So he moved to Alaska.

“I picked Juneau thinking it was the largest city in the state since it was the capital. It wasn’t,” he said, laughing at his innocence. He didn’t know it then, but his misjudgment would prove inconsequential. His yet-to-be-lived career would fly him to the world’s most cosmopolitan cities.

As founder and executive director of the Clean Washington Center (1991 to 2006), an environmental technology center in Seattle, Dougherty brought his vision – to assist U.S. companies in processing and finding markets for recyclable materials − to manufacturers and governments around the globe.

In 2007, his work for the United Kingdom was honored by Her Majesty, the Queen of England, Elizabeth II, who bestowed on him the title “Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.”

Dougherty said he doesn’t know who nominated him (the process is shrouded in secrecy) or why he, in particular, was selected, but he left a prolific trail of crumbs that may lead to the reason.

His story begins nearly 50 years ago in a tiny capital city on the panhandle of southeast Alaska.

“You can make a difference if you believe in something and you push for it”

Dougherty got his start at 22 in the office of Alaska Gov. William Allen Egan, the state’s first governor. (Alaska was a territory and did not officially become a state until 1959.) Egan tasked a small team that included Dougherty to secure national funding to get anti-poverty programs going for the rural villages inhabited by Eskimos and Alaska natives. Their effort was part of the national Great Society program, a plan created by President Lyndon B. Johnson to eliminate poverty and racial injustice in the United States.

“That was really transforming,” Dougherty said. “Even though I was a junior guy I realized what an impact I could make. … I realized, ‘Gee, I can make a change.’ And these were substantial changes we were making up there. Not only did we bring Head Start, we brought electricity to these villages and created co-ops for them.”

Dougherty also took part in educating Eskimos and Alaska natives on their rights to their lands − “lands that had never been ‘bought’ from them (when the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867),” Dougherty explained.

“So there was a land claims bill submitted to Congress to pay them for their land, but it wasn’t going anywhere until oil was discovered (in 1968) on the North Slope (the northernmost section of Alaska),” he said. “A judge ruled that the oil companies couldn’t build a pipeline through Alaska to Valdez until they knew who owned the land. So the oil companies jumped in with the natives and got them to push a settlement to the land-claims groups. In the end, the Eskimos and Indians received a huge settlement from the federal government, which then helped them create a more economic base and growth.”

This first job, he emphasized, “made it clear to me that you can make a difference if you believe in something and you push for it.” After several years, Dougherty and his family moved to Anchorage, where he served as assistant city manager. There he led an initiative to consolidate the city of Anchorage and all of its emerging, outlying suburbs – which had their own local governments – into one unified government. It had to go to vote, and it passed.

“I think Alaska was a good thing for me because it’s so sparsely populated that one young guy in his early 20s could make an impact,” he said.

Even so, after getting married and having two children in Alaska, Dougherty began to feel confined and isolated and wanted his kids to grow up in a bigger city with more opportunities.

Seattle and Tougher Challenges

After relocating to Seattle with his family, Dougherty took on “bigger” and “tougher” challenges as assistant director of the state’s Department of Trade and Economic Development.

Gov. Booth Gardner tasked Dougherty with helping smaller businesses get more financing, for which he created two programs − one in which the state of Washington allowed small business to make public stock offerings, an option available only to big business at the time. The other would create an economic development finance authority that would “sell nonrecourse bonds to help small business and economic expansion in the state,” Dougherty explained.

While hearing Dougherty’s testimony before the state legislative committee on behalf of his proposals (both of which passed after much effort), Maria Cantwell, the committee chair and now a U.S. senator (D-WA), played an inadvertent role in charting the course of his career.

She asked him to conduct a yearlong study to devise a plan for reducing Seattle’s ballooning collection of recyclables – a pile so massive the Wall Street Journal dubbed it “Mount Glassmore.”

Dougherty remembers how Cantwell broached the subject: “She said, ‘You know, the cities are collecting papers and plastics and glass. Where are the markets for those?’”

The question threw him for a loop. Dougherty responded with a laugh, “I don’t do garbage!”

One thing he did know: Seattle had started recycling plastic, paper, glass and aluminum, and they were piling up. He also knew the city was paying $20 per ton to ship the papers “to somewhere in Asia to do something with them,” he said.

After completing their study, Dougherty and his team “came to the conclusion that if you didn’t get the industry in your own region to figure out how to process that material and put it back into your own products then recycling wasn’t going to work. Because nobody wanted glass. Plastic companies certainly didn’t want plastic. And the paper industry could only take certain grades of paper.”

The study brought to light a number of conundrums. Dougherty asked himself: “What are the engineered properties (of the recyclable materials)? How do you process this stuff in an economical way so they can be put back into product?”

His answer to these challenging questions was the Clean Washington Center, which he created in 1991. The organization, an effective blend of industry experts and government officials, worked to create markets for recyclable material. Its offshoots continue its mission today.

The CWC was so successful that it soon received $4 million from the federal government to make its work available to other states.

Among its successes were developing markets for recyclables that resulted in an average of about $100 a year per household in avoided waste removal costs.

In 2001, Dougherty told online magazine Recycling Today, “This region has always had the capacity for paper, but we have also developed the capacity for plastics, too. Five years ago we had no capacity to use recycled plastics – mainly PET and HDPE. Now it is a different story. Our engineers went to plastic plants and helped them convert to recycled feedstock. The result is that now we have an annual capacity of 12 million pounds of PET and HDPE. … so that has worked really well.”

After helping several states develop similar programs, the CWC’s trail of success stories caught the attention of New Zealand. Hong Kong, Spain, Australia and Scotland followed suit.

That’s a WRAP

Dougherty remembers the fraught phone call he received from the United Kingdom in 2000: “I was up in Scotland helping them develop a program (Remade Scotland) when I got a call from a spokesman for the environment minister from the U.K. saying, ‘We are so far behind in recycling. … The European Union has set down regulations and if we don’t meet certain levels of recycling we get financial fines. Could you set up a center for all of the U.K., including Northern Ireland?’”

The challenge he was up against was huge. And tough.

David Dougherty’s Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire medal. (Photo by Mark Brown)

Using the CWC as a template and £84 million from the British government, Dougherty acted as a special adviser to shape the work programs and strategy that culminated in WRAP (Waste and Resources Management Programme). Among his collaborators was WRAP founding chairman Vic Cocker CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire, a rank one notch above “Officer”), brother of rock musician Joe Cocker.

Liz Goodwin, CEO of WRAP, who worked with Dougherty in the organization’s infancy, attested, “There were a lot of market failures that needed to be addressed. Some of the issues were lack of awareness, lack of infrastructure to make it easy for people, lack of reprocessing – both technology and infrastructure – lack of end markets, lack of confidence in end markets and lack of standards.”

When WRAP first began, Goodwin said, “household recycling rates (in the U.K.) were around 10 percent compared to 43 percent today. We were just starting on the journey  to increase recycling. … There hadn’t been any real focus on end markets or developing markets for the materials that were collected. There was very little infrastructure.”

WRAP was, and continues to be, a success. Its achievements include helping the U.K. recycling and reprocessing sector to quadruple in size between 2000 and 2008,  diverting 670,000 tons of food from landfills, decreasing growth in household packaging waste and developing a “world-first technology for the closed-loop recycling of plastic bottles, which has led to the creation of a new market for recycled plastics in the U.K.,” according to its website.

Dougherty’s work on WRAP did not go unnoticed.

He remembered, “I got a call at 5 a.m. from the British Embassy. He informed me ‘You have been to the U.K. a lot.’ And I thought ‘Uh oh, I’m going to need a working visa. This is not good.’”

But the man continued: “‘ … your significant contributions to the United Kingdom and other countries have been noticed, and noticed at the highest level. This culminates six months of research on you, and I’m calling to tell you Her Majesty wishes to bestow one of the highest titles on you for your contributions to the world.’”

The honor is not given liberally. Notably, that year Bono was named an honorary Knight Commander of the OBE. Few Americans have received the title. Gen. George S. Patton and Bob Hope are among the Americans honored with the title “Officer.”

A Reluctant Tree Hugger

Thinking restrospectively on his career, Dougherty said, “To be honest, I was more attracted to the prospect of making recycling work than answering a calling to be an environmentalist. My wife is more of an environmentalist than I am.”

But when you spend a couple hours with him, it becomes clear he harbors an inner tree hugger.

“I’ve never seen this as a waste issue. It was always a materials efficiency issue,” Dougherty said. “Once you take down a natural resource, how do you use it many, many times before you eventually have to discard it? As the population continues to expand, these resources are going to get scarce.”

When he reminisces about how far recycling has come in the United States and his small part in its progress, his eyes light up: “When we started recycling it was just glass, paper and aluminum. And then we expanded to plastic. With paper in the beginning they could only take certain grades of fiber, but now they can take all grades. That’s a true example of recycling. We used to cut a tree down to make the Sunday paper and it had a 20-minute life span before you threw it away. Now that same fiber gets used seven or eight times before it gets thrown away.”

In addition to his work with governments, Dougherty has innovated technologies for recycling discarded material into usable, marketable products for corporate clients. He worked with Adidas, turning shoe scraps – canvas, plastic, leather – into artificial turf and other products. In a collaboration with the Miami Heat, he worked with engineers to turn tire rubber and shoe scrap into better cushioning for the team’s practice court. He also helped facilitate the invention of rubberized asphalt from ground-up car tires,
an innovation that is laid on California roads by law and has been implemented in several other states.

“You’ve got to use those resources because this planet is going to have a lot more people and it has got be able to stretch its resources. To me it was always an issue of using our natural resources more intelligently,” the environmentalist in him said. Retired for a few years now, Dougherty “found a new challenge: working with Seattle Historic Parks.” As a board member, he is leading an initiative to create a conservatory for each of the budget-tight city’s 18 deteriorating historic parks.

In his long and decorated career, Dougherty traveled a path that took him around the world and transformed him into many things: executive, government worker, officer, problem solver, believer, even, arguably, environmentalist.

But when reflecting on the whole of his career, Dougherty’s choice of words evoke the spirit of a 22-year-old adventurer who once made his way from Minnesota to Alaska in 1965: “I didn’t plan this. I just followed the road.”

Read more from St. Thomas Magazine.

St. Thomas Day recognizes the extraordinary contributions that members of the St. Thomas community have made to the university and the wider community. The awards that are presented on St. Thomas Day were instituted over a period of 60 years.

St. Thomas Day events began with Mass in the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas led by Archbishop Emeritus Harry Flynn, chair of the university’s Board of Trustees. A dinner and awards program followed in Woulfe Alumni Hall, Anderson Student Center. More than 500 members of the St. Thomas community attended.

Father Dennis Dease, president of the University of St. Thomas, was pleasantly stunned at the St. Thomas Day awards Wednesday night when he was presented with the Distinguished Alumnus Award.

This marked the first year the recipient of the award was kept hush-hush until the night of the ceremony.

Dr. Rachel Wobschall, executive director of Alumni and Constituent Relations at St. Thomas, said, “The Alumni Association Board of Directors unanimously nominated and approved Father Dease. We decided to keep it a secret because of Father Dease’s humility − we thought he might not accept it if he knew about it.”

Dease’s brothers, sisters and other family members showed up at the dinner to surprise him, but he did not read anything into their appearance other than to think they were there to help him celebrate his final St. Thomas Day as president. He also did not read the printed program at his table, listing him as the Distinguished Alumnus Award winner, so when his named was announced he had a surprised look on his face. He received two standing ovations from the capacity crowd In Woulfe – one after his name was announced and the other after a video was played.

Nominations for the Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna, Humanitarian and Lavin awards are welcome throughout the year but are required by July 1 for consideration for the following year’s St. Thomas Day. For forms and more information on how to submit a nomination, visit the Alumni Association website.

Distinguished Alumnus Award

Father Dennis Dease took office as president of St. Thomas on July 1, 1991, but he has a longer association – nearly 50 years – with the university and the St. Paul Seminary.

A native of Corcoran, Minn., he taught theology at the College of St. Thomas and served as spiritual director and dean of formation at the St. Paul Seminary. Ordained into the Roman Catholic priesthood in 1969, Father Dease has myriad degrees: a B.A. in Latin and philosophy, a Master of Divinity degree from the St. Paul Seminary, an M.A. degree in counseling psychology from St. Thomas and a Ph.D. in systematic theology from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

In 1982 he joined the St. Thomas Board of Trustees. He served rector of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis from 1985 to 1991.

The university grew significantly and made many notable achievements during his 22-year tenure, including:

• Establishment of a Minneapolis campus and constructed four buildings for programs in business, law, education and professional psychology
• Construction of a dozen major buildings on the St. Paul campus, including a student center, an athletic and recreation complex, a science and engineering center, a business building, two apartment-style residence halls and a parking ramp
• A new campus in Rome (2000)
• New academic programs in law, Catholic studies, mechanical and electrical engineering, entrepreneurship and Irish studies, and quadrupled study-abroad participation with semesterlong programs based in London and Rome and many opportunities during January Term
• A tripled student-of-color population as well as a tripled number of international students.
• $765 million raised in two capital campaigns – $250 million in the Ever Press Forward campaign, which concluded in 2001, and $515 million in the Opening Doors campaign, which came to a close last October.
• Accreditation from national or international associations for all major graduate programs.

Dease will retire as president of St. Thomas June 30 this year.

Professor of the Year

Dr. Mark Neuzil, a member of the Communication and Journalism Department, will receive this year’s Professor of the Year Award. Neuzil, who joined St. Thomas in 1993, also serves as director of St. Thomas’ Office for Mission and is an adviser to TommieMedia.com.

He is the author or co-author of four books with environmental themes: Mass Media and Environmental Conflict: America’s Green Crusades, co-written with William Kovarik; Views of the Mississippi: The Photographs of Henry Bosse, which won a Minnesota Book Award; A Spiritual Field Guide: Meditations for the Outdoors, co-written with Dr. Bernard Brady; and The Environment and the Press: From Adventure Writing to Advocacy.

Neuzil earned a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University, and master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Minnesota.

Humanitarian of the Year

Charles Lugemwa ’03 M.M.S.E. will be honored with the 2013 Humanitarian of the Year Award for his work with Hope Medical Clinics. Lugemwa co-founded the Ugandan clinics with Father Dennis Dease.

A native Ugandan, Lugemwa serves as in-country director of Hope Medical Clinics Uganda and is manager of data management in the IT Division of the Uganda Revenue Authority.

Hope Medical Clinics Uganda provides people access to health care services, regardless of income. The organization operates clinics in the Kampala suburbs of Ndejje and Kasubi, and the Ruth Gaylord Maternity and Pediatric Hospital, which opened in January 2012.

Lugemwa lives in Kampala, Uganda, with his wife, Maria, and their three children.

Monsignor James Lavin Award

Don Traxler ’50, retired president of Northern Star Co., is the recipient of this year’s Monsignor James Lavin Award. Established in 1994, the award honors a volunteer for his or her service to the St. Thomas Alumni Association. Traxler has served the alumni community for decades as a volunteer and active participant, most notably as a member of the Old Guard and its annual reunion committees.

As a student at St. Thomas, he majored in business administration – general business management and economics. The parents of nine children, Traxler and his wife, Dolores, have provided scholarship support to St. Thomas students, and Traxler has been a member of the President’s Council since 1986.

Tommie Award

Eyo Ekpo of Andover, Minn., was voted recipient of the Tommie Award by St. Thomas faculty, staff and students. He is an entrepreneurship and finance double major. He also is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, an international business honor society; Delta Epsilon Sigma, a national scholastic honor society; and Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity; HANA, a multicultural student organization; Practicing Entrepreneurs; Senior Legacy; Real Estate Society; Undergraduate Business Council; and Tommie Ambassadors.

