Concordia University, Nebraska

winter 2015 | vol. 93 | no.1

DISCOVERING
A LIFE OF

purpose

AND

passion

Brian, age 4; graduation day at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; ordination at Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, North Dakota, his
good friend and college classmate Richard Biberdorf on the right.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

God surprises me frequently. Have you ever had an
experience in life that caused you to say, God, really? You
want me to do what?!
My mother tells me that when I was 4, I told her I
wanted to be a pastor. Likely I did, but I never dreamed I
would someday be a pastor with a Ph.D. and serve as the
president of a Lutheran university. But God knew I would.
He placed into my heart a love of people and a desire to
equip students. He kindled a passion in me for spreading the Gospel and helping people support students with
prayers and gifts. He blessed me with abilities and enabled
me to hone tools to serve Him in a role like this. And He
molded, shaped and grew my desires and skills so that I
could passionately share my love of Jesus Christ in exactly
this way.
It fascinates me how God forms each of us to be exactly the personwith personality traits, physical attributes and specific talents of His choosingthat He wants
us to be. Then He presents us with amazing opportunities
to use those gifts in service to others. In other words, He
empowers us to live lives of purpose and passion in the
name of Jesus Christ.
As the articles in this issue of Broadcaster
reveal, purpose and passion are present in a variety of vocations: Master of Public Health graduate
Stephanie Williams GR 15 put her own health aside
to make others lives better in Ebola-infested Africa;
Reinhold Marxhausens passion for play inspired

hundreds to see the world in a new way; and Drs. Amanda

Geidel 96 and Torri Lienemann empower students to
ensure that the disabled have the same academic and
emotional support as other students in the classroom.
Alexa Marquardt 13 and sophomore Rosa Gonzales have
found purpose in fulfilling their calling first and foremost
as children of God. They are going willingly wherever He
calls them to explore and share His Wordeven if that
means living far from the comforts of home and the people
they love.
As you read this issue, I challenge you to consider:
What are your passions? Have you examined recently how
God has equipped you to fulfill a purpose for which He
would like to use you? And have you allowed Him to do so?
I thank God for providing all of us with unique traits,
attributes, gifts and talents. I pray He continues to work
through each of us so we may live lives of purpose and
passion for the glory of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
and the love of our neighborthose He calls us to serve.
Blessings,

Brian L. Friedrich
President

Broadcaster Staff

Into the Heart of Ebola

Director of Marketing
Seth Meranda
Editors
Danielle Luebbe
Jennifer Suggitt

Stephanie Williams GR '15 uses her God-given talents

and Concordia graduate degree to serve in the fight
against Ebola.

Designers
Carlos Acosta Davila '18
Sarah Bowe '16
Aubri Bro '17
Brianna Hallmark '17
Emmiline Moll '18
Chelsea Wohlgemuth '18

The Serendipity of a Life Together

Contributors
Demi Bartunek
Kelsey Dinkel '16
Jacob Knabel
Hope Moural '18

Reinhold and Dorris Marxhausen lived a joyful life with

a passion for art, Concordia and each other.

Photographers
Brianna Cripps '18
Payton DeVencenty '18
Timothy Mehl '18
Aaron Nix
Benjamin Schranz '15

13

Fulfilling the Call

Drs. Amanda Geidel '96 and Torri Lienemann improve
the lives of special education students through their
leadership of Concordias special education programs.

University Administration
President & CEO
Rev. Dr. Brian L. Friedrich
Provost
Dr. Jenny Mueller-Roebke CO '73 GR '81

16

Executive Vice President, CFO & COO

David Kumm

Digging into the Word

Senior Vice President for Enrollment

Management & Marketing
Scott Seevers '89

Alexa Marquardt '13 traveled more than 6,500 miles

to the Holy Land, opening her eyes to the Bible in
ways she couldnt have anticipated.

Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Kurth Brashear, Esq.
Vice President for Student Affairs & Athletics
Gene Brooks CO '91 GR '03

Board of Regents
Dr. Dennis Brink, Lincoln, Neb.
Mrs. Krista Barnhouse CO '95 GR '01, Lincoln, Neb.
Mr. Ryan Burger '04, Lincoln, Neb.
Mr. Robert Cooksey CO '84 GR '90, Omaha, Neb.
Dr. Lesa Covington Clarkson '80, Woodbury, Minn.
Rev. Dr. Brian Friedrich, Seward, Neb.
Rev. Eugene Gierke, Seward, Neb.
Rev. Keith Grimm, Andover, Minn.
Mr. Barry Holst '86, Kansas City, Mo.
Mr. Richard Huebner, Centennial, Colo.
Mrs. Jill Johnson, Seward, Neb.
Mr. Timothy Moll '89, Seward, Neb.
Mrs. Bonnie ONeill Meyer, Palatine, Ill.
Mr. Paul Schudel, Omaha, Neb.
Mr. Timothy Schwan '72, Appleton, Wis.
Rev. Richard Snow, Seward, Neb.
Dr. Andrew Stadler, Columbus, Neb.
Mr. Max Wake, Seward, Neb.

20

Student Focus

cune.edu/highlights

Faculty and Student Highlights

24

Concordia Scene

28

Athletics

39

Alumni & Friends

Discover the many accomplishments achieved by our

students, faculty and staff.

About the Cover

Using electrical tape on a 16-foot wall outside the
Thom Leadership Education Center auditorium,
visiting artist Akira Ikezoe and Concordia senior
Mitchell Volk '16 recreated a pencil drawing by
Guatemalan artist Jorge de Len. Len often exhibits
his drawings on paper while also enlarging one to
mural size outside the gallery. Lens and Ikezoes
artwork was displayed in Concordias Marxhausen
Gallery of Art during the fall semester of 2015, giving
students like Volk an opportunity to further discover
their passions for art and work alongside nationally
renowned artists.
2015 Concordia University, Nebraska

Stephanie Williams GR '15

risks her own health to save
the lives of others during
one of the largest epidemics
in the worlds history.
story
Danielle Luebbe

illustration
Sarah Bowe '16

Four days after submitting her Master

of Public Health thesis to Concordia,
Stephanie Williams was on a plane to
Sierra Leone, Africa, to take part in the
fight against Ebola, one of the most infectious and deadly diseases in history.
When I first responded to the request for U.S. clinicians, I really didnt
give it a second thought, Williams says.
Ebola was ravaging a country, people
were dying in masses and fellow healthcare workers were risking their lives daily, even when their own family members
and colleagues were dying of Ebola. I had
to go.
The ongoing epidemic that began in
West Africa in 2014 is the largest Ebola
outbreak in the history of the world,
and half of the people who have contracted this strain have died, according
to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Ebola is spread through contact with
body fluids or tissues from infected people or animals. If the symptoms of Ebola
are treated early, it can significantly increase the chances of survival. However,
good supportive care and a sound healthcare infrastructure are necessary for
making sure patients receive the treatment they need.
As Williams was earning her M.P.H.,
she was a public health nurse working
PRN, or pro re nata, a Latin phrase that
means she was working whenever she
was needed. With a retired husband and
her PRN job status, she had a very flexible
schedule, so when the 2014
Ebola outbreak occurred,
she began exploring options to take action.
Without discussing
the idea with her family,
friends or coworkers, she
submitted her rsum to
Partners in Health, a global
organization that provides
medical services to underserved countries. After completing her application,
Williams shared her decision to serve.
Those who knew her werent surprised.
After all, Williams desire to help others
was nothing new.

We all have to use

our gifts to give back
to the world. I couldnt
just turn my back.

Broadcaster

cune.edu

Ive always been an advocate for people, Williams says. When her husband
was in the Air Force, Williams became an
activist for military families with special
needs children. She had also done volunteer work at a clinic in Tanzania and
helped with health care needs on mission
trips to Mexico and Guatemala.
I am very proud of the medical profession, of my profession as a nurse,
Williams says. I just kept hearing that
so many health care workers were dying.
A majority of those nurses work for two
to four years before theyre offered pay.
They were pulling nursing students out
of classes; the whole healthcare system
was overwhelmed.
So, in March 2015 Williams left her
husband, special needs daughter and
16-year-old son at home and an older son
in college to volunteer for seven weeks
in the Kono District of Sierra Leone. Her
husband, youngest son and daughter
were supportive; they understood her
desire to go and her need to help. Her
college-aged son was angry when he
first learned of Williams decision. He
felt like I had responsibilities and things
I needed to take care of at home, that I
didnt owe those other people anything,
says Williams. I told him we all have to
use our gifts to give back to the world. I
couldnt just turn my back.
But Williams didnt fully comprehend the magnitude of her journey until
she was in the airport. She was traveling
more than 3,000 miles to combat an extremely contagious virus that had a seriously high fatality rate. She didnt know
where she was headed once she landed in
Africa, and she didnt know what the living or working conditions would be like.
I remember stopping for a moment
prior to approaching the line to the ticket agent and thinking, What on earth are
you doing? Williams says. At that moment, my husband, who I thought had left,
appeared and gave me one last hug and
gently sent me on my way. Even though
for that small moment I questioned my
decision, I still knew deep down I was doing the right thing. I knew that God had
put me on this path.

Stephanie Williams demonstrates the use of personal protective equipment for traditional Sierra Leone birthing attendants. Photo courtesy of Michael G.
Seamans, original publication Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, 2015.

When she arrived in Africa, Williams

safely found her way to her district, an
area where she had less risk of coming
into direct contact with the disease than
in some other areas that received support from organizations like hers. The
Partners in Health team that flew to
Africa two weeks before Williams left
had contracted Ebola. But those were
some of the last confirmed cases at the
time, and efforts were shifting from response to recovery mode.
We were there to help them get the
care infrastructure moving again, says
Williams. I was working in the hospital
and clinic. We would assess people daily for 21 days to make sure they werent
bringing Ebola into the health facilities.
It was all about prevention and control.
Williams is grateful that she had
the experience of Concordias Master of
Public Health program to prepare her for
the work she was doing in Africa.
When I entered the program, I never in a million years thought I would see
all aspects of the M.P.H. come together, Williams says. It was an incredible

experiencethere are so many aspects

of the healthcare system that come into
play. Poverty, poor healthcare infrastructure, cultural issues. I was very grateful
that Id had all those courses to prepare
me. I already had the medical background,
but the M.P.H. just made me stronger. All
aspects of that education came together.
It prepared me to go out into the world
and serve.
After her seven weeks were over,
Williams was ready to return home, but
on the day she was scheduled to fly out,
she spiked a fever. I was a little afraid,
admits Williams. I knew I hadnt treated
anyone with Ebola, but I still could have
been exposed.
After being examined, she was diagnosed with malaria, which she had
contracted even though she had taken
preventive medicine, used bug spray and
worn long-sleeved clothing.
It was 90 degrees out with 90 percent humidity, Williams says. It was
so hot, and we would eat lunch outside.
I only remember feeling a mosquito bite
maybe twice. It happens.

