when she left a 25-year career as a Lake Park-Audubon English teacher to accept a similar post at Frazee High School, where she will work with eighth- and 12th-grade students. She also has experience coaching volleyball and directing non-musical drama productions. She lives in Audubon with her husband, Russ. They have three adult children … Dale Davies has taught 24 years at the Mille Lacs Academy in Onamia, a residential program offering treatment to males from 10-19 years old with mental health or behavioral issues. He also served this year as an assistant boys’ basketball coach in Aitkin, where he lives.
Class of 1980
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Charlie Johnson has retired after teaching 35 years in the Ulen-Hitterdal School District, primarily sixth grade. He also coached junior high football and basketball. He and his wife, Valerie, raised three adult children and live in Hitterdal … |
Denis Carter has been a private practice chemical dependency counselor in the Winona area since the 1990s, when he began serving clients with a holistic approach that emphasizes healing through the connection of mind, body and spirit. He lives in Winona …
Class of 1979
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John LaForge of Luck, Wis., is co-editor of “Nuclear Heartland, Revised: A Guide to the 450 Land-Based Missile Silos of the United States,” published by the Progressive Foundation. LaForge is a staff member for Nukewatch, a Wisconsin-based environmental and peace action group dedicated to the abolition of nuclear power, weapons and radioactive waste production … |
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Dr. Jim Tuorila was among 25 state veterans honored with the 2015 Veteran’s Voices Award from the Minnesota Humanities Center. Tuorila is a retired VA clinical psychologist and U.S. Army veteran. He founded the Freedom Flight, an educational, non-profit corporation that promotes awareness of American POW/MIA issues through use of hot air balloons. He is a former director of the St. Cloud Honor Flight, which helped 1,000 central Minnesota veterans and their guardians get to the national monuments in Washington, D.C. He and his wife, Diane, have an adult child and live in St. Cloud … |
Karen (Brandli) Pederson has retired after a 36-year career as a CPA in the firm of Czeh, Pederson & Wilson, where she became a partner in 2005. During her career, she served clients in Roseau and Warroad, where she lives with her husband, Wesley.
Class of 1978
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John Persell will seek another term representing District 5A in the Minnesota House of Representatives. A Democrat who works as a policy analyst, Persell was first elected to the legislature in 2008. He lives in Bemidji with his wife, Teresa. They have eight children … |
Tim Stutelberg is a customer service representative for Northern State Supply in Willmar and has been a member of the Raymond City Council for eight years. He lives in Raymond with his wife, Joan. The couple raised three children.
Class of 1977
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Jane Reimer-Morgan was inducted into the Minnesota State High School Coaches Hall of Fame last fall. She has been a head coach for 40 years, 31 of those at Minnetonka High School, where her teams won seven state championships in cross country and track and field. She is a member of the BSU Athletic Hall of Fame, the Pillager High School Hall of Fame and the Minnesota Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame. She retired from teaching in 2012. She and her husband, Charles, have a blended family of five adult children … |
Dr. Randy McGuire has been installed as the pastor of both Bethel and Zion Lutheran churches in Bagley. He moved back to Bemidji after retiring in 2011 from a 21-year career as an archivist at St. Louis University in Missouri, where he had earned a doctorate in church history. He has taught at Oak Hills Christian College since his return. He has two adult children.
Class of 1976
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Susan Alstrom of Litchfield retired three years ago after teaching physical education, health and drivers’ education, as well as coaching volleyball, track and field, basketball and softball during her lengthy career in Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart schools. Continuing to coach volleyball after retirement, she guided her team to four appearances in the state tournament and was twice named Minnesota Coach of the Year. She also worked with the 24 top high school volleyball players in the country at the Under Armour All-American Program the past six years. |
Class of 1974
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Bob Bird is teaching history and constitutional studies courses at Kenai Peninsula College in Alaska following a 41-year educational career as a secondary public school teacher. He also coached varsity hockey for 13 years. He remains active by broadcasting high school hockey games and Alaska League baseball games on the radio. A former candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in Alaska, he participates in public forums and recently emceed the 2015 Governor’s Ball. Bird and his wife, Rosemary, live in Kenai, Alaska, and raised three children … |
Kathy Bakken-Dryden was posthumously inducted into the Crookston High School Hall of Fame. During her 34-year career she taught at several schools in Crookston, where she developed the drama program at Highland Middle School, started the Adult Learning Center and created an after-school program for at-risk girls. In 1989 she received the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Foundation Eddy Award for excellence in education. She died of cancer in 2012.
Class of 1972
Kathryn Hoffman of St. Paul retired from teaching after four decades in various high school and college classrooms. Her career included assignments in England, India and Australia, as well as Minnesota, most recently with the Education Department at St. Olaf College … Shirley (Michael) Hanson was selected by her peers as the Herman-Norcross Community School Teacher of the Year. She directs the K-6 vocal music program in the district. She had retired following an educational career that included 25 years in Minnewaska schools in Glenwood. She lives in Hoffman with her husband, Tyrone (’71), who also teaches music in Herman. The couple raised three adult children.
Class of 1971
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Gary Page is the chief power plant operator for the city of Thief River Falls, which he has served for 35 years. He and his wife, Sherry, have two children and reside in Thief River Falls … |
Les Feia has served 12 years on the Clara City Council and also serves as the chairman of the Clara City scholarship committee. Les retired in 1976 following 30 years teaching language arts and speech at Clara City High School. During that time he also coached football, basketball and track and field on the junior varsity level. He and his wife, Nancy, raised two daughters in their Clara City home.