An athlete in varsity football and varsity track and field, Ekpo also served as a representative on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee. In track and field, he was named an NCAA All-American four times, to the All-America Academic team three times and a national runner-up for the CoSIDA First-Team All-America.

The Tommie Award is sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs and is awarded annually to a senior who best represents the ideals of St. Thomas Aquinas through scholarship, leadership and campus involvement.

Five teenagers had been on a Saturday morning duck hunt on Lake Elysian in southern Minnesota. Their boat had capsized, and one was missing. Trump, the paper’s sports editor, sports reporter, sports photographer, sports columnist and sports-page designer, soon found himself in the middle of a heart-wrenching story about an athlete dying young.

Brady Hruska, 17, was a wide receiver for the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown High School football team that was to face Medford that night in the state playoffs.

“I was the one who found out that he died that morning,” Trump said. “Then I was the first one to go out to the scene, and authorities were still looking for his body in the lake.”

Trump posted reports of Hruska’s death on the paper’s website, with pictures of the search effort. After the playoff game that evening, he wrote about the community’s tribute to one of its children. His story, including a photo slide show, was a tribute as well to the small towns he serves around Waseca and to the art of community journalism.

In the next two days, he added a news story about the accident – full of the details and quotes that are the hallmark of good reporting – and a touching column about how proud he was to be part of the Waseca County community. A close reading of those stories shows why Trump deserved to be honored in January by the Minnesota Newspaper Association as New Journalist of the Year for a weekly paper.

Trump is the third TommieMedia veteran in three years to win the award. Jordan Osterman won in 2011 when he was at the Waseca County News, and Shane Kitzman was honored in 2010 when he was the Northfield News sports editor – the job Osterman now holds. They all worked together at TommieMedia in various leadership roles, and in the small world of Minnesota journalism, their lives remain intertwined.

That October Saturday, Trump did not write his usual “gamer” about WEM’s playoff victory.

“What they wanted me to do was write a community reaction story for the football game,” Trump said, “and then they needed someone to actually cover the game, because it was a playoff game. So Jordan came down.”

The Northfield News and the Waseca County News are owned by the same company, Huckle Media, and often share resources.

“You kind of have to, because for sports, especially, it’s only one guy per place,” Osterman said.

But Osterman’s stake in the story was personal, too.

“I’d covered that kid and that team the whole year before, so I knew him pretty well,” Osterman said.

As the story broke, Kitzman was working a shift as Web producer for WCCO-TV in Minneapolis. One of his practices was to monitor Twitter for breaking news.

“We only found out because I was reading (Miles’) tweets that were retweeted by Owatonna,” Kitzman said. “When I saw that come down, I thought, ‘Oh boy, oh boy.’”
WCCO sent a satellite truck and reporter Reg Chapman to cover the story.

Trump grew up in Mankato, 30 miles from Waseca. Kitzman is from Northfield, and Osterman is from St. Paul. With their ties to the area and their experience at TommieMedia, the three are well-suited for the do-everything duties of community journalism. For Trump, those tasks have their own special rewards.

In a column he wrote shortly after Hruska died, Trump told about an incident at a Waseca High School volleyball game. A chant started in the student section:

“WE LOVE MILES, CLAP-CLAP, CLAP-CLAP CLAP.”

“That, I can honestly say, was one of the higher points in my life,” Trump wrote, adding that he wasn’t telling the story to brag.

“I feel blessed to have a job that’s appreciated in the community,” he wrote.

Read more from CAS Spotlight.

It wasn’t really planned. The first degree was a product of wanting to continue my education and see where things would end up. Then I got a fellowship from Harvard to study in Vienna for a year, and so I decided to pursue that a little further and ended up staying for personal and professional reasons longer than expected. When I started the joint Ph.D.-M.A. program at Boston University, I knew that I wanted to be in academia, and I knew that I wanted to be in philosophy. Throughout this time, the studies were never really a burden; I was just happy to wake up each morning doing what I was doing. I’m glad where I ended up.

Did your St. Thomas experience help set you on the path to this advanced study?

Yes, it most certainly did. In addition to the kind of skills and knowledge that I acquired at St. Thomas, my experience with the liberal arts and my study of economics really just ignited a classical desire to know. The nice thing about St. Thomas is that I also had an environment where I could take risks and maybe even make some mistakes and pursue this quest in an environment that was ultimately supportive.

You are a professor of philosophy at the University of Scranton, a Jesuit university in Pennsylvania that enrolls some 6,000 students. Does your experience there remind you of St. Thomas? How does it feel to be teaching the liberal arts now, instead of studying them?

It very much does remind me of St. Thomas. It’s about the same size; the students come with a similar background, interest, perhaps potential capacity, etc. Perhaps the people who brought me here saw or kind of felt that there might be some similarities in my undergraduate education and the education they offer here. In terms of teaching versus studying, I would almost undermine the distinction a little bit and just say that I still feel as though I am studying the liberal arts. I’m just leading the group that’s studying them in the classroom and, on occasion, I do the same here with the faculty in various interdisciplinary seminars and reading groups.

Which aspects of your St. Thomas education do you wish to pass on to your own students? 

Well there are the basic things; you just want to have them be more knowledgeable about your subject matter and learn the skills of critical thinking and writing and expressing oneself. But what you are really trying to do is get them to open up to the pleasures of both learning about themselves and the world, and to link that in some sense to a project of self-development as not just, let’s say, a basketball player or musician or an engineer, but as persons and then to take that project of self-development and link it up to something greater than themselves like the surrounding community, the world or even God. I say at the beginning of my syllabi that I’m trying to make each of my students a philosopher in the original sense of the word, which is ultimately a lover of wisdom, and so maybe that’s my goal.

As your former economics professor, I was of course interested to watch on YouTube a talk you gave at the University of Scranton that focused on self-interest, greed and corruption from ancient to modern times. Do you think your interest in this topic can be attributed to your training in economics?

What was interesting was the interplay that I would get between my training in economics, which seemed to rely on certain assumptions about what human beings pursue, and then to read philosophers who presented alternative ways of thinking about the human being. In the end, I learned that it is important to think economically about buying butter, flat-screen TVs, cars and so on, but what a long tradition of philosophy suggests is that we might want to resist applying this type of thinking to all aspects of our lives.

Your first book, Reading Nietzsche through the Ancients: An Analysis of Becoming, Perspectivism, and the Principle of Non-Contradiction, is scheduled to be published this year. Congratulations. How are you linking Nietzsche to the ancient Greek philosophers?

The purpose of the book is just trying to figure out what Nietzsche is up to and to clarify what his philosophical positions are. What the book ends up saying is that Nietzsche’s philosophy is largely a revival of views that can be found in the pre-Socratic philosophy and poetry of ancient Greece. One important upshot of this reading, I think, is that the debates that Nietzsche’s philosophy has initiated are not actually that new, but rather very, very old, and therefore it turns out that the study of the history of philosophy is always a timely and relevant affair.

Read more from CAS Spotlight.

The Boston Marathon, America’s oldest and most prestigious 26.2-mile race, will never be the same. Exactly one week ago, on Monday, April 15 – Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts – the 117th running of the Boston Marathon was halted by the explosion of two homemade bombs placed near the finish line. Three people died in the blasts, and news reports say that more than 170 others were injured.

Mike Johnson ’90, who was featured in the Newsroom in February for running 12 marathons in 12 months, was at Boston running. He was just a short jog from the finish line when the bombs went off.

“There’s 27,000 people who ran Boston,” Johnson said in an interview Saturday.” There’s 27,000 stories of what happened to them on that day. Some of them are really tragic, and some of them are amazing.”

Telling his personal story, Johnson, a Stillwater resident, recalled the emotion of the day and the emotion he feels now talking about the race, what happened, and what could have happened.

The morning of the race he posted via telephone this Facebook note: “I’ll be happy if I finish, and I know I’m going to finish.”

He didn’t realize, of course, what the day held in store, but he knew this: He wasn’t going to run fast. Not fully recovered from his 12-marathon trek, he knew he wouldn’t record a fast time, so his mind-set was to just enjoy the spectacle and finish what would be his baker’s dozen marathons.

Weather that morning was “perfect,” Johnson recalled. “Beautiful day. No wind. Sunny. Cool. Forty degrees. It was a little bit cool but not too bad.” Among the 27,000 runners in the race, he was seeded 9,300, based on his qualifying time of 3:19:45 recorded at the Houston Marathon in January 2012.

Two iconic images of Boston … the “Cheers” bar and a Boston Marathon running jacket, and Mike Johnson on a happier day before the Boston Marathon. The “Cheers” bar, formerly the Bull & Finch Pub and now Cheers Beacon Hill, is well-known as the exterior of the bar in the television sitcom “Cheers,” which ran from 1982 to 1993.

He never made it to the finish line. Johnson estimated that over the last 10K, he probably walked half of it, and if he had walked a quarter of it instead, he would have been near the finish line when the bombs went off

“I was at about the 25.7- or 25.8-mile mark – not quite to 26 miles. I had gone through the 40K mark, so I ended up being stopped about a half mile before the finish line,” Johnson said.

Runners about 100 yards in front of him had been stopped by a race official and were milling around. He didn’t know why.

“But there was conversation on the side,” Johnson said. “People who were cheering said they heard two explosions. It was a road similar to Summit Avenue, where we were running on one side of the road, and there’s a big middle boulevard with trees, and on the other side was another part of the road. There were police and ambulances and sheriffs and all these big cars – big black Suburbans with sirens – going down the road 70 miles an hour, sirens blaring.”

He did not hear the explosions, and he could not see the finish line. He borrowed a phone and called his wife, Zanny, to let her know he was safe. She was home in Stillwater and had not heard about the bomb blasts.

The scene a half mile from the finish line was chaotic and emotional. “I was around a lot of people who were bawling – that were just hysterical, because they were about to finish a marathon and their families were there waiting at the finish line. And they couldn’t get a hold of them. That unknown, really, was the most horrifying part for us, where we were at,” Johnson said.

“I got emotional thinking that this person who is sitting right next to me – that her family is not OK,” he added. “And they were just there to watch somebody run a race. You know, this isn’t a political thing. It isn’t military at all. They were just there watching an event.”

With the race stopped and no race official or police officer nearby, the runners talked to each other, wondering what to do. No one had an answer.

“The more time went by the more I realized that we’re not going to get close to the finish line. It wasn’t a pause in the race. The race was done,” said Johnson, who has run 20 marathons. It was the first one that he started that he did not finish.

Cold now, with no phone and no warm clothes to put on, he decided to walk back to his hotel. It took 40 minutes.

The ensuing manhunt for the bombers ended late last week with the death of one of the suspected bombers and the capture of the second suspected bomber. “I’m glad they caught him alive,” Johnson commented. “I hope there is some closure around why. I don’t know if they will actually get to that point. Whatever the answer is, I don’t think it’ll make sense.”

“I found myself being extremely emotional when I would watch television,” he added. “Again, I wasn’t at the finish line. I didn’t see the explosions. I don’t know anybody personally who was injured. … But I was part of the event, so it has a different pull on my heart than if I wasn’t there.”

Johnson has been amazed at the outpouring of support and caring he has received, especially on Facebook and through text messages and voice mail.

“It’s been kind of overwhelming,” Johnson remarked. “I feel like I’m treated like a hero, but I didn’t do anything. Really, I didn’t do a thing.”

But survive … to run another day.

A year before they graduated from the University of St. Thomas, Emily Pritchard ’11 and Martha McCarthy ’11 were guaranteed millionaires – in the eyes of a fellow entrepreneur, at least. As the only undergraduates, and the only women, to make it to the finals of the Fowler Business Concept Challenge in 2009, Pritchard and McCarthy’s concept for SnapSystem Bikes won rave reviews from one of the judges, who was so impressed by the uniqueness of the idea and the professionalism of their presentation, he felt sure he could make them millionaires.

After additional research, however, the two women discovered that a key element in the future success of their new venture was missing – passion. “We just weren’t very  interested in making bikes,” Pritchard recalled. “It was a great idea, it met the market need our entrepreneurship professors had told us about and it had little or no competition, but we just couldn’t get excited about it.”

What did excite them, was social media and the opportunities it afforded. Spurred by the confidence gained in receiving such positive feedback during the Fowler Business Concept Challenge, Pritchard and McCarthy went on to write another business plan, this one for a social media marketing company, the Social Lights, which they launched in January 2011.

So how does a young woman from Prior Lake, with three degrees from the University of St. Thomas, end up in prison?

Life happens. While Holly Hanson ’00, ’08 M.A., ’12 Psy.D. was busy making other plans – to become a therapist and a psychologist in the mental health field – her focus changed to the field of corrections during an internship at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater.

Today, she is a clinical program therapist within the Sex Offender Treatment Program at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Lino Lakes.

“I would have never guessed that I would ever work in a correctional facility,” Hanson said in a recent interview. “I didn’t enter this field thinking that I would work in a prison, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised.”

Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services

Hanson was introduced to the integration of legal concerns and the provision of psychological services through St. Thomas’ Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services. Before finishing her graduate studies, Hanson had participated in several practica, and the IPC was one of them.

According to the IPC website, it is “among the first in the country through which faculty, staff and students from law, psychology and social work collaborate to help clients in need. At the same time, students from all three disciplines gain practical experience working on real cases, learning skills that will serve them well in their future careers.”

Holly Hanson is a clinical program therapist within the Sex Offender Treatment Program at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Lino Lakes, a job she has held since Sept. 25, 2012. (Photo by Mark Brown)

Between 2000 and 2004, following her graduation from St. Thomas, Hanson worked in a group home with adults diagnosed with a mental illness or who had a dual diagnosis of mental illness and chemical dependency. Between 2004 and 2007 she was a clinical interviewer at the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research at the University of Minnesota. She was always open to new experiences but she never imagined a career in corrections.

“I think that’s why during my graduate school training I tried a lot of different types of practica,” she said. “I trained in a private practice, in a hospital and in a college counseling center. I trained in the IPC, and then I ended up in a correctional facility. I was just kind of sampling different areas. I knew I wanted to use a variety of my skills. I knew I wanted to be involved in many different areas of the field. I just didn’t know what location or what type of ‘population’ I would work with.”

Hanson credits the IPC for introducing her to variety in her career, which was useful in her internship at Stillwater. She also credits the IPC for fostering the skills she uses today. “It really enhanced my growth in a way that my other experiences hadn’t,” she remarked. “I definitely learned from each one, but the IPC is so dedicated to the student experience that I just really found it was what I needed at the time.”

The IPC gave her a place to practice the skills and implement what she had been learning throughout her graduate studies, and “the two together were really a powerful experience and gave me the foundation from which to go almost anywhere.”

Hanson found the internship at Stillwater rewarding, and she began looking for openings in correctional facilities. Nothing was available in the mental health field at the time, but there was an opening in the sex offender treatment program at Lino Lakes, just 20 miles north of campus.

On the job in Lino Lakes

Hanson began her career in corrections on Sept. 25, 2012.

“It was definitely outside of my comfort zone, but I had worked with men at Stillwater who had committed sexual offenses,” Hanson said. “I had foundational skills, so I thought I’d give it a shot and see what happens. I was offered the job, and I was informed that it was the foundational clinical skills that made me someone they wanted to bring into the system; the belief was that I could pick up the specific sex offender treatment skills pretty easily along the way.”

Security measures at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Lino Lakes include double fencing and several layers of barbed wire.

Her responsibilities include running a sex-offender treatment group, which involves group and class work, as well as some work with individuals, and teaching classes such as Personal Victimization, her first class. The class helps inmates deal with their own traumas, which could be anything from physical abuse to verbal abuse to sexual abuse to neglect. “This class is a way to enhance coping skills and process that,” Hanson said.

