Eleanor and John Yackel first became acquainted with Augsburg through the Center for Global Education and Experience (CGEE). They took a trip to Nicaragua with the CGEE founder and first director, Professor , and loved the connections they made with Auggie students through travel. When they returned from their trip, they discussed ways to stay connected with students, stay connected with Augsburg, and ways to encourage travel in higher learning.
鈥淓leanor had the heart for sharing with others,鈥 says John. 鈥淪he was the driving force in guiding our philanthropic interests and goals.鈥
In 1998, Eleanor and John established the first of many endowed scholarships to support students engaging in educational experiences through CGEE. Both believe that higher education serves a purpose greater than just getting a job and making money. Higher education is where students discover their passions and commit to social justice and service to the world.
鈥淢y first reaction when hearing about the Students of Color crowdfunding campaign was, 鈥極h I like that!鈥 It鈥檚 timely and necessary right now. Eleanor and I believed in Augsburg. Augsburg is a shining example of an institution that really cares. Their acceptance for all goes way back. Augsburg reaches out to those who are typically ignored. Their focus on their urban neighbors, reaching out to students of color, as well as students in recovery and students with disabilities. Racial and social justice was always important to my wife especially, which is why I鈥檓 offering $50,000 as a matching challenge for the Critical Race and Ethnicity Studies Scholarship initiative in her honor.鈥
John is calling on the Augsburg community to support students through the new Critical Race and Ethnicity Studies program. You may give online by clicking , or you can contact Ilse Rolf 鈥93 in our Institutional Advancement office at 612-330-1512 or rolfi@augsburg.edu.
Kris attended Augsburg carrying on a family tradition of Auggies majoring in Psychology. Her parents Jim E. Peterson ’50 and Gladys M. Dahlberg ’52 met at Augsburg, fell in love, and were married after Jim completed seminary at Luther Seminary.
鈥淚 remember my first week at Augsburg I called and said I want to come home. I missed my mom鈥檚 home cooked meals, I hated living in the dorms. My dad said no, you have to live there at least one year and have that college experience and then you can decide next year. He was right. Two weeks in I absolutely loved it,鈥 says Kris.
Kris pursued a career with the airline industry for many years. Then in 2009, she left to pursue a career in real estate with faith-based company Keller Williams. Faith has always been important to Kris and her family. Kris’s grandfather, uncle, and great-uncle were also Lutheran ministers.
鈥淢y parents tithed 10% regardless, before food or anything else. That was instilled in me very young. To the church, Augsburg, etc. In order to keep things running, they need money. I think it鈥檚 important for all alumni to give at any level. You don鈥檛 need to give $25K. Even $20 is important. If everyone gave that much, think of what that adds up to,鈥 says Kris.
Over the years, Kris has continued to stay involved with Augsburg, serving on the Board and Augsburg Women Engaged Advisory Council. And now she has established a new scholarship 鈥 the Kristine Pearson Endowed Scholarship 鈥 to support women becoming ordained ministers in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA).
Jim ’50 and Gladys ’52 Peterson
鈥淢y parents have a scholarship at Augsburg in memory of their parents, in Physicians鈥 Assistant studies. As I was doing estate planning I was thinking about where I would want some of my money to go. Augsburg means a lot to me because I鈥檓 an alumna, but also because my parents met there,鈥 says Kris. 鈥淚鈥檓 an ELCA delegate to my church, we have a female bishop which I love, and we don鈥檛 have enough women going into seminary.鈥
Kris hopes her scholarship will help students overcome the financial burden of a higher education. She also hopes her scholarship will encourage others to think about endowing scholarships 鈥 now or as part of their retirement or estate plan.
鈥淭hankfully we have those that can give big gifts and we need them, but in order to serve our students, we need everyone to participate. My generation, the Boomers, are not the tithers our parents were. But I think we need to get back to giving more. I would encourage people to look at what $20/month would look like in their budget.鈥
鈥淚 love Advent Vespers. I鈥檝e been going for 30+ years. This year, we鈥檙e not going to have Vespers, Velkommen Jul, and some of those things that rejuvenate us as an Augsburg community. So I would encourage people to take some time to go back and study the history of Augsburg and how Augsburg was founded, the campus, Murphy Square, and Luther Seminary鈥檚 affiliate history with Augsburg and be proud of the fact that you are part of a great institution.鈥
David and Karen (Jacobson) Haugen Endowed Scholarship Fund supports students majoring in science.