After being treated for three days,

Williams was allowed to fly back to the
United Statesbut she didn't stay long.
When she received another call to return to Africa in mid-October 2015, she
accepted without reservation.
Not everyones path or calling will
lead them to Sierra Leone to fight Ebola,
says Williams, but there will be times in
your life in which you are not sure if the
path you are embarking on is the right
path, or if you are the right one to walk
along the path. Its alright to look at it and
say, Here I am Lord send somebody
else. Of course, the response may be You,
my child, are still the one that I have chosen to do this. And then we move forward
remembering that He is strong when we
are weak.
Williams is scheduled to return to
the United States in early 2016 to resume
life with her family. But as time goes on,
she will continue listening for Gods call,
keeping an open heart to helping wherever she can and letting Him speak through
her to encourage others to use whatever
gifts they have to serve. n

#GoHigher

Broadcaster

The

Reinhold and Dorris Marxhausen

actively lived their faith
and passion through art,
community activism and a
joyful, playful existence.
story
photos
Tobin Beck
Payton DeVencenty 18 and
courtesy of Karl Marxhausen
and the Concordia archives

Broadcaster

cune.edu

It's been nearly 50 years since Reinhold

Marxhausen completed two major murals
in the Nebraska Capitol in Lincoln, one
part of a remarkable career that was built
on a remarkable partnership between
Marx and his wife, Dorris, who both
described their life together as ongoing
serendipity.
Marxs passion and vocation was
in making art and teaching people to
experience it: painting, sculpture, film,
mosaics, you name it.
Marx was the artist, filmmaker, photographer and teacher, while Dorris
was the homemaker, manager, critic,
typist and supporter who also was a
community activist. Both actively lived
their faith.
Together Marx and Dorris raised
two sons, Karl and Paul. They found
that the joy and love for their family

multiplied as their boys grew into men,

married and had their own families.
Marx retired from teaching at
Concordia in 1990. He started to show
symptoms of Alzheimers disease in 1994
and died in April 2011 at the age of 89.
Dorris, who faithfully cared for Marx until
the illness progressed to where he needed
full-time professional care, passed away
this past June at the age of 83.
Besides the two state Capitol murals,
The Spirit of Nebraska and The Building
of the Capitol, which were completed
in 1966, Marx especially was known for
his sound sculptures, particularly the
small enclosed metal sound sculpture
called Star Dust, which earned him
fame, including a 1986 appearance on
The David Letterman Show. But he was
accomplished in a wide variety of other
media as well.

Im reminded of Marx and Dorris

every time I walk into Jesse Hall, which
is the home of the Marxhausen Art Gallery.
Marx came to Concordia in 1951 to
teach biology and art. He was the schools
first art instructor. Dorris was a student.
They met and, over time, fell in love.
After graduation Dorris taught briefly,
and then she and Marx married in 1953,
the year my parents, Ted and Carol Beck
(and five-week-old me), moved to Seward
after Dad accepted a call to teach music. Our families became close friends.
When my sister, Tedi, was born, Marx
was one of her sponsors at her baptism.
To me, Tedi, and our brother, Kevin,
the Marxhausens were Uncle Marx
and Aunt Dorris.
After I became a journalist, I would
visit with Marx and Dorris when I was
back in Seward, especially over Fourth
of July holidays. In 1993 I asked them if
I could record one of our conversations.
They agreed. On the hot Friday afternoon
of July 3, we sat on their front porch on
Columbia Avenue just a block south of
the Concordia campus and talked.
The Playfulness of Creativity
Marx: I still go out and lecture. I lecture
on serendipity. Serendipity means the
possibility of accidentally discovering
something no one else has discovered.
So Im introducing that word to the kids
that I talk to and saying you dont have
to be famous to do things. You should be
just an ordinary person who just notices
things. Thats why I use a lot of slides: Do
you notice things, do you look at things,
do you think about things?
And another thing I talk about is,
'Do you learn in a playful attitude?' The
whole sound thing that Im involved in
it was a Saturday, it was a boring, dull
day, Saturday, nothing to do, what do I
do, so I went to the studio, where I would
go every day, nobody there, empty room. I
was bored, I picked up a doorknob, on the
table theres a doorknob there. Just for
the hell of it I welded some wires to the
doorknob. Just for the heck of it, looks

like a rocket. I was playing, I was playing around with this doorknob and these
wires. Then I took another, I put it to my
ear and plucked the wires and said nice
sound. So then I got another doorknob
and put some wires on there, now I put
a wire across here, so now I was playing
this thing, and I thought, Wow! So the
whole sound sculpture idea started on a
Saturday when I was bored, I had nothing
to do, I played with the doorknob. That
started my whole career.
See? Ive told that story often, to
show people thats how it begins. When
you play, when youre not serious. So I
teach people how to play, and I use that
word a lot, the playfulness of creativity.
TB: For people who have lost touch
with how to play, what do you tell
them to do?
Marx: Yeah, thats a good question.
How do you play? What do you do? I remember in Wisconsin a couple of years
ago, these business executives had a
conference. These were all high-tech
people, and I was one of the speakers
about creativity. I had these guys in kind
of a park out there, it was way out in the
boondocks somewhere, with some trees
and some rocks. And I actually had these
business people on their hands and knees
with rocks and pinecones in the sand
and they were making little villages with
their rocks. That has to be one of the
most memorable moments of my life, to
see those guys crawling around, playing
with rocks and sand. I dont know what
they thought about that, but thats what
they needed to doit made little children
of them, and it loosened them up.

Dorris: He was so happy with his job,

because he was actually employed. And
his father was actually impressed. And
then, I guess, by some definitions of the
word, workaholic would apply. Because
I always said he had three parts to his
career: the teaching, speaking and producing artwork on commission, but each
of those yielded a little moneynot a heck
of a lot, but it was always there.
At least we dont have real high demands or ambitions in whatever it
takes to sustain us.
Marx: But to be this close to the
state capital, to be this close to the college, to be in a rural town, all that adds
if I was in Chicago, on the south side of
Chicago, living there, and doing exactly
what Im doing now, I wouldnt be as
successful. You see the site, and the circumstance, you can be somebody in this
state that has a small population. If I was
in New York, it would be a lot harder.
Dorris: You know they say a prophet
is without honor in his own country, and
its true. He was regarded as a nut for the
first 10 or 20 years cause he roamed
the alleys picking up junk and was wearing a beard when nobody else did and
seemed to most types of people a kook.
But now hes not only treated with respect in Seward, but it seems like awe
at times.

TB: Ive always admired Marxs

outlookhe sees things that other
people pass by. But you both really
seem to always have fun just in dayto-day living.
Marx: Best thing that ever happened
to me, you know, you get a job like this.
Reinhold Marxhausen and his sons
explored nature often, building snow
forts together during the winter.

#GoHigher

Broadcaster

Do you see cows or Nebraska zebras?

Reinhold Marxhausen encouraged people to
discover new possibilities in what they see.

Reinhold Marxhausen worked with unique media and textures, as he did when creating "Grass." The finished piece (right) is currently on display at Jones
National Bank & Trust Company in Seward, Nebraska.

Then, of course, comes the counter

thing, thatll be the people 30 or younger, pursuing their careers, and they
happened to cross paths somewhere or
whatever, and never heard of him. OK,
you know, so much for fame, so much for
Capitol murals and all those press clippings, and thats that.
Marx: When I got the letter to teach at Concordia, A.R.
Kretzmann was a well-known
clergyman in our church. He
was a good friend of mine.
So when I got the job offer,
he took me in his car and went
to his favorite clothing store, and
he told the guy, This guys going
to be a college professor and just
cant go running around in these
blue jeans and socks, so I want
you to fit him out in a new suit,
new slacks, a pair of shoes and a
top coat. He told the clerk that. And all
that, he wrote a check, paid for it and
sent me out to Seward. The first thing
I did in Seward, I went downtown and
bought a brand new pair of blue jeans. And
I went to chapel here with my brand new
pair of blue jeans.

I was bored,
I had nothing to
do, I played with
the doorknob.
That started my
whole career.

12

Broadcaster

cune.edu

Dorris: That sounds like nothing

now, though.
Marx: And I think I was the first
person on campus to wear blue jeans in
chapel. And its funny that this guy fit me
out with a suit, and I never even wore it.
Dorris: Sometimes hes disappointed that he cant rock boats like he did before. It takes a lot of boat rocking to rock
a boat these days. But hes not willing to
go over all kinds of edges and still have
that sensationalism, but come on, were
talking a major show-off here too.
Marx (laughing): Oh sure.
TB: As we talked about being in
Seward, about Concordia, about accomplishments, the conversation
came back around to serendipity.
Dorris: The fact that he uses the word
serendipitysometimes also meaning
just accidentalits very interesting that
he has begun to use that as a title for a
general creativity lecture in the last few
years, because weve both been very
conscious of serendipitous stuff through
our whole life...
Marx: Serendipitymy whole life has
just been very serendipitous. n

CALL
FULFILLING THE

Drs. Amanda Geidel 96

and Torri Lienemann are
dedicated to improving the
lives of special education
students through their
leadership of Concordias
special education programs.
story
photos
Jennifer Suggitt
Payton DeVencenty '18
Benjamin Schranz '15

Dr. Amanda Geidel, assistant professor of education, director of special education program

Discovering What Really Matters

Ed and Kelly. Special children with
special needs. Without knowing it, these
two boys changed the course of Amanda
Geidels life forever, inspiring her
passion for special education by simply
being themselves.
As a high school student who knew
she wanted to be a teacher, Geidel
often volunteered to tutor students
with disabilities. As she began to build
a relationship with a boy named Ed, age
17 at the time,
Geidel gained
a perspective
on life that
she couldnt
find within her
core group of
friends.
Ed wasnt caught up in image or
popularity, says Geidel. Because of his
intellectual disabilities, he didnt care
about all the frivolous stuff that all my
friends cared about. Maybe at the time
I didnt know it, but theres a lot more
to life than what kind of jeans you
are wearing and what kind of car you
have. [I thought,] This guy is genuine,
and he is my friend, and he accepts
me unconditionally. That was when I
realized there was meaning there.

