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class notes

class notes

• 1920-29

  Ruth Spangler –29, Newton, at age 100 was featured in the Feb. 10 edition of The Newton Kansan in “Woman translates love of 4-H into college money for many.” For much of her life, Ruth was a schoolteacher and a 4-H project leader. Her recent donation to the Harvey County 4-H Development Fund will help provide scholarships for 4-H participants to attend college.

• 1940-49

  Willard Gaeddert –40, Fredonia, N.Y., was honored at a special 89th birthday celebration in June 2006 by the Fredonia Friends (Quaker) Meeting. More than 75 people attended. In recognition of Willard–s service to Chautauqua County, friends planted a flowering tree on village property across the street from his and his wife–s home. He was a member of the county planning board for more than 30 years (17 years as chair) and has been actively involved in the Democratic Party, in a local center for peace and justice, and in a rural ministry that, among other causes, advocates better living conditions for local migrant workers.

  Robert Guy –40, Durham, N.C., is retired after serving as a captain in the U.S. Navy, working as finance director for the city of Newport, R.I., and teaching public finance at the graduate school level. He travels two or three months a year and hopes to go to Ireland, Switzerland, Germany and London this spring to attend operas in Germany and theater in London.

  Helen Kornelsen –48, Watrous, Sask., translates German materials written in Gothic script into English. She is currently completing such a translation for the Saskatchewan Historical Society.

• 1950-59

  Peter Derksen –53, Abbotsford, B.C., is retired, but serves as part-time pastor at Surrey (B.C.) Mennonite Church, a Japanese-language congregation. He also serves on the Seniors Ministries Team of West Abbotsford Mennonite Church.

  Sarah Dyck –53, Waterloo, Ont., is the translator into English of Many Are the Voices of Home, a 1949 novel written in German by Ilse Schreiber (1886-1980). The book is about two Mennonite families who fled Stalin–s Russia and homesteaded in Saskatchewan in the 1930s. Sarah self-published the translation with the help of Pandora Press. In 1997, she published The Silence Echoes: Memoirs of Trauma and Tears, an anthology of translated memoirs of victims of the Stalinist/Soviet tragedy.

  Marlow Ediger –53, North Newton, had the following manuscripts accepted for publication: “Preparing Teachers for the Teaching of Reading” in Experiments in Education; “Reading Aloud to Children” in Classmate; and “Administration of Schools” in the College Student Journal. He was appointed as external examiner to evaluate Ph.D. theses for Alagappa University, India.

  Marion (Jungas) Franz –55, Edina, Minn., received the 2006 American Dietetic Association Medallion for groundbreaking work in nutrition with those with diabetes; professional leadership within the association and beyond; editing of diabetes and dietetics-related curricula; work as a spokesperson for nutrition, exercise and diabetes; writing in professional and scholarly journals; and promoting diabetes education.

  Jim Goering –57, North Newton, was featured in the Dec. 4, 2006, edition of The Newton Kansan in “From Pretty Prairie farm to palm oil in Malaysia.” The story was about Jim–s work in 70 countries during his career as an agricultural consultant, staff economist for President Lyndon B. Johnson, agricultural policy advisor and director of international programs for World Vision Relief and Development Inc. Jim and his wife Shirley (Suderman) Goering –57 now teach English as a second language in China in summer and lead tour groups.

  Eldine (Franz) Harder –59, North Newton, was featured in the Nov. 16, 2006, edition of The Newton Kansan in “Tiny stitches and tiny peppernuts part of woman–s life of creativity.” Eldine won Best of Show and first-place awards at the 2006 Kansas State Fair in the whole-cloth class for a bed covering that she hand-quilted. It was the first queen-size quilt she had made and the first she had entered in the state fair.

  Joyce Juhnke Kaufman –58, Palo Alto, Calif., retired at the end of 2006 after 36 years as a nurse practitioner at Stanford University Student Health Center.

  Janver Krehbiel –58, Mason, Mich., is director of international programs, a new part-time position at The College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University, East Lansing. He was featured in the winter 2006 issue of the college magazine Perspectives in an article titled “Cultivating Greener Pastures.” Jan retired as CVM associate dean for academic programs in December 2005.

  Donna (Regier) Kroeker –59, Inman, retired from Gregory Inc., a vinyl graphics company, after 18 1/2 years in customer service. She and her husband John continue to farm.

  Wilbur Schmidt –59, Newton, and his wife Arlene are retired and are currently building a garage together.

