ON THE COVERJunior business majorMarcus Stone leads thenew TLU Drumline.TheDrumline joins a long listof musical opportunitiesfor both music majors andnon-music majors who justlove music. PHOTO BYJOAN MEREDITH SNOW.

THIS PAGEStudents participate in anexperiential workshop toprocess the emotions ofhate and hope.The fallworkshop preceded the27th annual KrostSymposium,“The CreativeJourney of the Heart: Hate,Tolerance, Forgiveness,Hope.” PHOTO BY DUSTINWYATT.

AlumNotes • Torch Winter 2007 | 1

2 From the PresidentCelebrating the gift of music

3 Notable & QuotableHeard here and there

4 TLU TodayWhat’s going on at TLU

8 In the NewsThe reality of Facebook

10 Music – The Soul of TLUIt is and always has been a vitalpart of life at Texas Lutheran

14 Faculty Q&AComposer, professor, alumnus

15 ApplauseAccomplishments lauded

16 ScoreboardCatch up on the sports scene

19 Growing and GivingMuellers pledge $1 million

21 Lucky’s PackAlumni events

22 Homecoming 2006

23 AlumNotesThe latest on TLU alumni

32 Catching Up WithRick Flores, band director

34 First PersonConfessions of a non-musicmajor

36 Remember WhenTake a trip down memory lane

37 HappeningsWhat’s coming up at TLU

Winter 2007 | Table of Contents

“2 | Texas Lutheran University

FROM THEPRESIDENT

The mission of

Texas Lutheran

University is

to prepare

undergraduates

academically,

spiritually

and socially in

a residential

community

of faith and

learning for

service and

leadership.

From the President

Founded in 1891,Texas Lutheran Universityoffers degrees in 39 academic disciplines andpre-professional programs.The university islocated in Seguin, near San Antonio, and is auniversity of the Evangelical Lutheran Churchin America.

Texas Lutheran University admits students ofany race, color, or national or ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs andactivities generally accorded or made available to students at the university.

Member of the Council for the Advancementand Support of Education (CASE).

Editor and Senior Writer

Kathy (Walter) Hughes ’73Director of Communications

Art Director and Designer

Yoshiko Okano GuyDirector of Publications

Sports Editor

Tim Clark ’94Director of Sports Information

Editorial Advisory Board

Stephen Anderson ’77Senior Vice President for University Relations

Gail RandleDirector of Alumni Relations

Susan RinnAssistant Vice President for University Relations

Stephen SkinnerDevelopment Writer and Prospect Researcher

S T A F F

Dr. Jon N. Moline

The Torch, the magazine of Texas Lutheran University, is published by the University RelationsOffice of Texas Lutheran University and is distributed without cost to alumni and friends ofthe university. Please address all correspondence and address corrections to Torch,TexasLutheran University, 1000 W. Court St., Seguin,Texas 78155. 830-372-8020, www.tlu.edu.

In this issue of the Torch wecelebrate the gift of music. It is apowerful gift. Plato thought it sopowerful that it could subvert anyexisting culture or constitution, andso he advised controlling it to exploitthe good effects it could have andavoid the bad.

As in all authoritarian proposals,the catch is in who gets to decide whatis good or bad. Many dictators andtheir minions have tried to reserve thispower to themselves by censoring andeven prescribing music. That is akin totrying to give the angels orders aboutwhat to say or not say. Thomas Carlyleonce remarked that “Music is well saidto be the speech of angels; in fact,nothing among the utterances allowedto man is felt to be so divine. It brings

us near to the infinite.”The very attempt to dictate musical

norms can backfire. During Stalin’sbloodiest purges in the late 1930s the Fourth Symphony of DmitriShostakovitch was attacked in Pravda,the party newspaper. Such an attackcould be a prelude to imprisonmentor execution. So Shostakovitch quicklycomposed his Fifth Symphony andentitled it “The Response of a SovietComposer to Just Criticism.” It isbrassy, militaristic in places, andcarefully written to end on thepolitically correct optimistic note.It even includes one of Stalin’s favoritefolk-tunes.

Shostakovitch was spared as aresult, although many western criticsthought that this symphony showedhe had become a political hack. Buthad he? Did the angels speak over theheads of the censors? Recent criticsand interpreters have suggested thatthey did – with irony, sarcasm, andcaricature. They take the composerto have been subtly mocking, notflattering, Stalin and his goons.

So did the writer Boris Pasternak,who exclaimed, “He said everything,and nobody did anything to him!”Stalin’s minions weren’t very good atunderstanding the speech of angels!

Felix Mendelssohn once remarked,“It’s not that music is too imprecisefor words, but too precise.” Music isarguably the most effective emotionallanguage for communicating acrossbarriers of all sorts – cultural, linguistic,ideological, and even religious.

TLU is blessed with a strong musicprogram, and this shows most vividlyevery year in the Christmas Vespers.The music speaks to the soul. Thanksbe to God for the gift of music! n

Celebrating the gift of music

Music is arguably the most effective

emotional language forcommunicating across

barriers of all sorts.

“

“ ”Notable & Quotable • Torch Winter 2007 | 3

Notable & QuotableNotable & Quotable“If you have a university where there is dissent – adifference of opinion – thank God! Then you havegrowth.”

– Dr. Carmen Tafolla, well-known author and TLU alumna,discussing Texas Lutheran during a presentation to theMexican American Student Association (MASA)

“This may sound like an annual echo, but TexasLutheran University is good… the consistency speaksvolumes about not only the university as it is now,but its unwavering commitment to welcomingstudents and sending them back out into the worldnot only smarter – but better people in general.”

– From an editorial in the Seguin Gazette Enterprise,Wednesday Sept. 6, 2006

“You should know and learn as much as you possiblycan. At this time in your life you have the capacity todo this. Always be skeptical when someone tells youyou don’t really need to know something. You neverknow when you may need this knowledge.”

– Opening Convocation speaker Dr. Neal Pellis, NASA’s associate director of the Human Research Program, challenging the student body

“You know you are a member of the Golden Group ifyou can remember when this place was known as theChapel of the Required Presence – and you really,really, really know if people have forgotten your reputation and invite you back to speak in thischapel.”

– The Rev. Ron Birk ’56 during Homecoming Chapel servicesat the Chapel of the Abiding Presence

“It’s kind of an eye-opener.”

– Alicia Davis, junior psychology major, commenting on thefirst African-American Leadership Conference at TLU andhow it facilitates students learning more about leadershipand what it’s like to be an African American on campus

“It was very diverse. There were women wearinghead scarves and others that were not. Some peoplehad very little education and others we met couldspeak seven different languages. Some of the peoplewere very friendly and others were a little hostile.”

– Samantha Bryant, junior English major, in her blogdescribing her impressions of Morocco during a trip shetook while studying abroad in Granada, Spain. Read morefrom student blogs at www.tlu.edu.

Members of MASAperform a numberfrom “Grease” at theBulldog Revue duringhomecoming.

4 | Texas Lutheran University

T L UT O D AY

TLU receivesrecognition

For the 23rd year, TLUhas been listed in the U.S.News & World Report collegerankings as one of the nation’sbest regional comprehensivecolleges. In this year’s report,TLU was tied for fifth in

overall quality among undergraduate colleges in theWestern United States.

The annual study evaluat-ed TLU in the “comprehen-sive colleges – bachelors”division, which ranksregional schools with a comprehensive focus onundergraduate educationand that offer a range of

degree programs in the liberalarts and sciences and inprofessional fields such asbusiness and education.

To determine the qualityrankings, U.S. News compares statistical dataregarding student selectivityand retention, class size andgraduation rate, facultyresources, financial resources,alumni giving rate, and academic reputation amongpeer institutions.

For the fourth consecutiveyear, Princeton Review hasnamed Texas Lutheran a“Best College in the WesternRegion” in recognition ofTLU’s quality education.

The Princeton Review, oneof the nation’s most respectedand popularcollege admis-sions resource organizations,reported that “Texas LutheranUniversity fits an attractiveacademic niche, offeringbroad department strengthswith a light coating ofreligious education.”

Approximately 115,000

students at 361 top collegesresponded to a survey bythe Princeton Review, andthe Web site www.princeton-review.com features studentopinion data. PrincetonReview reported that TLU’sstudents said that the uni-versity’s instructors prioritizeteaching and monitor studentprogress to “make sure thatevery individual in the classis learning.”

TLU was one of 21 Texasschools receiving the Best inthe West designation.

TLU Saluteshonors 2006inductees

A college president, anoted author, and a youngdoctor were among thoserecognized at the 2006 TLUSalues Award Banquet duringhomecoming weekend.

TLU President Dr. Jon N.Moline presented Dr. Wayne

Physics major JosephPanzarella participates infunctional neuroscience

and medical physicsresearch at the Research

Imaging Center of theUT Health Science

Center in San Antonio.His focus was on an

automated blood activitysampler system required

to quantify cerebralblood flow rates in

subjects undergoing PETscans. Summer researchwas funded by an AT&T

fellowship and theBudwine Foundation.

Dr. Ray Gerhardt wasremembered at home-coming when a treewas planted on campusin his honor. His wife,Anita, his children, andgrandson (pictured),joined the TLU commu-nity and GuadalupeCounty Democrats tohonor his memory. DocGerhardt,TLU historyprofessor from 1959-1994, died Nov. 10,2004.

Dr. Gerhardt honored

TLU Today • Torch Winter 2007 | 5

Powell, president of Lenoir-Rhyne College, with TLU’sprestigious DistinguishedAlumni Award.

The TLU DistinguishedAlumni Award is given toalumni who have, in thejudgment of the university’sBoard of Regents, establishedoutstanding professionalrecords of success or distinction in their chosencareers.

Powell, a 1971 TLU graduate, was a professor,associate dean and dean atOklahoma State Universitybefore moving to Hickory,N.C., where he was namedvice president and dean foracademic affairs at Lenoir-

Rhyne. In October 2002, hewas named the college’s 11thpresident.

In selecting him for thishonor, the TLU Board ofRegents cited Powell’s “outstanding record ofachievement and service inhigher education, both as arespected scholar and professor of mathematics,and as a dedicated and effective administrator.”

Moline also presented Dr. Carmen Tafolla, notedauthor, educational consult-ant, and scholar in bilingualstudies with the DistinguishedAlumni Award.

After beginning college atTLU, she earned her doctor-

ate and returned to serve asthe first director of the TLUMexican-American StudiesCenter. She held faculty andadministrative positions atseveral universities and isnow a full-time author.

Tafolla communicates aclear, vibrant sense ofChicano identity, culture andhistory through her publishedbooks of poetry, scripts, shortstories, children’s books, andher one-woman show that shehas performed worldwide.

Barbara Effenbergerreceived the TLUCommunity Service Award. A1961 graduate of TLU,Effenberger was a schoolcounselor in Seguin.

Since retiring, she hasserved in the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature and as adelegate to the 2005 WhiteHouse Conference on Aging,chaired the advisory councilof the Retired SeniorVolunteer Program, and volunteered at area nursinghomes.

She is the long-time chairof the Guadalupe CountyDemocratic Party, is activewith the Women of the ELCA,and works with the Family

Violence Shelter and CASA.Dr. Stephanie Dove-

Cudjoe was awarded TLU’sOutstanding Young GraduateAward.

Dove-Cudjoe, a 2001graduate, earned a doctor ofmedicine degree from theUniversity of TexasSouthwestern Medical Schoolin Dallas in 2005, and is aresident in family practice atthe Baylor Medical Clinic inGarland. She is active in herchurch and in the StudentNational Medical Association,a community service organi-zation focused on increasinghealth awareness in theAfrican-American communityand supporting medicalstudents of African heritage.

The Molines are surprised at the Excellence In LeadershipDinner with the announcement by Linda and Ed Whitacre thatAT&T is giving a lead gift of $250,000 toward the naming ofthe “Jon and Sandra Moline Center for Servant Leadership.”

T L UT O D AY

2006 TLU Salutes honorees included Barbara Effenberger, Dr.WaynePowell, Dr. Carmen Tafolla, and Dr. Stephanie Dove-Cudjoe.

TOP: TLU Athletics Hall of Fame inductees were Kent Richter, Jessica Szymanski, Lief Larson, Richard Gregory,and Charles McMahon. BOTTOM: Receiving the TLU Athletics Wall of Honor award were the Charles Koehlerfamily - Greg, Barbara, Jackie, Charlie, Jeff, and Nancy - and Calvin Vann.

PHO

TO B

Y D

UST

IN W

YATT

for more informationabout giving to Centerfor Servant Leadership.

6 | Texas Lutheran University

TLU Athletics Hall of Fame

Athletic director BillMiller joined Moline in presenting the 2006 Class ofinductees into the TLUAthletics Hall of Fame andthe Athletics Leadership Wallof Honor.

The Athletics Hall ofFame is reserved to honorthe highest achievement inintercollegiate athletics byformer Bulldog student-ath-letes and coaches, and thisyear five former Bulldog ath-letes were inducted.

Named to the AthleticsHall of Fame were RichardGregory ’54, who started allfour years in both footballand baseball; Lief Larson ’84,the only two-time winner ofthe Eddy Award, given foruncommon leadership andexcellence on the footballfield and in the classroom;Charlie McMahon ’59, an All-American who signed withthe Denver Broncos; KentRichter ’69, who lettered intrack and field and footballall four years; and Jessica(Gaytan) Szymanski ’95, wholettered four years in volley-ball and continues as careerleader in total games played

and total blocks.

