1959 Class Reunion

Your Reunion Planning Committee

The 1959 Class Reunion Committee:
Elaine (Duck) Larson, Shirley (Wall) Tulberg, Glenn Pease

Letter from Planning Committee

Dear 1959 Class of Bethel,

Our 45th reunion was very entertaining as Dr. Bass told some jokes and some of the funny things he experienced with students during his 30 some years at Bethel. The food was great and the fellowship even greater. One couldn’t help but feel, as we reflected on our friendships and learning experience, that our years at Bethel were some of the greatest times of our lives.

Those who were at the reunion will not soon forget the revival atmosphere with the class’s biggest sinner on his knees begging for forgiveness for the terrible prank of putting a dead pheasant under the mattress of one of the most innocent members of our class. Don Sension and Richard Nelson were involved, and I’ll let you guess who the sinner was and who the saint was. Roger Bear was not there to hear the confession, but he was the greatest victim.

Another classmate was convicted and confessed to Dr. Bass that she lied when she said she completed the assignment to read through the whole Bible in his Bible survey class. We all got a good laugh when we discovered that she was trying to read the King James Version rather than the RSV, which Dr. Bass assigned. He easily forgave her, not only because it was 45 years ago, but because she was centuries behind in her version.

Still another classmate confessed to being more biblical than what was acceptable, for she and her boyfriend were greeting one another with a kiss—a form of biblical literalism not promoted at the time.

I must confess I have never enjoyed confession so much as I did this soul cleansing reunion. I cannot wait until our 50th reunion—who knows what other atrocities will be admitted. One thing is for sure, all will admit the reunion was a great time to renew our friendships and reflect on the blessings we received from being at Bethel.

Thousands of students are now experiencing the Christian education and atmosphere that changed our lives and made us better and wiser Christians. Our prayer is that Bethel University will continue to have an impact on young lives for Christ, and that they, in turn, will have an impact on the world for Christ. Let us be ever in prayer for Bethel, and let us ever support its great task by giving it our financial support to the degree that we have been blessed. God bless, and I hope to see you in 2009.

Yours in Christ,
Glenn Pease