A challenge she faces is learning a new skill set, learning more about sex offender treatment rather than focusing on a lot of the mental health issues that she had worked on previously in her career. She still uses the foundational clinical skills that she developed in her studies and practica, but now she is learning how to tailor those skills to sex offender treatments.

They include “an openness. I bring an ability to build rapport. I bring an interest in people, others, and a motivation to learn. And I think my approach can really help to make an environment in which people are willing to speak and feel comfortable. I think that’s really, really helpful in this field.”

In addition to the work being rewarding, she has found that it is no more stressful than other places she has worked, and security personnel are always within earshot.

(Lino Lakes Daily Inmate Profile Report)

A St. Thomas resume

Hanson is one of a handful of alumni who holds three St. Thomas degrees. She has a different reason for earning each at St. Thomas:

• Undergraduate: “For some reason St. Thomas stood out. I really liked the facilities. I wasn’t sure what I was going to major in at that point. I wasn’t drawn to a specific school, but I knew I wanted smaller class sizes, and I wanted more interactions with the professors.”
• Master’s: Hanson looked at various clinical programs around the country but found them too focused on research and not focused enough on the counseling skills involved in therapy, which was her area of interest. “When I got into the master’s program I just really enjoyed the curriculum, the faculty and the student body.” Staying close to home also was a factor.
• Doctorate: Hanson, while considering a Ph.D. degree rather than a Psy.D. degree, looked at other schools but again found them too focused on research rather than on honing counseling skills. And married (to a Tommie) with three children, she wanted to remain close to home. “When I got into the master’s program I knew pretty quickly that it was a really good fit for me and it was offering what I was looking for both with the students that I was with and the faculty. I knew I wanted to continue.” She earned her doctoral degree in August 2012.

Looking to the future

“I really do like my work,” Hanson remarked. “I don’t see myself leaving anytime soon. … I’ve been happy with the direction that my career has taken.”

Clinical program therapist is an entry-level position. Hanson is working toward becoming a licensed psychologist, which requires, in addition to a doctoral degree, one year of supervised work and passing two tests. (She has passed the state ethics test and is studying for the national test.)

Eventually she may look at other positions as she advances in her career. “While I see myself moving on from my current position,” she said, “I would like it to be within the Department of Corrections.”

 *   *   *

Editor’s note: The Minnesota Department of Corrections offers training opportunities for students as practicum students and interns within chemical dependency treatment, sex offender treatment and general mental health areas. Careers also are available within each of these areas. Entry-level positions allow for opportunities to receive supervision while working toward licensure at the master’s or doctoral levels. For more information about internships and careers, visit the Department of Corrections website. For more information about counseling psychology at the University of St. Thomas, visit the College of Education, Leadership and Counseling website.

The news came at 2 p.m. Monday, April 15. Olson heard a few pockets of applause from different corners of the Star Tribune newsroom, but did not immediately realize what was happening. “It wasn’t even on my radar,” he said. When he found out that he and his peers had won, he was surprised. “I’ve entered things before and fallen short. It’s one of those things where you send things in and you never know,” he said.

When Olson arrived at St. Thomas as a student in the early 1990s, he knew he wanted to be a newspaper reporter. He learned early that he was missing a critical skill. “I realized I wasn’t that good of a writer,” he said. “My classes helped me understand what I needed to do to write with clarity.”

It was a skill he honed successfully – he eventually became the editor of The Aquin (the student-run newspaper and forerunner of TommieMedia.com).

Dave Nimmer, who was the adviser to The Aquin during Olson’s tenure, cannot recall a harder-working student. “This kid accepted more responsibility than any other I had seen,” he said. “He was born to do this.” On Olson’s earning a Pulitzer, Nimmer said, “You could have predicted it.”

Communication and Journalism professor Mark Neuzil recalls Olson’s time as a St. Thomas student. “Jeremy was a bright, hard-working and inquisitive student at St. Thomas, and his many accomplishments since have not surprised his teachers,” he said. “The Pulitzer, however, rocked us back a little bit. He’ll be an inspiration for all the students that followed, for sure.”

Olson and his colleagues celebrated carefully given the subject matter of their award-winning series. “It’s important to keep things in perspective,” he said. “Our success is based on the stories of children who died and families who are grieving.” Olson mentioned that he has reached out to the families he worked with to thank them for sharing their stories.

Star Tribune editor Nancy Barnes recognized the impact of the series, saying in a Star Tribune story, “It matters to me that this was for journalism that makes a difference.” This is and the editorial cartoon award earned by Steve Sack are the first Pulitzers for the paper since 1990.

Among the winners were some of the most recognized names in news, including the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. That reporters from the Star Tribune were listed among those publications was not surprising to Olson. “I’ve always felt like local reporters in this town can compete with the big boys,” he said. “Reporters here have always been capable of top-quality journalism.”

Read more about Olson and his colleagues at StarTribune.com.

Bignall is, first and foremost, president and CEO of ReconRobotics Inc., a company that creates tactical micro-robot systems used by the military, law enforcement and rescue teams. Bignall and his entire team are devoted to increasing the safety of military and law enforcement personnel and other responders through robots that are increasingly sophisticated. Currently, their robots can explore an environment that might be dangerous for humans to enter and provide auditory and visual feedback, even in complete darkness. Some robots are designed to examine the undercarriage of a vehicle for explosives or narcotics. The robots have become increasingly advanced since the company was founded in 2006, and they will continue to provide improved information as more sensors are added for hazards such as radiological, chemical and biological threats.

Alan Bignall (Photo by Mike Ekern ’02)

These innovations have led to lots of attention for this relatively small company. Fast Company named it to its annual list of the most innovative companies in both 2012 and 2013, and in 2011 Popular Science named the Recon Scout XT micro-robot one of the top 100 tech innovations of that year. Bignall himself received the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business 2011 Entrepreneur Alumnus of the Year Award. Bignall attributes ReconRobotics’ success to the fact that what his company does – saving  lives – creates enthusiastic employees. “Passion drives us and coalesces around our goals,” he explained. “You can always hire smart people, but how do you get passion and a drive to make a difference?”

The employees at ReconRobotics are indeed enthusiastic about delivering products that provide advance warning to those who put themselves in harm’s way in their line of  work. Aimee Barmore, a St. Thomas M.B.A. student and director of the law enforcement and federal programs North American sales team, said that passion inspires her work. “Alan and I were at a trade show in California,” she said. “A soldier came up and said, ‘Sir, Ma’am, I have to say this thing [one of the robots] is awesome. It saved my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you!’” Hearing stories like this makes her proud of her work.

Bignall has been with the company since it was formed by a University of Minnesota professor and students who wanted to commercialize their work. Recently,  ReconRobotics turned to the work of students again. As a result of a senior-year engineering project that involved designing a landing system for unmanned aerial vehicles, four St. Thomas students formed a company, Xollai, to further develop their initial idea and to create additional products. ReconRobotics purchased Xollai because, Bignall said, the young alumni who created it were a very innovative group. “They had potential patents. They had great ideas that solved key user problems.”

During a 2009 interview for St. Thomas magazine, Bignall said that the state of Minnesota had the opportunity to become “Robotics Alley” due to its positioning in miniatures, motors and electronics. His vision led to the founding of Robotics Alley, a public and private initiative that hosts an annual robotics conference in the Twin Cities.

To make a point, Bignall made a comparison between hockey and robotics. “We spend enormous amounts on youth hockey. Why not on robotics?” he asked, noting that  there are now more high school robotics teams than hockey teams. A strong robotics industry could bring 10,000 high-paying jobs to Minnesota, he said. Robotics Alley brings together academic, business and government leaders to build on Minnesota’s already solid presence in the industry.

The desire to promote the robotics industry in Minnesota is also behind the Global Robotics Innovation Park (GRIP), a planned research park and business incubator in the Twin Cities. Tenants will include companies and academic research institutions. ReconRobotics and Robotics Alley are both partnering with GRIP to encourage the development of Minnesota’s robotics industry. For Bignall, ReconRobotics’ investment in outside projects such as Robotics Alley and GRIP are important. “This is about being a leader. If you want to make a difference, you need to reach beyond the edges of your business.”

While leading ReconRobotics, Bignall has channeled his enormous energy into other projects as well. In 2010, he co-founded Biolyst, LLC, with his chiropractor, Tim Kelm, who had successfully treated Bignall’s peripheral neuropathy with lasers. “Peripheral neuropathy is extremely debilitating. The Mayo Clinic told me there was no  treatment,” Bignall said. After finding relief through laser therapy, he asked Kelm to join him in founding a company that would provide this treatment through franchise Realief Neuropathy Centers. There are now three Realief Neuropathy Centers, located in Minnesota, Arizona and South Carolina, and more will be opening soon. Bignall isn’t running the business, but he is excited to be a part of it as a founder and board member. “I love businesses where you can help people,” he said.

Bignall also loves the game of baseball. “Did he tell you how he wants to die?” Barmore asked. “He wants to be seated at a baseball game, eating a hot dog and drinking beer.” It should be no surprise that such a dedicated fan of baseball owns the Albany Dutchmen, a team belonging to the New York Collegiate Baseball League. Bignall, who dreams of owning a minor-league team, said, “I love business and the game. Owning the Albany Dutchmen has been a chance to learn the business of baseball.” He doesn’t attend games as often as he would like, but he watches his team on the Internet.

On top of all this, Bignall recently finished serving as entrepreneur in residence at St. Thomas, a volunteer position that entailed being available to help students and faculty at the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship in the Opus College of Business. “I was available to mentor groups and individuals and to guest speak as needed,” he said. “I was not there as a teacher; I was there to boost the program, and I helped raise money for it.”

The Throwbot XT. (Photo by Mike Ekern ’02)

Before he joined ReconRobotics, Bignall worked for other companies, both large and small, including Rolls-Royce, IDS, Fingerhut and Visual Interactions Inc. When asked  about the high points and low points of his career, he was characteristically optimistic. “I am generally high on life,” he said. For him, the challenging situations one can face at work are merely opportunities to learn. His lowest point was probably at a time when he was between businesses. “I had no team, no energy,” he said. “I wasn’t surrounded by smart people. I’m energized by dealing with entrepreneurs.”

He pours this energy back into the people around him. “I have had such a wonderful professional life,” he said. “I want to make other people successful. Personal recognition  is nice, but that’s not what I’m looking for. I’m looking for how to help people.” He added, “I’m always looking for new businesses to start. They just pop up all the time.”

Jack Klobucar, marketing director at ReconRobotics, has noticed Bignall’s investment in people. “What really separates him from others is the way he thinks and runs his business. He focuses on two groups. First, he focuses on the customer. If a customer has a problem, we’ll fix it immediately. Not tomorrow; today. There’s no one like that in the industry. We have a loyal customer base. Second, he focuses on each employee. He feels that if he can help an individual to be challenged and to grow, everything else  takes care of itself. This is highly unusual. I’ve consulted with dozens of companies. Most CEOs focus on numbers, but Alan focuses on the individual customer and the individual employee.” He noted that Bignall’s focus on these two groups has had a ripple effect, making the other stakeholders happy, including shareholders.

Bignall gives in part because he is grateful for what he has received from others. “I haven’t had just one or two mentors,” he said. “I’ve had hundreds of mentors. I try to listen to advice from everybody, and I try to be self-aware. I have a rule: If something’s not working, it’s always my fault.” Barmore has seen this in him. “He’s not a know-it-all,” she said.

The result of Bignall’s humility, energy, vision and focus on the individual is a successful work team that has fun while delivering results. “From day one, he wanted to create a business where he would like to work,” Klobucar said. “He looks at it through the eyes of the employee.” And, he noted, the employees respond: “We’re all in this together, creating something entirely new.”

Read more from B. Magazine.

O’Keefe, 84, was a physician and an aviator in North Dakota. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 12:30 p.m. Monday, April 8, at Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Bismarck, N.D.

An obituary can be viewed at willistonherald.com.

“In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes.” Pop artist Andy Warhol made that prediction in the 1960s, and in 2013 that prediction came true for Zachary Sikich ’05. On Tuesday, March 12, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, he suited up for the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks – for 15 minutes.

Actually, Sikich may not have received his full 15 minutes. He estimated that his time on the Ducks’ bench was more like 12 to 14 minutes. Still, he was in the NHL with the Ducks, who were taking on the Minnesota Wild that night.

The Ducks won 2-1, but Sikich also won. He made it to the NHL, a goal that Sikich had set for himself years earlier. After playing three seasons for St. Thomas, Sikich played three years of minor league hockey in an effort to get to the NHL. Along the way he made stops in Fraser, Michigan; Jacksonville, Fla.; Long Beach, Calif., Danbury, Conn.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Phoenix, Ariz., Elmira, N.Y., Quebec, Canada, and – as if he hadn’t traveled enough – Beijing, China.

Sikich blocks a shot during the 2005 championship game. (Photo by Mike Ekern ’02)

On March 12, deep within the Xcel, and just minutes east of St. Thomas’ St. Paul campus, Sikich suited up for the Ducks as the back-up goalie to replace Viktor Fasth, who was out with an injury. He knew that his stint with the Ducks might not last long. Head coach Bruce Boudreau told him that goalie Jeff DeLauriers had been called up from the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL, a Ducks’ farm team, and that DeLauriers might arrive during the game.

DeLauriers arrived early in the first period, and Sikich’s 15 minutes came to an end. Sikich left the bench, showered, brought his equipment to his car with the help of a valet, and then from the Xcel press box watched the rest of the game when he wasn’t being interviewed by various media.

Still, it was an exciting experience. Everyone in the Ducks organization – from the equipment manager to the head coach – made him feel welcome and “connected” to the team, Sikich said. He had skated with the Ducks in practice a year ago when they were in town and needed a fill-in goalie, so he was not unknown to the Ducks. Many of the players remembered him and welcomed him as the team prepared to take on the Wild.

Boudreau told Sikich that he had hoped the Ducks could establish a safe lead so he could give him a few minutes of ice time late in the game, Sikich said, but with DeLauriers’ early arrival, that was not to be. Still, Sikich left with a nice paycheck, his Ducks’ No. 31 jersey and NHL memories.

The Ducks can count on him for future emergencies, too, as he gets plenty of practice time as founder of ProHybrid Training, which specializes in training goalies both on and off the ice – goalies who, no doubt, have dreams of playing in the NHL someday.

While teaching at  Perpich Center for Arts Education, Shin continues to make her mark as a poet, receiving artist grants and fellowships from the Archibald Bush Foundation, two from the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Jerome Foundation, Blacklock Nature Sanctuary and the Loft Literary Center. This year she is a finalist for the Believer Poetry Award.

Sun Yung Shin. Photo by Dan Markworth.

Shin, who teaches 11th and 12th grade English, took some time last week to answer a few questions via email for the Newsroom.

What do your students think about having a teacher who is a published author? 

I honestly do not know! I don’t really think they give it much thought, if they even know. I don’t talk about it very much. If they do find out, I think it’s probably pretty abstract to them.

You graduated from St. Thomas in 2005 with an M.A. in secondary teacher preparation. Did you work on your first collection, Skirt Full of Black, while still a graduate student?

I did. I started writing poetry because of an adjunct teacher I had there − John Fenn, a playwright here in the Twin Cities. He and his partner, the poet Jill Breckenridge, encouraged me very kindly.

Do you incorporate poetry into your teaching?

As much as possible, but I could do more. It’s easier in some classes than others.

What kind of research did you do for Rough, and Savage?

I did a wide variety of reading and traveling for Rough, and Savage. I made two trips to Korea before the book was finished. I read more Korean history. I read a bit about Paleolithic pre-history on the Korean peninsula. I read the Inferno for the first time. I also read Metamorphoses by Ovid.

Please tell us about your history and how it influences your poetry.