Geidel came to Concordia to earn

an undergraduate degree in elementary
education, as she had been planning to
do for many years. Her junior year she
explored adding a special education
endorsement, but she would have had
to stay at Concordia an extra year.
After much discussion with the
special education program director at
the time, Dr. Judith (Walter) Preuss CO
60 GR 75, she decided to proceed with
her focus on teaching at the elementary
level in a Lutheran school, wanting to
wait and see
if her heart
remained
drawn to the
field of special
education.
G e i d e l s
first teaching
call was to St. Michael Lutheran School
in Wayne, Michigan, where she taught
third grade. In her class was a boy
named Kelly, who happened to have an
intellectual disability.
With no special education teacher at
her school, Kelly was included in Geidels
class, and his needs were great.
I was excited about having Kelly in
class and afraid at the same time, but
it ended up being the most wonderful
experience, one that grew that passion

There's a lot more to

life than what kind of
jeans you're wearing.

14

Broadcaster

cune.edu

for special education even more, she

says. It was a chance for me to see
that inclusion can work, and that
it really is about all of the people
involved, including the individual
with special needs, the other students
and their teacher. Just seeing how the
students took ownership in meeting
Kellys needs and in helping him make
progress, they learned so much from
their relationships with himthings you
dont get from a textbook.
After two years at St. Michael, Geidel
knew special education was the area
she needed to focus on professionally,
so she enrolled at Michigan State
University to pursue a masters degree
in special education.
Before her classes could begin,
Geidels husband, Jeremy Geidel 96, was
recruited to be a graduate assistant for
football and the head baseball coach at
Concordia. The couple moved back to
Seward, where she coached Concordias
womens soccer team for two years and
worked on earning her masters degree,
this time from the University of
NebraskaLincoln.
In the following years, Geidel
taught special education at the
elementary and middle school levels
in and near Seward. She taught as an
adjunct professor for Concordia for
seven years before becoming a full-time
professor in 2008, eventually accepting
the role of director for Concordias
special education program. Geidel
earned her doctorate from Northcentral
University in October 2015.
Geidel received the Outstanding
Teaching Award in 2012, an honor
awarded during commencement to an
unsuspecting professor who is nominated
by students. While accepting the award,
she acknowledged the two students who
touched her heart years ago: Ed and
Kelly are the reasons why Im here and
why teaching is possiblebecause it
comes from the heart, and when Im in
front of my students, its really easy to
share that passion. n

Building Trust When Others Wouldn't Listen

Dr. Torri Lienemann, director of graduate studies

in special education and early childhood special
education

When Torri Lienemann was in high

school, her family was mostly beauticians
and teachersand she was determined
to follow a different career path. So, she
began her freshman year at University
of NebraskaLincoln with a major in
business administration.
I could hear God calling me to
education, and I kept telling Him no, she
says. I had been fighting [becoming a
teacher]not that I didnt have fantastic
teachers in my life, but I had this idea
that success was equated to money
and affluence. That was my goalto be
successful monetarilyand that was not
Gods goal for me.
During college, Lienemann was
asked to teach catechism to sixth
graders at her Catholic church. A young
man in her class, named Chris, had
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD), giving him lots of energy and
outburstsand misunderstandings and
challengesin the classroom.
But things were different in
Lienemanns class.
He shared what happened at school,
that no one would listen to him, says
Lienemann. They wanted to put him
back on medication, but he didnt think
he needed it. He would share a lot of
things about the other adults in his life
who didnt trust him and wouldnt listen
to him, but he did trust me.
A natural connection, built stronger
through after-class chats, empowered
Lienemann to guide Chris through
some difficult times. And Lienemann
couldnt deny that she was making a
difference for Chris, but
she didnt embrace Gods
call to the special education
career path until the most
unlikely of days to be
analyzing ones careerher
wedding day.
A year after Chris
was in her class, she was
planning her wedding and
shared an invitation with all her CCD
students. On her wedding day, as she

stood at the back of the church getting

ready to complete her processional, Chris
arrived for the wedding, dressed up and
with flowers in-hand. In the middle of
December in Nebraska, the middle school
student had bundled up and ridden his
bike from northeast Lincoln to the south
central part of the city to attend the
ceremony.
I was in the church vestibule waiting
to walk down the aisle when Chris walked
in. I cried for the first time all day, and I
knew [special education] was what I was
supposed to do, says Lienemann. She
changed her major to special education
the next semester.
Since graduating from college, she
has earned her masters degree and doctorate in special education, specializing
in ADHD and non-medical academic interventions, as well as strategy instruction. She is now Concordias Director of
Graduate Studies in Special Education
and Early Childhood Special Education,
believing Gods call is for her to train other teachers to effectively help students
like Chris.
The more I got into education, the
more I realized there are so, so many
students and teachers who are at a loss
for what to do, says Lienemann. It has
become my mission to train teachers to
be effective in meeting the needs of all
students. Im only one person and can
only touch so many students, but if I can
train teachers to do that, we can have a
whole army of fully equipped special
education teachers who are prepared
to help students be successful. n

I could hear God

calling me to
education, and I kept
telling Him no.

#GoHigher

Broadcaster

15

Archaeological site where Alexa Marquardt worked. Layers from the Persian period and the beginning of an Iron Age II period were at this site.

Digging
into
theWord
The Bible came to life for Alexa
Marquardt 13 on a tour of the
Holy Land, taking her passion
for the Word of God to a higher
level and igniting a desire to
spread it around the world.
story
photos
Jennifer Suggitt
Payton DeVencenty '18 and
courtesy of Alexa Marquardt
and Dr. Bob Mullins

16

Broadcaster

cune.edu

Alexa Marquardt sat in Professor

of Theology Dr. Mark Meehls Old
Testament class as a freshman at
Concordia in 2009, staring at the piece of
pottery in her hand from the time of Saul
or King David. Examining the pottery
from such a faraway land and a time
so far removed from the 21st century,
Marquardt thought, I should not be
holding this.
Meehls class at Concordia made
the Bible come alive for Marquardt.
She was fascinated by her encounters
with pieces of history from the times
when events of the Bible occurred. She
saw photos of a six-chamber city gate
from the time of Solomon and the valley
where the confrontation between David
and Goliath took place, among other
experiences, and this exposure motivated
her to delve deeper into a world where
archaeologists discoveries bring biblical
history to life.
But she had no idea her new and
growing curiosity would develop into
a passion that would take her halfway

around the world multiple times to the

politically charged, culturally diverse
city of Jerusalem and its surrounding
areas where Jesus himself lived, died
and rose again.
From the Classroom into the Field
Marquardt traveled to Israel in 2012 with
Meehl, who takes students, alumni and
community members on a tour of the
Holy Land every three years.
The trip exceeded Marquardts
expectations.
After visiting places where the
Bible took place, she felt as though she
had read the Bible in color, building her
passion even stronger to know more
about the Bible and spread the Word.
As Marquardt was completing her
education degree and theology minor
at Concordia, she considered how she
could feed her desire. She believed
more educationespecially back in the
heart of the Holy Land itselfcould be
the solution.

Alexa Marquardt assists at an

archaeological dig in Israel, taking
elevations at the end of the workday.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Bob Mullins,
a dig director at the site.

Dr. Mark Meehl shares Philistine sherds, fragments of pottery from around 1100 B.C. (the Iron I period), with students in his Old Testament class.

My theology courses at Concordia

ignited and fueled a desire to learn
Gods Word more deeply and to be
able to teach the Word with more
experience, she says. Then, after
visiting the Holy Land, I knew that by
being there longer, I would learn things
that I could not learn the same way
anywhere else, she says.
Finding Safety Among Other Christians
Marquardt began exploring options for
graduate programs in biblical studies
with archaeological
opportunities. She
discovered Jerusalem
University College
in her research and
studied there from
January to May 2014
despite the perpetual
political and religious unrest occurring
in the Holy Land.
Living near the Old City of Jerusalem
exposed me to the complexity and
difficulty of the politics and the violence
that has racked that part of the world in
the most recent history, says Marquardt.
Theres so much diversityand theres

Jesus sacrifice and

victory was not the
reality to them.

18

Broadcaster

cune.edu

also a lot of misunderstanding between

these diverse peoples too.
Still, Marquardt felt physically safe
in and around Jerusalem. Emotional
safety was another story.
As a Christian in the midst of such
a culturally and religiously diverse
area, Marquardt found herself feeling
emotionally challenged as a follower of
Christ.
She explains, It was difficult to live
where the Bible took place, in particular,
to be living very close to where Jesus
died and rose from the dead in Jerusalem
and to know that almost every person I
passed on the street or interacted with
each day did not believe thatthat Jesus
sacrifice and victory was not the reality
to them. It was disjunctive while in the
place those events actually happened.
She found comfort in her studies of
the Scriptures and a sense of belonging
in the presence of other Christians in the
area by volunteering in a Lutheran school
in Bethlehem.
A highlight of my experience was
traveling to Bethlehem once a week to
volunteer at a Palestinian Lutheran
school (Dar al-Kalima Lutheran School),
working with middle and high school

students learning English, she says.

I was blessed by the hospitality and
liveliness of the Palestinian Christian
community who welcomed me into
their lives and homes and shared their
culture with me.
While studying at Jerusalem
University College, Marquardt spent
most of her time examining the
countrys culture, history and geography
by visiting historically significant
locations in and around the city as
often as she could, further building her
understanding of the Bible and her
desire to teach it to others.
Becoming Equipped to Share the Word
She returned to the United States in
May 2014 and began pursuing a Master
of Arts in Biblical Exegesis from
Wheaton College Graduate School in
Wheaton, Illinois, using her credits from
Jerusalem University College to fulfill
part of her educational requirements.
She plans to graduate in May 2016.
Despite the pursuit of another
degree in the United States, Marquardts
desire to learn in the Holy Land
remained, so she returned to Israel
in the summer of 2015 to participate
in archaeological excavations at Abel
Beth Maacah in the northern part of the
country, near the Lebanon-Israel border.
Meehl had encouraged her to dig there
so she could learn about the way a dig
operates, the decisions that are made as
the layers are uncovered and how data is
interpreted in the field.
It is not only a lot of fun and really
interesting to work with the material
culture of biblical time periods, but it
is also very valuable experience to gain
since archaeology is an important part of
biblical interpretation, says Marquardt.
When she graduates from Wheaton,
Marquardt would like to teach Gods
Word, a Word that she says is living
and active as we speak it and teach it to
one another. She yearns to be a part of
sharing that living Word because, to her,
it will never be just a book of stories in
black and white on a page. n

Dr. Mark Meehl and students David Schrampfer, Laura Sweere and Samantha Welch examine a
bowl-shaped piece of pottery, held by Welch, from around 1600 B.C.