TLU Athletics Wall of Honor

The Athletics LeadershipWall of Honor recognizespeople who have contributedto the success of the universi-ty’s athletics program outsidethe realm of intercollegiateathletic competition. TheClass of 2006 includes theCharles Koehler family, ElmerLuckenbach, and CalvinVann.

The Koehler family wasrecognized for its outstandingcitizenship and dedicatedservice to the community.Charlie and Jackie Koehlerand their four children –Steve, Greg, Nancy and Jeff –have individually and collec-tively donated countlesshours to civic causes andhave made generous financialcontributions to support thework of many charitableorganizations, including TLU.

Luckenbach, a footballplayer at TLU in the 1940s,has been a faithful supporterof the Bulldogs ever since.His many years of dedicatedChristian service to the elderly were recognized withthe TLU Distinguished

Church Service Award in1989.

Miller pointed out thatVann has probably been tomore TLU athletics contestsin the last 10 years than anyother Bulldog fan, takingthousands of pictures that hehas shared with TLU and itsfans, parents, and players.

Alum enablesother Kosovarsto attend TLU

Most TLU students havemore than a two-day noticethat they are leaving forcollege. And most do not

travel halfway around theworld to attend the university.But Aida Sopa, BukurjeZeqiri, Drenushe Bislimi andGetoar Mjeku are not yourtypical TLU students.

These four students came to TLU in August from Kosovo on Educationfor Peace Scholarships established by the BislimiGroup, founded by FatonTony Bislimi last year.

A 2005 TLU graduate,Bislimi earned a B.S. in computer science and a B.A.in math, graduating summacum laude. He says he cameto this country from Kosovowith nothing, but God guided

Speakers at the 27th annual Krost Symposium included, left toright, Dr. Jim Hopper, psychologist and Research Fellow atMcLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Rev. DavidDoerfler, founder and facilitator of Concentric Journeys;Dr. Denise Menchaca, independent researcher, writer andperformer; and Chris Pramuk, theologian, musician, and author.

T L UT O D AY

New international students arrive on campus to begin the 2006-2007academic year. Among them are four students from Kosovo, recipients ofthe Education for Peace Scholarships established by the Bislimi Group.

TLU Today• Torch Winter 2007 | 7

During Greek Week,TLU “Greek gods and goddesses” competedin a Bulldog spirit contest. Pictured are students ChristinaMartinez, Leo Aguilar, Laura Townsend, Phil Bush, and AshleyBoyd.

T L UT O D AY

his way to TLU, and he isnow a Kennedy Fellow atHarvard University’s JFKSchool of Government.

“Am I satisfied though?No. Just as my dreams cametrue, my faith grew. And Ikept asking for more – notfor me, but for other sheepout there in my belovedKosovo,” Bislimi said.

So through the BislimiGroup and Texas LutheranUniversity, two full scholar-ships and two half scholar-ships are being given eachyear to students fromKosovo. The Bislimi Groupis responsible for finding themost promising students,who must go through a rigorous selection process inKosovo before TLU makesthe final selection.

Since this is the first yearfor the Education for Peace

Scholarships, there was alearning curve. Problems inobtaining visas caused thestudents to know only twodays before they had to leavethat they were actually goingto be able to go to TLU.

“That’s a very short timeto prepare your things andsay goodbye,” Sopa said.

Despite the difficulty incoming, the students fromKosovo were delighted to beable to study at an Americanuniversity.

“That’s one of the greatestdreams of every student inKosovo,” Sopa said. “We arethe lucky ones.”

“I would like to go backto Kosovo and do somethingfor my country,” Sopa said,echoing the sentiments of allfour students to return totheir homeland to make it abetter place. “Kosovo is a

place that has had a war andnow it really needs people –reformed people – who canbring something new toKosovo,” she said.

Bislimi trusts that TLU ismaking a difference in thelives of the four students, andthat as they study at TLU,they will be prepared to helpproduce a better future forKosovo.

“In our Lord’s service, Ibelieve we are helping builda generation of leaders for anewly born country – a generation that will leadKosovo into becoming a truedemocracy and an open andprogressive society inEurope,” he said. “TLU ismaking a difference in Kosovoin the best way possible, andKosovars will be thankfulforever.”

AfricanAmericanLeadershipConference

Alumni, faculty, studentsand community memberscame together last fall to bea part of Texas Lutheran’s

first African AmericanLeadership Conferenceorganized by studentsbelonging to DIVERSE(Driven Individuals ValuingRespect and SupportEverywhere).

Held on campus Oct. 20-21, 2006, the conference wasorganized by students to provide serious leadershipinformation on issues con-cerning the African-Americanstudent community.

A variety of speakersaddressed the group, including TLU alumniDemetrius Hardeman ’05and Stephanie MitchellCrimiel ’92, and representa-tives from Texas StateUniversity, 100 Black Men ofSan Antonio, and 100 BlackWomen of San Antonio.

The luncheon keynotespeaker was Darren Dunn,operations manager forKWED radio and immediatepast president of the SeguinArea Chamber of Commerce.

The DIVERSE studentgroup was organized anddeveloped by the Center for Servant Leadership. Dr. Maria Avalos and Dr. Bonita Vinson also assisted in the conference. n

TLU alumnus Demetrius Hardeman ’05, special agent with the IRS, wasthe opening speaker at the first African American Leadership Conferenceheld in October at TLU.

8 | Texas Lutheran University

I N THEN E W S

HINGS ARE DIFFERENT ON

CAMPUS TODAY.

OH, STUDENTS STILL GO TO

CLASS. THEY STUDY AND WRITE

PAPERS. THEY COMPLAIN ABOUT THE

FOOD AND PARKING. CHAPEL IS STILL

AT 10 A.M. ON MWF, AND STUDENTS

STILL SOMETIMES SLEEP THROUGH THEIR

8 O’CLOCK CLASSES. BUT TODAY THEY

COMMUNICATE DIFFERENTLY. AND

THAT’S REALITY.

It’s called social networking. Studentsuse online communities like Facebookand MySpace as a link to their friends,schedules, and daily lives. Some TLUstudents check these sites 8-10 times aday – maybe more. It is how they keepin touch with friends, know when agroup is meeting, or know what otherstudents are saying or up to. It is a wayto know when to meet for dinner, who’s

dating, or where the party is happening.A site usually includes a profile and

pictures posted by the owner or otherswho have tagged the site by postingphotos on it. And there is also wallpaperwhere visitors to the site communicateand write thoughts and comments –good or bad, true or false – sort of adialogue that is open to anyone elsevisiting the site.

Until recently, Facebook has beenlimited. It was created two years ago togive college students an environmentwhere they could share information, butalso have control over who they sharedinformation with. A college e-mailaddress was needed to set up a pageinitially.

Facebook has expanded to allowothers into the site – at first thoseinvited in as friends – and then the sitegrew to allow high school students andbusinesses groups in as well. There arestill controls, but it also means that thenumber of potential viewers of a student’s

page is larger.Facebook and social sites like it are a

reality throughout society today, and it isno different on Texas Lutheran’s campus.

Dean of Student Life and LearningKristi Quiros ’85 says that Facebook is ahot button issue everywhere. Sheexplains that it has both positive andnegative aspects. “It is a great way forstudents to connect with those whohave similar interests or to keep up withfriends who are at other schools. Butsometimes there seems to be a disconnectwith students when they put informationon sites such as Facebook. They don’tthink about it being available world-wide.”

This year, for the first time, TLU’s newstudent orientation included informationabout social networking sites – things toremember like safety and access. “Weremind students that employers checkout applicants for jobs or internships, sothey should consider how they are portraying themselves,” Quiros says.

T

In the News • Torch Winter 2007 | 9

“I tell students to ask themselves if theywould want their grandmother to seethis.”

Social networking starts well beforecollege. Quiros says that there are fresh-men who come to school and they’vealready chatted online with everyone ontheir floor – they have a head start onmeeting people. But there are also thosewho are not happy with what they’vefound when they Googled their futureroommate or looked him or her up onFacebook or MySpace. She says theydon’t realize that what they read or seemay not be true.

“Before they get to know someone,before they even e-mail, much less call ortalk to someone face-to-face, they arejudging an individual by his or her profileand deciding they want to change room-mates. However, I try to remind themthat getting to know people who aredifferent than you is an important partof the college experience.”

Quiros says that residence life asks

students to wait until they arrive oncampus and meet each other personallybefore requesting a roommate change. Ifchanges do occur, it is usually after fallsemester when students may change tobe with a new friend rather than avoidsomeone based on an online profile.

Although it isn’t the official or onlymeans to communicate with students,more and more professors and organizations are using Facebook toreach students.

Dr. Phil Ruge-Jones, associate professor of theology, says that his site isa small way to let his students know hecares about the things that they do. It isalso another way to connect with students less formally and have somefun with the students. For example, hesays he posted a picture of himself inhis uncool, Napoleon Dynamite highschool graduation suit.

Forty-nine TLU groups (and growingdaily,) from the Betas to the StudentGovernment Association to the Catholic

Student Organization, all have Facebookmembers and communicate everythingfrom elections to pizza parties andmeetings on the site. Others, includingthe “Wal-Mart – The Most Exciting Placein Seguin” group and “I Swim to ClassWhen It Rains,” may just want a place tocomplain.

Quiros explained that TLU adminis-trators do not prowl the Internet assome schools have tried, but do followup on any complaints. She explainedthat social networking sites can havenegative aspects, including cyber bullying, where a student is senthateful, harassing or threatening mail. These instances, although rare, do happen.

“Social networking is a reality. Weare just starting to learn about it andfigure out how to make it work for usas a community and have it work forour students. It can be a positive thing,as long as people remember to use itsafely and responsibly.” n

TLU freshmanAmandine Miller of New Braunfels relaxesin the Alumni StudentCenter betweenclasses. She says thatsocial networking sitesare a good way tokeep up with friendson other college campuses.

Music – The Soul of TLU

10 | Texas Lutheran University

y including music in the liberalarts curriculum, TLU ensures thatall students have an opportunityto experience music and all it has

to offer. Each student is required to takesix semester hours of the arts as part ofthe dimensions of liberal educationrequirement. While the arts can includecourses in dramatic media or fine art,many students choose to fulfill therequirement with music classes.

“The study of music at TLU providesthe opportunity to create, define,communicate and, ultimately, add deepmeaning to the lives of our students,”said Dr. Douglas R. Boyer, associateprofessor and director of the TLUSchool of Music.

Boyer came to TLU in 2001 followingthe retirement of Dr. Sigurd Christiansen,who had been a fixture as TLU choirdirector for 30 years. A 1983 graduateof Texas Lutheran, Boyer explained thathe returned to TLU because he saw an opportunity to bring together his spirituality and his love of music.

“My father is a Lutheran minister, so Igrew up in a Lutheran home, went toBethany Lutheran College in Minnesota,

and then received two B.A. degrees fromTexas Lutheran… I feel at home at TLU.I am incredibly fortunate to work withsuch wonderful students, such brillianteducational colleagues from all disciplinesand such amazing staff,” he said.

Dr. John Masterson, executive vicepresident and provost, praised the musicprogram. “It is the soul and voice ofTLU,” he said. “Often the first contactthe public has with the university isthrough the choir or band.”

In recognition of that importance,TLU began offering the bachelor of

music degree in 2002 and created theSchool of Music in 2004, demonstratingthe university’s commitment to the musicprogram – not only to its future, but alsorecognizing the university’s rich musicaltraditions. Thousands of students whohave attended Texas Lutheran haveparticipated in the choir or band, andthousands of others have been enrichedby their performances.

While TLU prepares some studentsto pursue a career in performing, manymore find their calling in education asmusic teachers, band directors, or

B

Music – The Soul of TLU • Torch Winter 2007 | 11

When dozens of alumni choir members joined with the current TLU

choir in singing “Beautiful Savior” at homecoming last September, tears

of emotion and a shared love of music melded the past and present.

Whether from the organ, band or voice, music continues to touch the

lives of Texas Lutheran students, instilling a sense of community that

becomes a large part of the college experience. Music is – and always

has been – a vital part of life at Texas Lutheran.

Dozens of past choir members join in singing“Beautiful Savior” at Homecoming 2006.The choir is directed by Dr. Douglas R. Boyer’83, associate professor and director of the TLUSchool of Music.PH

OTO

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12 | Texas Lutheran University12 | Texas Lutheran University

possibly church musicians. Theseeducators bring the love of music andtheir spirituality and devotion to theirstudents.

TLU recognized the importance ofmusic education when it made theSchool of Music a part of the College ofProfessional Studies.

“We take pride in our music educa-tion program,” Masterson said, “and we believe that we are signaling theimportance of preparing our studentswith a strong music education.”

Music scholarshipsIn order to attract top music students,

TLU has recently strengthened its scholarship program. The Da capoAward is a scholarship valued up to$15,000 a year recognizing those musical performers who also meet certain academic requirements.

Boyer explained that auditions andinterviews for the Class of 2011 will takeplace Feb. 18 at the university’s PACEDay. For more information, prospectivestudents should visit www.tlu.edu orcontact Boyer at 830-372-8000.

