1940s

Leo Engler (B.S., ’49) died Aug. 21. Engler taught English, speech, theater, and history in the Bloomington, Minn., schools. In 1979 he started English for the Southern Hennepin Adult Programs in Education (SHAPE), an evening adult-education program. After retiring in 1988 he continued to teach in the SHAPE program for another 10 years.

Gwenith Gislason (B.S., ’40) died July 11. She taught business education in Braham and Rushford, Minn., and later became owner of the bank in Lyle, Minn.

1950s

Ralston Bauer (M.A., ’54) died May 25. In the 1950s he started Camp Buckskin, a camp for children with deficits in academic and social skills. Bauer was one of the first people to earn a master’s degree in therapeutic recreation from the college.

Shigeo Tajima (M.S., ’55) was honored with a University of Minnesota Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals. Tajima is a professor emeritus of Japan’s Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine. He was honored for his influence on agricultural education and rural development in Japan and around the world.

1960s

Carolyn Dahl (B.A., ’67) has published her second book, Natural Impressions, which contains several nature essays about Minnesota and nature-printing art techniques. She appears frequently on the “Home and Garden” television network teaching techniques from her books, including her first book, Transforming Fabric, on dyeing and painting fabric.

James Eckblad (B.A., ’64) was named the Russell R. Rulon Endowed Chair in Biology at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa.

1970s

Randy Johnson (B.S., ’75), was elected to a three-year term on the alumni society board. Johnson is the director of parks and recreation in Apple Valley, Minn.

Patrick Strother (B.S., ’78) is a visiting associate professor in the University’s School of Journalism for the 2004–05 academic year. Strother is a member of the alumni society board and is president of Strother Communication Group, Minneapolis.

Judith Stucki (M.A., ’77) was one of two Minnesota teachers to receive a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics, sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Kathryn Roberts (Ph.D., ’78) was appointed CEO of Ecumen, nationally the fifth-largest nonprofit provider of nursing homes, housing, and older adult services, mostly in rural Minnesota.

1980s

Patricia Georg (M.Ed., ’89) was selected by the United States Air Force Association/Aerospace Education Foundation as its 2003 Minnesota State Teacher of the Year. Georg is a teacher at Franklin Elementary School in Minneapolis.

Lucretia Jeffers (B.S., ’80), a social studies teacher at Metcalf Junior High School, was named 2004 Teacher of the Year in Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191.

Don Rawitsch (Ph.D., ’87) has joined Siboney Learning Group, a publisher of educational software for schools, as vice president of development. He is also a member of the Education Board of Directors of the Software and Information Industry Association.

Jane Thompson (B.S., ’81) died June 20 at the age of 65. In addition to being a skilled artist, she worked with victims of abuse at the Tubman Family Alliance in south Minneapolis, and taught art classes to adults with disabilities at the Courage Center in Golden Valley.

1990s

Debra Allyn (Ph.D., ’94) was promoted to professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. In October 2003 she received her college’s Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year award.

Randel Carlock (Ph.D., ’91), has joined The Family Business Consulting Group as a principal. He is recognized as an expert in the field of family business consulting. Based in Paris, he also holds the University of St. Thomas Opus Endowed Professorship in Family Enterprise.

Marcy Doud (M.Ed., ’99) was named director of Fraser Academy, an elementary charter school that opened this fall in Minneapolis.

Janet Gullickson (Ed.D., ’97) was named president of Colorado’s Front Range Community College. She previously was affiliated with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.

Kevin Kopischke (Ph.D., ’96) was appointed president of Alexandria Technical College, Alexandria, Minn. He had served as the college’s vice president since 1991 and previously was vice president of Brainerd Technical College.

Susan Krinke (M.A., ’90), was named 2004 Music Educator of the Year by the Minnesota Music Educators Association. She has taught elementary school band in District 196 for 16 years and has helped the district become the largest band program in the state.

Joyce Lewis-Lake (Ed.D., ’96), died Aug. 29 at the age of 54. Lewis-Lake served as assistant principal and principal of many Minneapolis schools and most recently was the principal at Franklin Middle School. During her career she was honored by the Minneapolis Urban League with an outstanding civic engagement and service award, and received a distinguished principal award.

May Thao-Schuck (B.S., ’98), a native of Laos, was honored by the Minnesota Council on Physical Activity and Sports for creating the first-of-its-kind exercise video, Get Fit with May, targeted to Hmong immigrants who are beginning exercisers.

2000s

Brionna Harder (M.Ed., ’02), a teacher at Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis, was selected as one of 60 teachers nationwide to participate in the U.S. Supreme Court Summer Institute held in Washington, D.C. At the institute, teachers learn about recent Supreme Court cases and learn innovative teaching methodology for conveying this information to students.

Louis Quast (Ph.D., ’03) was elected to a three-year term on the alumni society board. Quast is a vice president for development solutions, Personnel Decisions International.

Laurie Stevahn (Ph.D., ’00) is an assistant professor in the School of Education at Seattle University.

Diane Vertin (Ph.D., ’01) was named campus administrator for the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College-Superior where she was the dean of business and marketing.

Snowbird alert

Alumni snowbirds who will be in the Naples, Fla., and surrounding area (Fort Meyers, Sanibel, Bonita Springs, Marco Island, etc.) this winter are invited to connect with the award-winning Southwest Florida UMAA Chapter. CEHD alumna, Marcia Carthaus, chapter president, invites you to attend the monthly programs from November through March. To get on the mailing list, contact Marcia at 952-935-9057 before Nov. 15 or 239-262-4705 after that date.