  George –53 and Ruth (Goossen) Unger –53, Abbotsford, B.C., perform music in worship services at retirement homes and hospitals up to five times a week. George is piano accompanist for the 60-member Abbotsford Male Chorus, which has toured British Columbia and been to Alberta and Manitoba. Ruth has sewn 1,200 skirts for a school in India and sews 30 blankets a year plus many other projects. They also grow vegetables and flowers and Ruth makes arrangements for weddings, concerts, churches and restaurants.

  Inez Unruh –59, Youngtown, Ariz., is the author of two books. The Day I Ran Over Ruby and Frank is a memoir of a child growing up during the Dust Bowl years. Russian John tells the story of Inez–s grandfather when, as a 14-year-old, he emigrated with his family from Ukraine to the United States in 1874.

  James Waltner –55, Goshen, Ind., is the author of the Psalms commentary published by Herald Press in November 2006 as volume 20 in the Believers Church Bible Commentary series.

  Irma (Jahnke) Webb –50, Guelph, Ont., is happily retired, enjoying good health and time for church and other activities.

• 1960-69

  Lauren Friesen –67, Swartz Creek, Mich., received a $50,000 grant from the Weingarten Fund to develop a community based theater program at the University of Michigan-Flint. The grant will be used to develop plays based on local narratives and biographies.

  Kermit Gingerich –65, Mountain Home, Idaho, retired from education in July 2006. He and his wife, Clydene, spent the past 11 years in South Korea where Kermit was elementary principal at Seoul Foreign School. Prior to that, they spent five years at Woodstock School in Mussoorie, India, where Kermit was also an administrator. They returned to Idaho to live on the family ranch along the Snake River. They also own a house in Hesston and plan to spend several months each winter in “balmy” Kansas.

  Charlotte (Eymann) Gordon –65, Tollhouse, Calif., will retire in June from teaching special education in the Sierra Nevada foothills for the past 28 years.

  Mary Ruth (Thompson) Hughes –63, Apple Valley, Calif., is the author of Tishomingo. The book focuses on the people of the Chickasaw Nation, their way of life, politics and assimilation before Oklahoma statehood, and the fictional story of the girl Koi as she grows into womanhood in Tishomingo, Indian Territory. Jane Janzen Zeok –63, Rosamond, Calif., is editor of the book. The two met at Bethel while waiting in line to enroll for classes on the first day of school. After college, their lives took different paths but they have always managed to stay in contact and have remained friends throughout the years. Jane is a retired school counselor and teacher, now living in the Antelope Valley in California. Mary Ruth and Jane plan to do a book-signing tour together in fall.

  Irvin Isaak –67, Reedley, Calif., retired from Kings Canyon Unified School District July 1, 2006, after 37 years with the district. Irvin held the following positions during this time: teacher, coach, dean of students, principal of a continuation school, principal of Reedley High School, administrator for resource development and assistant superintendent for business services.

  Rudy Klaassen –61, Meadow Lake, Sask., has been involved in alternative justice programs and in the local Anglican church since retiring in 1997 as a social worker for the Saskatchewan government.

  Janeal (Crabb) Krehbiel –68, Lawrence, will conduct the National Children–s Choir April 13-15 at Carnegie Hall in New York City as part of the Carnegie Hall Concert Series. The choir will include singers from across the United States. Marilyn (Crabb) Epp –72, Janeal–s sister, will accompany the choir. The two founded the Lawrence Children–s Choir, which will give a separate concert at Carnegie Hall the same evening.

  Gary Lyndaker –68, Gravois Mills, Mo., was appointed by the governor of Missouri to a state Mental Health Transformation Working Group. Gary is director of information technology for the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

  Marlyce (Friesen) Miller –62, Freeman, S.D., retired in November 2006 after working 23 years as a coding specialist in the insurance and billing department of the Rural Medical Clinic in Freeman.

  Jimmy Penner –63, Edmond, Okla., retired after a 29-year career in banking management in California, Washington and Oklahoma. Over the years, he was involved in civic organizations, taught business classes and served in various capacities in community organizations.

  C. Kay Peters –63, Omaha, Neb., has been teaching English as a second language to Japanese students at the College of Saint Mary for the past 14 years, after earning an M.A. in English from the University of Nebraska in 1993. She plans to retire in June.