Class of 1970
Norm Card was inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame. A three-sport captain in football, basketball and baseball at Grand Rapids High School, Card earned his master’s degree at BSU and taught elementary education in Staples and coached football, wrestling and baseball before becoming the activities director in the Staples-Motley system. During his 10 years in that position, 45 district teams participated at state tournaments in various sports. He and his wife, Kathy, live in Federal Dam … Pete Hydukovich co-chaired the Ultra Golf Classic, a fund-raiser for the Milaca Dollars for Scholars scholarship program. Hydukovich taught math in Milaca’s elementary, middle and intermediate schools from 1970 until his retirement in 2007. Named Milaca Teacher of the Year in 1989, he also coached basketball, baseball, football and track programs. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Milaca.
Class of 1969
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LeRoy Carriere is the chair of the Roseau River Watershed District Board, which oversees more than 2,050 square miles in northern Minnesota and Canada. He retired in 2014 from work in the machining department at Marvin Windows and Doors. He lives in Red Lake Falls … |
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Gail (Hecimovich) Nucech has been inducted into the Hibbing High School Athletic Hall of Fame. A physical education teacher, she was instrumental in starting the softball, basketball and volleyball programs at the school. Best known for her coaching accomplishments in volleyball, she guided the Bluejackets to 26 conference titles and 23 appearances at the state tournament. Her 884 wins are the most ever compiled by a Minnesota high school coach. She also is a member of the BSU Athletic Hall of Fame, the Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame and the Greenway High School Hall of Fame. Now retired, she stays busy with her husband, Dennis, by helping her daughter, who is a head coach for Virginia High School and runs a Junior Olympic program. The couple lives in Hibbing. |
Class of 1968
Bob Bernier returned to the classroom by accepting an assignment to teach industrial technology classes at Red Lake County Central High School. Bernier first taught in the district from 1971 to 1977 and later from 1999 to 2008. Interspersed between those stints were a short stop to teach in Plummer and extended periods of work at Bernier’s Custom Cabinets, which he owns with his wife, Emily. The couple raised three children from their home in Oklee.
Class of 1967
Dave Gedde has retired as executive vice president of Northern State Bank in Gonvick, which he had served since 1997. His prior experience was with the state of Minnesota as a bank examiner and at banks in Pierz and Lake City. He and his wife, Ramona, have two adult children and live in Gonvick.
Class of 1964
Gerald Manning of Des Moines, Iowa, has launched a website dedicated to the history of the Northwest Racing Association, which ran car races from 1955 to 1965 in Minnesota and North Dakota. A driver on the circuit when it folded, Manning went on to a teaching career that started at Des Moines Area Community College and finished at Drake University and Simpson College. Following retirement in 1999, he authored a series of five business textbooks.
Class of 1963
Evelyn Adams celebrated her 100th birthday last fall at Lakewood Pines Senior Housing in Staples, where she resides. An educator who started teaching after attending a Normal School prior to World War II, she taught in a variety of schools across Todd County and at the Army Air Corps base in Rantoul, Ill., before completing her education at BSU. She finished her career with 33 years at elementary schools in Staples. She and her late husband, Elmer, raised one child. Margaret Laurich and her husband, Bob, on Feb. 21 hosted a gathering of Florida BSU alumni at her home in Sarasota. Other attendees included Elwood ‘65 and Jean Largis, Colleen and Gene Ness ‘66, Julia and Cade Gervais ‘66, Rich Somodi ’71 and Connie Lucas.
Class of 1962
Dr. Robert “Bob” Olson, professor emeritus of Middle East history and politics at the University of Kentucky, in November received a lifetime achievement award from the 3,000-member Middle East Studies Assocation for his “exceptional contribution to the field of Kurdish studies.” Olson, who has authored, co-authored or edited dozens of books and hundreds of scholarly articles and book reviews, was a professor at Kentucky from 1995 until 2001 and was named a distinguished professor in his final year. The Baudette native lives in Lexington, Ky. He is one of nine BSU alums in his immediate family … Charlotte (Rich) Schullo of Bemidji was named Exceptional Educator of the Month in the Cass Lake-Bena School District last December. Schullo, who had retired from teaching at Cass Lake in 2001, went back to the classroom a year later as a substitute teacher and part-time administrator. In 2010 she accepted a full-time assignment as high school counselor. John (’61), her husband, retired from a career in the financial aid office at Bemidji State. The couple raised two adult children.
Class of 1941
Mel Hagen and his wife, Ann, recently celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary at home in the Fair Meadow Nursing Home in Fertile. After serving in the Army Air Corps in World War II, he taught for three years before the couple moved to Adak in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, where he supervised fuel distribution on a naval base and worked for the civilian personnel office. The couple had three children while in Alaska and returned to Fertile after he retired in 1967.
Other Alumni
Amanda Cassens of St. Cloud is the new special education teacher at Royalton Elementary School … Perry Brown of Eveleth is the girls’ swimming coach at Eveleth-Gilbert High School … Dave Pass of Shakopee was inducted into the Shakopee High School Athletic Hall of Fame … Dr. Nicole Cedergren Gietzen is a pharmacist for Sanford Hospital in Fargo, where she lives with her husband, Austin, and two young children. Gietzen has earned two doctorate degrees in pharmacy, one in children’s inpatient care and another in dialysis and kidney transplants.