Class of 1960 Reunion

Reunion Photo Gallery

Planning Group

Class of 1960 Planning Group: (Above) Dave Shold, Elaine Johnson Evan, Paula Carlson Bramlet, Dennis Kolbrek, Alice Strandlund Beckstrom (Below) Lois Hultberg

Letter

Dear Class of 1960,

Several weeks have slipped by, but I wanted to let you know about the good time we had at Bethel Homecoming 2005 and especially our class reunion. Some of you receiving this letter can say “Amen” to that.

Though the day started out a bit rainy it didn’t dampen the spirit of either the students or visitors. Of course, a special day brightener was when the Bethel Royals beat the Hamline Pipers by a score of 27-0. Quite a number of alumni took advantage of tours of the campus and meetings presented by various academic departments. I attended an organ concert in Benson Great Hall.

In the evening there was a dinner followed by individual class gatherings. Our special guests included Mrs. Nancy Lundquist, Mr. Jerry Healy, Mrs. Donna Johnson, and Mrs. Glori Sundberg. Mrs. Johnson works with student ministries and helped us understand how some of today’s Bethel University students are investing themselves in the community. Mrs. Sundberg is director of the master’s degree program in organizational leadership. It was inspiring to hear of ‘students’ who come from a variety of occupations in the community but are being influenced by Bethel’s commitment to Christian higher education.

Mrs. Lundquist reminded us that we were students at Bethel at a significant time in its history. Her husband Carl came to be president of the college and seminary in 1954, and God used his leadership to facilitate the move to a new campus during a time of significant growth.

I had asked Dwight Jessup to interview Jerry Healy and that was a stroke of genius on my part (though I didn’t know it at the time that I asked Dwight). They were like a tag team, a regular dynamic duo. We laughed so hard we were left weak. Wayne Kindall was attending his first class reunion, and Jerry showed him no mercy as he reminded Wayne of his days playing basketball for Bethel.

Dr. Clarence Bass and Dr. V. Elving Anderson had been invited to be our guests but were unable to attend. We enjoyed a video interview with both of them, and they both continue to be extremely active in their retirement years.

By the way, there are some pictures posted on the homecoming website. See if you can find Roberta Smith Woodberry there. It was her first class reunion as well.

Can you believe there are 2,900 students on the Bethel campus? The Mission Statement may sound a bit different than when we were there but it is essentially the same: Boldly informed and motivated by the Christian faith, Bethel University educates and energizes men and women for excellence in leadership, scholarship, and service. Bethel prepares graduates to serve in strategic capacities to renew minds, live out biblical truth, transform culture, and advance the gospel.

As has always been the case, tuition alone covers only two-thirds of the annual expenses of Bethel. $2.5 million each year is needed beyond tuition. When we were students at the Snelling Avenue campus there were hundreds of alumni and friends of Bethel who made it possible for us to be there. May you find ways to continue to support Bethel University in the future.

I want to encourage you to pray for Bethel. It is inspiring to realize that around the world alumni are praying for the staff and students to continue in God’s guidance.

Sincerely in Christ,

Dennis L. Kolbrek
Reunion Committee Coordinator