Vol. 19, No. 2 - Winter 2003

Alumni notes

1940s

Anne Carlsen (Ph.D., ’49, educational psychology), nationally acclaimed as a teacher of handicapped children, has died at the age of 87. Carlsen was born without hands or feet. She began her teaching career in 1938 at the Good Samaritan Society for Crippled Children School in Fargo, Minn., and later moved to Jamestown where the school she taught at was later named the Anne Carlsen Center for Children. In 1958 she received the President’s Trophy from the Eisenhower administration as Handicapped American of the Year. She retired in 1981 after a remarkable career as a teacher, guidance counselor, and principal.

Joseph Kunze (M.A., ’44) died Nov. 1 at the age of 88. Kunze was the inaugural principal of Mounds View High School, serving in that position for more than 20 years until his retirement in 1976. During his tenure at Litchfield High School, where he taught math, he led his baseball team to a state championship in 1941. He was active in his church and in a school administrators’ group for retirees.

1950s

Gordon Dingman (M.A., ’57, art education) is a well-known potter living in Casa Grande, Ariz. Dingman, who studied under master potter and U of M professor emeritus Warren McKenzie, had a long career as an art teacher and educator. He taught at Moorhead State University and at Southwest State University, where he also was the chair of the art department until his retirement in 1983. Dingman’s work blends east and west artistic traditions and he teaches ceramics at Central Arizona College.

Larry Wilson (B.S., ’52, education) and professors David W. Johnson, educational psychology, and Roger Johnson, curriculum and instruction, were taped Oct. 21 for the Mary Hanson Show on public TV, channel 33. The episode focused on the relationship between cooperative learning in schools and team building in the business sector, and on building the next generation of successful workers.

1960s

Launa Ellison (B.S., ’64; M.A., ’71, elementary education) has been a teacher in the Minneapolis Public Schools for 30 years. She publishes a subscription newsletter, Consortium for Whole Brain Learning, that goes to educators all over the U.S. and five other countries. She has published several books including Seeing with Magic Glasses, the story of her classroom work at Clara Barton School in Minneapolis, and The Personal Intelligences: Promoting Social and Emotional Learning. She currently is working on a new book explaining her curriculum activities with children related to building world minds. Ellison has taught other educators and welcomes student teachers from the college into her classroom.

Larry Yore (B.A., ’64; Ph.D., ’73), professor at the University of Victoria, B.C., Canada, was named University of Victoria Distinguished Professor, the highest academic honor bestowed on a faculty member. Yore, who joined the university’s faculty of education in 1970, is an internationally recognized expert in science education and a pioneer in establishing the study of the role of language in learning science as a field of scholarly inquiry. He is an external evaluator of a five-year U.S. National Science Foundation project to transform the way children are taught science in rural elementary schools.

1970s

Dennis Dale (B.S., ’73, physical education), University of Minnesota men’s swimming and diving coach, was selected to the U.S. coaching staff for the 2003 World Games
to be held in South Korea Aug. 11–27. Dale is in his 18th year as Gophers head coach. He guided Minnesota to its first Big Ten Championship in 70 years in 1996 and his teams won the title again in 1998, 2001, and 2002.

Kenneth Dragseth (M.A., ’72; Ph.D., ’80 ) was named 2003 Minnesota Superintendent of the Year by the Minnesota Association of School Administrators. Dragseth has served as superintendent of Edina Public Schools since 1992. Dragseth was praised by education and community representatives for his outstanding leadership and innovation in creating effective educational programs and practices. Edina was the first district in the nation to implement later start times for high school students. As the Minnesota honoree, Dragseth is a candidate for National Superintendent of the Year, to be awarded in February.

James Holden (M.A.,’72, English education) retired in May 2001 after 40 years as an educator. He was a teacher at Minnetonka East Junior High School, Central High School, and Northfield High School, where he also coached boys’ tennis for 18 years. After a successful high school teaching career, he spent four years teaching at Gustavus Adolphus College and seven years at St. Olaf College. He is coeditor of a book for high school and college English teachers, Inquiry and the Literary Text. His son, Christopher Holden (M.Ed., ’01), is principal at the combined Technology and Spanish Immersion School in the Robbinsdale School District and pursuing a doctoral degree.

1980s

Jeffrey Burkhart (Ph.D., ’88, curriculum and instruction), was recently appointed associate dean for the College of Vocation and Ministry at Concordia University, St. Paul, where he is also a professor of educational communications/media. Burkhart has also written a children’s book, The Hidden Prince, published in 2002 by Concordia Publishing House.

Gloria Kumagai (Ph.D., ’87), principal of St. Paul’s Museum Magnet School, a National Blue Ribbon school, was designated Minnesota’s 2002 National Distinguished Principal. Kumagai was nominated by her fellow principals through a statewide search and was one of 50 elementary and middle school educators selected for this honor by the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the U.S. Department of Education. Kumagai previously served as principal of Parkway Elementary School, St. Paul, and was coordinator of multicultural education for St. Paul Public Schools.

1990s

Adele Munsterman (M.Ed., ’99) was selected Fridley Teacher of Year. She will compete for Minnesota State Teacher of the Year honors. Munsterman has taught Spanish at Fridley High School for over 25 years, is the president-elect of the Minnesota Teachers of Foreign Languages Association, and is a member of the CEHD Alumni Society board of directors. She is active in numerous education associations and was selected to organize a future teachers group for the Fridley School District, a program to encourage high school students to pursue teaching as a profession.

Marion Palm (M.A., ’93, education administration) is the founder of Poets Under Glass, established in 1987 in New York City. She also is involved in the Music Healing Ministry at St. Jacobi Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brooklyn which presents programs by professional classical musicians. Palm administered the operating systems at St. Jacobi Church during the 9/11 disaster so clergy could respond at Ground Zero and area hospitals. Recently she was selected as the first artist in the Brooklyn Cultural Outreach program, and will give a reading at the Park Slope Barnes & Noble to kick off a monthly reading series.

2000s

Jeff Paulson (Ed.D., ’02) is principal of Grantsburg High School, Grantsburg, Wis. His dissertation, “Leadership Compentency for U.S. Accredited International Schools,” focused on gaining information about leadership and management skills from non-North American principals. Working with a Grantsburg student, he e-mailed an electronic questionnaire to schools around the world, which received an 85-percent response rate. Paulson’s academic adviser was Neil Nickerson.

Troy Stein (M.Ed., ’00) taught mathematics for four years at Southview Middle School and recently accepted a baseball coaching position at the University of Illinois, Chicago. In addition he serves as the Web master in the university’s Office of Admissions and Records.