Karen鈥檚 family has a long history with Augsburg. She attended Augsburg, graduating in 1967. Karen鈥檚 brother and nephew also went to Augsburg. Her uncle, Conrad Sunde, left his estate to Augsburg after multiple conversations with Jeroy Carlson, a senior development officer for Augsburg known as 鈥淢r. Augsburg.鈥
鈥淚 have always thought of giving to Augsburg,鈥 Karen says.
Philanthropy also runs deep with her family. When Karen was 10 years old, her small town raised money to build a hospital. She remembers her family not having much money, but her parents still made a pledge.
David was the first in his family to go to college. Growing up in Minneapolis, Augsburg was the obvious choice for higher education because he could live at home and still work while in school. David鈥檚 parents also regularly gave to their church and supported missionaries, instilling a sense of philanthropy in him at a young age.
The Haugen鈥檚 both credit Augsburg鈥檚 great education as the start of their successful careers. David went to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for biochemistry and felt he was as well prepared as any student.
鈥淭he buildings, campus, so many accommodations for people with disabilities, so much diversity. All the emphasis on working with people in the neighborhood is so inspiring. And seeing the new building and labs now is so impressive,鈥 says David.
The couple established the David and Karen (Jacobson) Haugen Endowed Scholarship Fund through a portion of their estate. The scholarship will support students majoring in the sciences.
鈥淔or us, giving a large sum of money now is not possible. But, we鈥檙e so glad we can do it from our estate, because that is possible. I鈥檓 glad this is an option,鈥 says Karen.
Karen and David hope that the scholarship will encourage students to consider a career in science, or at least an opportunity to be literate in science.
Augsburg students in Vanuatu, including Mark Johnson 鈥75 and Professor Tim Pippert
A few years ago, Mark Johnson 鈥75 updated his estate plans to include Augsburg. He wanted his estate gift to honor Professor Joel Torstenson, the 鈥渇ather鈥 of Sociology at Augsburg who started the Metro-Urban Studies program at Augsburg in 1971. Mark was one of the first students to graduate from Augsburg鈥檚 Metro-Urban Studies program, now called Urban Studies. He also went on Augsburg鈥檚 first Scandinavian Urban Studies Semester trip to Oslo, Norway. Mark鈥檚 gift will fund a professorship for faculty in the Urban Studies or Sociology departments.
Mark has been very involved at Augsburg since graduating in 1975. Along with joining the Board of Regents, Mark has been in constant contact with the Urban Studies and Sociology departments. And his connection has gone above and beyond monetary gifts.
鈥淐ommunity involvement is important,鈥 Mark said. 鈥淢y job was a chance to encourage people to reach out beyond themselves and to seek ways to be a bridge builder of relationships.鈥
As Mark witnessed the impact of quality faculty in today鈥檚 educational environment, he wanted to support the transformational effect of an education rich in experiences. This is why he started the Torstenson Scholars in 2015.
Professor Joel Torstenson
Joel Torstenson came to Augsburg as a history major from rural West Central Minnesota. After graduating in 1938, he worked in education for farmer鈥檚 co-ops. He began teaching part-time at Augsburg upon earning a master鈥檚 degree in history and sociology. During the war years, he became involved in the peace movement and participated in establishing a cooperative farm community, which led to employment with Midland Cooperatives as an educational director and community organizer. In the fall of 1947, President Christensen invited him back to Augsburg to develop its programs in social work and sociology while completing his doctorate in sociology at the University of Minnesota.
Today, the legacy of Joel Torstenson lives on through the Torstenson Scholars program, sociology and metro-urban studies majors, the Strommen Center for Meaningful Work, HECUA, and the college-wide 鈥淓ngaging Minneapolis鈥 requirement. Torstenson鈥檚 work also gave birth to the college-wide requirement that started as the 鈥淯rban Concern,鈥 which was succeeded by the 鈥淐ity Perspective,鈥 and is now known as the 鈥淓ngaging Minneapolis鈥 requirement.