  Doyle Preheim –63, Santa Fe, N.M., directs a community choir, the Sangre de Cristo Chorale, and does adjunct voice teaching at the College of Santa Fe. He has sung with several Santa Fe music organizations, most notably the Santa Fe Pro Musica and Canticum Novum. He and his wife, Mary Jo (Goering) Preheim –67, moved to Santa Fe in 2003 for “semi-retirement” and are enjoying the natural beauty of the Southwest.

  Cornel Rempel –61, Winnipeg, Man., retired as director of pastoral services and supervisor of clinical pastoral education at Philhaven, a behavioral health-care organization founded by Mennonites in 1952. He and his wife Martha recently moved to Winnipeg.

• 1970-79

  Ruth (Bachman) Beachey –79, Bismarck, N.D., a licensed physical therapist at St. Alexius Medical Center, is in charge of the Balance and Dizziness Center, the first clinic in North Dakota to offer computerized dynamic posturography, a test that evaluates the ability to maintain balance. The clinic also provides training and treatment for inner ear and neurological disorders.

  Mark Ediger –69, Madison, and a team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a new type of super-stable glass using a vapor-deposition method. Pharmaceuticals may benefit from the new technique. Their research, supported by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was done in collaboration with the National Institution of Standards and Technology. The findings were publicized in the Dec. 8, 2006, issue of Science.

  Ron Flaming –74, Akron, Pa., and Bethel professor of Bible and religion Patty Shelly –76, Newton, were part of a U.S. religious delegation to Iran Feb. 17-25. The goal of the trip was to meet religious and political leaders in the hope of improving relations between the people of the two countries. Ron represented Mennonite Central Committee, for which he is international program director. Patty represented Mennonite Church USA as a member of its Executive Board.

  Warren Friesen –75, St. Peter, Minn., conducted the 34-member Gustavus Adolphus College String Orchestra in concert at Bethel College Mennonite Church Jan. 29. Warren is assistant professor of music at Gustavus Adolphus, continues to perform as a violinist and violist, is founder and director of the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra and directs the Quartet Project, a summer workshop for advanced high school string players, which he founded in 1996.

  Geoff Harms –78, Wenatchee, Wash., received a Physician Champion Award in November 2006 from VHA, a national alliance of nonprofit hospitals. Geoff is an interventional cardiologist and helped start the Heart Center at Central Washington Hospital six years ago. Since then, the hospital has been recognized nationally for effective treatment of heart attack victims and patients with coronary artery disease. Geoff and the program were featured in an article in the Dec. 14, 2006, edition of The Wenatchee World.

  Pete Janzen –78, Wichita, is co-author with Bob Gress of The Guide to Kansas Birds and Birding Hotspots, which will be published later this year. The two are nationally known birders. Pete has made extensive field studies of birds through Kansas and the surrounding states and has written about birds in popular and technical publications.

  Lori (Goertz) Keegan –79, Topeka, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Topeka Independent Business Association, which advocates for the rights, welfare and prosperity of small, medium and independently owned (including family-owned) businesses in Topeka and in Kansas at large. She is president and CEO of her own company, Transition By Design Inc.

  Jim Krause –75, Lawrence, has taught banjo at the Americana Music Academy in Lawrence for four years. He and other academy instructors were invited to perform Kansas-themed music and folksongs at the inaugural ball for Governor Kathleen Sebelius Jan. 8.

  Ken Loewen –70, Altona, Man., although retired, continues work as an artist, doing scrap metal sculpture and graphic arts. In 2006, he was involved in an artists– tour with a show set up in his yard, in a local art show and in a show at the Mennonite Heritage Gallery in Winnipeg.

  Judith Loganbill –75, Wichita, was reelected for a fourth term to the Kansas House of Representatives in November 2006, representing the 86th House District in south central Wichita. She serves on the House Education Committee, Federal and State Affairs Committee and Joint Committee on Kansas Security and is the ranking Democrat on the Government Efficiency and Technology Committee.

  Evelyn Mierau –76, Newton, a nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Via Christi-St. Joseph Hospital, Wichita, was featured along with Bethel nursing student Jessie Smith, Wichita, in the Nov. 12, 2006, edition of The Wichita Eagle in “Heartbreak and healing.”

  Debbie Shank Miller –78, Terry Miller –79, David Ortman –75 and Rod Schmidt –77, all of Seattle, held an “alumni mini-reunion” when they and other family members watched their children play in two consecutive soccer championship games in the All City Tournament Dec. 16, 2006.