Other scholarships are availablefor non-music majors, includingperformance scholarships worth up to$2,000 a year.

“Music is a vital element at TLU, notonly for those who wish to have a careerin the field of music, but really for everystudent,” Boyer said.

“We have a huge group of non-musicmajors,” he says. “They love music andare part of one or more of our ensembles– and they are involved in other thingsas well.”

Ensembles range from the UniversityChoir and Band to the recently established TLU Drumline.

The Choir is open by audition to allstudents of the university, according toBoyer, who is also the director of choralmusic and the Mary Gibbs Jones Chairin Choral Music. The Choir performs awide range of both sacred and secularchoral works, and performs during thetraditional Christmas Vespers and springchoir tour, which will include theHouston area this year.

While the Women’s Choir, begun in2002, also performs sacred and secularliterature on campus and on tour, Boyersays that their performances are totallydifferent and have an amazing sound.

The Kantorei Chamber Choir is comprised of the strongest vocalmusicians and, again, is open by auditionto all students. Kantorei focuses on musicof our time and often performs works

written by Boyer and other moderncomposers. The group has been praisedfor their performances on campus, ontour, and at events such as theExcellence in Leadership Dinner.

Along with Boyer, other full-timemusic professors include ShaaronMelcher Conoly, associate professor ofmusic who teaches vocal performanceand who has been at Texas Lutheransince 1970. Conoly studied in Paris withnoted baritone Pierre Bernac on aFulbright Award, and she was a recipientof the Sears Foundation TeachingExcellence Award.

Dr. Eric Daub serves as the head ofthe piano department, teaches musictheory courses, and is active as a soloistand accompanist at TLU and in thesurrounding area. Daub is a recordingartist for Pure and Simple Music, activein the music ministry at his church, andhas a variety of experience in jazz,country, blues, gospel, arranging andcomposing.

Dr. Denise Peterson, assistantprofessor, is the initial appointee to theAnita Windecker Chair in Music, teachesviolin and viola, and conducts the stringsprogram at the university. The TLU StringEnsemble performs in concert and recitaleach semester. Peterson also conducts

The TLU StringEnsemble presents

“Morning Strings” inchapel last fall.

Music – The Soul of TLU • Torch Winter 2007 | 13

the Community Youth Orchestra of theMid-Texas Symphony and is currentlythe co-principal violist in the Mid-TexasSymphony. Dr. Peterson also has aninterest in ethnomusicology and performslocally in traditional Irish bands.

Director of bands Beth Bronk is newto the TLU campus this fall. While at theUniversity of North Texas, Bronk was atrumpet Teaching Fellow and studiedconducting with Anshel Brusilov. Shehas taught instrumental music in Texaspublic schools for 18 years, most recentlyin New Braunfels where her bands earnedstatewide honors. She was awarded NewBraunfels I.S.D. Teacher of the Year andthe Mirabeau B. Lamar Award forTeaching Excellence. She currentlyserves as president of the Texas MusicEducators Association Region 12.

Bronk says she is pleased with themusical talent that she sees on campus,including six Da capo Awardees in itsinitial year. About 100 students areinvolved in various band ensembles.

The University Concert Band isopen by audition to all students of theuniversity. The Concert Band performsin concert and on tour. Members of thetop woodwind, brass and percussionsections comprise the SymphonicWinds, an elite ensemble that performsregularly.

The Jazz Ensemble plays a traditionalBig Band format along with morecontemporary literature. TLU offerscourses in jazz improvisation and jazzhistory.

The Bulldog Pep Band performs atmost home football and basketballgames and is open to all universitystudents with a band background.

Other ensemble opportunitiesinclude the Flute Choir, Clarinet Choir,Double Reed Ensemble, SaxophoneEnsemble, Brass Choir, TromboneEnsemble, Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble,Percussion Ensemble, and the newestensemble, the TLU Drumline.

Many of the ensembles and individualinstruments are taught by adjunct profes-sors. Because of its proximity to Austinand San Antonio, TLU attracts a numberof adjuncts who are also performingprofessionals with groups such as theAustin Lyric Opera, the San AntonioSymphony, and other area orchestras.

Among the adjunct faculty membersat TLU are Vanguel Tangarov, principalclarinet for the Austin Lyric Opera whohas won national and internationalcompeititions and is currently workingon his doctorate at The University ofTexas at Austin.

Guitar instructor Tony Morris isheard each week on over 200 public

radio stations as the host of the“Classical Guitar Alive!” program. Heperforms throughout the United States asa solo guitarist and chamber musician,and has performed at the White Housethree times.

Assistant professor Andrea Sokol-Albert, pianist, has won several nationaland international awards and has beenhighly acclaimed in the European andNorth American press. Her concertoappearances include the NationalSymphony Orchestra and broadcastingcredits include National Public Radio.

New to TLU this year, Leigh AnnWoodard, an accomplished Englishhornist, recently performed the premiereof John Corigliano’s third symphonyCircus Maximus with The University ofTexas Wind Ensemble at Carnegie Hall.

“We are fortunate to be able tooffer our students such prestigiousinstructors, despite the relatively smallsize of our univeristy’s music program,”Boyer said, noting that with theimprovement of the scholarship programand the outstanding faculty, the Schoolof Music is growing.

“And as the School of Music continuesto grow in prestige and stature, moreand more alumni continue to take pridein its ongoing traditions as a vital part ofcollege life at Texas Lutheran.” n

You have composed a number ofworks. Where have these beenperformed?

I feel very fortunate because I’ve had theopportunity to hear my works at manyuniversities and churches. In SanAntonio, for example, my setting of “TheChurch’s One Foundation” was used forthe installation service of the executivedirector of Mission Presbytery held atTrinity University; the King WilliamWinds performed one of my pieces forthe New Music Festival held at UTSA;and many churches have commissionedchoral and handbell works for perform-ance in worship services and festivals.

But, perhaps, the most memorable andfrightening commission came from myfriend, Laurie Jenschke, at the EastmanSchool of Music. To visit this incrediblemusic school and not only hear mywork, but see my name on the marqueeas a featured composer, was quite ahumbling experience… wonderful andcompletely terrifying at the same time.

How would you categorize yourmusical compositions?

Challenging. A bit “different.” My musicfeels as though it is out of control, but ina controlled way. Much of what I write ispoly-modal or bi-modal. That is, the ear

hears at least two distinct tonal centersat once rather than one; for me, thisprovides amazingly different and interest-ing opportunities to explore dissonanceand resolution. Although this style ofmusic is difficult to perform, the studentsseem to have enjoyed the challenge oflearning and performing a number ofmy works. In fact, our students welcomethe challenge of performing the music ofour time. The TLU Choir has performedthe world premieres of a number ofchallenging works by well-knowncomposers: “Viderunt omnes fines terrae,”by Latvian composer Rihards Dubra;“The Art of Music,” by British composerPaul Ayres; “You Are a Letter FromChrist,” by American composer StevenSametz; and “Love Came Down,” byAmerican composer Donald Grantham.

Your background includes theatreand you recently did the stagedirection of the new opera“Witness.” Tell us about it.

“Witness” premiered at Saint Mary’sCollege, Notre Dame, Indiana lastspring. The opera deals with the issuesof racism, religious and social intolerance,the abuse of personal and institutionalpower, and how a sense of community,tolerance, and individual love and ethicscan override and outlast those negativeimpulses. I rarely have the opportunityto return to my theatre roots; so whenI do, I like to work on projects that dealwith social issues and provide theopportunity for discussion and interac-tion in the schools, universities and thesurrounding communities.

Describe your experience at theLehigh University ComposersForum.

This week-long, intensive course ofstudy focused on the art of compositionand topics related to the professionalcomposer. This summer I had theopportunity to work with masterteacher/composer Stephen Paulus. Hehas been a composer I’ve admired for along time, and, in fact, composed awork that the TLU Choir premiered atChristmas Vespers, “Light Shining Outof Darkness.” n

FACULTYQ & A

Dr. Douglas R. Boyer is a recognized composer, clinician and researcher on the music ofour time. An active member of the American Composers Forum and ASCAP, Boyer’scommissioned works have been performed throughout the U.S., Mexico and Canada.He has been published in scholarly journals and cited in numerous textbooks. A 1983graduate of Texas Lutheran, Boyer earned a M.M. degree from the University of Texas atSan Antonio and his D.M.A. from The University of Texas at Austin. He joined the TLUfaculty in 2001 and currently is an associate professor, director of the School of Music,director of choral music, and holder of the Mary Gibbs Jones Chair in Choral Music.

14 | Texas Lutheran University

Composer, professor, alumnusA conversation with Dr. Douglas R. Boyer

APPLAUSEThe TLU Board of Regents has awardedthe Jo Murphy Chair in Education toDr. Eduardo Torres, assistant professorof education; the BaenzigerProfessorship in Piano to Dr. EricDaub, assistant professor, School ofMusic; and the Gembler Fellowship toDr. Chris Bollinger, assistant professorof communication studies.

Three TLU faculty members had articlespublished in the San Antonio Express-News recently. Dr. Pamela Johnston,assistant professor of English studies,wrote a book review of author SarahBird’s novel The Flamenco Academy,Dr. Carolyn Schneider,assistantprofessor of theology, wrote a story forthe religion section entitled “ChristianLeaders Around World Make Pleas forPeace in Mideast,” and Dr. RobinBisha,assistant professor of communica-tion studies, has had several piecespublished on Russia and Russiancooking, including “After communism,a cuisine is reclaimed,” a special pieceon Russia and Russian recipes. Some ofthe recipes are available in the expandedcopy section of the online Torch(www.tlu.edu/news/torch).

At the American Chemical Societymeeting held in San Francisco inSeptember, Anna Bergstrom, instructorof education, presented two papers:“ChemBridge: Bridging the DivideBetween the University of Texas andUrban High Schools” and “ChemBridge:A Hybrid Learning Community.” Shealso contributed to “On the Assessmentof Students’ Qualitative AnalysisExperiences.”

Dr. Ana Maria Gonzalez, assistantprofessor of modern languages, presenteda paper “‘Hasta no ver no creer’: larevolucionaria perspectiva de Hasta noverte Jesus mio” at the X Congreso delHumor en la Literatura Luso-Hispana inMonterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

Dr. Mark Gustafson, associate professorof biology and department chair,published a book review of Amphibiansof East Africa in the October issue of“Choice.”

In June, Dr. Pamela Johnston, assistantprofessor of English studies, presented“Locating Women’s Studies atReligiously-Affiliated Colleges andUniversities” at the annual conference of the National Women’s StudiesAssociation in Oakland, Calif.

Dr. Phil Ruge-Jones, associate professorof theology, taped an extension learningprogram for media-based continuingtheological education sponsored by theDivision for Ministry of the ELCA. Hissession, “A Trinitarian Theology of theCross,” is one of 10 hour-long presenta-tions in the Systematic Theology series,which will be out in DVD format in2007.

During the annual meeting of the inter-disciplinary Southern Association ofCanadian Studies, Dr. Angelika Sauer,associate professor of history, presented a

paper on the marketing of Canada as adestination for European migrants in the1870s and 1880s. Sauer is the Texasrepresentative on the association’s board.

Dr. Bonita Vinson, director of careerservices, has been appointed to thejournal editorial board for the SouthernAssociation of College Student Affairs.During this one-year appointment,Bonita will review manuscripts submit-ted for the College Student AffairsJournal.

Dr. Joan Williams, assistant professorof education, was awarded the J. Robertand Mary S. Cade Vanguard Award for2006-2007 to support the bilingualeducation certification curriculum. TheCade award provides funding for facultyprojects or initiatives designed to enrichthe cultural, spiritual, or intellectual lifeat TLU. n

Applause • Torch Winter 2007 | 15

Ivonne Estrada has been namedthe recipient of the El Premio SalinasAward, which is presented annually toan outstanding student who repre-sents the ideals of cultural harmonyand service to others.

Estrada, a senior from SanAntonio, is a multidisciplinary studiesmajor with a specialization in bilin-gual education. Following her studentteaching next semester, she will be thefirst student to graduate from TLUwith the bilingual education certifica-tion.

A graduate of the InternationalSchool of the Americas in SanAntonio, Estrada grew up in the bilin-gual education program at MorrillElementary School in the HarlandaleDistrict. Currently a volunteer atMorrill, she hopes to return to theschool as a bilingual teacher inkindergarten or first grade when shegraduates.

While at TLU, Estrada has servedas president of the Mexican AmericanStudent Association and has beenactive in the Student Education

Association and the Black StudentUnion.

The El Premio Salinas Award hon-ors the memory of Roberto LeeSalinas, a TLU student well known forhis willingness to serve others beforean accidental drowning in 1972. n

Ivonne Estrada receives Salinas Award

n VolleyballThe Bulldogs won their fifth

American Southwest Conference (ASC)West Division Championship in sevenyears and hosted the 2006 ASCChampionship Tournament. TLU fell inthe ASC tournament semifinal to theUniversity of Texas-Dallas and ended theyear with an overall record of 18-11. TheBulldogs were 15-3 in the ASC regularseason.

TLU setter Megan Purser and middleblocker Jamie Lassiter were named to theASC 2006 All-Conference VolleyballTeam. Purser, a junior from Dickinson,and Lassiter, a sophomore fromRichardson, also were named to the ASCWest Division First Team.