I was born in Seoul and I grew up in an old suburb southwest of downtown Chicago called Brookfield. It’s a working class “village.” When I was growing up it seemed that there were a lot of Italian, Irish and Slavic folks. My adoptive dad’s family is from the south side of Chicago − they’re Irish and German. My adoptive mom’s family is from the little Ukraine area in Chicago − Polish people. Both my parents and their families were and are Roman Catholic, and I grew up going to Mass every Sunday at 8:15 a.m. My older brother is also adopted; he is a domestic adoptee and has the same ethnic makeup as our parents, but in reverse. His first mother was German and Irish and his first father was Polish. My brother could easily “pass” as our parents’ natural child. All of this influences my poetry in many ways. I would say that a few highlights are my interest in class, ethnicity within a “race,” and the language of the invisible.

One reviewer called Rough, and Savage, “more focused and more ambitious than [your] fascinating and strong debut, Skirt Full of Black,” in which you explored Korean History. Would you agree that Rough is a grander extension of your first collection?

It’s definitely more focused and ambitious, although I had to wander around a lot before putting all the pieces together. It didn’t come together all at once or from a precise plan from the beginning. I don’t really see Rough, and Savage as an extension, but maybe recursive in some ways, and I had a better sense that I didn’t have to try to do everything in one book, that, with luck, there would be more books in my future and I could go more deeply into fewer territories at a time.

“A Curious Genealogy” is reprinted by permission from Rough, and Savage (Coffee House Press, 2012). Copyright © 2012 by Sun Yung Shin.

Could you explain briefly “epic-style” writing in poetry for those who aren’t familiar? And why did you choose to write your second collection in this style?

I would explain it as a way to explore the heroic psycho-spiritual journey that each of us is on, which is really a journey to the deepest parts of ourselves, but is still in and part of the world, because we are of the world and of the planet, like all other living and non-living things on and inside Earth. I definitely chose it because I am drawn to writing like that − writing that attempts to tackle the vast and mysterious. Classical epics feature noble-born male protagonists, and I have been thinking a lot about what “heroic” means for females, what, if anything, is different.

You were editor of a collection of essays on transracial adoption, a slice of life you are familiar with and a theme you pursue in your work.  Is poetry your preferred style of writing? And do you think you’ll ever delve into fiction again, as with Cooper’s Lesson, or adult fiction?

Poetry does allow me to communicate best what I have to say. It doesn’t require a narrative or characters; those two elements in (realistic) fiction can be reductive. In poetry, language is front and center. Poetry is like prayer and music and alchemy − condensed and mysterious. Multivalent, a good poem or even word opens and opens into the infinite and deeper and deeper into the self, which is a microcosm of the universe. All living things are omphaloi of the world − navels of consciousness that create axes that extend like poles through the planet. Each word, which has its own history, is like that.

Do you have any writing rituals or habits?

I don’t really have any writing rituals. My main habit is reading a lot. I usually have books out and around when I’m writing.

When do you find time to write?

Whenever I can fit it in − weekends are better than weekdays. Mornings are better than nights these days. I usually write if I have a deadline and/or on breaks from school. I don’t have a routine, but I admire writers who do.

What books are on your guilty pleasure reading list?

The Game of Thrones books were a guilty pleasure, as were The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo books. But I don’t have anything new, I’m open to suggestions.

Juli Crees

Please remember in your prayers Juli Crees ’11 M.A., who died suddenly on Sunday, March 3.

Crees, 30, of Plymouth, Minn., was a teacher in the Minneapolis Public School System.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 8, at the Gearty-Delmore Plymouth Chapel, 37th Avenue North and Vicksburg Lane. A church service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 2060 County Road 6, Long Lake, Minn., with visitation starting at 1 p.m., and a luncheon to follow.

An obituary and guest book can be viewed at legacy.com.

What do you get when you run 12 marathons in 12 months? For starters, you get 12 T-shirts, 12 medals, 314.4 miles of mostly pain and agony (but with some joy, too), new friends, the satisfaction of a goal achieved and a renewed respect for marathoners, not that you would need it after having run so many.

And if you are a runner the caliber of Mike Johnson ’90, you also might get a qualifying time for the Boston Marathon – which he did.

Johnson, 45, has been running since the sixth grade. He ran cross country and track at Osseo High School, Class of 1985, and also at St. Thomas for four years. During his senior year (1988-89) in MIAC conference meets he was runner-up in cross country, and indoor track champion in the 3,200-meter run and the outdoor track champion in the  3,000-meter steeplechase; he also earned All-America honors in both cross country and outdoor track. Those titles did not come easily, but he persevered.

Twelve marathons and 12 medals for Mike Johnson in 2012 (and a wee bit of January 2013). (Photo by Mike Ekern)

“I think I may have a record for the number of times I was runner-up. I took second place in like 10 different things,” he laughed in an interview Feb. 13. That perseverance, that dedication, still keeps him running nearly a quarter century after leaving St. Thomas.

In 2011 he set a goal – run 12 marathons in 12 months, and also raise some scholarship money for Lake Wapogasset Lutheran Bible Camp in Amery, Wis., where he is director of development.

Inspired by a runner who ran 50 marathons in 50 days in 50 states, he thought, “If he can do 50 in 50 days, I could do one a month.”

“It wasn’t a brilliant thought process,” he laughed. “It was scary. I’ve never been a good marathoner. Running five miles fast is a lot different from running 26.2 miles fast. I’m not an ideal marathoner, but I liked the challenge. I wasn’t trying to go fast.”

Johnson’s original plan was to run, basically, one marathon a month in 2012, on a budget that kept him close to home in Stillwater for all but three of the races – two in Houston, Texas, and one in Chicago, Ill. His schedule originally did not include races in February and December, but he had two planned for both May and October.

The marathons took a toll physically and emotionally, and sometimes the drives home were “almost more brutal than the actual races.” He would have to stop every few miles and walk around to work out the kinks.

An injury in March altered his timetable. “I did the March one, but I didn’t do April and I missed the first one in May, so it kind of put me behind,” he said. “And the weather was weird for the July one, so I didn’t do that. So I had to squish a bunch in September and October, which wasn’t good. It was very painful.”

His first race went fast – a personal best of 3:19, which qualified him to run the Boston Marathon this year. His second fastest was 3:53:37. One was over five hours, and four others approached the five-hour mark.

In all, Johnson has run 18 marathons, and previously he also completed some 25 triathlons.

Mike Johnson paces the Tommie pack in a 1989 cross country meet. Running in the pack with him are Marty Urick ’90, behind, and Paul Hathaway ’91, right. (Aquinas yearbook photo by Pat Seliner)

Why? “I like the way I feel when I’m in good shape,” he said. I’ve shared this a few times. It’s really a matter of stewardship. This is all God gave us. And if we don’t take care of it no one else will. I would like to hit 100 years old healthy. I’d like to be able to still climb the stairs when I’m 100. And if I don’t take care of myself when I’m 45, I’m not going to make it there. That’s been an important part of running.”

That, and toeing the starting line at a marathon is “pretty cool.”

“Anybody who does a marathon is amazing,” he said. “Even just thinking in your head, I’m going to start training for one. Then you get to the point where you are actually toeing the start line – just to get to that point – not even running any of the race yet – that’s a big deal.”

“But I’m never running 12 marathons in a year again,” he laughed. “I really feel much more now than even before that anybody who even thinks about doing a marathon and starts training for it is pretty awesome. Just to get to the start line is pretty amazing. And all shapes and sizes come to the start line. It’s pretty neat. And every single one of them has a story.”

This is Mike Johnson’s story – much of it in his own words.

Race No. 1: Houston Marathon / Houston, Texas
Jan. 15, 2012
Time: 3:19:45

Johnson’s first marathon of 2012 was his best and qualified him for the Boston Marathon. “I felt really good, and 3:19 is my PR. I had run six marathons before that, and that was my best time by about five minutes.” He had no races scheduled for February.

Race No. 2: The Trailbreaker Marathon / Waukesha, Wis.
March 31, 2012
Time: 4:40:31

The signature element of this run on an asphalt railroad bed trail and another eight miles on the Ice Age Trail, dodging roots and rocks, is climbing to the top of a 45-foot tower at Lapham Peak, the highest point in Waukesha County at 1,233 feet, and ringing a bell.

“My calf was hurting at mile two, and I remember this: ‘There’s a fine line between being tough and being stupid,’ because at mile two I’m like, ‘OK, I can just turn around and go back,’ because it was an out and back, or ‘I’ve got to see if I can do this.’ I just kept going and going and doing it for almost another five hours. That was brutal. It was cold. That was a tough race.”

It was a cold day, 45 degrees, overcast, with a biting wind. “When you are out there for five hours you just get miserable. … I was dreaming about hot coffee at about mile 12, and it stayed with me the whole time.”

Race No. 3: Med-City Marathon / Rochester, Minn.
May 27, 2012
Time: 4:46:04

Johnson missed his April race, and an earlier race in May that he had planned to run, because of a calf strain, so he didn’t have much in the way of expectations for the Med-City Marathon other than he figured he could finish. This race was as hot – upper 80s – as the Trailbreaker was cold.

On the course past noon, he was drained by the heat. “I had a calf strain, so I couldn’t do much mileage. I was doing quite a bit of biking. Biking didn’t hurt it at all, but biking isn’t the same. … I tried to do some longer rides just to exercise for a longer period, but it didn’t make me ready to run a marathon. But I did finish. Every single one I started I finished. But I probably walked over half of the Rochester race.”

Mike Brown, left, and Mike Johnson lead the Tommies’ cross country charge in this November 1987 Aquin photo. (Photo by Patty Varley)

Race No 4: Grandma’s Marathon / Duluth, Minn.
June 16, 2012
Time: 4:12:20

Mid-June weather in Duluth is unpredictable, but it was “fine” in  2012. “I kind of pooped out at about mile 20 and struggled to get home, but I actually got some mileage in before the race and it felt like I was kind of back on track. I wasn’t fully recovered, but I felt like I was in good shape for it.”

Afterward, he wondered if he could manage eight more marathons in six months. The schedule tightened further in July. He didn’t run a marathon in July and, in fact, he didn’t run much at all; it was hot and he was recovering from the first four marathons.

Race No. 5: Paavo Nurmi Marathon / Hurley, Wis.
August 11, 2012
Time: 3:53:37

Known for its “ugly” T-shirts, Paavo Nurmi is a “great race” and provided cool weather in 2012. “People actually came to Hurley with no cold-weather clothing, and they were sitting at the start line in their warm-ups, or their jeans. They weren’t expecting to need a pair of tights or anything. … Once you got running it was absolutely beautiful.” Johnson was happy with his 3:53, especially considering that he had logged so little training before the race.

But, with four months remaining, he still had seven marathons to run and thought: “This is nuts.”

“Actually, what helped was that I ran a 3:53 at Paavo Nurmi. If I wouldn’t have run that well I probably would have said ‘bag this.’” He didn’t, however, and when a friend suggested running the Houston Marathon again in January 2013, because it fell two days earlier on the calendar than it did in 2012, he was on his way. Over the next three months he ran six marathons.

Race No. 6: Lapham Peak Trail Marathon  / Waukesha, Wis.
Sept. 8, 2012
Time: 4:50:22

Back in Waukesha again, this race featured a six-plus-mile loop “on the hilliest cross country ski trails I’ve ever been on. Even if you wanted to run up a couple of the hills, you didn’t. It was ridiculous, and we did this loop four times.” How difficult was this race? He placed third in his age group despite finishing just 10 minutes under five hours. “That puts it in perspective a little bit. It was a very tough race.” One week later he ran again.

Race No. 7: North Country Trail Marathon / Walker, Minn.
Sept.  15, 2012
Time: 5:06:10

Most of the race is on the North Country Hiking Trail, which Johnson described as a “very difficult, very technical trail” cut through grass and hillsides. “It was a very beautiful course but it was very tough, and I struggled on that one.” Still, one week later he ran again.

Mike Johnson, third from the left, won the MIAC steeplechase title in 1989. (Aquin 1989 photo by John McCormick)

Race No. 8: Birkebeiner Trail Marathon / Hayward to Cable, Wis.
Sept. 22, 2012
Time: 4:55:03

Johnson thought the Lapham Peak Trail was hilly – then he got on the Birke trail. “It’s a 20-foot wide trail cut into the forest that goes on for 30-plus miles. It’s just beautiful. The colors are awesome.” After running three marathons in three weeks, he was surprised to feel “pretty good” after the Birke despite the hills. “After the first marathon in September I felt like crap. After the second second marathon in September I felt pretty bad. But after the Birke I actually thought, ‘I think my body is adjusting.’ I felt better after my third one than I did after my first two. So that was good.” It provided a psychological boost. “That was the race that I realized that if I can do three in a row, I’m going to finish this thing.” Two weeks later he was running again.

No. 9: Chicago Marathon / Chicago, Ill.
Oct. 7, 2012
Time: 4:17:56

Chicago is one of the nation’s largest marathons, but “You didn’t feel like you were running with 45,000 people. … Even from the gun I always had my own space.” The start featured chutes and waves. Chutes were based on time, and four or five chutes were in each wave. Waves went out 30 minutes apart. His chute had 3,000 runners, with pacers well spread out. The race was his fourth in five weeks. “I was happy with it but sore from all the running.” Two weeks later he ran his fifth marathon in seven weeks.

No. 10: Mankato Marathon / Mankato, Minn.
Oct. 21, 2012
Time: 4:31:10

Johnson ran a personal best 3:25:27 in Mankato in 2011, but he knew that record would be safe in 2012. The first 16 miles were very windy and he began to struggle around mile 17. He walked and jogged to about mile 22, where he encountered Laura Kohler, from Marshall, Minn., lying on the ground. Johnson asked if she was OK. She answered, “No.”

“That’s really unusual. Almost everyone, even if they are in pain, will say, ‘Yeah, I’m OK, don’t worry about me.’ She just couldn’t go any farther.” It was her first marathon and she had hit “The Wall.”

He helped her up and got her walking slowly; about 200 yards farther they started to jog and Johnson promised he wouldn’t leave her. Jogging a half mile and then walking a half mile, they managed to keep going and finished the race together.

“Her Facebook page has me and her high-fiving at the finish line of the marathon. We became Facebook friends. I end up becoming Facebook friends with a lot of the people I meet on the trail.”

Two weeks later, Race No. 11, “a tough one.”

Mike Johnson credits Jacob, 13, with helping him finish the Rails to Trails Marathon.

No. 11: Rails to Trails Marathon / Norwalk, Wis.
Nov. 4, 2012
Time: 4:51:02

Running his sixth marathon in 60 days, Johnson began to struggle at 18 miles, walking and jogging, and then he met Jacob, 13, “just the nicest kid,” who also was struggling after running the first half of the race in 1:45.

“I have an 11 year old and a 14 year old, and I couldn’t imagine either one of them thinking about running a marathon, and this kid is doing it! I think that Jacob probably helped me run 10 minutes faster just because he took my mind off of my pain. I’m sure I slowed him down by 10 minutes.” They finished together.

Afterward, “Emotionally I felt really good. I knew I would finish the whole 12. Physically, I was hurting. I didn’t run for a week after that, and usually I try to do something. I didn’t do much the next week either. I took almost a month off. I think it was all the way through Thanksgiving before I really started running again.”

He felt better in December, but his longest run before Race No. 12, the Houston Marathon in January 2013, was eight miles.

Race No. 12: Houston Marathon / Houston, Texas
Jan. 13, 2013
Time: 4:17:21

Johnson knew that the Houston Marathon was not just another 26.2 mile race, it was the end of a yearlong journey. But a memorable finale – windy, cold and downpouring rain.

“We’re just drenched, and it’s 40-plus degrees, and it’s windy. It was horrible! … It was the coldest race that I had all year. My hands were cramping up. My forearms were just frozen.”