Students in the Torstenson Scholars program are financially supported for one academic year, which includes a research trip with the Sociology or Urban Studies department. Mark鈥檚 funding has been used in four significant trips: a research trip to Vanuatu in September of 2018; two research trips to Williston, North Dakota, in 2017 and 2019 to study the effects of the oil boom on a small town; and a community research project in Two Harbors, Minnesota, Mark鈥檚 hometown.
As a Regent, Mark came to understand the significant positive impact of philanthropy at Augsburg.
鈥淭he question always has been: How can we manage change for the good of all?鈥 says Mark.
He didn鈥檛 want to wait for the day when the estate gift would arrive at Augsburg’s door. Instead, he decided to launch the Torstenson Professorship now so he can actively participate in the things that will be supported by gifts in his estate plan. Mark also wants to encourage his fellow Auggies to join him in honoring Professor Torstenson.
Mark has seeded the endowed professorship fund with a gift of $50,000 and an available match of another $100,000. He hopes others will join him by giving to the fund to remember Joel’s legacy.
鈥淛oel touched many lives and I think a contribution to the professorship is a great way to commemorate that. All contributors to this fund 鈥 a small gift or large gift 鈥 will be acknowledged equally,鈥 says Mark.
Until the endowed fund reaches $250,000, Mark is funding the professorship annually.
Briana Mitchell 鈥19, Britta Andress 鈥19, and Professor Tim Pippert in Vanuatu
“We are so grateful to Mark Johnson for his generosity and vision in honoring the Torstenson legacy at Augsburg with this professorship,鈥 says President Paul Pribbenow. 鈥淚t is particularly meaningful to me that Professor Tim Pippert will be the first incumbent of the Torstenson Endowed Professor. I have had the privilege to teach with Tim and to witness his commitment to our students.鈥
Professor Timothy Pippert joined the Augsburg faculty in 1999.聽 He holds bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚, and doctoral degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His teaching interests center on family systems, juvenile delinquency, homelessness and affluence, statistics, research methods, and race, class, and gender. In 2011, he received the Distinguished Contributions to Teaching and Learning – Excellence in Teaching Award.
If you would like to donate to the Torstenson Professorship, or are interested in funding a new professorship, please contact Amy Alkire at alkirea@augsburg.edu or 651-323-4844.
Dennis King 鈥70 credits Augsburg with helping him develop the tools and mind-set needed to succeed in life.
鈥淚 did not fully realize this during my professional career. It hit me when I retired and looked at my life in retrospect.鈥
His career, first in Spanish Language Education and then International Business in Latin America, stretched his mind to work successfully in other cultures, languages, and with divergent points of view.
Dennis studied at Augsburg in the late 60鈥檚 when the Canadian Philosopher, Marshall McLuhan, was widely read regarding media. He coined the phrase 鈥淕lobal Village鈥 and in many respects predicted the World Wide Web and the inevitable move toward globalization.
鈥淎ll of this transformed me along the way.鈥
Dennis established the Dennis and Anita King Endowed Fund to honor his wife, Anita. Dennis met Anita at Augsburg before she transferred to the University of Minnesota. Anita supported and participated in Dennis鈥檚 professional journey throughout their 42 years of marriage. Dennis hopes that this gift will help other Auggies on their path to find the same kind of fulfillment that he found.
鈥淚 believe the Study Abroad Program at 绿茶直播 is the vehicle to do this.鈥
Dean Sundquist with Hagfors Center artist Greta McClain in January 2018.
鈥淚t takes a long time to create success and business is no exception,鈥 says Dean Sundquist 鈥81, an Augsburg Regent and chairman and CEO of Mate Precision Tooling. 鈥淚鈥檓 investing in the long view and success of Augsburg.鈥
As a businessman and entrepreneur, Dean Sundquist 鈥81 and his wife Amy have made . Their most recent commitment will add to the Augsburg endowment as a leadership gift to Great Returns: Augsburg’s Sesquicentennial Campaign. Great Returns will support Augsburg鈥檚 mission by securing gifts to strategic priorities including endowments, distinctive faculty, and key programs. The Sundquists鈥 gift will endow the third professorship for Augsburg in the largest department at the University.