A Closer Look at the Holy Land Trip Leader

Professor of Theology Dr. Mark Meehl Meehl started as a volunteer at the
has lived and worked in the Holy Land archaeological dig site and worked his
for more than a dozen years during way up to assistant field archaeologist.
his professional career. He uses
Meehl assisted with publishing
that experience to provide a unique, outcomes and details about a part of
information-rich tour of the Holy the experience that he had supervised
Land for students and community while digging in Israel, and he
members every few years, taking them returned to the Albright Institute in
to historical sites and archaeological 1999 to assist with the editing of the
dig sites like those he studied and publication. He also spent a couple
worked at in the 1980s and 90s.
months in Syria in 1987, traveling and
As Meehl explains: Connecting excavating at Tel Raqai in northeastern
the Word of God to actual sitestaking Syria near Hasakah.
a boat across the Sea of Galilee;
Before joining Concordia in
walking through gates built by 1991, Meehl lived in Jerusalem at the
Solomon; striding across the Temple Albright Institute for a couple of years,
Mount platform built by Herod the performing research for his doctorate
Great as Jesus, the disciples and Paul on archaeological material stored in
did; walking down the streambed that Jerusalem and Bir Zeit in the West
David crossed to go fight Goliath and Bank. He became the program director
where he picked up the stones used to for the institute and arranged field trips
kill the Philistine, to name a fewis a to sites and dinners with local Israeli
powerful learning tool, enriching the scholars for the fellows.
biblical events and embedding them
Meehl first led a group to Israel in
in the students memory for a lifetime. 2000, returning with other groups in
Meehls first trip to the region was 2009, 2012 and 2015, and his next tour
in 1984, at which time he excavated is in 2018. He hopes to continue leading
at Abila of the Decapolis in northern the tours every few years, turning the
Jordan and then worked at Tel Miqne- stories of the Bible into reality for all
Ekron from 1985 to 1996 in Israel. who attend.

#GoHigher

Broadcaster

19

Rosa Gonzales honors her Peruvian culture by keeping her countrys flag with her at Concordia.

God Provides
Rosa Gonzales '18 overcomes
the challenges in her life
by trusting in God and
following where He leads.
story
Danielle Luebbe

20

Broadcaster

photos
Payton DeVencenty '18

cune.edu

Rosa Gonzales is not a traditional

Nebraska college sophomore. Shes 25
years old, and shes from Chiclayo, Peru.
Combine that with the path that God
has led her on, and Gonzales journey
to Concordia University, Nebraska was
about as unconventional as they come.
Rosas life was difficult from the
start. She and her mother lived alone, and
they struggled to make ends meet. Our
house was only a one-room house, Rosa
says, but a room is like $100 a month. My
mom is a seamstress and housekeeper,
and working together we would make
maybe $2,000 or $3,000 a year. So theres
a lot of trusting in God and knowing that
He is always going to provide for you.
Rosa started working when she
was 5 years old and continued working
through elementary school and high
school. Even though she got good grades,
Rosa wasnt able to go to college in Peru.
To get into a national school, the vacancies are very tight, she says, so you have
to go to a special academy to get trained
to take a test. Everybody fights for the
spaces. I didnt have the money for it.

Instead, Rosa began volunteering at

The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
mission. She learned that they didnt have
enough translators, and that sparked an
interest in her. Im a person who likes
to communicate, Rosa says. And I like
languages, so I was like, Im going to work
and save money to go and study English.
Rosa worked at a call center and studied
English for two years before becoming a
translator for the mission. Soon after, she
was confirmed in the Lutheran faith.
Two of the missionaries, Bruce 05
and Sarah 02 Wall, were looking for a
housekeeper and nanny for their newborn baby. Rosa saw an opportunity
to further serve. In Peru, to work in a
house, its not like here, she says. To
clean a house or to be a nanny is like a
denigration; you do that because youre
really poor and you dont have other opportunities. But Bruce and Sarah treated
me like I was part of their family.
Rosa was no stranger to hard work.
She embraced each new position, knowing it was an opportunity given to her
by God so she could support herself and

her mother. I have never been afraid or

embarrassed if I had to work in a house,
Rosa continues. I dont think its an issue.
My mom worked her whole life in housekeeping, and thats the way she raised me,
so why would I be embarrassed of it?
When the Walls moved back to
the U.S., they invited Rosa to visit. She
traveled the country, seeing other missionary families that shed worked with
in Peru and visiting colleges, including
Concordia. That visit, with the way she
felt on campus and the people she met,
sealed the deal for Rosa; Concordia was
where she wanted to be. But the actual
process of attending was a little more
complicated than just making the choice.
When I came here, it was such a
short amount of time, says Rosa. I came,
I applied and I passed my English test,
but I didnt know I had to take an SAT.
With only three weeks to study before the SAT, Rosa put her future in Gods
hands. I was like, God, whatever you
want is going to happen. I was working
for the church, I was studying for my test
and it was just a lot. I studied for three
weeks every night until 2 in the morning,
and then Id wake up and go to my job.
All of her hard work paid off. She
achieved a positive test score on the SAT,
was accepted into Concordia and is now
on a path full of opportunities that she
never dreamed were possible. And she
continues working hard on campus as a
resident hall assistant and translator and
trusting God each step of the way.
Rosa is studying middle level education with endorsements in social science
and Spanish. She wants to teach in a traditional classroom or serve as a missionaryor experience another unexpected
path. I am planning to go wherever God
takes me, she says. Its not my plan; its
about Gods plan. If He wants to send me
wherever, I will go to serve there. Im sure
I will be afraid, but I dont think I belong
anywhere. I belong wherever God puts
me.
Rosa hasnt been back to Peru since
she started at Concordia. For Christmas
this year, some other resident assistants
bought her a plane ticket home so she

Rosa Gonzales work ethic, inspired by her mother, earned her the opportunity to attend and thrive at
college in the United States.

could spend the holiday with her mother. Rosa misses her family and friends in
Peru, but she calls or Skypes with them
whenever she can.
It has been hard for my mom, Rosa
says. It was just she and I for a long time.
But I know God is taking care of her and
providing for her when I cant.
Her faith is what gets Rosa through
whenever she starts to worry, and coming
to Concordia has only solidified that faith.

Sometimes people think that they

dont have anything and that theyre poor,
Rosa says. God provides, God gives you
life, God gives you a next day, gives you
grace; what else can you expect for your
day? I would say what drives me every
day is just to wake up and say, Thank You,
God, for the opportunity that You give me
every day to live and enjoy the day. Just
to wake up is awesome. n

#GoHigher

Broadcaster

21

A Special

Investigation
The "crime house" near campus
gives students unique, hands-on
experience, led by Dr. Timothy
Huntington 02, one of just
17 board-certified forensic
entomologists in the world.
story
Jennifer Suggitt

photos
Payton DeVencenty '18

Anna Meyer '19 and Trevor Miller '16

examine a simulated crime scene
created as the final project of
their forensic science lab.

The house is a typical family home where

a mother may be cooking in the kitchen
and a father playing with children in the
front yard, laughter and joy filling the air.
Its cupboards are full of food, comfortable furniture fills the rooms and plenty
of clothes hang in the closets.
But a closer look reveals that something here has gone terribly wrong.
The door is ajar, household goods
and decorations are strewn across the
living room
and blood
spatters are
visible on the
floor from
near the front
entryway to
the back door.
This is not the scene of a local crime
that police are called to investigate; instead, it is the scene at a house near campus that Concordia students are tasked to
examine and study as part of their criminal justice education.
Behind the scenes of this simulation
is Dr. Timothy Huntington, associate professor of biology and criminal justice.
"While having blood spatter and fingerprints in a classroom is fine for teaching the techniques, actually having the
students go to an unfamiliar house and
process evidence that was left during the
simulated commission of a crime is a totally different and much richer learning
experience, says Huntington.
Huntington knows that the forensic science, criminal justice and biology
students in his classes are not just there
to learn. They are there to gain hands-on,
applicable experience.
The crime scene housestaged to
look like a murder, kidnapping or burglary has occurredprovides a unique
opportunity for students to apply the information from their textbooks and class
discussions to hands-on experiences that
will help them explore their interest in
criminal justice occupations and better
understand the world in which they live
and serve.
At the crime house, students work
together to investigate the crime scene,

determine what has happened and identify the next steps that will effectively
wrap up their case.
By offering this type of learning environment, our students gain a better
appreciation of how the criminal justice system works, and they realize that
the shows they watch on TV arent real,
says Huntington. It is important that
students with a criminal justice major
know what theyre getting into. Hands-on
experience is
the best way to
help them understand what
working in this
field could be
like after graduation, and this
kind of learning environment demonstrates ways they can successfully serve
in this field."
As a 2002 graduate of Concordia
University, Nebraska with a Bachelor of
Science degree in biology, Huntington is
a forensic scientist with a background
in criminal justice and law enforcement,
currently serving not only at Concordia
but also as a part-time county deputy
sheriff for Seward County, Nebraska.

They realize that the

shows they watch
on TV arent real.

He is also one of just 17 board-certified forensic entomologists in the

world, using his expertise in the study
of insects to consult as an expert analyst
and/or witness for more than 100 death
cases, including the Roy Ellis and Casey
Anthony murder trials of the last decade.
Huntington realizes how valuable
the exploration of different vocational
interests is during college.
When I came to college, I originally
wanted to go into law enforcement," he
explains. "Then during my junior year,
I did this field study in entomology, and
thats kind of where it all started."
Huntington has served seven years
as a professor of biology and criminal
justice at Concordia. He appreciates
the small-town feel of Seward and everything that it has to offer, like the
Concordia campus and its students.
As a graduate of Concordia and
member of a local Lutheran church, I
obviously enjoy the Christian environment. I also enjoy that Concordia is a
small school and that I am encouraged
to get to know my students well, says
Huntington. Criminal justice is still
pretty new, but its growing, and its only
going to get better as it goes on. n

This house near campus, now used to mimic a police crime scene, gives students a fresh, realistic space
to learn techniques used in criminal justice occupations.

#GoHigher

Broadcaster

23

Clockwise from top, page 24: Concordia football players ring the victory bell after their
47-14 win against Nebraska Wesleyan University. Bryce Collins picks up rushing yards
during the football game. Ann Spilker paints the face of a girl on campus for Homecoming
festivities. Alumni Bailey Morris, Enrique Barajas and Von Thomas are recognized as 2014-15
senior athletes of the year. Concordia students make some noise during the football game.
Clockwise from top, page 25: Homecoming King Jonathan Jahnke and Queen Talitha Elbert
greet the crowd. Concordias volleyball team won against Nebraska Wesleyan University
3-0. Alumni Council President Matt Kuske 12 (far left) and President Brian Friedrich (far
right) join alumni and friends honored with 2015 Alumni Awards. Tamira Knight shares a big
smile with community members.