He warmed up five miles into the race, but he “pooped out” again at mile 17. “At mile 22 I started thinking that this isn’t the last couple of miles of a 26-mile race, this is the last couple of miles of a 314-mile event that I’ve been doing for an entire year.” Spurred on by the emotional tug of completing his journey, he began taking shorter, quicker steps, and caught up to and passed the 4:15-paced marathon group.

It was an emotional finish when his eyes met those of Zanny, his wife, who was there for his final race. “She went through a lot. I was gone for 12 races. None of them were in the Twin Cities. I stayed overnight at a lot of those.  … She had a big commitment, too, to make this thing happen.”

“I was really happy when I was done.”

*  *  *

Done? Well, almost. One more race is on the schedule – make it a baker’s dozen – the Boston Marathon on Patriots’ Day – Monday, April 15.  He qualified for the race with his 3:19:45 at the Houston Marathon back on Jan. 15, 2012.

The oldest of six siblings, Carlson grew up on a second-generation farm in southeastern North Dakota. Her family was involved in many community organizations, especially North Dakota Farmers Union. She majored in political science and in Honors (a liberal arts program) at the University of North Dakota. After graduation, she worked for Sen. Byron Dorgan in Washington, D.C., on agricultural policy; on Sen. Kent Conrad’s re-election campaign in North Dakota; and for National Farmers Union as a lobbyist back in Washington.

Law School, a Logical Next Step

Pursuing a law degree was a logical next step for Carlson. Working for senators and as a lobbyist, she had become intrigued by the legislative process. “I was interested in how bills become laws, and thought law school would help me understand that process more fully,” she said.

As Carlson was completing her law school applications, she wrote what she considered to be a “pretty standard essay.” But for St. Thomas, her essay became much more personal. She said she wrote about her relationship with her grandmother. “It just seemed appropriate for St. Thomas.”

It certainly was. Carlson received a phone call from Assistant Dean of Admissions Cari Haaland, who said she remembered reading the essay because it embodied the school’s mission so well. “I didn’t know about the mission as much then, but I felt drawn to it,” Carlson said.

She also liked the idea that the School of Law was both new and connected to an established university. “I was excited about being involved in something from the start – something that had big goals,” she said.

Carlson said she loved her time at St. Thomas, with its respectful conversations about a variety of issues. Many people contributed to her positive law school experience. Among them were Lisa Brabbit (“the best mentor you could find”), Neil Hamilton (“so thoughtful about developing himself and students into servant leaders”), former dean Tom Mengler (“a compassionate person who truly wanted to see all stakeholders get what they needed”) and Tom Berg (“he fosters such a great open dialogue; he is such a good teacher”).

While she always appreciated her experience at the School of Law, she said she didn’t realize how unusual it was until she was in practice. “I would be talking to colleagues and would say, ‘Remember when in law school you talked about the kind of lawyer you wanted to be and what kind of law community it should be?’ And they’d say that they didn’t have those kinds of conversations in law school.”

Her Professional Journey

Carlson’s professional journey has taken a few twists and turns. Following graduation, she clerked for a year for District Court Judge Steven Cahill in Moorhead, Minn. After working in-house at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, Carlson went back to her rural roots to work at Minnkota Power Cooperative. In April 2012 she became general counsel and director of government relations for the North Dakota Farmers Union, a 40,000-member advocacy organization for family farmers.

Her work is far-ranging. Carlson provides legal counsel to the organization itself, ranging from contract review to employment issues. She also offers legal counsel to the Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Co., which is owned by the members of the Farmers Union.

Much of Carlson’s work is focused on government relations. “It is an advocacy organization, after all,” she said. After the members determine the organization’s policies, she and other staff members advocate for those policies on both the state and national levels. These policies cover anything and everything connected to a rural way of life – infrastructure issues such as roads and energy development, family issues, including health care and day care, how to feed a growing world via the system of family farming, and much more. Carlson is involved in the entire process, from policy development to day-to-day advocacy to legislative and regulatory responses.

It’s a big job, but for Carlson, it feels like coming home. “I always thought I would end up working on rural issues,” she said. “I grew up on a farm and in this organization. It’s great to work for an organization you really believe in, one in which everyone else – from staff to members – believes in its mission as well. Nobody is just doing a job. Caring for the members drives their work every day. It feels good to know we’re doing really important work.”

All this good work leads to one inevitable challenge: time. “It’s tough to find enough hours in the day to do everything that’s on my plate,” Carlson said. Part of that challenge is professional. She tries to carve out time daily to work on both legal and advocacy issues. Part is personal, trying to balance her professional responsibilities with her family life.

Carlson and her husband, Ryan, who also is an attorney, have three sons: Quinn, 6, Will, 4, and Tommy, 2. “Evenings with our kids is sacred time. My family is my priority,” she said, noting that she often works after the children have gone to bed.

The School of Law prepared Carlson for that work. “First and foremost, it made me think about what is important in both a career and a workplace,” she said.

After her year as a judicial clerk, she went through the motions of applying and interviewing at many law firms. “Through that process, I realized that those jobs weren’t the ones I really wanted,” she said. “In school, I was really thoughtful about where I wanted to work. I stepped back and thought about it more, and went a different direction.”

Each step along the way brought new clarity for her on what is really important. At Blue Cross Blue Shield, Carlson learned a lot about how to serve clients with excellence, she said. Both Minnkota and the Farmers Union have a strong element of servant leadership, stewardship and ties to members.

“These are the kind of important things that we focused on in the culture at St. Thomas,” she said.

Read more from St. Thomas Lawyer.

Peterka had been suffering from migraines and blurred vision since November and learned last week that they are due to a brain tumor. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

Peterka’s friends, students and colleagues are encouraged to visit her Caring Bridge website. Messages of support from the St. Thomas community are especially appreciated.

Yet, when I saw the email go out for Take a Tommie to Lunch, I knew that I had to give it a go. It was only one lunch meeting, after all, and I knew how great the program was, having participated my senior year! I have my current employment thanks to networking with a Tommie, and I knew I would want to help a student in the future. Why not start giving back now?

Diane Kulseth ’11

During my senior year, I was paired for Take a Tommie to Lunch with a great alumna who happened to work in downtown St. Paul, just a few blocks from my internship. It worked perfectly for us to meet at a restaurant in the same area. She was a sales manager for a large publication.

While I wasn’t particularly interested in sales, she had a wealth of experience at organizations that offered positions in online marketing, which is what I hoped to specialize in. She took my résumé and made plenty of notes, and over the course of the following weeks she sent me job postings and offered to connect me with people in her network. I didn’t end up finding my postgraduation job through her, but I still value the time that she put in to ensure I had a worthwhile experience.

Once I was assigned a student in the spring of 2012, I was thrilled. I quickly looked her up on LinkedIn and Facebook, trying to figure out what to talk about and how I could help her. When we met, she told me she was relieved I was a recent graduate, as I could talk about the efforts of finding relevant internship experience and a job in this economy. Thankfully, I had plenty of internships throughout my college career, so I was able to highlight how I had searched and obtained them. Usually, they were related to networking or visiting the Career Development Center!

While eating lunch with the student, I kept on thinking about what the alumna had done during our lunch my senior year. I grabbed my portfolio and pen and marked up the student’s résumé, making notes of things to follow up on. I provided advice on networking groups to join and gave her my business card, encouraging her to find me on LinkedIn. I was pleased to see an invite from her later that night!

If you are considering participating in the Take a Tommie to Lunch program, I couldn’t recommend it more. I found it to be a valuable experience from both sides. As a student, I know there is nothing that makes you feel more important in college than when a successful professional takes you to lunch and is truly invested in helping you in your professional goals. As a professional, there is no greater feeling than to know you’ve helped a student achieve the same success that you have.

The deadline to sign up for Take a Tommie to Lunch is Tuesday, March 5, on the Alumni Association website. Please do so! You will be glad you did.

Now add a couple of fierce competitors, roller coaster peaks, blind drop-offs and unanticipated turns.

Welcome to Red Bull’s Crashed Ice competition. The speed alone will make your stomach jolt.

“To be honest, the run went by so fast and I was so focused, I didn’t really take it all in,” said Jon Palmeri ’07, who first raced in the Crashed Ice world championship event in St. Paul last winter. He placed seventh among all the U.S. competitors in 2012 and competed again in January 2013. Craig Kaufman ’08 also raced in the 2012 event.

Officially known as ice cross downhill, the sport is similar to downhill skiing. But on ice.

The 400-meter track began at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Gravity propels the competitors down Cathedral hill, accelerating through drops as high as 31 feet before completing the quarter-mile-long track near the intersection of Kellogg Boulevard and Interstate 35E.

Red Bull has hosted the championship series since 2001, when the sport originally gained popularity in Stockholm, Sweden. The world championship has traveled to other countries in Europe and first came to the United States in 2003 in Duluth.

As the name “Crashed Ice” denotes, there are plenty of crashes on every run. The athletes are outfitted in typical hockey gear – helmet, gloves, jersey and hockey pads – and race four at a time down the track. But unlike hockey, checking and any intentional physical contact are not allowed, and athletes may be disqualified.

Jon Palmeri

Palmeri decided to enter the race after a friend showed him photos from his participation in Canada in 2011.

After one of his practice runs, Palmeri observed, “The trickiest part of the track, in my opinion, was the double jump, which was taking victims run after run. I had a few crashes there and also one high-speed crash on a wall where I actually put my skate through the boards. The odd part was I didn’t get stuck. The skate punched a hole in the plastic boards and my momentum kept me moving down the next icy ramp.”

After qualifying in Duluth in fall 2011, Palmeri then competed on the big track in St. Paul in January 2012. There were two rounds of timed speed tests on the course. The top 64 of the 128 athletes in both rounds advanced to the elimination round.

Most of the U.S. participants had never experienced skating down an ice track filled with obstacles. The first time was a memorable experience for Kaufman.

“When I got to the top of the starting ramp, I remember looking down and seeing what seemed like a never ending sea of people. It was loud with everyone cheering and the music blaring. I looked to my left and saw three of my competitors who looked very focused and intense. My nerves really kicked in.”

Because competitors don’t have a track to practice on during the weeks leading up to the competition, there wasn’t much training involved. For his first competition, Palmeri just intensified his workout routine and practiced his skating skills more frequently.

Having a background in other extreme sports is perhaps the best way an athlete can anticipate an event like Red Bull’s Crashed Ice. Some of the world championship participants have competed at the X-Games in skiing or snowboarding. One was an Olympic-bound speed skater, and some of the international competitors are bandy players.

Palmeri’s experience competing in extreme sports gave him confidence heading into the race. “I grew up mainly playing hockey but I also liked BMX racing in the summer, and I’ve also done motocross racing, skiing and snowboarding,” Palmeri said. “They’re very similar to Crashed Ice in how you approach obstacles while going at high speeds.  It takes a little of the fear factor out of it for me.”

Palmeri, from St. Paul, played hockey through high school, but once he got to college he had to make a decision that many student-athletes face: Do I keep playing my sport?

“I played hockey very competitively and then had opportunities to play further, but I just wanted to go to school and learn, graduate, work and be done,” Palmeri said.

Fortunately, hockey remained an important part of his life. Palmeri’s college roommate, Brett Lawler ’08, along with Rian Cleary ’08, founded the St. Thomas club hockey team in 2006. Palmeri joined the team and found a good balance between studying and playing his favorite sport. In the summers, Palmeri played in the Minnesota Pro 4- on-4 league, where he practiced with NHL, Division I, and European professional players.

Like Palmeri, Kaufman played hockey growing up, but he continued playing at the collegiate level on St. Thomas’ varisty team from 2005 to 2007. It’s no surprise that both
have found their hockey background helpful in competing in the Crashed Ice event.

One subtle difference between the two sports is the skates. Ice cross downhill competitors use bandy blades which offer more stability during the downhill run. Bandy combines elements of hockey and soccer, and is quite popular in Europe and Russia.

The added stability of the bandy blades were needed at this year’s Crashed Ice event in St. Paul, where the starting gate was 48 feet high – a full 12 feet higher than last year’s
course.

Last year more than 80,000 hardy spectators attended the Crashed Ice event in St. Paul. Given that the NHL lockout left many Wild hockey fans without much to do this fall and early winter, the city of St. Paul is hoping for an even larger turnout this year.

For Palmeri and Kaufman, the Crashed Ice competition will extend their passion for high-speed competition and winter sports – two things Minnesotans are eager to support.

Read more from St. Thomas Magazine.

How many students and alumni dread that question or similar questions and comments, such as “That’s not a very useful degree, is it?” How many people have been afraid to pursue Catholic Studies because they’ve been unable to answer that question for themselves?

Certainly, Catholic Studies isn’t the only degree to raise eyebrows. Many a philosophy major has had to endure jokes about flipping burgers after graduation. But Catholic Studies is a relatively new field of study. Many people have never heard of it and are hard pressed to define what is meant by a major or a master’s program in Catholic Studies. This makes the questions especially urgent. Why would anyone pursue Catholic Studies?

Fourteen graduates of Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas, undergraduate and graduate alumni from all walks of life, answered questions such as: What attracted you to Catholic Studies? What did you most appreciate about it? How do you use it on the job and in your life?

In many ways, their answers were as varied as their jobs. The alumni profiled in these pages include lawyers, a professor, a teacher, a priest, a seminarian, a pediatric resident, a Ph.D. candidate, a stay-athome mom, a psychotherapist, businessmen and laywomen working for the Church. Some find they are applying their education directly to their careers. Others argue that Catholic Studies shaped them as persons.

But, despite the wide differences in what they have done since graduation, these men and women are also strikingly similar. Many of them came to Catholic Studies to grow as Catholics, intellectually and spiritually. Many spoke of how much they valued the interdisciplinary approach of the program. Those who had the opportunity to study in Rome spoke of it as a life-changing experience. The vast majority of undergraduate alumni were double-majors, strongly encouraged by the Catholic Studies Department. These alumni are hopeful, viewing world events through the lens of Church history. They believe they are called to infuse the world with Catholic thinking. And they said, over and over again that, whether or not it applied directly to their careers, Catholic Studies was a value in itself.

In the words of Erin Dolan ’08, “It prepares you for anything.”

“Catholic Studies Shaped Who I Am”

Tara Anderson ’04, ’07 M.A.
Undergraduate majors: Catholic Studies and philosophy
Associate at Fafinski Mark & Johnson

Tara Anderson’s interest in Catholic Studies began before she graduated from high school. She first came to St. Thomas as part of Minnesota’s Postsecondary Enrollment Options program, which enables high school juniors and seniors to earn college credit. She began talking to one of the professors during this time, and she liked the interdisciplinary approach that he described. Pursuing both Catholic Studies and philosophy as majors allowed her to combine her interests in philosophy and ethics and explore her faith.

By the time she graduated, Anderson thought, “I haven’t done so much that there is nothing left to do in Catholic Studies.” She also wanted to study more with professors such as Dr. Robert Kennedy and explore the intersection of politics and Catholicism, something which the flexibility of the master’s program would allow her to do. She ended up pursuing both an M.A. degree in Catholic Studies and a J.D. through the joint JD-CSMA program.

Reflecting on the program, Anderson most appreciates the professors. “They made the program what it was.” She also liked the interdisciplinary nature of the program and the way she was able to shape it to explore her different interests.

In her current position as an associate with Fafinski Mark & Johnson, Anderson is responsible for corporate transactions and intellectual property, areas of business law, as well as aviation finance. “I manage day-to-day legal business that isn’t litigation related,” said Anderson, who was not interested in litigation. Her UST Law Mentor Externship connected her with the firm. “They needed what I wanted,” she said. Happy with where she has landed, she noted that the firm has a culture that allows her to make decisions that she feels good about making as a Catholic lawyer.