  John Muthama –77, South Kinangop, Kenya, retired from teaching and educational administration in January 2005. He now farms and continues to enjoy watching track and field events.

  Neal Schwabauer –71, Newton, is one of the founders of the Habitat for Humanity Program in Harvey County. He is also active with Hope Home Repair, a construction program begun in 2003 that repairs homes for the elderly or disabled who can–t do the work themselves or pay someone else to do it. Neal was featured in an article in the Jan. 22 edition of The Newton Kansan.

  Stan Senner –73, Anchorage, Alaska, is the author of a chapter titled “Landscape of the Future” in Arctic Wings: Birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a new book published by Mountaineers Books. Stan is executive director and vice president of Audubon Alaska.

  Dean Parker –77, Derby, is warehouse manager at Spirit AeroSpace, Wichita.

  Keith Ratzlaff –75, Pella, Iowa, won a 2007 Pushcart Prize for his poem “Portrait of her Mother as the 19th Century,” which first appeared in Colorado Review. The annual prize anthology “presents the most distinguished short stories, essays and poetry first published by small presses and magazines nationwide.” Keith–s latest book of poetry is Dubious Angels, published by Anhinga Press in 2005.

  Mark E. Stucky –71, Moundridge, coaches forensics and debate at Moundridge High School. His students have won the 3-2-1A state debate championship for eight of the past 10 years, with their latest win coming in January. He also coached the fourth place finisher in International Extemporaneous Speaking at the 2006 National Forensic League National Tournament in Irving, Texas, last June. Mark–s coaching assistants are his wife, Gail (Niles) Stucky –81, and Larry Temple –71, McPherson.

• 1980-89

  Ann (Goertzen) Claassen –81, Elmira, Ore., is program manager at West Lane Technical Learning Center, an online public high school based in Elmira.

  Dale Claassen –81, Elmira, Ore., was promoted to timber manager at Swanson Group, Noti, Ore.

  Rachel Kasper deBenedet –88, Astoria, N.Y., plays the glamorous Lureena in Adrift in Macao at the 59E59 Theaters complex in New York City. The production is a musical spoof of 1940s film noir about a nightclub singer who lands a job in Macao, China, in 1952. The New York Times gave the show a positive review, saying Rachel recalled “Marlene Dietrich, only with Joan Crawford–s brittle rectangular smile from the Warner Brothers years airbrushed into the mix.” The Feb. 23 issue of Playbill includes an interview with Rachel.

  Jill Graber –84, Moundridge, is co-author with Sharon Skidmore, Newton, of the first book in a series of books titled Balanced Reading. The 450-page instructional manual contains exercises and games that teachers at the third-grade level can use in the classroom.

  Eric Habegger –83, Barcelona, Venezuela, completed his Ed.D. in school administration at Vanderbilt University–s Peabody College of Education and Human Development in December 2006. His dissertation, “A Dialectic Theory for Leadership and Improvisation in the Superintendency: Organizing, Strategizing and Improvising,” applied research on organizational improvisation and jazz musicianship as a way to enhance leadership in rapidly changing environments. Eric and his wife, Lisa (Loeffler) Habegger –83, are employed by The Colegio Internacional Puerto La Cruz, an American International school on the Caribbean coast in Venezuela, Eric as superintendent and Lisa as librarian. In July, they will move to The American School of Asuncion, Paraguay, where Eric will be director general and Lisa the K-12 librarian.

  Kurt Harder –81, Hesston, teaches history at Hesston High School, farms and also impersonates historical character and conscientious objector A. J. Muste in churches, schools and other settings upon request. Kurt dresses the part to share the story of this early 20th century “peace agitator” who was also active in the American labor movement and resigned as a Dutch Reformed Church minister when he could not reconcile his convictions with World War I. The presentations are sponsored by the Heartland Peace Tax Group, Newton.

  Daniel Hege –87, Jamesville, N.Y., was guest conductor of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra for two performances in October 2006. He also was guest conductor of the Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony Orchestra Feb. 11, in a Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts program in Memorial Hall celebrating the symphony–s 50th anniversary. Dan is in his seventh season as music director of the Syracuse (N.Y.) Symphony Orchestra.

  Jon McCammond –88, Santa Barbara, Calif., is author of “Noncrossing Partitions in Surprising Locations” in the August-September 2006 issue of the American Mathematical Monthly of the Mathematical Association of America.