TLU middle blocker/outside hitterDeanna Dahse, New Braunfels; liberoMelissa Mudge, Round Rock; and out-side hitter Amber Meeks, Magnolia, werenamed to the ASC West Division SecondTeam. Middle blocker/right-side hitterMandy Bauer of La Feria, the lone senioron the team, was an ASC WestHonorable Mention selection.

n Cross CountryThe TLU women’s cross country

team put three runners in the Top 11,including conference runner-up StaciJackson, and placed second to McMurryat the 2006 ASC Cross CountryChampionship Meet. Jackson, a juniorfrom Lake Highlands, completed the6,000-meter course in 25 minutes flat.

First-year runners Renae Bignall ofKaty and Rhonda Fetty of San Antonioplaced eighth and 11th, respectively.

Senior Sarah Harper of Round Rock andjunior Libby Gonzales of Uvalde puttogether finishes of 22nd and 23rd,respectively.

Jackson, Bignall and Fetty eachearned ASC All-Conference honors.

TLU improved on its third-placefinish from the 2005 conference meet.The Bulldogs were trying to bring theASC title back to Seguin. TLU wonconference titles in 2002, 2003 and2004.

n FootballSenior wide receiver Jason Trahan

(Pearland/Pearland) added the schoolrecord for career receiving yards to hislong list of accomplishments. Trahanconcluded his 4-year career with 3,017yards, breaking Roy Maas’ old schoolmark of 2,637 yards. Trahan also holdsschool records for single-season receptionyards (1,086), career touchdown catches(31) and longest play from scrimmage(98-yard touchdown catch vs. East TexasBaptist).

Senior defensive back Jake Robbins(La Vernia/La Vernia) and junior line-backer Matt Alves (Austin/Del Valle)were named to the ESPN The MagazineAcademic All-District VI First Team. TheBulldogs will appear on the nationalballot for ESPN The Magazine AcademicAll-America. Robbins, a four-year starterin the Bulldogs’ secondary, holds a 3.53grade point average as an applied sciencemajor with interests in biology andchemistry. Robbins is a three-time ESPNThe Magazine Academic All-District VIFirst Team selection. Alves has a 4.0grade point average as a businessadministration major. Alves, a startinglinebacker, is on the ESPN TheMagazine All-District VI First Team forthe first time.

Junior kicker Holt Storrie (SanAntonio/Clark) established the newschool record for field goals made in acareer. He has 27 career field goals tobetter the record of 25, set by JohnOstrom (1999-02). Storrie’s record-breaking kick, a 28-yarder, came in theOct. 14 home game against Sul RossState.

Junior setter MeganPurser leads TLU tothe 2006 ASC West

DivisionChampionship.

At the ASCChampionship Meet,Staci Jackson finishessecond to push the

Bulldogs to a runner-upteam finish.

S C O R EB O A R D

Sports wrap-upSports wrap-up

16 | Texas Lutheran University

n Women’s SoccerSeven Texas Lutheran women’s soccer

players were named to the ASC All-Conference teams, and TLU Head CoachMike Alderson was selected as the ASCCoach of the Year. Four Bulldogs –defenders Meagan Shisler of TheWoodlands and Kristen Broussard ofBedford, forward Kelli Layden of SugarLand and goalkeeper Katie Kistner ofPlano – were named to the ASC All-Conference First Team.

Forward Casey Rheman of Houstonand midfielder April Kubeczka ofBrenham were selected to the ASC All-Conference Second Team, and defenderAlicia Gangemi of Converse earned aspot on the ASC All-Conference ThirdTeam.

TLU’s season ended in the ASCChampionship Tournament semifinalwith a 1-0 loss to the University ofTexas-Dallas after a 4-0 quarterfinal winover East Texas Baptist. TLU finished2006 with an overall record of 14-6-0and a conference mark of 10-3. TheBulldogs established or tied 23 team orindividual school records.

Rheman and Layden tied for theschool single-season record for goals andpoints. Each player scored 18 goals andhad five assists during the 2006 season.Rheman concluded her stellar 4-year

career with a school-record 59 goals and138 points (2 points for goals, 1 pointfor assists).

n Men’s SoccerTLU freshman forward Alan Garza of

Seguin was named the ASC OffensiveFreshman of the Year and earned a spoton the ASC All-Conference Third Team.Garza was joined on the ASC All-Conference Third Team by senior mid-fielder Marcus Pais of San Antonio.

Senior defender Taylor Williams ofAustin, junior midfielder Aldo Garza ofSeguin, and sophomore goalkeeper ChrisGerhardt of New Braunfels were selectedto the ASC Honorable Mention squad.

Alan Garza led the Bulldogs with 14goals scored. He also had three assistsand a team-best 31 points. Garza alsohad three game-winning goals and two“hat tricks” (matches with three goalsscored).

TLU, under first-year head coachEddie Salazar, posted an overall recordof 7-11-1 and a 5-8 mark in theAmerican Southwest Conference.

TLU Athletics Internet-OnlyBroadcasts

TLU has partnered with StretchInternet to provide Internet-only broadcasts of upcoming women andmen’s basketball games throughout the2006-07 seasons as well as 2007 softball and baseball games. Bulldogfans can access the broadcast scheduleon the TLU Athletics Web page(www.tlu.edu/athletics). Fans can alsosign-up for instant Bulldog game resultsthrough text messages or emails withthe “escores” feature provided byStretch Internet. A link to “escores” islocated on the athletics Web page. n

S C O R EB O A R DBy the Numbers

Interceptions by sophomorecornerback Dwight Bonner onthe final two drives by Trinity inTLU’s 14-9 victory over theTigers.TLU’s win snapped a six-gamelosing skid to Trinity.

Career touchdown grabs ofmore than 90 yards by seniorwide receiver Jason Trahan.ThePearland native had a 91-yarderthis year against Mississippi College.

Matches in women’s soccer starCasey Rheman’s career in whichshe has scored three or moregoals. Rheman has twice scoredfour goals in a match.

New school-record forassists in a three-game volleyball match, set byMegan Purser in three-gamevictory over Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Length of game-winningpunt return for touchdownby Jesse Gremminger inTLU’s 28-23 road win overHoward Payne.

Goals scored in 2006 by theTLU women’s soccer team.The Bulldogs shattered theschool record for goalsscored by 22 and finished in theNCAA Division III Top 10 for scoring.

2

3

6

68

84

Scoreboard • Torch Winter 2007 | 17

54

Senior wide receiver Jason Trahan catches atouchdown pass in TLU’s 31-28 win over EastTexas Baptist.Trahan ends his TLU footballcareer with multiple school records, includingthe TLU marks for career TD receptions andcareer receiving yards.

Sophomore Dwight Bonnerdefends a pass in the winover Trinity this year.

18 | Texas Lutheran University

for more aboutTLU Athletics.

S C O R EB O A R D

rainy October day in SanAntonio couldn’t dampenH.C. Tran’s mood. At thetime, the Texas Lutheran

head coach for women’s andmen’s golf teams was stridingalongside a fairway, watchingAngela Aufderhaar compete in aplayoff for her first collegiatetitle. A few minutes earlier, theBulldogs had clinched their firstwomen’s team title since 1999.Now Tran followed Aufderhaar’squest to end the seven-yearindividual title drought for thewomen’s team.

A chip within 10 feet andthen a par-saving putt into theheart of the hole clinched thevictory for Aufderhaar. Theindividual win added to theteam performance that placedthe Bulldogs ahead of 2006NCAA Division III nationaltournament participants MaryHardin-Baylor and Hardin-Simmons and vaulted TLU toNo. 22 in the NCAADIII/GolfStat national rankings.

“(The team’s play) was abeautiful thing to watch,” said Tran. “The women are workingso hard to make this a special season. With such a young team(five freshmen, a sophomore and two juniors), I don’t thinkthey know how good they could be. We’re tying to tell them.”

The resurgence of the women’s program and the continuedgrowth of the men’s golf team at TLU have taken considerablededication from Tran, a 1990 graduate and a member of the1990 men’s NAIA national runner-up squad. Tran took overboth programs shortly after TLU’s decision to join the NCAADivision III, the non-scholarship athletic arm of the NationalCollegiate Athletic Association.

The transition to NCAA Division III took some time for thegolf programs, which enjoyed a wealth of success in the NAIA.The Bulldogs were team NAIA national runner-ups in men’sgolf in 1990 and in women’s golf in 1999, and the programsproduced three individual NAIA national champions – JohnBohmann in 1967, Cameron Beckman in 1991 and ElizabethHoffman in 1999. The women and men’s golf teams combinedfor 22 national tournament appearances in the NAIA.

But with Tran at the helm,the Bulldogs have assertedthemselves at the national levelin the NCAA Division III. In2003, women’s golfer TheresaAshorn played in the NCAADivision III NationalChampionship and finished38th. In 2004, the men’s golfteam was ranked in the NCAADIII/GolfStat Top 20 for theentire season.

In 2005, the Bulldog menbroke into the NCAA DIIINational Championships fieldfor the first-time in school history and posted a 12th-placeteam finish with individualgolfer Josh Werland claimingTLU’s first-ever NCAA DIII All-American honor. The 2006men’s season built on the2005 success with a first-everAmerican SouthwestConference team title, a secondASC individual crown (won byMichael Faterkowski) and asecond straight trip to theNCAA DIII National Champion-ships. TLU again finished 12th

and Werland again claimed an All-American citation at thenational tournament.

In August of this year, TLU learned that both the women’sand men’s programs claimed Top 50 rankings in the Golf Digest“Academics First” listing. In announcing the “Academics First”list, Golf Digest stated: “For (junior golfers) who are excellentstudents first, golfers second, these schools provide the absolutebest education and an opportunity to play.” The Top 50 includedNCAA Division I, II and III colleges and universities that did notaward athletics scholarships for golf. The TLU men’s programwas ranked ahead of Division I schools William & Mary, Colgate,Fairfield, Brown, Bucknell and Lafayette.

“We feel that we can be at the national tournaments everyyear,” said Tran. “With TLU’s academic reputation and our abilityto compete nationally in both programs, we can’t help but beexcited about the future.” n

By Tim ClarkSports Information Director

A

TLU Golf: Driving toward the topHead coach H.C. Tran ’90

H.C.Tran, left, is TLU’s head golf coach.This year Golf Digest ranked TLUamong the top 50 schools in the nation that provide student-golfers“the absolute best education and the opportunity to play.”

Growing & Giving • Torch Winter 2007 | 19

Muellers pledge$1 million

Lee D. Mueller Jr. andBarbara Frenzel Mueller ofLa Grange have pledged stockvalued at approximately $1million to TLU’s capitalcampaign.

The gift will be used toexpand by one-third theAT&T Science Facility, forwhich ground was brokenlast April. The new sciencewing will now include a3,000 square-foot floor thatwill house pre-engineeringand physics labs and classes.

When the AT&T ScienceFacility is completed in late2007, it will contain anorganic chemistry lab, whichwill be named the Lee D.Mueller Organic ChemistryLab.

“We are excited to receivethis wonderful pledge, andwe thank the Muellers fortheir generosity,” said TLUPresident Jon Moline.

Lee Mueller earned a B.A.from Texas Lutheran in 1958,a degree in theology fromEvangelical LutheranTheological Seminary, andserved as a Lutheran minister

for several years. Since 1963,the Mueller family has ownedand operated Live Oak Farms,a registered angus cattle ranchin Fayette County.

Lee Mueller is vice chairof the TLU Board of Regentsand is chairman of thePresidential Search AdvisoryCommittee. He is a foundingmember of the Lone StarAngus Alliance and serves asdirector of the State Bank ofLa Grange and of TexasUnited Bancshares.

Barbara Mueller alsoattended Texas Lutheran andsubsequently became ateacher and counselor, serving33 years in the educationfield, including 27 years inthe La Grange schools beforeher retirement in 1999.During that time she wasactive in teacher, church, andcommunity organizations.

Currently she is active inthe Purple Angels Volunteersfor St. Mark’s Medical Centerin La Grange and in the TexasWomen’s League supportinglocal charities. She is also amember of the Lone StarAngus Alliance and P.E.O., a national philanthropic educational organization forwomen.

The Mueller gift will alsobe recognized by naming theEducation Wing of TschoepeHall for Barbara FrenzelMueller.

The Muellers have onedaughter, Laurie, a student atCampbell University LawSchool in North Carolina.

LeadershipDinner honorsWolffs

Bexar County JudgeNelson W. Wolff and his wifeTracy Wolff were honorees atTLU’s Excellence in

Leadership Dinner Nov. 15.The annual Excellence in

Leadership Dinner honorsresidents of South Texas whohave made a significant con-tribution to the community.Proceeds from the event sup-port TLU’s Presidential Awardfor Leadership and ServiceEndowed Scholarship Fund,which provides financialassistance to TLU studentswho have exhibited leader-ship qualities on campus andin their communities. In itssix years, the annual dinnerhas raised $438,000.

This year’s honorees,Nelson and Tracy Wolff,have each spent many yearsserving the people of Texas.

Since 2001, Nelson Wolffhas served as Bexar CountyJudge. Previously, he servedin the State House ofRepresentatives, Texas Senate,San Antonio City Council,and as mayor of San Antonio.