Anderson doesn’t use Catholic Studies on the job the way a chemist might use her knowledge from her chemistry major, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t useful to her. “Catholic Studies shaped who I am as a person,” she said, “which shapes how I interact with clients and approach different situations. It especially influences my focus on ethics.” She added, “For most people who graduate with a major or master’s in Catholic Studies, it’s not career-training, but it’s applicable to a wide range of fields. I wouldn’t ask someone who was pursuing Catholic Studies, ‘So, what are you going to do with that?’”

An Enthusiastic Messenger

Erin Dolan ’08
Undergraduate majors: Catholic Studies and print journalism
Undergraduate minor: Graphic arts
Communication coordinator for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee

For Erin Dolan, deciding to major in Catholic Studies and deciding to enroll at St. Thomas went hand-in-hand. “I was looking for schools that were in a five-hour driving circle of Milwaukee,” she said. She specifically looked for schools where she could learn more about her faith. “My faith was important, but I hadn’t made it my own.” A family member introduced her to St. Thomas. “I was hooked when I knew about the Rome program.”

After some thought, Dolan chose to pursue a second major in print journalism and a minor in graphic arts, because she loved writing and art. She considered Catholic Studies to be a personal interest, and she never planned to work for the Church. After graduation, she landed a job as an editorial associate at a jewelry magazine, where she handled layout and event planning. “It was fun,” she said. Approximately a year into that job, she heard of a job in marketing communications for Catholic schools and St. Francis de Sales Seminary in Milwaukee. “I could never have created a job like that,” she said. “It was meant to be.” She applied on a whim, not expecting much, since she had so little work experience in that area. To her surprise, she was contacted for an interview and eventually took the job.

She has been there for three years now, and her role has shifted from an emphasis on Catholic school marketing to work with the vocations office. Through the Web, newsletters, ads and radio, Dolan explains the priesthood, its relevance and the need for more priests. She also does development work for the seminary, from organizing golf fundraisers to working on the annual appeal.

For Dolan, Catholic Studies ended up tying into her work far more than she had anticipated. “You can’t underestimate the importance of a solid theological background and solid philosophy,” she said, referring to her position. “I need to know how to effectively communicate Catholic teaching to a broad audience. I need to translate doctrine for the person in the pew.” She has also found that her studies have helped her in an independent, creative venture she has taken on outside of her work for the Church: Second Story Creative. “Many of my clients are small businesses owners, and some are Catholic,” she said. “Catholic Studies has helped me professionally. It has made me more marketable.”

Dolan knows that many Catholic Studies majors don’t end up applying their knowledge so directly in the workplace. “Even if I weren’t working for the Church, I’d still filter what I’ve learned into any job. I may not always have this job, but Catholic Studies is still applicable. It gives value to any path. It prepares you for anything.” One of the ways she sees the power of its influence is through how it prepares young Catholics for positions of leadership and influence. “We need to stand for truth. We have much to say. We have been given the opportunity and the responsibility to be enthusiastic messengers. There is so much to do. We live in an exciting time.”

A Career Grounded in Hope

Gino Lambo ’95
Undergraduate majors: Political science and theology
Undergraduate minor: Catholic Studies
Account executive at Celleration

When Gino Lambo came to St. Thomas, Catholic Studies wasn’t a part of his plan, but the faculty drew him in. He found himself taking first one course and then another. “The faculty members are inspiring,” he said. “That’s one of the department’s strong suits. The faculty are excellent, dedicated and engaging. They’re passionate about learning.”

Lambo ended up in medical sales after graduation, and he has found his St. Thomas education very applicable. “I go into nursing homes, which are not the happiest places, but St. Thomas educates people in the tradition of not losing hope. I know that there’s lots of good in the midst of suffering.” Lambo is grateful for the chance to help people such as an elderly woman with a bad lower extremity wound. Through the medical technology Lambo helped to provide, not only did she keep her limb, but she danced at her grandson’s wedding. Hers is one of many meaningful stories of healing that inspire him. He sees Christ in every human being he meets. “If you do what you love and engage individuals with respect, you will have a fulfilled life. It’s important to live life authentically.”

The friendships and habits that Lambo built at St. Thomas are still a part of his life 17 years after graduation. “I was part of a group that attended daily Mass. I strongly recommend that habit,” he said. He developed a strong understanding of the power of the Eucharist during his college years and has seen it in other people’s lives. Recently he was able to help a friend in Germany whose mother was dying of cancer. Lambo visited the woman, who was in a local hospital, and took her to the chapel. While they  were there, she had the opportunity to receive communion. “Her demeanor changed,” he said. Lambo’s own mother was ministered to in a similar manner by his friend and Catholic Studies classmate Father Ryan Lewis, who went to say daily Mass with her during the last weeks of her life. “I cherish the friendships I developed through Catholic Studies.”

Now a member of the Catholic Studies board of advisers, Lambo has been encouraged by the quality of students he is meeting. As he plans for the gala celebration of the 20th anniversary of Catholic Studies at St. Thomas on Oct. 26, 2013, he finds the faculty as appealing as they were when he was a student. “It’s amazing that the faculty has been engaged for 20 years so very passionately. The Center for Catholic Studies is a thriving part of the university. It’s helped many.”

And about that gala? Lambo is looking for volunteers and hopes that readers will mark their calendars!

“I Knew I Was Home”

Irma Montes ’11
Undergraduate major: Catholic Studies
Undergraduate minor: Psychology
Hispanic outreach coordinator at Holy Name Catholic Church

In high school, Irma Montes knew that she wanted to use her college years to be educated about her Catholic faith. “I was looking for Catholic Studies, not theology or religious studies,” she said. A friend recommended two schools, one of which was St. Thomas, and Montes visited campus during her senior year. “It felt right,” she said. “I knew I was home.” She didn’t apply anywhere else.

Montes was excited about the opportunity to study in Rome – so much so, that she spent her entire junior year there. “Rome changed my life. It was a place where I learned how to live out my faith. I stopped being a rule-follower and stepped into a personal relationship with God. It was a romantic time with the Lord. Every day was another surprise.”

After graduation, she decided to join Christ in the City in Denver for a year, where she served on the homeless task force. “I did a lot of street ministry, serving different populations, such as teens or adults, on different days of the week.” She also spent about half of her time doing outreach to the Hispanic community in a poor neighborhood. “When families immigrate to the United States,” she explained, “a lot of them become cultural Catholics. The parents practice their faith in Spanish, and they can’t communicate it to their kids.” Her mission was to re-evangelize, bringing these young people back to the Church.

Montes saw her work with Christ in the City as an important step following graduation, and taking that step immediately was ideal, since she had the time as a young, single recent graduate. “My missionary work was a fulfillment of my degree,” she said. “I learned what it meant to be charitable and to serve the poor. I wasn’t looking for a career. I just wanted to serve in a Catholic way.” She also went back to school at the Augustine Institute in Denver, diving into Scripture classes. “I enjoy intellectual challenge,” she said, adding, “People on the streets want to know who Christ is. I didn’t know Scripture well enough. It’s my duty to become educated enough to share with them.”

Her year of service ended in July, and she was offered a full-time position continuing at the parish where she did Hispanic ministry. “I’m continuing the same ministry in Denver; I’m just not living in community anymore,” part of her experience with Christ in the City. Her main focus will be Hispanic outreach, although she will continue to do some street ministry.

Were Montes to advise young Catholics facing graduation, she would say that it’s okay to take things slowly. “You can take time off for service. We don’t spend enough time building relationships. We live in a me-focused world.” She also noted, “Our plans are not always God’s plans. Have an open heart. He will never be outdone in generosity, will never disappoint. He brought us this far, why would he abandon us?”

“I Didn’t Come to St. Thomas for Its Catholic Identity”

Dr. Greg Murry ’03
Undergraduate majors: Catholic Studies and history
Assistant professor of history at Mount St. Mary’s University

Greg Murry was an agnostic when he came to St. Thomas, and he came for the reputation of the Opus College of Business. “I was going to be a business major,” he said. He had decided that a business education would open doors for employment, and he would pursue history because he liked it. During his first semester, one of his fellow students in a physics class, Luke Meyer, now chancellor of the diocese of Fargo, told Murry that he should take the Newman class with Dr. Don Briel. “That course, late-night conversations with friends and reading Augustine’s Confessions for my theology class changed everything.”

Soon Murry found himself pursuing Catholic Studies instead of business. “It informed my interests as a historian,” he said. Instead of pursuing a career in business, Murry found himself on track to be a history professor. He pursued a master’s degree and a Ph.D. at Penn State University, where he specialized in early modern European history, and religion and the missionary world. “All of the students crossed disciplinary lines,” he said of his graduate education. “That jived with Catholic Studies, and it is what part of what attracted me to Penn State.”

In the fall of 2010, Murry was hired by Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland, where he teaches history electives as well as core history courses. “The department is similar to Catholic Studies in that it has an interdisciplinary civilization sequence. We cover not just history but literature and the arts,” Murry said. Murry’s background in Catholic Studies ties in very well to his work at Mount St. Mary’s. “The university is committed to Catholic identity. We want to attract serious Catholic students. When we revised our history core, I had input in the discussion. I bring Catholic content into my classes as much as I can, such as the way in which Catholic ethics can shape our perspective of history.” He also put together an introductory liberal arts class for freshmen. “About one quarter of the students are not Catholic,” he said. “I have to get them thinking about a Catholic vision of the human person.”

Although Murry was heavily into the intellectual side of Catholic Studies, he appreciates most his service work while he studied in Rome and the opportunities he had for contemplative prayer. “People who are really into the intellectual side have a tendency to neglect these things. It’s important to also have lots of community and contemplative prayer. I did my service work with a group. Rome pulled these sides together. It provided me with the opportunity to undergo a spiritual conversion after the intellectual conversion I had already experienced.”

Perhaps because Murry has seen the value of community, service and prayer, he recommends that young Catholics get involved in their communities and churches wherever they live after graduation. He notes that in college, they are generally surrounded by others who solidly support their faith. “The best thing you can do is to re- create a sense of community in your new life.”

The Significance of the Day-to-Day

James Schultz ’08
Undergraduate majors: Catholic Studies and philosophy
Junior associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP

James Schultz was attracted to St. Thomas because of the strength of its liberal arts programs, including Catholic Studies. Although he most appreciated the intellectual rigor with which Catholic Studies approaches the study of all the disciplines it touches, he was also drawn to the opportunities for personal formation available through the center. “I wanted both a comprehensive exploration of a Christian vision for the world as well as a personal formation,” he said, so he lived in one of the Catholic men’s houses for two years and was involved in the Leadership Intern program. “The intellectual and the personal were important to me,” he said. “I enjoyed Catholic Studies’ serious exploration of various disciplines,” but he also considered the personal aspect of his growth as essential. “I would rank Catholic Studies as one of the top formative experiences of my life. I grew intellectually and personally through various program offered by the department and the center.”

After graduating from Harvard Law School, Schultz took a position with Kirkland, assisting with the negotiation and documentation of different corporate transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions or securities offerings. He finds that his academic training is a source of confidence on the job. “The big questions that occupy lawyers’ minds – the proper goals of punishment, the merits of economic regulation, the just treatment of the child in the womb – are of course questions that the Christian intellectual tradition can be a great help in answering. On many occasions, I have been able to put forward a more complete explanation of the Christian vision on a subject because I explored seriously within Catholic Studies the intellectual foundations upon which the Christian vision rests.”

While his day-to-day work may not always be directly related to his faith, Schultz brings a sense of vocation and significance to his career. Through the eyes of faith, insignificant pieces of his life become significant. “My work has meaning in part because of my Catholic outlook,” he said. “There is a cynicism present today that says that an individual life is destined to be without impact. One of the many things Catholic Studies leaves with students is a deep understanding of the Christian idea of vocation.” He believes that young people would do well to reflect on vocation and think of how they might leverage the gifts God has given them for good. But the work they do does not have to be great in the eyes of the world. “It’s worthwhile to keep in the forefront of your mind that many seemingly insignificant endeavors have meaning. If you’re doing even simple work well, you’re giving glory to God and making use of the gifts you have received.”

“My Experiences Were Very Helpful”

Rev. Mr. Philip Schumaker ’09
Undergraduate majors: Catholic Studies and history
Transitional Deacon for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee

Philip Schumaker hadn’t even heard of St. Thomas when he began to apply to colleges, but his mother had, and she encouraged him to apply. Schumaker visited campus and met Dr. Don Briel to learn more about Catholic Studies. He liked what he saw, particularly when he was allowed to apply to live in the Catholic men’s house, which was just being started. The idea of living in community with other Catholic men and focusing on personal formation was attractive to him. Impressed by what he learned about Catholic Studies and by the campus as a whole, Schumaker was happy to apply.

“When I first got to St. Thomas, I felt very welcome,” Shumaker said. “A lot of what I appreciated about Catholic Studies was the people. I appreciated their care in forming the whole person, not just academically but the whole person.” He felt that faculty and staff “genuinely cared for people. They wanted to make us better people, who were growing in faith. They wanted to help us succeed.”

While Schumaker considered his personal formation important, he wasn’t certain he wanted to head down the path toward ordination. He had been considering the priesthood for years, and started thinking about it more while at St. Thomas. “The thought wouldn’t go away. My spiritual director, Father Peter Laird, helped me discern. There was never one moment when I knew God was calling; rather, as I prayed with my spiritual director, I grew in conviction.”

Schumaker has frequently referred back to relevant papers and knowledge gained while at St. Thomas as he writes papers in seminary or prepares for Masses. “I reference lots of what I learned,” he said. He also finds his experience of living in the men’s house to be important. “As we tried to form community, I learned what works and what doesn’t. That’s been helpful as deacon of my floor at seminary. I’ve learned how to lead these guys to great holiness and to build us up in brotherhood. I continue to learn, but my experiences were very helpful.”

For Schumaker, the sense of community he experienced at St. Thomas was a source of strength and consolation as he tried to live out his faith, and he recommends that young people continue to seek that sense of community even after graduation. “The most important thing in life is holiness. We all have legitimate concerns, but the first thing is to be holy, to pray and to grow closer to God. It’s not easy to be Catholic.” But if you have a community of like-minded friends, they can help you as you strive toward that most important thing: “to grow closer to God.”

 Bringing Faith Into a World of Life, Death and Uncertainty

Susan Slattery ’08
Undergraduate majors: Catholic Studies and biochemistry
Resident with The University of Chicago Pediatric Residency Training Program

Susan Slattery attended a Catholic high school where she received an excellent education, so she wanted more of the same in college. “I was looking for a school that had strong science and theology programs,” said Slattery, who considered schools from coast to coast. “When I visited St. Thomas, it was a last-minute decision. I met with the theology chair, who showed me textbooks and gave me a copy of Logos. Those two things validated what I was looking for. They were tangible examples of the authentic nature of Catholic academics at St. Thomas.”

Slattery didn’t know about Catholic Studies before her campus visit, but her range of interests in the sciences, theology and philosophy led her to meet with many department chairs, including then-chair of the Catholic Studies Department, Dr. Chris Thompson. The Catholic Studies curriculum looked exciting, “just the topics themselves,” Slattery said. “One of the philosophy classes was on faith and doubt, whether it was reasonable to believe in God, to be a Christian, to be Catholic. A lot of the classes set up foundational thinking at levels challenging students to think critically.”

Now a resident in The University of Chicago Pediatric Residency Training Program, Slattery finds that Catholic Studies affects how she approaches and relates to people. Working in the neonatal intensive care unit, she has had several conversations with parents. “Being involved in conversations about life, death and uncertainty is not unfamiliar to me due to my background in Catholic Studies,” Slattery said. “There’s still a lot of gray, but I try to bring comfort. It’s as simple as maintaining hope when death is involved.” More practically, she is looking at a couple of research projects with the University of Chicago, one of which is faith-based. “The relation of pediatric medicine and faith hasn’t really been studied,” Slattery noted. “There’s a gap there.”

