In Memoriam

Dr. Wendell Buckley, 89, Moorhead, professor emeritus of music, died Aug. 8. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Buckley earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music and his doctorate from the University of Iowa. He spent many summers at the Aspen School of Music Festival where he was a tenor soloist and member of the Aspen Chamber Choir. He also was soloist many times with the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony. He served as an adjudicator of vocal solos and ensembles at the regional and state music festivals and contributed to the local community as a church soloist and as pianist for the Moorhead Rotary for more than 50 years. Buckley retired in 1992 after almost four decades at Concordia, where he taught voice to hundreds of students and courses in vocal literature, diction, music theory and music history. He is survived by his wife, Joan; son, David (Beth); daughter, Julie (Eric Fung); and four grandchildren.

Jeanine Moravec, 80, Fargo, N.D., assistant professor emeritus of library science, died March 22. Moravec graduated from Northern State Teachers College, Aberdeen, S.D., received a degree in library science from the University of Minnesota and completed her Master of Arts degree at Iowa State University. She worked in the Carl B. Ylvisaker Library at Concordia until her retirement in 1995. Moravec was very involved in the Fargo-Moorhead communities and in her church, First Lutheran Church in Fargo.

Douglas Sillers, 96, Fargo, N.D., visiting professor of political science, died Aug. 1. Sillers graduated from Concordia in 1939. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, farmed near Moorhead and was active in politics. Sillers served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1963 to 1973 and the Minnesota Senate from 1973 to 1981. While in the House, he was instrumental in setting up the Tri-College University system and served as a founding board member for more than 40 years. After retiring, he continued to serve as an adjunct faculty member in the political science department at Concordia. He was also a longtime member of several organizations. He is survived by his wife, Margaret; his children, Jean ‘65 (Doug) Bardwell, Douglas Hal (Lenor), Cynthia ‘70 (Pat Torgeson), Heather (Marlin) Rudebusch; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Evening in St. Paul

Cobbers (l-r) Arvid ’59 and Nancy (Gullickson) ’60 Olson, San Gabriel, Calif., Norman ’59 and Ilene (Gronaas) ’58 Holen, Richfield, Minn., and Valdemar Olson ’57, Edina, Minn., met in Minnesota’s capitol city for a dinner party.

Best Foot Forward

Cobber cousins Addison Coalwell, daughter of Matt ’00 and Allison (Daehlin) ’00 Coalwell, and Liesl, daughter of Daniel and Sara (Coalwell) ’98 Lueth, put their best feet forward in their new Cobber gear.

Summer Park Reunion

This class of ’63 met in Park Region Hall in 1959 and reunite each summer. Back row (l-r): Sharon (Hopwood) Lassiter, Arrington, Tenn.; Beva (Burkholder) Hansen, Fargo, N.D.; and Darlene (Janz) MacKellar Nelson, Battle Lake, Minn. Front row (l-r) Dina (Eid) Brady, Fargo, N.D., Ann (Rasmussen) Parker, Lake Nebagamon, Wis.; and Ilane (Shefveland) Rue, Fosston, Minn.

Cheering for the Cobbers

Thorsell Family Fun

These boys come from a long line of Cobber stock. They are joined in the field by their grandparents, Rod ‘63 and Fay (Julson) ‘64 Thorsell. Grandpa Rod says, “As you can see, we are seeding and nurturing the idea for the boys to consider Concordia in the future.”

Building Together

Denise Larson ’91 completed her first Habitat for Humanity build in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She was one of 15 people who met in Northern Thailand to build a home for a family in need. Volunteers were from the U.S., Canada, Australia, Indonesia and Africa. The home was completed in only nine days.

Family Mission Trip

Andrew Nystrom ’11 (middle, back row) and his parents, Tim and Sue (Nygard) ’77 Nystrom (back row), took part in a mission trip to Guatemala in June where they worked in six schools and at a clinic for children with disabilities in the Cobán and Salamá areas.

Class Notes Policy

Because of space restrictions, we confine our class notes to news happening within the past six months. We use only firsthand alumni information, and mailed class notes require a signature. We do not accept announcements of upcoming marriage or acceptance to graduate school; please submit following the wedding or graduation. Memorials should be sent in by family, with an obituary if possible. Submit class notes online at www.ConcordiaCollege.edu/alumni.

Photographs for the class notes section of Concordia Magazine may be emailed to alumnote@cord.edu. Pictures must be accompanied by the month and year the photograph was taken and a list of those in the photo (including maiden names), their grad years, and cities and states of residence. Children of graduates should be pictured in Concordia clothing. Emailed photos should be taken in at least 300 dpi resolution in TIFF or JPEG formats. Submission of photos does not guarantee publication.

Class notes and photographs may also be mailed to: Class Notes, Communications and Marketing, Concordia College, 901 8th St. S., Moorhead, MN 56562. Deadline for the next issue is March 1, 2012.