鈥淭he things I was looking for when I went to college are still relevant to the reasons I invest in Augsburg. I wanted a smaller school in the city. Minneapolis is a good city for business. Being so close to downtown offered me access along with a close community feeling on campus. That continues to be a competitive edge for Augsburg.鈥
In addition, Dean appreciates the importance of great teaching and faculty.
鈥淎s a student I majored in and loved business. Yet the most influential professor for me was a political scientist, Myles Stenshoel. He taught constitutional law which drew me in. He taught me how to write, to love history, and to understand and embrace freedom. Those lessons stayed with me through graduate school and in my life as a businessman.鈥
Investing in聽Business
While working at Mate Precision Tooling in the time between Augsburg and the University of Minnesota, Dean was asked to research a product that Mate found hard to get. 鈥淭hen we realized we could make it ourselves just as well. So we started Command Tooling Systems to do that. I sold that company in 1997.鈥
鈥淎t first the business was just me, and then it grew. We kept our focus on a customer and market orientation. We鈥檝e been able to maintain stable growth and that keeps me interested. I love the whole discipline of business.鈥
Investing in the department of Business Administration is a dream of Dean鈥檚.
鈥淏usiness Administration is the largest department with the most majors on campus. Business is a positive and good for society. I鈥檓 investing in promoting the power of capitalism. I want the faculty who hold this position to be pro-capitalism, pro-business, and pro-freedom.鈥
According to Monica Devers, Dean of Professional Studies, 鈥淎n Augsburg education is based on excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies. This generous gift from Dean Sundquist to create an endowed professorship will play a significant role in recruiting and retaining the very best faculty to our Business Administration department at Augsburg.鈥
鈥溌滩柚辈 has a long tradition of highly engaged teachers and scholars. Recruitment of the best faculty supports and enhances our academic excellence and that, in turn, attracts students to our institution. This endowed professorship will elevate the visibility of the faculty and the unique aspects of our undergraduate and graduate business programs.鈥
As a Regent Dean keeps his attention on building a great future for Augsburg.
鈥淚 see the Augsburg leadership team rising to the challenges of higher education. President Paul Pribbenow keeps learning new ways to work. He has done really well to stay aggressive and to invest in going to the next step. The fundamentals are in place. I have a lot of faith in the way Augsburg is moving forward. They do a lot with the resources they have. I say to others, Take Note! Augsburg has worked hard to position itself. They are on the edge in a good way. There鈥檚 no coasting at Augsburg and I like that. I say, let鈥檚 keep the momentum going and keep our foot on the gas!鈥
One of Dean鈥檚 hopes in making this major gift to Augsburg is that it will encourage others to make similar and even more significant gifts.
鈥淥ther places have gotten really big gifts to their endowments鈥攇ifts of $25 million or more. I want Augsburg to receive more transformative gifts because an Augsburg education is a transformative one.鈥
Department chair Dr. Jeanne Boeh declared, 鈥淒ean is a superior role model for our students as they begin their vocations with a career in business. We thank him for the hard work and vision which has enabled this very much appreciated gift.”
Bishop Herb Chilstrom鈥檚 journey from poor, small-town boy to first presiding bishop of the ELCA began with a spiritual awakening at age 14. By the time Bishop Chilstrom 鈥54 reached college age his goal to become an ordained minister was clear, but the source of funds to pay for college was less certain. 鈥淭here weren鈥檛 many scholarships at the time I attended Augsburg,鈥 he remembers. Knowing that his parents wouldn鈥檛 be able to give him more than a five dollar bill every once in a while, he chose to attend the Lutheran college located in the heart of the job-rich Twin Cities: Augsburg. There, he knew, he鈥檇 be able to find a job 鈥 or two or three jobs (at the same time), as it turned out. That experience and a desire to help today鈥檚 students led the bishop and his wife, the Reverend E. Corinne Chilstrom, to establish the Corinne and Herbert Chilstrom Scholarship for students interested in social work or the ordained ministry. If you give a student some kind of financial support, he says, 鈥淚t means you鈥檙e doing well, and we want to help you.鈥
A social conscience emerges
When Bishop Chilstrom arrived at Augsburg he began to realize that both his spiritual journey and his view of the world had been too narrow-minded. 鈥淚 had too many pat answers,鈥 he remembers. Augsburg professors like Joel Torstenson, sociology, challenged him to open windows to the world. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 wealthy, but I realized I had the privilege of simply being white, and that opened doors that weren鈥檛 open for others. Joel impressed on us that we have a profound responsibility to those who did not have the advantages we had.鈥 At Augsburg, says Bishop Chilstrom, he learned about Christianity鈥檚 call to fight injustice and how to live a courageous life. He began to develop the radical social conscience for which he later became known.