While residency is, of course, incredibly busy, Slattery enjoys it. “It’s amazing to wake up and want to go at an insanely early hour and on very little sleep. I have the opportunity to work with families, looking out for the health and well-being of their kids, and at the end of the day, even if I’m leaving late, I’m still okay, and I’ll be back in the morning, happy to be there.” On top of all that, she is exploring involvement with the programs at the Lumen Christi Institute, which exists to complement higher education of a secular nature with Catholic intellectual dialogue. “Dr. Briel is on its board of advisers,” she said. “I’m looking forward to being involved.”

One reason she is excited about being involved in Lumen Christi is because she has found that it is important for her to stay engaged with the Church in order to consistently apply her faith to life. Her family emphasized what they referred to as “the four ‘H’s’”: happy, holy, healthy and wholesome. Busy as she is, she lives her life by these guidelines, which means not letting her busyness shove aside active involvement in her Catholic faith. “You need to read, have conversations, listen, dialogue, write, consistently participate in the sacraments. It takes practice.”

“There Are as Many Ways to Be Saints as There Are Saints”

Therese Lewis ’10 M.A.
Stay-at-home mom

In 2006 Therese Lewis was a high school religion teacher without children when she applied for admission to the Catholic Studies Master of Arts program for professional reasons and because she simply wanted to increase her knowledge of her Catholic faith. In addition to teaching religion at a Catholic high school, her career path included serving as a campus minister and working as a youth minister and confirmation coordinator. “I loved the feel of the Catholic Studies graduate program,” she said. “During the application process, people remembered me, and I got a wonderful financial aid package. In addition, I could still take classes while working full-time.”

Before she could begin classes, she and her husband adopted Beatrice, now 9 years old. “I deferred for a year, thinking I’d go back to work then.” Her family’s plans quickly changed as they made the decision for her to stay home for a time and adopted a second child, Joyce, now 3. “I came out of all that with different goals,” Lewis said, but her goals are flexible. When she will return to work will depend on her family’s needs. “How will I use my degree? I don’t know the answer, but I use it personally as a mom. I’ve thought about how to help the girls grow up with the sacraments. I don’t know what the future holds, but I feel like Catholic Studies has given me strength to forge a path, whatever it is.” She also serves on her parish council and finds that she draws on her background in Catholic Studies in that context as well.

Among the things Lewis most appreciated about the program was the opportunity to study different Catholics in-depth and learn how they influenced culture. “When I studied Cardinal Newman, I wanted to talk about Newman everywhere,” she said. She also enjoyed studying Flannery O’Connor. “She had an unusual way of speaking the truth. It’s inspiring to have such examples. I’ve learned that I need to be who I am in day-to-day, ordinary life and try to protect the uniqueness of what is. I’ve learned there are as many ways to be a saint as there are saints.”

As a Catholic Studies alumna, Lewis would tell young people to be open to the grace of God to move them in unusual ways. “I didn’t see myself as an at-home mom. You can get so planned, but our lives turn out differently, and that’s good.” She added, “Embrace who you are, who you were made to be. It’s important to embrace your identity as a Catholic. You were created to be someone who brings about goodness in our world.” These two ideas – being the person you were created to be and being open to God – go hand-in-hand, and the Church needs people who embrace both. Lewis noted that living your life in this way can be hard, but important. “Keep at it.”

Seeing Things Through the Church’s Eyes

Nathan Metzinger ’06 M.A.
Executive recruiter at Target

Nathan Metzinger heard about the Catholic Studies Master of Arts program before it was launched through his friend John Rodriguez, then administrator for the program. “I was fascinated,” he said. “It was structured for working people, rigorous, interdisciplinary and flexible, allowing me to focus on business or any other topic within the realm of Catholic thought and culture.” He knew that a Master of Arts Degree in Catholic Studies wouldn’t further his career, but he felt it would make him a better husband and father. It would also transform him “from a Catholic American to an American Catholic” as he learned to see things through the Church’s eyes.

“I’m grateful for an environment where an interdisciplinary approach to the Catholic tradition can be taken,” he said of the program. “You can go deep, but the program is flexible. The fruit is well-educated members of the community, leaders who can interpenetrate society at large, who can bring a Catholic vision to any discipline.”

“There’s not a direct correlation between my master’s degree and being a better corporate executive recruiter,” Metzinger said, but he finds that he views things through a Catholic lens. “I abhor the term ‘human resources,’” he explained. “Humans aren’t resources. Really, work serves man.”

Metzinger expected to enjoy the classes related to theology and philosophy, and he did, but he surprised himself by most enjoying history. “I’d often written history off, but I found that my studies in history enabled me to have a perspective on life beyond the American perspective, especially in the political and social arena.” As he looked at the sweep of international events over the course of 2,000 years, he found that history through a Catholic lens had an explanatory power, allowing him to understand the ramifications of things and to have hope. “The Church has weathered bad times,” he said. Studying history allowed him to fight fear and gain hope through a sense of vision and perspective.

Although most Americans today probably think a lot about the economy, Metzinger, as a recruiter, may be more aware than many of how the economy affects American attitudes. Speaking to young people facing graduation, he quotes John Paul II, “Be not afraid.” “Even now,” Metzinger said, “especially now given the economic environment, there’s a lot of fear. If you’re receptive to the movement of the Holy Spirit, there are amazing opportunities. There is so much negativity in the market, but I’m very optimistic. Remain true, be receptive to opportunities and be ready to seize them. Someone once said, ‘Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.’ Don’t let fear get in the way.”

“It’s Critical Not to Lose the Connection Between Faith and Reason”

Father Mark Moriarty ’11 M.A.
Pastor of the Church of St. Agnes and superintendent of
St. Agnes School

Father Mark Moriarty first encountered professors from the Catholic Studies Department while he was pursuing his Master of Divinity at The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity. “I audited the Newman course, and I also took a class with Dr. John Boyle. I was very impressed,” he said. Wanting to continue to explore the breadth of Catholic thought and culture under professors such as Boyle and Dr. Don Briel, Moriarty applied to the program after he became a pastor.

“My favorite courses, like Europe and the Church: 1789 to the Present, and the History of Western Education, helped me put more flesh onto world-changing ideas,” he said. “Catholic Thought and Culture II helped me most in my understanding of how we got where we are today and how we can help culture remain vital.”

As a pastor and superintendent of a Catholic school, Moriarty draws frequently from his background in Catholic Studies to minister to others. “Part of what a pastor needs to be is a doctor of souls,” he said. This takes place not only as he provides guidance to individuals in his care but also as he ministers to the entire congregation. “You need to know your audience and what their culture is like,” he noted. “Currently there’s a break between faith and reason, as if faith doesn’t belong in the public sphere. I need to understand what led to this and the proper response. Catholic Studies has helped me understand the background to the divorce between faith and the rest of culture – academia, politics, the workplace and public discourse.”

Within the school, Moriarity tries to visit all classrooms as much as possible, not just the religion classes. “It’s critical not to lose the connection between faith and reason,” he said. “Public education has gone more into specialization and secularization. We’re working against that here.” Moriarty believes that education is not just a matter or remembering facts or discussing ideas; instead, a well-educated person will be able to sift through knowledge and culture from the past and present, sort the good from that which is not good. He strives to lead St. Agnes according to that model.

But, even with an undergraduate degree and two master’s degrees under his belt, Moriarty doesn’t believe he is done, and he doesn’t want those under his influence to view education that way either. “Education is a way of life. It’s not just over and done with when you graduate.” He also wants his parishioners and the students in his school to consider what education is for, and for him it is first and foremost about building your character and shaping the culture around you. “It’s not so much about what career you have,” he said, “but about being the best man or woman you can be as a son or daughter of God.” He continued, “No person is meant to be an island unto himself. You are called to be in continual engagement with society. We can provide the underpinning of faith that culture needs.”

The Joy of Seeing Things Through Different Disciplinary Perspectives

Erik Pedersen ’08 M.A.
Doctoral student in philosophy at the Catholic University of America

When Erik Pedersen was an undergraduate student at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, he studied in Rome through St. Thomas’ Catholic Studies/Angelicum Rome program. He appreciated the vision he saw in the Catholic Studies program. He knew that he wanted to attain a Ph.D. and, eventually, teach at a college or university, and he felt that St. Thomas’ graduate program in Catholic Studies would be a good next step along that path.

Pedersen, who had majored in philosophy and political science and minored in Catholic Studies while at Loras, doesn’t believe in hard and fast lines between disciplines – a large part of his attraction to Catholic Studies at St. Thomas. “The lines between philosophy and theology are not always clean. You need a holistic approach. Through Catholic Studies, I was able to get a broad-based understanding of, for example, St. Thomas Aquinas before jumping into more specialized work.”  Pedersen is studying Aquinas and other medieval philosophers at CUA. “Aquinas is a great philosopher,” he said, “but above all, he’s a theologian. Getting a base in Catholic Studies has given me insights into his philosophy here. And it’s not just him; it’s all medieval philosophers. The medieval commentaries on ancient philosophy are hugely important, and you get at them through theology.”

“I appreciate the way St. Thomas doesn’t let the artificial bounds of academic disciplines intrude on the natural development of a subject,” he said. “I was talking with a philosophy professor, who invited a theology professor to join us for lunch. Our talk was not confined to just one subject. It’s not good to talk about a subject only with philosophers or historians.” Pedersen noted that by partitioning subjects off into strict disciplinary categories, we can become blinded to other views. An interdisciplinary approach opens you up to seeing things in new ways.

Pedersen suggests that young Catholics who are facing graduation should be open to taking risks. He went to CUA even though it was far from family and friends and he had never visited the campus, because he knew he wanted to work with the faculty. Rather than letting fear of the unknown stop him, he dove right in. “Don’t be apprehensive,” he said. “As young Catholics, you aren’t doing this blindly. Christ will be there with you. Have faith and hope that things will work out. Have faith that, even if it doesn’t go as planned, it will work out.”

Helping People Answer “Where Are You Going?”

Joe Pribyl ’03 M.A.
Licensed marriage and family therapist and founder, Quo Vadis Therapy Center

When Joe Pribyl pursued his master’s degree in Catholic Studies, he didn’t know he would found a psychotherapy center that would allow him to work with people who were interested in integrating their spirituality with their therapy. At the time, he was working with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as a lay minister. He wanted a more academic background in Catholicism and had seen an ad for the Master of Art’s program in Catholic Studies. Intrigued, he followed up and was among the earliest students to complete the new graduate program.

He continued in parish ministry for a while, but he decided to transition fully into the field of marriage and family therapy to work with people in times of need who were looking for guidance within a professional, therapeutic setting. He returned to St. Thomas, this time for a master’s degree in counseling psychology. As a psychotherapist in 2008, he decided to found Quo Vadis. “There are general Christian counseling centers,” he noted, but it’s still pretty unique to find a counseling center that allows clients to explore issues from a specifically Catholic perspective. Anyone may come and request counseling with Pribyl, but his approach allows those who wish to, to incorporate a religious perspective, including a Catholic perspective, into their sessions. “Whether or not someone wants to bring spirituality into their sessions is up to them,” he said, “but they probably come to me aware of my Catholic background.”

While his Catholic background can be a primary draw for his clients, Pribyl is comfortable working with people of other faiths, especially having studied and traveled abroad, including through parts of the Middle East. Pribyl found the idea of a Catholic culture to be particularly helpful. “Catholic Studies gave me an understanding of Catholicism as a culture and how it influences us even when we’re unaware. I appreciate having the chance to see it in that light as well as its interplay with the larger culture.” He noted that therapy is heavily influenced by post-modern culture, and his background in Catholic Studies allows him to explore where post-modernity and Catholicism agree and disagree.

For Pribyl, Catholic Studies can bring value to any work. “Whatever field you might enter,” he said, “there’s a way to be faithful and observant and to bring Catholic culture with you. You can be a positive influence on people.” He feels that Catholics should have no fear of engaging work that has a secular background. “We need to find ways to enhance the workforce” with our faith, he said. For that reason, Catholics shouldn’t see their career options as limited. “You can engage the world wherever you sit,” he said. “The question is how your Catholic sensibility can be infused into your career.”

Finding New Opportunities Through Catholic Studies

John Rogers ’10 M.A.
Teacher, St. Thomas Academy

John Rogers first heard about Catholic Studies from a teacher while he was in high school. Although he considered it, he ultimately pursued an English major at St. John’s University. After he began working as an English teacher at St. Thomas Academy, he began considering the graduate program in Catholic Studies. He wanted to broaden his horizons and make his classes more holistic, connecting literature to the larger Christian tradition.

Now a graduate of the program, Rogers finds that he uses his education regularly. “I’ve been drawing out themes from the books we’re reading as they relate to Catholic life.” Students confront questions such as: How does Romeo and Juliet relate to Shakespeare’s understanding of love and marriage? In Hamlet, how do we consider what’s moral and when it is right to do harm? Rogers said, “I tie in lots of information about music, art and architecture, so my students understand the setting of a piece of literature. I also help students find the connection between literature and Scripture. I see studying good literature as preparation for reading the Bible. When it comes time for my students to study Scripture, they are ready to do so.”

In addition, Rogers has begun teaching theology courses, including church history. “I pull in a lot of primary sources. We read the Church fathers and early papal documents. We don’t just examine these teaching in a vacuum. We consider them in their time periods and context. We look at social doctrine, examining how it developed and changed. We ask, ‘What duty do I have to people on the other side of the world?’ Teens are naturally fired up over questions like these.”

Rogers has found that people are starting to come to him with questions about doctrine and other matters. “I have had opportunities that wouldn’t have been there,” he said. His students are surprised to find that he loves both English and theology. He encourages them to think about what they will study in college, encouraging them not to focus on just a narrow slice of information. “I push against the modern idea that you have to specialize,” he said. “Catholic Studies helped me see the interplay between things, how  all things connect. This is what I want my students to do. I believe it is part of being a well-educated person, and it’s usually lost in a university setting. I encourage my students to make connections instead of deconstructing things.”

Outside of work, Rogers has become more comfortable writing on issues related to the Church and is now writing for the Minnesota Catholic Conference and giving talks at parishes.

“I most appreciate being able to see the Church in context – how it influences culture and how individuals are influenced by it,” he said. “The world is not all that the news cycle says it is. We’re interested in numbers, in that which is measureable, but there’s more to it than that.”

Read more from Perspectives.

First, how would you describe a liberal arts education and what value it has today?

A liberal arts education is a lot more than getting people to think critically. It is also about inspiring the desire to observe the world around us and to place events and ideas in proper context, to understand where things have come from historically, and then to think about where we are going in the future. We need to build upon old knowledge and ensure that we’re taking “new” knowledge and turning it into wisdom. Certainly a liberal arts education should be about sparking desire to serve others and to empower people for the greater good.

When you served on the search committee for the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, what answers resonated with you?

On the Dean’s Search Committee, I was looking for a marriage of functional and strategic, both day-to-day management abilities and painting a vision about the future of liberal arts education. I was interested in hearing about areas of opportunity that St. Thomas should explore. Finally, I wanted to see how the candidates would defend a liberal arts education in a world where ever-higher priority is placed on function. I learned more from their answers than I had anticipated and, interestingly enough, I’m convinced that a liberal arts education is more important than ever. We’ve got to resolve this strange disconnect in the world: While function and specialization are the headlines, research says creative thinking is more important than ever and drives the modern economy. My hope is that CAS will address and help resolve this disconnect.

Your profile on the CAS Board of Advisors includes words such as “software,” “technology,” “finance,” “marketing,” “start-up,” and also “public policy,” “arts,” “connector.” How do you connect these words that many people would describe as belonging to different worlds?

They’re really not different worlds. Like most people, I simply have a wide range of interests. Of course, if you just list one’s interests and activities on paper, they often look like disconnected silos. In reality, they are simply a few of the details that make up the person. I don’t think that I’m particularly unique in that regard. Healthcare is complex and evolving.