  Elaine (Schmidt) Miller –84, Mount Hope, is a social worker with SRS and works part time with COMCARE, Wichita, which provides adult community support services.

  Beth Hege Piatote –89, Eugene, Ore., was awarded a Whiting Fellowship in the Humanities and is completing her dissertation on Native American literature and law at Stanford University.

  Rich Preheim –89, Elkhart, Ind., has been interim director of the Mennonite Church USA Historical Committee since October 2006. He continues work as a freelance writer and is writing a book on the history of the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference.

  Allison (Kaufman) Russell –94, Garnett, was named Outstanding Elementary Music Educator in the Southeast District of the Kansas Music Educators Association. She has been the elementary chair for the Southeast District for the past four years. Allison teaches grade 2-5 music at Garnett Elementary Center.

  Mark R. Schmidt –88, Lawrence, was promoted to De Soto USD 232 human resource director, effective July 1, after serving as principal of Lexington Trails Middle School, De Soto, since 1998. Mark–s promotion was noted in a feature article in the Jan. 18 edition of The De Soto Explorer.

  David Sprunger –82, Fargo, N.D., was appointed to an endowed chair in English at Concordia College and received the Prausnitz English Department Award, given to faculty members who have had an influence on thousands of students through curriculum development and articulation of the liberal arts. Nominated by colleagues, David was chair of the English department and served on a team that created a new college-wide general education curriculum in 2000-01.

  Kathryn (Schmidt) Steely –87, Hewitt, Texas, received the Maurice W. Riley Award from the American Viola Society for distinguished contributions to the society and the viola at International Viola Congress XXXIV in Montreal in June 2006.

  Tim Wall –84, Goshen, Ind., was elected 2007 vice president/president-elect for the Indiana chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

  Amy Wiens –84, Columbus, Ohio, will receive a master–s degree from Wright State University to be a certified nurse practitioner.

  Connie Hart Yellowman –80, El Reno, Okla., is executive director of Red Earth Inc., an educational nonprofit organization working to promote the rich traditions of American Indian arts and cultures through education, an annual festival, a museum and fine art markets.

• 1990-99

  Marlene (Lemmer) Beeson –90, Newton, is director of the Heart to Heart Child Advocacy Center in Newton. She is the center–s first full-time director since its creation in 2000 and was featured in an article in the Jan. 19 edition of The Newton Kansan.

  Ben Benavides III –97, San Antonio, is varsity linebacker coach and head track and field coach at John F. Kennedy High School, his alma mater.

  Jennifer (Hess) Buller –97, Sutton, Neb., spent 17 days in Thailand in October 2006 with four other members of Bethesda Mennonite Church, Henderson, Neb. The group planned and conducted English camps for 350 children in remote villages of rural Thailand.

  Rachel Dirks –92, Lawrence, was honored in December by the Northeast District of the Kansas Music Educators Association as the outstanding high school music educator. She is serving a two-year term as president-elect of the organization and will serve two years as president, followed by two years as past president.

  Johann Eberhart –93, Eugene, Ore., received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pathway to Independence Award, part of a new transition grant program that funds up to two years of post-doctoral training with research support at $90,000 per year and for the first three years as a faculty member in a new position at $250,000 per year. The new awards are part of an NIH effort to help establish the next generation of investigators as they begin their careers. Johann is currently in a post-doctoral fellowship in developmental neurobiology at the University of Oregon.

  Gary R. Entz –90, McPherson, wrote the lead article in the fall 2006 issue of The Journal of Mormon History. It was titled “The Bickertonites: Schism and Reunion in a Restoration Church, 1880-1905.”

  Jon Ewert –98, Saguache, Colo., was appointed Area 9 aquatic (fisheries) biologist in the Colorado Division of Wildlife, based out of Hot Sulphur Springs (Kremmling), Colo. He is in charge of managing the fish populations in the upper Colorado River watershed – Grand Lake, Lake Granby, Colorado River, Dillon Reservoir, Williams Fork River and Reservoir, the Blue River, Green Mountain Reservoir and countless small streams and high lakes in upper Colorado. Jon considers it the “job I was born to do.”

  Neil Hamill –99, Prairie Village, is finishing his OB/GYN residency at the University of Kansas Medical Center and will be starting a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at Wayne State University/Hutzel Hospital in Detroit.

  Walter Holmes –97, Killeen, Texas, is a field engineer with EPG NewTec, working out of Fort Hood, Texas, on software development of the C3Driver.

