1930–39
Hattie Elta (Pettis) Buhler ’38, Pratt, celebrated her 100th birthday July 14. She was the 1937 Bethel College Homecoming Wheat Bowl Queen.
1950–59
Delmer Kaufman ’59, Moundridge, was honored for meritorious service while teaching and coaching in the school system in Bennett, Colorado, for more than 30 years. In late January, he was inducted into the Bennett High School Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2014. Delmer was instrumental in starting girls’ basketball and track programs in the 1970s at the high school. During his tenure, he taught math, science, geography, Colorado history, driver education, reading and social studies. He coached football, basketball and track at the junior and senior high school levels, beginning his coaching and teaching career in 1962 in Bennett. He retired from the Bennett school system in the early 1990s and now resides at Pine Village in Moundridge.
1960–69
Verda (Wagner) Byrd ’64, San Antonio, Texas, was featured in a March 25 article in The Newton Kansan about her formative years in Newton and meeting her biological siblings. An article about her, “Texas woman discovers she’s white after 70 years,” was in the June 23 edition of USA Today.
Jim Juhnke ’62, North Newton, has started a blog about Kansas Mennonites in politics. His first posts can be found at kansasmennonitesinpolitics.wordpress.com and is about Steven Becker, a member of Buhler Mennonite Church and the Kansas legislature.
Elizabeth Raid ’66, Newton, was ordained Jan. 4 at Bethel College Mennonite Church, North Newton. She and her husband, Lucio Gomez, serve as campus pastors at Mennonite Friendship Communities in South Hutchinson.
Sheldon Sawatzky ’65, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, retired from Mennonite Mission Network in Elkhart, Indiana. He served as a missionary in Taiwan 1965–2012, and was director for East Asia for the Commission on Overseas Mission of the General Conference Mennonite Church, Mennonite Board of Missions of the Mennonite Church and Mennonite Mission Network of Mennonite Church USA (1997–2009). He was also interim general secretary for the Fellowship of Mennonite Churches in Taiwan (2010–12).
Joe Schrag ’61, Wakarusa, is the author of The Kansas Relays: Track and Field Tradition in the Heartland (Adina Publishing, 2014), which was one of 15 books recently named to the Kansas Notable Book List of 2015. The list, coordinated by the State Library of Kansas, is the only honor for Kansas books by Kansans.
1970–79
Glen Ediger ’75, North Newton, wrote and designed the book Hoffnungsau, A Hopeful View (Mennonite Press, 2014), which covers Mennonite history, including the Mennonite migrations from Prussia to Russia and from Russia to Kansas. The full-color, 230-page book also includes Buhler and Inman history, with more than 800 photos and 300 highlighted quotes. The book is available from Hoffnungsau Mennonite Church, Inman, which celebrated its 140th anniversary during 2014, culminating in the publication of the book. Glen was also the keynote speaker March 5 at a Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics Education Summit in Kirksville, Missouri, in conjunction with Truman State University, where he spoke on “The Art of Engineering”—how his industrial design experience combines art and the sciences. He also met with several business classes. Glen was invited by Jon Gering ’94, dean of science and mathematics at Truman State.
Lauren Hiebner ’72, Omaha, Nebraska, is in his 40th year of teaching. He currently teaches at Brownell-Talbot, a private independent school in Omaha, where he is an instructor in American government, economics, AP U.S. history (APUSH) and methods of historical research, as well as chair of the history department. Brownell-Talbot is the only school in Nebraska that requires 41⁄2 years of history to graduate. Lauren and his wife, Cecilia, spend their summers in Quito, Ecuador, where Lauren was in the Peace Corps from 1972-75.
Pamela (Becker) McCullough ’73, Newton, owns her own dentistry business in Newton. “I enjoy multi-faceted aspects of dentistry, including diagnosis, preventative care/education and treatment procedures including oral surgery,” she wrote. “I especially enjoy watching families of my patients grow up, donating my services to the disadvantaged and adopting new technologies.”
Abram Wiebe ’71, Steinbach, Manitoba, retired from the lay ministry July 1, 2012, at Steinbach Mennonite Church. He and his wife, Susan, in the company of family and friends, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Aug. 10, 2014. Abram serves on the Mennonite Church Manitoba nominations committee and is the Manitoba representative for the JoinHands Mennonite Church Building Program of Mennonite Men USA and Mennonite Men Canada.
1980–89
Charles Epp ’84, Lawrence, was one of three University of Kansas professors to receive a top book award in public administration for their collaborative research on race and investigatory police stops, and ramifications of those institutionalized policies. They were honored by the American Society for Public Administration. Their book is Pulled Over: How Police Stops Define Race and Citizenship (University of Chicago Press, 2014).
