Alumni Achievement Award Recipients Honored at Homecoming

Chosen by the National Alumni Board, the Alumni Achievement Award is given to alumni who have exemplified the ideals of Concordia College.

Dr. Thomas Berquist '67
Dr. Thomas Berquist, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., has served in the highest leadership and teaching positions at the Mayo Clinics, and is one of the founding doctors who pioneered the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville site, where he established the first residency program in radiology and chaired the radiology department. Berquist has distinguished himself as an internationally and nationally recognized diagnostic radiologist with specialty expertise in musculoskeletal imaging. He is the author of hundreds of peer-reviewed articles in medical journals and has written several radiology textbooks. He is credited with providing the vision and direction for all educational activity at Mayo, where he is revered as a model educational leader. Watch a video on Berquist.

Ronald Gadberry '58
In his 45-year teaching and coaching career, Ronald Gadberry, Fargo, N.D., influenced young lives as a model of integrity and good character. He built perennial powerhouse wrestling programs at Moorhead and Hillsboro high schools, and has the rare distinction of being chosen to coaching halls of fame in two states – Minnesota and North Dakota. A man of faith, Gadberry is well respected and well known for building deep and life-changing mentoring relationships with hundreds of students who credit him for being a lasting influence in their lives. Watch a video on Gadberry.

Dr. Patricia Kubow '89
Dr. Patricia Kubow, Bowling Green, Ohio, has built an international reputation as a leading voice in collegiate education. The themes of citizenship and democratic education are at the heart of her work. Kubow is an education professor at Bowling Green State University, where she has built close contacts and associates in all corners of the globe, and her national and international networks continue to grow. She is the recipient of the Outstanding Citizen Achievement Award by the United States Agency for International Development. She is a member of the 1988 Concordia women’s basketball national championship team, a two-time academic All-American and a member of the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame. Watch a video on Kubow.

Allan Stokke '62
Allan Stokke, Newport Beach, Calif., is generally regarded as one of the finest criminal defense attorneys in southern California and one of only a handful to be included in the “Best Lawyers in America” listing. Stokke has co-authored legal textbooks and is a frequent speaker on legal and ethical issues. During his 47-year legal career he has earned a solid reputation for high integrity, strong work ethic and as a dedicated community volunteer. Ever true to his rural upbringing, he returns to his family’s Red River Valley grain farm each summer to help with harvest. Watch a video on Stokke.

Thomson Reuters Employees Establish Concordia Alumni Group

Cobber alumni working at Thomson Reuters, Eagan, Minn., now meet regularly to network and strengthen their Cobber connections.

Early this year, employees Amy Wasson '88, Kim (Pederson) Woodwick '88 and Dan Woodwick '88 formed the group. They assembled a list of Concordia alumni at the Thomson Reuters office in Eagan – the largest employee campus for the company with more than 6,000 employees.

The list now contains more than 40 names and was used to establish an affinity group on the company’s intranet.

The group meets in person once each quarter. The June 14 event welcomed two legal professionals – John Tunheim '75 and Robert Tunheim '82. The brothers spoke about their paths into the legal profession and how Concordia has influenced their professional lives. John Tunheim is a district judge for the United States District Court of Minnesota. Robert Tunheim is a partner with Lindquist & Vennum. Kevin Wollin '98 assisted in the coordination of the event.

Do you work at a large company with other Cobbers? Contact the Office of Alumni Relations. The staff would love to help you set up your own Concordia alumni working group.

Travel the World

Ireland Cycling Tour • June 5-13, 2013
Along with President William and Anne Craft, cycle through the Clare region in the western part of Ireland and also between the River Shannon and Galway Bay. Start in Kilkee and cycle north to the oceanside Spanish Point (where the Armada, the Spanish invasion fleet, washed ashore in 1588). Travel to Lisdoonvarna, cycling alongside the ocean all the way to Ballyvaughan. Finally, cycle south along the Galway Bay before dropping inland to end the trip in the center of Ennis.

Italy • May 10-23, 2013
Experience the sights, sounds and tastes of Italy during a two-week tour led by professor of religion Dr. Roy Hammerling. Visit the birthplace for much of our civilization in Rome as we visit the Capitoline Hill area, from which we view the Roman Forum and imagine the gladiators from the inside of the Colosseum. In Rome, we also visit the Vatican City and St. Peter’s Cathedral. Travel also includes Assisi, Florence, Venice and Milan.

Switzerland, Austria and Germany • 2014
Join associate professor Madelyn Burchill for a mountaintop experience in Europe’s amazing alpine wonderland of Austria, Switzerland and Germany. You’ll travel to the “top of Europe” at the Jungfraujoch above Grindelwald – enjoying the breathtaking vistas on the Glacier Express to St. Moritz. Wake up high above the Lake of Luzern at Pilatus Kulm and then travel to Salzburg.

For more alumni resources, events and information, visit ConcordiaCollege.edu/alumni.