What are the most rewarding aspects of your work in this area?

I work with software designed for the outpatient care setting – a doctor’s office. I focus on process change: What we did yesterday won’t work well in tomorrow’s world. What I find rewarding is getting a health care setting from where it has been to where it will need to be. We still need to heal patients; we still need caring, compassionate providers who are world-class diagnosticians. But we need to deliver services more efficiently and effectively, and we can’t do that with yesterday’s technologies and processes. This means change, and how we achieve that without disrupting the patient-provider relationship is important to me.

Could you mention courses that made a lasting impression on you, or shaped your outlook on career and community?

Most of the courses that made an impression on me came from the core curriculum. I think if you poll most students years after they graduate, you’d find some of their favorite classes were in the core curriculum. My interesting courses were all over the map. I really enjoyed music lit., English, history, and some of the introductory theology and philosophy courses. You know, the introductory classes have high value and often leave lifelong impressions. I hope that faculty recognize the impact they have on students.

What is it like becoming so actively involved with CAS, years after graduating, and what are some of the best experiences so far?

It’s been rewarding because St. Thomas has a wonderful sense of community. A few areas stand out in particular: I’ve had the privilege to spend time with a number of  department chairs and faculty members and am struck by their talent, dedication and enthusiasm. That translates to a healthy learning environment, and I think the faculty should be very proud of what they’re building. Recognizing the job that CAS faculty are doing in educating future leaders who can find solutions has been very rewarding. I’ve enjoyed learning more about the opportunities and challenges facing CAS, the university, and more broadly, higher education in general. As well, I’ve found that working with the talented and enthusiastic people on the Board of Advisors has been really fulfilling. Finally, it’s been wonderful to see how UST’s profile has grown within the broader community, and for all the right reasons. That points to a dynamic and thriving organization that’s successfully serving its core mission.

Looking ahead to the next decade, what would you like to see happen at CAS and UST? How might other alumni get involved with the future of CAS and make a difference?

It’s critical that CAS be highly strategic in pursuing opportunities. It can’t be everything to everybody, so it must have a firm grasp on the core fundamentals – its reason for being – and stick to them. It must have a clearly defined identity, both on campus and within the broader community. Finally, it must be outward looking and vigorously pursue and defend its core liberal arts mission. Alums can get involved in countless, good, formal ways, but I would also encourage them in unofficial ways. Your interests can drive your involvement. Let your interest be your guide and feel free to raise your hand. Rest assured that you’ll find someone at St. Thomas welcoming you.

Read more from CAS Spotlight.

The disaster became one of the best things that happened to the company, as it pushed Selden to transform the business. By 2009, due to Arise’s tremendous success, Selden was one of 150 CEOs invited to attend President Barack Obama’s Jobs and Economic Growth Forum.

Selden’s path to her current position as co-chair at Arise started during an internship while she was an undergraduate student at St. Thomas. She was pursuing majors in accounting and computer science and was interested in an internship at Arthur Andersen (now Accenture). Her internship led to a job offer in either audit or tax, but she asked to go into consulting and became the first St. Thomas graduate to go directly into that field at Arthur Andersen – one of many firsts she has achieved in her career.

Her education and experience taught her about technology and how it was changing business. She also learned how to work with teams and serve clients. She moved up within the organization, eventually becoming the youngest managing partner. Over three years, she more than doubled the revenue of her group, largely through reinventing its strategy, moving it from 90 percent consulting work to a 50-50 mix of consulting and outsourcing.

Selden was encountering ideas that were preparing her for a move to Arise, although as one of the top five women at Accenture, she had no plans to leave soon. She began to reflect on how “outsourcing” generally meant “offshoring.” She also considered the need for employment opportunities for Americans, regardless of where in the United States they lived. Selden’s small-town roots in Tomah, Wis., had made her aware of how people often were unemployed or underemployed because of a lack of opportunities in their area. She was reading The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman, a book which argues that technological advances have leveled the playing field in global commerce.  “When I read the book, it stopped me in my tracks to realize that technological benefits were being used against us. It made me angry,” she said. Selden felt that technology could be used to help the underemployed.

One more factor made her think about how changing the way people work might allow them to have a remarkable career while maintaining great relationships with family members: Her three-year-old asked her, “Mommy, what’s it like to live on an airplane?”

“That was a low point,” Selden said. As Selden was asking herself questions about the lack of adequate employment opportunities in some places and how we can improve the way we work, Arise approached her with the opportunity to become the company’s CEO. The intersection of her roots, her interest in technology and the chance to bring her ideas and abilities into play was too remarkable to pass up.

A New Way to Work

Arise provides a virtual workforce to its clients in the areas of customer service, technical support and sales. The people who work with Arise incorporate as an LLC, so they are not employees but small business owners. Selden notes that the social contract has changed over time. Pensions and unions have gone away, and workers are less confident that they will work for their current employer in 15 years.

Arise’s setup gives people more control. They decide which clients they will serve, how often they will work and where they will do the work – whether from their home or a vacation home. Selden notes this trend is not just happening in the call-center industry but also in law, marketing and technology, allowing employees to have ownership of their careers. “A ‘parent-child’ type of relationship between employer and employee tends to create an environment where the ‘child’ tries to figure out what he can get away with. We need more adult-to-adult relationships for the 21st century,” Selden said. “Arise’s environment is strictly oriented around your ability to control how much you make and when you work.”

Top performers choose their hours before everyone else. Employees are not paid just to show up. The relationship between the company and the worker puts success in the hands of the worker. “You control your own destiny,” Selden said.

“It’s scary, and it’s foreign to corporations, which are used to a top-down, command-and-control relationship.” Selden had to convince companies that they could trust people they’d never met and that Arise could provide them with better results through a performance-based environment.

Some of the people who work with Arise employ others who would rather not create their own business. One of Arise’s success stories is Lexsine Miller, a single mother who was holding down two jobs and lost everything in a move before she began working with Arise. She has built her business, Open Door Multiservices, into a seven-figure company that employs hundreds of people.

From Wilma to Washington

Following Hurricane Wilma, which dealt a severe blow to Arise, Selden decided to diversify the workforce. She shut down recruiting in Florida, but not one person who worked with the company was let go. She led the company in finding new ways to recruit and in reinventing service delivery. By the end of 2006, Arise had more than replaced the business it had lost from the hurricane.

The company began training and recruiting people virtually. Selden worked hard to convince potential clients to trust that work done by a virtual workforce would be done with quality. She also found that Arise could deliver value for businesses beyond the workforce it provided. “Companies can use our technology infrastructure for their own purposes. They can use our curriculum. Our business process has commercial value, so we offer not simply people doing good work but highly scalable tools and processes clients can use. We have a consulting team that works side by side with them.”

Arise also expanded internationally. In addition to its workforce of 25,000 people in the United States, it now has 1,000 workers in Canada and 2,000 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. “Global clients drew us into other countries,” she said. “Multinationals told us they needed talent in other locations.” She also convinced large employers that Arise could provide a sizeable virtual workforce. “They believed there was no way the model could work at that scale.” But Arise proved that it could indeed provide 3,000 workers for one client and 2,000 for another, adjusting the size of the workforce according to peak demands.

When Selden was invited to attend the Jobs and Economic Growth Forum, she was in a small business and entrepreneurship breakout group with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Karen Mills, administrator of the Small Business Association.

“I told them that 1 million call-center jobs left the United States between 1999 and 2009. The trend can’t continue. Virtualizing work, leveraging the broadband infrastructure, could keep families intact in local communities. It also supports a green economy; you’re not outfitting a large building for your workforce, and they don’t use fossil fuel to commute,” she said. Arise caught President Obama’s attention, and the organization has been featured on television and in print as a bright spot in a
stagnant economy. Selden was invited back to Washington last January for a forum on insourcing American work.

“Companies aren’t seeing enough economic benefits from outsourcing their work overseas,” Selden said. “Labor costs are rising, exchange rates need to be taken into account, and costs can be neutralized if an issue is resolved in the first call instead of two to three calls because of a lack of understanding between the customer and the employee.”

Mary Bartlett ’89, vice president, implementations and product management at Arise, has known Selden for 20 years. Although they both attended St. Thomas at about the same time, Bartlett didn’t meet Selden until she was working for Accenture, where the two hit it off. “She convinced me to go to Winnipeg for a winter project, so you know she’s a good saleswoman,” Bartlett said. “Angie is the epitome of a Level 5 leader from Good to Great. She has personal humility. She deflects good things onto the people around her. Her ambition is not for herself but for her company, her team, her group. She has the ability to make you better than you ever thought you could be. She’s your biggest advocate. People are better off for being around her.”

In May, the Opus College of Business presented Selden with a 2012 Entrepreneur Award. “That is a capstone of what we’ve accomplished at Arise,” Selden said. “The entire company is fueled by entrepreneurs, so that award is for them as much as for me.”

Read more from B. Magazine.

One could argue that a major individual contributor to those statistics is Brad Ribar ’82 M.B.A., founder, owner and chief roaster at the Minnesota State Fair roasted corn stand, where he and a crew of 90 to 100 employees roast and sell about 200,000 pounds of sweet corn in just 12 days.

The Best Job of the Summer

For many regular fairgoers, a stop at the corn roast stand is a must. But when it first appeared 28 years ago, it was a slightly harder sell. “We gave away a lot of free samples the first year. People had never seen roasted corn before. Also, when we first started, no one wanted burnt kernels. Now, they ask for them,” Ribar says.

Ribar got the idea for a corn stand at the Minnesota State Fair while visiting his uncle in Wisconsin. At that state’s annual get-together, he sampled the Lion’s Club roasted corn. He was so taken by it, he asked to vol-unteer at the booth for the duration of his stay. While there, he says, “I asked a hundred questions and, when I left, I knew what I wanted to do.”

While he may have been certain of his success, Minnesota fair officials were not. It took five years of lobbying for them to accept his application – three years to approve the idea and two additional years to find the right location.

“To get space at the fair, you have to apply. A committee reviews your experience and your equipment, as well as their needs. It’s almost as though they are preparing a meal in one area; they want to ensure the stands represent a full meal and not too much of one thing.” One thing working in Ribar’s favor was his business plan, a plan he had drafted and honed while a student in the Evening UST MBA program.

The program’s strength in entrepreneurship was one factor in his decision, and he discovered that his classmates’ strengths were just as important. “My classmates were people who ran their own businesses and were, like me, interested in understanding all they needed to know about that. My professors were also business owners, or people working in corporate America, so I learned a lot I wouldn’t have otherwise learned on my own. That was important to me,” he says.

State Fair Love Affair

Ribar grew up at the Minnesota State Fair, where his grandparents ran the sanitation business for 68 years. “I love the fair. There’s something special about it I’ve never felt at other state fairs or county fairs. When you walk in, you have a sense of excitement, even when no one else is there,” he says.

Working for his family in both the sanitation business as well as the wholesale Christmas wreath business his grandparents left to them when he was in the ninth grade, Ribar discovered at an early age that he never wanted to work for anyone else. While completing his undergraduate business degree at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Ribar found summer employment with a landscaper and a plumber, experiences that further cemented his entrepreneurial aims. “Working for a plumber, I learned a lot about mechanics that are beneficial now. But with the landscaper, I learned that it took them three days of selling to get two days of work. I knew that wasn’t something I ever wanted to do.”

Since inheriting the wreath business, Ribar has gone on to found and operate three different businesses: Ribco Enterprises, owned jointly with his wife, is the name under which the corn roast operates; Brad & Harry’s, a partnership with a college friend that operates cheese curd stands at other state and county fairs; and Lorette Foods, another cheese curd operation he owns with his mother- and father-in-law. But the roast corn stand was the first and is clearly, listening to Ribar talk, the one about which he is most passionate.

Love What You Do

An early and disciplined saver, Ribar graduated from college with a substantial nest egg, one he used to start Ribco Enterprises.

In the first year, Ribar employed 24 people, though he admits they would have needed only half that number. At this year’s fair, 55 to 60 part-time employees were on hand at any one time to staff the business. Employees are recruited solely by word-of-mouth. “We began by talking to people in my church’s youth group and their friends. Each year, some would return, or their friends would apply. We have some people working with us today who have been with us since day one,” he says.

While his employees come from many different backgrounds – from college students to financial advisers – they share Ribar’s ethos: “Love what you do; believe in it. Don’t be afraid to work or get dirty, and be willing and ready to have fun.”

For young entrepreneurs, Ribar has additional advice: “Don’t get discouraged – give anything three years. It takes that long to know if you’ve got a shot or not. I’ve seen many people quit after two years when they were close to making it happen.”

Ribar is the first to admit that the success of the corn stand is due to a lot of luck and good help. “When we first opened, our biggest issues were the mechanics. We designed the roast-ing racks ourselves. … It was a bad design.” The first time they tested the racks – the night before the fair opened in 1984 – they flipped the corn across the booth. “Luckily, I have an uncle who is a welder, and we ran to his garage. We cut them apart and re- welded them and are still using them today.”

Another contributing factor to his success was finding a farmer who can grow sweet corn in the quantities Ribar requires. In the early years, he bought from a variety of farmers. But today, he works with just one. “He grows a special seed just for us. It’s an expensive seed that many farmers don’t like to grow because the yield is low and the corn doesn’t last as long in the stores as some others do. But it’s perfect for us,” Ribar says.

It helps the roast corn stand consistently makes the list of top 10 food sellers at the Minnesota State Fair each year. The corn is a “supersweet” hybrid variety that holds more sugar in each kernel. Sweet corn itself is a genetic mutation of field corn that dates back to the 1700s, when it was purportedly first grown in Pennsylvania.

“Really good corn and roasting make all the difference,” Ribar notes. “Roasting gives the corn a different flavor. It’s richer and deeper. If you roast it for 25 to 30 minutes, the sugar in the corn caramelizes.”

When asked how he landed upon the ideal roasting time, Ribar smiles: “We cooked it for an hour.”

Corn Futures

Twelve years ago, Ribar and his brother sold the wreath business they had inherited. “I had three kids at home, worked all summer, and the wreath and fair business overlapped. I never saw my children … and they were why I was working so hard. I couldn’t see the point in that,” he says.

That was the day when, in Ribar’s estimation, he retired. Since then, he has been a man of “leisure,” or at least leisure in his eyes. Between his various enterprises, he and his team travel to 40 events each summer. In the off season, they attend trade shows and conferences to learn of innovations in the field and talk with others in their line of business. And he ice fishes. But it’s the corn business that he loves, and that occupies most of his time and passion. He hopes that his son and daughter will take over some day, but when asked what is standing in their way, Ribar smiles again: “The old man.”

Read more from B. Magazine.

Father James Lavin serving peanut butter sandwiches to students in the basement of Ireland Hall.

Since his death earlier this year, countless St. Thomas alumni and students have paid tribute and shared stories about the impact Monsignor Lavin had in their lives. (See a selection of those tributes here and in the comments section of this story.)

Alumni relations manager Nadine Friederichs ’90, ’12 M.A., recalls celebrating Lavin’s birthday every year while they worked together in the Alumni Association and after he moved off campus. “It’s always been a big deal to celebrate with him,” Friederichs said. “I remember celebrations being held at The Lexington, and later in his life we would celebrate on campus.” The largest celebration was his 90^th birthday party in 2008.

The on-campus celebration of Monsignor Lavin’s birthday continues Nov. 12, what would have been his 94th. The Alumni Association invites the entire St. Thomas community to enjoy complimentary peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Scooter’s, the restaurant bearing the beloved priest’s nickname.

And you can look forward to the tradition continuing for years to come as Nov. 12 has been officially declared Monsignor James Lavin Day at the University of St. Thomas.

For more information, contact Friederichs.