  Keven Huang –95, Gaithersburg, Md., received a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, in 2006 and is in a post-doctoral position at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

  Angela Lehman-Rios –94, Richmond, Va., is editor of two local magazines, Richmond Parents Monthly and Fifty Plus.

  Arthur Marks –93, New York, gave a standing-room-only vocal concert in Century II–s Mary Jane Teall Theater in Wichita Jan. 7. The free concert, open to the public, was sponsored by Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, Wichita, to celebrate its 75th anniversary.

  Mark Regier –90, Elkhart, Ind., received the Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) Service Award at the organization–s SRI in the Rockies conference in Colorado Springs, Colo., in October 2006. The award recognizes professionals in SRI work who have demonstrated leadership, innovation, high standards of professional conduct and accomplishment in collaboration with other industry leaders. Mark oversees stewardship investing at MMA. He is only the third staffer of a faith-based organization to receive the award in the past 17 years.

  Manuel Rios –95, Richmond, Va., teaches eighth grade civics and economics. In fall 2006, he began graduate studies in school administration and leadership.

  Brian Roth –91, Abilene, was named 2006 Teacher of the Year by peers after being nominated as one of five teachers from the Abilene schools for the award. Brian has taught history at Abilene High School for 11 years. He was selected for his innovative use of technology and the Internet in his teaching, including linking assignments and receiving student work through the Web. Brian also coaches freshman boys– basketball.

  Brian Sommer –99, Wichita, has been promoted to the position of specialty sales representative for Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceutical.

  Vallery Thaw-McCrary –98, Fort Pierce, Fla., is the author of Full Circle: A young woman–s introduction to life, a self-help book that empowers women through good advice. It encourages moving beyond mistakes made in the past, taking responsibility for leading better lives and avoiding mistakes in the future. In January, Vallery performed in the Vero Beach Theatre Guild–s production of Neil Simon–s “Proposals” and was featured in the Jan. 25 edition of the online publication, TCPalm.com.

  Jaroslav Tir –95, Athens, Ga., is the author of Redrawing the Map to Promote Peace: Territorial Dispute Management via Territorial Changes, published in August 2006. The book focuses on the management of territorial disputes and how they are altered by territorial change. Jaroslav also wrote an article in the winter 2006 issue of the Journal of the Peace Science Society titled “Domestic-Level Territorial Disputes: Conflict Management via Secession.” He is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Georgia.

  Steve Unruh –95, Providence, R.I., was featured in the Jan. 26 edition of the Clay Center Dispatch in an article titled “Passion for music leads him to engineering career.” An electronics engineer for Hasbro toys, Steve has worked on robotic animals known as the IDOG and ICAT.

  Beth Yoder –94, Fort Collins, Colo., is an internal medicine physician and works as a hospitalist in the Poudre Valley Health System.

• 2000-06

  Denis Antipov –03, Shanghai, China, had been working as a software engineer with the German company Ideawise. He recently began doing software freelance and IT contract work.

  Sharleen (Loewen) Francis –00, Goessel, graduated from the Hesston College nursing program in May 2006 and is an RN at Newton Medical Center.

  Susan Gaeddert –00, Madison, Wis., performed classical music at Bethel Feb. 17 with Ellen Fa, also of Madison, in a Bethel College Academy of Performing Arts program titled “Four Hands Piano.” The two played duets on one and two pianos.

  Heidi Holliday –06, Andover, and Elizabeth Rempel –05, Newton, were featured in the Feb. 19 edition of The Newton Kansan in an article about their bike trip together across the United States. From July 19 to Nov. 8, 2006, the two rode approximately 3,500 miles through more than 10 states on the TransAmerica bike trail from Portland, Ore., to Yorktown, Va.

  Brett Klingenberg –03, Peabody, has been youth pastor at Grace Hill Mennonite Church, Whitewater, since 2004. He is taking classes at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary–s Great Plains campus in North Newton.

  Vicki Koehn –06, Halstead, has been a tax compliance specialist with Koch Business Solutions (KBS) LP since November 2006. She works with property tax returns and sales tax returns for various Koch companies across the United States.

  Karrie Peterson –06, Hyattsville, Md., works for Lutheran Social Services as an employee advocate for refugees in the Washington, D.C., area, helping them find work. As part of a new refugee resettlement branch with LSS, she assists three primary groups of people: women who are single parents, refugees who struggle with English, and those who were professionals in their homeland and seek to re-enter their profession in the United States.