Tracy Wolff is currentlyleading the effort to restorethe Bexar County Courthousethrough the HidalgoFoundation. She also helpedget funding for the expansionof the Bexar County ChildAbuse and Neglect Court thatwas completed last January.

Ed and Linda Whitacrewere chairs of this year’sLeadership Dinner. n

GROWING&GIVING

Craig Biggio, Astros second baseman, will bethe honoree at TLU’sannual Front Row set forFeb. 13 at Minute MaidPark in Houston.Theevent, featuring a live, on-stage conversationbetween Biggio andVerne Lundquist, CBSsportscaster and TLUalumnus, is a fundraiserfor TLU’s intercollegiateathletics program.Theevent is presented byThrivent Financial forLutherans.

for more information about

Front Row.

isitors to the TLUcampus may noticethe newly restoredFritz Homestead near

the corner of Court Streetand Prexy, but while thishouse now looks new, it ishome to a rich history thatmay have been forgotten ifnot for the contributions ofBetty Jean Jones ’46, thedriving force behind itspreservation, and TLUregent Linda Whitacre,whose long hours and hardwork have given the FritzHomestead the prominenceit has now attained.

Whitacre grew up in FortWorth and moved toLubbock to attend Texas Techafter high school. There, shemajored in home economics,with an emphasis in fashionmerchandising. Whileattending school, she gainedmore than an education, asshe met her future husband –Ed Whitacre. They wereblessed with two daughters,one granddaughter and twograndsons, and have nowlived in San Antonio for 12years.

Board Chair KarenNorman introduced TLU toWhitacre about six years ago.

“Karen’s enthusiasm wasoverwhelming! She introducedme to Dr. Moline, and I washooked,” Whitacre remem-bers. “I feel it is very impor-tant to have a faith-basedinstitution, one that reallycares about its students, andTLU is that school.”

Norman knew ofWhitacre’s gusto for designinginteriors, so she mentionedto Whitacre that she may be

able to assist with therestoration of the FritzHomestead.

The Fritz Homesteaddates back to the 1860s,when Frederick and ElizabetFritz, immigrants fromDarmstadt, Hesse, Germany,built what is now a portionof the present house. The Fritz family ownedapproximately 800 acres offarmland, including the landupon which TLU now sits. A second small house wasbuilt adjacent to the originalhouse in the 1890s, and in1912, the two houses werejoined together to make thecurrent 3,500 square foothouse.

Whitacre was approachedfor the project several yearsafter the home was moved in2001. She began working onstructural changes with contractors, as well as withBetsy Clardy, vice presidentfor development and alumnirelations, and Stan Ledbetter,

vice president for finance. “Down came sheetrock,

and the wonderful woodenwalls were discovered,”Whitacre said. The housethen came alive with its ownpersonality. Betsy was a greathelp sharing the history ofthe house with me. My goalfor the house was to maintainits integrity while making itserviceable and comfortableto be useful to the school.”

Whitacre doesn’t want totake sole credit for turningthe Fritz Homestead into thebeautiful dwelling it is today.

“I asked a designerfriend, Linda Love, for help.She was great, and we used afew antiques to add to theauthenticity of the home.Some were donations, andsome new pieces were usedto make it homey. ShirleyHerres (also a TLU Regent)was helpful in many ways,aiding in selections andsuch. Overall, it was a veryrewarding and fun project.”

The outcome of all of thework and designing that wentinto the project is a home thathas maintained its historicalsignificance through originaldocuments and letters, photosand donated antiques andfurniture, while incorporatinga modern, business-likeatmosphere into the interior.The Fritz Homestead iscurrently being used as ameeting place for variousevents at TLU, includingsmall receptions, outdoorconcerts, board meetings andspecial events.

Whitacre said she is happywith how the Fritz Home-stead restoration turned out.She has high expectations forits future. “It is my hope thatthe Fritz Homestead will beused often and enjoyed byall who have the opportunityto make use of it.” n

By Stephen SkinnerDevelopment Writer and

Prospect Researcher

20 | Texas Lutheran University

for more information about

the Fritz Homestead.

GROWING&GIVING TLU recognizes Linda Whitacre for her tireless

work on the Fritz Homestead

V

At an Austin HappyHour,Whitney(Daum) Myers ’98visits with Annette

(Lueker) Werling ’98and Kevin Werling ’00.

Get out yourboots and denimfor the FifthAnnual Black andGold Roundup inSan Antonio.This annual event

brings together TLU alumni with themedical community for a night of food,fun and dancing. Anne Marie’s atDevonshire Place will again host theparty, which begins at 6:30 p.m. onFriday, March 30. All money raised willbe used for TLU scholarships. Purchasetickets online at www.tlu.edu or call830-372-8026. Tables and individualtickets are available.

Upcoming TLU alumni eventsTLU Alum Happy Hours

Happy Hours inDallas, San Antonio,Houston, and Austinare offering TLU alumsa chance to catch upwith old friends andmeet new TLU friends.These informal gather-ings are in a differentlocation every month,and email blasts are the way we let youknow where they are. If you would liketo be notified, please make sure we haveyour current email address by droppingus a note at alumni@tlu.edu. Check theWeb site for dates and locations atwww.tlu.edu.

Every month

Black and Gold RoundupMarch 30, 2007

PlanAhead!!

Oct. 5-7HOMECOMING 2007

Class Reunion years

1957 – Golden Group Reunion

1962

1967

1972

1977

1982

1987

1992

1997

2002

Omega Tau turning 50! TLU’s fraternity Omega Tau is

approaching its 50th anniversary,

and to mark this historic event, a

special celebration is being planned

during homecoming in October

2008.

Chris Bischoff, TLU major gifts officer

and ’74 Omega Tau alumnus, will

serve as a point of contact at TLU.

To volunteer and add your input,

contact Chris at cbischoff@tlu.edu

or 830-372-6987.

Watch for a letter soliciting your

ideas for the celebration and start

planning to attend this historic

gathering to help celebrate the glory

of Omega Tau. “One together!”

Q & A with Gail Randle

Gail Randle is thedirector of alumnirelations at TLU.

How can I get in touch with former classmates and friends?

Got a question? E-mail us at alumni@tlu.edu.

TLU’s privacy policy doesn’t allow us to give out personal information.If you can’t find your fellow alum on the Web directory at www.tlu.edu/alumni/network/email.html, you can contact the alumni relationsdepartment at 830-372-8026 or alumni@tlu.edu and let us know who you arelooking for. If we have current information, we will contact that person for youand give them your information so that you can reconnect. We hope to have anonline community available in the near future that will enable our alumni tonetwork and re-establish friendships.

Lucky’s Pack • Torch Winter 2007 | 21

LUCKY ’SP A C K

for more information about

upcoming alumni events.

Q

A

When CBS Sportscaster Verne Lundquist ’62 visited campus last fall, he reminisced about the earlydays of Omega Tau with fellow members of the fraternity – left to right,Tim Clark ’94, students PhilCollins, Jody Heathcoe, Lundquist, Kristopher Phillips, and current Omega president Joseph Panzarella.

22 | Texas Lutheran University

The Alumni Boardand friends joinfaculty and staff tohelp incoming freshmen move in.

AlumNotes • Torch Winter 2007 | 23

A L U MN O T E S

1 9 3 8

EDITH KIEL’s paintings were on exhibitlast summer at Argent Court in Seguin.She is a resident of Argent Court.

1 9 4 1

MYRTICE (NYGAARD) LARSON wasrecently awarded the E.L. GalyeanService Award at the Texas RetiredTeachers Association State Convention inAmarillo on April 25. She resides inArlington.

1 9 4 8

MILDRED HOGSTEL has publishedmore than 20 books for nurses. One ofthese books is the “Handbook for FamilyCaregivers of Older Adults.”

1 9 5 0

Former Seguin City Councilman andMayor Pro-Tem RODGER WEYEL waschosen by Mayor Betty Ann Matthies tobe the honorary parade marshal for the“Biggest Small Town 4th of July Parade

in Texas.” He served on the Seguin CityCouncil for 44 years.

1 9 5 2

WALTER MILLER celebrated the 50thanniversary of his graduation fromWartburg Seminary and his ordinationinto the ELCA on June 10, 2006. Duringhis active ministry, he has served thecongregations of Grace Lutheran Churchin Eagle Lake, First Lutheran Church inGalveston, St. John Lutheran Church inThorndale and Martin Luther LutheranChurch in Giddings. When he retiredfrom full-time ministry on Feb. 28, 1998,he and his wife, MARY (WIETSTRUCK)MILLER ’59, moved to Taylor. The couplealso celebrated their 50th weddinganniversary on June 17, 2006.

1 9 5 8

WILLIAM DRESSEN retired from theLutheran ministry July 2, 2006. His lastparish was Faith Lutheran Church inTalmage, Neb. and Christ LutheranChurch in Syracuse, Neb. where heserved 33 years. Previously he was a

missionary in Cameroon, West Africa.Two of the youth he confirmed at FaithLutheran became pastors and were present to lead the worship service inwhich the retirement was voted. PastorDressen and his wife, Betty, now live inSyracuse where he continues to serve asinterim pastor in Lutheran congregationsin southeast Nebraska.

ALLEN and BETTY (URBAN) ’54JOHANNES have been appointed co-chairpersons of the Bosque CountyHistorical Commission in Meridian.

CHARLES SCHULTZ was awarded theJack Bauer Award for distinguishedservice to the North American Societyfor Oceanic History and for lifetimecontributions to the field of maritimehistory at the NASOH meeting inManitowoc, Wis. in April 2006.

1 9 6 0

MARGARINE (GEISTWEIDT) BEAMANreceived the MetLife FoundationNational 2006 Older Volunteers EnrichAmerica Award in the Community

24 | Texas Lutheran University

A L U MN O T E S

Champion category. The award waspresented in Washington D.C. on April 28, 2006. There were only 26individuals throughout the United Stateswho received the award, and she was theonly one from Texas. She also receivedthe President’s Call To Order Award. Shehas been involved with many volunteerprograms at the local, state, national, andinternational leveles. She is part ownerof Beaman Metal Company and owner ofBeaman Accounting and Consulting inAustin.

1 9 6 1

CHARLES ECKERT is the part-time out-reach pastor at Amazing Grace Lutheran

Church in San Antonio.

1 9 6 5

After more than 40 years in educationand career counseling, SUE (CHRISTIANSEN) MORROW considersherself “almost retired!” She continueswith writing and consulting, and shefacilitates the Interfaith Worship Servicesgroup. Her spare time is filled withantiquing and genealogy. Sue and herhusband, Terry, who is a professor of artat Texas Tech University, reside inLubbock, as do their son, daughter andson-in-law.

1 9 6 8

GILBERT FRANKE has had 11 poemscommissioned by Concordia PublishingHouse, St. Louis, and published in“Enrichment” magazine for “JoshuaLifeLight Bible Study.” The poemsexplore the theme of Jesus’ ministrypre-figured in the role of Joshua at theconquest of Canaan. In May, he completed his 13th year as pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, LCMS, inBishop. His wife, Beth, is the librarianfor the Bishop Consolidated Schools.

1 9 7 0

MARTY WOELFEL retired from the

Rev. John Pless withchildren at a Lutheran

orphanage inMadagascar.

Preparing Lutheran pastors in MadagascarRev. John Pless ’75

ev. John Pless, an assistant professorof pastoral ministry and missionsat Concordia Theological Seminary,has expanded his teachings

beyond the classroom – thousands ofmiles beyond.

His teachings are based on MartinLuther’s understanding of how Godworks behind human “masks” to givepeople daily bread.

He explained, “God cares for theneighbor in his or her bodily need inthis way. Christ has given His church themandate of preaching the Gospel, andwhere the Gospel is proclaimed there thechurch will also be the hands of Christ,

reaching out with mercy to help thehurting and the hungry.”

So in 2005, when Pless was invited tovisit Madagascar, he saw Luther’s doctrineat work, first hand. In Madagascar, hiswork included assisting the leadershipof the Malagasy Lutheran Church indeveloping a comprehensive approachboth to HIV/AIDS education and to carefor its victims.

Later in 2005, he was part of a teamof six theologians who visited India andIndonesia to visit areas hit by the tsunamiwhere the Lutheran Church was involvedin relief work.

During spring break of last year, hewas back in Madagascar with six of hisstudents, who not only toured Lutheranchurches, seminaries, hospitals, andschools for the deaf and blind inMadagascar, but also served meals at theGood Samaritan Center for the poor.

“It is especially invigorating to takestudents from our campus and teachthem in a context often marked by deeppoverty and profound human need,” hesaid.

Pless was back in the field last summer, as leaders of several Protestantchurches invited him back to lecture at

several symposia on Lutheran identity inJuly and August.

“These trips enrich my teaching in theclassroom as they provide me with vividexamples of how Lutheran theology reallydoes enliven a full-bodied, robustapproach to our care for the neighbor,”he explained. “They help me expand mystudents’ vision of the global nature ofthe Lutheran Church and our need notonly to assist our brothers and sisters inthose third world settings, but also tolearn from their confession of the faith.”

Pless will be lecturing to a pastoralconference in India this January, takingstudents to Madagascar at spring break,and in May will teach a two-weekcourse in theological ethics at aLutheran seminary in Siberia.