Sherwin Frey ’81, Los Angeles earned his third-degree black belt. He is an instructor at KMA Black Belt Champions in Sherman Oaks, California. He teaches a blended style of tae kwon do and Muay Thai kickboxing. The weapons used are based in karate. Students range in age from 4 to 64.
Rachel Waltner Goossen ’82, Topeka, received the 2015 Roy Myers Award for Excellence in Research from Washburn University, Topeka, where she has been a member of the history faculty for 15 years. The award is given annually to recognize teaching and scholarship. Most recently, Rachel published “Defanging the Beast’: Mennonite Responses to John Howard Yoder’s Sexual Abuse,” in the January 2015 issue of Mennonite Quarterly Review.
Marnette (Ortman) Hofer ’87, Dolton, South Dakota, and Kelsey Ortman ’12, Marion, South Dakota, were featured in an article titled “Moving History” in the Freeman (South Dakota) Courier. Kelsey is the Heritage Hall Museum and Archives administrator, while Marnette is the archivist. The two are redoing the archives at the museum.
Judy (Kehler) Reimer ’83, Hesston, marked 15 years of employment as clerk of the board for Hesston USD 460.
1990–99
Lance Hofer ’96, Enid, Oklahoma, graduated with distinction from the United States Air Force’s pilot instructor training in October 2014 at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas. He moved to Enid and is stationed at Vance Air Force Base as a T-1 instructor pilot. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 2015.
Palwasha Kakar ’99, Woodbridge, Virginia, was featured in an article in the May 14 issue of the Augusta Free Press (Waynesboro, Virginia) titled “Mennonite education provided Afghan-American Muslim woman leads her to key roles in world peacebuilding.”
Cara Kliewer ’97, Wichita, was named one of the Top 20 Women in Business by the Wichita Business Journal. She is owner of CK Communications in Wichita.
Chris Kliewer ’97, Wichita, is project manager at GLMV Architecture in Wichita.
Eric Nachtigal ’95, Wichita, has been appointed assistant principal at Maize South Elementary. Previously, he was a school counselor there. Eric also is president of the Heart of America Men’s Chorus in Wichita.
David Preheim ’93, Mishawaka, Indiana, is in his 21st year with Concord Community Schools in Elkhart, Indiana, including the last 11 years as athletic director at Concord High School. He was elected president of the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administrators’ Association in March.
Valerie Schrag ’95, Lawrence, received a Northwestern University Distinguished Secondary Teacher Award June 18, which honors high school teachers who have touched the lives of Northwestern students. It carries an award of $2,500 to each teacher and $2,500 to their school.
Sydney Stigge-Kaufman ’98, St. Louis, is director of Strategic Partnership in the East St. Louis school district. She works at development with new initiatives within the district.
Krista Voth ’98, Tucson, Arizona, is director of Annual Giving Programs at the University of Arizona Foundation.
2000–09
Aislinn Conrad-Hiebner ’07, Lawrence, successfully defended her doctoral dissertation on the relationship between economic hardship and risk for child physical abuse. Her dissertation research was funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. She graduated with a Ph.D. in social welfare from the University of Kansas and has accepted an assistant professor position at the University of Iowa School of Social Work.
Braden Conrad-Hiebner ’07, Lawrence, worked as an education officer/communications assistant at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, with the “Plains Indians: Artists of Earth and Sky” exhibition. He completed his master’s degree in anthropology and museum studies from the University of Kansas in 2013.
Todd Flory ’04, Wichita, was chosen to attend the Microsoft Global Educator Exchange conference April 28-May 1 on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington. This is a global education conference focused on education technology. Only 20 U.S. educators were selected to attend. (For more about Todd’s work with Skype® in the classroom, see the story on page 19.)
Peter Goerzen ’07, North Newton, graduated this spring from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. He received the Award for Excellence in Theological Studies and Award for Excellence in Preaching. For the first award, Peter was noted for his thoughtful, careful and creative approach to theological issues and ability to apply these skills to ministry. For the second award, he was described as “a preacher who carefully and bravely reads the text; who has eyes on the world and the church, on lament and joy; and who preaches the good news with humility and confidence. “ Peter is Bethel campus pastor and director of church relations.
Caitlin (Welch) Linscheid ’07, Kansas City, Kansas, successfully defended her dissertation March 12 through the University of Kansas Medical Center Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the Beller Conference Center, to complete a Ph.D. in anatomy and cell biology. Her dissertation was on “Expression, Regulation and Release of Human Placental Antigens: Implications for the Maternal Immune Response to the Fetus.”