24

Broadcaster

cune.edu

Humbled & Honored

at Homecoming 2015

photos
Payton DeVencenty 18
Benjamin Schranz 15

Jonathan Jahnke '16 and Talitha (Tallie) Elbert '16 were voted the 2015
Homecoming king and queen by the student body. Both say they were
surprised and humbled by the opportunity to represent Concordia and
the Class of 2016 in this way, and they are looking forward to coming back
for future Homecoming events as alumni.

For the full list of Alumni Award recipients (shown above) and Athletic Hall of Fame inductees,
as well as forms to nominate potential future recipients, visit cune.edu/homecomingawards.

#GoHigher

Broadcaster

25

Eric Litwin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the first four Pete
the Cat picture books and author of the new musical series The Nuts

BRINGING BOOKS T O LIFE

Mallory, an 8-year-old second grader,
loves to read. The more interactive
the story, the better. So when she had
an opportunity to meet authors and
illustrators at the 20th annual Plum
Creek Childrens Literacy Festival
and specifically, to mimic the moves
of Eric Litwin as he led her, along
with schoolmates and teachers, in the
Polka Dot Danceshe couldnt hide
her enthusiasm.
She and the hundreds of other
children at Litwins presentation
executed the moves and loudly chanted
the words of the songas featured in his
book The Nutswithout hesitation,
smiles on their faces from start to finish.
Each year Mallory and thousands of
other students have the opportunity to

26

Broadcaster

cune.edu

participate in the festival on Concordias

campus and in surrounding schools.
Authors and illustrators of
childrens books share their stories,
creative processes and personal
experiences. The more personal the
speakers get, the more relatable they
become to the children. I learned that
authors and illustrators dont have to
comb their hair, and they can work in
their pajamas, says Mallory, with a
laugh as she recalls the day.
Getting to know the authors
and illustrators as regular people
strengthens the students connection
with the book; helps children recognize
that they too can achieve the same
accomplishments someday; and
encourages a love for reading, writing

story
Jennifer Suggitt

photos
Seth Meranda
Benjamin Schranz '15

and all the discovery and creativity

associated with developing the books
that the students enjoy so much.
Beyond meeting the minds behind
the stories, the students also experience
hands-on learning opportunities, such
as an Author Talk during which students listen to a story by one of the festivals featured authors and then make an
associated craft to take home.
Authors, illustrators and literacy
experts share their experiences and
expertise with teachers, administrators
and community members during an
all-day conference on the last day of the
event. The information, creativity and
tools shared at the adult conference leave
attendees feeling empowered to put
their newfound knowledge into action. n

9,055
Students, parents and teachers who saw
author and illustrator presentations

1,346

Attendees at community and school

events with native-Nebraskan
astronaut Clayton Anderson

Dr. Jennifer Fruend, assistant professor of biology

at Concordia and leader of the slime-creating activity
session Oobleckthe Science of Dr. Seuss

Workshops like Oobleckthe Science of Dr. Seuss teach

children to think beyond the words on the page and
physically explore what the words are saying. In that session,
students briefly re-enact the highly dramatic, silly tale of Dr.
Seuss Bartholomew and the Oobleck and then make the
slime described in the story, mixing it up step by step and
joyfully squishing it and sliding it around in their hands.

1,020

Attendees at adult conference

and festival volunteers

11,421

Students, teachers, volunteers and

community members served

21st Annual

PLUM CREEK
CHILDREN'S
LITERACY
FESTIVAL

Illustrations from Otis, written

and illustrated by Loren Long

#GoHigher

Broadcaster

27

BEHIND

THE SUCCESS:
THE OLSON STORY

Championship basketball coaches

Rich, Jarrod and Drew Olson '03
find success by drawing strength
from the late Olinda Olson and their
passion for the game they love.
story
Jacob Knabel

photos
Payton DeVencenty '18
and courtesy of Drew Olson

DREW OLSON
Winningest coach in Concordia womens basketball
history with a record of 226-78 (.743) entering 2015-16
Leads all Concordia womens basketball
coaches in national tournament appearances (7)
and national tournament wins (11)
2012 GPAC Coach of the Year
2014-15 NAIA Region 2 Coach of
the Year for women's basketball
2015 Midlands/State College Coach of the Year
(The Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star)

Rich, Olinda and Jarrod weathered a blizzard to cheer on Drew, who scored 22 points to help lead the Bulldogs to victory at the 2003 GPAC Tournament
Championship game against Dordt College Drew's senior year.

Its a Tuesday evening in the middle of

July, and two brothers have reunited
over a familiar round, orange and leathercoated object that has been prevalent in
their lives since birth. Jarrod Olson, now
41, drives and whirls a pass back out top
to Drew Olson, 36, who rises and fires
a three. They narrowly miss out on the
Olson-to-Olson scoring connection.
No matterits simply one play in
a series of pick-up games taking place
inside Walz Arena on the Concordia
University campus where the Olsons,
as competitive as ever, mix it up with
players much younger. On this night the
two brothers from Omaha, Nebraska, pit
themselves against foes mostly composed
of the budding men's basketball team
coached by Ben Limback '99and they
still hold their own.
Afterward they join each other in
the Walz athletic offices and answer
questions regarding basketball, family
and faith.
Currently the head womens
basketball coach at California Baptist
University, Jarrod jokes, I stunk tonight.
Again, no matter. Drew and Jarrod
are doing what they love. Its what

theyve always done. They used to play

often as their mother Olinda Olson
looked on from her wheelchair.
Rich in Success
In 1989, Rich Olson, the father of Drew
and Jarrod, as well as daughter Kindra,
won his first Nebraska girls high school
state championship. It was only a start
for a man that received induction into
the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame
in 2012. He won another state title in
1992. Then another in 1996 and another
in 2005.
Rich has become well known for
his many years coaching girls hoops at
Millard South, Lincoln Northeast and
Lincoln Lutheran, among many other
schoolsand hes won everywhere hes
been. He even served a year as an assistant at Concordia on Drews staff.
He once left coaching briefly to work
in a bank. He was a fish out of water. Like
his two sons, he belongs in the gym.
My dad was a sports guy, says Rich.
He was a teacher and coach. Weve
always been around sports. I played
basketball at Lincoln Northeast and

then I played two yearsI didnt really

playI sat on the bench for two years at
Nebraska. I knew then after my first year
that was what I wanted to do. I wanted
to coach. Ive been coaching since 1971.
Here I am a whole bunch of years later.
Like father, like son, Jarrod and
Drew have followed suit. Over the past
nine years, the two have led their respective collegiate womens basketball programs to a combined record of 409-164.
Clearly they were drilled hard
by their father on the finer points of
coaching and steered relentlessly
toward a career in the profession.
Wrong. Says Rich, That was never, ever
a goal. It wasnt anything we talked
about. Their mom and I just tried to
make life as simple as possible and tried
to make every day count.
Making every day count is what the
Olson story is all about.
Defining a New Normal
Behind these successful coaches stood
the rock of the family, Olinda. Courageous
and fervent in her faith, Olinda likely never imagined the type of impact she would

#GoHigher

Broadcaster

29

Drew Olson and the women's basketball team watch intently as the Bulldogs defeat the Nebraska Wesleyan University Prairie Wolves 92-37 on Dec. 2, 2015.

have. At 33, she was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS (also
known as Lou Gehrigs Disease). It was
1982, and Jarrod, Kindra and Drew were
ages 7, 5 and 2, respectively. Life would
never be the same in the Olson household.
For a disease that struck gradually,
ALS hit the Olson family like a train by
the time Jarrod reached the age of 12.
Thats when Olinda, needing a trachea
installed to help her breathe, lost the
ability to speak. The three siblings grew
accustomed to helping their mom and
having nurses in the home. They often
made her meals, fed her or helped her
to the bathroom. But now they couldnt
even communicate verbally with her.
Life rifled plenty of challenges at
a family that took everything in stride.
They constantly worked to redefine
normal in the midst of a decidedly
abnormal set of circumstances. Says
Rich, It wasnt normal. When you take
out a lot of the little things in life and try
to focus on the really big things, it makes
things seem more normal. I dont really
know how to put it other than that. Its
hard to say whats normal and what isnt.
Other than watching her lose the
ability to speak, Jarrod says that seeing
his mother move into an assisted living
facility proved to be the biggest shock to
the system. Drew had recently finished
college (2003, Concordia Nebraska)
when Olinda had to be transferred to a
new home that could provide 24-hour
care. Says Drew, That was rough.

30

Broadcaster

cune.edu

There were certainly moments when

Drew wondered 'why. He explains, I
definitely had times where I struggled
with it in those adolescent years. ... Why
would mom get that disease? I think it
wasnt until after being at Concordia for
college and then coming back here that it
helped me strengthen my faith.
Gym Rats
Drew and Jarrod found their sanctuary
on the hardwood. Though separated
in age by more than five years, the two
developed an intensely special bond that
carries on today. Unsurprisingly, their
brotherhood was defined, at least in
part, by their love of basketball. The two
boys played constantly at nearby Millard
South High School, never missing a
chance to hit up the open gym. They often
played every day from 9 a.m. to noon
and then again from 6 until 9 at night.
Though a big-time winner as a
high school basketball coach, Rich
never wanted to get pushy with his sons.
Around Jarrod and Drew, Rich took off
his coaching hat. He was simply dad.
We just played. From the time that they
were little, we always had a basketball
hoop in the basement. We would just
go play. That was fun. It wasnt a matter
of coaching or teaching them anything.
This was fun. That was the whole deal.
That was our time together.
As a father, Rich learned his lesson. Once when Drew was playing as a

seventh grader, Rich, sitting on the end

of the bleachers, barked at an official
and received a technical (though disputed by Rich, Drew says his dad was
tossed from the game). From that point
on Rich brought a crossword puzzle to
games and sat near the top of the bleachers. For the most part, he used a hands
off approach when it came to basketball
and his children.
That was fine for the Olson brothers,
who played many youth games and for
travel teams without their parents in
attendance. The demands of Richs
coaching, coupled with Olindas needs,
sometimes prevented Rich and Olinda
from seeing Jarrod and Drew play. Says
Jarrod, Its weird because Mom and Dad
just didnt come to my games that much.
When you grow up in a basketball family,
everybodys got a game. It was just
different. I kind of enjoyed it actually.
Adds Drew, There were a lot of things
that made us more mature earlier. I
think that was one of them.
Circumstances allowed Rich and
Olinda to see more of their sons games
in college. Jarrod chose to play at Doane
College, where he would go on to total
more than 2,000 career points. Just a
few years later, after ultimately ending
up at Concordia for his final three
seasons, Drew starred for two national
tournament teams under then head
coach Grant Schmidt.
Rich, Olinda and Jarrod were
all there the night a blizzard swirled