  Alyssa Rumple –05, Conway Springs, teaches Spanish at Conway Springs High School and other sites via Interactive Distance Learning. She is president of the Conway Springs chapter of the National Education Association and has been nominated to Who–s Who Among American Teachers.

  Angie (Wagler) Stuckey –01, Archbold, Ohio, works part time as a registered nurse in outpatient surgery at a hospital in Wauseon, Ohio.

  Annaken Toews –00, Harlingen, Texas, is field coordinator for child placement through the Division of Unaccompanied Children–s Services of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has designated the program a provider of child welfare services to unaccompanied immigrant children.

  Joanna Toews –02, Wichita, co-authored “Signaling Proteins in the Axoglial Apparatus of Aciatic Nerve Nodes of Ranvier,” an article in the January 15 issue of Glia, published online Nov. 7, 2006.

  Ty Unrau –05, Wichita, teaches government, American history and sociology at Garden Plain High School. He is also assistant football coach and head coach for seventh grade boys– basketball.

  Rachel Walker –04, Seattle, is in Mennonite Voluntary Service. She is an education specialist with Treehouse, an organization that serves foster children. Rachel tutors and works for the coaching-to-college program, which helps students to graduate from high school and then pursue appropriate post-secondary educational opportunities.

• marriages

  Thomas Abraham –90 and Elizabeth Yoder –94, Fort Collins, Colo., were married June 3, 2006.

  Anna Bucklin –06 and Ryan Gerber –05, Lincoln, Neb., were married Aug. 5, 2006.

  Crystal Enz –04 and Joel Gaeddert –06, Newton, were married Nov. 25, 2006.

  Marc Friesen –01 and Melanie Unrau, Silver Spring, Md., were married March 25, 2006.

  Arthur Goering –51 and Rosella Goossen –55, Newton, were married Oct. 6, 2006.

  Matthew Goering –07 and Sarah Regier –07, South Hutchinson, were married Dec. 30, 2006.

  Walter Holmes –97 and Angela Johnson, Killeen, Texas, were married Sept. 28, 2006.

  Chywonna Iverson –94 and Leandro Gonzalez, Hutchinson, were married Feb. 5, 2006.

  Jennifer Janzen –99 and Emil Andresen III, Fresno, Calif., were married Oct. 8, 2006.

  Sonya (Cooper) McDonald –00 and Robert Rooney Jr., Arnold, Mo., were married Oct. 31, 2006.

  Colby Nish –97 and Christina Moesser, McKinney, Texas, were married May 14, 2006.

  Kyle Penner –93 and Anne Buller, Wichita, were married March 18, 2006.

  Alisha Schroeder –03 and Clayton Baughman, Newton, were married July 29, 2006.

  Matthew K. Steinmetz –06 and Jennifer Ankney-Gundy –06, Chicago, were married Aug. 5, 2006.

• births

  Elizabeth Berndt –99 and Neil Hamill –99, Prairie Village, a son, Miles Alan, born April 4, 2006

  Audrey (Franz) Blacklock –98 and Brent, Boise, Idaho, a daughter, Grace Marie, born Sept. 28, 2006

  Wendell Bontrager –95 and Marie, Haven, a son, Dalton Reid, born Feb. 4

  Jennifer (Penner) Brueggemann –94 and Jon, Hebron, Neb., daughters, Emma Lynn and Ella Josephine, born Sept. 21, 2006

  Douglas –01 and Sarah (Harton) DeGroot –01, Overland Park, a son, Caleb Douglas, born May 20, 2006

  Heather (Troyer) Diercks –99 and Bruce, Maple Grove, Minn., a daughter, Anna Louise, born June 26, 2006

  Melisa Funk –97 and Brian Cooper, McPherson, a daughter, Mallorie Dawn, born June 9, 2006

  Travis Graber –97 and Penny, Newton, a son, Brody Edwin, born Oct. 1, 2006

  Katherine Harder –99 and Matthew D. Krehbiel –99, Manhattan, a daughter, Ari Ann Harder-Krehbiel, born and adopted Sept. 19, 2006

  Aaron Hull –94 and Emily, Norwalk, Conn., a daughter, Talia Corinne, born July 18, 2006

  Christopher –94 and DeAnn (Dick) Huxman –95, Moundridge, a son, Andrew Dale, born Jan. 5

  Jason Kehrberg –94 and Lisa, Denison, Texas, a daughter, Katherine Grace, born Oct. 30, 2006

