Summer 2010 - Northwestern College

Class notesclass NotesJean (Roelofs) Miersma’45 received a BRAVO Award,which recognizes individuals for acts ofoutstanding service in support of publicsafety in Bellflower, Calif. She was honoredfor her role as a foster parent, along withher husband, Ed, to over two dozen babiesover the years.Nancy (Den Hartog)’68 Hurley, San Marcos, Calif.,recently retired after more than 30 yearsof teaching. Her last job was in Encinitas,where she taught middle school theatrefor nine years. Her book, 175 TheatreGames: Warm-up Exercises for Actors, waspublished in October.The Rev Mark Kraai’70 recently retired after 25 years ofpastoring churches in Chicago; Kalamazoo,Mich.; and Somerville, N.J. He also taught atNew Brunswick (N.J.) Theological Seminaryfor 10 years. He and his wife, Linda, livein a converted warehouse in downtownKalamazoo. He plays the tuba with theKalamazoo Concert Band.Joe Petrill is in his 39th year of teachingphysical education and coaching weightevents at Somerville High School in NewJersey.The Rev. Nolan Palsma’77 accepted a call as pastor to theCommunity Church at Upper Ridgewood,N.J., after 19 years of serving at Pitcher HillCommunity Church in North Syracuse, N.Y.He is a member of Northwestern’s Board ofTrustees.Jim Boeve was inducted’82 into the NAIA Hall of Fame atthe American Baseball Coaches Association(ABCA) convention in Dallas. The headbaseball coach at Nebraska’s HastingsCollege since 1989, he was named theGPAC Coach of the Year in 2009. An ABCAofficer for eight years, he served a twoyearstint as president and developed thebaseball playoff format now used by theNAIA.Marty Guthmiller, chief executiveofficer of Orange City Area Health Systemsince 1994, was named one of two finalistsfor the American Hospital Association’sShirley Ann Munroe Leadership Award.The award recognizes the accomplishmentsof small or rural hospital leaderswho have improved health care delivery intheir communities through innovative andprogressive efforts. Guthmiller oversaw theconstruction of a new $32 million medicalcampus, was instrumental in developinga new community daycare center andpreschool on the health system’s property,and served as president of a rural regionaldialysis center and Community HealthPartners of Sioux County.Lynn (Patton) Schneider receivedthe inaugural Leader Among Us EmeraldAward presented by the Holyoke (Colo.)School District in April. A third grade teacher,Schneider was recognized for being aninspirational leader.Marlo Van Peursem is the theatre andspeech director at Pella (Iowa) ChristianHigh School. For three years in a row,his one-act competition team has beenselected as one of only eight ensembles toperform at the IHSSA All-State Festival inAmes. This year PCHS’s one-act was alsonamed “Critic’s Choice” as the festival’stop one-act. Van Peursem and his wife,Sue (Dalman), are the parents ofthree daughters, including KristinaReiter ’09.Jim Svoboda is the’83 new head football coachat the University of Central Missouri inWarrensburg. He previously served as anassistant coach and quarterbacks coach atMontana State University.A poem by Debora’84(Jensen) Smith, entitled“What Christmas Means to Me,” waspublished in the 17th edition of FamousPoets in the Heartland. She lives in EagleGrove, Iowa, and works at Webster CityPreschool-Daycare.Red TiesInt e r v i e w wi t hMar k Bl o e m e n d a a l ’81Director of Alumni RelationsMark Bloemendaal will become director ofalumni relations in July. A member ofNorthwestern’s admissions officesince he graduated, he has been theadmissions director since 2003.What interests you about thealumni director’s job?The primary appeal is being ina position to connect alums withthe many good things happening oncampus. Northwestern’s mission continuesto be focused on transformation, and I reallyenjoy hearing the transforming stories fromgraduates, but sometimes I think we gettrapped into thinking those life-changingmoments and insights happened only when “Iwas there.”What excites you the most about beginningthis new phase of your career?Being challenged to think in a new way. I’m alsoexcited to find out what our graduates are doing. Ithink we’d all be surprised if we knew more aboutwhere and how NWC alums are impacting the world.What experiences shaped your years as aNorthwestern student?