and whited out Seward for the GPAC

tournament championship game on
March 1, 2003. Drew went for 22 points
to help lead the Bulldogs to a 90-82
overtime victory over visiting Dordt
College in a packed PE Building gym on
the Concordia campus. Says Drew, It
was the greatest sports moment Ive ever
had. Jarrod, Mom and Dad were in the
corner. It was a great game, but Ill never
forget that those three were there. That
made it even more special.
Finding a Home at Concordia
Drew left home to head to a different
GPAC school for his freshman year after
a stellar career at Millard South. Drew
admits the decision to play there was a
mistake. Even big brother recognized it.
Recalls Jarrod, I was really upset because I knew [the school] would be a horrible fit for Drew. It was. It was horrible.
Drew decided to leave after just one
season. This time Jarrod was going to
make sure his little brother found the
right place. Jarrod took matters into his
own hands by making some phone calls.
I remember it like it was yesterday
talking to Grant [Schmidt]," says Jarrod.
"He was just so excited that we were
calling him and thought Drew would be
perfect for his team. Looking back on it,
Concordia was the perfect fit for Drew
before he even knew it. The school itself
has had such a big influence on him.
Drew blew past 1,000 points over
his three seasons and was the engine

that kept Schmidts Bulldog locomotive

humming through the early 2000s.
Coming to Concordia proved to be one
of the best decisions of his life. He grew
spiritually, helping him better come
to terms with his mother's struggles.
He also met his wife, MLeigh '10, at
Concordia and will go down as one of the
top coaches in the history of the school.
Drew soaked up everything he could
from Schmidt and assistant coach
Marty Kohlwey CO '83 GR '98, now
Drews top assistant. He calls the two
of them some of his major influences
in coaching and in life.
At Concordia, Drew is at home.
Jarrod and Drew Reach the Pinnacle
At just 25 years of age, Drew took over a
Concordia womens basketball program
that the likes of Micah Parker '91 and
Todd Voss '93 built into an NAIA power.
Now the winningest coach in the
history of Bulldog womens basketball,
Drew admits he was still learning when
hired in 2006. Says Drew, It was really
scary because I didnt know what I was
doing at the time. It was my first head
coaching job, and I had never coached
women before. I always feel bad about
that first team because I screwed up so
many times. I wish I could go back and
be better for them.
It didnt take long for Olson to show
he was the right coach for the job. His
second team won 26 games and reached
the national quarterfinals.

Faith Through Trial

Olinda Olson, mother of Concordia Womens
Basketball Coach Drew Olson, shared wisdom
and hope in a video played at her funeral after
she died on Aug. 25, 2014.
Her faith and strength inspire others to
live with courage and confidence in Gods love
in the midst of challenges in life.
Watch Olinda's video by
searching for "Olinda
Testimony" on YouTube.

Meanwhile, Jarrod made his major

breakthrough as a head coach far from
home (Mom would not have wanted him
to remain in Nebraska on her account
alone). A former womens basketball
assistant for NCAA Division I Creighton,
he landed a head job at Florida Southern
before settling into his current spot at Cal
Baptist. An already established basketball
junkie, Jarrod started coaching because
I couldnt play anymore.
In 2015, both Drew and Jarrod again
took teams to the national tournament.
Once there, neither could stop winning.
In an incredibly unique circumstance,
the brothers both coached in national
championship games in an 11-day span
Drew at the NAIA level and Jarrod at the
NCAA Division II level.
Recalling that thrilling stretch, Rich
beams with pride. It was unbelievable.
Drews team was awesome all year long.
You just came to expect things going
along the way, but things went better
than anticipated. There they were in the
national championship game. Every time
we were driving home from Sioux City we
were trying to pay attention to Jarrods
games that were in Alaska, and they were
winning there. It was just phenomenal.
Suddenly, the tone changed as Rich
reminisced. He began to break down. One
thing had been missing from that March
madness. Rich continues, Olinda is
so responsible for how they conduct
themselves and how successful they are.
The lessons she taught them made their
success possible. Im grateful for what
theyve accomplished, and we miss her
not being a physical part of it.
Adds Drew, She would definitely be
proud of us, but she was proud regardless
of us being in national championships.
It has been more than a year since
Olindas passing, her memory still vivid.
As said by Drew, shes enjoying heaven
while her husband, Drew and Jarrod are
each in the midst of another basketball
season. They play and coach on because
its what they do. Its what Olinda would
want them to do. n

#GoHigher

Broadcaster

31

MEET

CONCORDIA'S

FAMILY
OF SOCCER

FIRST

Playing soccer has been a

Soenksen family pastime since
before Esther and Gideon, the
two Soenksen siblings currently
attending Concordia, were born.

Four Concordia soccer stars

share more than the bonds of
hard work and success on the
fieldthey share a family name.
story
photos
Jacob Knabel
Payton DeVencenty '18
Jacob Knabel

The Soenksen clan knows how to have fun both on and off the field. They celebrated Halloween as a family by watching Gideon and Esther.

If ever there were a first family of

Concordia University, Nebraska soccer,
the Soenksens would be it. As Linda
Soenksen, mother of nine children, says
jokingly, If you dont like soccer, were
going to have to kick you out of the herd.
The herd tended by Linda and her
husband Phil wont argue with Mom.
In following a family tradition, every
Thanksgiving the Soenksens head
over to the grassy field at nearby St.
Peters Catholic School in Lincoln,
Nebraska, to squeeze in a game while
the feast cooks. At times Linda will
excuse herself to run home and check
on the turkey. Shell hustle back, and the
Soenksens will resume.
Just dont mistake this for your
family backyard kickball game in which
Grandma swings and misses and face
plants. Of the seven Soenksen siblings
that are college age or older, six have
played or are still playing collegiate soccer, and the other one could have. Plus,
the two youngest Soenksens appear to
be on their way to earning scholarships
of their own.
The Soenksens and soccer balls are
inseparable.
Whenever we go somewhere, its
like, Do we have a soccer ball along?
says Phil. So weve got soccer balls in

most vehicles sitting around. Whenever

were stopped at a rest stop or have a little
time, pretty soon a soccer ball is out, and
theyre passing it around to each other
and juggling.
In some form or another, Phil has
coached each of his nine children. Phil
possessed a limited soccer background
when he began coaching his oldest son
Jesse in a youth league in a small town
just north of Iowa City, Iowa. Jesse
quickly developed a passion for the sport,
and the dominoes began to fall.
The soccer bug bit the Soenksen
family, and it bit hard.
My mom actually did track and
cross country. My dad
played baseball, says
Gideon Soenksen, the third
Soenksen brother to make
his way to Concordia. Im
really not sure how it got
started. I think my oldest
brother just thought it would
be cool to try. Then he played
and my dad liked the sport,
so we all just kind of followed in his
footsteps.
Before welcoming Esther (the
seventh of nine siblings and a current
Concordia womens soccer player) to the
family, the Soenksens moved from Iowa

If you dont like

soccer, were going
to have to kick you
out of the herd.

#GoHigher

Broadcaster

33

to Lincoln, a location that fostered

more soccer opportunities. By that
point, Esther and younger siblings
Uriah and Grace had virtually no
choice. They had been born into an
established soccer family.
Esthers explanation for the familys
love affair with the sport closely
resembles the remarks made by her
brother Gideon. Says Esther, Everyone
else was playing, so I just started
playing. Jesse started. He was the oldest,
and everyone else just kind of followed
suit. It was just something we all did.
The familys migration to Lincoln
significantly increased the odds that
one or more Soenksens may end
up at Concordia. As a family that
greatly values its Lutheran faith, Phil
and Linda, an alumna of Concordia
University Irvine, then called Christ
College, saw the close proximity of
Concordia as an added bonus to living
in Lincoln.
Tim, the second oldest brother,
began the pipeline to Seward when he
transferred to Concordia for the fall of
2010 after beginning his career at Iowa
Western Community College. Kevin
came to Seward right out of Lincoln
Lutheran High School a year later. Then
another year later Gideon chose to be
a Bulldog. Two years after that Esther
became the fourth member of the
family to arrive at Concordia.
Every year since 2010, at least one
Soenksen sibling has called Concordia
home. Tim and Kevin played together
for one year at Concordia. So did
Kevin and Gideon. The opportunity to
compete alongside his brother proved
a perfect selling point for Gideon,
who earned first team all-conference
accolades in 2014.
My brother was here. I wanted to
play with him, Gideon says. I think
thats ultimately what decided it because
I love playing with my brothers.
The Soenksen siblings, who all
live within 80 miles of each other,
continue to share a close bond built
aroundsoccer, obviously. This past
Halloween each of the Soenksens, even

34

Broadcaster

cune.edu

Phil and Linda, wore costumes to the

Concordia home soccer doubleheader
that night. Then from Nov. 3-13, most
of the Soenksen family spent the
whirlwind period crisscrossing the
GPAC footprint as both Bulldog soccer
teams made runs to GPAC tournament
championship games. It was a six-gamein-11-day bonanza.
Such is life for the Soenksen parents,
who really couldnt even estimate the
number of their childrens games they
have attended. Says Linda, I have no idea
[how many]. A lot. Replies Phil, Easily
in the hundreds. I dont know if it gets
into the thousands.
Eat. Sleep. Breathe. Soccer. One
thing Concordia mens soccer head
coach Jason Weides has never had to
worry about: having a Soenksen tire of a
game each of the siblings started playing
seemingly as soon as physically capable.
You can be guaranteed youre going
to get an incredible work rate, Weides

Concordia senior Gideon Soenksen, a key member

of the 2015 GPAC champion men's soccer team

says. Every Soenksen weve ever had

has been really professional in the way
they train and the way they approach
improvement. Theyre really passionate
about the game. Ive never had to tell any
of the Soenksens, Why dont you work
harder? Or Why dont you care more?
They just love the game, and they give
everything they have all the time.
It makes sense that they would give
all they have to a game thats rewarded
the family so richly. Its pretty amazing,
Phil Soenksen says. Its been a blessing.
Its helped them covering expenses. Were
thankful that they have the ability to do
that. Its been pretty neat to have kids that
are capable of playing soccer at a college
level. We feel very blessed by that. n

FALL SPORTS SUMMARIES

2015 GPAC CHAMPIONS

MENS SOCCER
On Nov. 12 head coach Jason Weides
squad celebrated after slaying conference regular-season champion Hastings,
1-0, for the first GPAC tournament title
in the history of Concordia mens soccer.
The thrilling run through the league tournament saw the Bulldogs knock out each
of the GPACs top three seedsall on the
road. After an up-and-down regular season, Weides led Concordia to its first-ever
national tournament appearance.
I think we believed the whole
time, Weides said following the win at
Hastings. It was a bit of a rocky road for
us, especially mid-season. Opening up
conference play, we didnt get the results
we expected. The reality is this is where
we expected to be, and this where we

thought we had the capability of being in

the conference final game. We just took
a little different path.
A 3-0 loss at second-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University in the opening
round of the national championships
brought the Bulldogs season to a close
with a final overall record of 11-7-3. It
marked the fifth-straight season that
Concordia has won at least 10 games.
The Bulldogs outscored their opponents by a combined total of 44-26
during their historic 2015 campaign.
While taking out the conferences
top seeds, Concordia did not allow a
single goal during GPAC postseason action. Junior goalkeeper Mark Horsburgh
made a combined 26 saves over three

conference tournament games and

emerged as the hero in the penalty kick
shootout triumph at second-seeded
Midland. Horsburgh and company went
nearly 300 minutes before surrendering
its first goal of the postseason.
Following the regular season, five
Concordia players garnered all-conference recognition, including second
team choices in seniors Julian Amaya
and Justin Lawrie and sophomore
Lewis Rathbone. Junior Mark Campbell
and senior Gideon Soenksen were tabbed
honorable mention.