“I am eager to find additional waysto incorporate my students into oppor-tunities for involvement in places suchas these,” he said.

“I am fully convinced that our pastorsneed to have a deep and rich theologycoupled with compassionate hearts. It isessential that Lutheran pastors have aglobal view. The best way to accomplishthis goal is to live, study and serve in aplace like Madagascar!” n

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AlumNotes • Torch Winter 2007 | 25

Kentucky State University faculty in2004. She is enjoying more time forvolunteer work with Girl Scouts andSweet Adelines. She resides inLouisville, Ky.

1 9 7 3

JUDY (WOMBLE) PESCHEL, publicinformation officer for Seguin ISD, hasbeen given the Education Service Award by the Seguin Area Chamber ofCommerce. The award goes to recipientswho go above and beyond in the fieldof education. Judy was instrumental inthe development of the Seguin YouthLeadership Academy, worked with localaid groups to help displaced Rita andKatrina evacuees find shelter in Seguin,and spent the last two years coordinatingagendas and functions for the SeguinEducation Foundation.

1 9 7 5

JOHN PLESS, assistant professor ofpastoral ministry and missions atConcordia Theological Seminary in FortWayne, Ind., had two of his books,“Word – God Speaks to Us: LutheranSpirituality Series” and “A SmallCatechism on Human Life,” publishedlast summer.

DIANE (TIMMERMAN) SIMECEK andher husband, Ray Simecek, were marriedin Big Bend National Park on Feb. 25,2006. They reside in Seguin.

1 9 7 8

VICTOR ANDERSEN has taken a newcall at First Lutheran Church in OrangeGrove.

JAMES “TY” FAWLEY was promoted tovice president of Vendor Management atEMC Mortgage Corporation, a subsidiaryof Bear Stearns Company. He resides inRichardson with his wife Stacey.

CONNIE (STAGE) MUSANTE marriedGary Musante in July of 2003. Theyreside in Brockport, N.Y. and have twoadult sons.

The Home Builders Association ofGreater Austin presented long-timemember and past president WES PEOPLES with its highest honor, the“Distinguished Excellence Award.” Weshas been in the home building industrysince 1978, serving as Division Presidentof NPC Houston and vice president ofMidwest U.S. Operations for RyanHomes. He was a founding partner ofWilshire Homes and later became AustinDivision president of HammondsHomes. In 2002 he was named Austin

Division president for MeritageCorporation that builds homes under theHammonds, Legacy and Montereybrands. He and his wife, KAREN (HOLMAN) PEOPLES, have three children: Max, Kate, and Jackson.

1 9 7 9

ROGER BUCHHORN began working asmanager of the accounting servicesgroup at Padgett Strateman accountingfirm in San Antonio in March 2006.

FERNANDO RAMIREZ was elected tothe Sharyland ISD school board. Heresides in McAllen.

1 9 8 1

With more than 20 years of experience ina variety of executive healthcare positionsin Texas, last July DENNIS PULLINbecame chief operating officer forWashington Hospital Center, the largestprivate, not-for-profit hospital in thenation’s capital. Pullin holds a master’s

TLU alumni from Victoria are (front row, left to right) Joyce Tripson,Vanessa (Valenta) Stevens ’72,Barbara Schmidt, Nyle Ruth (Kahlich) Leshikar ’63. Back row, left to right, are Larry Ullman ’64,Jeep Kiel ’64, Robert Tripson ’66, John Schmidt ’61; Michael Samford, Michelle Samford ’90,Gail Norris ’64, and Peggy Brockenbush ’72.

TOP: Karen(Christiansen)Haverlah ’66 andLeroy Haverlah ’61 ofAustin enjoy the choiralumni reunion.

BOTTOM: Pam(Teichelman) Brissee’81 of Houston showsher daughter, Erica,the Chapel whereshe and James Brissee’81 were married.

A L U MN O T E S

degree from Texas A & M and has writtennumerous articles and edited severalsports medicine magazines.

1 9 8 4

MARK RUSSELL, Grange Insurance vicepresident and chief administrative officer,has been named chairman of the board ofGovernors for the National InsuranceCrime Bureau, a national not-for-profitorganization dedicated to preventing,detecting, and defeating insurance fraudand vehicle theft. Mark holds an M.B.A.from Ashland University and his accred-itations include Charter Property Under-writer (CPCU), Associate in RiskManagement (ARM), and Casualty ClaimLaw Associate (CCLA). He and his wife,Lori, reside in Dublin, Ohio where heserves on the boards of the CommunityShelter and the Ronald McDonald House.

1 9 8 5

VERNA ESCHENFELDER completed herPh.D. in August of 2005, and she now isan occupational therapist at TexasChildren’s Hospital in Houston. She is aneonatal intensive care specialist withcurrent research focus in the area ofneonatal feeding and premature infants.

GRACE (GERHART) KUNDE wasinstalled as the Guadalupe Blanco RiverAuthority director for GuadalupeCounty. Her term will run through Feb. 1, 2009.

1 9 8 6

BRIAN WALENTA completed his Ph.D.in instructional management inDecember of 2004. He was also promot-ed to the rank of major in the Texas

State Guard in May of 2005. He residesin League City.

1 9 8 8

ELIZABETH JORDAN accepted theposition of director of music at FirstLutheran Church, Richmond Beach,Wash. She began working there inAugust after moving from New York Citywhere she had lived and worked as acomposer for 15 years.

1 9 8 9

JIMMIE BARRETT is the first vice-president of the Court Officers &Deputies Association and will becomethe president of CODA in the comingyear. He is currently the county securitysupervisor, managing a staff of 25deputies with the Arlington County

26 | Texas Lutheran University

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On-air personalitiesSylkie Green and

Cornelius Grant ofthe Temptations.

The name has changed but the voice is the sameSylkie Green ’77

ou could say Sylvia Green’s nationalradio career had its roots at KWEDin Seguin, where she internedwhile studying communications at

Texas Lutheran.After graduating from TLU, Green

performed in the Broadway touringcompany of “The Best Little Whorehousein Texas,” before moving to California.That’s where Green legally changed her

name to “Sylkie” Green. Three years ago she began working

with Cornelius Grant, the former musicdirector of The Temptations. One of thelast surviving members of the originalgroup, he worked with The Temptationsfor over 20 years and later foundedWARM (World Academy of RecordingMusicians).

Green became co-partners with Grantin WARM, as well as The Starz ofTomorrow National Talent Search andMagnum Silk Entertainment.

In 2004 Green and Grant beganco-hosting an Internet radio showknown as i-WARM. That led to thelaunch of her new nationally andinternationally syndicated radio showthat she and Grant co-produce andco-host, “Yesterday’s Old School Jamz.”

This weekly two-hour program, whichwent on air in international markets thesummer of 2005, highlights R&B andsoul music from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80sand is interspersed with interviews with

various music artists. “It literally takes you back to the old

school music. Every week we interview adifferent artist,” Green said.

The radio show is heard in England,Canada, Germany, and on satellite andthe Internet and on a growing number ofstations across the U.S., including KTFMin San Antonio. Artists featured on theshow include Dennis Edwards of theTemptations and Robert “Kool” Bell ofKool & the Gang.

The radio show includes otherfeatures such as a top five count downof the top songs for a particular week andyear, news about old-school performers,and Green’s personal favorite, a sectionentitled “I Bet You Didn’t Know.”

“It’s very informative and can behysterical,” Green said.

Catch WARM on SIRIUS satelliteradio. n

Samantha BryantJunior English Major

Y

AlumNotes • Torch Winter 2007 | 27

Sheriff’s Office. He has been workingwith the Commonwealth of Virginia toestablish state guidelines for security inthe state court system.

TODD DELLER and his wife, Debbie,finalized the adoption of Marc (12 yearsold) and Cheyenne (9 years old) inFebruary 2006. In April, Todd started hisnew position as assistant controller forThe Beck Group, a construction, architec-ture and real estate developer in Dallas.

MARY (RIEDER) REIDENBACH and herhusband Paul announce the birth oftheir son Kenneth on July 22, 2005.They reside in Northport, N.Y.

DAVID and JESSICA (GAYTAN) ‘95 SZYMANSKI live in Ruston, La. withtheir two children, Dawson, 3, andJustin, 1.

1 9 9 2

DEREK FARLEY and his wife, Robin,announce the birth of their daughter,Cameron Reese, on July 31, 2006.Cameron has twin older brothers, JackPaul and Nicholas Dukes. The Farleysreside in Oak Point.

MICHAEL HUBER, M.D. is in privatepractice in Lukfin. He and his wife,Stephanie, have two children: Jarrett, 6and Emily Grace, 3.

1 9 9 3

J.P. GREGORIEW was named the “2006Allen ISD Secondary Teacher of theYear.” He teaches theatre arts at theLowery Freshmen Center in Allen.His wife, Kelley, is an algebra teacherand the head volleyball coach for AllenHigh School. They have an 8-year olddaughter, Kylie.

1 9 9 4

JENNIFER (GIESBER) HOXIE became athird grade teacher at Vogel ElementarySchool in Seguin ISD after completingthe Alternative Certification Program atTLU. She and her husband, Rory, alsohave a 5-year old son named Alex. Theyreside in San Antonio.

1 9 9 5

STEVEN LUTZ took the position ofassistant men’s basketball coach atSouthern Methodist University after serving in the same capacity at Stephen F. Austin University for the past six years.

1 9 9 6

KATHRYN (SHARP) BARRIENTEScompleted her masters of science in taxation at the University of Texas atArlington in December 2005. She has

TLU alumni gathered near Bergen, Norway. Left to right are Ann-Elin Eikum, Frode Eikum, DebbieEikum, Stig Martin Halleraker, Dr. Scott Bailey, associate professor of psychology; Hilde (Myklebust)Wolter, Henning Tvedt, Asbjorn Ystebo, Henrik Wolter, Lillian Stormo, and Marte Hammer.

In Memoriam1930s

OLETA (SCHULTZ) DOSSMAN ’30passed away Sept. 9, 2006 at the ageof 95. She was an avid reader, seam-stress, needle and handworker, andenjoyed quilting perhaps most of all.She produced many quilts used andtreasured by her family.

CHRISTIAN WILLIAM PFLUGER JR.’34 passed away June 29, 2006 at hisCoupland home at the age of 90.After the death of his father in 1944,Bill went to work at Coupland StateBank, founded in 1905 by a groupwhich included his father. At the firstdirectors’ meeting, Bill Pfluger waselected president of the bank andremained in that position for the next43 years. Even after his retirement in1987, he continued to be very activein the bank, serving on the Board ofDirectors for many years.

1940s

ERWIN FORSHAGE ’48 died onSept. 3, 2006 in San Antonio at theage of 81. He was in the accountingprofession and was Seguin’s first practicing CPA.

TED R. KRUEGER ’43 of Austinpassed away on July 30, 2006 at theage of 82. He was employed by theTexas Highway Department until hisretirement in 1986 at which time hehad 40 years of service.

A. EARL MGEBROFF, M.D. ’45 ofYoakum, passed away May 27, 2006at the age of 79. He was a TLU regentemeritus and recepient of the TLUDistinguished Church Service Award.

DORIS (SMITH) WILLIAMS ’40 ofSeguin died June 8, 2006 at the ageof 85.

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AlumNotes • Torch Winter 2007 | 27

continues on page 29

International graduates Stephanie

Barret and JasenZubcevik.

Making a difference in D.C.

tephanie Barret and JasenZubcevik came half way aroundthe world to meet and fall in loveat TLU. Today, they are two

young professionals living and workingin the nation’s capital.

Stephanie came to TLU from ReunionIsland, France as a part of an exchangeprogram. Jasen was already at TLU, aninternational student from Macedonia inhis second year of studies.

“At first, we became very goodfriends, and our friendship quicklygrew,” he said. “We spent two great yearsat TLU, years filled with wonderful

memories.” After graduating, Stephanie and Jasen

decided to move to Washington D.C. forgraduate school. They wanted to contin-ue their studies in international relationsand politics.

Jasen said, “We knew that the educa-tion we had earned at TLU would enableus to reach our goals of earning graduatedegrees and eventually working for someof the most reputable companies inWashington D.C.”

Stephanie successfully completed hergraduate studies at the Elliot School ofInternational Affairs at GeorgeWashington University and is employedby Internews Network – an internationalmedia development organization thatworks on improving access to informa-tion for people around the world by pro-moting independent media. She says sheenjoys her job and loves working withindividuals from different backgrounds,traveling, and managing and developingmedia projects worldwide.

Recently, Stephanie was promoted tosenior program associate for Africawhere she manages media developmentprojects in seven African countries. Aspart of her work, she has recently trav-eled to Kenya, Nigeria and Ethiopia. Sherecently opened a field office in Ethiopia

and attended a health journalism confer-ence in Nigeria with several internationaland local partner organizations.

Jasen graduated from AmericanUniversity, the School of InternationalService and joined the governmentaffairs department at the NationalAssociation of Realtors (NAR), thenation’s largest trade and professionalassociation, where he is the governmentaffairs political/grassroots representative.One of his major assignments at NAR isto manage large real estate brokers’involvement in political programs.

“The feeling of being a representativefor the largest trade organization in theU.S. is something I cannot reallydescribe,” he said. “I’m very fortunatethat I have been given the opportunity towork with and learn from some of themost skilled professionals in the busi-ness. Every day I look forward to newchallenges, projects and accomplish-ments.”