[Former chaplain] Jerry Sittser’s challenge to radical Christianity,“getting it” after being challenged by Dr. Lyle Vander Werff tomake the most of learning, being an RA in Colenbrander Hall with Ray Reid as RD, anda war of pranks with others in the plexes.From what you’ve seen, how does the Northwestern of your student dayscompare to the Northwestern of today?I believe the biggest difference is that the NWC of today is comparable to the schoolswe wanted to be like at that time. I believe we have become a leader in Christian highereducation; when I was a student, we were probably more of a follower. The commitmentto integrating faith and learning has remained consistent. Our student body is muchmore diverse, which provides all students with a really rich experience.Kurt Dykstra and Deepak’94 Chopra were among thespeakers at “Wellbeing: The Leading Metricof Thriving Cities,” presented by Gallupin Washington, D.C., May 10. Dykstra isthe mayor of Holland, Mich., which wasnamed the second happiest city in the U.S.,according to The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.Steven Bogaard, Orange’95 City, is the natural sciencelab coordinator at Dordt College. His wife,Rebecca, works at the Sioux Center PublicLibrary.Peter Errington recently’97 moved to Plano, Texas, withhis wife, Esther (Leman ’98), andtheir three children. He is the director ofmobilization at the headquarters of Missionto Unreached Peoples.Stephanie (Hutchcraft) Hamby,Thornton, Colo., is pursuing a master’sdegree in public administration with afocus on nonprofit management from theUniversity of Colorado Denver.HeadingSouth ThisWinter?Let Northwestern know of yourwinter address so we can invite youto alumni gatherings in your area.Contact Mary Beltman:mbeltman@nwciowa.edu712-707-7106Kris Kling was a cast member whenThe Play Company presented the Englishlanguagepremiere of Enjoy, by renownedJapanese playwright Toshiki Okada, thisspring. The off-Broadway production followedthe romantic adventures of 20- and30-year-old workers at a Tokyo mangacafé.The Rev. Derek Vande Slunt pastorsthe Interlaken Reformed Church in NewYork.Heather (Finkelstein)’99 Dalal, Jersey City, N.J., ispursuing a master’s degree in instructionaldesign from the University of MassachusettsBoston. She is an information literacylibrarian at the New Jersey Institute ofTechnology.Denise (Damstra) Morris teachesfirst grade at Oskaloosa (Iowa) Elementary.Josh Neeb was recently’01 promoted to president ofAssociated Bank in Sheboygan, Wis. He hasbeen with the bank for eight years, servingmost recently as a relationship and portfoliomanager.Joy (Hibma) Pritchard, Spirit Lake,Iowa, is a freelance writer, photographerand piano teacher.Josh Russell, Davenport, Iowa, is themanager of technical accounting for JohnDeere in Moline, Ill.Samuel Van Wyk played’03 the role of the young foolin Minneapolis Musical Theatre’s Aprilproduction of Big River: The Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn.Kelli (Vermeer)’04 Cummins, Fort Collins, Colo.,is a records management technician for theEighth Judicial District.Victoria Kastens is Nebraska City’saccount clerk.JIM HEEMSTRA ’72Marilyn Clauss, a retired schoolteacher who continues to sub in West Des Moines,received the 2009 Educator of Character Award from Iowa Character Counts.From Good to Best“Good, better, best: Never let it rest, until your good is better,and your better is best!” When Marilyn (DeBoer ’69) Clauss sharesher motto for learning and life, it sticks in students’ minds andencourages them to be like their teacher: always learning.“When we think we’ve accomplished something, we can alwayslearn more,” says Clauss. That dedication earned her the 2009Educator of Character Award, given by Iowa Character Counts,which honors innovative character development.Clauss retired from 36 years of teaching in 2006. All but two ofthose years were spent teaching second grade in West Des Moines,where she continues to substitute teach regularly.Clauss practices lifelong learning herself. She earned a master’sdegree in special education from the University of Iowa and anadministration certification from Drake University.She also serves on the board of the Storybook Project, whichpromotes literacy by enabling incarcerated parents to read to theirchildren. As a member of Meredith Drive Reformed Church, Claussvolunteers for Habitat for Humanity and assists African refugeestransitioning into the community.b y Em i l y He n n a g e r ’0634 summer 2010 Northwestern Classic 35