#GoHigher

Broadcaster

35

2015 GPAC RUNNER UP

WOMENS SOCCER
After hitting a rough patch in the middle
of October, Concordia recovered in
impressive fashion while making a
second-straight run to the GPAC title
game. The Bulldogs won their final
four regular-season contests and then
knocked conference regular-season
champion Hastings out of GPAC
postseason play for the second-straight
season. Third-year head coach Greg
Hensons squad celebrated on the
Broncos home field once again after

winning a penalty kick shootout. With a

second national tournament bid in a row
on the line at Morningside, Concordia
surrendered a goal with just 38 seconds
left and fell, 2-1, in the GPAC title game.
Despite the championship game loss,
Concordia finished with a mark of 13-62just two wins away from the program
single-season record victory total set
by the 2014 team. Under Henson, the
Bulldogs have enjoyed unprecedented
success by posting a record of 28-9-6

over the past two seasons. The 2015

Concordia squad was the stingiest in
program history, having allowed only 16
goals all season while ranking first among
GPAC teams in fewest goals allowed per
game in 2015.
A group of five Bulldogs earned
second team all-conference recognition:
junior Chrissy Lind and freshmen Maria
Deeter and Ashley Martin. Honorable
mention accolades went to sophomores
Jeannelle Condame and Jessica Skerston.

GOLF

REID WIEBE

36

Broadcaster

cune.edu

Head coach Brett Mullers golf programs

broke program records for lowest-single
round totals during the fall season.
The Concordia women shot a school
record 335 at the College of Saint Mary
Invitational on Sept. 9. The next day the
men broke a program record of their own,
carding a 298 at the Siouxland Invite. As
a team, the women sit in fifth place (354348702) in the GPAC standings after
two of four conference qualifier rounds
complete. Meanwhile, the men will enter
the spring season with a ninth-place conference standing (312-316628).

Junior Amy Ahlers continued her

stellar collegiate career by carding a
program 18-hole record with a oneunder-par 71 while also breaking the
course record at Two River Golf Course
on Sept. 18. At sixth place in the conference, Ahlers (84-82166) is Concordias
highest ranking individual. Junior Kayla
Krueger (83-87170) is in ninth place,
and sophomore Emma Jacoby (9386179) 19th. On the mens side, sophomore Tyler Ehresman (73-80153) and
Russell Otten (76-77153) are tied for
19th among GPAC golfers.

2015 GPAC RUNNER UP

VOLLEYBALL
While sitting on the national tournament
bubble, a room of Bulldog volleyball
players and staff celebrated a historic
moment for the program on Nov. 16.
On that date the NAIA announced that
Concordia had received its first-ever
national tournament berth. GPAC
tri-coach of the year Scott Matteras
squad earned its way there by winning
26 matches, going 6-4 versus ranked
opponents and by advancing all the way
to the GPAC championship tilt. Said
junior Tiegen Skains, Its cool to have
one of those things where its never

happened before, and knowing youre

part of that is awesome.
The seasons biggest highlights
included road wins over No. 2 Midland
(previously undefeated) and No. 11
Northwestern. The Bulldogs then
knocked off a ranked Red Raider squad
again in the GPAC quarterfinals in a
contest critical to both teams national
tournament hopes. Concordia toppled
College of Saint Mary in the GPAC
semifinals before falling at Midland in
the championship. The season ultimately
came to a conclusion with a straight-sets

home defeat at the hands of Olivet

Nazarene University in the opening
round of the national championship.
The Bulldogs made their run to the
national tournament behind a powerful
attack and a defensive effort led by
budding sophomore Jocelyn Garcia. Five
different Concordia hitters piled up 240
or more kills for a balanced team. Three
Bulldogs earned first team all-conference
honors: sophomores Annie Friesen and
Garcia and junior Alayna Kavanaugh.
Junior Paige Getz and senior Claire
White were named to the second team.

CROSS COUNTRY

KIM WOOD

The 24th season of Concordia cross

country under head coach Kregg
Einspahr produced three individual national qualifiers, four all-conference performers and a pair of top-five GPAC team
finishes (men: fourth, women: fifth).
Led by two-time all-conference honoree Kim Wood (10th-place GPAC finish
in 2015), the women climbed as high as
No. 20 in the national rankings and then
received votes in the postseason coaches
poll released by the NAIA.
Individually, senior Jordan Potrzeba
paced the men at each meet this season. He placed sixth at the GPAC

championships on the way to earning

his third career berth to the national
championships.
On the womens side, Wood and
sophomores Emily Sievert (11th) and
Jordyn Sturms (14th) nabbed all-conference honors with top-15 GPAC finishes. Wood and Sievert garnered their
first career national championships
appearances.
A total of eight Bulldog runners
were named Daktronics-NAIA ScholarAthletes following the season.

#GoHigher

Broadcaster

37

FOOTBALL

TREY BARNES

38

Broadcaster

cune.edu

Concordia got off to a 5-1 start and rose to

a No. 23 national ranking before finishing
the 2015 campaign at 6-4 overall and 5-4
in conference play (tied for fourth). All
four losses came at the hands of teams
ranked inside the top 20. Three of the
four losses were decided by margins
of seven points or less during the programs second winning season in three
years. In the process, head coach Vance
Winters squad blew away Hastings (283), Nebraska Wesleyan (47-14) and Briar
Cliff (48-0) and put together a memorable come-from-behind overtime win at
Midland (41-38) after trailing 35-14 in
the third quarter.
Junior defensive lineman Trey
Barnes (10 sacks) blossomed in a second

team All-America season that made

for one of the best defensive units in
program history. Coordinator Patrick
Daberkows defense ranked third nationally in pass defense (144.0) and fourth
among all NAIA teams in total defense
(279.6). Barnes was one of five members
of the Concordia defense to be named either first or second team all-conference.
Offensively, the Bulldogs managed
29.4 points per game despite employing
four different quarterbacks. First team
all-league running back Bryce Collins
piled up 946 yards and nine touchdowns
on the ground. Big-play receiver Jared
Garcia caught 41 passes for 713 yards and
eight touchdowns.

AlumNotes
1960s
Dr. Stan Obermueller 68 received the Nebraska
Society of Certified Public Accountants 2015
Outstanding Educator Award on Oct. 26,
2015. Stan and his wife Liz HS 63 CO 67 live in
Seward, Nebraska.

1970s
Douglas Tieman 77 published Flying Over
the Pigpen Leadership Lessons Learned
on the Farm," available at Barnes and Noble
and on Amazon. Doug is president and CEO of
Caron Foundation. He and wife Frances live in
Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania.
David Waltz 78 was named Principal of the Year
for 2014-15 at the Higgins Lake Conference
for the LCMS Michigan District. Waltz
served for two years as chair of the Principal
Planning Committee for the District and
currently serves on the District Accreditation
Commission. He and his wife Carol reside in
Clinton Township, Michigan.

Pastor Jay West 79 recently published Well,

Well, Well, a compilation of medical and
miraculous healing stories with endorsements
from ministry leaders and medical doctors.
Jays four books are available on Amazon,
Kindle, Audible and iTunes. Jay has been
contracted by Destiny Publishing for his next
book, to be published in 2016. Jay and his wife
Diane 82 and family live in Bellevue, Nebraska.

1980s
Natalie Marose 87 is owner/early childhood
educator for My Friends Christian Child

Care & Preschool in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The preschool recently received national
certification as a nature explore classroom.
Natalie and her husband Dan currently reside
in Bloomington.

1990s
John Gierke 91 was elected district secretary
at the LCMS Mid-South District Convention,
which was held June 26-28 in Memphis,
Tennessee. John and his family currently
reside in Conway, Arkansas.
Dave Everson 93 received a promotion to
mortgage originator supervisor at Pentagon
Federal Credit Union (PenFed). He has been
with PenFed for seven years. He and his wife
of 19 years, Andrene, currently reside in
Springfield, Oregon.

Cindy (Schroeder) Stoppel 95 and Timothy

Stoppel welcomed Stratton Lloyd Stoppel
into the world on July 7, 2015. He joins siblings
Tyson, 8, Clayton, 6, Weston, 2, and Logan, 2.
The family lives in Ida Grove, Iowa.

Krisha Uden 95 and husband Leland Uden

welcomed baby Rebekah Kierra Uden into
the world on Jan. 13, 2015. She joins siblings
Abigail, 6, Darius, 4, and Josiah, 2. The family
lives in Wood River, Nebraska.

Gretchen (Staude) Jameson 97 has been elected

to a three-year term on the board of directors
of the International Lutheran Laymens
League/Lutheran Hour Ministries. She was
installed at the board of directors meeting in
St. Louis in July. Gretchen and her husband,
Rev. Leon Jameson CO 99 GR 05 currently reside
in Muskego, Wisconsin.

2000s

Jennifer (Borkenhagen) Carlson 00 and husband

Richard Carlson welcomed Simeon Russell
into the world on April 17, 2015. The family
lives in Maplewood, Minnesota.
Rev. Dr. Christopher S. Ahlman 02, strategic
mission developer for the LCMS, was
recently featured as a recitalist in the 1000
Minuten Bach celebration held at the
historic Thomaskirche in Leipzig on June 3,
2015. Ahlman performed several free organ
works of J. S. Bach as well as selected works
from his Orgelbchlein, in honor of the 300th
anniversary of its publication.