Stephanie and Jasen are engaged andplanning wedding ceremonies inMacedonia and France. “In the future,we hope that we’ll get the opportunity todo more overseas travel,” Jasen said, “butno matter where we are in the world,TLU and Texas will always be in ourhearts as our second home.” n

S

accepted the position of vice president of income tax at Harry and DavidOperations in Medford, Ore.

SONJIA (BROWN) FRITZ married EvanRalph on July 15, 2006 in Buda. Thecouple resides in San Angelo.

ERIC GILBERTSON received his Ph.D.in philosophy in May 2006 from SageSchool of Philosophy at CornellUniversity. He now teaches at Lewis &Clark College and the University ofPortland.

CHRISTOPHER ‘95 and ALLISON

(ALBRIGHT) GORREBEECK were married on June18, 2006 and moved toFort Walton Beach, Fla. Christopherreceived his M.B.A. in May 2005 andAllison was promoted to major in theUSAF in June.

JENNIFER (GAARDER) SKINNER andher husband, Thomas, announce thebirth of their daughter, Grace Kelley, on Jan. 19, 2006. The family resides inSpring.

1 9 9 7

MICHAEL MOYER completed his Ph.D.

in counseling and educational psychology in December of 2005 fromTexas A&M-Corpus Christi. He and hiswife, ALYSON (SHUFELT) ’99, havemoved to San Antonio where Michaelaccepted a faculty position in the counseling program at UTSA.

CHELLE (LAGOSKI) NORTHCUTT andher husband, Joshua, announce theadoption of 22-month old MichaelCarter on June 29. Just 24 hours later,she married Joshua. The family lives inthe Houston area.

ADRIENNE (JOBE) QUIRE and her

28 | Texas Lutheran University

A L U MN O T E S

Stephanie Barret ’02 and Jasen Zubcevik ’03

A L U MN O T E S

AlumNotes • Torch Winter 2007 | 29

husband, Michael, announce the birthof their first child, Andrew Michael, onNov. 26, 2005. The family resides inKyle.

1 9 9 8

KATHRYN (PFEIFFER) ANDERSONand BOB ANDERSON announce thebirth of their first child, Owen William,on June 20, 2006.

SARAH (PITNER) YOUNG and her husband, David, announce the birth oftheir second child, Nathan Westley, onMay 10, 2006. Sarah is taking a break tostay at home with the boys, and David isin the Navy. They are in Norfolk, Va.

BETHANY ERICSON graduated fromthe University of Queensland inAustralia with her master’s degree ininternational studies, peace and conflictresolution. She relocated to Quito,Ecuador and helped a local non-governmental agency, CENIT, write agrant proposal. CENIT helps uneducatedwomen and their children, encouragingeducation, proper health habits, and jobskills. In June 2006 she arrived in SriLanka and is living in the capital city,Colombo, where she works forNorwegian Peoples Aid. Part of herwork concerns land mines and part isworking with other non-governmental

agencies doing relief work for thosehard hit by the tsunami.

1 9 9 9

AMBER (MILLS) BAUMANN marriedJarrod Baumann on June 24, 2006 atSecond Baptist Church in Houston.SHANNON (WAGNER) ROHLFINGwas the matron of honor.

BETHANY (FRITZ) GRISSOM and herhusband, Russ, announce the birth oftheir second child, Melaina Sharon, onMay 16, 2006. They reside in NewBraunfels.

ALYSON (KRIPPNER) and KOREYKIRCHNER ’98 celebrated the birth oftheir daughter, Madison Paige, onMarch 31, 2006. ALYSON received hermaster’s degree from UTHSCSA and willcomplete a residency in obstetrics andgynecology in San Antonio.

TYLER and BRIANNA (JACKSON)MARVIN moved to Des Moines, Iowawhere Tyler is running the offices forTEK Systems, the computer consultingcompany where he has worked sincegraduation.

SHANNON (WAGNER) and MARKROHLFING celebrated the birth of theirdaughter, Abigail Marie, on April 14,

Members of the Class of 1986 enjoying homecoming are, left to right, Carmen Cernosek, ReginaBarton Keilers, Kim Lee, Kathy Blankenship Binnig, Jeff Engeling, Mimi Hertzberg King, Shirley WetterHarris, and Monica Sookdeo Johnson.

STANLEY LEE WEISS ’48 passedaway Aug. 10, 2006 at the age of 80.He worked as a clothier and tailorfor 30 years in Killeen where heowned Stanley Weiss Men’s Store,Mark’s Army Store, an appliancerepair store and several apartmentbuildings. At an age when manyconsider retirement, Stanley becamea stockbroker for A.G. Edwards &Sons, Inc., where he worked untilfinally retiring some two decadeslater.

1950s

NORMA (WIEGMANN) TAYLOR ’55,passed away Aug. 9, 2006 at the ageof 77. She taught in San Antonio’sNortheast Independent SchoolDistrict for 33 years. She was ateacher at Coker, Wilshire andJackson Keller elementary schools.

1960s

BERNARD LEITER ’66 died Friday,July 28, 2006, in Seguin. A graduateof Texas Lutheran, Bernie recentlyretired as senior buyer for TheUniversity of Texas at San Antonio.

1970s

RICHARD T. KIRK ’73 passed away atthe age of 62 on May 20, 2006. Heworked for the Internal RevenueService where he served as a seniorexcise/employment tax specialist,teacher, coach and mentor, andretired in 2000 after 27 years of service. Richard was a co-owner of a real estate company in Austin from1988 until 1997.

DORCAS STROECK ’78 died Sept. 6,2005 after a long and lingering illness.She lived in San Antonio.

RICKY WIGINTON ’78 passed awayMay 10, 2006 in Port Harcourt,Nigeria.

In Memoriam from page 27

30 | Texas Lutheran University

2006. The family resides in Houston.

2 0 0 0

SARAH (JESKE) and LUCAS LAND ’01announce the birth of their son, AsherJeffrey, born on May 24, 2006. Sarah isin her fourth year teaching elementarymusic in the Killeen ISD. Lucas is in hissecond year at Truett TheologicalSeminary in Waco. They reside inCopperas Cove.

JENNIFER (BUCHANAN) PRINCE andher husband, Chad, welcomed their firstchild, Connor Chadwick, on Dec. 23,2005.

2 0 0 1

JILYN (CHANDLER) OLIVEIRA receivedher master’s degree in education in July2005 and is near completion of her doctorate in education from theUniversity of Montana. She and herhusband currently reside in Helena,Mont.

2 0 0 2

DANE BOYLE, director of theGuadalupe Regional Wellness Center,was named “Business Leader of theWeek” by the American Bank of Texas.He is married to Beth and they havethree children, Kayla, Greg and Kevin.They reside in Seguin.

LISA HUMPHREYS graduated in May2006 with a master’s degree in humanservices with a counseling emphasis.She currently works in Comal ISD as acounselor/social worker at the elementaryschool level.

WES KOLLE accepted the position ofhead baseball coach in Yorktown. Hecurrently resides in Victoria with hiswife, Jessica.

JENNIFER (CICCO) LAYTON and herhusband, Bryan, announce the birth oftheir daughter, Natalie Ann, born onMarch 20. They reside in Chester, Va.

RYAN LOYD and SARAH LONNEVIKwere united in marriage June 3, 2006 at the Chapel of the Abiding Presenceat Texas Lutheran by campus pastorRev. Greg Ronning. The couple met inLangner Hall during their freshman orientation in 1998. The couple residesin San Antonio.

CHRISTINA (LORENZ) QUINTANILLAand her husband, Joel, a current TLUstudent, announce the birth of their firstchild, Addison Grace, on June 22,2006.

MELISSA (BAKKEN) TRAINER marriedEdwin Trainer on May 13, 2006 at theCypress Chateau in Cypress. They residein Houston.

2 0 0 3

LAUREN DOW is a student at LutheranTheological Southern Seminary inColumbia, S.C., with plans to earn amasters of divinity degree.

KARI (CORDER) PASTRANO marriedJason Michael Pastrano on April 8, 2006 at the Doubletree Hotel in SanAntonio. They reside in Converse. Kariis pursuing her M.B.A. at the Universityof Phoenix.

JASON SENDELBACH marriedKIRSTEN (ROGERS) SENDELBACH on June 17, 2006 in Florida. He is atechnology assistant at Wheeling HighSchool in Chicago. Kirsten works forthe McLeuhan County YouthCollaboration. The couple resides inHawthorn Woods, Ill.

TOP: Jessie Boka ’05,Megan Henske ’05,

and Victor Perello ’06enjoy a San Antonio

Happy Hour.

BOTTOM: Jeep Kiel’64, Fred Davis ’77,

Assistant Coach BillSchade, ConnieSchade, and Dr.

Harold Prochnow ’51enjoy the men’s

athletics reunion athomecoming.

A L U MN O T E S

Members of the Class of 2001 celebrating their five-year reunion are, top row, left to right, AmandaKidder-Micklos, Sarah Wilson, Rebecca Kunz Haverlah, Nicki Harris, bottom Jessica HilburnGeisbauer, Jessica Decker Hansen, and Krista Walker.

2 0 0 4

CHRISTOPHER DYE married BrittanyWilson on June 24, 2006 in Atlanta, Ga.He received his masters of music degreein May from Columbus State Universityand now lives in Lubbock where he isa band director at Frenship MiddleSchool.

JEFF ERICKSON and the rest of thepersonal training staff at FitnessTogether in College Station were voted“Best in the Brazos Valley.”

BRIAN HALLETT and JENNIFER(WEISE) HALLETT were married onJune 10, 2006. They live in San Antonio.

ERIN (SPESSARD) HILL married DavidHill in June of 2005 at TLU. Erin worksas a children’s ministry assistant atCentral Baptist Church. They reside inBryan.

2 0 0 5

AMANDA (WITTENBURG) and JAKECOMPTON were married on July 23,2005 in Edna. Amanda and Jake arecurrently pursuing master’s degrees inexercise science from the University ofTexas of the Permian Basin.

There are now three recent TLUgraduates working at the San Antonio

Greater Chamber of Commerce. LORIDEVER is departmental assistant forpublic affairs, BRYNN SALT is thedirector of publications, and THERESACOOK ’06 is assistant vice president ofpublic affairs.

Since graduation, TRAVIS HAWKINShas worked for KSNT 27 News inTopeka, Kan. In a year and a half he hasquickly moved up from running audioto camera operator, editor, newscastdirector, and is now the station’s leaddirector, working on the evening news.

After 20 years in the Air Force, PATMURPHY and his wife, Jeanna, are thenew owners of Computer Link. Theyreside in Schertz.

KATIE (MEYER) and ADAM SARGENT’03 were married on June 17, 2006 inPflugerville. The couple resides in Seguin.

MELISSA (WICK) TROST married JoelTrost on Sept. 2, 2006 at St. Andrew’sEpiscopal Church in Seguin. The coupleresides in Granbury.

2 0 0 6

ERICA (BECK) LEU married AaronTa-tsung Leu at Resurrection LutheranChurch in Plano on June 3, 2006. Thecouple resides in Austin.

KELLY RABON is working as a newsreporter for WLOX. She is currentlyreporting in the Gulf Coast, and residesin Pascagoula, Miss.

JENNA WALKER is an assistant produceron the “San Antonio Living Show” onWOAI-TV. n

AlumNotes • Torch Winter 2007 | 31

TOP: MarcieHannemannMoehnke ’01 andAndrea Seay ’01catch up at thehomecoming lunch.

BOTTOM: LisaAntwerp-Rangel ’86and Brittany Mellum’03 enjoy a Betascrapbook.

A L U MN O T E S

Enjoying homecoming are Ken Weiher ’81, Paul Lemmon ’81, David Ehler ’81, and Keith Hill ’80with his son.

All alumni – keep in touch by sending theTorch news about your wedding, children’sbirths, career, achievements, graduate degrees,and other activities. As space allows, we alsowill try to include additional informationthat you may send about children, spouses,weddings, or grandchildren’s births oractivities. We do not include engagements,pregnancies, and other impending news.Photos will be used as space and qualitypermit – photos will be published in theAlumni Photo Album on the TLU Web site.

Please send your Torch items, new e-mail ormailing address to alumni@tlu.edu orTorch,1000 West Court St., Seguin, TX 78155.

“I was an inner-city kid who lived ina housing project surrounded by drugsand crime,” Flores said.

But he was determined to beat theodds and not become another statistic.He wanted to go to college and become

a police officer, but he had no money. SoFlores, who played trumpet in theBurbank High School band, decided tosend out cassette audition tapes to a fewschools to pave the way. One ended upin the hands of Lee Boyd MontgomeryJr., then Texas Lutheran’s director ofbands.

When Montgomery came to theprojects, hoping to recruit the youngtrumpet player, Flores said he wasshocked that someone would actuallytake time to visit him concerning hisfuture.

“Lee Boyd came to see me two orthree times and got to know me. I didn’tthink I was smart enough because, even though I was ranked 16th in mygraduating class, I only had a 520 onmy SAT – that was a total on both parts!I’m sure he had to talk to a lot of peopleto get me admitted, but I got in. He believed in me and that made a worldof difference!”