Those who do not learn from history 鈥
鈥淭o be an effective pastor you really have to study the Bible and theology and church history, but you also have to have a much broader perspective,鈥 says Bishop Chilstrom. 鈥淪ociology really broadened my world, and I fell in love with history, thanks to Professor Carl Chrislock.鈥 He recalls Anne Pedersen, 鈥渢he best English teacher in the world,鈥 who opened his mind to literature and instilled respect for the English language. He was amazed by President Bernhard Christensen鈥檚 intellect. 鈥淚t was awesome to hear him reach into the depths of his mind and spirit and pull poetry and prose and Biblical understanding together.鈥 He remembers sitting in chapel and thinking, 鈥淗e鈥檚 the kind of person I would like to be.鈥
Augsburg also provided opportunities to stretch his leadership wings. He became president of the campus youth group his sophomore year, and as student body president his junior year, he led the student campaign to raise funds for Memorial Library. He went on to earn degrees from Augustana Theologial Seminary and Princeton Theological Seminary and his doctorate from New York University. He became a parish minister, professor and church leader, serving as the first bishop of the fledgling ELCA from 1987 to 1995.
Tither turned philanthropist
鈥淎fter I had an enlightening experience as a teenager, one of the first things I discovered is that people who believe put their faith on the line by giving,鈥 says Chilstrom. While still in high school he began tithing 10 percent. 鈥淚 gave at least 10 percent all through my life,鈥 he explains. 鈥淣ow Corinne and I are able to give much more than that, and it鈥檚 a lot of fun.鈥
鈥淚 think people are interested in what Augsburg is doing to educate students so they can be of ministry in the world,鈥 says Martha Gisselquist 鈥86. Her gifts help 绿茶直播 do just that, while lifting up programs that are dear to her heart: To honor her family鈥檚 Augsburg legacy and celebrate their shared love of music, she gives for the Clement A. Gisselquist Church Music Endowed Scholarship Fund. Martha, a nurse by training, also generously supports and passionately advocates for Augsburg鈥檚 nursing outreach programs. 鈥淚 just want Augsburg students to be successful in their professions and find ways to be of service to the community.鈥
Borghild and Martha Gisselquist ’86
A Musical Legacy
Martha comes from good Auggie stock: Her father, the Rev. Clement A. Gisselquist 鈥41, all five of her siblings, and many other family members attended Augsburg. Her uncle, Orloue Gisselquist attended Augsburg and was a professor of history for three decades. Since 1987, the Gisselquist Fund has provided support to 37 music students, with preference given to students of organ and/or choral music who hope to serve in the ministry of music of the Lutheran Church. 鈥淎ugsburg was close to [Clement鈥檚] heart and we knew that music was something he was always interested in,鈥 explained Martha鈥檚 mother, Borghild Gisslequist, in an Augsburg Now article. 鈥淚 always wish the scholarships could be more,鈥 says Martha, 鈥渂ut every little bit helps as they try to make their tuition.鈥
Nursing students, faculty and alumni serving the community
While the family connection to Augsburg is strong, it was the nursing program in Weekend College (now the Adult Undergraduate Program) that drew Martha to Augsburg as a student in the 1980s. The program offered her a chance to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (which she needed to advance her career) while continuing to work fulltime as a manager with Ebenezer鈥檚 home care and community service programs.