  Esther (Kratzer) –99 and Nathan Koontz –99, North Newton, a daughter, Anne Marie, born Jan. 1

  Audrey (Gaeddert) Magill –97 and Ryan, Leadville, Colo., a daughter, Ava Kathrine, born Oct. 25, 2006

  Brent –01 and Monica (Meyer) Martens –00, Wichita, a son, Brady Nicholas, born Feb. 12

  Matthew –97 and Michelle (Roth) Pankratz –95, Wichita, a son, Leo Benjamin, born Nov. 16, 2006

  Sara (Etherington) Phillips –99 and Zack, Hesston, a daughter, Ella Kate, born Feb. 1

  Beth Hege Piatote –89 and Scott Byram, Eugene, Ore., a son, Diego Taqasayoxot, born June 7, 2006

  Timothy Shue –89 and Jennifer, Kidron, Ohio, a daughter, Harper Eliza, born Aug. 13, 2006

  Sammie Simmons –89 and Robin, Newton, a son, Andrew Michael, born Nov. 22, 2006

  Jennifer (Yoder) Sommers –96 and Dickson, Harrisonburg, Va., a daughter, Aliyah Danae, born Jan. 17

  Chris Stauffer –92 and Miriam Huebert-Stauffer –91, Canton, a son, Russet Sawyer Huebert-Stauffer, born Sept. 14, 2006

  Aaron –01 and Karen (Hill) Stucky –98, Sedgwick, a daughter, Logan Kaye, born Aug. 17, 2006

  John Wall –98 and Karin Kaufman Wall –95, North Newton, a son, Abram John Kaufman Wall, born Feb. 5

  Alison (Schmidt) Wenzel –99 and Guy, Wichita, a daughter, Hannah Claire, born Aug. 23, 2006

  Stacey (Goering) Young –02 and David, Wichita, a son, Evan, born Nov. 2, 2006

  Margaret (Braun) Zapata –00 and Jaime Zapata Sanchez, San Antonio, Texas, a daughter, Maya Elizabeth Zapata-Braun, born Oct. 10, 2006

  Krisha (Keimig) –02 and Todd Zerger –00, Norton, a son, Garrison William, born Dec. 20, 2006

• deaths

  Michael R. Burnett –69, Nov. 27, 2006, Midlothian, Va.

  Otto A. Epp –32, Oct. 11, 2006, Tribune

  Stanley D. Ewert –78, Jan. 19, McPherson

  Susan (Reimer) Flickner –74, Jan. 17, Garland, Texas

  Orlando J. Friesen –51, Aug. 27, 2006, North Newton

  James A. Gemberling –54, Dec. 26, 2006, Auburn, Calif.

  Randall L. Gering –83, Nov. 5, 2006, Walton

  Glen D. Hershberger –60, Nov. 19, 2006, Newton

  Aaron B. Hoober –81, Oct. 27, 2006, Shipshewana, Ind.

  Junior Howerton –37, Dec. 20, 2006, Albuquerque, N.M.

  Adina J. (Eck) Kasper –40, Nov. 29, 2006, Newton

  Ruby R. (Miller) Kaufman –42, Dec. 9, 2006, Moundridge

  Elmer Klippenstein –43, Oct. 14, 2006, Henderson, Neb.

  Lois H. Lohrentz –47, Feb. 2, Wichita

  Maurine (McCann) Murphree –40, Jan. 29, Colorado Springs, Colo.

  Carl H. Neufeld –50, Nov. 21, 2006, North Newton

  Christina D. (Kozaka) Nicodemus –83, Feb. 16, Hesston

  Mildred (Sweet) North –42, Nov. 26, 2006, Strong City

  Alice (Wipf) Ontjes –44, May 4, 2006, Bridgewater, S.D.

  Louis R. Regier –50, Nov. 12, 2006, Prairie Village

  Marlene B. (Schroeder) Schroeder –53, Jan. 15, Newton

  Robert W. Senner –42, Dec. 17, 2006, Lawrence

  Freda M. Spangler –41, Oct. 25, 2006, Newton

  Helen (Regier) Thoman –42, Jan. 5, West Liberty, Ohio

  Arvid L. Unruh –62, May 27, 2006, Hayesville, N.C.

  Hildred F. (Schroeder) Wiebe –29, Nov. 11, 2006, Hillsboro

  Melvin Zerger –45, Feb. 2, Hutchinson