Joel Linscheid ’08, Wichita, was featured in the summer edition of HarveyCountyNOW magazine, published by Lindsey (Miller) Young ’07 and her husband, Joey, about his time with The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Nisha Onta ’03, Bangkok, Thailand, is knowledge management coordinator for Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN). WOCAN’s vision is that “organizations engaged in agriculture and natural resource management fully recognize and support the roles and leadership of women farmers, environmental managers, professionals and decision makers, leading to an equal distribution of responsibilities, rights, benefits and power between women and men in management of natural resources to achieve sustainable development and poverty alleviation,” as stated by woman.org.
Karrie Peterson ’06, Washington, D.C., was in Nepal for work-related travel during the recent earthquake. “The past week has been one wild ride,” Karrie wrote in an e-mail soon after the earthquake hit April 25. “I was given the option to come back to D.C. or continue on with my mission. For various reasons, I decided to continue and was subsequently evacuated to Bangkok.”
Toby Tyner ’07, Newton, earned a master of education degree from Fort Hays State University in June.
Samuel Voth Schrag ’04, University City, Missouri, was featured in an article, “A light for social justice,” in The Mennonite. The article is about two Mennonite churches in St. Louis, Bethesda Mennonite Church and St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship, that are “working together to be a light in their community for racial justice.” Sam is pastor at St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship.
Lindsey (Miller) Young ’07, Newton, and her husband, Joey Young, in August launched a weekly community newspaper, Newton Now, that will cover North Newton and Newton.
2010–19
Creigh Bartel ’14, Newton, was in Nepal when the recent earthquake hit, although he was in a different part of the country than the epicenter.
Camille Claassen ’12, Hutchinson, graduated from Kansas State University in May 2014 with a master of accountancy degree. She started working for the Kansas Farm Management Association in July 2014.
Anna Cook ’13, Lawrence, has been named the orchestra teacher at Shawnee Mission North High School, Olathe, beginning with the 2015-16 school year.
Joseph Creiglow ’13, El Centro, California, earned a master of science degree in negotiation and dispute resolution from Creighton University.
Nicole Eitzen Delgado ’10, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, received funding through the Henry M. MacCracken Program for five years of study at New York University. She will start in fall 2015 in the Ph.D. program in English. The funding is for more than $45,000 through fellowship, grant and stipend money.
Guadalupe Gonzalez ’14, Austin, Texas, was awarded a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship, which gives $24,000, plus some additional benefits, per year for three years for people engaged in graduate study leading to a doctor of philosophy or doctor of science degree. She was one of only about 60 pre-doctoral students selected across a wide variety of disciplines in research-based fields.
Emily Harder ’15, McPherson, is serving with Mennonite Voluntary Service in Washington, D.C.
Benjamin Kreider ’15, North Newton, is serving in Honduras with Mennonite Central Committee’s Serve and Learn Together (SALT) program.
Audra Miller ’14, San Francisco, is in her second year with Mennonite Voluntary Service, working in the Tenderloin District for a supportive housing organization called DISH. It which recently started a “Home Is” portrait project that includes images of some of the 450 formerly homeless tenants. Tenants wrote what home means to them to accompany the black-and-white photos. Each tenant gets a copy of their photo to hang on the wall or send to family members. Audra also has started a documentary photoproject featuring dogs and their owners. She’s taken more than 200 street portraits of people and canines in San Francisco.
Jackie (Kamphaus) Moore ’12, Newton, has been named instructor of literary studies at Bethel to start in fall 2015. She completed her master of arts in English literature at Wichita State University in May.
Joshua Nathan ’10, Los Angeles, was featured in an April 28 Hutchinson News article headlined “Walking filmmakers’ tour of Kansas makes Hutch stop.” Josh and collaborator Patrick Ross, Lawrence, are trekking to the Eight Wonders of Kansas and making a documentary along the way. In Hutchinson, they stopped at Strataca (the Kansas Underground Salt Museum) and at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center.
Kelsey Ortman ’12, Marion, South Dakota, and Marnette (Ortman) Hofer ’87, Dolton, South Dakota, were featured in an article titled “Moving History” in the Freeman (South Dakota) Courier. Kelsey is the Heritage Hall Museum and Archives administrator while Marnette is the archivist. The two are redoing the archives at the museum.
Caleb Regehr ’11, Lake Worth, Florida, is quality control and safety manager for Consolidated Minerals Inc. in Leesburg, Florida.