To Augsburg she brought a passion for nursing outreach that thrived as she became involved in the Nursing Center (now the Augsburg Central Health Commons), which provided students with public health experience and helped meet Minneapolis鈥 growing homeless population鈥檚 health needs. She went on to graduate with the first Weekend College nursing class. Degree in hand, she continued to advance her career, which culminated in long term care insurance product development with United HealthCare.
“If you鈥檝e done it unto the least of these, you鈥檝e done it unto me.”
Now retired, Martha volunteers at Health Commons weekly. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of counseling, blood pressure checks, wound care, and foot care,鈥 she explains. She works alongside Augsburg nursing faculty, students, and alumni, while community volunteers distribute contributed toiletries. She also supports this and other Augsburg community nursing work with gifts to the Nursing Outreach Endowed Fund. The Fund supports programs like Health Commons that provide health care and services to underserved communities, while also providing practicum sites for students.
Recognizing Martha鈥檚 commitment to nursing outreach, one of her nephews made a gift to the Fund in honor of her birthday. 鈥淗e just went online and did it,鈥 she says. 鈥淗e knew it was something that I鈥檇 really appreciate.鈥 Martha hopes that others will join her in supporting experiences that provide nursing students at all levels the opportunity to integrate curricular studies, experiential learning, and service. 鈥淭he needs are great out there,鈥 she reminds us. 鈥淚f you have the time, abilities and interest, there are so many ways that you can serve and be God鈥檚 hands.鈥
鈥淕o west, young man!鈥 was the mantra guiding the young Philip Formo in his college selection. But after graduating from Pacific Lutheran University in 1968, he must have heeded a different axiom: 鈥淵es, you can go home again.鈥 Home again he came, not only to finish a special education degree at St. Cloud State University and a divinity degree at Luther Seminary, but also to pick up the Formo family legacy where it left off鈥攁t Augsburg.
Now a retired ELCA pastor, Phil, his wife, Jean, and their niece, Dawn, are the primary Formo forces behind not one, not two, but three separate scholarships honoring various family members and extending generosity to future Augsburg students.
鈥淚 was the first person on both sides of the family not to go to Augsburg,鈥 says Phil. 鈥淢y mother met my father in chemistry class there. She was in nursing and needed help, and he was good in chemistry. They also both sang in the first Augsburg choir concert that ever took place, after the men鈥檚 chorus and the women鈥檚 chorus merged.鈥 His parents, Jerome and Winifred, both 鈥37, were extremely dedicated to Augsburg and stayed deeply involved in all things Auggie throughout their lifetimes. Jerome received a Distinguished Alumni Award in 1983 and was also a Regent Emeritus.
In 2009, Phil designated proceeds from their estate to establish the Jerome and Winifred Formo Scholarship for music majors or those with a strong interest in choral music directing. Seven students have already benefited from this fund, but it was not the first Formo scholarship. That distinction belongs to the David J. Formo Scholarship, which was established in 1979 and is awarded annually to a junior or senior student who has successfully overcome adversity to achieve academic and extracurricular excellence.
鈥淢y brother David graduated from Augsburg in 1964 and became a U.S. Navy commander whose plane went down in the Mediterranean Sea on November 3, 1979, the same day that Iran took U.S. captives. Before that, he had delivered to the Shah of Iran the gift of a new jet. It鈥檚 really a small world,鈥 mused Phil.
The scholarship to honor his brother was the first for the Formo family, but not the last. When Phil retired in 2011, he decided to write a book about his maternal grandfather, Andreas Helland, who immigrated from Norway in 1889, attended Augsburg Seminary, and served there as New Testament professor for 35 years. 鈥淗e was also very involved in fundraising. In those days you did everything, and he was really good at stewardship. One of his daughters, Beatrice, married Norman Anderson, who was the fundraiser for the first science building at Augsburg, and they were all there for the groundbreaking. My grandfather was the first to give a major gift,鈥 Phil recalls.