The next obstacle was tuition.“I was so intimidated by the money –

but somehow Carol Hamilton (thenfinancial aid director), who quicklybecame my angel, figured out a way tomake it work.”

At Texas Lutheran, Flores found morethan a good band program. He foundmeaning for his life.

Flores didn’t grow up in a religioushome, but he would go to chapel everyMonday, Wednesday and Friday, and ittouched him deeply. “If it wasn’t forchapel and God’s grace, no telling whereI would be,” he said.

He related how different his fellowstudents’ lives were. He would visit hiscollege friend’s home for the weekendand was amazed that they would supportone another and sit down to pray andhave dinner together. This had neverhappened in his home. “God placed meat TLU to show me a different way oflife,” he said.

Flores worked hard at TLU, includinghis student teaching days. “It wasn’t untilthe Seguin High School band directortold me, ‘One of these days, Rick, you’re

ick Flores is an exceptional band director, but to really understand

what that means, you have to go back to his days at Burbank High

School in San Antonio.

Rick FloresChanging lives

32 | Texas Lutheran University

CATCHINGUP WITH

R

In 2004, Rick Floreswas recognized as theTeacher of the Year in

Texas by the HEBExcellence in

Education Awards inthe Rising Star

Category (teacherswith less than 10 years

of experience).

going to be a really fine band director,’that I actually considered teaching.”

In 1995 Flores graduated cum laudefrom TLU with a 3.6 GPA and degrees inboth music and sociology.

After graduation, Flores returned toSan Antonio to teach at Truman MiddleSchool in the Edgewood School District,and seven years ago came to WashingtonIrving Middle School in the San AntonioIndependent School District (SAISD),just blocks from where he grew up.

There were 149 students in the bandprogram when he began. All of thecrime, gangs and drugs that had beenpart of his neighborhood were still there.And at Irving, band was simply anotherelective.

Flores credits a Bible study that hestarted for turning the program around.Although they have since had to stop,it was the foundation for a band programthat is as much about character andvalues as it is about clarinets andtrombones.

Today there are 297 students in the

IMS band. Throughout the band hall areposters encouraging excellence, effortand teamwork. “We promote integrity,character and commitment,” Flores said.He uses everything from problem solvingand a buddy system to pasting stars on alarge poster to foster leadership, loyaltyand values.

The Irving band sets the standard for the SAISD. Recently the honor bandplaced fourth in the Texas MusicEducators Association 2C State HonorBand Finals and also was awarded theNational Wind Band Honors that recognizes the best band programs inthe nation. This is the first time a SAISDband program has been recognized atthe state and national level.

Flores continually challenges studentsto dream big and not allow their environ-ment to dictate their level of success.

“My kids know my story, and so Ireally feel connected with them. Mydesire is to show them that there is adifferent way of life, much like TLUshowed me. They must understand that

the key to their success in life is theireducation.”

Each year Flores takes some of hisstudents to the TLU Summer MusicAcademy. “It is a very meaningfulexperience for them,” he said. “They cansee things beyond where they now liveto where their lives may take them.”

He reiterated his gratitude to TLUand how the experience changed his lifeso that now he can help others changetheirs.

“TLU will always have a special placein my heart because it provided me theopportunity to do what I love. Many ofthe same obstacles and challenges I grewup with in the barrio are very much alivetoday. Crime, drive-by shootings, drugs,and prostitution are all within steps ofour school.”

Flores smiled, “Someone once said,‘When you understand your purpose inlife it all begins to make sense.’ It isamazing that God has brought me backto this community – this is where Ibelong.” n

The Irving HonorBand Program wasrecently awardedNational Wind BandHonors, which recog-nizes the best bandprograms in thenation.

CATCHINGUP WITH

Catching Up With • Torch Winter 2007 | 33

34 | Texas Lutheran University

F I R S TPERSON Music of the heart

Confessions of a non-music majorBy Rebecca Lowther ’06

ne thing I have learned in myshort 22 years of life is that youcan never tell where your greatestinfluences will come from. I have

been in choirs since I was 4-years oldand have been singing since before Icould talk. That said, the day I steppedin to Ayers Recital Hall for my first TLUchoir practice, I was nervous as all getout but pretty sure of what I wouldencounter. What I didn’t realize wasthat I was stepping into one of the mostdefining experiences of my life.

Although my time with the TLUchoir did further my knowledge ofmusic, I learned so much more thanthat. Somewhere in the midst ofcrescendos, legato lines and dissonantchords I was instilled with a sense ofhow truly beautiful and fragile life is. Ilearned about humility, perseveranceand strength from my fellow choirmembers and by watching our tirelessdirector lead by example.

Dr. Boyer’s gentle spirit and enor-mous heart leave a powerfully lastingimpression on all who have the honorto sing under his direction. “Go andchange the world,” he must have toldus at least a dozen times a year Dr. Boyerinspires his students daily to reachbeyond their comfort zones and dosomething truly great. He reaches deepdown inside of them and shows thembeauty waiting there. Each new studentwho traipses through the doors of AyersRecital Hall on the first day of choirpractice will one day walk out older andwiser and bearing a greater appreciationfor the beauty in life.

In addition to the life lessons gar-nered from my director and fellowchoralists, I found myself deeply affect-ed by the choir itself. A choir is com-prised of many different people gather-ing their talents together to become onesound, one breath, one voice. That initself is nothing short of miraculous.Being a member of the TLU Choir I wasasked to take my performance a step

further. I had to connect to what I wassinging, to draw up that emotion fromthe depths of my own experience andthen convey that to the audience.Watching that much of yourself go outto other people can be scary, but theexperience is life changing. It allowsyou to connect to complete strangersand to communicate on a level far deep-er than simple words and notes wouldever reach. As a choir of 50 or so, it wassometimes difficult to get everyone toconvey the same emotions, but thelabors proved to be well worth it. Whenwe united in the message we conveyed,the song would take on a life of its own,shaking choir, director and audience totheir very core. We became one sound,one breath, one voice, one message.

I stayed in choir all four years ofcollege, despite having to take an 18-hourcourse load my last two semesters.Many people had trouble understandingwhy, as a non-music major, I wouldtake on the additional workload ofchoir. The truth is that without choir, Inever would have survived college. Itwas my outlet, my stress relief and attimes, even my life raft. Choir allowedme to become simply a vessel for music.Immersed in the glorious sounds wecould make as a group, I would allowall of the stress and pain of whatever Iwas going through to wash away.Writing may be the expression of my

heart, but music is the expression of mysoul. It is an outpouring of praise to theOne who gave me the ability to singand an ever-present reminder that I amnot alone.

More than any other experience atTLU, I loved choir the best. There werethese little moments of perfection thatjust set my heart aglow and carried methrough some of my darkest days.Moments like the first time we sang as achoir; every year it’s a struggle of 50separate people trying to become onethat culminates in a magnificent chordand surprises every one of us. I willnever forget the first time we sang“Allelujah” in tune. It touched me sodeeply that I was affected for hours.Moments like that will never leave me.They will resound on in my memory; aquiet place where I can retreat in timesof trouble. No matter what I am goingthrough I will look back and rememberthat I was part of something beautifuland perfect in its intention. I was amember of the TLU Choir. n

Rebecca Lowther, a communication studiesmajor, graduated in May from TLU with abachelor of arts degree. She was a memberof the TLU choir for four years. Lowthernow lives in San Antonio. She continues tostay in touch with TLU, Dr. Boyer, and themusic in her heart.

First Person • Torch Winter 2007 | 35

F I R S TPERSON

“First Person” is

an original,

personal piece

about any topic,

written by a

student, faculty,

staff, alumnus or

friend of TLU. To

contribute or for

more information

contact the

Torch editor at

khughes@tlu.edu.

O

Becca Lowther has warm memories of beingpart of the choir – during practices and con-certs – such as this performance at the 2005Excellence in Leadership dinner in SanAntonio during her senior year.

36 | Texas Lutheran University

Last issueAlthough Seguin has had several floods, most agreed that

our clean-up crew photo was taken following the 1972 floodin Seguin.

Karen Miller, who lived on the river, recalls, “There wereso many TLU students that volunteered to help clean uphomes on the river that year. We were drained, emotionallyand physically, and I don’t know what we would have donehad we not had my fellow students come to our rescue.”

Greg Riedel remembers, “We spent many hours shovelingmud from homes, then removing all carpeting and sheetrockfrom the walls. I remember walking down the street to findan elderly woman sitting on the curb. I asked her if I couldhelp her and she said, ‘not really- that’s all that is left of myhouse.’ She was pointing behind her to a concrete slab thatwas completely stripped of all but a few stubs of plumbing.Across the street I could see refrigerators that were perchedin the tops of the 60-foot pecan trees that lined theGuadalupe River.”

Donny Anderson ’76 reports that his work in the flood“oddly enough gave me good experience for Katrina last yearat my home in New Orleans.”

Thanks to all who responded. Not everyone was identi-fied, and two still remain unknown – but from left to rightare unknown, Greg Reidel (with shovel) ’73, unknown, Beth(Strot) Brooks ’75, Dan Daniels ‘75, Elling “Stosh” Larsen ’73(sitting), and Bobby Reese ’75. n

Do you recognize anyone from this photo? Keeping with our Torch theme on music, we found a photo of band members. Let us know when this photo wastaken, who the people are and what was going on in the picture.

Remember when ...

Share your

memories of the

moment and

identify those you

can by e-mailing

torch@tlu.edu

or writing to

the Torch at

1000 W. Court

St. Seguin, TX

78155.

Happenings • Torch Winter 2007 | 37

“Happenings” is a partial listing of upcoming TLUevents. All listings aresubject to change.For more informationon any of theseitems, or to learnwhat else is going on at TLU, pleasevisit www.tlu.edu or call 830-372-8020.

HAPPENINGS

Alumni Events

Black and Gold Roundup6:30 p.m., March 30Anne Marie’sSan Antonio

Homecoming 2007Oct. 5-7TLU Campus

Academic Events

Conversations with Katrina:500 Days After the DelugeSymposium of writers, photographers and artists7 p.m., Feb. 8Jackson Auditorium

Spring Baccalaureate10:30 a.m., May 12Jackson Auditorium

Spring Commencement7 p.m., May 12Chapel Lawn

Special Events

Front Row with CraigBiggio and Verne Lundquist6:30 p.m., Feb. 13Union Station at MinuteMaid Park, Houston

Basketball Home GamesAll games played atMemorial Gymnasium

Jan. 4 vs. LeTourneauWomen: 5:30 p.m.Men: 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 6 vs. East Texas BaptistWomen: 1 p.m.; Men: 3 p.m.

Jan. 11 vs. Sul Ross StateWomen: 5:30 p.m.Men: 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 13 vs. Howard PayneWomen: 1 p.m.; Men: 3 p.m.

Jan. 25 vs. Mary Hardin-BaylorWomen: 5:30 p.m.Men: 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 27 vs. Concordia-AustinWomen: 1 p.m.; Men: 3 p.m.

Feb. 8 vs. McMurryWomen: 5:30 p.m.Men: 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 10 vs. Hardin-SimmonsWomen: 1 p.m.; Men: 3 p.m.

For a complete list of TLU athletic events, please visit ourWeb site at www.tlu.edu.

Sports Events

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Concert, Featuring“Spiritual Voices”7 p.m., Jan. 14Jackson Auditorium

Hui-Chy Ying ExhibitJan. 18-Feb. 6Opening Reception: 3:30-6 p.m., Jan. 18Annetta Kraushaar GallerySchuech Fine Arts Center

TLU Art Faculty ExhibitionFeb. 22-April 1Opening reception: 3:30-6 p.m., Feb. 22Annetta Kraushaar GallerySchuech Fine Arts Center

The Vienna Choir Boys7:30 p.m., Feb. 23Jackson AuditoriumTickets required

XpressFest.07The 7th Annual Festival ofStudent Productions7:30 p.m., Feb. 23-243 p.m., Feb. 25Wupperman Little TheatreSchuech Fine Arts Center

TLU Band Concert7:30 p.m., March 2Jackson Auditorium

TLU Jazz EnsembleConcert7:30 p.m., March 23Wupperman Little Theatre

TLU Choir Spring Tour March 22-25Houston and San Antonioareas

Home Concert7:30 p.m., March 27Chapel of the AbidingPresence

TLU Art Student ExhibitionApril 5- May 2Opening reception: 3:30-6 p.m., April 5Annetta Kraushaar GallerySchuech Fine Arts Center

A Special Tribute to James JoyceFeaturing Laurel Thomas,soprano; Brian Manaternach,tenor; and Jeffrey Jacob,pianist7 p.m., April 17Ayers Recital HallSchuech Fine Arts Center

“A Funny Thing Happenedon the Way to the Forum”7:30 p.m., April 19-213 p.m., April 22Jackson Auditorium

TLU Band Concert7:30 p.m., Friday, April 27Jackson Auditorium

Cultural Events

TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY BULLETIN

VOL. 77 JANUARY 2007 NO. 1

TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY BULLETIN (USPS 541-160) ispublished four times yearly – January, April, May, September byTexas Lutheran University, 1000 W. Court St., Seguin TXPeriodicals postage paid at Seguin TX and additional entry offices.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Lutheran University,1000 W. Court St., Seguin TX 78155

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at Seguin, Texas78155