Ashley (Schmidtke) Hanson 03 and husband

Matt Hanson welcomed baby Sophia Hanson
into the world on Aug. 10, 2015. The family
lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

#GoHigher

Broadcaster

39

Lisa (Kirsch) Burger 04 and husband Ryan Burger

04 welcomed Lexie Ruth Burger on April 27,
2015. She joins sibling Kylie, age 2. The family
lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Ladd Wendelin 04 is an instructor at Decatur
Community High School in Oberlin, Kansas.
He teaches seventh, ninth and tenth grade
English and serves as head speech coach. In
April 2015, he became mayor of Oberlin.

Korey Danley 07 and Tiffany (Rodden) Danley 07

welcomed Sybianna Maxine Danley into the
world on July 3, 2015. Sybi is pictured with her
big sister, Tenley (age 2). The family lives in
Greenwood, Missouri.

Travis Joseph Prochaska 09 received a degree

from the University of Nebraska Aug. 15, 2015,
in Lincoln. Prochaska earned a Ph.D. in
entomology. He lives in Seward, Nebraska.

David Voorman 07 joined the law firm ONeill,

Heinrich, Damkroger, Bergmeyer & Schultz
PC, LLO in Lincoln, Nebraska, working in the
firms litigation area. David resides in Lincoln.

Jon Ross 09 accepted a position with Zillow

Group in December 2014. He is now serving as
corporate systems administrator in the
Nebraska office. Jon lives in Lincoln with his
wife Kelli '08 and sons Mikah and Malakai.
Harlan Anson CO 05 GR 09 was named
Outstanding Lutheran Educator at the
Nebraska District Lutheran Educators
Conference on Oct. 22, 2015. Harlan serves as
principal/teacher at Our Redeemer Lutheran
School, Staplehurst, Nebraska. He and his
family, wife Crissy and children Olivia and
Owen, live in Staplehurst.

Angela (Gee) Davis 05 married Ben Davis on

July 18, 2015, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Angela
and Ben live in Lincoln where they both
teach special education and coach high school
athletics for Lincoln Public Schools.

40

Broadcaster

cune.edu

Emily (Norman) Phoenix 08 wrote Journey

On... Never Alone, published through CTA for
graduates seeking guidance as they transition
into a new stage of their spiritual journey.
Emily Phoenix currently serves as Director
of Discipleship at Galilee Lutheran Church in
Pasadena, Maryland.
Chris Whirrett 08, president and CEO of
DiscStore.com, has led the company to grow
by 305% since 2012, earning it the rank of
#1,363 fastest-growing private company on
Inc. Magazines Top 5000 list.
Peter Nord 09 recently accepted a new job
with the LifeScape Foundation in Sioux Falls,
South Dakota, as a Development Associate.
LifeScape employs 1200 and serves people
who have disabilities. Peter will coordinate
the major events, the Ambassador program,
employee giving, and third party fund-raisers.
He lives in Sioux Falls.

Concordia family members held triple

baptism on Aug. 16, 2015, in Madison, Neb.
Melissa (King) Pfeifer 09 and Craig Pfeifer
welcomed Bryce, born June 6, 2015. Christine
(Pfeifer) Knapp 11 welcomed Aubree, born July
13, 2015. Also baptized was Emmie Mae Bonk,
born May 23, 2015. Emmie is the daughter of
Cody and Michelle (Pfeifer) Bonk. Michelle
worked in the Admission Office at Concordia.

IN MEMORIAM
Dr. Erich von Fange HS 40 CO 43
Andrew Raphelt 09 and wife Donna (McCray)
Raphelt 11 welcomed daughter Elise Christine
Raphelt on Oct. 5, 2015. She joins brother Luke,
2. Andrew has a new position as technical
services problem solver for Epic in Madison,
Wisconsin. Donna is a stay at home mom. The
family lives in Madison.

Kelly (Thiessen) Shaver 12 married Jordan

Shaver on July 7, 2015. They live in Rockford,
Illinois, where Kelly is in secondary education
and Jordan serves in elementary education.

Donald Kamtz CO 41
Louis Eberhard HS 43 CO 46
Helen (Wolfert) Bentz CO 46
Ronald Freudenburg HS 46 CO 51
Ethel (Kiehn) Naber CO 46
Doris (Ohlmann) Bode HS 51

2010s

Ruth Hellwege-Hess HS 54
Dorris (Steinbrueck)
Marxhausen CO 54
Helmuth Harms CO 55
Dylan Teut CO 12 GR 15 was named on the
International Literacy Association's 30
Under 30 list . Dylan is director of Concordia's
Plum Creek Children's Literacy Festival.

Eunice (Sanley) Ruth CO 56

C. Frederick Kroger HS 60 CO 64
Leland Schroeder CO 60
Rev. Theodore Richter CO 63

Heather (Blomenberg) Warren 11 and husband

Adam Warren welcomed Hadley Eliana
Warren into the world on July 27, 2015. The
family lives in Norfolk, Nebraska.

Karen Firnhaber-Glawatz CO 64
Gary Heinicke HS 64
Robert Ahrens CO 65
Arlen Lahrs CO 67
Dennis Engelbart CO 68 GR 76

Kris (Easler) Miller 12 illustrated her first novel

for Bloomsbury Childrens Books, The Day
the Mustache Took Over, written by Alan
Katz and published on Sept. 1, 2015. The
second book in the series is in production.
Her work may be found at kriseasler.com. Kris
currently resides in Chicago, Illinois.

Andrea Gaide 13 was promoted to director

of education for the Larabee School of Real
Estate by HomeServices of Nebraska. Andie
will also continue her previous role as director
of the Home Owners Plus program.

Linda Gillan CO 69
Gerald Rus CO 70
Pearl (Asmus) Kurth CO 72
Richard Webb CO 75
Dave Callies CO 77
Sharon (Barnes) Coe CO 77
Jill (Sobotka) Hillmer CO 92
Idongesit Mbong CO 12
Arranged by year; current
as of Oct. 31, 2015.

Amy McDaniel 15 married Travis Ferguson 13 on

June 6, 2015. Travis is vicar at Trinity Lutheran
Church, and Amy is an adult case worker at
Community Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center.
They live in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

HS: High School, CO: College,

GR: Graduate

#GoHigher

Broadcaster

41

We want to support
a school that has
Christianity at the heart of
its focus. A life insurance
policy provides an avenue
to leverage our gift.
Nicole Hemmann '16, an elementary education major, is just one of hundreds of students who benefit
from financial support like the insurance policy gifted by Marjorie and David Kertz.

Marjorie (Luhman) Kertz 70,

with her husband, David

An Uncommon Gift
Life insurance. An investment now to
make a big impact later.
Most people invest in life insurance
to provide financial security for their
family. Gifting their life insurance policy to Concordia, Marjorie (Luhman)
Kertz 70 and her husband David are now
providing financial security for future
Concordia students.
My husband and I chose Concordia
with our gift to support the continued
ministry of spreading the Gospel of our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, says
Marjorie. A life insurance policy provides an avenue to leverage our gift. We
do not know what the future holds as to
our prosperity, so we wanted to ensure
that we were able to maximize our gift
and ensure that our gift would be made.
Marjorie, a Lutheran and public
elementary school teacher for 38 years,
and David, a lifelong businessman, have

42

Broadcaster

cune.edu

witnessed firsthand the positive impact

of Lutheran, Christ-centered education.
Each student is like a mustard seed,
ready to grow in faith, says Marjorie. A
significant portion of education in school
settings today excludes Christianity.
We want to support a school that has
Christianity at the heart of its focus.
Marjories passion for supporting
Concordias mission reflects her experiences as a student and as an alumnae
serving and leading in the church and
world since graduating.
Concordia was a major influence in
better preparing me for life in our world
todayin my career, my marriage and my
day-to-day walk [with Jesus], she says.
We encourage others who have a heart
for Concordia and its mission to pursue
dedicating financial help through the use
of a life insurance policy or another vehicle of their choosing.

Call 402-643-7221 today to

discuss how you can take
out a life insurance policy
now to benefit Concordia
students for years to come.

Nebraskas Nationally Recognized Christian University

EXCELLENT ACADEMICS

CHRIST-CENTERED COMMUNITY

A top 50 (#44) university in the

Midwest region1

The only Christian College of

Distinction in Nebraska2

Highest ranked school in the

Concordia University System1

One of only five institutions

in Nebraska to be named a
College of Distinction2

AFFORDABLE EDUCATION
The 23rd most affordable private
university in the country3
Recognized in the top 150 (#145)
of Best Nationwide Colleges for
Your Money"4

Recognized as an A+ School for

B Students and one of the Best
Colleges for Veterans1

cune.edu
U.S. News & World Report (2016), 2Colleges of Distinction (2015), 3MONEY magazine (2015), 4CollegeFactual.com (2015)

Calendar of Events

Please check cune.edu/events for a full

list of available events and details.

January

April

May

Start of Spring Semester

Sleet and Snow Swing: Sleet
Invitational for Forensics
18
Visit Day
23
CUNE High School Speech Classic
23
Visiting Artist: Andrew White, voice
29-30 Concordia Invitational Tournament

Gathering of the Talents

Chamber Choir Concert
Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis
Exhibition
7-9
One-Act Play Festival
8
International Visit Day
14
Honor Recital
17
Opening of Annual Student Art
Exhibition
17
Broadway at the Boulders concert
18
53rd Guild Annual Meeting
19
Symphonic Band Concert
21
Chamber Orchestra and Chamber
Choir Concert
22
Visit Day
22-24 Spring Weekend
24
Male Chorus and Womens
Chorale Concert
29
Spring JazzFest

30
1
5
5
6

11
16-17

February
5
Career and Graduate Fair
5
IMPROVables Performance
14
Themed Recital: "Music of Love"
15
Visit Day
18-21 Symphonic Band Tour
26-28 Murder by the Book theatre
performance

March
3-14
5-13
14-17
18
18-19
19
20
25-28

A Cappella Tour
Spring Break
Osten Observatory Open House
Visit Day
24-Hour IMPROVathon
Annual Thank You Celebration
A Cappella Concert
Easter Break

2
3
3-15

7
9
19-21

IMPROVables Performance
Handbell Concert
Golden Reunion: Class of 1966
End of Spring Semester
Graduate and Golden Reunion
Luncheon
Commencement
Summer Semester Begins
Heartland DCE Conference

June
15

Early Childhood Conference