Proceeds from Phil鈥檚 book, Papa鈥擜 Life Remembered, along with contributions from his own family and his parents鈥 estate, fund the Andreas Helland Scholarship, established In 2012 for students with financial need and academic achievement. 鈥淓ducation is so important, but we all know how expensive college is,鈥 Phil says. 鈥淚f students can get through in four years instead of five or six, they will have saved the equivalent of two years鈥 salary.鈥
Phil is sold not only on the value of affordable education, but also on the value of Augsburg. 鈥淚鈥檝e always been amazed by what Augsburg, long known as a conservative Lutheran school, has become. What they are today is just awe-inspiring鈥攖heir involvement in the community and openness to everyone is incredible. Culturally, they have really been able to reach out, to take minorities seriously,鈥 he says. 鈥淔or the only ELCA college in the city, what a unique opportunity.鈥
Out of family tragedy, springs student opportunity
The Lester A. Dahlen Family Endowed Scholarship is a bountiful blessing. It rewards 绿茶直播 students鈥 hard work and provides financial assistance, while also assuring the family of Rev. Lester Dahlen that their family鈥檚 values will live on at Augsburg and be carried into the world. 鈥淎s graduates go on to their lives after Augsburg, we hope they will be loving Christian people wherever they are and that they will touch whomever they can with the love of Jesus,鈥 explains Barb (Dahlen) Cornell.
A blessing today, the scholarship sprang from a family tragedy more than 50 years ago. In 1966, when Barb was 18 and her sister, Ginny (Dahlen) Baali 鈥72, was 16, their brother Paul died in a plane crash with fellow Augsburg senior Jerry Pryd. Paul was pursuing a social studies major and physical education minor and, like his father before him, he played on the Auggie baseball team. To memorialize their son and highlight the importance of Augsburg to their family, Rev. Lester Dahlen 鈥39, 鈥42 and Marian Dahlen established the Paul Dahlen Memorial Scholarship to help students who had Christian purpose, demonstrated academic achievement and participated in extracurricular activities.
Blessed by Augsburg
Ginny (Dahlen) Baali ’72 and Barb (Dahlen) Cornell
鈥淥ur family鈥檚 connection to Augsburg started with Dad,鈥 explains Barb, who supports the scholarship along with Ginny. A Minneapolis native, Rev. Dahlen enrolled in Augsburg in 1935 and quickly became involved in athletics, choir, student government and other organizations. 鈥淎ugsburg helped prepare him for God鈥檚 calling and to be a man of faith and missions,鈥 she continues.
鈥淓ver since we were little kids we heard about Augsburg from our dad,鈥 remembers Barb. Rev. Dahlen often brought the family to concerts, games and other campus events and, in later years, he sometimes wore Paul鈥檚 letter jacket. He was grateful for his lasting friendships with Augsburg greats Leland Sateren 鈥35, Edor Nelson 鈥38, Ernie Anderson 鈥37, Sig Hjelmeland 鈥41 and others.
After graduating from Augsburg Seminary, he served several parishes during the course of his 40-year career. The family did mission work in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and Rev. Dahlen also served as Lutheran Free Church Director of World Missions and staff member of the American Lutheran Church Division of World missions. 鈥淎ugsburg was in his heart always,鈥 remembers Barb. Their mother also held Augsburg in high regard: Marian worked in the financial aid office and joined the Augsburg Associates to provide volunteer support.
A Lasting Memorial
When Marian passed in 2003, memorial gifts boosted the scholarship fund. When Rev. Dahlen passed in 2012, a portion of his estate and memorial gifts further augmented the fund. Around that time Ginny and Barb fine-tuned the scholarship criteria to clarify their parents鈥 intent and more closely represent their family鈥檚 values. 鈥淏arb and I have continued to be representatives of the scholarship,鈥 explains Ginny, who supports other Augsburg programs in addition to the family fund. The scholarship gives priority to students who are involved in campus ministry and pursuing a major or minor in physical education, and who demonstrate financial need and academic achievement. 鈥淧eople who have a faith background should come to the school and be blessed by it,鈥 says Barb.
And after graduation? 鈥淚 hope that scholarship alumni will be Christian witnesses to those around them, reach out in love and share their faith with others,鈥 says Barb. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important that Augsburg鈥檚 Christian legacy be nurtured and encouraged for all the students who will attend and be blessed by the school. That鈥檚 why we want to continue with this.鈥
